by Q Allen
There is no one in here, Tammy. I think you called this truck for us to drive down the tunnel, Sophia thought as she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.
Tammy checked the back seats before getting in on the driver side. After buckling her safety belt, they began down the long tunnel to the true doors of the facility. She slammed on the brakes when she saw the guards outside.
If this is like the other vision Primis gave me, we should be able to walk right in there. They won’t see us, Tammy said, a quiver in her voice.
Sophia noticed that Tammy was unsteady about that statement. Really though? We’re just going to walk up to them? What if they start shooting? We have no weapons here.
Tammy summoned enough courage to ease out of the SUV. Slowly, she walked towards the guards stationed at the main doors of the Slither Eye facility. Sophia got out of the vehicle and followed close behind Tammy. The two walked closer and closer to the front doors, but the guards didn’t reacted to them. It was like they weren’t really there. They weren’t really there.
They were in a vision. A vision created by Primis and Tammy. The link between them held the vision together. But what was this connection? What was it that brought them together?
Tammy and Sophia walked right past the guards, into the underground building and down the elevator to the bottom floor. When they exited the elevator, they saw the two doctors that Tammy had seen in the vision before. She led Sophia to the spot where Primis lay in a hospital bed. Helpless.
Fascinated, Sophia stared at the body lying motionless on the bed. The thin, powerless form lying there intrigued her. What power could this person possess? How was she connected to Tammy? Was this Tammy’s mother or sister?
Primis sat straight up and opened her eyes. Her cold, white pupils, tinged with leukocoria, focused and met Sophia’s wide ones. The sight sent a cold shiver down Sophia’s spine.
Help me!
Primis’ scream pounded Sophia’s ear drums. Horrified, Sophia screamed, covering her ears as the ground began to vibrate, just like it did in Tammy’s first vision.
“Shh,” Tammy soothed in a hushed voice, trying to comfort Sophia. “It’s ok. We’re back. We’re here, in the apartment. It’s ok now.”
Sophia gazed around the room, both amazed and relieved that they were back in the shoddy apartment. Sophia grasped for the edge of the counter in the grimy kitchen and vomited in the sink. Tammy handed her a water bottle, which she took in huge gulps, trying to calm herself.
“Was that real? No, there’s no way! Two people can’t be in the same dream!” Sophia prattled, pulling away from Tammy. She couldn’t accept this absurdity. “Tell me right now. What did you see?”
Tammy spoke softly, trying to quiet Sophia. “You and I were in a vision together. We found Primis in an underground… hospital beneath that tiny house with the ginormous garage.”
“I heard her, Tammy,” Sophia babbled. “I heard her. She looked me right in my eyes and I heard her. I think I’m losing my mind. I’m going crazy just like, like…”
“Like me?” Tammy smiled, a bit offended. “You’re not crazy. I’m not crazy. She’s real and we are going to go and get her.”
“…Ok,” Sophia resigned. “Ok.”
They are coming for you. Leave now.
Sophia heard the voice in her head, just like she heard Tammy in the vision. But this wasn’t Tammy’s voice. It was the voice that had been leading Tammy.
Part of Sophia still believed that Tammy was mentally ill and that she too was seeing things and hearing voices. But Tammy was her friend. She promised to help her-or at least keep her from hurting anyone else. The rocky events of their first meeting didn’t even come to Sophia’s mind. As far as she was concerned, Tammy was not Thea, but she was like a sister now.
“Did you hear that?” Tammy asked.
“Yes. Yeah. That was Primis’ voice, from the dream,” Sophia said still a little troubled by it all.
Tammy headed for the bathroom to retrieve their things, “We have to get going then. Grab all of the stuff in here and pack it up.”
The two met in the kitchen. Tammy was starting to say something when they heard the floor creaking out in the hall. Motioning for Sophia to pretend to keep talking Tammy crept over to the door and looked through the peephole.
Two of the Slither Eye guards from the underground facility were on the other side, along with the man they saw last night. The one with the blank hat, who appeared to follow them. They had been found.
