Chase pulled back onto the road, speeding up by thumbing the controls on the steering wheel. I turned to Chase, finding myself expecting him to know more. It warmed my heart and I couldn’t say exactly why. “Well, if he drinks the stuff constantly, then he’s probably full of oil at any given time. Depending on how long it takes the dude’s stomach to digest it. So Alice could totally light him on fire.”
I smiled, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. It was getting harder and harder to forget just how great Chase’s brain was. “If I was a zombie, I’d go after you first,” I whispered into his ear.
He nearly jerked us off the road. “Wh-what?”
“Focus, my boy!” Briar slapped his paws between us. “You’re so close. Think. Think about how much oil he consumes. There’s something else missing here.”
“The oil …” Chase’s fingers tapped on the steering wheel. His beautiful eyes lit up, finding me in the rear-view window. “I’ve got it! The more oil he consumes, the more concentrated it is inside him. It’s pressurized.”
“Which means …”
“… If Alice figures a way to light him on fire, he might blow up,” Chase finished. He found me again in the rear-view mirror. The light in his eyes extinguished. “Alice … what are you going to do?”
“Maybe there’s another way,” I said. Maybe I could let him go. The towers were all around us now, broken up by side-roads and long rows of pumpjacks.
No. Kill him. Let him bring back Seth and then break your deal. Make him pay for what he’s done.
And then we saw it, sitting on the horizon, taller than the others all. The king of the rusted derricks, its steel tower bent awkwardly and beckoning us closer. “There,” I said, pointing over Briar’s shoulder.
“Should we creep up?” Chase asked. “Should I park here?”
“Just fly casual, Chewbacca.”
He glanced over his shoulder, giving me a quizzical look.
“Up here,” I said, pointing to a small empty parking lot next to a solitary pumpjack. Its head was still, no oil pumping. No doubt the oil underneath had been sucked up already by the statue creature. We were alone, at least for the time being, although farther to the north big silver trucks were moving from derrick to derrick, the beams of their headlights cutting through the setting sun’s dim light.
“What do we do?” Briar asked.
“You come with me,” I said, feeling a gentle nudge of my conscience. Tell him what Juliette’s note said. Maybe you’re overreacting. Maybe Juliette meant something specific. But then why would Briar tell you, dummy? Don’t call yourself a dummy.
No. Don’t trust him.
Kill him now. Before he can betray you. Kill all of the Corrupted.
The darkness was closing in … I could feel it drowning me …
Chase snapped his fingers in front of my face. He was looking at me, one eyebrow raised. I blinked hard; the darkness faded. We were parked now, the car’s engine idling a little roughly and reminding me about the wonders of my sports bra. “Hello? Did you hear anything I said?”
“No.”
“I asked you what you want me to do.”
“Stay here,” I said. “Be ready to make a quick getaway.” I thought about how he might react, seeing Seth running beside me as we escaped from a burning oil derrick just like action movie heroes. “And don’t argue with me for once, no matter what happens.”
He smiled. “You get one freebie.”
I turned to Briar. Just like me, he’d spaced out. What is he thinking?
Don’t trust him.
But he’s my friend!
I snapped my fingers in front of his face a few times. “Hey! You awake?”
His whiskers twitched. “What? Yes, of course. On we go, then.”
We got out of the car, walking around the giant pumpjack. The air smelled like oil. It was dry; I could taste the earth on the tip of my tongue as a warm wind slid across our skin. The crooked black tower groaned.
We stepped onto its long shadow.
“Will you be telling me the plan?” Briar asked. “Or should I simply sit back and worry extensively while the sun precipitously sets?”
“Do you want to sit back?” I asked.
He hopped a few times, thinking and humming to himself. “Well, I have to admit, I don’t like statues. No animals do.”
“Stay back then. And … just trust me, OK? Whatever I do … just trust me.”
