by Rachel West
“Hey!” Darren says with a yelp. “That’s not true. I am a master of seduction. Well versed in the arts of --"
“Shutup,” Jaxon says with a tug of his arm that pulls Darren stumbling from the bed. “Come on, we need to go to the atrium.”
“What’s got you so excited?” I ask.
“We found him,” Jaxon replies with a heady grin. “We found Ki.”
With a whoop of excitement Darren pumps a fist into the air. “Was it my sim? Where did you find him?”
“Is he okay?” I ask quietly.
“I don’t have any details. One of Kalia’s runners found me at the manor. I came to you first.”
The three of us hurry through the Hollows to the Atrium. When we arrive, Ezzor materializes from the small crowd that has formed.
“He’s alive?” I ask hopefully, the knot of fear twisted so deep in my throat I can hardly squeeze words past.
“He is,” Ezzor answers. “Barely.”
The crowd parts without protest as Jaxon pushes his way to its center. Ki’s small body is frail against the stone ground. One side of his face is collapsed in, like a melon gone bad at market. His jaw, they broke his jaw. I choke down the sting of acid and drop to my knees next to him. Ki’s outfit is the same as the one he wore when I saw him last, but it’s splattered in half-dried blood and dirt and vomit.
I listen to the mutterings around me. The outrage over what has been done. The disgust that anyone would hurt a child in this way. “They tortured him,” I whisper aghast.
“Send for Vertigo,” Jaxon orders. He pauses for a moment, considering, “And Tanis. She used to be a nurse.” Jaxon leans down next to Ki, stripping off his shirt and revealing the broken body underneath. One wound, a gaping slice that is charred at the edges could only be caused by a synthblade. Jaxon lays his hands against the wound, applying pressure, but blood bubbles up between his fingers and across the floor. A strike not fully cauterized, leaving the victim in ongoing agony as the sores break open again and again.
I wrap my hands around Ki’s much smaller fingers, offering what little comfort I’m able. His hand is limp in my grasp and his skin far cooler than it should be.
“Tanis has already been sent for. As has Kalia,” Ezzor reports.
“Ki!” I look up to see my sister running across the atrium with Isabelle following closely behind.
“You found him. Where?” Isabelle demands.
“The crematorium,” Ezzor reports.
“You were right,” Isabelle says to my sister, surprise written across her features. Pulling out one of Darren’s tablets Isabelle anxiously swipes through multiple screens “That doesn’t make any sense…” she says half to herself.
My sister averts her gaze as a blush rises high in her cheeks. “I’d heard rumors,” she mutters. “That’s all.”
“What is this?” Jaxon asks. “He was found in the crematorium?”
“Yes,” Isabelle says slowly. “Annie,” she gestures to my sister, “Suggested we search there. With the Crematorium shut down these past two weeks from the riots no one thought to look. It is –was – locked up tight.”
“If it pleases you,” a large man shuffles forward out of the crowd, bobbing his head first to Isabelle then towards Jaxon like he doesn’t quite know who’s in charge. The front of his shirt is stained red-brown with blood. “Names Rod. I found ‘im. Right in the entryway. Like they was taunting us. Plenty more of ‘em in the building. Could hear ‘em back there. A whole bunch.”
“Plenty more prisoners?” Jaxon asks.
“Nay. Praetors.” Rod spits on the ground.
Jaxon turns his gaze on Ezzor. “I’ll send men to investigate,” Ezzor says without prompting. Jaxon responds with a sharp nod then turns his attention back to Ki.
Isabelle guides Rod away from Ki, her soft tones expressing gratitude for his help. From the opposite direction, Tanis arrives. Shuffling in with her cane held before her like a sword. “The supply closet is empty.”
“What?”
“Everything is gone. No medicine. No bandages. Not even a damn sanitary wipe.”
“No,” I whisper, “No, that’s impossible. Ki needs them. They have to be somewhere.”
“I searched up, down, left and right. They’re missing. Everything. Someone’s cleaned it out right and good.”
