by Jaymin Eve
I moved aside then as Quarn took the lead.
As I was moving forward to follow them, I felt this strong shove from the right side that sent me reeling. I had no chance to recover my balance, so I simply closed my eyes, prepared to hit the ground.
But I never did.
I was back in the vacuum; I’d fallen straight into the rift.
Chapter 12
I screamed silently in the pressing darkness. My energized cells bounced around my body as I moved at the speed of light. I guess I hadn’t realized the last time how much Brace had calmed me. It was quicker this time for the rift to expel me violently. Suffice to say I wouldn’t be sitting easy for a week.
The room was dark and I couldn’t find anything to anchor myself in it. I stayed still and quiet, trying to sense what dangers were lurking around me.
I could be anywhere in the entire universe. A jostling on my arm reminded me I still had my night-vision goggles.
Hmmm, Abby, that may be useful right now.
Pulling the rubber strap back, I slid them over my head, groaning as I poked myself repeatedly in the eye. Finally they settled over my face and images jumped at me. The darkness turned to a landscape of green and gray.
It took a few minutes for me to adjust. The strange color plateaus from the night vision were disorientating. Eventually, the room came into focus. It was small and empty. There was a door on the far wall. An empty room whose only purpose could be receiving from the compound.
I walked a few steps forward, moving toward the door. I wondered why no one had followed me through the rift. Did it close behind me?
I couldn’t stand around waiting to be rescued. There was only one way to figure out where I was.
I dropped my hand onto the handle. Taking a deep breath, I pushed down and the door clicked open. I gave a gentle shove.
The next room was dark as well; I took my time before stepping through into what looked like a huge single-level room. I was puzzled by what I saw through the goggles. The room looked like a dungeon – like those from the fifteenth century, similar to those I’d seen in books about the medieval period.
I moved forward two steps. The straw on the floor crunched under my boots. Yes, I said straw. The room appeared to consist of a long row of cells, with large and heavy bars along them.
Crap, could you time-travel using the doorways?
I couldn’t tell if there were people in the cells. Although, as I moved further along, my nose wrinkled in distaste. There was a distinctive smell of sweat, fear and other disgusting-ness lingering in the air. If that aroma was any indication, humans had been held here and it hadn’t been that long ago.
A noise from behind had me swinging around. The door was opening.
Awesome.
What was coming through there now?
I crouched down to present a smaller target. I was just fumbling for my throwing knives when a massively tall person stepped through.
Okay, how many people could be that tall? I hesitated for a moment, just in case I was wrong.
“Baby girl?”
Relief flooded through me. I recognized that whispered and deep baritone.
Trembling, I scrambled to my feet and took off at a flat-out run. I dived into Josian’s arms.
“What the hell. Where have you been?” I whispered into his shirt front.
He was clutching me close, my feet hanging off the ground.
“Sorry, baby girl. It takes a few minutes before anyone can use a doorway again.”
Lallielle was at our side. I could smell her unique flowery scent. “Thank the gods we found you; I could not get through that rift fast enough.”
Josian laughed as he lowered me back to the ground. “She was definitely a riled up mama bear. I was a little scared for my life.”
“Yes, my love. Lucky you got us here in time or things could have gotten very dangerous for you.” She sounded only half-serious.
Josian kissed the top of her head.
“I would never let our baby go again, Lalli. You know that.”
“Where are we, Abby?” I smiled as Quarn interrupted them, probably deliberately.
“No idea; I didn’t make it far before you arrived.” I tried to keep my voice low, but someone had to have heard this racket.
It appeared that everyone had better eyesight then I had. None of them were using their goggles. I turned back to look around the room again.
“Can we go back in time using the Walker travel, Josian?”
I felt him shift next to me. “There are no Walkers that have that type of power anymore. One of the powers we have lost.”
I shook my head. “It’s just strange. This looks medieval.” I pointed toward the barred cells. “Fifteenth to sixteenth century.”
Brace’s voice came from the darkness. “We’re definitely still on Earth; my energy power isn’t swirling around as it usually does.”
Now just to figure out where on Earth.
A loud clang sounded from behind us. Josian pushed me and Lallielle aside and he stepped forward, hands raised.
The door at the far end was opening. Everyone fell silent. Keys clanked as a whistling man stepped inside.
“Time to wake, you disgusting wastes of good quality air.”
I felt a small relief that he had the distinctive clipped tones of Brooklyn. We might still be near New York.
Suddenly the room lit up. One by one, each cell came alight.
We remained crouched in the darkness near the initial part of the room. As each cell was illuminated, the inhabitants began to move behind the bars, as if they had been in stasis until that moment.
I shoved my glasses up to rest on top of my head and squinted into the brightness for a moment. Finally the scene before me came into focus.
Noise was everywhere, sobs and groans echoing throughout the stone walls. There were about twenty cells, ten lining each wall.
The occupants had moved forward to grasp at the bars of their caged homes.
For the first time I could see every one of them.
A hand covered my mouth just as I was about to scream out loud. I looked up. Brace was beside me and it was his hand preventing my shriek of outrage.
