“Come, M’Lady. Today is a very special day,” one of the women chirps in my ear, as she slides an antique key into the pocket of her frumpy dress.
I want to say to her, “You have no idea.”
Before climbing out of bed, I slide the butter knife out from under my pillow and hide it, once again, up my sleeve. The women are excited and chatty. They gossip about how wonderful the wedding will be and about the flowers, the food, and my dress.
The woman that woke me says, “What are you still doing in that dress?” She turns to the three other women, shaking her plump finger as she scolds them, “Which one of you was supposed to help her last night? The King won’t be happy if he hears about this. Shame on you.” She must be in charge of the other three. Seems to me like it’s her fault then.
The “manager” turns back to me with a lopsided smile. “Follow me, M’Lady, so we can get that inferior dress off of you. We need to prepare you for your beautiful wedding gown.”
I start to move forward as if to follow her, but then pretend to trip on my fluffy dress. The woman thrusts her arms out to catch me, just as I thought she would. As we embrace, I sneak the key from her pocket before she rights me. “There you are,” she says. “You must be careful in these big dresses, child.” Then, she saunters across the hall, expecting us to follow along after her. And we do.
We all start to move toward the bathroom at once, but I need to take advantage of this situation. I try to hang back so that I’m the last one out of my room. Unfortunately, one of the women falls behind me and pushes me along. So, I’m sandwiched between a bunch of jolly women with no hope for escape.
How am I going to get out of here before I hear the dome crack? I won’t be able to later. Now is the time. Now!
“Oh no!” I say in agony, once in side the bathing room. “I forgot my book. I’d like to read while I bathe. It’s a lovely story. I’ll be right back.” I rush past the last women before they realize what’s happening.
I try to pull the door shut behind me, but struggle as one of them furiously pulls from the other side while the others shriek. As I fumble with the stolen key, the door jumps open. Though I’d rather not, I have to kick one of the women in the leg to get her to back away. She falls down, landing on her butt, and as she clutches her injured shin, I take the opportunity to slam the door shut. I jam the key into the ancient keyhole and turn it around until the lock engages. After I pull the key from the lock and toss it into my empty room, I turn and haul ass down the hallway to the stairs.
I descend quietly and carefully. There is a guard at the bottom of the stairs, who is already coming up to see what all the commotion is about. I have no choice but to turn and run back up to my bedroom. I look around for something heavy to hit the guard with. The bedpost. I grip one of the spindles and pull as hard as I can. I use my foot to give me leverage. It cracks. I kick and twist it until it finally snaps off.
Lucky for me, it happens with just enough time left for me to hide behind the wooden door. I can hear the guard jiggling the door handle across the hall where the women are still shrieking. Then the jiggling stops, and I can hear him cautiously approaching my room.
He’s coming. I see him as he fully enters the room and discovers the broken bed. His back is to me, so I take the opportunity to crack the bedpost over the back of his head. His limp body slumps to the ground. I stand there stunned, and I have to remind myself to move. Go! Go! Go!
I make it to the bottom of the stairs. All is quiet on the first floor—too quiet. I wait and watch for a few moments before tiptoeing down the hallway. Something’s not right. This is too easy, or maybe everyone really is at the trades.
I reach the stairs that lead down to the dungeon in a flash and start to descend, one careful step at a time. I’m scared to see Kale. Scared to see what condition he will be in. My heart is in my throat and I can’t breathe. A gasp escapes my lips as I slip on one of the steps that are now becoming slick with moisture. They get worse the further underground I go.
I’ve reached the bottom. The dungeon is large and dim. The air is stale. I want to run back up as fast as I can, but getting to Kale is more important than anything else. I push forward, whispering, “Kale? Kale? Edward?”
Man, this is like some kind of bad movie. I can hear water trickling down the cold walls, and there are torches lit to provide small amounts of light in this all-consuming darkness.
