by D A Rice
The night was quickly surrounding us, and I could feel Gabriel pick up his pace in front of me. I moved to match him with ease, Gabriel’s coat flowing behind me. I had been warmer with my armor on, but it had not lasted long once the night began to descend. I had a feeling my mother was right about the winters out here. The warmth of Gabriel’s coat was testament to how bad they could get. If he could feel the bite of winter, even being whatever he was, I would likely die with or without the coat.
Winter was coming, and soon. We needed to find the garden before that happened.
Gabriel halted abruptly in front of me, having crested an unimpressive hill, and crouched, looking down. I came up beside him, keeping low to the ground, and Isaac came up to my other side. With my enhanced eyes, I could see the valley below us, and the buildings within, but that was it. I had thought my vision better than this within Zion, but it was nothing compared to the two beside me. “Corrupted,” Gabriel said, voice low, “they’ve swarmed the place.”
Isaac nodded thoughtfully, “but they cannot smell you and me, correct? My time as a Corrupted is hazy at best. I remember some things but not all.” His voice gave away nothing, but I knew him well enough to see the pain in his eyes for the brief moment before it vanished again.
Gabriel glanced at him, “they can smell me, but they do not like the smell. What are your thoughts, lad?”
Isaac cocked his head, listening. Even I could hear the snorts and snarls from below as Isaac considered his options. He was my best strategist, which meant he was at home here. I had a feeling we were upwind from the creatures below because they seemed to stay where they were, but even I knew that could change in an instant. They were safe, but I was not. I looked towards Isaac, who met my gaze, “we need to disguise your scent again.” He met Gabriel’s gaze above my head, “reconnaissance.”
Gabriel’s hand came down his jaw thoughtfully, “we go in and bring back perfume for the lass is what you’re saying.” Isaac nodded, and Gabriel sighed.
“You both do realize that I held my own against far more demons than that within Zion, right?” I asked in a whisper.
“Aye, but you also were fighting in confined quarters with scents to spare for the monsters to track. This will be a bit different than you’re used to,” Gabriel replied, his eyes shining in amusement. I rolled my eyes but conceded the point. Isaac didn’t bother responding, his eyes on the valley below, fully focused on the mission at hand. “I had really hoped to get here before the Corrupted so that we could find that defensible fortress you were looking for, lad.”
“But we did not, so we will make do,” Isaac glanced back at me here, “up the tree, Zakiya. If the wind changes, they will have a harder time finding you if you are in the trees.”
I did not like being the damsel in distress, but when Isaac laced his hands together at the base of a tall oak, I did not argue. He tossed me up and I swung myself up onto a sturdy branch, crouching down to look at the boys beneath me, “do not make me come and save you. I will knock both of you out if I have to make my way down this damn tree again.” I could hear a soft chuckle as they looked at each other in amusement. I could handle them, even with their superb strength, and I made sure they didn’t forget it.
Gabriel responded first, “wouldn’t dream of it, lass. Now sit tight.”
“The mutated Oak will confuse your scent, but still, if the demons come looking for you, try not to move too much,” came Isaac, “we will be back as soon as we can to sneak you into the town.”
“And if you cannot find a defensible position after all your scouting?” I called down.
Isaac huffed a small laugh, “then I will take as many weapons as I can carry and fight my way back to you, sparing no Corrupted. Either way, I will keep you safe.”
I snorted softly, “have you forgotten that I can do that myself?”
“Never,” Isaac said with a grin, and then they were gone.
I did not like waiting. I liked even less that Isaac and Gabriel were out there fighting without me. It wasn’t that I craved violence so much as I felt useless. I was so used to fighting with my warriors through death and pain and fatigue, that it was odd to let others fight for me. I was not a fan.
I knew that I was still tender, but I could fight. Even if these were different circumstances than I was used to, I was still a skilled warrior. I leaned back against the tree, swinging my leg below me as I contemplated following the boys into the valley. I knew they didn’t need my help, but I was just as protective of them as they were of me. Knowing they did not need my help didn’t make the urge to follow them better. I wanted to have their backs.
