by Kim Cormack
That didn’t sound ominous at all? “What happened?” Kayn enquired while trying to recall what she’d done. It started to come back to her. She’d healed herself and then she’d healed Zach. She was hungry. She was going to hurt Melody. Feeling guilty, she looked at Melody. What should she say? Sorry I tried to eat you?
Melody handed her a goblet of wine, she assured, “You have nothing to apologize for. You need to learn to control it. You can’t be blamed for what you do while under the influence of magic. Take this wine and try to catch up. We took a vote while you were recovering. It was unanimous. We’ve decided we’re long overdue for a mental break. We’re safe in this room and we’ve been stuck in this damn Testing for lord knows how long. It’s time to give our brains a well-deserved vacation. The second we leave this room the shit will hit the fan again. We will continue to die in increasingly inventive ways until we find the way out. Right now, I say we list the reasons we want out of this shit hole. Let’s think of the things we still want to do. Let’s all embrace our inner Grey.”
Kayn took a drink of her wine and said, “I’d like to see Grey again.”
They all raised their glasses and in unison and said, “To Grey.” The laughter began because they all knew that Grey would have been most impressed with that toast.
Zach raised his glass and added, “To jumping off docks into freezing cold water.” They all repeated what he said while raising their glasses.
Kayn saluted, “To the pink flamingo glasses in the motorhome. They are a hell of a lot lighter than these ones. I feel like I’m lifting weights.”
They carried on with the comical toasts until Melody declared, “To us.”
They all solemnly finished the rest of what was in their glasses in silence.
Zach randomly changed the subject, “Admit it Kayn, blowing Stephanie up had to feel just a little bit awesome.” He took a sip of his magically refilled wine as he winked at her.
Melody started to laugh and she choked. Once she managed to calm the coughing she added, “You should have seen Stephanie’s face. She did not see that coming.”
Kayn replied, “I had no idea that would happen. It was like boom! Surprise brains everywhere.” She dramatically spread out her arms, showing how far Stephanie’s brains had flown.
“Where’s a giant herd of zombies when you need one,” Zach sparred while shaking his head slowly from side to side.
“I think zombies are real,” Melody threw in to the conversation.
“Those demons from the Legion of Abaddon, with the hollow faces remind me of zombies.” Kayn far too casually noted.
Zach giggled as he teased, “Go home Brighton! You’re drunk! Zombies are decomposing reanimated dead people!”
Melody shoved Kayn over and climbed on top of her moaning, “Brains… Brains! Whoops, wrong person!”
Kayn was pissing herself laughing when she caught the well-timed dig and said, “Hey.” They trio kept drinking the wine as fast as their goblets magically refilled. “You know what? We’re all drunk!” Kayn announced. Her serious tone caused a few titters of laughter from the other two.
“Quite obviously,” Mel replied.
“Yes, I believe we are tuned up quite nicely,” Zach added while swigging back some more.
While lost in la-la land and thoroughly enjoying the break from their harsh reality, a thought popped into Kayn’s mind. She shared it, “Oh, crap! What if the wine’s not a reward? What if it’s meant to side track us from leaving the safety of the sleep chambers?” How were they going to fight anyone or even manage to stay together while hammered?
Melody slurred, “How is your hamster wheel still spinning?” They were all silent for a second as the hamsters between their ears tried to catch up. Mel groaned, “It’s entirely possible that we’re the stupidest people alive on the planet. Didn’t we get drugged the last time we had something to eat?”
Kayn flopped back on the pillow and sighed, “No, don’t you remember? We thought we were drugged but we were gassed.”
Zach raised his goblet as he toasted, “Are we actually still alive or even on the planet? Now that is the question we must ask ourselves.”
“Know what? I have no idea?” Mel slightly slurred.
Kayn began to roll up the bread into balls and eat it as Frost had taught her to do. Maybe they were all equally stupid? A horrible thought flashed through her mind, what if we are the only ones who got wine?
