Uh, Sparks said again, I think we may have spoken too soon.
As yet another scream tore through the air, Seb looked in the same direction as Sparks. He made eye contact with one of the beings close to them. A mole-like thing, it had pale skin, a small black nose, and milky white eyes. It panted as it stared straight at him, its small head twisting to one side as if trying to comprehend what had just landed close to it. Seb let out a heavy sigh before he said, Oh shit!
CHAPTER 42
After the first one had noticed them, staring at them with a blank expression, Seb tensed to see those around it also lift their heads. Lethargic movements, all of them panted as if even breathing came hard for them. Do you think they’ve been put in this cage to die? Seb said.
The bars of the cell were just a few metres away. While watching the beings around them, Seb shifted closer to the edge of their cage. At least if we get our backs covered, we can’t be surrounded. Not that this lot look capable of causing us much harm.
Unless they alert the guards to our presence, SA said.
There is that. As Seb shuffled across the cold and hard ground, the other two moved with him. They made slow progress so they could keep the noise down. The creatures might have looked docile, but they didn’t want to startle them.
The slaves continued to watch them, and when the first one opened its mouth, Seb’s chest tightened and his world slowed down. He balled his fists as he watched the mole-like creature. He didn’t want to make the first move, but if he had to shut it down, he would.
However, instead of screaming, the creature’s open mouth stretched impossibly wide as if something would climb out of it. A silent cry of agony, it then turned into a contorting writhe that twisted through its entire body. A palsied movement of sheer discomfort, the slave fell back to the ground and rolled around on the cold stone, arching its back while dragging its long fingers down its face.
Where the other slaves had looked at them through listless eyes, they now turned away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, as if the cage’s newest arrivals had been there all along. Another creature near the tormented one then curled into a ball and shook. Another one fell back against the concrete ground as if it had spent all of its energy.
When Seb looked at Sparks and SA, he saw his own shock in their slack faces. What the hell’s going on here?
Another cry, it called through the cavernous space from one of the large barns.
Now Seb’s eyes had fully adjusted to the dark cave, he found it easier to see across to the other side. There were four barns in total. Although he couldn’t see what went on in them, the sounds coming out suggested they needed to check them out.
SA finally spoke. I wouldn’t mind betting we’ll find answers to all of our questions in one of those buildings over there. She then drifted off, her eyes narrowing as she stared across at the barns.
Whatever’s happening to the creatures down here, Sparks said, I don’t think they’re a threat to us. As long as we keep our heads down and our movements slow, they’ll probably allow us to be here for as long as we need to be to work out what to do next. They’ve clearly had obedience drilled into them.
A loud steam whistle then rang through the place, snapping Seb rigid where he sat. So much for no sudden movements.
The slaves around them got to their feet at the shrill call, clumsy and shuffling like the undead. They moved as a horde, and Seb pushed himself up against the prison’s bars to get as far away from them as he could.
When Seb looked at Sparks and SA again, he saw they watched the prisoners too. An uncoordinated mess, they shuffled in the direction of what must have been the cage’s exit. They bumped into one another, shoving and pushing as they walked over the ones that had fallen or still remained on the ground, trapped in their own torment. All of them were on their own path, dealing with their own trauma.
As hard as Seb squinted to take in the gloomy space, he couldn’t see any more crimson-robed guards watching their cage other than the two on the door.
They’re all switching around, SA said.
Seb followed her line of sight to see several large groups of slaves being moved from one barn to the next. Those from the final barn were being led to the cage they were currently in.
There’s very few guards down here, Seb said. Where do you think they are?
Sparks shrugged. I might be wrong, but it looks to me like the slaves are quite easy to manage. Especially after they’ve passed through that first building.
At the entrance to the first barn, Seb saw the biggest cluster of guards. Maybe six or seven of them, they were herding the slaves like cattle, keeping them penned in and ready to move into the dark structure. Most of the screams had come from the third barn.
SA continued to stare out into the cave. Sparks is right. They’re doing something dark to them over there. She winced as if she had a headache. I can feel it. The slaves at the front are going in fairly normal, but by the time they get to this cage, their minds are a mess. That third barn is the one. She moved her hands as if trying to catch a wet bar of soap. It’s like their thoughts are slipping through their minds, just out of their reach.
The cage door to the cell they were in slammed shut with a loud crash. All three of them looked in the direction of the sound.
Because he hadn’t been watching the new batch of slaves come in, it took that moment for Seb to see them. Soaked, shivering, and entirely lost in their own world. Another pack of maybe two hundred zombies, they shuffled into the space and collapsed onto the ground as they spread out. The next time that whistle sounds, he said, I think we should try to get out of here. I’m sure if we pretend to be like them, we can evade detection by the guards.
CHAPTER 43
When the steam whistle went off again, Seb would have guessed about twenty minutes had passed since he’d last heard it. Its nerve-fraying shrill call rang through the place, daring him to jump to his feet. Instead, he remained with his back to the bars and watched the slaves around them. Their Pavlovian response sent a chill through him. As one, they all looked in the direction of the sound, their faces locked in their own version of confusion. It seemed to take a few seconds for them to either recognise what needed to be done, or to find the dexterity to do it. Either way, they all began getting to their feet.
