“I don’t. Let’s go now, okay?” replied Wolf.
Harper was overcome with a sudden urgency to get through the stone barricade. “I need to see what’s inside.” She spoke in a low voice that was barely audible.
“I feel it too,” replied Sara in a whisper.
“What did you say?” Wolf asked. Harper could hear his feet shuffling on the stone floor.
But Sara had already raised her leg and aimed her heel at the wall. The sound of her foot connecting with the stones echoed loudly and Harper jumped, feeling Wolf startle behind her.
“Are you crazy?”
“I think you knocked some stones loose,” said Harper excitedly. She was already on her knees, feeling the area Sara had kicked. “Help me pull them out.”
“Harper, we have to go. My phone is about to die. We will have no light.”
“One minute,” said Sara. She pulled on a stone that had come loose, wiggling it back and forth until she could pull it free from the wall. “I did it,” she said triumphantly. Sara and Harper pulled out another stone, and then another, until the gap was big enough to reach inside.
“Bend down and shine your light in here, please?” asked Harper.
“We don’t have time for this.” Wolf growled. But Harper’s hand was already in the hole, reaching through to lever the next stone, when the phone died and the light cut out.
Wolf swore loudly.
Harper paused for a moment, willing her eyes to adjust to the dark. But there was no light whatsoever in the chamber. There was nothing but deep black. From somewhere far away, there was a faint dripping sound. Somehow, Harper knew that the drip had continued for millennia unabated.
“Let’s go. I’m done,” said Wolf.
It was easy to imagine the end of the world in such a dark, desolate place.
“Okay, we’re coming,” said Harper. But before she stood up and ignoring the jack-hammering of her heart, she reached further into the small hole they had created in the bricked-up space. The image of the markings, illuminated by the flash of Wolf’s camera phone, appeared in her mind.
What if it’s a warning?
She felt something smooth and elongated underneath her fingertips. The instant her hand touched the object, she had a sinking sensation, as though she was falling into an abyss created eons ago. She was simultaneously in the cave, and somewhere far away.
Wolf’s hand grabbed her shoulder and—with a start—she returned to herself. Her hand wrapped around the object and she pulled it out of the hole. “I’ve got something,” she said to the others. The object was strangely smooth, and her skin tingled strangely where it touched the object.
“What is it?” asked Sara. Harper could picture her eyes burning with intensity.
“I don’t know. It’s strange. Should we take it outside?”
“Yes, of course!” Sara’s voice was insistent, but Harper felt a lingering doubt she couldn’t rationalize.
Wolf’s voice had a hard edge: “Guys, we have to get out of here. Come on.”
“You’re right. Sorry, Wolf.” Harper turned to where she expected Wolf to be and found his hand, held out to her in the darkness.
“I’m going to hold on to the cave wall and walk back the way we came. We should find the narrow walkway and then we’ll be back where we started. We can see the entrance hole from there.” His voice was strained. “Harper, you hold on to Sara.”
Sara reached for Harper and found the object clenched tightly in her fist. “Give it to me so I can hold on to you,” she whispered. “I’ll carry it ’till we get out of here.”
“Okay,” Harper said, passing it in the dark. “Be careful with it.”
A soft tug on Harper’s outstretched hand prompted her to ease through the darkness, pulling Sara gently behind her. The once vast space now felt impossibly small, as though the surrounding walls were collapsing in on them. The sound of the dripping water and their ragged breathing grew louder as their ears attuned to the surrounds to compensate for their lack of sight.
Harper slid her feet over the ground, but the blunt end of a low stalagmite caught her by surprise and she stumbled and tripped, dragging Sara down with her. Wolf held on to Harper’s arm tightly as she fell and managed to swing her upwards just before her body hit the ground. Despite his best efforts, her head smashed into the protruding rock formation and she felt a trickle of blood run down the side of her face.
“Are you okay?” asked Wolf, hauling her to her feet.
“Yes, I’m okay. Sara? You didn’t drop it did you?”
“Drop what?” asked Wolf.
