All Things in the Shadows

by B. D. Messick

  “Holy crap,” she says, holding it up for us to see.

  There must be a hundred or more similar boxes stacked neatly in a long row.

  “There’s probably fifty in this box alone.”

  “Is all this for fighting you?” I ask Jax.

  “If it is, we’re doomed,” he says, looking around the room.

  This is the first time I’ve seen Jax as anything but a confident and powerful commander. He looks worried, which scares the crap out of me.

  “Maybe this is for fighting us,” Reeva suggests, and that scares me even more.

  “Which way is this laboratory?” I ask.

  “Down two floors, I think.”

  “Let’s get going, so we can get the hell out of here.”

  “Amen.” Jax nods and starts heading down a narrow walkway between the stacks of crates.

  I don’t like the way the room feels; it’s too closed in. I feel trapped in the narrow dark alleys and paths that lead to dead-ends. Eventually, we reach the far side of the room and a set of large sliding doors. An elevator control panel is mounted on the wall to the left. Jax presses the down button and a few seconds later the doors open.

  “Something’s not right here,” I say as we step inside. “Where is everyone?”

  “Yeah. It feels like we’re being set up,” Kateri replies, staring at Jax.

  “It’s just a storage area. I’m sure we’ll run into more resistance than we want soon enough,” Jax says.

  He presses the button for two floors below our current location, and as soon as the doors slide shut, a feeling of dread washes over me.

  K ~ What’s the matter?

  E ~ This isn’t right.

  K ~ I know.

  E ~ We’re walking into a trap.

  K ~ You think it’s Jax?

  E ~ No, but someone is manipulating us.

  The car stops, and the doors slide open. Instantly, banks of overhead lights flicker to life, apparently alerted to our presence by a hidden motion detector.

  We step out of the elevator, but no one says a word for the longest time. I don’t know what I expected to see, but this is definitely not it. Maybe in the back of my mind I was picturing some sort of Victor Frankenstein laboratory complete with huge clunky machines alive with flowing electricity, flasks of boiling concoctions of an unknown nature and lightning flashing high above our heads. Instead, we’re greeted by a scene out of some schlocky and highly nerdy sci-fi movie.

  Computer monitors, machines with blinking lights and tables full of printouts fill the room, but it’s none of this that captivates us. It’s the creatures floating in the huge tanks full of strange green and yellow bubbling liquid that has us all stunned. Reeva walks up to one of the cylindrical containers and taps the glass. She jumps back when whatever is inside, twitches.

  “What is this, Alien?” Kateri asks.

  “I think it’s way worse than that.”

  Some of the monstrous creatures look like young demons, but several of the others are obviously hideously deformed human babies.

  “What the hell are they doing here?” Reeva asks, a horrified look on her face.

  “Guys, over here,” Jax says from the other side of the room.

  He’s standing by a large steel door with a small window centered near the top.

  “What is it?” I ask as we all walk over.

  He lifts a lever attached to the door and then pulls back and the door slowly swings open. It’s too dark inside to see much, but the bars of multiple jail cells are clearly visible. As soon as he steps through the doorway, two pathetic lights come alive, casting a sickly yellow hue over everything. A second steel door is centered in the wall at the end of the narrow corridor. I look through the bars of the first cell, and initially, I think it’s empty, but then something moves in the darkened corner.

  “Hello?” I say.

  For a moment, there’s no response then a thought appears in my head.

  God … don’t hurt me anymore.

  “Don’t worry,” I say gently. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

  Slowly, the ghostly figure of a young girl emerges from the dark. She approaches the door with trembling hands and tear-filled eyes.

  “Who are you?” she asks, her voice as full of tremors as her body.

  “Friends.”

  She looks at me with more than a little doubt in her eyes. Suddenly, Kateri steps up next to me, peering through the bars.

  “Trista?” she asks.

  “Kateri? Oh my God, it is you,” she says as the tears begin flowing.