Annie looks at me with dismay in her eyes. “Don’t worry,” I tell her, “We’ll go get more. I’ll go get more.” Jaxon rests a hand on my arm. I shake him off lightly, “Ki needs them,” I say, “I’ll be fine. I’ll go to Magwins. Her pharmacy is only a couple streets away.”
“Be quick,” Jaxon responds. His eyes flick down to Ki’s body where the flow of blood is beginning to slow. I swallow hard, knowing that time is running out.
I charge through the Hollows and into the streets at a dead run. The burning, ever-present scent of war streams past my face as I cross street after street. The familiar elation that comes with such speed battles with the panic in my heart. I hurry on, heedless of the threat of Praetors, blinded to anything except my desperate need to reach Magwins as quickly as possible.
My breath comes in heavy pants when I get to Magwins. I slide to a halt over her wooden steps and use the lingering momentum to pound my fist against the door. I press my ear against the wood but hear nothing from the other side. I bang again with the flat of my hand, praying that the old woman isn’t asleep.
The lock clicks and a small window opens in the door, with Magwins wizened face peering out through it. “We need medical supplies!” I pant between gasping breaths. “Please.”
“What do you need?”
“Whatever you have.”
Magwin opens the door, gesturing me in. “What happened?”
I shake my head. There’s no time for an explanation. I dart down the aisles of her small pharmacy, grabbing thick compression bandages and clotting agents. I take more than Ki could ever need, more than would be needed by a dozen men but with our medical supplies missing these supplies could mean the difference between life and death.
Sudden clarity comes into Magwin’s eyes as she recognizes me. I ignore the feel of her gaze burning into my back as I pile my arms full of supplies. She shuffles off into the far end of the store, age giving an uneven tempo to her step.
When I’ve found what I need I return to the entryway. Magwin approaches and shoves four plastic pill bottles into my hand. “To fight infection,” she points to the larger of the containers. “And these ones for pain,” she indicates the remaining three.
“How much?”
“Take it,” Magwin says. “Take whatever you need.”
“Thank you, thank you,” I bend over in a half-bow of gratitude and the pile of medical supplies nearly goes tumbling. “I’ll pay you back. I swear it.”
“Go!”
I jog through the empty roadways with the medical supplies clutched tight to my chest. Ki will be fine, he has to be fine. I have anything we could need here. I scurry past empty alleyways and closed stores, the late hour and threat of Praetor’s leaving the street deserted.
I turn a corner and come to a skidding halt. A Praetor stands over a boy crouched on the ground. The boy, no older than ten, has his arms curled around his head and stares defiantly up at the Praetor. My memories flash back to that night, so many months ago when I stood by and did nothing as the Praetors killed Limping Liddy. Rage rises in my throat, so potent it’s almost physical. Liddy and Ki and now this helpless little boy.
The Praetor raises a weapon - a gun, not a synthblade. Why bother wasting the precious charge of the synthblade on a little boy who has no defense.
With a shout I charge them. I barely have time to register the shock on the Praetors face as I barrel out of the darkness and fling my body on his. Both of us tumble to the ground in a tangle of limbs and hard angles.
“Run!” I scream at the boy but then I have no time to think of anything. A shot goes off right next to my head. Sound bleeds from my ears and all I ca
n hear is a distant buzzing. I get the sensation that someone is shouting at me. Something sharp cuts into my back, I roll over and fling the box of bandages away.
I flail out blindly and my hand makes contact with something soft and yielding. My face is shoved into the ground and I feel a burning sting as asphalt splits skin. I roll again and kick my legs out in opposing directions. My left foot grazes against something. I kick again in the same direction, knowing it can only be the Praetor.
I flail madly as the Praetor throws his body over mine. Hands grip my wrists and hold me flat on my back. I open my eyes to see the Praetors masked face hanging over my own. I slam my forehead up and feel a crack reverberate through me as the hard plastic of his mask fissures. He jerks back but doesn’t release his grip on my hands. I bring my forehead up again but with a slight turn of his head the Praetor easily dodges my second attack.
