The Arliss

by Ann Bakshis

  “If that were true, the governing body would’ve just let the Levo stay in the toxic environment instead of placing them in the abandonment home. Neither of us would be here if they hadn’t.”

  He glares at me. “I guess that part of your memory hasn’t returned,” he grumbles.

  “What?”

  “You’re a fucking Comhar, Sara, just like Keegan and Wavern.”

  “How the hell do you know that?”

  “Because even though we all grew up in the same place, we were treated differently because of who our families were. Grimm knows all too well what they’ll let a Comhar get away with.”

  “Grimm’s family was Levo?”

  “Yes, which is why Keegan wasn’t punished for what he did to him, or any child of a Levo descendant for that matter.”

  Maybe that’s another reason Keegan got so upset with Grimm yesterday. He sees Grimm as beneath him because of who his ancestors were and since I have the same heritage he doesn’t approve of me being friends with Grimm. Keegan needs to get a fucking grip and move on.

  Why did I marry that asshole? I could’ve found a less degrading way to get back at Grimm for a wrong he really never committed.

  And why did Keegan’s eyes turn red? I know I didn’t imagine that, no matter how much he tried to convince me. I wonder if Nex would know if it’s a medical condition.

  Oh, the lies I tell myself.

  Cody is finally settling down when trumpets blast over speakers that hang from the streetlights which are slowly turning on as the sun sets. We head back to the plaza, but remain by the outskirts of Zone B as the crowds are much smaller there. Myr, a small woman with horn-rimmed glasses, a severely curved spine, and choppy silver hair stands up to the podium and adjusts the microphone.

  “Good evening, citizens of Demos and soldiers of Rinku and Quarn,” she begins, her voice steady. “Tonight marks the passing of another year of mourning after the war that destroyed our world and our lives. As we gather here to commemorate the millions who suffered at the hands of the Arliss, be mindful of the need we have for each other in order to heal the blistered soil and dried lakes. Only together, as one community, can we accomplish this feat. As of yesterday, a new beginning has begun. The Rodinea Expanse, once barren, is now filled with clean water, made safe by an Occlyn Ring of its own.”

  “How is that possible?” I ask no one in particular. “They would’ve had to go outside to accomplish that, which means bombs would’ve dropped. How’d they avoid them?”

  “That’s a good question,” Cody says.

  “This couldn’t have been done without the efforts of everyone here, and in the compounds today,” Myr continues. “And this is only the start for us reclaiming our world. Without an incident in eight years, our people are finally able to traverse the surface without fear.”

  My mouth falls open at that remark. I wait for someone from Rinku to correct her, especially Andra, who is sitting in the row of chairs behind Myr, but no one says a word.

  “I told you that your leaders lie,” the Arliss laughs. “Look closer, Sara, and you’ll see the truth, as did all those who died before you.”

  “After years of scouting, tracking, and countless numbers of radar images from our satellites, I can say with confidence that there are no more bombs anywhere on our world. We have finally freed ourselves from the fear of annihilation. The question remains as to who was responsible for the bombings after the Arliss was defeated, but it’s time now for us to put that all behind us and look to our future. With the assistance of our compound leaders, the former Ulun Territory will be the first to build a hydroponics bay above ground, which will be constructed one mile west of the Nove Mountains,” Myr says with enthusiasm. “This great undertaking is years in the making, and construction will begin tomorrow. I’m looking forward to one day leaving the city of Demos behind and inhabiting the plains as our ancestors did.” Applause erupts from every inch of the plaza and she has to wait for it to die down before completing her speech. “As we gather here tonight, let’s not forget those we’ve lost this past year. When you look up at the fireworks, always remember that those who’ve died are being sent up to the heavens to look down upon us and smile.”

  “What’s she talking about?” I ask as I lean over to Cody, so he can hear me through the thunderous claps and cheers.

  “The ashes of those who’ve died since the last memorial are mixed in with the gun powder for the fireworks. It’s a way of ridding the surface of corpses,” he says grimly.

