by Griffin, Gen
“Oh wow.”
“It's not a life experience that I would recommend having. Becoming a false god pretty much sucks.”
“Seth-.”
“If you're going to say you're sorry, save your breath. We're so far past the point where apologies were appropriate.” Seth shrugged his shoulders at me. “Besides, being the high priest of the Church of Chaos is a hell of a lot better than being some poor loser trying to scrape his life together in the Burroughs. I'd rather be bowed down to than bow down.”
“I can't see you living your life as some normal guy in the Burroughs,” I said. “I've only been in the city for a day and I already feel like I'm suffocating.”
“I never looked back,” Seth said. “I don't think Vera did either. We were outside the walls of the city and we were free. Jeremiah cut himself and Vera to see if they were changed too. They were. The zombies wouldn't touch any of us. We had a flock of people trailing after us who were willing to share their food and do our bidding. Eventually we found the church and set up camp inside of it. The original followers all got to live inside the building with us because it hadn't occurred to us not to let them. Life was pretty good, honestly. We had it all for a little while.”
“It didn't last?”
“The Scavengers found us,” Seth said.
“Oh my god.”
“We didn't even know the Cube existed up until old Hunter came walking into the church and asked us what we thought we were doing living way out there.”
“Did he attack you?”
“No. He and Jeremiah sat around and talked for a couple of days. Traded information on the city for information about the Cube. The feud between the church and the Scavengers didn't start until Drake became the captain.”
“Oh.” I was surprised. “But if you didn't fight with the Cube-?”
“Jeremiah wasn't worried about the Cube. He shouldn't have been worried about the city either, but that was where he and I never could see eye to eye. He kept sneaking back into Ra-Shet so he could meet up with Lola. He wanted her to come join the Church and leave the city permanently, but she refused. She didn't want to leave her parents or her sister behind. Her family wasn't poor and she had nothing to fear from the king. No reason to run away into the wilderness other than her love of Jeremiah.”
“Why do I get the feeling this story doesn't end well?” I asked reluctantly.
“Because you know Jeremiah is dead,” Seth replied. “He and Lola thought they could use the power of the Church to liberate the city from the king's cruel dictatorship. To make a very long story short, they tried for a revolution, failed miserably and Jeremiah died.”
“What happened to Lola?”
“Honestly?” Seth shrugged. “I'm not real sure. She and I met up with some of the other followers at the edge of the south gate. She was bleeding and crying. She said Jeremiah had been in the catacombs when the entire floor had given out and the tunnels had collapsed. She wanted to go back and try to dig him out. The whole area was flooded with guards by the time she got to me and we got back to where she had last seen my brother. I settled for burning half the city to the ground. The fire didn't bring Jeremiah back to life, but it did shut the meat market down for almost a year. It also sent a message to the king that there were other survivors out there who didn't approve of the way he was treating people.”
“And Lola?” I pushed him again for the answer.
“Lola was given a choice. She could either come with me or stay in the city and pretend like she knew nothing about the failed revolution or the Church or Chaos. She chose to stay in the city. She kept insisting that Jeremiah wasn't dead. She said she wasn't leaving Ra-Shet without him.”
“That's sad,” I said. “She must have really loved him.”
“Why do you think I was so surprised when she kissed me today?” Seth asked. “She calls me the heartless one. We used to fight because I thought Jeremiah should just walk away from the city and never look back. I was against their revolution from the start. I only went into the city with them because Jeremiah asked me to.”
I mulled over the information he'd given me for a minute. He looked incredibly tired, sitting on my bed in the moonlight with his dyed black hair and wrinkled sport coat.
“She said something about wanting to come with us when we left the city, didn't she?”
“She did,” Seth said. “I'd rather she didn't.”
“You're going to leave her behind?”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. We were still holding hands. “I have no fucking idea.”
“You don't have a plan?”
“I'm sure I'll figure something out by the time we're all running for our lives.” Seth sounded like he was joking but I wasn't entirely sure he was. “The war we're going to be waging against Bud Moon isn't likely to end well.”
“Do you think we'll be able to find my parents?” I asked. “Or are we stupid to even keep looking?”
“You're giving up?” Seth opened his eyes and looked back over at me. His surprise was obvious.
“Vera was right when she told me that I didn't know what I was asking for when I asked you to come search for them with me.” I pulled my hand free from his but then had no idea what to do with it. I set it awkwardly back down in my own lap. “You didn't tell me you had a price on your head or that everything would be so dangerous.”
“You asked me to help you save your parents. I said I would try,” Seth said. “Do you want to walk away because you think they're dead or because you're worried about me?”
“I'm-.” I hesitated and then realized I didn't want to admit the truth. “I'm scared, Seth. I honestly don't know what I would do if something horrible happened to you. As much as I'm loathe to admit it, I don't know if I could function in this world without you.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm a god, remember?” Seth winked at me. “By the way, I have something for you.”
“You have something for me?”