To add insult to injury, the homeless man Sophia had given water to was with them. Oh, the betrayal. Tammy gritted her teeth. She didn’t want to give him anything in the first place, but Sophia just had to be nice.
Tammy was terrified to be in this situation again. Once again, they were trapped with no way out. She motioned for Sophia to move back to the rear wall of the kitchen. Hoping for a way out, she eased into the kitchen. Sophia peeped through the window and looked out onto the back parking lot.
“I counted ten of them on each end of the back parking lot. Some down one end of the building and some at the other end,” Sophia said, her voice slightly trembling.
She’s scared. I can see it. I’m scared too, but I can’t let her see that.
Go out the back window and over the fence before they notice. Leave Sophia, leave the Adrenalin.
No way. She’s my sister now. And that Adrenalin? It’s a good B.O.V. We need to draw them out of position. Then, we’ll make our escape.
“We’re going to get out of here in one piece, Sophia. Don’t worry,” Tammy said, with a reassured coolness. They pulled out of their last situation with just a couple of bullet holes in their truck. This one should be no different.
“Open this window and start firing at the agents on both sides. When I call for you, come running. We won’t have much time,” Tammy instructed, looking into Sophia’s eyes, hoping to see some measure of confidence.
“Do I have to actually hit them?” Sophia asked, her voice still trembling as she licked her lips.
Tammy put down their weapons bug-out-bag and grasped Sophia by the shoulders with both hands, “Sophie, I need you to be strong. There are three Slither Eye agents at the door. If we are going to survive this, we need to be focused and unafraid. There are times when you have to do things that you don’t want to do to survive. This is one of those times. I need to know if you are going to be ok. Will you be?”
I hope you are ready to leave her behind.
I won’t have to leave her, she’ll be ok.
Don’t hesitate, Tammy. Or you will be killed as well.
Sophia looked out of the window at the Slither Eye agents blocking their escape. The thought of killing someone made her heart heave with fear. Deep down, she felt like she would not be able to do it, but she wanted to be strong for Tammy. She wanted to survive.
“I’m ok. Don’t worry about me,” Sophia said steeling herself. “Go. Find our way out.”
“Ok,” Tammy said, relieved that Sophia appeared to have what it took to survive this situation. She scooped up the bags and headed for the side room of the apartment. With as little noise as possible, Tammy began to tear through the drywall that separated their apartment from the next. She only paused a moment when she heard the first shots.
Sophia fired at the Slither Eye agents in the parking lot from the second story window. First one or two shots at a time, then four or five round bursts. Eyes closed tight, her accuracy was abysmal. She only managed to hit one agent, accidentally. The other agents scattered and dove for cover.
The bullets flew back and forth now bye then and Tammy didn’t need to be quiet anymore. Kicking through the weak, cheap walls of the decrepit building, she didn’t stop until she was three apartments down. The people in the apartments watched in shock as she kicked and pulled the rotting walls apart.
“Excuse me,” Tammy said, checking the kitchen window in the last apartment. She saw that the agents in the parking lot had their backs
to her. They were moving in on Sophia’s position. Focused on returning fire.
Tammy ran back to the hole she had created in the walls.
“Come on Sophia! Let’s go!” she yelled.
Slither Eye Agent Michael Madgik called for his team at the front door to breach. The sudden heavy hammering on the front door terrified Sophia. The agents tried to kick the door down and, in her fright, she jumped and fall away from the window, up against the refrigerator.
The front door was only a short few steps away from her. She was sure this would be the moment she died. In her imagination, she could already feel the angry hot projectiles piercing her skin. The blood draining from her body. Painful humiliating defeat.
She saw the smiling, laughing faces of her abusive husband and his jerk brother standing over her drinking beer, pointing down at her, and giving each other high fives.
“No!” Sophia shouted at herself, changing magazines. “No! Freaking! Way!”