Then I would remember what happened the last time I got distracted. Isaac had gotten infected because of my carelessness. I had been so focused on the depletion of my warriors that I lost my head. Isaac had suffered for weeks because of me. He may never have found his way back either, if it hadn’t been for Gabriel. I could not blame them for wanting to keep me out of the violence now, especially when they both had huge advantages over me. A thump had me looking down as Isaac levied a Corrupted body off his shoulders below me and met my gaze. His eyes shown silver in the night, a testament to his newly-developed night vision, it would seem. At least they were no longer the signature red of the Corrupted.
“Gabriel found us a place for the night,” he said quietly as I jumped off the tree branch, landing with a roll beside him. He smiled in approval as I stood, “time to disguise you.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him, “can you still smell me?”
He glanced away, “I can tell that you have a different scent than the Corrupted, or even Gabriel, but it does not make me salivate to be around you anymore.”
My hand found his shoulder, bringing his saddened gaze back to mine, “I am glad to have you back, but we both know you salivate after me plenty.”
Isaac huffed out a small laugh, a grin forming across his face before waving his hand down to the Corrupted below us, “time to make yourself smell like a demon.”
“This is your defensible position?” I asked softly in amusement as I looked up at the four-legged tower before me. It was a house on what could only be described as four log stilts with a massive amount of wooden stairs zigzagging up to the top. The wood was rotting in places, but vines and greenery with plenty of trees held the house up with plenty of support.
Isaac smiled as he nodded, his arms crossing over his chest, “Gabriel called it a lookout tower. He said they were used by people in the past to watch over the forest.”
“How does one watch over a forest?” I asked him, voice quiet as the Corrupted shuffled around us. They were everywhere, but not close enough to be a threat. Picking our way through the town had been tricky in places, but with Isaac’s enhanced abilities, we had made it through with little trouble. The forest had taken over this place. Trees were growing through what were once houses, vines growing over trees; this place was a jungle. Everything was in decay as nature took over. We were extinct to it. I glanced back at Isaac. “I am not sure I trust those stairs.”
Isaac smiled as he pulled a couple of vines down with his gloved hands, making a path for me to step through, “Gabriel said not to touch the plants,” he whispered in my ear as I passed him. I stepped carefully onto the steps, afraid to put my full weight on them. Isaac placed his hand at the small of my back in reassurance, but he did not rush me. I knew he was there if I fell. I took a deep breath, here we go.
I made it to the third landing before something happened. When my foot fell through the wood the rest of me quickly followed. My hands came out, my elbows catching be before I fell all the way through. Isaac, who had been a few steps below me, caught my hand just as I began to slip. My other had grabbed the vines around me and I winced, for I did not have my own gloves on. My eyes met his, “I touched the plants,” I whispered. Isaac’s eyes widened as my face began to break out. I could feel it start to swell as my breathing became labored. His grip on my hand tightened, and then his other was on my forear
m as he leaned across the small space, bracing himself to pull me out.
“First things first, Zakiya, I need you to let go of the vines around you,” Isaac’s voice was beginning to echo around my head, but I nodded. Letting go took so much effort. Was it hot in here? My rational mind said it was unlikely, but I couldn’t make that part of my head work. Isaac pulled me up and onto his back in one swift movement, slinging my arms over his shoulders. “Hang on, Z.”
He called out to someone above us, taking the rest of the stairs up as lightly as he could. Time blurred around me as Gabriel came to meet us at the lookout door. I could feel my breath coming in wheezes as I tried to figure out where I was. A flurry of movement was happening above me as someone kept saying, “keep your eyes open, lass. I know it’s hard, but if you don’t you are likely not to open them again.”
A warm hand stroked my face next and I blinked, meeting a pair of light brown eyes, “Z, I need you to swallow for me ok?” I felt liquid pour down my throat and I choked. Fingers stroked my throat as another hand pierced something through it. Then I was breathing again, sucking air in as if I had just learned how to. Liquid poured down my throat again and I swallowed it this time, before my eyes rolled back into my head and I passed out.