I’ve reached a corridor lined with cells. After peering into the first cell, I discover that it’s empty. So, I continue down the corridor, checking each cell while still quietly calling for him. “Kale?”
I hear a groan coming from further down the hallway. It’s coming from one of the cells. I lift the skirts of my dress and rush toward the noise.
It’s him! “Kale!”
The cell door is open wide, and when I peer in, I can see that he’s chained to the wall. His hands are bound above his head, and his mouth is gagged so that he can’t speak. “Unnn,” he groans as he tries to send me a message. He’s shaking his head furiously, warning me of something. I rush to Kale’s side and start to remove the leather band from his mouth. I look up into his eyes, but he’s not looking back at me anymore. He’s looking behind me.
YOU A**HOLE!
I turn to face him, and just like I thought, he’s got that smug grin on his face. He also has a gun holstered on his hip and a baseball bat in his hands. That’s weird. And holy shit, what is he planning on doing with that?
“Come to rescue a dead man?” James mocks me as he approaches us.
Kale is struggling against his gag and chains. I can feel his pure rage seeping into the space between us, as he battles the restraints that hold him back.
“Just let us go, James. No one will ever know it was you. Please,” I beg him.
He laughs. “You think I’m going to let the King’s prize just run away? You think he won’t put my head on a spike for setting you free?” He shakes his head as he stands inches from me. I stand my ground, but can’t avoid moving my head back a little.
James continues on, “You’re going right back up to that room, and you’re going to marry him so that I can kick back and have three meals a day prepared for me. Then I’m going to sleep in a nice bed every night, instead of on the ground.” James yanks me away from Kale by the arm.
I try to bend myself out of his grip, but he’s so much stronger than I am. It infuriates me to feel so weak. I’ll show him…
I slink the butter knife out of my dress sleeve and try to jab it into his gut. I can tell before James says anything that I didn’t use enough force.
“Ow!” James complains. He grabs my wrist and twists my hand up to his face.
The knife is devoid of blood. James squeezes my hand so hard that the weapon falls and clatters on the stone floor. “Did you think you could stab me with that?” He laughs again. “You stupid girl. You want to see pain? Well, watch this.”
He releases me and then raises the baseball bat over his shoulder, ready to strike Kale. I scream and turn my head away from James as he swings the baseball bat into Kale’s side. Before I clench my eyes shut, I notice Edward standing in the doorway of the cell. He’s holding a handgun out to me.
I don’t even have to think about taking it, as Kale groans in pain from behind. “Stop!” I shriek at James. I pull the hammer back on the revolver, readying it to fire. James freezes with the bat mid-air, as he recognizes the familiar sound.
“Drop the bat. Now!” I scream at him again.
The baseball bat bounces on the stone floor until it finally settles. I keep my eyes focused on James’ every move. “Move away from him,” I demand.
James slowly backs away from Kale, shifting over to the far side of the cell. He says, “You ever fire a gun before?”
“Yep. Hit him too. In the dark. Don’t test me,” I warn him. My hands shake as I hold the gun out in front of me.
James keeps trying to get under my skin. He wants me to screw up so he can take
back control of the situation. “I’m guessing that was a lucky shot,” he says. Then he stealthily slides his hand down to his own gun and just as he’s about to un-holster it, I shoot him in the leg. The sound is deafening and echoes throughout the stone dungeon. A dark red stain spreads across the thigh of his jeans.
James is stunned, as am I. He can’t believe what I did. He stands unmoving until he finally snaps out of it and wails, “You bitch! You shot me!” James falls to the mucky floor. The bloodstain is steadily growing, causing James to moan in agony, but that doesn’t keep him from trying to reach for his gun again.
“Stop James! I’ll shoot you again, I swear it!” I scream as I inch toward him.
James reluctantly pulls his hand away from the weapon, which I take and shove down my cleavage. The super tight corset will keep it from sliding down—plus I don’t have pockets. It’s the first place that came to mind.