As they’d already agreed, Seb, SA, and Sparks all stood up too, doing their best to copy the lethargy of those around them. They joined the hive mind in stumbling towards the exit. They’d also agreed they wouldn’t talk to one another, even via SA. If their eyes showed any form of cognition, they’d stand out in the mindless mass.
The walk to the exit went slowly because of the sheer number of bodies in the large cage. They seemed unable to comprehend anything outside themselves, a bottleneck backing up as they all tried to move through the narrow gate at once.
Now they were in amongst the crowd, shoulder to shoulder with them, Seb allowed himself the slightest glance to his left and right. They all wore the same glazed look, broken by whatever process they’d been put through. It made sense why they didn’t have many guards; these lot didn’t look capable of revolution. Another reason why they had to gather intelligence and nothing else. What would they do with a crowd of zombies on a freezing mountain with nowhere to take them? They’d die quicker than if they left them behind.
Just two guards dressed in crimson robes stood by the exit. Where Seb’s heart rate had lifted through his fear of being discovered, it settled to see just how little attention they paid their prisoners.
Even with most of the fires and torches far away, the flickering flames animated the shadows, and it took all of Seb’s resolve to ignore them. They were shadows, nothing more; he didn’t need to watch them for fear of attack.
Packed in so tightly increased the temperature of the already stuffy cave. It didn’t help to still be dressed in clothes better suited for the snowy mountains above them. Sweat ran into Seb’s eyes as he walked, and he had to fight
against his desire to wipe it away. He needed to act like those around him.
They’d believed the cell to be the final stage in the process. When they passed through the gate and headed with the others in the direction of a tunnel, Seb now felt certain of it.
Despite the guards waiting in the tunnel a good thirty metres away, there were none in between them and the cage’s exit. Seb looked up and down the line before he spoke to the other two. I think we should slowly melt into the shadows. No one’s watching.
After SA had also looked around, she came through to them. I agree. I think now’s our best chance.
Because they were in the middle of the crowd, Sparks wouldn’t have been able to see anything. It must have been why she didn’t comment.
When Seb eased himself to the left, the other two followed him. They pretended to stumble and dragged their feet so they fitted in. As much as he tried to avoid it, he looked at the slaves again. The trauma in their damaged eyes spoke of beings who’d been taken to the edge and pushed off. How did they turn them into functioning slaves after this?
Seb made it to the side of the pack and glanced at the shadows next to them. A quick look up and down and he still saw no guards other than the ones at either end of the line. He then stepped into the darkness, SA and Sparks following him a second later.
CHAPTER 44
Seb, Sparks, and SA waited in the darkness and watched the line of slaves they’d been a part of vanish down the tunnel. The guards at the entrance tagged onto the end of the line, ushering them into the darkness. We need to see what’s going on here so we have something to take back to Moses, Seb said. Hopefully a clue as to who Enigma is.
Both SA and Sparks looked at him, so Seb took the lead, guiding them through the shadows. They headed back the way they’d come from, passing the cage as they moved on towards the four large barns.
They skirted around guards, the darkness cloaking them from several pairs of not so watchful eyes. They looked confident about having the place locked down. It would have taken an almighty disruption to alert the crimson-robed villains to much. As far as being an employee of the Countess and her operations, they had a cushy job. As long as they could tolerate the screams that soared through the cave every minute or two. Maybe the amount of time they’d spent down there made them numb to the sounds.
If Seb, Sparks, and SA understood the process like they thought they did, the first barn they came to was the fourth step in whatever twisted production line the slaves were put through. The large doors were closed, so they saw nothing. However, as they got close, they heard the splash of water inside. Seb froze. Any kind of water with his fists … Then he heard it again. It sounded more like it hit the ground rather than a pool of any sort. Hopefully a soaking rather than anything a being could drown in.
Seb led the line and kept them moving, the rough rock of the wall scraping against his coat. Close to the next barn, they were now near to the screams that had been a feature since they’d entered the place.
What are they doing to them in there? Sparks said.
Like the previous barn, the closed doors stopped them seeing in. I hate to think, Seb replied.
They were just metres from a steam whistle when it shrieked again. Seb jumped so high his feet left the ground. It took all he had to keep his startled yell in. As he fought to calm himself down, he leaned against the wall and waited. The other two did the same.
The humidity in the hot cave had turned to condensation on the rocky wall. When Seb pressed his hand against it, he felt the sweaty surface. The thickness of his coat had prevented him from noticing the damp until that moment.
Although the crimson guards opened the doors of the barn close to them, their current position meant they could only see the side of the large structure. Despite having a better line of sight into the second and fourth ones, the darkness inside them sat so complete, they saw nothing in them either.
