All Things in the Shadows II

by B. D. Messick

  “They can’t be working.”

  “They’re not, but the shafts are still there,” he replies.

  “That sounds like fun,” Kateri says, frowning.

  “It’s not,” one of the young men still with us says with a sly grin.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Tanner.”

  “Well, Tanner, Eve and I have done a lot of things that haven’t been fun. What’s one more?” Kateri asks, grinning back at him.

  “Enough talk. Let’s get to it,” Rome says as we turn right and head down another shattered corridor, pushing our way past dangling cables, fallen ceiling tiles and huge metal beams half buried in the floor. The body of a young girl with a steel rod sticking through her chest is slumped against the wall.

  “We’ll pick her up on the way out,” Tanner says, stopping for a minute to brush some dirt off her forehead.

  It only takes a few minutes to reach the old elevator shafts, four of them, side-by-side. The doors are already propped open, a gaping black hole staring back at us. I walk to the edge of the closest one and peer down and then up into the darkness.

  “Where are the cars?” I ask.

  “The first and fourth are down in the basement,” Rome says as he shrugs his way out of his backpack, setting the bag down next to the opening.

  “And the other two?” Kateri asks.

  “They’re still up there.”

  “Let me guess, we’re going up the second and third,” she says, shaking her head.

  “The ladders got wrecked in the other two shafts when the cars fell.”

  “Of course they did,” she replies, looking over at me. “This doesn’t seem safe.”

  “It’s not,” Rome says as he reaches into the open shaft and swings himself onto the maintenance ladder just around the corner.

  Tanner looks at us and grins.

  “Ladies first,” he says.

  Kateri shakes her head and follows after Rome. Tanner looks at me and I glance at Kolby.

  “I’ll bring up the rear,” I say.

  “Fine with me,” Tanner replies and he slips into the shaft and starts up the ladder.

  Kolby doesn’t say anything to me as she reaches around the corner and maneuvers herself onto the ladder. I give her a few seconds before I follow. As soon as I put my foot on the rung, I can feel it shift ever so slightly. The whole structure groans as I climb, and the sound of concrete scraping against metal invades my ears. Tiny bits of dirt, rubble and crumbling building trickle down on me from above. I can’t look up very often without risking getting a face full of debris. I catch sight of the second-floor door opening out of the corner of my eye. I watch as Kolby steps off the ladder, and as soon as she pushes off the rung, I feel the entire thing shift away from the wall.

  I grab for the opening, but I’m too far away, and my fingers grasp at air. I instantly picture myself falling to the bottom of the elevator shaft when someone grabs my arm. I look up, expecting to see Kateri, but instead Kolby is staring down at me. Her fingers are wrapped tightly around my left arm just below the wrist. She pulls and a blast of pain shoots through my entire arm, from my shoulder to my hand. I don’t yell out, although that’s all I want to do. I grip her arm even tighter, but I can feel the strength in my fingers quickly fading. Luckily, she pulls me close enough to the opening and I’m able to grab onto the edge and then swing my leg up.

  I scramble onto the floor as best I can, flopping down onto my back and cradling my arm which is now pulsing with shocks of pain every few seconds.

  “You okay?” Kolby asks, looking down at me, genuine concern on her face.

  “Yeah. Thanks for that,” I reply after a few seconds.

  “No problem. It’s the least I could do,” she says, and I can tell she wants to say more, but Kateri and the others suddenly reappear.

  “What happened?” Kateri asks, moving instantly to my side, brushing past Kolby.

  “The ladder collapsed. Kolby grabbed me just in time.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine,” I answer, purposely leaving out any details concerning my arm.

  Kateri nods, and I’m not sure if she suspects something, but she doesn’t push it. I glance over at Kolby and she has her head tilted slightly to the side, but she too, remains silent. Kateri helps me up while Rome and Tanner look down the shaft into the darkness.

  “Well, guess we won’t be going back down that way,” Tanner says.

