Approaching Storm (Alternate Worlds Book 2)

by Taylor Leigh

  Tollin’s mind raced, the hallways all seemed twisted since last he’d been out. He tried to think of the best route to the stairs.

  ‘Through the lab,’ Tollin barked, ‘has another way out.’

  Sam blanched; he could almost feel her insides freezing up. ‘Tollin, wait—’

  He keyed the door open and they all stopped dead. Roth was lying on the ground, writhing in a pool of slimy sick. Blood and mucus were running from his nose and mouth. He was wheezing, moaning. Etching across his skin was a crisscross pattern of black, which wafted up off of his skin like fumes. Clutched so tightly in one of his hands that it sliced through his skin was a databar; no doubt filled with the scant amount of information he’d managed to glean from Tollin’s mind before the power had been cut. He was clinging to it desperately, as if he could somehow suck the information out.

  Revulsion and hatred flared up inside of him at the sight. This man had tried to have Samantha murdered more than once without a thought. He was a danger to every Realm there was. A metallic taste flooded Tollin’s mouth. He watched the man writhe. Let him. This was justice.

  Sam shrank against him. When she spoke, her voice was flat, dry. ‘Tollin…can’t we…?’

  He gript her hand tighter, hauling her away from the room and locking the door shut. ‘No.’ he said flatly, insides still burning.

  Sam didn’t argue. He wished she hadn’t seen that. The image had burnt in his brain, turning his stomach. No doubt it was having the same effect on her. Maybe it was. Maybe that was what he was feeling.

  An explosion of bullets ripped through the wall before them.

  ‘All right,’ Erikson stammered. ‘I haven’t thought this far into our escape. Now what?’

  Sam glanced to Tollin expectantly, her hand still clamped in his, something neither one of them seemed too keen on giving up. Tollin let out a growl and ran his hand through his hair. After all he’d been through, he’d admittedly let the floor plans of the place slip from his mind. Now he was regretting it. He had to get Sam out. She was the number one priority.

  ‘Oh! Here, I’ve got the floor plans.’ Sam let go of his hand with a little reluctance and tossed him her handheld. Tollin scanned through it fast, memorising the information in a few seconds before he stuffed it in his pocket. Now he had some options!

  ‘Right, follow me.’

  Tollin didn’t have a clear plan in mind about where he was going. He simply rounded corner after corner, trying to ignore the hail of bullets behind them in the dark. He knew where the exits were, it was just a trick of reaching the nearest one. It felt good to be moving again, his muscles rejoiced at the prospect of running. Even with the situation they were in, Tollin figured it would take quite a bit to slap the smile off of his face.

  Sam and Erikson hurried to keep up with him, firing wildly.

  Tollin flopped up against a wall and Sam backed up to stand beside him, gun cocked in the air. Tollin offered her a lop-sided grin. ‘Where did you learn to shoot?’

  Sam smiled tightly. ‘Marus taught me.’

  Tollin felt his eyebrows creep upward slowly but he said nothing. He’d clearly missed a lot when he’d been out.

  Shouting came from the other direction and they all turned. Guards were coming from the other way.

  ‘Great! We’re boxed in!’ Erikson moaned. ‘We’re going have to fight our way out, and I’m low on ammunition.’

  ‘No, no, no, wait!’ Tollin cried. Now that he was free from the chair he was more confident, more in-tune with his abilities. It hummed through him like electricity. Whatever distraction had kept him from escaping this place was gone now. The Realms were open to him, he just had to reach out and grasp them. ‘Just give me a moment!’

  Sam was staring at him in shock. Tollin ignored her and made himself go calm. ‘What are you doing?’

  He stood stalk still, hands outstretched, calling the memories of the Realms to him.

  ‘We need to move!’

  Tollin closed his eyes, ignoring her, willing the power to fill him. He pictured the Realm in his head, clear as day. He could almost smell the salty air. He imagined Sam, Erikson and him there, going deeper into the image, waiting to feel sand under his feet.

  The stones were almost at their most powerful, he was still weak, but at least the generator was on the fritz. It was a risk but he’d have to take it. It was time.

  Sam and Erikson were shouting at him, he could hear feet nearing, an explosion as a bullet left a barrel. Funny, it certainly was taking a long time. He went deeper in, searching for power; a blast of hot air came from his left.