The girls from the compound filled many of the cells. But that wasn’t all – Lucy was there, and she looked terrible – thin and pale. Her hair was limp and dirty, hanging in swirls around her face.
I tried to wriggle out of Brace’s grasp, but he tightened his hold. I had to get to Lucy. Her expression was blank, as if she had seen it all and nothing affected her anymore. Something inside of me crushed, seeing her so broken.
I bit down into the fleshy pad of Brace’s hand.
“Naughty, Red, don’t make me spank you,” he whispered into my ear.
I spun around to glare at him. At the same time my elbow flew back into his abdomen. He released me slightly.
“In your dreams, douchewad.”
“I know this is probably beyond your capabilities, Abigail, but try and exercise a small level of patience. We need to assess this threat before we act.” His tantalizing voice was still low in my ear, sending shivers along my spine.
I was way too hot-blooded to assess anything before acting. I was ‘action first, consequences later’, thank you very much.
Lallielle’s gasp had me spinning back around, searching for the source of her concern.
“Sammy?” Brace whispered in disbelief.
What? My brother was here as well. I craned my neck trying to see into all of the cages. A tall, dark-haired man, who looked eerily like Lallielle, but without her green eyes, moved forward into the light. He was in the cell next to Lucy’s.
My eyes narrowed. He’d just laced his hand through the bars to squeeze Lucy’s. He was hovering over her protectively, glaring at the man jauntily making his way through the cells.
The whistling intruder was easy to see now. He was short, with a large stomach protruding over his dirty pants, and a filthy white shirt, buttons mi
ssing so that his fat rolls hung prominently on display.
“That’s a quality packaging that man has.” Brace’s silky hair tickled my ear as he leaned in close to murmur.
“Don’t be jealous,” I whispered back. “You’re bound to be that attractive one day.”
He groaned.
I ignored him to continue my observations of the man. He was around fifty years old, his face dominated by a beaky nose and small angry eyes. He was walking in our direction, pausing at each cell and throwing a brown paper bag through the bars.
The occupants snatched at the bags before scurrying back into their cells.
No one had noticed us standing there, but I was over waiting. We could take out this one little rat-man.
As if she had read my thoughts, Lallielle bolted into the light. Josian’s attempt to stop her was useless. He was close behind but she got to rat-man first.
She hit him hard. He was turning at the sound of her steps when she right-hooked him straight in the jaw. His eyes rolled up in his head before he crashed to the floor.
I’m going to be honest: I was impressed.
Josian laughed out loud. “Taught her that.” His tone was cocky.
“Mom! How are ...? Where did you come from?”
Samuel had their beautiful accent; his was just rougher ... husky, as if something had damaged his vocal cords. Lallielle headed toward him. I was distracted by Lucy.
“Abby. Oh, gods. I can’t believe you’re here.” The dead expression she’d been wearing wavered and suddenly she was crying, tears pouring down her face.
She pulled her hands free of Samuel and held them out. I ran into her arms, hitting the bars hard.
She winced as I pulled her close. I loosened my hold a little.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
She smiled, with a fraction of her old joy. “I’ll be much better when you get me out of here.”
Lallielle was hugging Samuel through the bars to his cell. Brace and Josian were right behind, huge grins on their faces. Quarn was crouched over rat-man on the floor.
I searched the cell front to find the lock. There was nothing on the smooth bars.
“We have to get out of here. There seems to be a permanent delivery door between the warehouse and the compound.” I was thankful my voice didn’t express the cold trickles of fear inside.
“That is not possible.” Josian’s brow wrinkled in worry. “It can’t be done.”
“All the more reason to get out of here.” Brace’s words were clipped and short.
“Quarn, does rat-man have any keys or remote locking devices on him?”
I tried to turn, but Lucy clung to my hand.
Quarn smiled. “You named him rat-man?” He shook his head, screwing up his nose. “That’s appropriate, actually.”
Many of the occupants of the other cells had moved toward their bars.
“Abby?” I turned to see Chrissie and Chandra plus a few of the other girls together in one cell.
I smiled, but couldn’t help notice the vacancy in their stares, the motley nature of their skin and general air of neglect they were all rocking today.
“Hang tight, girls, I’ll get you out of here.”
“He doesn’t have keys; there is only one person who ever accessed these cells.” Lucy drew my attention. With her free hand she pointed toward the entrance. “Try that little box next to the door; I think that’s some type of control panel.”
Quarn moved away from the group to inspect the small black box which was attached to the wall.
“Sammy baby.” Lallielle held both of his hands. “This is Aribella, your sister.”
Lucy and Samuel both nodded.
Lucy answered. “After I explained the situation, Sam and I kind of figured that Abby must be his sister.”
Josian stood near Lallielle, staring at Lucy. His expression was ... odd. I reminded myself to ask him about that later.
A creaking noise was the first indication the cell doors were opening. Quarn shut the box again and nodded once: success.
Lucy squeezed herself through the small gap. The centre of the room filled as one by one Samuel and the girls managed to escape.