  The lights lining the roads dim as rockets shoot into the sky outside the city, exploding into dazzling colors. I’ve never been a fan of how the citizens of Demos celebrate their survival when millions perished in the war and its aftermath. I’m not even sure why the compounds are involved in the event, since those killed were our ancestors. I’m sure the people here are more than capable of handling this day without any assistance from us, but I doubt that’ll ever change… even when they do escape this electrified prison.

  I look over the crowd as they gasp with delight from the spectacle, each person’s eyes glued to the fireworks as they explode just beyond the dome. I glance over at Cody to see how he’s fairing, but he’s gone. I scan the crowds for him, finally spotting him making his way down a path between two residential buildings in Zone A. I call after him, but he ignores me and rushes towards a group of onlookers, nearly knocking a few of them over as he passes.

  “Cody, wait!” I holler as I try to catch up.

  He darts around the various groups, making his way to the road between Zones A and E. I finally reach him when we hit the outer edge of the festivities.

  “Let me go!” he yells as I grab onto him.

  “Where are you going?”

  “It’s him.”

  “Who Cody?”

  “Tennison… I have to see what he’s up to.”

  “Why?”

  He turns to me with such terror in his eyes it chills me to the bone. “He murdered my friends and I need to know why.”

  Cody rips his arm out of my hand and bolts towards the parking pad. Once he’s through the doors, he heads down the tunnel. I continue to follow him even when he veers left into the tunnel leading to what remains of Virtus. We run nonstop, but I don’t see anything in front of him. The tunnel is empty.

  “Cody, stop!” I shout as he picks up speed.

  The collapsed entrance into the Virtus garage comes into view and he disappears through the damaged beams and cracked floor. I slow my approach and gingerly pick my way through the rubble until I’m in the garage itself. Transports and four-seater ATVs lie on their sides, surrounded by singed concrete and warped metal that make up what remains of the walls. Unlike the garage in Rinku this one only has a single access point for vehicles, so I assume the opening I find across the way must lead into the actual compound. I stand in the doorway and listen as Cody’s footsteps echo into silence. I chase after him, but at a much slower rate since the tunnel isn’t level or complete. I’m forced to crawl over chunks of concrete and metal rods as I venture further in.

  I eventually come to a fork in the tunnel, and without any sounds or movement, I have no idea which direction he could’ve gone. If I keep going straight I should hit the control center, so I decide to continue following that tunnel. When I reach the location where the control center should be, all I find is a crater descending into darkness. My foot kicks a small piece of debris, sending it down into the gloom before I hear it hit water—that must’ve flooded the lower levels after the explosion.

  “Cody!” I call out, my voice reverberating eerily.

  Footsteps rapidly approach, but from the entrance to the mess hall. I think I see a lone figure standing in the doorway, but in the darkness it might just be my imagination. A flashlight flickers on from the tunnel to my right and someone aims it at the figure. The light illuminates a tall dark-skinned man, breathing heavily, leaning against the wall as if it’s holding him upright. One of his eyes is pure white
where his iris has been obliterated, his right arm is missing below the elbow, and the cloak he has secured around his bulky frame is dripping wet.

  “You shouldn’t have come,” he says, his voice deep and unfaltering.

  “Tennison? You’re alive?” I ask. “How?”

  “Go back the way you came,” he says. “You’ll only find death here.”

  “Wait a minute,” Cody says as he steps out from his tunnel, the flashlight tightly held in his hand. “Why did you do it? Why’d you blow up the compound?”

  Tennison simply stares at the two of us.

  “I kept trying to tell them it was your fault, but no one believed me,” Cody says, his voice rising. “You’d been acting odd for days, but everyone pretended not to notice. They put me in isolation until I recanted my story. You destroyed everything!”

  “Leave, Cody!” Tennison shouts, which causes the room to shake. “And take that thing with you,” he says, pointing to me.

