by H. J. Lawson
“Come out … come out … wherever you are,” Xander’s mind toys with mine. I have to get him out of my head like my older brother Zion told me to.
“Come out, come out,” Xander repeats, as he tries to control my mind, so I can’t hear him move.
“Xander, leave me alone!” my mind screams loudly at him—so loud, pain rips through my head. I can feel tears rolling down my face from anger and fear. “Why do you do this to me?”
“You know why!”
I move around the bookcase, keeping low and close to the shelves, hiding in the darkness.
“Because you like to torture me?” I ask.
“Ha ha. That part is fun…”
“Just stay out of his head,” I say. If he didn’t read Father’s mind all the time, he wouldn’t be like this, twisted with jealousy and hatred toward me.
“Don’t tell me what to do! You don’t know what it's like hearing everyday what a great son you are, and how dumb I am! We can’t all be Father’s favorite!” he yells out at me. Finally. Now I know where he is, and he’s angry.
I panic and sprint away from his voice, my heart racing with every step I take. My own body is giving me away to my brother. I can hear him behind me.
“Arh!” I yell out, as something crashes against my head. It's a book … he threw a book at me!
“Ha ha,” he laughs.
I duck out of the way as I hear another book flying through the air and crashing to the ground. These are the last books on the planet, and he’s using them as weapons against me.
“Cut it out,” I stupidly yell. I can hear his feet moving faster as he sprints toward me.
I gasp for air, and Xander crushes my ribs as he slams my body down onto the cold stone floor. He jumps on top of me, squeezing his legs into my sides.
“Get off me!” I shout, as I thrash my arms and legs around. But it makes little difference, as always.
I know what’s coming next. I try to tighten up my muscles, but at eight I don’t have any. Unlike Xander … he looks as though he was born with muscles.
A burning pain rips through my body as he starts punching me in the side. He’s hitting me there so as not to leave any marks on my face.
Rage fills his eyes. This isn’t a game … it’s revenge. “Get off me,” I yell again, as fist after fist rains down on me.
I push my arms outwards, trying to protect myself.
“Dax, it's me. It’s Trinity … it's time.”
I spring up from the bed, forcing my eyes open. The pressure on my chest feels like Xander is still on me, crushing my ribs like I’m a kid again.
I suck in a deep breath of the thick, heavy air, reminding me I’m still in the tomb, inside the pyramid.
Trinity’s face glows orange from the burning torch as she stands in the corner of the stone room, with concern in her eyes, and I understand. I know my father is in her nightmares, just as my brother is in mine.
After a few years of listening to my father’s thoughts, I know I’m no longer his favorite. Xander is, and I’m fine with that. I know what Xander had to do to become that way, and I want no part of it.
As I step out of the pyramid, the fullness of the moon takes my breath away. I have never seen it look like this before—it looks as though it’s falling from the sky. There is an orange glow to it, as if its light is coming from the Enlighten tribe’s flames—which cannot be. I want to touch it … I can feel my arm twitching to reach out toward it, and I have to fight back the temptation.
The sky is covered in pinpricks of light, as if they are peep holes for the gods Trinity spoke about. In the books I read about the gods, but listening to Trinity and the other tribesmen speaking about them, they almost feel real.
I head over to the others from my group. They are standing with the Enlighten tribe in the square surrounded by the pyramids. The square is covered with mini-rectangle stones on the ground, with grass sprouting up between the breaks.
Guns are in my group's hands. They are ready for battle….
Trinity passes me my gun and bracelet. I place it on my wrist. Trinity and the others are already wearing theirs.
I press the button on the bracelet. Gavyn hasn’t tried to get in touch with me—I hope he’s okay. Rubbing my hand on my now-stubbed chin, I really want to find out where Xander is. It’s like I’m back in the vault and he’s hunting me down.
I open my mind for a moment. “Xander, where are you?”
Nothing.