Sophia screamed, pointing the barrel of her M4 Carbine toward the door and squeezed the trigger. This time, both of her eyes were wide open. She held the short assault rifle up to her shoulder like a seasoned veteran and fired towards the doorway until the entire magazine was empty.
For a moment after Sophia stopped firing, the hallway was quiet. The banging and shooting ceased. Then she heard another agent shout, “Agents down!”
She knew then that she had killed all the agents at the door. More were coming.
“Sophie! Come on!” Tammy screamed again through the makeshift hallway.
Below, in the parking lot, Agent Madgik ordered more of his team into the building. He thought it ridiculous that he was losing agents trying to bring Tammy in alive. Why couldn’t the Unseen Man see the logic of just eliminating this threat and leveraging Primis’ little sister against her?
It would be low and heartless, of course, but if it would bring about a world where he could be with his beloved Bellisa forever, then so be it. The most the Unseen Man would allow Agent Madgik to do was to use one of the others, like Tammy. One that Slither Eye felt confident they were in total control of.
His frustration peaked. Staying behind cover, he made his way over to one of the vans his team used for transport. He threw open the back doors of the van.
“Ira, it’s your turn now. You’re going to go in there and bring Umbra back alive. Kill Sophia. Kill the other girl.”
The van began to joggle about as someone-or something-made its way to the opening. A female form emerged from the van. Glancing down at the agent, she walked past him on her way into the building.
Ira reached the apartment quickly. Sophia was reloading another magazine into her M4. Her last one. Tammy frantically called her as she could feel Ira getting closer. She didn’t know who or what Ira was, but she knew they had to get out of there fast.
Tammy! Leave her! Leave her now!
No! I won’t leave her. I can’t.
Tammy could see Sophia backing through the hole in the wall. She moved closer until Ira burst through the door of the apartment. Sophia was trapped. Slither Eye agents moved into the apartment that Sophia had just left, closing in on her.
“Sophie!” Tammy screamed.
“Go Tammy! Run!” Sophia shouted. She fired at Ira and the Slither Eye agents. Ira walked straight towards her, as if the bullets merely bounced off her form. Seizing Sophia by her throat, she lifted her off her feet with one hand. She held her there a moment, staring curiously at her face. It was like she recognized Sophia.
One of the Slither Eye agents called to Michael over the radio. “She’s hesitating!”
“Kill the girl,” Michael ordered. He stretched his hand toward Ira, trying to take control of her. That was his secret power, one that only the Unseen Man knew about. His face and eyes darkened as his veins engorged, exerting every effort.
Ira’s eyes turned black for a moment. Her free hand joined the other gripped around Sophia’s throat. Tighter and tighter. She squeezed until Sophia’s face changed colors and her eyes rolled back. Then, Ira was able to snap out of it.
Ira stood staring at Sophia again. She looked toward Tammy as if she recognized her, too.
The closest Slither Agent drew his dagger and attempted to stab Sophia with it, but Ira intercepted his blow. She took hold of his arm and twisted until it snapped. Still holding Sophia, Ira swung her free arm and knocked the injured agent through the wall and back into the hall.
Ira was too close to Sophia for Tammy to get a shot, but the other Slither Agents were firing at Tammy and moving much closer. Tammy was enraged. The agents’ bullets were not getting close to her in the same way they couldn’t get to Ira.
Tammy felt the power Primis had taught her about. She used that power to emit a blast that knocked the agents off of their feet, but the force caused the floor, ceiling and some of the walls to cave in.
Wood, dust and debris flew all over the place. Bricks kept falling and Tammy couldn’t see anyone. She could hear Agent Madgik commanding the few remaining agents he had to go after her. She could hear the low moans of the injured below, but there was no sign of Sophia.
She’s dead, Tammy. You must leave now.
“Sophia!” Tammy screamed, stumbling backward toward the open window. One bullet got through and hit her in the thigh, just barely breaking the skin. Hurt like Hades though.