I thrust my hips forward and attempt to buck him off my body but the Praetor, stronger and in the position of power drops his greater weight down on me, halting my feeble attempts. I try to remember Reds lessons through the erratic divergence of my thoughts. I draw my knee up into the Praetors pelvic region. His mouth curls in a sharp “o” of pain but it still isn’t enough.
I’m screaming, or I think I am. My throat is raw and burning like someone has dripped acid down it but I still hear no sound. I fight for what feels like hours. My attacks grow weaker and fewer. I can see through the small cracks in the Praetors’ mask and I see triumph and all I can think is what a gooddamn fool I am attacking a Praetor when Ki is back in the Hollows, desperate for my help
I spit up into his face, trying to blind him. He rears back and crashes his fist into the side of my face with a powerful punch. Pain shatters across my flesh and I can hear again -- a high pitched ringing sound that rises and falls with the beat of my heart.
The Praetor shifts his weight and adjusts his grip. He pins both my wrists under one hand and with his other he sweeps his hand across the pavement, searching for something. In an instant he drops his full weight back on me, straddling my waist and weapon in hand. I stare down the face of his gun. The dark hollow of the barrel draws me in like a spinning vortex. I wonder what Annie will do without me. I wonder if Ki will survive. I wonder if Jaxon will find someone else. I picture them hearing of my death and tears form in my eyes. I’ve failed them. I failed them when the needed me most.
I take a deep, shuddering breath, waiting for the click of the trigger.
In a moment his weight falls off me. I stare into the empty sky confused. Above, one of the giant billboards flashes a curfew warning. I drop my head to the side. A pack of animals attacks something on the ground. Mouths full of snarls and wild screams. I blink heavily as my mind tries to make sense of the scene. No - -not animals. Children. A mob of children. They kick at something on the ground. The Praetor?
Someone touches my cheek gently. I blink again and there is a boy hovering over me. His mouth forms in words but I can’t understand him. His lips move again. My eyelids fall shut once more, and when I open them I am surrounded. Someone is shaking my shoulders urgently. I hear something. Voices? The boy is above me again trying to force something into my mouth.
I push at them. I need room. I need to breathe. A gasp escapes my throat. Followed by another. Something warm and bitter slips across my tongue. I turn my head to the side, heaving as vomit pours from my lips.
“Lady,” the boy touches my head. I recognize him. The same boy the Praetor held at gunpoint what feels like a lifetime ago. “Are you okay lady?”
I nod slowly. I try to struggle to a sitting position. The movement sends a sharp bolt of pain through my skull. “Ouch,” I mutter. The children above me all look to each other as if unsure what to do.
“It’s her,” I hear one of them whisper in awe. A little girl, with hair in two dozen small braid covers a gasp with her tiny hand.
“Who?” Asks another.
“Reinhardt.”
“Really?”
“No way!”
“What is she doing here?”
“What do we do with her?”
“Shut up Rex. Go get some help.”
Their arguing fades in and out as I try to follow the conversation. My whole body aches like I’ve fallen from a hundred story building. There is something important -- something I need to-- “Ki,” I whisper.
One of the children leans over me. “She’s talking. Lady? It’s okay. We gonna get you some help.”
I reach blindly around me for the medical supplies. My fingers brush against something soft and I grasp it in my hand. “No…Bring them to the Hollows. To Ki.” I shove the bandages into the small arms of one of the children.
They are like bees, flitting around and buzzing near to my face. Their chatter so low I can barely make it out.
“The Hollows, he needs…” My tongue is so thick in my mouth I don’t think they can understand. I plead with my eyes, begging them to see what I need.
“Okay, okay we’ll bring this stuff to the Hollows. Yeah?”
“Yes,” I sigh with relief.
I think time passes but it’s hard to say. Face after face peers down at me until I finally see one I recognize.
“You know,” Jaxon says conversationally, “when we send you on a med run it doesn’t do us much good if we have to use them all on you.”
“Shut-up,” I mumble through gritted teeth. “Ki?” I ask.
“We think he’ll live,” Jaxon says, “Tanis is taking care of him. These kids brought everything we needed. Can you stand?”