  Nothing! Absolutely nothing! He had the image of the place in his head, clear as day, but the ability to get there was gone, vanished!

  The disappointment of the realisation hit him hard. He truly had lost the ability. Somehow it had been stolen from him and now they were trapped. But it felt so close…So real. So much more than it had when he’d been alone…

  His eyes popped open. Sam and Erikson were both staring at him, Sam’s short hair was tousled, her eyes wide. Erikson was gripping her hand, pulling her towards Tollin. In his other hand he held his gun. His blue eyes locked with Tollin’s in confusion. Behind them were ten or more Myrmidon troops, racing down the hall, firing at them, shouting.

  And then it hit him. Oh, it was so simple, so brilliantly simple that he was shocked he hadn’t thought of it sooner. A wild grin began pulling at his lips.

  It all had to do with Sam.

  ‘Oh!’ Tollin shouted. ‘Oh! Yes! Of course! When we were both hit with the blast from the ring it wasn’t simply a transfer of consciousness, it was a transfer of ability! Of DNA!’ He couldn’t stop himself from spinning in a tight circle in his excitement. He let out a whoop of triumph.

  ‘What are you going on about?’ Sam shouted, voice trembling slightly as she was just missed by a bullet. The troops were almost on top of them. ‘We need to go!’

  Erikson pulled Sam closer. ‘There’s a fire escape at the end of the hall, but I’m not sure we’ll make it in time!’

  Tollin was still talking, hardly listening to them. How could he have missed it? ‘It didn’t just suck power out of me, it sucked it into you!’

  An explosion hit near them and they all stumbled.

  ‘Sam!’ Tollin said quickly. ‘Grab my hand!’

  ‘What? I hardly think this is the time for—’

  ‘JUST DO IT! And whatever you do, don’t let go!’

  Sam groaned, shoved her gun into her belt and grabbed Tollin’s hand with her free one, still keeping a grip on Erikson.

  There was a loud blast and Erikson threw himself in front of Sam like a raggedy doll just as the entire world faded away with a rippling roar.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Sam stumbled, releasing Tollin and Erikson’s hands to shield her eyes against the new blinding light. With heavy breath she struggled to adjust and looked round in bewilderment, aware of the new quiet that had settled. What she saw caught her breath.

  Sand. She was standing on sand.

  They were on a small beach of purple sand. Before her, as far as the eye could see, stretched a glassy, flat ocean. The water was so smooth for a long moment she did not realise what it was. Far out across the water hovered storm clouds, flashing lightning gently into the sea.

  She turned around in amazement, unable to settle on any one spot. Rocks, like the spokes of a wheel, were stacked out into the water all in intermittent bars. At the centre of the small island was a tall, yellow, cakelike building, with lamps flanking an open entrance and a large, bowl-shaped bell topping the structure.

  It wasn’t the Myrmidon base, Sam knew that much. Her first thought was a bit of a morbid one. Had they just died? Was this what happened once life left your body? Sam wasn’t sure she was completely unhappy with it. The place was beautiful. Small, but beautiful. No wind stirred the air. It was so still. Eerily still.

  She stammered, unable to find words. Erikson seemed just as floored
as her; he sank to his knees, staring. Tollin walked away from both of them, down the purple sand, hands resting on his hips as he looked out to sea. Sam hurried after him.

  ‘What? Where are we?’ she gasped. ‘What happened? I don’t recognise this beach! How’d we get here?’

  ‘You don’t recognise it because we’re not on Scottorr anymore,’ Tollin explained patiently.

  It was hard to comprehend the statement. ‘How do you mean we’re not on Scottorr anymore? Where are we?’

  Tollin looked around thoughtfully; Sam could have sworn she saw a slightly smug smile pulling at his lips. ‘A different Realm. Well, not really a Realm. More like a bridge between Realms. A bubble. Hardly a proper place. This is all there is, I’d imagine. A bit like limbo,’ he drew out the word. ‘A mini-Realm. A Realmlett, a micro-Realm—’

  ‘A Realmling?’ Sam offered, still reeling.

  Tollin grinned. ‘Not bad!’