We made our way to the steel door at the base of the derrick. The red sun dipped below the horizon, and the twisted black tower seemed to loom over us, threatening to fall at any moment. Far away, we could hear the sound of heavy steel clanging and the sound of heavy diesel engines. The earth shook a moment, then stopped. Flinching at the touch of a drill, maybe. My stomach was having a hard time getting used to the stench—it smelled sticky and sweet, and tickled my throat just enough to worry my lungs into a quick coughing fit.
Briar opened the door, holding it wide for me to go first. I was about to enter when I saw a shadow pass over his face. I stopped in my tracks, my hand reaching for my pocket. But it was just a shadow. He was still Briar, still my good friend and loyal helper.
“What is it?” he asked, ears pulling back.
“Just the heebie-jeebies,” I answered. “Come on … time’s wasting.”
We descended the dimly lit staircase. Cool, stale air caused goosebumps to rise on my arms. I took the steps two at a time, feeling an intense anxiety tighten my leg muscles. I could still feel the cuts on my back and arms, and the one near my shin. They stung, demanding more attention.
Not now. Focus, Alice. Don’t let your thoughts overwhelm you. Don’t drink the darkness.
All that mattered now was righting the terrible wrong. Bringing Seth back.
“I have to say, I’ve never seen you quite so excited to take on a Corrupted,” Briar huffed out, hopping behind me. “While I can certainly empathize, it would be foolish of me to not point out the dangers of these encounters, if only …”
I reached the bottom of the staircase and pulled open the old, rusted steel door. It creaked and groaned on its rusty iron hinges.
“Well, there’s no sneak attack coming from us now,” Briar whispered.
I walked inside and immediately scanned my surroundings. The room was just like my dreams, the walls lined with shelves and shelves of stone and marble and metal body parts. Arms. Legs. Hands. Feet. Heads. Lots and lots of heads. Flames burned from the gas pipes. I looked up; there were vents above, no doubt leading up to the surface.
The statue creature was waiting at the end of the cavernous room, watching through the golden eye-slits of his creepy industrial face with the /-shaped mask. The black hose was lying on the floor, no oil seeping out.
“Perfect timing.” His deep voice bounced off the wall. “My thirst grows exponentially. It should only take weeks to drain this entire region of its oil reserves. Everything has fallen into place, just as expected. This. This is my destiny.”
“Where are you going to go next?” I asked.
“Then I move south, into Texas, where the oil tastes like sweet syrup. I’ve tasted it before, and I look forward to tasting it again.”
Briar tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to flinch. “Alice …”
“And then what?” I asked, ignoring him.
The industrial head fell away, replaced by a marble head with a smirking Greek’s face. “Then I will travel to the Middle East. Then I will travel into Russia. And I will continue until I’ve saved humanity from its own self-destructive nature.”
“And then what?”
The marble head fell away, replaced once again by the industrial one. The golden glow of the eyes grew brighter. He raised his left arm and his fist fell away, replaced by an open hand that had been carved long ago out of stone. Moss had grown on the fingertips and then died away at some point, leaving a brown decayed growth. “Then a hero will come and end my life. My purpose will be complete. Now, are you ready to
receive your gift?”
Briar laughed. “A gift? From you? Oh, you silly monster. You have no idea who you’re dealing with!”
“Yes,” I whispered.
The open hand fell away, replaced by sleek marble hand that was clutching three green leaves, each one shaped like a diamond. “Then draw him.”
I knelt down on the concrete floor. Briar’s paw grabbed my shoulder. “Alice … what is this?”
“Leave her, rabbit.” The creature’s deep voice caused both of us to flinch. I felt Briar’s paw slip off my shoulder; I didn’t want to turn around. I couldn’t, otherwise I might lose my nerve. I drew as quickly as I could. First his face and then his neck and shoulders and skinny arms.
“Alice!” Briar shouted. “Alice, listen to me … you cannot bring a soul back from Death … he will not allow it!”
DON’T TRUST THE RABBIT.
I filled in Seth’s favorite black Metallica shirt. I brought all of my knowledge of golems to the front of my mind, tucked right next to my favorite memory of Seth: him, standing beside the fallen lizard creature in the basement of the Orphanage of Doom. So proud.
It’s my fault he died.
