I kick at the arm—can’t see past it, the water’s too dark.
I kick again, make contact. But my shoe feels too heavy, and my foot numb. My chest tightens and—
Thud.
I’m free, kick up to the surface, somehow manage it despite my stone-heavy shoes. My head breaks the water. Light and—coldness and—
Enhanced Ones. On the bank, the bank of the moat. Their eyes glisten like new stars. And then I realize I’m in the moat, and they’re coming for me. There’s a moat?
And they’re heading for me.
Dread fills me, my shoulders try to stiffen, but I force myself to keep moving. Look left, then right—my chunks of short hair spray surprisingly large watery worms across my arms as I turn, splashing. Right. Got to go that way. Less Enhanced there.
“Get out,” one of the mirror-eyed men yells. “Shania, get out of there.”
I try to tread water, reach down to pull my shoes off, and my balance goes. My shoulder ducks under the water, and the coldness invades me. I splutter, choke, eyes streaming. See the Enhanced coming—nearer and nearer—
Shit.
I forget about the shoes, just swim as fast as I can, trying not to think about the creature—the spirit?—underwater. A kavalah? Oh Gods. Energy fizzes through me, I kick harder and harder. My legs wail. My teeth start to chatter.
There’s a bridge up ahead—but there’s not enough room for me to go under it and keep my head above water. It’s too low. Shit. But on the bank, either side of the bridge, there’s a wall, a wall perpendicular to the moat, one that cuts across it, across and over the water. People can only get onto the bridge from the compound buildings either side. There’s no door for people walking alongside the moat, it’s just a brick wall that turns into a bridge. The Enhanced on this side won’t be able to get over that wall quickly…and on the other side I’ll be free….
Unless there are more Enhanced there.
It’s my only chance, I know that. They’re closing in. And, for the moment, I’ve still got power over my body. I have to do it.
My head pounds harder as I swim to the bridge. The water’s getting warmer. Or I’m numbing…can’t feel it as much.
I duck my head under, my eyes open, try to see as I swim down. The bridge—how deep do I need to go to avoid it? For a second, I feel sick—what if it isn’t a bridge? What if it’s just a wall? What if I can’t get under it? Or what if it’s a dam? But there’s no current yet; I’m not being sucked under—does that mean anything?
Dizziness clutches at me. Lightheaded, I plow on. No choice. Got to. Force my arms to keep moving, my legs to keep kicking. Nausea unfurls its hands, tries to drag me deeper and deeper.
Drown. Drown. Drown.
The word pummels through me.
Spirits…they’re here, around me, in the water.
My left foot spasms as I try to kick harder. My head jerks up—my eyes stinging, I try to see… Where am I? Have to be under the wall now—the bridge, it must be a bridge—surely? But how wide is it?
Can’t breathe—need air….
And then my body’s propelling itself up to the surface, and I break into air, away from water, spluttering, choking, eyes streaming. Turn—see the brick wall a few feet behind me. I made it. Made it past it and—
I look up onto the bank. And he’s there. Jed’s there.
For a moment, I freeze. Then I kick out, tread water, and stare.
Jed points behind him.
That way. There’s a car… S’ven, get out now!
He shouts the words, but his shout isn’t out loud, it’s…it’s different, makes my head hurt. For a moment, I don’t do anything, just stare at him, feel the shape of his words—how did he do it? That was…like it was in my head, but out loud too…wasn’t like normal speech…and somewhere, I remember other words spoken like it, but I can’t think, not now.
Then I hear the Enhanced Ones’ shouts, and my body kicks to life.
I swim to the side, try to get a handhold on the bank, try to—
But it’s too slippery, the sides are too steep, and I can’t—
Jed reaches his hand out. Take it, he says, and his accent nearly swallows his words—if they’re words at all. If they’re….
I grab his hand before I can think any more. Solid. Substantial.
He pulls me out. I scrape my shins on the bank—brief pain. And then I’m standing up, soaked, shivering, and he’s pressing something into my right hand. I look down—see what’s in my hand: a car key.