“I heard that thought and it’d be hilarious,” Zach replied to her unspoken words. He attempted to get up but wasn’t coordinated enough to get past being on all fours. He flopped down on his belly and drunkenly suggested, “Let’s just stay right here till we sober up.”
Kayn sprawled out on her back, stared up at the gray ceiling and commentated with her inner voice, this place is all about distractions. The wine…the food. It’s all an elaborate, albeit fun… distraction.
Melody clapped her hands, attempting to rally the drunken troops. She sat up and declared, “We need water. There’s none in here. We’re going to get chased down and killed while hungover and that will epically suck. The water we need is out there.”
“I’ll go get it.” Kayn volunteered. “I’ll let a few of them smack me around a bit. Maybe, I can quench your need for water and their need for revenge at the same time. If they’re in the same state as us, they won’t be coordinated enough to do any real damage.” Kayn managed to stand up. She grabbed her sword and swung it around, narrowly missing the other two as they ducked out of the way.
Melody struggled to get up while saying, “If what they did to us is a hint of what’s in store, you can’t be the one to go out there. They’ll slaughter you.”
Zack hiccupped. He covered his mouth with his hand as he said, “I think the tables have turned on that scenario. I pity the fool that pisses Kayn off.”
Melody tossed a handful of feathers at him and complained, “You can’t let her go Zach. You’re the man.”
Zach retorted, “Listen. You can’t use that, ‘you’re the man speech’ only when it applies to something completely suicidal. Kayn’s the strongest and I have to be the one to reel her back in. You can’t do it Mel. She might be right about offering them a chance at her, while they’re slightly incapacitated. Maybe, everyone’s too drunk to be focused on retribution or wounded egos? Act like you’re too drunk to torture.”
Right…too drunk to torture. Kayn dumped the contents of the wine glasses on the floor. I’m so dead. She cradled all three glasses in one of her arms as she placed her opposite hand against the wall, in the telltale grooves. It slid open. The walls to the other sleep chambers opened at exactly the same time. What are the chances of that? There was a bright side. They all appeared to be equally stupid. They stared each other down from their spots at their sleep chamber doors. Who was going to go first? Kayn decided it would be her. She darted from the safety of the sleep chamber towards the fountain. The second her feet left the security of the sleep chamber, they all raced towards the fountain. Kayn waited for the inevitable smack down to start. Nobody fought, they were all morons and barely able to stand. They watched each other cautiously while drinking the water from their hands. Someone would be sober enough to remember who she was and what she’d done.
“Isn’t that the girl we were looking for earlier?” One of them slurred as he gestured in her direction.
Cue drama. Kayn didn’t react to his comment. She continued to drink from the fountain. Somebody swung their sword at her and even in her mildly intoxicated state, she grabbed the blade mid-swing, with perfect hand-eye coordination, held it in the palm of her hand and smirked, as she yanked it out of theirs. She quickly dropped it. She was supposed to be pretending to be too drunk to torture. She looked at the deep slice across her palm. It healed instantly. She still had Melody’s ability. Had anyone else seen it? She hid her hand against her stomach. They were on to her now. She’d been recognized.
One of the Triad slurred, “Don’t think we’re afraid
of you.”
It sounded like, ‘Don’t think we’re afraid of shoes.’ Kayn turned to face the Triad and asked, “Why are you afraid of shoes?” It was too hilarious to pass up. The Triad smacked the glasses out of her free hand and they plopped into the fountain. Her instinct was to jump on the Triad and drown him. With every breathe she felt herself changing. Kayn took a calming breath and thought of the bigger picture. She had to keep pretending she was drunk and allow them to get their licks in. As she bent over and fished the goblets out of the fountain, she felt the sadly all too familiar sensation of a blade plunging into her back. Adrenaline commenced racing through her system. Calm down. She had to calm down. This was not the time. They would all need to be able to come out of the room. They would need more water. Her assailant shoved her into the fountain before staggering away. Kayn sat in the fountain for a moment, regaining her bearings. The water wasn’t turning red. Her back felt warm. She’d already healed. That was too fast. She had to act drunk and get back to the room. Kayn gripped the edge of the fountain for support and scrambled out, having discovered a little secret. Being submersed in the water from the fountain had sobered her up. It had also calmed her temper.