ONCE THE BEINGS had all moved on to the next station—the slaves from the cage exiting via the tunnel while the newest batch of victims formed before the first barn—SA took the lead. They crept past barn two and one and heard nothing inside.
The pen in front of the first barn had about fifty to one hundred slaves waiting to be processed. They’d been led in via a tunnel much like the one they used to get out of there.
How many slaves do you think they have waiting down there? Sparks said while nodding in the direction the new slaves had come from.
Seb squinted, but it did nothing to help him see any better. He shrugged. I wouldn’t have the first clue. Although, this doesn’t look like the kind of operation that takes many breaks, so I’m guessing they have plenty to keep this place going.
Quite the conveyor belt, SA agreed.
More screams called out of the third barn. The frequent vocalisation of suffering chipped away at Seb, setting his nerves on edge. If the wide eyes of the other two were anything to go by, the noises of torture grated on them too.
More sweat than ever ran into Seb’s stinging eyes as he squinted, trying to comprehend exactly what the crimson-robed guards were doing in the dimly lit cave. Hot, humid, dark, and underground, it felt like they were currently in hell.
So we can’t stop this, Seb said. We’re outnumbered and we don’t want to give our mission away.
That’s right, SA said. Also, what will we do with hundreds of liberated zombies?
Seb shrugged. So what do we tell Moses? What have we learned?
Nothing from the other two.
When they got closer to the pen by the first barn, Seb sighed. One of us needs to go through the process. Otherwise we have no intelligence to take back with us.
SA stepped forward. I’ll do it.
A look from SA to Sparks, Seb said, Whatever’s happening to the prisoners, it seems like they’re messing with their heads, right? Doing something to their brains.
Right, Sparks said.
So, if anyone can fight against that, it’s SA.
SA nodded. Which is why I need to go through it.
It’s why you need to stay out of it. When Seb looked at Sparks, she seemed to shrink in the glare of his attention. SA, do you think you could protect someone else against it?
A moment’s silence before she said, I could try.
Sparks looked like she wanted to argue, but Seb didn’t give her the chance. Can you keep my mind safe if I go through it?
Both Sparks and SA gasped. SA finally nodded. I think so, yes.
Close enough to join the slaves moving into the first pen, Seb reached out and put a hand on the shoulders of each of his friends. He looked from one to the other while he spoke. It makes sense for me to go. SA can keep me safe if her mind remains sharp, and Sparks will be able to get us out of here when I come out the other side. I can fight, that’s all. And if we get to the point where we have to fight, we’re screwed anyway because there’s too many of them, so what use is my skill set in our getaway? Just follow me through the process, try to stop them screwing my mind up, and help me get out of here at the end, okay?
Two anxious faces stared at Seb.
Okay?
They both nodded.
Seb nodded back as he took his coat off and handed it to SA. See you on the other side, he said. When the guards looked the other way, he slipped into the line of slaves about to go into the first barn.
CHAPTER 45
Seb stood in the pen with the other slaves. They bumped and nudged him, but none of them looked up. Most focused on their feet as if eye contact had been forbidden. To stop himself watching the strange behaviour around him, he stared into the darkness in the direction he knew Sparks and SA to be. Only able to see shadows, he said, You’re well hidden. It’s impossible to see you from here.
It took all Seb had to keep his anxiety in check. The screams, the water, the zombies at the end of the production line … So when Sparks said, Are you sure there isn’t another way? his stomach tensed and he felt a pull to run out of there. How he wanted to
say yes, that he’d thought of something better and everything would be okay.
After a few seconds, he copied the other slaves and looked at his feet. No, he finally said to Sparks. None of us can see into these buildings without going inside. I have to do this so we can stop whatever’s happening to these poor creatures. We need to stop Enigma and whatever it is they have planned. I think the process will give us the information we need to take a step closer to them.
But are you okay? SA said this time. She spoke in a much kinder tone to him than she had in a while.
Don’t be nice to me, Seb said, his resolve weakening by the second. Not now. Just be there to stop the madness from coming in, yeah?
The next whistle sounded out in the cave, snapping Seb rigid. No matter how long he stayed down there for, he’d never get used to the shrill noise.
It took all Seb had to stop himself from vomiting as those around him shifted in preparation for where they had to go next. Palpable anxiety, he felt sure none of them knew what they were letting themselves in for, that none of them had seen the brain-dead slaves in the cage at the end. And why would they have? The only way for them to get there would be to become one of them.
The large double doors at the front of the barn opened. Despite Seb squinting as he peered into it, he only saw darkness.
What can you see? SA said.
Nothing. It’s too dark, like all of the other barns. The slaves at the front of the pack shifted forwards.
After Seb had shuffled about ten metres closer to where they were heading—his palms slick with sweat and his throat dry—he still saw nothing inside the dark barn. One last look into the shadows where he knew his friends to be, he fought to keep his expression relaxed. He might not be able to see them, but they could undoubtedly see him. He didn’t need to share his fear with them now.
Enigma: A Space Opera: Book Six of The Shadow Order Page 15