It doesn’t feel like he’s blocking … he’s just not here. Where is he? Will he be at Aurum Sanction? I shake my head as though I’m answering my own question.
Like me, Xander never liked the Aurum Chancellor. Come to think of it, Father never liked him, either.
Most Chancellors pretend to like one another. The Emperor wouldn’t stand for Sanction fighting. That why the Sanctions were formed in the first place, to stop the wars.
I don’t think Xander has gone to Aurum Sanction, even if he wanted to. Father wouldn’t allow it—that would be a sign of weakness.
“So are we doing this or what?” Reznor’s gravelly voice breaks into my train of thought. My brother will show his face to me soon—there is no question about that. This battle isn’t over.
I walk over toward the others. “Yeah, we’re doing this,” I say firmly, nodding my head. We’re doing this, and I’m getting my family back.
“Good!” Reznor says, as he slams his overgrown hand onto my back. A piece of meat flies out of his mouth as he speaks. I brush my face clean.
Even though we’ve only been out of the Grounders’ community for a few days, Reznor’s normally clean-shaven face is overgrown just like the jungle. He scratches at his chin, clearly not enjoying his new look.
Considering everything he went through in the abandoned city, and the army being after him, he is in good spirits. Too good….
“Trinity, did you give him something?” I whisper into her ear.
She nods. Smiling, she turns and whispers back, “He was only meant to drink a little, but he drank all of it. We couldn’t stop him.”
“How long will it last?”
“A few hours at the most. But it’s hard to tell. If it were one of my tribe, they’d have passed out from this amount. But Reznor’s not a normal man,” she adds with a playful tone to her voice. Trinity is right, he’s not a normal man—he’s the best warrior I’ve ever met. I’m glad he’s here.
I not sure about the others … is it right to bring Lowell into this battle? He’s just a kid, maybe a year younger than me. I’d bet only a few days ago he hadn’t been anywhere other than Cueva and Purenet. Poor kid is wrapped in this nightmare because he cares for Skylier. I’m glad he does.
And then there is Trinity. I can’t even think what torture she’s been through under the hands of my father, and now she stands here ready to fight by my side. I shake my head, and my eyebrows pin together in a frown.
“I’m coming with you,” Trinity responds to my head shake before I can even ask the question.
My eyes trail over to Lowell. “Me too,” he says.
I smile at the mini army, made up of all different types of Outsiders. “What about me?” Hayden asks. “You not going to ask me if I’m coming?”
“You coming?” I ask him.
“If I have to,” he replies, looking up and smiling. Hayden’s never been one for sitting around doing nothing. When we went out with the Grounders, he was always the first to volunteer, normally anxious to get out of the communities—or was it because he wanted to find out more information to share with my father? The smile fades from my face … I have to remember what he’s spent the last few years doing—collecting information for my father. Now is not the time to have doubts about them. They’re all I have.
“Please lead the way,” I say to Spiro, and motion to the group of misfits.
As though he doesn’t want us to change our minds, Spiro takes off running, with Trinity at his side. The rest of his tribe follows behin
d him, leaving us standing in the square with the pyramid eerily looking over us.
“Who made these?” Hayden asks, aware that we are all staring at them.
“No one knows. Some people think the aliens…” My mind wanders back to the books for a moment, trying to remember if I ever found out how they were made.
“A-l-i-e-n-s,” Lowell says slowly, “what are they?”
“People that live up there,” I say, as I point to the blackness of the sky.
Reznor’s laughter bounces off the pyramid. It sounds like it's coming from the pit of his stomach. “Were you drugged as well?” he asks, looking over to me.
“No … but I kind of wish I was.” I smile. Nothing like going into battle feeling unstoppable.
We glance at one another, realizing that we need to go. “We don’t leave anyone behind,” I say, I as take off running.
“Wait up, I thought you said don’t leave anyone behind!” Hayden yells, as I follow the Enlighten tribe into the thick jungle.