“So, you’re a Healer now? That’s an interesting development. I guess you’re not the almighty Conduit that everyone thought you were destined to become,” Stephanie announced to the onlookers.
Kayn noticed Stephanie inching her way towards her. She was trying to make it look casual but she knew how Stephanie operated. Her Triad nemesis swung around and backhanded her into the fountain. Kayn allowed Stephanie to win this small battle. After all, she’d blown her up and murdered her friends. Ankh now had the upper hand. Brains before brawn, she had to keep acting drunk. They had gotten in a few shots. Perhaps, they’d feel less of an urge to torture her later? “I have a sword,” Kayn slurred dramatically as she scrambled out of the fountain wielding an imaginary weapon.
“Stephanie laughed. “No you don’t! You’ve gone crazy. You are going to die in here because your wimpy little clan doesn’t stand a hope in hell. You’re just a Healer. Your clan has two Healers and a nothing. You were supposed to be a big deal. I bet that’s disappointing for them.”
Kayn kept her mouth shut while listening to Stephanie’s drunken rant. She’d left her weapon behind, in lieu of goblets. She was losing her patience with this bitch. The smug expression on Stephanie’s face was making behaving herself extremely difficult. Every bone in her body wanted to smack that look off her face. A chair to hit her over the head with would be lovely right now. Her clan needed to be able to come out here and submerse themselves in the fountain without anyone else discovering what they were up to. This was the method to her docile madness. She’d just allowed that bitch to hit her to stay on the high road, but the high road now felt over-rated. She wasn’t programmed for tolerance anymore, Kayn threatened in a breathy whisper, “The first time I blew you up, it was an accident. Do you need a refresher course on the reasons why I don’t need my sword?”
Stephanie’s eyes widened. She rolled her eyes and huffed, “I’m over it.” She wandered back to the safety of the other Triad.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Kevin standing by the opening to Triad’s safe room. He’d been watching their drunken sparring match. Kayn met his eyes and for the first time since killing him, she felt nothing. Her heart was a solid mass in her chest. It was an impenetrable fortress. There was no lingering anger and no agony. Kayn didn’t bother maintaining eye contact. It was time for the other clans to be inconsequential. She pretended to wobble back to Ankh’s sleep chambers and opened it. She presented her clan with their water, by throwing it on them.
“What the hell was that for?” Zach hissed.
Kayn stated the facts to the rest of the trio, “The fountain itself, sobers you up. We have to accidentally bump each other into the fountain. You need to be submersed in it. Keep acting like we’re drunk, until we’re back in here so we don’t let anyone else in on the secret. If anything goes wrong, I’ve been sober for a while. I’ve got it covered.” She was emotionally void. She neglected to mention that tidbit of information. It was more important that they all managed to sober up. She’d find a way to keep it under control. They all staggered noisily out of the sleep chambers, realizing that nobody had come back out. They all jumped into the fountain, drank the water and submerged themselves in it. The doors opened. The others were watching. They had to make it look good.
Zach obnoxiously slurred, “You clumsy bitch! That’s not funny!”
“Actually, you prissy little man child. It’s friggin hilarious,” Melody sparred.
Kayn pretended to topple into the fountain, no longer able to find the ability to laugh. Her veins were visible on her arms again. She fought with the urge to grab hold of Melody and feed. She pretended to struggle to get out of the fountain. They all staggered back to their safe place in a performance worthy of a comedy award. The door slid shut. Zach and Mel high fived and she left them hanging.
“What do we do now?” Zach whispered.
Kayn mechanically stated, “Now, we get the hell out of here, with a head start.”
Zach noticed the change in her personality, he asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I need to stay like this for a while,” Kayn blankly replied. “You’ll know when I’m not okay.”