  “We can use the other shaft,” Rome says. “Come on, let’s find what we need and get out of here.”

  We all turn to head down the hallway when Kateri stops Kolby, gently touching her arm.

  “Thank you for that,” she says to her, a small smile on her lips.

  “No problem,” Kolby replies.

  The three of us pick up the pace to catch Tanner and Rome. I poke my head into one of the rooms on the right side of the hall. It was probably an apartment; there’s a small couch and a few other pieces of furniture, most of them overturned or covered with shattered bits of building.

  “Hello?” I call out, knowing full well that there will be no answer, but I feel like I need to try.

  I wait for a second, but when no one responds, I step back into the hall. Before I even take one step, there’s a sound from the apartment, a sort of odd, high-pitched squeak. I look down the hall, the rest of the group is only a few steps away, so I walk back into the tiny apartment.

  “Is someone here?” I ask while looking under the overturned couch.

  The sound comes again, louder this time. I look over at the open door that leads into the bathroom. I step over part of the ceiling that fell in, crushing the small kitchen table and lean into the tiny restroom. Everything is covered in dirt, dust and bits of concrete. There’s a small shower, sink and toilet, but no sign of anyone.

  There’s the sound again and I look down at the glass shower door, and there’s a hand pressed up against the inside of the panel. As I’m crouching down, the fingers move, squeaking against the glass.

  “Jesus!”

  I dash back into the hall, nearly tripping on a chunk on concrete on the floor.

  “I’ve got a live one!” I scream before heading back inside.

  I rush back into the bathroom and immediately try to open the glass shower door. The pane is broken, spider-web veins running in all directions. It’s jammed, and then I notice the frame is bent at the top where part of the ceiling must have collapsed onto it. I drop to the floor, level with the hand on the glass.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  The thumb goes up and just then the others rush inside.

  “What’s going on?” Rome asks, his eyes searching the room.

  “Someone’s in here,” I reply, pointing to the shower.

  “Oh my God. We didn’t even think about checking in there,” he says.

  “Whose apartment is this?” Tanner asks.

  “Hela’s,” Kolby says.

  “Come on. Help me get the door off,” I say.

  As we remove the shattered door from its track, I look at Tanner.

  “Watch that debris up there,” Rome says, nodding toward the rubble resting on top of the frame.

  We slowly lift the door and shift it enough so that Kolby can crawl partially inside the shower.

  “Are you stuck?” I hear her ask Hela.

  After a few seconds, Kolby looks up at us.

  “She says her leg is pinned.”

  “Can you see it?” I ask.

  “Yeah. There’s part of a beam resting on it,” Kolby replies.

  “Get me a lever, a piece of wood or metal or something,” I say to Tanner.

  He nods and darts out of the room, returning just a few seconds with a portion of a broken two-by-four.

  “Kateri. Can you see if you can lift that beam enough, so Kolby can get her leg out?” I ask.

  “I can do it,” Tanner responds.

  “Kateri’s smaller. She can squeeze in there. You
need to help us to keep that door steady and the junk up there from falling.”

  Kateri crawls in beside Kolby, pushing the piece of wood in front of her.

  “Is everyone ready?” I ask.

  After a round of affirmative answers, I grip the edge of the door, holding it steady while the glass inside cracks loudly.

  “As soon as Kateri shifts the beam, pull her out, okay Kolby?”

  “Got it.”

  “Kateri.”

  “Doing it,” she replies.

  I hear her grunt and I feel the door shift slightly as she moves the buried beam. Tiny bits of plaster, cement and wood tumble onto us.

  “Kolby. Get her out!” I shout.

  She pulls on Hela’s hand, and a few seconds later, she’s free of the shower. Kolby grabs Kateri’s boot and yanks, pulling her out just as the glass in the door shatters, the frame bending as the pile of debris on top of the stall comes raining down. Tanner grabs a towel off the sink, shaking the debris off of it before tossing it to Kolby. She covers Hela and then looks up at Kateri.