“You going to admit that you don't want me dead?” Seth teased me as he reached into the pocket of his jacket.
“I want you alive,” I said.
Seth pulled a gold chain out of his pocket and dropped it into my outstretched hand. It was a necklace with a diamond cross pendant. I gasped and held it up in the light. The diamonds flickered brightly even in the darkness. “Is it real?”
“Should be, considering the price I paid for it.”
I held it up to my neck. “Help me put it on.”
Seth reached for the necklace, taking it from me and then dropping it against my bare skin. The metal was cold against my neck as he clasped the necklace. The cross itself hung halfway between my breastbone and my breasts.
“It's beautiful.” It truly was one of the prettiest pieces of jewelry I had ever seen.
Seth leaned forward and gently brushed his lips across mine. The kiss was over before I could even process that it had happened or begin to think about whether or not I wanted to kiss him back.
He smiled at me tiredly. “Happy birthday, Pilar.”
“Thank you.” My fingers went to the cross on the necklace and wrapped tightly around it. “You didn't have to-.”
“I wanted to,” Seth said.
I took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. I wasn't about to tell him that I was dangerously close to not being able to live without him. For all his flaws, Seth was my hero. The boy who nearly drowned because he refused to let me drown. The boy who took the blade of a sword in his face because he wanted to protect his sister. The hero who took the lash of a whip to protect a little girl from a flesh broker. My throat tightened. “Good night, Seth.”
“Good night, Pi.” He laughed softly and then he was gone.
Chapter 14
“On the scale of bad ideas, this is epic.” Gauge balanced carefully at the top of the eight foot tall concrete block fence that surrounded Bud Moon's city compound. “We're going to get arrested and executed.”
“Getting arrested is the least of my worries.” Seth sat down on the edge of the wall and eyed the three massive guard dogs that were leaping at the fence below us, snarling and growling. The largest of the three had a coat that shone like fresh blood in the early morning sunshine.
“We aren't going to make it in,” Lola said from beside me. She was visibly shaking as she stared past the dogs and across the perfect, rolling green yard to the massive white stone house that sat at the top of the hill like a bejeweled crown on a king. “The guards are going to come running any minute now.”
“You can turn back if you want to.” Seth pulled a long, slender knife out of his belt. He looked more like himself today. The sunglasses, make-up and hair dye were still in place but he'd ditched the sport coat and slacks for his familiar black leather jacket, blue jeans and lace up combat boots.
My hand went to the cross necklace he'd given me last night as I watched him take aim on the smallest dog. The knife flew through the air almost faster than my eye could follow it. A second later, the handle was sticking out from between the dog's eyes. It barked twice more and then hit the ground with a dead thud.
Lola sucked her breath in hard through her teeth.
Seth drew a second knife and took aim on the second dog. “I wish I had my bow right now.”
“You can't exactly walk down the streets of the city carrying a bow,” Gauge commented idly. We all watched as Seth threw the knife and the second dog went down.
Gauge let out a low whistle under his breath. “If you can do that a third time without missing, I'll be impressed.”
The third dog had noticed the deaths of its companions. It had stopped barking at us and was now running in between the first dead dog and the second, sniffing and nudging them with obvious confusion.
“I could, but what would be the fun in that?” Seth jumped down from the wall without warning. He landed on his feet below us. The remaining guard dog snapped its head in his direction. Seth didn't flinch as he walked calmly towards the thick bodied animal. The dog's red fur stood on end as Seth whispered words too low for the rest of us to hear. He held out one hand to the dog.
The dog eyed Seth hands warily and then sniffed it. After a second, a thick pink tongue came out from between its heavy fangs and licked at Seth's fingers. Seth put his hand on the creature's massive head and gave it a pat. He turned back to face us. “If you guys are planning on running away, either do it now or get down here. The dog isn't going to bite.”
“Lola, you should go back.” Gauge turned to face the other girl. “You're not a fighter. Nothing good is going to come from breaking into Bud Moon's compound. You don't have anything invested in finding Pilar's parents.”
“Neither do you,” Lola said. “Unless there's something you aren't telling me?”
“I really want that gun.” Gauge bared his teeth in a look that was supposed to be a smile but didn't come anywhere close to showing happiness. I was suddenly struck by the realization that his basic personality was very similar to Seth's.
Gauge dropped down to the ground below before I had a chance to really mull over what that could mean for us. He looked back up at us and held out his arms. “If you two are coming, come on.”
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and jumped. The free fall barely lasted a second before Gauge caught me in his thick arms. I had an unexpected impression of warmth and strength and then I was standing on my own two feet in the grass.
Lola hesitated on the edge of the fence above us. She was shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.
Seth turned away from his new doggy friend and walked back to where Gauge and I were standing. “Go back, Lola. You don't want to be here.”
“How many people are you going to slaughter if I walk away?” Her bright eyes were wide with fear.
Seth rolled his shoulders. “You being here isn't going to make a difference in my actions. If you're coming with us because you think you can stop me from doing what I came here to do, you're sadly mistaken.”