15
“What did you do to her?” I woke up to voices speaking softly around me.
“It’s called an emergency airway puncture. I had to make room for air to get in, lad, not to mention the antidote. It’s a good thing I made us stop on the way here to pick some herbs, aye?” I was lying on something.
“I cannot believe the needle was in that box. This place has a lot that was just left behind.”
“The further out you venture, lad, the more you will find. You lot only go out so far from your domes thinking the radiation will kill you. It may make you sick for a bit, but your body adjusts.” I could feel myself move, whatever I was lying on was narrow.
“I believe this. Z’s did, as did mine, with a little help.”
“Hers still is, lad. She is weaker than she is used to, but she will get stronger. Once we find the cure, you will too.” I groaned, and the voices quieted as I tried to open my eyes. For some reason, I couldn’t find the strength to.
A hand found mine as I reached out, Isaac’s voice followed softly, “Zakiya.”
“I cannot open my eyes,” I got out, voice gruff.
A soft chuckle came from my other side, “I imagine you cannot. Your eyes are still swollen shut. You did a very good job of poisoning yourself, lass.”
I groaned again, my free hand coming up to my forehead. Gabriel’s rough hand caught mine before I could touch my eyes, pulling it down gently as Isaac’s other hand caressed my hair out of my sweaty face, “how long will I be like this?” It was amazing how I could tell the difference between their touches. Isaac’s was gentle, his hands slimmer, and Gabriel’s was rough all around, his hands meatier.
Gabriel let my wrist go and I could hear feet shuffle as he moved, “we will have to wait and see. Give the antidote a few hours at least. We have all night, and so far, the Corrupted are leaving us alone. Try not to scratch though, love, or it will only irritate your skin more,” he added as my hand moved toward my face again. I dropped it before turning my head towards where I thought Isaac was. His hand squeezed mine in reassurance.
“I will stay by you for as long as I can,” Isaac whispered into my ear, before kissing my cheek. I smiled softly as he added: “Shalom, Zakiya, rest.”
When I woke again, my head was pounding, and my eyes ached, but I could open them. A soft light pouring in from one side of windows illuminated my surroundings as I tried to shift my weight. A rustle below me had me looking down. Isaac. He was curled up on a dirty hardwood floor, a thin blanket covering him. He was asleep, and I found myself grateful. When I glanced down, I realized that I had Gabriel’s coat covering me.
I was on a couch, an old couch that smelled of mildew. They had thrown something relatively clean over it, a sheet maybe, and then laid me on top. When I glanced towards the windows, I found Gabriel watching me with a smile on his face. “Do you ever sleep?” I asked him, my voice croaking the words out.
Gabriel rolled his eyes and paced towards me on light feet, “I need very little, lass.” He held out his hand; within was sliced-up roots. I glanced at them and met his gaze, a questioning look on my face. He chuckled, “to help with the pain.”
I held out my hand as he dropped the roots into them, before handing me his water canteen and striding back to the window. I drank the roots down and shivered with their bitter taste. Isaac stirred below me but did not rise. I glanced down towards him. “You do not need sleep, but he does?”
“I said I need little. He is different than me. I never changed; he did. There are many things I do not know about him,” Gabriel paused, looking over his shoulder at me, a curious look on his face, “except, maybe, that he would never hurt, or allow anyone else to hurt, you.” I could see the soft light of the morning dance with the dust in the air between us as Gabriel studied me for a moment more. He turned back to the window, which was broken from the trees that had taken over on all sides. The flora wasn’t so thick as to prevent the sun from streaming through, but it was hard to tell what time of morning it was from the obscured light the overgrowth had created. I closed my eyes, letting the roots settle in my stomach.
