by Wesley King
As soon as they stopped running, Eric doubled over, grabbing his sides and wheezing.
“Thanks, Eva.”
She patted him on the back reassuringly. “Any time. You should try running more.”
“Yeah,” he managed.
Eva leaned against the smaller opening, adjusting the yew fletching on an arrow.
Carlos just smiled and shook his head. “That was close. It was lucky you didn’t—”
“We can’t stay lucky forever,” a voice said.
Ten Worms emerged from the opening, including Jana, who put a knife to Eva’s throat. Carlos stiffened with fear at the sight. The other five spread out, spears pointed at them. Carlos noticed they seemed leery of Eric and were staring at the small flame from his tuna can.
“Drop it, Eva,” Jana said sharply, her eyes locked on Carlos. “Now!”
Eva hesitated, and then let her arrow fall to the ground.
“Let her go,” Carlos warned, his fingers shifting on his weapons, itching to attack.
“So, you have found the demons,” she said, glancing at Eric. “As have I.”
“What did you do to them?” Eric demanded, stepping forward.
Three spears pointed at his chest, and he stopped, taking a step back again.
“I sent them on their way to Medianoche,” she said innocently. “They wanted some directions, so I provided them. Of course, your people will fear the surface humans, won’t they, Carlos? Captain Salez may lead an attack on them. There may even be a battle. With their strange weapons, many of your people will die. With some luck, maybe all of them.”
Carlos looked beyond her, thinking of Medianoche. She was right: If they stumbled on the town, Captain Salez would attack. Carlos had left him that exact order. But she was wrong about their weapons. Eric’s people were defenseless. It would be a slaughter.
“What are you doing in my Realm?” Carlos asked quietly.
Could he possibly get to Jana before she struck? Could he kill so many Worms?
“My nephew spotted them on his way home,” she said. “You know him, Nennez.”
“The boy in the woods,” Carlos murmured, his knees almost buckling.
“Yes, whom you spared for trying to feed himself. I suspect it was simply for sport. Let my nephew go and then allow your hunters a chance to train. Well, your trick backfired, boy. Nennez spotted the surface humans on his way back and hurried to tell me. I do love an unexpected opportunity.”
Carlos tightened his grip, enraged. His mercy had led to this. His weakness. And now his sister was in danger. His father had been right: A Midnight King had to be strong.
“The quake split the surface humans, and we split as well to track both groups. Thankfully, I heard your shouting. Stupid to be so loud, Carlos.”
She brought the knife closer to Eva, whose lip was quivering in anger.
“And here we are, with a mighty gift.”
“You already sent the surface humans to Medianoche,” Carlos spat. “You’ll get your war, though you don’t understand what you have done. You don’t need her.”
“Insurance,” Jana said coolly. “If the battle doesn’t come, we will just negotiate instead. I want new lands, Carlos. I want access to the Ghost Woods and to the Black Lake. Understand? Don’t follow me. If you do, she will die as soon as you come near. I promise you, Boy King.”
She began to back away, and her Worm soldiers followed, their spears jutting out.
“Take me instead,” Carlos said. “What better tool for negotiation than the King?”
“No!” Eva shouted.
Jana frowned. “You? Who will negotiate with me then?”
“Captain Salez. He would have to free me.”
“Take both,” one of the Worms snarled, a thick, squat man with a beard past his chest.
“Then there is no deal,” Carlos said, turning on him. “And you will die first.”
Jana seemed to consider. “Fine. Drop your weapons.”
Carlos handed his sword and knife to Eric, who accepted them with trembling fingers.
“Carlos . . . ,” Eric said.
“Stay with Eva,” he replied, meeting Eric’s eyes and willing him to find his friends before they could get to Medianoche. “Do not follow us. Wait by the Forbidden Lake for me to come.”
He squeezed Eric’s arm and turned back to Jana. “Let her go.”
One of the Worms stepped forward, putting a knife to Carlos’s throat, and then Jana pushed Eva forward, almost causing her to stumble. Eva scooped up her arrow and turned, preparing to lunge at Jana.
“Don’t even think about it,” Jana warned, adding her knife to Carlos’s chest. “Let’s go.”
As one, the Worms backed down the tunnel, and Carlos locked eyes with his little sister until the light faded and she vanished into darkness.
“The boy is too dangerous awake,” Jana said. “Knock him out.”
Before Carlos could move, he felt something hard connect with the back of his head.
Nineteen and a Half Hours After
* * *
ERIC WATCHED CARLOS DISAPPEAR INTO the shadows, and then spared a look at his tuna-torch. The flame was nearly extinguished now—just a tiny, flickering orange tongue. He shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Eva. . . .”
She turned to him, her eyes flashing. “About what? Let’s get moving.”
Eric was confused. “To go wait by the lake?”
“Don’t be a barbar root. We’re going to go find your friends. There are other ways than crossing the lake. Leave your light. Where we’re going, you’re going to need both hands.”
“But your brother said to wait. . . .”
“He was being sneaky,” she said in exasperation. “Do you even understand what’s happening right now?”