  Cody looks at me, puzzled. “But that’s Sara.”

  “No, it’s not. Sara’s dead. She was killed in the bomb blast in Lymont that everyone is covering up. Just like I was killed years ago and no one talked about it. They all called it a miracle that I survived, but then it was never spoken about again. They can’t admit there’s a force at work here they don’t understand, and it terrifies them,” Tennison says.

  “You’re not making any sense,” Cody responds, sliding his foot along the side where the flooring still remains.

  Tennison raises a gun, aiming it at Cody. “Don’t think I don’t see you trying to move closer. Stay where you are.”

  Cody stops, a look of shock on his face as he’s now close enough to see Tennison’s wreck of a face and body. “What happened to you?” he asks, his body trembling.

  Tennison remains silent.

  “Tell me!” Cody shouts.

  “Go back to Rinku and never mention me again,” Tennison responds.

  Cody lunges for him. The gun goes off. The bullet hits Cody in the torso and sends him into the crater.

  “He should’ve left well enough alone,” Tennison says, pointing the gun at me. “They all should have.”

  “What’s the matter with you? Cody just wants answers, as we all do,” I say heatedly.

  “Then ask the Arliss,” Tennison says, seething as he pulls the trigger.

  I jump in after Cody and the bullet flies past my head. I dive below the water and search for his body with my hands, since I can’t see anything even with the little illumination from the flashlight as it spins towards the bottom of the crater. I find his shirt, grab it, and pull him to the surface. He moans as I try to find someplace to move him to when another bullet rips past my ear. I grapple with Cody’s weight while I get a hold of one of the holsters, then I remove the gun and fire it blindly in Tennison’s direction. A large splash hits me, pulling me away from Cody and causing me to drop the gun. I force myself to the surface just as Tennison wraps his arm around my throat.

  “You’re not taking me back there,” he pants in my ear.

  “Let me go,” I growl as I try to remove the other gun.

  “Only when you’re truly dead.”

  I reach for a steel rod I see protruding from the cement, grab it and swing it around, nailing Tennison in the temple, causing him to loosen his grip. He brings his left arm up, his gun still held in his hand, though he’s a bit wobbly from the blow to his head. I’m able to push the weapon to the side as it discharges, but the bullet ricochets and pierces my right arm, and I drop the rod. I holler from the impact, but keep my focus on Tennison. As I reach for the grip of his gun my hand slides down his cloak, pulling it away from his wrist, and in the dull light I see it… the spider tattoo.

  “It’s you,” I gasp. “You’re the one the Arliss wants to replace.”

  “Which is why you have to die,” he says, shooting me in my shoulder.

  I cry out, but don’t let go. I finally manage to free the other gun strapped to my leg, then place the barrel against Tennison’s forehead and pull the trigger. The recoil sends me backwards, causing me to hit my head on a shelf of concrete, dazing me enough that I begin to sink, and the water envelops me.

  Nine

  I see it now… the fragment of memory restoring itself to a complete picture, only it’s not my memory—I’m seeing it all through Tennison’s mind. He’s tired of being forced to murder those he calls his friends just so the Arliss can find the perfect host. How many has it been over the last several years? Two? Four? Just enough not to cause anyone to become suspicious. He made sure their deaths looked like accidents, but none of them came back. They all refused the Arliss’ offer, putting Tennison into a corner he could no longer tolerate. He’s hoping the explosion will kill him, send him back to the Arliss so he can finally die, as that’s the only way he can now. He knows his actions will lead to countless deaths, but then maybe the Arliss will finally get what he wants and leave him alone if he manages to survive.

  He sabotaged the pipes for the oxygen tanks in the life support systems two levels below the control center. Cracks formed in the metal, causing the gas to leak. When it reached an ignition source, in this case the stoves in the kitchen one level up and over, the compound exploded and fire ate everything and almost everyone. He should’ve been incinerated, but he wound up only maimed.