“Don’t move James,” I warn him as I shift my attention back to Kale. “Edward, do you have the keys?”
The elderly man hobbles over toward Kale, keys jangling in his arthritic hands. “Yes, M’Lady. They’re here,” he answers. Edward reaches up to unlock the metal cuffs around Kale’s wrists. The key clinks against the hard surface as it tries to find the keyhole. I have to control myself not to swoop in and do it myself.
James is trying to buy himself time by distracting Edward. He warns him, “I’m going to report you to the King, Cat! He’ll have your head for this.”
Edward stops for a second to address James. He very calmly says, “Hmm. Yes, I was counting on it. But don’t think for a moment that he’ll spare you, good friend.” He turns back to the lock and continues working.
Finally, Edward manages to free Kale, who crashes to the ground, clutching his freshly wounded side. I drop down next to him, trying to comfort him, but I also need to make sure he’s able to walk out of here with me. “Are you okay?” I touch the side of his face softly as he slowly nods. When he looks into my eyes, the whole world stops. I can see our whole lives ahead of us—the children we will have and the love we will share. My eyes start to tear up, so I focus my attention back on getting out of here, because none of that will happen if we don’t make it to the well. “Do you think you can walk?” I wrap my hands around one of his arms as I prepare to lift him.
But Kale shakes me off. “Yeah. Just give me a second.” He grabs the baseball bat that rolled over beside him and uses it as leverage as he climbs to his feet. By the way that he’s standing, all twisted and bent at the waist, he looks like a hunched old man. I wish I could take his pain away.
I start for the cell door, but Kale isn’t following me. He’s walking over to James, who’s still slumped in the far corner. The fallen cowboy has tied his shirt around his thigh to help stop the bleeding.
Kale stops in front of James and says, “I owe you a few whacks with this bat.” Kale lifts the bat high over his head and brings it down fast, aiming for James’ head. James shrinks away and closes his eyes tight, ready for the impact. Kale stops short, before the weapon makes contact. Instead of hitting him, he taps his adversary on the cheek. James peeks at Kale to see why he’s still conscious. “I’m going to leave you in this cell for the King to find. He can deal with you. That is, if you don’t bleed to death before then, hombre.”
Kale turns back to me and says, “Lets go.” With renewed energy, he grabs my free hand and tugs me out of the cell.
Edward locks up the cell behind us as I force the gun—that I shot James with—onto Kale. “Here take this,” I say as I shove the weapon into his hand. Kale has no qualms about accepting the gun. He carries it in his right hand as we all hurry down the corridor lined with cells.
The cells end, and the space opens up with the stairwell on the right. Kale pauses at the base of the stone steps and looks up. I don’t let him linger there long. There’s nothing for us up there. This time I take the lead and pull him along to the far side of the dungeon.
“Which way is the tunnel?” I whisper back to Edward, as we approach the end of the cavernous room.
“Just to the left now. It’s behind those wooden stocks. Yes. There.” He points to a large wooden structure with holes cut out for prisoners’ heads and hands to poke through. Looks like fun.
Kale and I each put a shoulder against it and push. Our feet slip on the slimy floor as we struggle to move the stocks. The large structure doesn’t budge, so we ram our shoulders against it, over and over, until it finally gives and starts to slide out of the way.
It’s here! The way out!
A tunnel disappears into the darkness before us. Just as I’m about to step into the abyss, Kale asks, “How did you know this was here? Did he tell you?” He tilts his head to the left to motion toward Edward.
SURPRISE! IT’S A BOY!
I don’t know how much to tell Kale just now. We are in the process of escaping, and the news Kai shared with me is quite shocking. I look over to Edward for help, but he’s backing away from us. He bows and says, “I must go, M’Lady. The King will be looking for me soon.”
“You’re not coming with us? What about Josephine?” I ask.