Eric gestured vainly down the tunnel. “They took your brother. And Jana sent my friends to your village. But they don’t have any weapons . . . they’re just lights. There won’t be a war. . . .”
“No, there won’t,” Eva said grimly. “Just a massacre.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When my brother left, he told Captain Salez that if the surface humans came to Medianoche, that meant something had happened—that the surface demons had overpowered him or killed him and were coming for us. He told him to defend the city . . . to kill the intruders.”
Eric felt his stomach tighten. “But . . . they’ll see that they are just kids. . . .”
Eva shook her head. “My people have been raised to fear you. They have heard stories of your weapons. My brother and I are . . . more open-minded than most.”
“Why?”
She hesitated. “My mother . . . she was different. She didn’t believe all the stories, or at least, she said that people change. I think she wanted to go back.”
“To the surface?”
“Yes. But she died five years ago. Some illness. Some people said it was punishment.”
“I’m sorry,” Eric said.
“The point is, Captain Salez has orders. He won’t even let your people get close to the village. They will slaughter them with arrows and spears before they have a chance to speak.”
“No,” Eric whispered. “We have to go!”
She threw her hands up. “What did I just say, Surface Boy? Come on!”
With that, she took off in the other direction, leaving Carlos and the Worms behind her. Eric reluctantly blew out his torch, shoved the now-burned-out tuna can in his bag, and took off after her. The darkness was complete once again, and he had to move carefully, using his hands to guide him. His ankle was still sore, but the brace was holding fast and he was able to jog.
“I can’t see, Eva,” he called.
“Ugh!” she replied. “It’s like bringing my baby cousin on a rescue.”
Suddenly he felt a small hand in his, and she led him on. Soon after, Eric walked right into her, her bow jamming into his chest painfully.
“Thanks for the heads up,”
he muttered.
“You still can’t see?” she asked incredulously.
“There is literally zero light down here.”
“Your eyes can adjust,” she replied.
“Yeah, maybe in nine years,” he said. “I’ve had a day.”
She snorted, grabbed his hand again, turning him to the right. “Now we duck . . . low.”
Eric did as he was told, and they started down another tunnel. His head was bent over almost to his waist, and he felt rocks brushing against his back and shoulders. He started to feel claustrophobic, and squeezed Eva’s hand a little harder, anxious to get out of the enclosed space.
“Are you trying to break my fingers, Surface Boy?”
“Where are we?”
“This tunnel runs beside the Forbidden Lake and meets up with a tunnel on the other side. I think that’s where Jana sent your friends. From there they could head right to the village.”
“How much farther?” Eric asked reluctantly.
Eva seemed to think about that, as if running calculations. “An hour.”
“Great,” he muttered. He knew that an hour bent over like this would feel like months.
“You must be excited to see your friends,” she said, clearly trying to change the topic.
Eric paused. He didn’t really want to get into that . . . but they had time. Unfortunately.
“Yeah . . . well . . . they’re not really my friends.”
“What?”
“I mean, we’re in a class together. We’re just not really friends, technically.”
“None of them?” she asked. “You don’t even have one friend?”
“No,” he said, flushing. “To be honest, they probably don’t care that I’m missing.”
“That’s not true,” Eva said.
“No, it is. I’d be surprised if they even noticed I was gone.”
Eva was silent for a moment. “Why? You seem nice, Surface Boy.”
“Eric,” he corrected, sighing. “I don’t know. I guess . . . it’s kind of my fault.”
“Duck lower,” she said, and Eric quickly did as he was told. “Why is that?” she asked.
“I like being alone.”
Eva laughed. “My grandma told me that only lonely people say that.”
“I’m not lonely,” Eric said, “I just think it’s . . . safer that way.”
“Because of your father.”
Eric started. “How do you—?”
“Because I listen,” she said. “Your father left you. Now you think fathers stink, and because of that, everybody stinks. So you figure you should avoid everybody.”
“Are you sure you’re nine?”
“Carlos says that too,” she said. “And Grandma says I have the mind of an old lady.” She squeezed his hand. “The problem is if you avoid everybody, how are you supposed to know if they’re any good or not? My mother and father died. But I won’t ignore people because they might die. Then I would be very lonely. You can’t avoid people because you think they might hurt you. You’ll never know unless you take the chance to find out.”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “But keeping my distance . . . it’s just . . . easy.”
“Stupid things usually are,” she said simply. “I bet your people are looking for you.”
“They’re not.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “Even I like you, and my father told me you were a demon.”
Eric laughed. They continued through the narrow tunnels, turning and dipping and crawling through new openings like scurrying rats. The walk seemed endless, and Eric felt his back aching and his thighs burning from the strain of staying so low. Finally, when he was beginning to wonder if he could continue at all, Eva held a firm hand to his chest, stopping him.
“Stand up, Surface Boy.”
Eric did so gingerly, and then sighed aloud when he could straighten and even stretch his hands over his head. His whole body seemed to expand with a deep ache. “Where are we?”