She set her sights on Michael and the last of his men. Stretching her hand toward them, she opened it nice and slow. The earth obeyed her wishes, opening to swallow Agent Michael Madgik and his team in one terrifying gulp. She clinched her hand swiftly, causing the earth to fold in on its victims. Nothing remained but a dark mist, hovering just above the ground.
Angry tears streamed down her face as she leaped down into a renovation dumpster sitting beneath the window. She disappeared around the corner and headed for the Adrenalin before the police cars started to arrive at the scene.
10
Umbra Ortum
A STORM WAS COMING. Not a storm of nature, but a storm of retribution. A dark, angry, powerful storm. The wind and the rage were coming. Dr. Keoni could feel the tremors getting closer. The moment she and Dr. Coles had hoped for-and feared-and feared-was upon them. There was no escape now.
An alarm sounded and a distressed Dr. Coles burst into the control room. Dr. Keoni rose to her feet. “What’s going on?”
“She’s coming for Primis!” Tiffany cried, grabbing Bellisa by the arm. “We have to do it now, Bellisa.”
Bellisa realized that this time, Michael was not coming back. Her love would never return again. A tear fell from her eye, then two. Holding her hands over her face, she wept bitterly. Tiffany could only hold her dear friend. She knew how raw the pain was, but time was precious, and they only had so little of it to do what needed to be done.
Delicately Tiffany held Bellisa’s face, “We have to do it now, Bellisa.”
Her hands trembled, but Bellisa managed to pull a black pouch from her pocket and take out a large needle. It was a concoction that the two developed together, to help Primis overcome the drugs they had given her to keep her sedated. Tears streamed down both of their faces. The thin shred of security they felt from the underground facility quickly melted away.
The two doctors huddled together as they made halting steps down the hall to Primis’ room. The hall was empty. All the security personnel were called to protect the only entrance into the underground facility.
As they moved closer to the room, the machines and equipment in Primis’ room became louder. The constant whirring, clicking and beeping felt unsettling. Tiffany and Bellisa walked up to the windows in the front of Primis’ room. She was still lying down, eyes closed.
They crept closer to her motionless body. Fear gripped them. Would she awaken? Would she have mercy on them? Or would she tear them apart in vengeful rage? They couldn’t know for sure. One thing they did know was that Primis and her little sister had suffered much at their hands. At the hands of Slither Eye.
It was almost guaranteed that Tiffany and Bellisa would die. But they had to take the chance. They had to at least try to make up for the horrors they developed and imposed on others in their time at Slither Eye. They offered no excuses.
In the beginning, they thought they were a part of something good. They believed that they were making a difference in the world. That they helped people. They believed that they were helping Primis and her sister.
Now, they stood above her slumbering body, ready to awaken a whirlwind of vengeance and anger. It was a risk they had promised each other that they would take to make things right.
“Do it,” Tiffany sniffled, softly.
Bellisa removed the cover from the needle and searched for a vein. Easing the needle toward Primis’ arm, she carefully penetrated the skin.
“Bellisa!” Dr. Coles yelped, leaping backwards and pulling Bellisa with her. They fell to the floor, shivering with fear as their eyes met Primis’ cold, angry eyes. They clung to each other as they watched her rise from the bed, her gaze fixed on them.
All the machines in the room began to beep as Primis broke free of them. Wires and monitors fell to floor, sending sparks and flashes through the air. She drew close to the two doctors trembling on the floor.
“Wait! Please. We tried to help you,” Bellisa screamed. “Please, don’t kill us.”
Tiffany moved herself in front of Bellisa. “If you have to kill one of us, just take me.”
“Where is Minorem?” Primis asked, ignoring the statement.
“Your little sister? We don’t know where she is,” Tiffany explained through fearful tears.
“They took her somewhere else. They wouldn’t tell us where, but they took her,” Bellisa added. “We sent two people to help Umbra find her, Jeff and Taelee. Ask her yourself.”
“You lie! You are all liars!” Primis yelled, causing the whole facility to shake.