That way! Go! Jed screams, pointing.
And I run, clenching the key to me so hard I know it’s indenting its shape into my palm, writing itself onto me. But I don’t care. I skid, slip—my grip wet—throw my arms wide, and look up. Don’t lose my balance though. There are more buildings ahead, with trees—surprisingly thick foliage—between them. My wet shoes slam the ground, and my feet slip about inside them, squelching.
“Shania!”
I turn at my name—unsure whether I choose to or not—and I see them.
Those same Enhanced. A couple of hundred yards behind me. And they’re running toward me. Jed? He’s gone. Nowhere to be seen.
But he—he was here? Wasn’t he?
I look down. The key is still in my hand.
Keep going.
I run harder. My chest feels like it’s going to explode with adrenaline.
I skid around the nearest brick building. The ground turns into pale gray tarmac with bright yellow markings painted on. Warm tarmac, from the sun. I look around—the Enhanced Ones’ steps and shouts come closer…closer…closer.
I go left, pump my arms. My wet hair drips everywhere, and—
Two women step out in front of me, mirror eyes flashing. One holds a baby, the other a canvas bag, and they both stop, stare at me. The canvas bag hits the floor.
I skid, change direction, sprint away.
More buildings. I go between them, running as fast as I can, faster than I ever have before. The wind whips through what’s left of my hair, kisses my wet clothes. My shoes slam against the ground. Bang. Bang. Bang.
“Shania! Stop this instant!”
My lungs seem to get bigger, allow me to go faster, faster, faster. So fast. And I try to look everywhere at once.
Another alarm goes off, drives through me. I jolt to the left, before I even realize I’m turning and—
Enhanced. There.
I skid, change direction, wrestle control of my body back, run faster, harder, better. Turn a corner, and I see vehicles. Vehicles inside an open-ended, shabbier building on the right. I run for the vehicles, look down. The key’s in my hand. It’s got to be for one of these, surely? I pray to whatever Gods and Goddesses are there, are listening, are on my side.
I fumble with the key, turn it the right way, point it at the vehicles—the four-by-fours. But there’s no button to press. It’s just a key, a key that has to go into the door’s lock and—
Shit.
I run for the nearest vehicle, try to jab the key into it and—it doesn’t fit. The next one, I turn to it. My hand shakes, and I whip my head around. Shit. The Enhanced—
“Come on!” I shout, fumbling with the key, and then my heart pounds even harder.
I try the third vehicle, run straight past the fourth one—it’s too new, would have a remote button—and the same with the next ones, and—
“Shania!”
That leaves one. One vehicle. A silver Mark 1 Pajero, right at the back of the barn.
I fly toward it, shove the key into the lock, the driver’s side. It turns. The locking pin behind the window lifts up. I yank the door open and—
Barking fills my ears.
It’s the dog. My dog.
I look around.
No, get in the vehicle, S’ven. Jed’s words again—he’s back?
But I can’t see him, can’t—
The terrier flies out of nowhere, and then he’s barking and running and jumping, throwing himself into the Paje
ro.
My heart pounds.
“Shania!”
My head jolts up. They’re in the building too. Oh Gods—no.
I pull myself into the vehicle, slam the door, push the locking pin down—expecting all the locks to move, but they don’t. No central locking. I lunge for the pin on the passenger side, partly crashing into my dog, and try to press it. But it won’t go down any further—it’s already locked? What about the tailgate? I twist around.
There is a switch on the dashboard for it.
Jed’s voice makes me jump.
My heart pounds as I turn back, look, and then I see it: a rocker switch, marked with GATE LOCK and UN-LOCK, on the instrument binnacle behind the left side of the steering wheel. I push the top part of the switch, hear the clunk as it locks, then force the key into the ignition, turn it. The engine roars, louder than expected, and I look around, shedding more water. The terrier’s sitting on the passenger seat, ears alert, watching as the Enhanced run over.
Shit.