  “We thought you were dead.”

  “I wish I was.”

  “Reeva! Find the release switch for the cells!” Kateri yells.

  “What are you doing here? Are you here to rescue us?” Trista asks.

  “We are now,” I say.

  “We can’t stay here,” Jax says behind us.

  As soon as Trista sees him, she backs away from the bars. “What are you doing with them?”

  “They’re friends,” Kateri replies. “It’s a long story.”

  Trista doesn’t look convinced, and I can’t say that I blame her.

  “Reeva! The doors!” Kateri yells again.

  After a pause, she finally replies.

  “Guys. I need some help with this.”

  I turn and walk through the doorway, and someone immediately clubs me in the back of the head and I stumble forward, falling face down at the clawed feet of a huge black and yellow demon. He’s holding a long metal staff with a blade mounted to the top and spikes on the bottom.

  “Get up,” he growls at me.

  Reeva is on her knees, a cut on her right cheek. Two human-like demons are standing behind her, deadly looking swords in their hands, just inches from her neck. I slowly get to my feet, carefully making a mental note of the number of enemy combatants.

  “Call them out here,” the yellow-jacket colored demon orders.

  I look up at him and smirk.

  “Kateri! Run!”

  That earns me a punch in the gut. I double over in pain, coughing and gasping for breath at the same time. When I turn my head toward the door, Kateri emerges, her hands on her head, with Jax and Radik just behind. Three more demons follow, carrying their weapons.

  K ~ Are you okay?

  E ~ For now.

  K ~ This is bad.

  E ~ Ya’ think?

  “Jaaax,” the big yellow demon says, purposely extending his name.

  “Kale,” Jax replies. I can hear the venom passing between the two of them.

  Kale shakes his head and grins at him, revealing a double row of shark like teeth.

  “I didn’t think you’d come back here.”

  “Surprise,” Jax says, smiling back at him, his head tilted to the side.

  “And I see you brought some pets for us to play with,” Kale says, nudging Reeva with his knee.

  As soon as Jax sees the cut on her face, his expression changes. The cocky, joke fueled teen is replaced with a deadly serious warrior.

  “Did you do that?”

  “I did,” Kale replies, his eyes narrowing.

  “I’m going to eat your heart.”

  I glance over at Kateri and her eyes widen.

  K ~ This is really bad.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “We’re going to take a walk now. Anyone tries anything and this one is dead,” Kale says, his clawed hand wrapped tightly around Reeva’s arm.

  Instead of heading for the elevator, we’re slowly marched back through the jail cells. As we pass by Trista, I look over at her and she just shakes her head, tears rolling slowly down her cheeks. For a moment, I think they’re just going to lock us up, but instead we’re hustled through the other door and into a much wider corridor that begins slowly ascending in a gentle curve. A glass wall to our right offers an amazing view of the city, what little we can see of it around our captors.

  Small groups of heavily armed soldiers march past us, descending to
the lower levels on their way to who knows where. Jax is walking in front, close to Kale and Reeva. I can’t hear his thoughts, but I swear I can feel his emotions; a storm of anger, fear, and worry. Kateri and I are side-by-side, with Radik trailing close behind. I want to reach over and take her hand, but I don’t want risk angering our enemies.

  K ~ How are we going to get out of this one?

  E ~ I don’t know yet.

  I notice that the corridor splits at different places, with the other ramps leading to closed doors or disappearing into the darkness of the citadel interior. After climbing for some time during which we circled the tower at least twice, the floor begins to level out and we emerge into a large hall with soaring columns supporting a glass ceiling high above our heads. Judging by how far we walked, I don’t think we could be at the top of the tower, but the sky is clearly visible through the roof. Maybe it’s an optical illusion, or just some bizarre demon architecture.

  “Keep moving,” one of the demons orders, pushing me roughly forward.

  I can feel Kateri’s anger flare. I look at her and shake my head slowly.