He nodded, understanding her need to be emotionally vacant. Kayn had to be able to think logically without the inconvenience of emotional conflict. She walked over to where the food was and shoved some bread into her sarong. Melody followed suit. Zach had nowhere to store anything. She grabbed the feather she’d found in the pillow and passed it to Zach.
He grinned as he took it from her and chuckled, “Where am I supposed to put that?”
With an inability to joke around, Kayn took it out of his hand and placed it behind his ear.
Melody teased, “Oh, look. It’s Peter Pan in white. That’s a lovely look for you. I hope Wendy likes it.”
He tossed the feather onto the floor and said, “Is it necessary to kick me in the junk every time you speak?”
Kayn picked it up. A symbolic gesture on her part that he’d completely missed. She tucked it into the tie around her waist. She impassively listened to them arguing as she planned their escape. The obvious exit was through the center of the rooms by the fountain but this place was built by magic so perhaps treating it as such, was in order.
Unavoidable Demises
Kayn addressed a seemingly solid wall in the sleep chamber, opposite the direction to the fountain, “Door open.” At a turtle’s pace, it ground opened, revealing a large room full of ice.
“I don’t really want to freeze to death,” Melody whispered.
“So, out the front door it is,” Zach declared.
Kayn robotically stepped away from the wall and it slid shut.
She said, “Let me try something.” She whispered, “Open,” to the side wall in the room. It ground open to reveal a long winding hallway. They all walked quickly through the best option available. The trio wandered down the twisting stone corridor until they came upon another noticeable door and said, “Please open.” Once again, the door opened to the frozen room they’d attempted to avoid earlier.
“Maybe this isn’t a choice? “Zach stated.
“Can’t we walk just a little bit further, to be sure,” Melody pleaded with a hint of desperation in her voice.
Those words of wisdom, she recalled them now. There is no easy road to acceptance. Kayn glanced up, noticing the next obvious ridges on the opposite side of the hall. She placed her fingers and the heel of her hand in it. It slid open, revealing yet another room full of ice. This one resembled an enormous restaurant freezer. There’d be no final visions of beauty for her sentimental friends in this version of their icy demise. Kayn acknowledged the painfully obvious, “The question isn’t, what’s next? It is only, what version of this death do you prefer? Do you want to freeze where it loo
ks like winter on a beautiful picturesque mountain side, or do you want to get locked in a restaurant’s icebox? We have to choose one.”
Zach replied, “I’d prefer the natural version. At least there will be beautiful scenery as we go.”
Melody explained her hesitation, “There’s always some kind of messed-up twist. What if the natural version comes with an abominable snowman or two that plan to eat us?”
“Then the restaurant ice box it is,” Kayn replied. She turned back towards that opening.
Melody grabbed her arm and stopped Kayn from opening the door. She insisted, “Let’s keep walking. Just for a bit, humor me.”
She didn’t want to start dying again. This was understandable. Kayn felt the urge to smile at her. Her emotions were coming back. She suspected this would be inconvenient timing for that to happen. As the three of them strolled down the oddly peaceful hallway, the contents of Kayn’s stomach began to curdle. With one glance, she knew they were all on the same page. The walls behind her began to make fizzing, crackling sounds. Their reprieve was over. The three sprinted away from the sound. Kayn was the only one that took a split second to look back out of curiosity. Behind her balls of lava began to spit from the crypt walls. Fear! She felt terror! She was back! Kayn gasped, “Run! It’s lava!” She’d experienced this demise once before. Saying it was unpleasant was an extreme understatement. They ran just a breath ahead of each ball of liquid torment. Each time it hit the opposite side of the hallway, it splashed back. A droplet of lava scalded Zach’s skin. He cried out in agony. Kayn grabbed his hand, yanking him forward. There wasn’t a second for shock. The lava corralled them all in one direction, without choice. A room opened-up. The three of them dove inside of it, escaping the spitting lava. Each one of them had the sense that they’d only postponed the inevitable as the crypt’s door ground shut. They stood there for a second, surveying their surroundings for danger. The coast appeared to be clear. There was no obvious form of a frozen demise in this room.