by D A Rice
I stood, pulling down another book and flipping it open. If the Corrupted existed, why not the Tree of Life? I turned, skimming my hands down a shelf, looking for a map of the outside world. We had no maps of what the land looked like after the bombs destroyed everything except the Corrupted, but I had to imagine that the landscape hadn’t changed too drastically. Radiation would be one thing, but I knew our teams went outside the dome without radiation suits all the time. The air had cleared enough since the bombs detonated hundreds of years ago that it was less of a threat than the demons waiting to find us at night. We could stay out there for at least a day without falling ill.
If I could find the exact location of this garden, a day may be all I needed. I pulled the map down, spreading it out on the table with the rest of the books I laid out, covering them. I had to make plans. I couldn’t go outside the dome with my mother tracking everything I did. I also needed to get Isaac outside with me, for I would not leave him here. Could we take the tunnels the Corrupted had made? Probably. Would they lead outside and be lit enough to keep the Corrupted at bay? Probably not. Did I have another option? No.
My mother would not track me during the day, but the tunnels were not safe, even then. I glanced at the books, finding Zion with my finger on the map beside them, tracing a path to the relative location the books said the Garden of Eden lay. Northeast of Zion, in the mountains that surrounded us. It wasn’t an exact science, but all the books I found placed the garden in the same place. I had been down here, looking for hours at each of the stories in meticulous detail for anything concrete enough to help me. They all said the same thing.
I tapped the map before folding it back up and tucking it into my coat pocket, carefully closing and replacing the books on the shelves. I found a small book of legends that held the information I needed and tucked that inside my coat with the map. I would talk to Isaac and pray that he was still able to communicate back to me. He had been almost animalistic tonight. I did not have much time left to save him. If nothing else, I would prepare to go immediately; if some of Isaac’s humanity still remained, I would not waste it.
I tucked the chair back into the desk, determination settling around my shoulders, and strode out of the library. I needed to rest and to plan, for in the next few days, I was leaving the dome.
8
When I woke, it was late morning and I wasted no time getting to the blocked off eastern section to retrieve my sword. As I repelled down the inner wall, Isaac was waiting for me, sitting in the place where he had helped me defend against the Corrupted horde the night before. He didn’t even flinch as I landed near him, zipping in the grappling hook from the wall. I knelt for my sword and Isaac tilted his head, as if listening.
“I do not have the earpiece. You may speak freely,” I said softly. He had grown yet again, his skin looked more reddish, and I could tell it was getting tougher. There was no hint of brown left in his eyes, only the stark, glowing red of the Corrupted. His face still looked cracked around the eyes as his head came up at the sound of my voice, jerking up faster than I think even he meant, as he studied me. He still had hair drooping into his eyes, but it was less then I had remembered being there. His hands clenched, and I noticed the claw-like fingernails that had begun to form. He was sitting in the shadows, hidden from the sun that likely now hurt him beyond what he could bear.
He tilted his head the other way, “they have a language, Z. Did you know that?” His voice was lower, guttural, like a growl. “Most of them have forgotten how to speak the language of humans….” He trailed off thoughtfully. I took a step forward and he flinched away, his hands rising as if to hide his face, “do not come nearer, Zakiya. Your smell, it is overwhelming.”
I stepped back again, my hands coming up in mock surrender as I knelt back down, retrieving my sword slowly and securing it behind my back. I rested there, with my arms on my knees. “A language?” I asked, mostly just to keep him talking.
He lowered his arms as he watched me, “yes. They speak of masters hidden in the mountains, and a warrior; beyond,” he pointed outside of the dome walls, “they say he speaks the language of Angels but smells human.” He watched the walls for a moment, before slowly turning back towards me. “I knew you would come back. Always coming back.” He shook his head. His speech was so slow, as if he had to think about how to say things, as if losing the ability to communicate with me.
“I will always come back,” I told him softly.
“You shouldn’t,” he said equally as soft, his eyes tracking my every movement as I shifted on my feet.