I look down at the controls and throw the Pajero into reverse, pump down on the accelerator as I yank the wheel, move backward. Something clinks. I turn my head, check where the Enhanced are: too close.
The tires squeal, and there’s a dull, heavy sound as I move the vehicle. And then a stutter. My heart pounds, and my chest shudders.
“Don’t you dare,” I hiss, glancing at the fuel gauge, and then up and—
Their faces are against my window.
I shift into first gear. The Enhanced rattle the door handle, and they’re shouting. My hands tighten around the wheel, my knuckles click. I press down on the accelerator, moving over bumpy ground and up the gears, and then I’m really going, flying, careening around the corner.
The Mark 1 picks up speed.
More Enhanced appear out of nowhere, and I veer to the left, floor the accelerator, get out of the building. Something screeches. The windscreen’s grimy under sudden bright sunlight, and the dog jump up, going for the controls, and cold air blasts out the vents, onto me. My wet clothes feel like icy stone.
My eyes stream, and I try to push the dog back onto the seat as I turn onto the road—the road ahead. The escape?
The engine’s noisy, and there’s a rattling noise, but I can hear the Enhanced Ones shouting still. My heart pounds; I drive faster and faster, past buildings, more buildings, so many buildings. All of them part of the conversion compound? Or the parts of the city, the other regions where the Enhanced live, their shops, their—
I hit the curb as I take a corner too sharply, and everything jolts. I let out a cry, but then—then it’s okay. Still going, and I’m just driving and—and it’s so big. This city! So many buildings on the sandy ground, and low-creeping olive-colored vegetation, and a few trees nested together by the side of a white building with so many windows. I peer ahead, think the buildings are thinning out to the left, and I turn down the next road. Bumpy tarmac. Get jolted about. Change into the highest gear, put my foot down. Pass parked cars and—
Pain erupts in my head—Raleigh—no, shit.
I struggle to breathe, feel him try to take my arms, my legs. A sudden stoniness to them, but I push it back, resist his control. Think I hear his voice: Stop it, Shania.
But I don’t stop it. I fight. I have to fight. My breaths get more ragged as the pain intensifies. But Raleigh’s not controlling me. Why? Can’t he do it now? Why not? Am I getting too far away? Or did my white light injure him too much? And again, I think of him—of us, nestled together for the night—because it must’ve been the night, because the sun’s over there now so it’s morning and—
I jolt up in the air as I steer over potholes. My dog barks again.
And then—then I see the edge of the city. The edge of the buildings. So soon. Too soon. Freedom.
At last!
But so soon… I’ve lost time? I glance in the mirror, see a big blue building—tall—that I don’t recognize. Yet I drove past it? A strange feeling fills my chest.
Concentrate.
Yes. Need to concentrate. I’m getting away! I feel the excitement build, and I fight to stay in control. Need to stay calm, not get overwhelmed, excited.
My eyes narrow, and I see the greenery far ahead, lushness that fades to a fawn color in some places. And trees. Clumps of foliage, lower-lying stuff. In the distance, pale hills that change from mauve to beige, shadowed and misted.
I follow the road, driving as hard as I can. Check the fuel level again.
“Shit,” I mutter. It’s below a quarter now. So soon. Too soon? It’s leaking…a leak. Got to be? Or a faulty reading. I sniff the air. But I can’t smell anything. No fuel. But would I smell a leak from inside the vehicle? And how far can I get without a full tank, with a tank that’s possibly leaking?
The road I’m on branches into two. I narrow my eyes. Both roads appear to lead out of the city, into the wild land beyond.
I glance at the terrier.
“Which way?” I mutter. “One bark for left, two for right.”
He barks twice—two sharp, short barks—and right it is.
I put my foot down. The engine hums. In the mirror, I see the dust I’m churning up, and—and it’s exhilarating. A smile graces my lips, and, suddenly, I never want to leave this vehicle. It’s mine, it’s freedom.
I’m escaping. I’m actually escaping.
Raleigh has my soul, and I’m escaping. No one’s following me.