  E ~ Wait for the moment.

  K ~ I’m waiting.

  The sound of our boots on the black marble floor echoes through the massive room, bouncing off the columns, rising to the ceiling before finally returning to us. As we march through the enormous hall, it dawns on me that this seems like a lot of wasted space, like something you might see in a cheesy Hollywood fantasy epic. Eventually, figures come into view at the far end of the room; a crowd gathered in front of a ridiculously elaborate throne set on top of a stone podium. Conversations cease, heads turn, and bright yellow, green, and red eyes glare at us. The seat is empty, but something tells me that the owner is somewhere close by.

  The hatred in the room is palpable. It feels like a weight pressing down on us. The variety of demons in this room is stunning. It runs the gamut from the old tried and true ‘devil’ looking beasts, to insect abominations like spiders and praying mantises. I notice how Kateri seems to focus on the arachnids, and I have to admit that they are terrifying. The murmured words are unintelligible, but I’m sure there’s not a lot of compliments in the mix. The crowd begins to hem us in, closing the gap behind us. My heart rate is sky high, and my mind is racing as I try to figure a way out of this, even wondering if there is one.

  “Kill them!” someone yells from the crowd.

  Kateri reaches over and takes my hand. Our captors don’t react to her gesture, as they keep herding us forward. Slowly, more members of the crowd begin repeating the two words, adding stomping feet as the noise level rises. I squeeze Kateri’s fingers, and she gradually pulls me closer. Kale seems unaffected by the rising tide of anger around us, but some of our other captors are starting to look nervous. We stop suddenly, and the calls for our death grow even louder. Kale pounds his staff on the floor, the sound echoing throughout the hall.

  “Silence!” he roars, and an uneasy quiet settles over the room.

  Slowly the crowd begins to part and a tall, spindly demon with long arms and a multitude of horns sprouting from his head approaches. His bright green eyes pass over each of us, and I swear I feel a chill as his gaze focuses on me.

  “Jax,” he says, his voice both lyrical and malevolent, like someone singing about death. “I never thought to see you here again.”

  “Never say never, Sirix,” Jax replies.

  “I suppose you haven’t come to return to the fold.”

  “No, I’m afraid not.”

  Sirix nods before looking at me. “I see you brought guests. The problem is, there’s no party.”

  “That’s okay. We probably wouldn’t have been invited anyway.”

  Sirix smiles, which sends a chill down my spine.

  “Yes, but you see, that’s the problem,” Sirix continues as he takes a step closer to us. “I can’t have people just breaking in here without some sort of punishment. I have to look strong in front of my followers.”

  He gives a quick nod and a dozen or more arrows fly from the crowd, all of them striking Radik in the neck.

  “Radik!” Reeva screams, wrenching herself free from Kale’s grasp.

  She rushes past us, reaching him just as he falls to his knees. Black blood is streaming down his chest as he struggles to stay upright. Reeva strokes his cheek and he smiles weakly at her.

  “Goodbye, little one,” he says, his voice weak and strangled.

  He falls forward onto the hard, marble floor, blood pooling around him. Reeva glares at Sirix, fire in her eyes.

  “Tears for a demon,” he says. “How interesting.”

  There are a few chuckles from the crowd, and Reeva leaps up and rushes at Sirix, but Jax darts forward and grabs her.

  “Not now,” he whispers.

  She stares at him, her eyes filled with tears, but she takes a small step back and nods. Sirix tilts his head to the side as he watches the two of them, like a bird studying something it doesn’t quite understand.

  “Well, now that the unpleasantness is behind us, I think introductions are in order,” Sirix says as he continues to circle around us. “I already know Jax, but what about you, the Shayd who seems so… emotional.”

  He stares at Reeva, and she locks eyes with him.

  “Does your dog have a name, Jax?”

  “Watch your tongue, Sirix.”