  Sam held up a hand, trying to fight down a delighted smile. ‘You mean to tell me we’re on a different world? A different dimension?’

  Tollin grinned and her. ‘Yup!’

  Sam shook her head, unable to take it in. ‘I don’t…’ she couldn’t find words to fit it. Wonder. That was all she had to define what she was feeling. Wonder, awe, happiness.

  She gazed up at Tollin, unable to stop smiling. The light from a source Sam couldn’t see shone from behind him, framing his sharp profile. His lips were twisted up into a delighted smile. She’d never seen someone so chuffed with themselves. And as far as Sam was concerned, he had every right to be. She could have kissed him. Might have done, if the man was actually capable of standing still longer than ten seconds.

  ‘But how did we get here?’ she asked at last.

  Tollin beamed. ‘Simple! I say simple, but it’s really rather complicated, and I feel like a complete idiot for not working it out sooner! When we were both up on the tower and the ring sent off the blast that screwed up our minds—you know, giving us this mental and emotional connection—that wasn’t its only goal that it botched. I think that the Daemons were trying to get a hold of all of me, not just my memories. They wanted my body—well, my DNA—so that they could Realm jump. I’ve never heard of it done before but they must be evolving.

  ‘Anyhow, like how our minds split, only working half way, same with my DNA! Certainly fits with why Roth is obsessed with injecting himself with my blood.’

  Sam gaped at him. ‘You mean to tell me I’ve got some of your DNA inside of me?’

  Tollin scratched his head, still smiling. ‘So it seems, of course I won’t know for sure till I get a chance to look at you under a microscope…well, your DNA, I mean.’

  Sam’s mind whirled. ‘But what does that mean? Am I going to start mutating into something?’

  ‘We’ll worry about that later,’ Tollin said brightly, clapping his hands together and spinning away from her. ‘Time to go! We’ve got to get back to Marus and Arkron and figure out what our next move is going to be!’

  ‘Hang on; I want to explore a bit more! I mean, this is a different world!’

  ‘Perhaps another time, Sam; right now we have to go.’

  Sam turned on her heel. ‘Come on, Erikson, help me out! Don’t you want to look around?’

  The look of him caused her words to die in her throat. His face was pale, twisting in slight spasms. One of his hands was clamped over his stomach, where a large, dark stain was spreading. With a groan, the man slumped forward into the sand.

  The world around her crashed away to nothing but horror.

  Behind her, Tollin’s voice became a frustrated roar. ‘No! No! No!’

  Sam dashed over. The purple sand was turning dark with Erikson’s blood.

  Tollin collapsed beside her, face stony. He rolled the man over. ‘Come on, Erikson! Stay with me! Look, it’s a different Realm, just like you wanted, aye?’

  Sam was aware of the fact she was babbling. ‘We have to jump somewhere, Tollin! With a good hospital, yeah?’

  He shook his head, snarling, teeth bared. ‘We can’t. The jump would kill him.’

  Erikson’s blue eyes fluttered closed, he gasped something inaudible.

  Sam looked up to Tollin. His eyes were dark; face unfathomable, enraged, crushed. He was working wildly, trying to get Erikson’s bloody shirt off of him, as close to panic as Sam could ever imagine him being. There was an anger to Tollin that blocked her out. Sam could sense nothing but a black cloud in his mind and it worried her. Through his mind one thought pounded over and over. ‘It’s not fair! Why must this be my life?’

  His desperation increased as he watched Erikson cough up blood.

  ‘Tollin,’ Sam said, as steadily as she could. She’d thought Tollin might be hurt when she’d rescue him. She’d packed a small aid kit in her rucksack, but it was unhappily inadequate for this now.

  He ignored her.

  ‘Tollin!’

  His eyes were like dark pools. Dangerous.

  ‘Tollin, let me help,’ Sam pressed.

  ‘Sam, just back off!’ Tollin snapped, voice trembling. He tore at Erikson’s clothes to get to the wound.

  ‘Tollin!’ Sam barked. She grabbed his trembling, bloody hands and held them still. His eyes locked with hers. He looked ready to cry. Sam lowered her voice gently. ‘Tell me what to do.’

  He swallowed heavily. For a tick there was nothing but Erikson’s laboured breathing. Then Tollin closed his eyes and nodded. ‘Right.’