*****
The tribe runs silently through the trees, as if they are part of the jungle. Only their orange glowing flames give away their location, and they move too quickly to catch. Their shadows dance along with them, in and out of the trees, as if they are playing hide and seek with one another.
In the darkness all my senses are heightened, and I try to focus on the sounds around me. I move my flaming torch toward the noises I hear, but all it does is create more shadows. They look like demons trying to creep out and attack us … maybe it’s a good thing the tribe didn’t give me any drugs like Reznor, or I might start attacking these shadows.
I glance over my shoulder toward Reznor. He’s running happily along with the others, and I can just make out a smug grin inside his overgrown beard.
He’s got the same look as when we go into battle, normally with other Outsiders—those who were banished and never made it to the Grounders' community. Well, some made it … they just weren’t allowed to stay.
My mouth fills up with saliva, and I push it to the back of my mouth and then spit it out, giving my throat room to breathe as I gasp for air. The sweet smell in the jungle surrounding us reminds me of Ayah, and the flowers she loved to collect on our walks.
I hope she’s okay … “Please, Xander, don’t hurt her,” I plead to him, even though I know he can’t hear me. And if he could, it wouldn’t make any difference.
Just the thought of him going nearer to her drives me to move faster. I leap over the roots and fallen trees, and they crush each time I land on them. I will never give up until I have my loved ones back.
I can feel the others behind me also speeding up—our group is moving faster now through the jungle … like a pack of wild animals, which I’m glad I haven’t seen yet. Not sure what I would do if I came face-to-face with a lion or something like that. I know Reznor would just wrestle it to the ground.
The jungle ahead begins to thin out … we are here. My lungs burn in pain, like each breath is hot lava dripping down my throat.
We all slow down, and I can see Spiro with his hand in the air, indicating that we are stopping, and Trinity and the Enlighten tribe are next to him. I’m grateful for the reprieve as I inhale another breath of the damp, floral air.
Spiro waves his hand toward us, and we head over to him. The smell of scorched wood breaks the natural scent of the jungle, as the tribe stomps down on the ground. I look closer … they are stomping on fire with their bare feet. My body twinges at the sight. Even Trinity is doing it without flinching.
Their skin is tough, like the homes they live in. Maybe we have a chance.
“Dax, Reznor … look over there; that’s where we will go in,” Spiro says, as he points toward the giant hole. It’s the gold mine pit. It looks like the stadium in Purenet, if it had been dug out of the ground. Its larger-than-life steps are too big even for Reznor.
I spot a few diggers—they must have created the steps. In the middle of the pit there are noisy conveyer belts high up into the sky. They screech as the metal grinds on metal; this sound will be the perfect cover for us.
At the bottom of the conveyer belts are people, and it looks as though they are sorting through rocks … I’m guessing they're looking for the gold.
The sun is not yet up, but it will be soon, as the moon lowers its bright light into the horizon. We don’t have much time.
Spiro speaks before I can. “We need you to take out the guard,” he says. Thank goodness he has a plan … I thought I was going to have to come up with one. He points down toward the people, and Reznor and I take a look.
“Looks like there are twenty of them, maybe more,” Reznor says.
“Yes,” I agree.
“We should take them from up there,” Reznor says.
“No. We need to get closer and split up,” Hayden states, as he squeezes next to me and points to a lower tier within the mine pit.
“I agree with Hayden,” I say. Reznor nods, much to Hayden’s delight—he’s finally being heard.
“Trinity, what do you think?” I ask her, because she’s been right so far.
“I agree with Hayden,” she says firmly.
“Is your dark shadow here with you?” I ask. Everyone from her tribe falls silent, aware of what I’m saying. But my guys just look at each other, confused.
“He’s not been here since I left the pyramids,” she says. From the worried tone in her voice, it’s almost as though she misses it.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Skylier
I’ll take them back, then come back for you, Rian’s mind says.
Rian, I will call you if I need you. I will keep my block down.