“Alice!” Briar stood beside me, ears pulled back, fur standing on end. His eyes were dark, darker than I’d ever seen them. “You are messing with Death, young lady!”
“Briar, I have to bring him back!” Stinging hot tears streamed down my cheeks. “It’s … it’s my fault he’s dead, Briar. It’s all my fault. I have to fix this.”
“This is not the way!”
DON’T TRUST THE RABBIT.
“But he’s my friend,” I whispered.
DON’T TRUST THE RABBIT.
Something in the back of my mind—the little, tiny rational part that I’d pushed so far down into the darkness—sprung to life and told me to stop. But it was too late: I’d connected the last line, reaching down and touching the glowing golden figure. It shimmered, carving itself out of the concrete.
And then, suddenly, there was Seth. Lying in the floor, eyes closed, face peaceful. And I began to sob again because I realized this was what he’d looked like in Sanda’s arms after he’d been shot. After she’d destroyed the Malevolence.
The statue creature stepped closer, swatting Briar away. He hit the shelves along the wall, hard, knocking a handful of them over before crumpling to the ground next to a pile of arms.
“Briar!” I shouted, running to him. I cradled him in my arms, squeezing his shoulder. “Wake up, friend. Wake up!”
“Where … where are we?” he asked in a scratchy voice. He opened his eyes. I gasped.
They were black. Pitch-black, with a glimmer of gold deep down like a coin sinking to the bottom of a pool. He blinked twice and the blackness disappeared, his normal eyes returning. He closed his eyes again and went limp, whiskers twitching.
“Behold,” the statue creature announced. “Humanity’s salvation!”
He dropped the three leaves on Seth. For a moment, nothing happened. I held my breath, heart fighting to break through my ribcage, my mind swirling. I wasn’t in control.
You’re in control.
“No,” I whispered, clutching Briar tightly. “No I’m not.”
Seth opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his head, groaning.
“Seth!” I cried.
He turned his head, staring at me. The orange light from the flaming gas pipes illuminated his dilated pupils as he turned to look at me.
No. Not Seth. Something else.
Chapter 16: Alice
“Stand,” the statue creature commanded.
Seth stood. He looked tired and dazed, but he looked like Seth.
“Seth,” I said, stepping closer. Behind me, Briar groaned.
“Leave him be …” he whispered.
I walked around the gas pipe. “Seth … we need to get you out of here. I … I mean …”
“Go,” the statue creature ordered. Seth turned, looking up at the creepy industrial face. “Clear away the humans for me.”
“What?! No, Seth, don’t listen to him!” I grabbed his shirt before he could walk past me … and felt like I’d just tried dragging down a skyscraper. This wasn’t scrawny little Seth. This was something else entirely.
He turned and grabbed my hand, wrenching it from his shirt. His fingers squeezed, pinching my muscles until I felt a pop under my skin. I cried out, crumpling to the floor. He let go and stomped toward the door at the end of the room.
The statue creature’s head fell away, replaced by a stone lion’s head. He glared down at me. “The golem will cause enough of a distraction for me to complete my task. It will not take long, given my thirst. The Corruption runs through me, but unlike the others, I will use it to save humanity. And then my destiny will be fulfilled.”
“He’ll kill people!”
“He may kill a few to save the many. That is the way of things. Juliette knew this well.” The lion’s head fell away, replaced by the Greek with the wry smile. “Why have you not learned this lesson yet, hero?”
“You lied to me, you bastard!” I shouted, kicking madly at the floor to push myself away from him so he wouldn’t step on me as he walked by. Arms and legs and heads slid off their shelves, dragging behind him as if magnetically attracted.
“You will thank me,” he called out at the door. His lion’s head returned and he turned back, the bulbous stone eyes regarding me with just a twinkle of gold. “I will save your species from itself.”
The door slammed shut. My heart skipped a beat.
“Briar,” I sniffled, crawling over to him. I cradled his soft head in my arms, running a hand over his ears. His chest rose and fell slowly. “Briar, it’s not Seth. I shouldn’t … I just wanted this to be true so bad. I thought I could trick that thing. I … I don’t know what’s been happening inside my head. I’m an awful hero.”