“We’ll show you outside,” replied Harper.
Wolf sighed deeply before speaking. “We are almost at the tunnel. I’ll go first. Stay close to me. If you trip, I’ll break your fall at least.”
They continued down the narrow walkway in silence, all three concentrating hard on walking in the dark. Harper could feel blood running down her cheek and her thoughts flicked to the object. What had they just found?
She sensed the walkway curving and the air around her shifted as rays of light from outside darted through the small cave entrance and brightened the darkness. The change was almost imperceptible, but there. She felt a flood of relief and let out a deep breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
“We’re almost there,” said Wolf, putting his arm around Harper. “Sara, are you okay?”
“All good here,” she replied.
The small, bright semi-circle of the cave opening beckoned to them, the promise of wide-open space just ten feet beyond. They reached the opening and Sara ducked down first. Harper followed, crawling quickly toward the sunshine.
“What on Earth happened to you?” asked Joe as Harper stood up, blinking in the daylight. After so long on the dark, the world outside seemed technicolor by comparison. The spruce trees covering the steep, craggy ridges were a rich and vibrant green, the sky a vast cobalt blue beyond, flecked with sharply contrasting white clouds. Harper paused before replying, giving herself a moment to center herself in the overland.
“I just bumped my head,” she replied. “It’s nothing serious.” Joe reached up to touch her face but his hand paused in midair. Their eyes met for a moment and Harper swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She fought the urge to take his hand in her own. Behind her, she heard Wolf emerge from the cave and Joe took a step backwards, away from her.
“That was some adventure, kid,” Wolf said, sitting down on a rock by the cave entrance. “How’s your head?”
“It’s fine,” she replied, taking a tissue from her backpack and blotting the blood. “I’m cold after being in there, I need to warm up.” She walked a few feet, out of the shade of the rocky outcrop, and stood in the sun. Long, wild grass dotted with pale blue flowers rustled at her feet as the wind passed through the clearing. Sara and Joe followed closely behind her.
“What’s that you’ve got, Sara?”
At Joe’s words, Harper looked over. The object was clenched tightly in her fist and she lifted it up wordlessly, opening her hand so the object rested on her palm. It was a smooth, elongated ovoid with a reflective surface that dazzled brilliantly in the sunlight.
“Can I hold it?” asked Harper. Sara obliged and pressed it gently into Harper’s hand. It was warm against her skin and she wrapped her fingers around it reflexively.
“Did you guys find that in the cave? Let me hold it,” said Joe.
“It could be very precious,” Harper said, making no move to hand the object to Joe.
“Come on Harper, I’ll be careful.”
Harper looked at Joe for a long moment before passing him the object. As soon as she released it, she felt foolish. Joe held it up as the others had before him, and the three of them stood in silence staring at the strange object on his palm. It seemed to grow brighter under the sun’s glare.
Sara reached out and touched the object gently with one finger. The wind was blowing lightly and from the forest beyond, the eerie call of a
loon reached them. The wail of the bird broke the spell and Sara glanced up at Harper. “Your head,” she said. “It’s still bleeding. Come and sit down, I’ll clean it for you.”
Harper and Sara walked back to the cave entrance and sat facing each other on a protruding rock. “Stop twisting around to look at that thing, just focus on me for a moment.”
“Sorry…!” Harper replied, sticking her tongue out.
“What happened in there? Where did you guys find this thing?” asked Joe, as he wandered closer to them.
“Harper wanted to make out in the cave,” replied Wolf. “Just when things were getting interesting, she found some carvings and then they kicked down an ancient wall.”
“What?” asked Joe, looking bemused. “Was this thing behind a rock wall?”
“I didn’t even know Sara brought it outside until just now,” added Wolf, the edges of his mouth curled in a smile. “My phone battery died and we were in the dark, hence the head injury. How’s she looking, Sara?” Sara poured some water on a wad of tissues and began to wipe the line of dried blood from Harper’s cheek.
Harper smiled sheepishly. “Thank you.”