  Now, the Arliss wants Tennison replaced, so the bullet I just sent into the man’s head will remain, therefore ending his life for good. But, how did Tennison come across the Arliss? He mentioned that he had died years ago, which would’ve been well before the compound was destroyed. How and where did that happen?

  And why does my chest burn and my head hurt?

  The weight crushing my body is immense, but when I open my eyes I see sunlight dancing above water covering my body. I break the surface and draw in a deep breath so I can cough and get air back into my lungs. I stand in what looks to be a lake, but I only see the near shore directly in front of me. A lone individual occupies it—a dark-skinned woman with long, braided red hair, and wearing a flowing dress with cutouts in the shoulders. She’s leaning forward, her hand extended to assist me out of the water.

  “Welcome home, Sara,” she says with a genuine smile.

  “Where am I?”

  “The Fomorian Plateau,” she says. “The space between life and death, and the home of the Arliss.”

  “I’m dead? I can’t be!”

  “No, you’re quite alive, I assure you. You’re just unconscious, but since you’ve been to the plateau before you can easily pass between the two worlds. You don’t have to be dead to come here… not anymore, anyway.”

  “You’re Haron,” I say. “The headmistress for the abandonment home.”

  She nods.

  “How did you wind up here?”

  “The Arliss saved me from extinction, just as he saved you. I greet those who are new to his realm, especially because I know most of them already.”

  “How many have traveled here since the bombing of the home?”

  She lowers her head. “Too many, I’m afraid. The Arliss is very particular as to who he sends back. Many don’t last through the day in the conversion room,” she says, gesturing to a mound of boulders to her right.

  “Where’s Cody?” I ask, panicking.

  “He’s settling down in his room, but he’s quite all right,” she says calmly.

  “I need to see him.”

  “Of course, but let’s get you into some dry clothes first,” she says, gesturing to two cylindrical towers in the distance. “Your room is all prepared for you.”

  Before following her, I glance back at the lake, its dark waters obscuring everything underneath, which gives me chills. How do I get back to my world from here? I don’t remember how I did it the last time, but I’m sure I’ll find out.

  The landscape for the plateau consists of compacted sand covered in pebbles and small cacti. I spot a rock wall behind the towers and am shocked to see how dark it is beh
ind the wall. The sun is high above our heads, but no amount of light seems to be able to touch whatever lies beyond it. Haron directs me to the tower on the left, which is constructed out of adobe. We climb the stairs just on the other side of the entrance until we reach the fourth floor, which is the top level. There’s only one door on the entire floor, and when she opens it I freeze in my spot. The Arliss is sitting casually on a large bed that rests in the center of the room. Heavy curtains cover the windows, blocking all sunlight, so the only illumination is from a couple of floor lamps. The Arliss is no longer wearing his cloak, his skin has darkened, and his frame is bulkier.

  “Thank you, Haron, I’ll take it from here,” he says.

  She bows and heads down the stairs.

  “Don’t hover, Sara, it’s rude,” he says.

  A force pulls me into the room and slams the door closed behind me, locking me in.

  “I want out of here!” I shout.

  “In time,” he says, licking his lips.

  “Why aren’t you in a cloak, and why does your body look different?” I ask hurriedly due to unease.

  “I only use the cloak for those who are new to the fold… at least until they accept me into their lives. As for my body, well, let’s just say it’s preparing for a much-needed change,” he says, smiling as he stands and saunters over to me. “I want to thank you for following orders. I would’ve preferred Grimm, but Cody will make an excellent host.”

  “You leave him alone!”

  “Ah, but it’s too late. He’s already accepted me,” the Arliss says, leaning close. “He allowed me in rather quickly, too, I might add… almost like he’s been waiting for me to collect him.”

  “How’s that possible? He just got here.”

  “Once again, you forget time doesn’t really exist in the plateau. Cody has been here for over a day, but I’ll be returning him to your world along with you in a little while. He needs more time to adjust to the idea of becoming… a new person,” the Arliss says with a sly smile.