Lola took a deep breath and then flung herself down off the fence. Gauge caught her and gently lowered her to the ground. She closed her eyes and gripped his arm tightly with one of her hands until her feet were steady underneath her.
“I have to come with you.” The freckles that dusted Lola's nose stood out too brightly against her unnaturally pale skin. “Where do we need to go from here?”
“Not sure.” Seth scanned the grassy yard.
“Bud keeps his prisoners in a bunker underneath the back side of the house,” Gauge provided unexpectedly. He looked big and mean in a dark green t-shirt that had its sleeves cut off and a pair of well-worn light wash blue jeans. His boots were heavy pull-ons that had the scars of hard wear torn into their leather.
Lola spun around on him in surprise. “How do you know?”
“You really think I'm stupid enough to walk into a bad situation blind?” Gauge checked the position of the ax he was wearing on his hip and then began walking across the yard. “Let's get this over with.”
Chapter 15
The guard who had been posted in front of the door to Bud Moon's personal prison had been reading a paperback novel when Seth snuck up behind him and slit his throat. Now the man was slumped into a sad heap on the too green grass with his blood spilling across the pages of his book.
Lola was hyperventilating and whispering about unnecessary murder as Seth used the key he'd taken off the guard's key ring to open the heavy metal door that lead into the bunker.
Nothing felt real as I walked through that looming door. I didn't want to let myself hope that I might see my mom again today. I couldn't let myself dream as I was surrounded by a damp, cold and entirely unwelcoming darkness.
The door clanged shut behind me as Gauge and Lola joined us. The only light in the hallway we were standing in came from several small, dim bulbs that had been screwed into the ceiling.
“Well, this isn't the least bit creepy.” Gauge's voice echoed loudly through the hall.
“Welcome to hell.” Always the infallible leader, Seth began walking down the hallway. We followed him to the edge of the first door.
The door itself was gunmetal gray with chunks of rust flaking off of its edges. A tiny, dusty window was set in the center of the top section of the door. Seth leaned close to the door and peered through the window. He pulled back a second later. “I can't see a fucking thing with these damned sunglasses.”
“Take them off.” Lola wasn't paying any attention to the door we were standing by. She was staring back down the hall behind us at the main door.
Seth snorted and then shrugged his shoulders. “Why not?”
I forced myself to step up to the window beside Seth. I had to stand on my tippy-toes to see through the window. The room appeared to be empty. It looked like it had been some kind of a laboratory at one point in time. I saw a lot of old medical equipment and hulking machinery.
When I turned back around, Seth had taken his sunglasses off. Gauge was staring at him as if he'd seen a nightmare come to life. “Your eye-?”
“I can't see out of it,” Seth said flatly, as if he really thought Gauge had been questioning his eyesight itself. He neatly folded the sunglasses and tucked them into the front pocket of his jacket.
“That scar-?” Gauge was frowning now. “You're-.”
“Ugly?” Seth supplied less than helpfully. “I know. But there isn't anyone in this room. Let's keep moving. You can give me beauty advice later.”
Seth took off walking down the hallway. I hurried after him, not looking back to see if either of the other two were following us. We checked the next three doors and found nothing of interest. More dust. More unused medical supplies.
“What the heck are they doing in here?” Gauge asked as Seth shut the door on a room full of empty cots that featured restraints similar to what we had used to protect ourselves from the dying when I had worked on the Cube's hospital ward.
“Maybe this is where they nurse
the sick people back to health?” Lola guessed.
Neither of the guys answered her. Their silence didn't make me feel any less disturbed by the cold, empty hallway and abandoned rooms.
We moved on to the next room.
“This one is different,” Gauge said after peering through the dusty glass. “It's full of cages.”
“Are they empty or are there people in them?” Seth slipped out of his jacket, revealing that he had his sword tucked into a holster that ran the length of his spine. He freed the sword and then leaned it against the wall as he slipped the jacket back on.
“I can't really tell. Nothing is moving but I can see some shapes in the shadows. They could be tranquilized.”
“Have you been wearing that this whole time?” Lola whispered to Seth as she pointed at the sword.
Seth smiled as he stepped up beside Gauge. He pressed his forehead against the glass. “Where are you seeing people?”
“Look near the ground in those cages at the very back,” Gauge instructed.
Seth was silent for a moment and then he stepped back and nodded once. “Ladies and Gentlemen, we've got ourselves a winner.”
“Did you see my mom?” My heart jumped into my chest. I could hear it beating in my ears.
“Slow down,” Seth said to me. “Gauge is right. I can see what look like people in a few of the cages but its way too dark in there to tell anything else. We're going to go in there, but don't get your hopes up.”
He waited until I nodded before he opened the door.
Chapter 16
“Hello?” Lola called out in a soft whisper as we walked into the room full of cages. The lighting in the cage room was no better than it had been in the hallway. Most of the light came from an open area near the back of the room.