He walks back toward us and reaches for my hands. He holds them in his while he pats their tops. “My place is here. I don’t think the Keepers will be able to fix me after what’s about to happen. It’s time . . . It’s my time . . . And as for Josephine, well, I love her too much for her to see me like this. For her to see the man called Cat.”
“I . . . Thank you so much for all your help. I’m so happy that I got to meet you, but won’t you reconsider? Please?” I plead with him.
“No, Miss Emma. But thank you for being concerned about me. No one has cared about me in a long time. Oh . . . “ he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a weathered book, “you almost forgot this. Take good care of it.”
He hands me the book that has my name etched in gold on the spine, Emma, and then leans over to kiss my cheek. When he pulls away, he says, “And take care of each other. Kai told me what a happy life you had together. A good long life.” He drops my hands, reaches up, and takes a torch from the wall. He hands it to me before leaving the two of us alone in the dungeon at the cusp of freedom.
I tuck the book into my cleavage along with the other gun. There’s not really enough room for both of them, but I’m able to readjust things to make them fit. Kale looks at me curiously, for more than just the odd place for storing the keepsake.
“Who’s Kai? What was he talking about? What did he mean by, ‘we had a happy life together’?” Kale questions me.
“Come on, I’ll tell you as we walk.” I lead the way into the tunnel, holding the torch out in front of me. I can hear rats squeaking and scurrying about the deeper into the tunnel we go. There’s something wet and furry growing on the walls. Creepy doesn’t describe this place well enough.
Behind me, Kale is getting impatient. He questions me again, “So? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
My foot gets stuck in a crack, and I stumble into the slippery wall. Kale reaches out to right me, and then we once again press forward. How do I start this conversation? Um . . . Um . . .
“Well, that was Edward.”
“I thought his name was Cat.”
“That’s what they call him here. Do you remember Auntie Josephine?”
“Yeah. Why?” he asks.
“That was her husband or enclosure-mate or whatever. She told me he killed himself, but the Keepers patched him up and brought him here. And he keeps trying to take himself out, and they keep bringing him back. So the King named him Cat. Nine lives and all that.”
I can hear the confusion in his voice when he asks, “So he just decided to help you out of the blue—just like that?”
“Well, not really.” I step around a big black heap of something that smells really bad. “Watch your step.”
“So what then?” he pushes.
“When the Keepers did their rounds yesterday, one named Kai
came into my room. He told me that there’s a rebellion against the zoos. Some of the Keepers are in on it—like Kansas mentioned to you. He said that today is the day they are going to act. They’re going to break the dome. He wants us to go to the well in the Safe Zone and swim down. Apparently, there’s a button or something that will let us into another room. He’s going to send us back to our old lives.” Whew! Deep breath.
“And you believed this guy? I mean, why don’t we just escape with everyone else? No. We’re not going on a suicide mission so we can drown in the bottom of a well.”
I abruptly stop in the dark tunnel and turn toward Kale. His handsome face flickers in the torchlight. His eyes are lost, but mine are sure. “He wouldn’t have lied to me,” I declare.
“And how do you know that? He’s a Keeper for goodness sake.”
“He’s also our descendant,” I divulge to him in a whisper.
“Our what?”
“It was that guy who watched us in our first enclosure. Remember, you said he looked familiar to you? Well, that’s why you recognized him, but couldn’t place him. I didn’t tell you, but I recognized him too. It’s because we could see ourselves in him.”
“So, that means that you and I . . . That we . . . ” Kale fumbles for the right words.
“Yes.”
We both inhale in preparation to expel a whole slew of questions, concerns, and plans for the future, but are interrupted by a thundering boom. And one more that follows. The tunnel groans and releases dust that falls from the ceiling onto our heads. Rocks start to come loose from the walls and tumble to the floor.
“That must be it. They’re trying to crack the dome. We have to get out of here before the tunnel collapses. Can you run?” I frantically pull him along behind me not waiting for an answer.
THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, FOLLOWED BY A BUNCH OF BATTLE CRAZED NAZIS
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