  “My name is Reeva. I’m not his dog, but I am going to make you my bitch,” Reeva replies, her jaw clenching as she struggles to keep her emotions in check.

  The crowd roars its displeasure, but Kale silences them with a look.

  “Such fire in this one,” Sirix replies, grinning wickedly. “Now, for your other friends.”

  Sirix turns his attention to Kateri and I. We’re still holding hands, which I know could not have slipped by him, but he doesn’t mention it.

  “You,” he says, looking directly at Kateri. “You seem … dangerous.”

  “You have no idea,” she replies.

  “I’m sure. You’ve killed many of us, haven’t you?”

  “Not enough.”

  Grumbles echo through the crowd, and it takes two pounds from Kale’s staff to silence them all. Sirix chuckles and then he looks at me. For the first few seconds he just stares, and then slowly, a smile, like the grin of a hungry alligator appears on his face.

  “And then there’s you,” he says.

  I open my mouth to tell him my name, but he puts his clawed hand up.

  “No need for names,” he says, grinning at me. “I already know all about you, Eve.”

  I’m not that surprised that he knows who I am, but it’s still alarming and more than a little creepy when he says my name.

  “Yeah, because you sent your little minions to spy on me,” I say, locking eyes with him, “and then you killed my mother to try and stop me.”

  He starts to shake his head, but I give him no chance to reply.

  “Don’t even try to deny it,” I say, struggling to remain calm.

  I can feel Kateri gently squeeze my fingers, but I keep my gaze on Sirix.

  “Oh, I won’t deny that we have been watching you, for many years actually. You are a fascinating creature my dear.”

  “So, now you’re going to tell me that you didn’t cause that plane crash.”

  A small smile appears on his face, and the sight of it makes my stomach churn.

  “Well, yes we did that, but your mother’s not dead, Eve.”

  For a moment I stand frozen in place, my mind blocking out everything else as I try and process what he just said. I know he must be lying. I see Kateri step around in front of me, standing between us. She’s saying something to me. Her mouth is moving, but I can’t hear anything. I watch as she turns and starts screaming at Sirix, and then suddenly, as if the volume is turned up, the sound comes crashing down on me.

  “…piece of shit! Why are you doing this?!”

  Sirix just smiles at Kateri’s tirade, which only fuels her anger. I grab her
hand and she whirls around, her beautiful eyes full of tears.

  “Are you okay?” she asks, her voice trembling.

  “Yeah,” I reply, giving her a weak smile and touching her face with my open hand. She smiles, and I return the gesture. She steps aside, taking up her place next to me and I look over at Sirix.

  “If she’s not dead, where is she?”

  He turns his head to the left and gives someone a quick nod. He turns on his heel and walks back a little toward the throne. My heart is racing out of control as we stand there, surrounded by demons, death seemingly just around the corner, and now I’m told my mother may not be dead.

  K ~ Stay calm.

  E ~ Isn’t that my line?

  K ~ Now it’s my turn.

  The crowd parts slightly and a large black demon with blazing red eyes and folded up wings makes his way through the narrow opening. A woman, about my mother’s height is pushed along in front of him, her hands bound behind her back. A dark hood obscures her face, but the hair I can see is the same color as hers. Reeva looks at me, and I can tell she’s thinking the same thing. The guard stops the woman in front of Sirix and he places his hand on her shoulder. She flinches, lowering her shoulder, like you do if bug lands on you. She may be a prisoner, but there is a definite air of defiance about her.

  Sirix leans down and whispers something in her ear, and she stands up straighter, looking left and right, even though I’m sure she can’t see through the hood. He looks at me again, a sly smile on his face. With a sudden flourish, he whips the hood off the woman’s head and I feel like I’m going to faint.

  “Mom?” I ask, my hands trembling.

  She stares at me, blinking a few times as her eyes become accustomed to the light.

  “Eve!” she screams, and I start to move forward, but two guards grab my arms and hold me back. I start to struggle, but Kateri squeezes my hand.