  For the next long, few minutes they worked together. Sam doing what she was told, hardly aware that she had another man’s blood on her hands. They didn’t have any instruments or time and as the seconds dragged by it became clear to Sam that there was only one outcome. The reality left her cold. He was going to die in her very arms.

  Suddenly, Erikson spoke. ‘I see a light, Sam!’ He gasped, then he let out a pained laugh. ‘It sounds silly, like what people always joke about. But it’s there, bright and real as you are.’ He touched Sam’s face. She felt something warm and wet slide beneath his fingers. ‘It’s so beautiful…It’s like…like it’s calling to me. Like there’s something there. I didn’t think I’d be able to find it, but I think you’ve shown me the way…’

  Sam looked into Tollin’s eyes. Erikson had stopped talking sense. Tollin was staring at her intensely, no longer trying to save Erikson, at last deciding it was a lost cause. His expression was unfathomable and she couldn’t take the intensity of his watch. She turned her attention back to Erikson.

  ‘It sounds beautiful,’ she said gently, pressing her hands to the sides of his face.

  He smiled tremblingly. ‘It reminds me of you.’

  Sam frowned in confusion. ‘Look, Erikson, you’re going to be all right. We’re not going to leave you.’

  He gazed up at her, but he didn’t seem to see her anymore. ‘Bury me here, will you? There’s nowhere for me to go back to on Scottorr. I’ve never cared for that Realm. I want to sleep here. There actually are other worlds!’ He laughed weakly. ‘Imagine that.’

  Sam nodded, fighting down tears. ‘’Kay.’

  A wry smile pulled at his lips. ‘I wonder what’s beyond the light? Another Realm even Tollin cannot imagine… And you’ll lead me there, won’t you?’

  Sam nodded. ‘Of—of course…’ She didn’t know what else to say. Erikson was fading fast.

  Tollin’s face darkened, as if he didn’t appreciate the last request; then his expression turned to confusion as Erikson continued. ‘Oh, Traveller, if only you knew…’

  And he was gone.

  Sam swallowed and looked up at Tollin.

  He did not look to her, simply stood to his feet and walked away.

  It took some searching, but they managed to find a small boat stored in the strange building. With no other way to bury Erikson, it seemed the most appropriate. Now Sam and Tollin sat in the sand, watching Erikson floating away from them across the impossibly smooth water.

  Tollin was eerily quiet beside
her. His knees propped up, eyes deep. Sam hadn’t known what to say to him and so she simply sat beside him, watching the water. She wanted to speak. They had been parted for days, had just went through a harrowing escape together and had tried to save a life, but whatever thoughts were knocking around in Tollin’s head he didn’t seem keen on sharing.

  Lightning gently throbbed in the sky far out across the ocean. Sam wondered just how far the water went. Was it the universe of this world, stretching on and on for ever with no stopping? Were any other ships out there; would someone someday stumble across this solitary island and their few footprints?

  To Sam’s surprise, Tollin spoke, breaking her out of her reeling thoughts. ‘I misjudged you, Sam.’

  Sam blinked. She didn’t know how to respond to the statement. Was that what Tollin had been thinking on, out of everything he’d been through recently?

  He continued, ‘Even though we share the same thoughts I didn’t really count you as the strong person you are. You saved me! Not many people would attempt that, and I mean it. You walked into the Myrmidon headquarters. It was something like…like I would have done.’

  Sam looked out across the water and bit her lip. ‘Well, I couldn’t just leave you there.’

  He turned to look at her and Sam was confronted with his dark, impossible eyes. ‘I underestimated you, Sam, and I’m sorry.’

  She offered him a gentle smile. ‘Look, it’s all right. I didn’t really know I had it in me, myself.’ She scooped up a handful of purple sand and let it spill between her fingers. ‘I just knew I had to save you. My destiny, I guess.’

  Thunder rumbled distantly.

  ‘How did you manage it?’ Tollin asked, voice quiet but bursting with curiosity.

  Sam shrugged, she didn’t know why but bringing up Tollin’s guide felt like a betrayal to her help. ‘I just kind of formed a plan and went for it. It certainly helped that the base was empty.’ Just not empty enough…