  “Can you see if there are some of her clothes out there?”

  “Sure.”

  “Let’s get her into the hall,” Rome says. I step back, letting him and his people move her.

  “How’s your leg?” Kolby asks her. “Is it broken?”

  Instead of answering, Hela uses sign language signals to reply. It’s then that I notice the prominent, long-healed scar that extends the entire width of her neck. She looks up at us and the others. Her short dark hair is still wet, although it’s also plastered with bits of glass and other debris.

  “She’s says it doesn’t feel broken,” Kolby says.

  Kateri reappears in the hall with a pair of sweatpants, t-shirt, and sneakers.

  “This is all I could find.”

  “That’ll work.”

  We all turn away, to give Hela some privacy as Kolby helps her dress. Rome is standing next to me, frowning.

  “What’s the matter?” I ask quietly.

  “We searched in there.”

  “And?”

  “We didn’t even think about looking in the shower.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “If you hadn’t gone in there, she would have died.”

  “Well, then that makes our trip worthwhile,” I reply, patting him gently on the shoulder.

  Rome, Kateri and I spend the rest of the afternoon searching through the sad remains of the building. Tanner and Kolby evacuate Hela, even though she insisted on staying to help. I don’t think most of what we recovered is worth much, but Rome seems satisfied with our scavenging trip. We’re all standing just outside the ruins waiting for Lia and Rail to return, while a medic tends to a minor head wound on Hela. No one looks worried that they aren’t back yet, but I can sense the tension in the air. Finally, Rome unhooks a small walkie-talkie handset from his belt and brings it to his mouth.

  “Lia, Rail…where are you? It’s time to go.”

  He releases the transit button and waits for a response. When none comes, he tries again, his tone decidedly different this time.

  “Lia, Rail. Come in!”

  I look over at Kolby. She’s staring nervously at the front of the building. Without thinking, I head back to the entrance.

  “Let’s go,” I say to Kateri and Kolby.

  They both nod and follow when Lia and Rail suddenly appear, their arms full of recovered equipment and supplies. Rome pushes past us, his face red.

  “Why didn’t you answer?” he demands.

  “Hey. Calm down, Rome. Our hands were pretty full,” Rail says, giving back the same attitude that he’s getting.

  “Don’t tell me to—”

  “Everyone calm down,” I say, suddenly stepping in. I know it’s probably not my place, but I feel like I need to say something.

  Rome frowns and grumbles something under his breath, while Lia and Rail set their finds on the ground.

  “They couldn’t get to the radio, okay?” I say to Rome. “All that matters is that everyone is safe.”

  Rome takes a deep breath and steps up to Rail, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a quick hug.

  “Sorry,” he says.

  “It’s all good, man.” Rail slaps him on the back a few times.

  “Let’s get home,” Rome says, stepping back and looking at the rest of us.

  “How far is it?” I ask Kolby as we’re walking along a faint trail that parallels the river.

  “Not far,” she replies quietly.

  Kateri is a few yards ahead, chatting with Lia and Shale. Hela is limping along with Rome on one side and Rail on the other. Kolby doesn’t seem like she wants to talk, and I don’t want to push her, but then she’s the one who speaks up a moment later.

  “I wanted to thank you for what you did,” she says, looking over at me.

  “We’re happy to help.”

  “No, not that,” she says.

  “Then what?”

  “What you did back in the Abyss.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

  “You rescued my brother. He was one of the Shayds you brought back.”

  “Was he?” I ask, a smile growing on my face. “I’m not sure—”

  “Dark, short hair and light green eyes,” she says.

  “Oh yeah. I don’t think he ever told me his name.”

  “Dell,” she says.

  “I do remember him now. He was quiet and calm, but he also knew how to handle himself.”

  Kolby nods and smiles.

  “That’s him.”

  “How is he?” I ask, and the moment I do, I regret it.