Lallielle swept Samuel into a proper hug. Lucy’s smile was shaky, and her eyes were crinkled up in worry as she watched them.
He held back, stiff and unresponsive, but eventually he reached around and gave Lallielle a half-hearted hug.
“I’ve missed you, Mom.” His voice broke a little on the last word. “I thought I would die here and no one would ever know.”
“I have missed you so much, Sammy,” Lallielle sobbed out both her sorrow and relief.
Josian untangled Lallielle from her uncomfortable son. Samuel had an air of fragility, like one wrong word could break him into a million pieces. By the looks of it, his year in this dungeon had almost been the end of him. No wonder Lucy’s expression was going all protective-kitten on him.
Samuel turned then and walked toward me.
I didn’t know what to do. Looking left and right, I backed up a few steps.
Only it wasn’t me he was coming to. He stopped before Lucy, staring down into her face for a moment; the height distance between them was ridiculous, well over a foot difference. I looked at the floor, trying hard to stifle my laughter. Brace caught my eye. His expression just made it worse. Ass-hat.
Samuel reached out and captured Lucy’s face in his hand. Then without hesitation he swept her off her feet ... literally. He then proceeded to kiss the hell out of her.
Throughout the room, clearing throats and mutters sounded, along with a random whoop. It was a tad awkward ... and lovely ... and so romantic.
I ignored the fact my brother was currently kissing my sister. The mood was affecting everyone; Josian pulled Lallielle closer, placing gentle kisses on her face.
Come on. Where was I supposed to look now?
I was drawn to Brace – oh, yeah. Much better.
I expected to see him staring at the happy couple, like the rest of the room, but he was staring at me.
The heat of his gaze held me immobile. My head started to spin; I hadn’t taken one breath since we locked eyes. He turned away, releasing me.
Breathe, Abby.
Inner voice or whispered words? Once again, I couldn’t tell. The room broke into scattered applause as Samuel and Lucy pulled apart.
I wouldn’t admit it – maybe under torture – but I was kind of annoyed. I had just got Lucy back; I wasn’t ready to share her.
She snapped out of her kiss-haze. As if she could read my thoughts, she stepped away from Samuel toward me, although the intense looks they kept exchanging told me way more than I wanted to know.
“So, Josian. Can you open a doorway for this many people to leave at once?” Brace was pacing, looking toward the far doorway.
“No problem –”
I sighed in relief.
But then he continued.
“Except something is blocking me here.”
I looked at him in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head, his voice deepening in concern. “There is something here I cannot explain; they have this building locked down and a permanent Walker doorway.”
Samuel spoke then, the slight rasp in his voice even more prominent. “That’s why we’re held here. They siphon our energy.”
I looked around at the huddled groups of girls. I recognized many of them. While a few had taken the chance – well-deserved, I’m sure – to kick rat-man in the ribs, the rest were sitting around weakly. Where was the running? Hysterical screaming? Escape attempts? They were as Quarn described: zombies.
“How are you still alive?” Lallielle’s voice broke as the true horror of Samuel’s situation dawned on her. “They’ve been siphoning you for a year.”
Samuel shrugged, but his eyes were flat; emotionless. “I have no idea. I’m much stronger than any Earthlings. They only last about a month.”
As Lucy took his hand a s
mile crossed his features.
“No one else has lasted longer than six months. We average a few deaths a week.” He pointed toward the scattered people. “This is a new group.”
“How do they have such extensive knowledge of the ways of the Walkers?” Josian said furiously. His red hair swirled around him. “They’re dealing with myth and legend, no longer reachable abilities.”
I wondered if everyone was thinking what I was.
“We are screwed.” Lucy nailed it.
Chrissie limped over. She was much thinner than the last time I saw her and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as if she was afraid she would fall apart at any moment.
“So what’s the escape plan, Abby?” Her anger flowed around me. “And can I be the one to rip Olden’s head from her shoulders?” No zombie behavior from her.
Lucy pushed forward. “Get in line, Chris,” she said darkly.
I looked from one to the other, wondering what had happened here.
“Our best chance is to exit together. Go out as a group and confuse them.” Quarn, with his military training, scanned the room.
A groan sounded from the floor as rat-man started to shift. I looked at Lucy for a minute. She nodded once. It was information-gathering time.
I crouched next to him. By the time he opened his beady eyes, he was surrounded on all sides. Glares rained down on him.
He was confused. For about a minute.
And then he laughed.
I watched him, his actions were ... unexpected. It wasn’t a small I-just-got-a-concussion chuckle.
No, this was a full-throated belly laugh. His fat rolls jiggled all over the place.
It was irritating, grating on my last nerve. I lunged for his face. My closed fist crunched against his nose. Wow, that was satisfying.
Brace had dived after me. I’m not sure if it was to stop me, or to hit him too. Blood poured from rat-man’s nose, and with a coughing splutter he grabbed my shirt, and with unforeseen strength attempted to bring my face close to his.
Brace reached out a huge hand and cupped the man around the throat.
“I would let her go now. Unless, of course, you don’t want the privilege of breathing any longer.”