“You spoke of masters in the mountains,” I said, changing the subject, “could the Corrupted mean the Fallen?” When Isaac just shrugged I reached out a hand to him, “I did some research, Abadi, if the Fallen exist then maybe the Tree of Life does. We could find a cure!”
He shook his head almost violently, “a myth.” He stood and paced to the wall, “not worth the danger to you.”
I stood, “it is if it heals you! We do not have the time to wait on my mother. If going outside the wall finds you that cure, to hell with the danger. I am in danger inside the walls!” I took a deep breath to calm myself before meeting his red eyes, shining in the shadows, “I want you to come with me, Isaac. Will you come?”
He watched me without saying anything, “I am not safe, Z. I can smell you,” he stepped forward, his eyes fluttering closed as he inhaled through his nose, before stepping back again. His eyes opened, pained, as if it took all his will power to stay away from me. “You smell good to me now, Zakiya. Once I taste human flesh, there is no going back,” he shivered, his arms crossing his stomach in an almost painful way, “I will not have it be you.”
My hands clenched at my sides. I glanced at the walls beside us, if only to keep away from the pain I could see racking him with his efforts, “I cannot leave you here, Isaac; I am going outside. I must.” I met his gaze again, “I will not give up on you. I will not give up on a cure.”
I took a step back, my hand coming up to my forehead. I was wearing my leathers today, my gauntlets and my gloves. I could leave now, and no one would know. I glanced down towards the hole in which the Corrupted slept. Did they stay down there? Or did they have another safer spot hidden in darkness? A soft growl had me looking up again as Isaac shifted before me. “Stubborn girl,” he growled low, grunting as if in another language before nodding to me, “I cannot guarantee how long I will be able to keep you safe, but I will go.”
I nodded, the relief flowing through me as I glanced back at the hole that would be our doorway and nodded again. “Will you guide me, Abadi?” I asked him, my arms crossing at my chest.
He made that grunting noise again, pacing forward but staying close to the shadows, “I will, on the condition that you stay downwind of me.” He moved closer, reaching a hand out, before dropping it, “and that if I act like I am going to attack you, kill me without hesitation. You owe me at least this.”
I held his steady gaze for a moment, “I promise.” Seeing him now, how close he was, I knew that I could not wait another day to go. I had wanted to plan, to plot our course a little bit better. I was wondering if, perhaps, Isaac was too far gone to go with me. Knowing that he still fought himself gave me courage. I had dressed in my armor with the hope that maybe he was still in there somewhere, his humanity hidden by the demon that threatened to consume him. I had not wanted to go right away, but I was prepared to. I had all the supplies I needed. I would do anything to keep the man I loved beside me. Selfish as that was, I could not do anything less. “Shall we go through the bolt hole?” I asked, my mind made up.
His eyes shined as he took me in and then he turned, studying the corpses of the Corrupted who had yet to start rotting around us. “There are catacombs below us. They use them to enter the city. We must first take care of your smell if you wish to survive them.” He started to dig through his new brethren, sticking his hand into the skin of one, and then ripping it back out, dripping gore. He ba
cked away and nodded toward his offering.
I came forward and glanced down at the stomach he had just opened for me, full of all sorts of smells that would disguise me. I choked down the contents of my own stomach before stepping forward and taking a demon blood bath. Holding my breath, I smeared the contents of the Corrupted all over my body, cringing when I greased my armor the same way. Once entirely coated, I turned to Isaac, holding my arms out. He closed his eyes and inhaled, then took a step forward and inhaled again, before nodding in assent. “Better.”
We came to the edge of the bolt hole together, looking down into the darkness. He did not seem to be uncomfortable standing next to me anymore, as if the perfume of his brethren calmed him somehow. It was unnerving to see how far he straddled the line between us and the Corrupted, yet he was neither. I did not care. He was mine. I would love him as such. “Into the pit we go,” I breathed.
Isaac shifted his eyes to me beside him before they found the hole again, “into the pit and out of its ass.” He opened an arm to me without looking and I side stepped into him. Gripping my waist, he jumped into the darkness and we fell, letting it swallow us whole.