  I’m a freaking empath for God’s sake, I could sense what was coming ever since we met.

  “He’s dead,” she says.

  “Idiot!” I chide myself.

  “I’m so sorry, Kolby.”

  She nods again, a sad expression on her face and in her eyes.

  “Thanks. He was so happy to be back here,” she says.

  “So…was he killed in the attack?”

  “No. We were both out on an incursion. When we heard what happened, he rushed inside to get people out. There was a secondary explosion and part of the upper floors collapsed and he and twenty-five others were killed.”

  “My God,” I whisper.

  “He was always doing things like that. Helping people and stuff.”

  I can hear the pain in her voice, but I can also feel the joy in her thoughts as she remembers her brother.

  “He seemed like a great guy.”

  “He was. I’m just glad he was here when it happened, with the people he loved instead of in some dark hole in the Abyss,” she says before reaching out and taking my hand.

  “Me too,” I reply, squeezing her fingers gently.

  I look up toward Kateri.

  E ~ I love you.

  K ~ I love you, too. You okay?

  E ~ Yeah, I’m okay. We have to find out who did this.

  K ~ Hell, yeah, and we’re gonna make them pay.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Home, as it turns out, is another abandoned factory forgotten by the surrounding city. The red-brick structure reminds me of our Factory back in Pittsburgh. Unlike home, however, when we walk inside, it looks pretty much the same in both the Solas and the Umbra, albeit a little cleaner. Garbage and refuse are scattered all throughout the makeshift headquarters. The shell-shocked faces of the survivors stare back at us as we enter, and I feel the crushing weight of their thoughts, their fears, and their anger. I stumble, squeezing my eyes shut as the wave of emotion hits me. Kateri is there in a flash, taking my arm to help steady me.

  I look over at her and nod, but no words pass between us. I know she’s probably feeling the same thing I am. Areas of the building have been designated for different purposes; a medical center, communications, food service, and sleeping quarters, although only flimsy bedsheets or other thrown-together barriers separate the sections.
/>   “Hey. Don’t leave without saying goodbye,” Kolby says. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” I reply, and she smiles at me before she and the others split off, heading in various directions to deal with tasks of their own.

  As soon as the door shuts behind us, a girl, maybe eight years old with curly blond hair comes running up to Rome, embracing him around the waist. He smiles, and his eyes fill with tears as he hugs her back, gently stroking her hair. A moment later, she steps back and looks at Kateri and me.

  “Who are you?” she asks, her eyes narrowing.

  She may be small, but her demeanor hints at a fierceness hidden beneath.

  “April,” Rome chides her gently. “Be polite.”

  I shake my head and smile at them both.

  “It’s okay,” I reply, looking down at her. “I’m Eve and this is my friend, Kateri.”

  She looks up, her eyes studying us for a few moments.

  “Are you here to help us?”

  “Yes,” I answer with a small smile.

  “Are you going to find out who did this?”

  “We’re going to try.”

  I want to say, “yes,” but I don’t want to lie to her. She nods and then takes Rome’s hand in her much smaller one.

  “They killed my mommy,” she says, her eyes locked with mine.

  I just nod. What are you supposed to say?

  “We’re going to find them, April,” Kateri says from behind me, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding in.

  “Are you going to kill them?” she asks, her head tilted to the side.

  “I am,” Kateri answers, her voice cold and hard.

  April suddenly releases Rome’s hand and walks over to her. Kateri squats down so they’re face-to-face.

  “Don’t okay? Enough people died. Just catch them…just stop them,” she says.

  Kateri looks up at me and I see she’s on the verge of tears. Luckily, Rome speaks up and saves her.

  “April. Why don’t you see if anyone needs help in the hospital?”

  “Okay, daddy,” she says. “Bye.”

  “Bye,” both of us say.

  I look over at Rome as he watches her head deeper into the old building.

  “She seems like a great girl,” I say.