I groan in response and Jaxon quirks a reassuring smile at me. “Alright then. Up we go,” he crouches down next to me and he pulls me into his arms like a child being carried to bed. Pain burns down every vessel in my body and the world spins into blackness again.
This time only a moment passes before my vision stabilizes once more. Jaxon orders the children to pick up the remaining medical supplies and follow us. My body bumps into Jaxon with each uncomfortable step but it is better than trying to walk on my own. Behind us, strung out like a line of ants, are the children each with arms full of supplies.
“So,” Jaxon says and I can hear the worry hidden behind his smile, “How did it go?”
“Perfect,” I mumble sarcastically, “everything according to plan.”
“Yes,” he says seriously, “I can see that.”
“You know, your bedside manner is atrocious.”
“Truly?” There is a hint of suggestiveness in his tone. “I have been told otherwise.”
Even through all the pain I feel the blush burning in my cheeks. I bury my face into the crook of his neck. “Shut up and take me home.”
CHAPTER 25
I wake up with a groan, my whole body aching and sore. I stretch weakly and batter my hands against the wall, activating the light panel over the bed. The light reveals that the cold, aluminum-walled room is empty except for me and my pain.
With a sigh I drop back onto the bed. This deep in the Hollows it is impossible to guess the time, but I feel like I’ve been asleep for hours. Days even. I swallow convulsively, overcome by sudden thirst. A glass of water sits on the bedside table, left by Jaxon I imagine. I gulp it down, the stale water tasting like liquid gold to my parched throat. Two energy bars rest beside the glass, I go to grab one then change my mind midmotion. The dry, crumbly bars will do nothing but increase my thirst.
I stare up at the ceiling, taking shallow breaths against the pain in my side, as I feel my strength…and memory...slowly return.
“Ki,” I whisper to the empty room.
With a crash of thunder the door to the room bursts open. The aluminum walls tremble against the assault. Darren stumbles in, blue hair all askew and a chocolate bar sticking from his mouth like a smokestick.
“Hey hey, saw the light on. Sorry. Wasn’t planning to leave your side but a man can only go so long without a pick-me-up. Hungry?” Darren holds out the half-eaten chocolate bar with an encouraging sm
ile.
“I’m all set. Thanks,” I mumble.
“Your loss,” he shrugs. With a sigh, Darren drapes himself over the end of the bed, with his back pressed against the wall and knees pulled up to his chest. “Good to see you back among the living. How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been asleep for a week.”
“Nah. Just two days,” Darren drops casually.
“What?” I yelp. “Two days?”
“Well you weren’t asleep the whole time, obviously. Woke you up a few times to feed you these.” Darren pulls a bottle from his jacket and tosses it at me. I make an effort to catch it, but my reflexes are too slow and the bottle drops with a plop onto the sheets between my legs. I recognize the bottle as one of those from Magwins. “Crazy-strong. Tried one the other night. Bit surprised you weren’t out longer, to be honest.”
“How’s Ki?” I ask. My heart pounds as the silence stretches out between us. I remember the damage to his small, frail body. He couldn’t have…
“Uhm,” Darren nervously trails his fingers through his hair. “He’s alright. Gonna live, they think.”
“That’s good,” I say slowly as Darren averts his eyes from mine. “So why does it sound like you’re giving me bad news?”
“He took it pretty hard. The old bird-lady, Tanis, she says there might be some permanent damage. No one knows for sure. He’s still out.”
I grip the sheets tight in my hands at Darren’s words. Poor Ki. Poor Kalia, I think of my friend who must be worried sick at her brother’s injuries. If only I’d been faster at returning with the medical supplies. If I hadn’t been stupid enough to let myself get distracted… No, I shake my head, derailing that line of thinking. If I hadn’t interfered another little boy would have died. There wasn’t a decision at all. Only what was right.
“Where’s Jaxon?”
“At the manor.”
“Why aren’t you up there?”
“Though it’d be more fun to play doctor,” Darren smirks in an effort to lighten the mood.