“Back in the main tunnel,” she said. “It’s a straight shot from here. Just one small chamber on the way with orange rock. We should hurry. Are you ready to jog a little?”
“Not really.”
“Well do it anyway.”
She grabbed his hand again and took off, and he had no choice but to follow.
“Do you have many friends, by chance?” Eric asked sarcastically, wheezing.
“Not really,” she said. “But I have a real reason.”
“And what’s that?”
She laughed. “No one can keep up with me!”
She picked up her pace, and Eric did the same, shaking his head as he ran. They ran until his sides were burning, until Eva whispered in a hushed, urgent voice: “There!”
Eric looked up and saw light—a white, brilliant glow on the rocks.
Flashlights.
Twenty-One Hours After
* * *
SILVIA RELUCTANTLY CLIMBED TO HER feet, watching as her flashlight flickered and struggled to stay on. She knew it would die at any moment. They had been alternating for a while now, but it had simply been too long. Mary’s and Tom’s lights would be close behind, and then it would go dark.
They would be blind, and if they ran into Jana again, she would know that they didn’t have weapons after all.
“Time to start moving,” she said, turning to the others.
She helped Ashley up and watched as Derek and Tom propped Leonard up between them. He had mercifully gotten some sleep, and even Silvia had felt her eyes growing heavy. It had been almost a full day since the earthquake, and everyone was exhausted. But the last time they’d slept, someone had almost died. She wasn’t about to make that mistake again.
“Which way?” Marta asked.
There were two openings set into the orange chamber, and Silvia eyed them warily. Jana had simply told them to head straight down the passage, but she had neglected to mention the fork in the pathway. Silvia walked past both openings, shining her meager light into the dark.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“Jana said straight,” Ashley said. “I think it would be that one.”
She pointed to the larger of the tunnels, which was rounded and smoother. Silvia stared into the shadows, wondering why there was an uncomfortable tingle running down her neck. She felt . . . uneasy. But Ashley was right. On closer inspection, the other tunnel veered off to the right twenty yards down, disappearing around an upward, sloping bend. Jana must have meant the other one—but both options felt wrong.
For a moment, Silvia felt the weight of everything pressing down on her. Mr. Baker and Eric disappearing, the near-drowning in the river, the creatures and Jana and the aftershocks. She thought of the endless rock above her head, always waiting, and the stale, cold air choking her.
The bubble of fear moved into her throat and her eyes fogged with tears.
“I don’t know,” Silvia murmured. “I don’t know what to do.”
She turned back to the others. Tom and Derek had Leonard walking again, though they all looked exhausted. Everyone did: pale and clammy with dark circles under their eyes.
Leonard looked faint and stumbled as they moved him forward.
“I’m sorry,” Silvia said. “I tried . . . we should have just stayed where we were. . . .”
She felt the first tears spill down her face, and she turned away, wanting to run, wanting to crawl into a hole and hide. She hunched over, holding her throat and her chest because everything felt tight. The air seemed thin now. She crouched, mouthing a silent plea for help that she was too embarrassed to voice. The panic had finally overtaken her.
To her surprise, it was Tom who crouched down beside her, his hand on her knee.
“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “You’ve done everything you could, Sil.”
“I can’t breathe,” she said.
“Panic attack,” Tom replied. “It will pass.”
She looked at him, confused. “How . . . ?”
“My
dad,” he said simply. “He gets them sometimes. Listen . . . you kept us going down here. You saved Brian and Naj’s life. You are the bravest person I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m not brave,” Silvia said, wiping her face. “Look at me. I get these constantly. I get them at home when I’m watching TV, in the bathroom, in bed. I’m always afraid. Always.”
It was the first time she had ever told anyone except her parents and her doctor. As soon as she said it, she wanted to take it back. She didn’t want to be crazy. She didn’t want them to pity her or be afraid of her. She felt new tears welling . . . now she had ruined the one place she felt normal.
But Tom didn’t pull away or give her a pitying look. He just smiled.
“Well, then you’re even braver than I thought.”
Silvia thought about what he said, and began to take deep, full breaths. At first, they were unsteady and difficult, but they soon began to flow more easily, and the panic started to fade. Tom stayed beside her, but he didn’t stare or look afraid. He just waited. Finally, she nodded.
Tom smiled and extended a hand. “You ready?”
She took his hand and let him pull her up. She wiped her eyes again, straightened her clothes, and turned back to the others. Ashley was watching, clearly bewildered, but she gave Silvia a hug and squeezed her hand, smiling.
“Good,” she murmured, “you’re human after all. You were starting to freak me out.”
Silvia laughed, and with that, the fear was gone. “Yes, I’m human.”
“You can talk to me, you know,” Ashley said quietly.
“I know,” Silvia said. And for once, she meant it. She turned back to the tunnels and made her choice. “We’ll keep going straight,” she said, leading them on. “Stay close.”
The group plunged into the wider tunnel, and as they walked, Silvia caught a whiff of something filtering down the passage. She breathed it in and picked up her pace, baffled. She knew the smell: smoke. It smelled like the wafting, pungent scent of a campfire.