Slamming down onto a rocky surface below, Isaac let go of me immediately, growling low and soft; a warning I understood. I reached for my sword, but his hand shot out, halting mine before I could reach it. He did not look back at me, only shook his head once. The light down here was dim at best, but I could make out his silhouette before me as he tensed. Finally, he glanced at me over his shoulder, his finger coming up to his lips in a warning not to make a sound if I could avoid it. I nodded.
He let me go and began to pick his way through the darkness, a path he had clearly travelled before. I recognized where we were in the bolt hole. I had met Isaac down here the first time I had come back. He had begged me to kill him. I followed Isaac on silent feet, my enhanced eyes adjusting to the darkness around me. I could hear shuffling ahead as the darkness thickened. The further we moved away from the bolt hole opening and the light pouring from it, the more I could feel my unease growing as the sounds around us increased.
The Corrupted had gathered closer to the opening than they had the first time I had come down here. I shivered. I could not make out much in the darkness as we walked on silent feet. I could see what looked like rocky outcrops and figures that occasionally moved with restlessness. It made me wonder if the Corrupted slept at all. I glanced back at Isaac’s figure. It was a question I would have to ask him one day. My feet carried me forward, and I could smell the mildew forming on the cave’s walls mixed with the sulfur of the demons around us as we ventured further into the belly of the beast.
Isaac paused before me. I could hear the soft groaning of Corrupted around me and I was suddenly very grateful that Isaac thought to cover up my scent. If he hadn’t, I would likely not be alive right now. I shifted on my feet soundlessly as Isaac tilted his head in a curious way, as if listening to something besides the Corrupted surrounding us. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I knew better than to say anything with so many of the demons bottlenecked into one area. I waited, going still, focusing my senses outward to try to catch what he had. I knew I could never push my senses out as far as he could, but I also knew that I had been gifted with the ability to push them further than the average Warrior of Adonai. I took a deep, quiet breath and focused on my surroundings.
It was then that I heard it, the quiet dripping of a stream nearby. My eyes opened with a flutter, locking onto Isaac’s before me. He nodded with a small grin, which I returned. We were close now. He turned back and began to move faster than he had before. I followed, keeping up with his longer strides easily. I could feel the breeze coming from somewhere before us as the ground began to incline, rising to the surface on its own. The paths twisted and turned as we evaded the Corrupted around us, Isaac picking routes with fewer and fewer bodies in them. I smiled, breathing in a sigh of relief.
I should not have. There was a howling sound behind me, the growling of demons caught onto a scent. I cringed as Isaac stopped ahead of me, inhaling deep. Had the scents of their brethren faded so quickly on me? One look at Isaac as he turned to me answered my question with a resounding yes. His nostrils widened as he shook himself and his eyes narrowed. “They know you’re here. Behind me and up. Go!” His voice was low but urgent as he struggled to resist what my human scent was doing to him.
I wasted no time, diving to the side and rolling past Isaac as I sprinted for the exit before me. I heard something snap and another howl, this one of pain, as the first of the Corrupted collided with Isaac before them. I pushed my legs faster, pulling in my arms to cover my face as I fled. I could not pull out my sword here, the space was too confined. I would have to keep going until it opened further, or I found the exit to the top where the sun shown. I cringed, if the sun still shone I had no idea what time it was or how long we had been in the catacombs below the city.
I could feel the breeze on my face strengthen as I moved forward. Then I saw it, the opening to the catacombs on the other side of the metal wall that housed the city of Zion. I increased my pace, praying under my breath for strength as I heard the rustle of feet behind me. It was not yet night, but it was getting closer with every minute. I could see the sun setting before me. I pushed harder. How had I spent all day in the catacombs? My nerves must have overridden my need to eat as well as my sense of time. I would have to give myself sustenance as soon as possible if I wanted to finish this journey alive. First I had to deal with my current situation.