I drive as fast as I can—faster than I’ve ever driven before. Keep one eye on the rear-view mirror, the other in front of me. Still no one’s tailing me. Yet. No one’s on the road at all. The Enhanced rarely use their vehicles. And they rarely leave their towns and cities, rarely want to be surrounded by wilderness.
And no one’s coming after me.
Too easy.
My body hums with energy.
Five minutes later—driving at break-neck speed—my dog and I make it out of the city. Onto a dust track—a sandy-orange color that throws dust everywhere. The verges are covered in greenery, but it’s not a thick cover. The arenaceous ground shows in numerous patches. The sky is blue, filled with small fluffy clouds. Looks idyllic.
On the passenger seat, the dog shifts around a little, then settles down, lies on the velour, watching me. I try to sit up straighter, pull my sopping clothes away from my body, but they cling to me like watery cobwebs, holding me in place, like wires…wires that will never let go.
No. I shake my head. Need to concentrate on now. Stay in the present.
I drive on—wonder at what point I should slow my speed, try and preserve the fuel. But not yet—can’t do that now. I look in the mirror, adjust it quickly so I can see out the back more easily. The city’s still in sight.
But no one’s followed me.
No one at all.
And…and they should’ve. I know it’s better for me, but they should’ve come after me. They shouldn’t be letting me get away. Nervous energy fizzles through me. They’ve no reason to let me escape—not like before, when they let me go so I could become the Seer the augury speaks of before they recaptured me.
Ahead, the land levels out a little—the verges aren’t as high, and the trees become thinner. I steer the four-by-four up to the left, over the small verge, and then we’re lurching through low vegetation, off-road.
I steer around what I can, the best I can, but I hit several holes and clumps—whack my head against the driver’s window twice. There’s a copse far ahead, and I aim for it. Imagine the trees as people. Six tall people.
The land gets sandier. Dustier.
And then it’s all blowing up, the sand, everywhere. The wind howls. I hunker down in my seat, try to see. And then sand and dust somehow get inside the vehicle, and the air conditioning throws it around, at me.
I curse, fumble with the switches, wincing—but I can’t turn it off. Slide several levers across and back again. No difference.
Go south! Jed yells, and I jolt, look around for him. But I
can’t see him. And it’s his voice…but that different voice. Like it’s in my head but also out loud—like a… Go south until the city’s completely out of sight. Keep going, then east, veer around the city else you’ll get to the coast, stay off-road.
I wipe the back of my arm across my forehead, and—
Raleigh gets control of my arm, makes me grab the steering wheel, yank it—and I sense him, so strong now. In my head, spreading his control, trying to take my body.
No. Taking my body.
Taking it from me. Powerful and—
I shriek.
One of us wrenches the vehicle to the left—I can’t tell who, but—
The Pajero crashes against something. I cry out as the movement rebounds through me, manage to press the accelerator down—my own decision—but can’t do much else. Stinging sweat drips into my eyes.
I press my foot down again.
The vehicle hits something else, and I turn it to the left sharply. The dog stands up, looks out the window, barks and—
And then—then I see Corin…no, Raleigh.
He’s crouching to the side, behind rocks. His eyes meet mine and—
I inhale sharply.
How the hell is he here? So soon and… I curse and—
No wonder they weren’t chasing…not when…but how’d they know where I’d drive? How did Raleigh know? How—
Oh Gods. I swear loudly. Raleigh’s got my soul. He must have suggested the route to me without me knowing… Then I frown. No. He can’t have—my dog chose the—
The trees jump up ahead of me. I try to yank the wheel to the left—try, but I can’t. My arms won’t move and—
Raleigh.
He’s doing it. He won’t let me and—
The trees get closer.
Shit.
No.
No.
No.
But I can’t change direction, and I’m going too fast. I look down. My foot’s on the accelerator, the pedal’s on the ground. Try to move my foot, and I can’t and—
“Stop it!” I scream, and I fight for control, try to resist him, and he’s out there and—
The dog yelps.
The trees get closer, closer, closer.
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