“No,” he whispered, reaching out with a paw. He touched my cheek. His eyes opened just a bit and, thankfully, there was no blackness clouding them. “You are, dare I say, the most fantastic hero I’ve ever had the pleasure of helping. We all make mistakes. But you must learn from them. Learn from this.”
“I will.”
“Listen carefully,” he said. “Listen. Are you listening?”
“Yes!”
DON’T TRUST THE RABBIT.
His head rolled in my arm. He looked up at me. “Juliette … she lost her family to the Corrupted. It haunted her. She sought revenge and it changed her. She never let it go and she never found solace. Curse this Corruption. It should never have existed. But you must not succumb to the darkness. Promise me.”
DON’T TRUST THE RABBIT.
I cleared Juliette’s warning from my head. Briar. Briar, who saved my life. Briar, who always makes me laugh. Briar, who bought me mangoes. “I promise. Friend.”
One of his ears flopped over, landing on his face. I reached out, pulling it back. He looked so fragile. “I don’t know what’s happening to me,” he whispered. “But just to be safe … you must lock me up.”
“No! I need you now, Briar. Now more than ever.”
“Just to be safe …” His voice trailed off. He was knocked out cold again. I reached out with one shaky hand, pulling up one eyelid. No! No, no, no! There was darkness swirling around his pupil, as if a drop of chocolate had been squeezed into a cup of milk.
I pulled out the pen. My hand was sweaty. My mouth tasted like metal. I wiped the tears from my face, then carefully drew a trap on the concrete floor: a thick steel chain between two cuffs. I touched the device, pulling it out and carefully attaching one cuff to Briar’s right leg, careful so that it only touched his pants and didn’t touch his fur. I didn’t want it to hurt him. No matter what happened next, I didn’t want him hurt.
There’s still hope.
The thought surprised me. It was like a beam of light in a dark room, dispelling the other dark thoughts. I clung to it, attaching the other cuff to the base of the nearby gas pipe, where a loop of ste
el had been welded to the pipe.
“I’ll come back for you, friend,” I promised, kissing him once on the top of his furry head. He stirred, breathing deeply. I turned before the tears could come again, steeling myself and my body, fighting aside the pain of the dozens of cuts and the stinging sensation in the ball of my left foot and the pinched muscle in my left hand, taking the steps two at a time, breathing just as Briar had always told me to breathe, sure that I could still somehow save Seth.
Outside, night had fallen. The stars were masked by the bright gas flares farther north. It didn’t take long to figure out where they’d gone: there was pandemonium near the newer derricks. An explosion. Men-sized shadows fleeing in every direction. A pumpjack’s horse-like head ripped away by a small, unassuming figure.
“Seth,” I whispered, sprinting across the flat land. More flames now. One of the derricks was on fire, spraying oil into the air. It caught quickly and sent up plumes of bright red flames. The smoke seemed to be gathering, refusing to rise. I coughed, choked, gagged, but kept running.
“Seth!” I shouted. I could see him now, tearing apart the pumpjack as if it was a piece of cardboard. He had superhuman strength … just like a golem. The leaves hadn’t brought back the Seth I knew—they’d simply brought the golem to life. And put him under the control of the statue creature.
“Destroy it!” the statue cried out. “And then clear the rest of the area! Hurry … my thirst is returning!”
I bent down, drawing two wide shields in the dry dirt, giving them the same sharp-angle edges as the ones I’d seen hanging up on the walls in the secret basement. I added a twist: something to even the playing field with the statue creature … spikes. Little pointed spikes along the surface of the shield. I pulled both of them from the ground, disappointed by their weight—both were heavy, a little off-balance, and the straps were bigger than I’d estimated. Still, they would have to do. No time to practice drawing a few more.
There wasn’t much time before police arrived. And if they see any of this …
I bent down again, drawing another familiar object. A trap. I stood and tapped it with my foot.
The Grimm Chronicles, Vol. 4 Page 10