Skidding to a halt as I crossed the threshold of the cave and twirling on my feet, I pulled my sword free in the same movement. The light was weakening, and fast. The demons may not even care that it hurt them, for it was weak enough for them to grab me and pull me back into the cave at the very least. I twirled my sword as I waited, listening. I could hear more than one demon galloping down the cave after me, but I reached out my senses further. I did not think that any demons would be behind me yet, not with the sun still relatively in the sky. No, my immediate danger is in front of me, I thought as I pulled my senses back to my immediate surroundings.
My grip tightened as one of the Corrupted erupted out of the cave entrance, its skin steaming, and its growls pained. Still it charged, determination settling about it. I jumped up, avoiding its claws, and swung, hitting it in the shoulder, slicing through its skin. It jerked back and I swung my sword free, changing my stance. I could hear growls come from the cave entrance as the other Corrupted waited impatiently for the sun to set. I panicked when I didn’t see Isaac there, but moved, avoiding the demon in front of me as I re-focused on the task at hand. I needed to get out of here before the sun set entirely or I was going to die. I dodged again as the demon charged, then feinted, the steam that rose from its body lessening as the sun inched closer to the horizon. I cursed under my breath.
Suddenly the demons inside the cave were being thrown. I could hear bones crunching and the squelch and cry of blows landing as something careened into and through the mass gathered at the cave entrance. My panic eased as I saw Isaac charge out of the cave, blood covering his arms up to his elbows. His eyes were intensely red, and narrowed in fierce agitation, his nostrils wide. He had followed my scent. I didn’t know if that was a good thing, or a very bad one, but I pushed the demon in front of me using its weight against it as I redirected it to the side. The Corrupted stumbled and turned to me, determined to get a taste.
Isaac got to it first, tackling the demon to the ground. I dodged back as he swung the monster away from me, but I was not fast enough.
Pain erupted through my stomach as the demon’s claws raked the soft muscle there, opening a wound I would not soon forget. I fell to my knees, my hands clutching my stomach as if to keep my intestines from falling out. I looked up, tears shining in my eyes as Isaac threw the other demon down with a howl of his own, tearing at the other demon’s head as if he were possessed. He pulled until, with a pop, the other demon’s head came
free. Isaac turned to me in a rage, his eyes twitching erratically as he took me in. He paused, inhaling my scent and shivering. I collapsed onto the ground, too weak to do anything else.
Suddenly Isaac jerked back in surprise, a long, large arrow sticking out of his chest. He sank to his knees, an enraged growl escaping through his throat as his hands grasped the arrow desperately. I could see the steam from the sun go almost nonexistent on him as the sun finally dipped below the earth.
And then I was being lifted into arms I did not recognize as the blood seeped from my body, my own arms going limp. I tried to speak, to tell whoever was holding me to put me down, to let me die by my love. I tried to tell him he didn’t know what he had done, but all I could do was let the darkness of the night consume me as I tried to keep what was left of my blood inside.
9
Pain assaulted me, covering every inch of my body in agonizing waves until it finally pulled me from the darkness of my mind. With a cry, I tried to sit up, only to find that I was being pinned down by another body. A male, who looked a little older than myself, hovered over my stomach with his sword. I screamed in agony as he lay the sword over my stomach again and again, his forearm and knees holding every part of me down. “Hold on, lass, almost done. I know this probably hurts,” he said in a calm, detached manner before throwing his sword across the ground in front of him. I hissed as he eased the pressure of his immense form off my body and sat next to me instead.
It was then that I saw that we were in a grove, with me resting beside a tree and him lounging against it. The man curled his hand into a fist, then relaxed it over and over as he studied a fire before him, visibly trying to calm. I turned my head to see the sword he had thrown was my own, and it was red as if cooling down from the flames that illuminated the darkened trees under which we rested. The male moved, and I shied away from him, crying out with the pain of my efforts. He let out a low chuckle and pulled white strips of gauze from a pocket in his long, fur jacket and straddled me again, far lighter than he had previously.