Once the pain in my eyes and head had numbed, I eased myself up. The lookout was trashed, as if a great fight had happened here. Had the Corrupted gotten this high once? I glanced at Gabriel, posted at the window as he watched the ground beneath us and suddenly his posting made sense. If it had been me, I would have scouted all sides of the lookout regularly, looking for any signs of trouble. The door in the floor we had come through was boarded shut, but that would do little to stop a determined Corrupted. I sniffed myself, causing Gabriel to look at me again in amusement, “yes, your Corrupted-like smell has worn off to them,” he wrinkled his nose teasingly, “not so much for the rest of us though, aye?”
I stuck my tongue out at him, and he chuckled, “you act as if the demon blood was my idea!” I glanced down at my armor and cringed, “now I will need to wash my gear again. I hope there is another stream on our journey.”
Isaac shifted, pushing himself up off the floor, the blanket dropping off of his shoulders as he sat up. I gasped quietly as I took him in. His horns had grown back, red-tinted and curling once around. He sighed deep as his hands came up, touching the added weight, “I knew it,” he whispered. His voice carried the weight of his sorrow and I found my fingers grazing my lips as I tried to contain my own. How it must feel to carry the weight of what you had become, and then come back from.
Gabriel straightened, a look of sympathy in his eyes, “lad, those horns do not make you less of who you are.”
Isaac nodded, his head down, before taking a deep breath and turning to face me. The scars that had cracked like a web around his eyes had darkened, but his eyes were still a light brown. “How do you feel?” he asked me before I could say anything. I reached out a hand to caress his cheek and he leaned into my touch.
“I feel better. I can open my eyes, at least,” I addressed the room next, my eyes still focused on Isaac, “we should try to move while it is daylight.”
“Are you sure you are up for that, lass?” Gabriel asked me softly, his steps light as he came closer to the couch I still sat on. I nodded as Isaac held my gaze, steady and intense. His eyes always spoke volumes when his words could not.
I nodded again, turning to Gabriel this time, “I am positive. We need to get to the Garden of Eden. If the Tree of Life exists- and after the Fallen we saw a few nights ago I am convinced that it does- it will be there.”
“Oh, it exists, but this journey has been easy until now. The Fallen are a different enemy altogether,” Gabriel scratched his chin, uneasy. “It will take us a day to get there. I will tell you right now, the Fallen is an enemy we cannot fight.”
“Then how do
we get to the tree?” Isaac asked him from behind me, I could hear him shifting as he slowly stood.
Gabriel was silent for a moment before he took a deep breath, “we bargain.”
“Bargain?” I repeated as I shifted onto my knees, my arms folding over the back of the couch. Isaac came around it to stand beside me. We both studied Gabriel.
“Aye,” Gabriel sounded tired as he leaned against the window, his gaze looking out as his arms crossed his chest once more, “and it will not be an easy thing to do. The Fallen are nothing if not deceitful.” He took another deep breath and faced us, “they will offer you the world and you must resist their call. Especially you lad. They do not have to hold to their word. They are liars and they are good at it, therefore we cannot trust anything they say. They will get inside your head and use your worst fears against you.”
I watched Gabriel as he spoke, “you sound as if you have personal experience with this,” I noted, voice quiet. Gabriel’s eyes softened as a corner of his lips pulled up sadly.
“Do you remember how I told you that, when I was a teenager, I learned and remembered my entire childhood? While many of my abilities did kick in at puberty, I did not gain my perfect memory without help. A truth I choose to keep to myself.” He looked away again without expanding on the memory and I let it go. “What these creatures choose to do or not do is entirely on their whim. They unlocked a part of my mind because they knew that truth would hurt me the most. As soon as we enter the Garden of Eden they will be everywhere until we reach the tree, and they will know we are there.”
“So basically,” Isaac started, “they will torture us in our mind with false wishes and promises. If we do not resist, only bad things will happen because we cannot know that what they say is the truth?”
“Let us just say that you will not know the truth until after the bargain has already been struck,” Gabriel said wryly as he opened up his pack and glanced around the lookout. “If we are to make this journey, we should take what we can from this place.”