Sara grinned back at her. Harper had met the twins in a rooftop bar in Barcelona, and they had been inseparable ever since. The chemistry with Joe had been instant, but Harper held him at arm’s length the way she always did with the good ones. And then she met Wolf, the daredevil German who was different to Joe in almost every way.
Harper and the twins were taking a year off to travel through Europe before starting grad school. Harper would return to Australia at the end of the year, but Sara and Joe were supposed to start at NYU in the fall, now only a few short weeks away. Harper was going to miss them terribly. Soon the entire European vacation was going to feel like a distant memory.
“The cut looks deep,” said Sara, pressing the wet tissues to the Harper’s hairline and looking at the gash more closely.
Harper scrunched up her nose, trying not to wince as a stab of pain shot across her temple. “It’ll be fine, head wounds always bleed a lot. Joe, what time is it? Should we be getting back?”
“Yes, if we need to be back in Bratislava by six, we should leave now.”
Sara stood up and reached out for the object. “Here, Joe. I’ll put it in my pack.”
“You want to hold it, German?” asked Joe. He grinned his lopsided grin at Wolf and proffered him the object.
Wolf looked at it for a long time. His left hand twitched but remained by his side. “No, I’m okay. That thing gives me serious bad vibes. It doesn’t even look like it’s from this planet. No, I won’t touch it.”
Sara took the object from Joe and placed it carefully in her pack.
“Joe, can you mark our location on that map you have?” asked Harper. “I think this could be something important. When I get to London, I want to show my dad and he might want to send some people to come and look at where we found it.”
Joe pulled out a stubby pencil from his backpack and drew a small cross at their location. “Done.” He grinned at her, his tanned face framed by the ridge of the Karst plateau and the brilliant sky beyond.
Chapter Three
Harper couldn’t take her mind off the strange object they had found in the dark underbelly of the National Park. The image of it glowing in the sun had seared itself to her mind. Who had buried it? How long had it been there? What was it?
She pondered these questions as they hiked back to the Zádielska Valley and followed the gorge back toward the small village of Zádiel, where they had left their hire car several hours earlier. The Instagram-worthy waterfalls and long, winding creek seemed different now; more mysterious. What other secrets were held in these mountains?
Harper’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard footfall behind her, and a warm, familiar hand took hold of her own.
“Hey, slow down. You’re leaving the rest of us behind.” She turned and smiled at Wolf. He grinned back and gripped her hand.
“That was pretty wild in there. Thanks for coming in with me,” she said.
“I’ll follow you anywhere, babe.” He held her gaze for a moment before his brow furrowed and he dropped her hand suddenly, bringing it to clutch his head.
Harper stopped with him. “Is something—?”
A low groan erupted from Wolf’s throat and he doubled over. Harper reached out to catch him.
Two sets of footsteps pounded up the path as the twins caught up. “Is he okay?” asked Sara.
Wolf sat down on the track, his head in his hands.
“Do you need some water?” Harper asked, already unzipping her bag to pull out her flask. She glanced down the track and could see the scattered rooftops of Zádiel and the flat grassy fields beyond. They were close to the car now.
Wolf reached for the flask and took a long drink, before rubbing his temple. He took another mouthful, rinsed it around in his mouth and sprayed the water out, the droplets lit up in rainbow hues by the sun filtering through the canopy above. A thin rivulet of blood tinged mucus dripped from his nose. Sara and Harper exchanged worried looks.
“The car isn’t far now, Wolf,” said Harper.
Joe peered down at the German. “Your head is bleeding again, too,” he said.
“Look at us, what a mess,” joked Wolf, wiping his mouth and nose with the back of his arm. “I’m okay, I just feel dizzy. Maybe too much tequila last night.”
Joe looked at his wristwatch. “Let’s hurry up. I want to stop in Rožňava for langoš before we drive to Bratislava.”
“Then on to Berlin! Wolf, you better show us a good time like you promised,” said Sara. Harper knew she was trying to lighten the mood and smiled at her gratefully.