But if you go too far… I won’t be able to hear you.
They can’t have covered too much ground in two days. Go now.
Okay, Rian’s mind says as it drifts off to get the Hosts to safety.
I tap the watch and say into it, “Abaven, it’s Skylier. I’m going after Gerel. Lead me to her.”
“Skylier, come back. The guards at Purenet will see you,” he replies.
“I’m not leaving them. Make them not see me, and guide me to the Bazis now!” I bark.
Abaven pauses. “Keep going straight until I tell you,” he says.
I squeeze the handle. The bike surges forward, creating a thick cloud of sandy dust around me. Everything becomes a blur. Even the sound is blurred. My lungs feel heavy as the dust around me creeps into them, making them heavy and my chest tight.
“Turn right, Gerel’s bike is there. I can’t see her,” Abaven tells me.
I swiftly turn the bike handlebars, leaning with my body into the turn, and I fly forward in that direction.
The bike’s light beams out in front of me, lighting up mesmerizing whorls of sand. My heart stops beating. Gerel is on the ground, cradling her sister’s lifeless body in her lap
I bring the bike to a halt. “Gerel?” I say as I approach her.
She doesn’t move.
“Gerel,” I say as I drop down beside her.
“I can’t bring her back,” Gerel mutters. “He chose your friend over my sister. He left her to die,” Gerel says, sobbing over her sister, Beba, whose lifeless body is covered in sand.
“Did Abaven know she was out there?” I ask.
Gerel shakes her head. “If he had, he wouldn’t have let me leave on this mission.”
“Gerel, Skylier, you need to leave. I can’t control the guards’ feed for much longer,” Abaven says through the earpiece.
“Gerel, we have to go,” I say, placing my hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t touch me, I’m not going anywhere.” She pushes my hand off her just as a gust of wind forces me onto Beba. I reach forward to stop my whole body landing on Beba. My hand slams down on top of Gerel’s hand, which is placed over Beba’s heart.
The whistling wind stops. Everything stops.
Heat flows from Gerel’s hand into mine, making it feel as if it’s fused together with Gerel�
�s. I try to move my hand way, but before I can, Gerel’s other hand is on top of mine.
“You… you have the gift of healing,” Gerel says.
The blood inside the veins in my hands feels like it is boiling, bubbling up. But it doesn’t hurt. It feels right. I place my other hand on top of Gerel’s, stacking our hands over Beba’s heart.
I close my eyes and clear my mind, letting only the word “live” run through it.
The heat between our hands gets hotter. Abaven screams orders in my ear, but all I can hear is the single word, “live.”
My hand moves upwards just a fraction, enough to break my focus. I peel open my eyes. The sand storm is swirling around us, not touching us, like we are in the eye of a hurricane.
Beba’s chest rises. “Live… live…” Gerel chants. I do too, and we chant in unison. “Live… live,” our voices get louder, more urgent.
Beba bolts up into a sitting position; the force knocks me and Gerel to the ground, stealing the life and energy from me.
I watch Beba with my heavy eyes. I struggle to remain awake. Beba’s mouth opens, inhumanly wide. Heavy black fog gushes from her mouth, pouring out like an upside down waterfall and seeping into the clouds above.
The black fog stops pouring from her mouth.
The sand storm dies in the same instant. The tiny sand particles are captured in the air, suspended in time, then fall to the ground as if the new night brought a new day, taking the old with it.
My mind goes dark like the sky, and I hear Beba gasp for a breath… She’s alive… am I?
Chapter Fifty
Dax
Luckily, most of the guards are in the bottom of the pit; it looks like that’s where their offices are. There are lights surrounding the area, illuminating the darkness. They must have this mine running 24 hours a day. Work them till they die?
We divide into four groups; this way, we are taking the enemy from all sides. They will not know what’s hit them—well, at least I hope not.
Trinity and Spiro come with me. They will use their poison darts on any stray guards as we get into position.