Wolf pushed himself to his feet. He seemed woozy and weak, but they continued on to the village. They found their Volkswagen Polo where they had parked it in the shade, and the four friends waited for Wolf to unlock the car.
Wolf fumbled in his bag for a long time before finding the keys and pressing a button to release the lock. The car door buttons popped with a loud click.
“Harper, can you drive?” asked Wolf. His striking, chiseled face was ghostly white and his blue eyes rimmed in red.
She nodded, and he tossed her the car keys, before opening the back door and sliding inside. He leaned his head back on the headrest behind him and closed his eyes. Joe climbed in next to him and cast a worried look at Harper. “The German doesn’t look too hot, Harper.”
Harper slid into the driver’s seat, adjusting it forward, before leaning back and placing her backpack on the floor behind her. She clicked her seatbelt on and watched Wolf in the rearview mirror. “Babe?”
“Yes, Harper.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m just feeling a little off. It will pass.”
Sara opened the passenger door and climbed into the Polo. She also leaned back and put her bag on the ground behind them. “Let’s get my brother his langoš and go. Wolf can rest on the drive to Bratislava.”
They reversed down the uneven, potholed road and continued around the base of the Karst plateau, the limestone and spruce landscape towering above them. “Man, this place is so beautiful,” said Joe from the backseat. “Let’s skip college, Sara. We can run away and disappear somewhere in Europe.”
“Yeah, our parents will be thrilled. Wannabe musician follows his artist heart and abandons his promising engineering career to busk on the streets of Berlin.”
“I like the sound of that,” said Harper, winking at Joe in the mirror. “And I’ll be the law student turned groupie. I’ll follow you through Europe and we’ll survive on your talent and my good looks.”
Joe laughed. “You got yourself a deal, Harper.”
Harper turned her gaze to Wolf. “You okay, Wolf?”
Wolf raised his hand and gave a thumbs up, his eyes still closed and his head leaning against the seat. “He looks really pale,” whispered Sara to Harper. “How’s your head?” She
reached over and brushed back Harper’s brown hair from her face, examining the wound on her hairline. “It’s stopped bleeding. I wonder if you need stitches?”
“I doubt it,” replied Harper, indicating to turn onto Road 67 into Rožňava. They drove into the pretty red-roofed village, the streets wide and flanked by sweet, traditional buildings painted in pastel tones with small windows and ornate flourishes on the walls.
She parked the car nose-first outside a pale blue, three-story building, and switched off the engine. She reached back to get her backpack and paused. “Wolf?”
“Uh huh.”
“Do you want to stay here, we’ll bring you something back?”
“Yes, that sounds good. I feel like I might throw up. I just need to rest a minute.” He didn’t open his eyes and slurred the last few words.
Harper undid her backpack and pressed the water bottle into his hand. He took a small sip before passing it back wordlessly. Harper put the bottle back in her bag and hooked one arm through a strap. “Sara, do you want your bag?”
“Yes please,” Sara replied.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Wolf?” pressed Harper again, worried. She could feel the tension in her jaw, the seed of anxiety in her throat.
“Yes. Just need to rest.”
Harper grabbed the other bag and passed it to Sara before getting out of the car. They stood with Joe on the sidewalk. Sara linked her arm through Harper’s. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine, Harper. We’ll be back in a few moments. Come on…up this street and around the corner.”
Joe slipped his arm through Harper’s other arm and they walked to one of the outdoor stalls selling warm, fried yeast bread.
“Dobrý deň,” said Harper pleasantly to the old woman manning the stall. The old woman smiled back, her wrinkled face creasing as she waited for Harper to place her order.
Harper held up four fingers and pointed to the bread sizzling on a pan. The old woman flipped the bread, and they each took turns pointing to the condiments they wanted on top. Sara paid and passed them each a paper napkin containing langoš stuffed with cheese and dripping with pungent garlic sauce. Harper’s mouth watered and she took a quick bite, burning her tongue in the process.
Death City: A Post-Apocalyptic Adventure (Dark Resistance Book 1) Page 2