by Matt Ryan
But the small attack worked. Simon’s group stopped to handle the assault. Joey whispered a silent thank you before running into the back of an Arrack. His group had stopped at the stairs leading into the orange building.
“Into the building.” Sharati ran to the front door of the orange warehouse.
Two wide wooden doors were their only way in. A bullet slammed into the wood door over Sharati’s head. She didn’t flinch. Behind them, clashes of steel filled the dark, dirt street.
Sharati opened the doors and they fell into the building. The rest of the Arracks stood at the door as Sharati closed it. The thump and latch echoed through the insides of the large, vacant building.
He searched for the stone protruding out of the ground.
“Where is it?” Julie asked.
“This way.” Sharati jogged toward the back of the building and into the shadows.
Darkness concealed the size of the building but their heavy breaths and steps on the stone floor bounced off distant, unseen walls.
The doors behind them rattled as something slammed into it. Joey jumped at the sound. Julie used her Panavice to shine light back at the double door. It vibrated again, dust falling from the edges. Gunfire peppered around the handle, but the locks held. Joey wondered for how much longer.
“Here it is. Down here.” Sharati stood near three doors and grabbed the handle of the far right door, swinging it open. Julie’s Panavice lit the stone steps leading down.
“It’s at the bottom.” Sharati pointed.
Julie darted downstairs with Hank carrying Lucas behind her. Poly touched Joey’s shoulder as she passed and headed down the steps.
“Thank you,” Joey said to Sharati. He searched for better words, but everything seemed insignificant for what they were contributing.
“Here, take this back.” She extended the gun to him. “It was an honor to hold onto it, if only for a bit.”
He took it and nodded.
They continued to pound on the front door. He wasn’t sure where the other two doors led, but he didn’t want to see her get shot down by Simon. Enough lives had been lost on account of him and his friends already.
“Why don’t you come with us?”
She looked confused and glanced at the door to the left. “This human shouldn’t even be here. I don’t have anything to run from.”
“He’ll kill you.”
“We all die.” Sharati took a step back and slammed the door.
Joey ran down the steps, breathing in the stale air as it poured out of the cave opening. He stepped into the dome as Julie focused her light on the stone in the center of the room. He breathed in a sigh of relief, actually seeing the stone. With one thing cleared from his mind, he marched back to the stairs and leaned at the wall next to the first step, peering past the edge.
The double-wide door that had been keeping Simon at bay finally succumbed and crashed down. He glanced back at his friends and they were all looking his way. Simon was coming.
Joey gripped his gun, feeling the smooth rosewood and eyeing the sights at the opening at the top of the stairs. He’d take out a few and buy some time for his friends.
“Lucas, can you get us out of here?” Joey whisper-yelled.
Lucas limped around the stone, wiping the sweat from his face. A yellow stain covered his bloody bandage. Joey gritted his teeth at the new color and told himself it was probably from the exertion or sweat of the run. He kept his attention on the top of the stairs.
“This is different. I’m not sure about this,” Lucas said as he moved his hands around the stone.
Joey bit his lip and glanced from Lucas to the stairs. Come on Lucas, we don’t have time.
The door above crashed open. Joey controlled his breathing and held his gun against the wall, steadying it. He lined up the sights to the top of the stairs. If Simon peeked his pinky out, he would lose it.
At the top of the stairs, a black jacket appeared. He pulled the trigger, striking the jacket. Puffs of cotton stuffing flew out and the stick holding the jacket moved out of sight. Joey sighed and adjusted his stance.
“Is that you down there, Joey? Or maybe you sent the girl to try to kill me. Or is it the big, dumb animal, Hank?” Simon laughed.
Joey didn’t respond. He didn’t have a shot, and even if he did, he didn’t think it would get past Simon’s personal shield. What he needed was time.
“I can hear your breathing, Joey. I bet you have your hand on that gun right now. Your dad give you those guns?”
“Why don’t you come into the hallway and find out?” Joey taunted.
“There he is. Listen, there’s something we need from you. We own it. We made it and I intend on getting it back,” Simon threatened, voice screeching at the end. He seemed to collect himself and started again in a calmer voice. “I only want you, Joey. The others are just a bonus, but if you come up right now and surrender to me, I won’t bother your friends or family ever again. They can all go back to their lives.”
He searched the faces looking at him. The soft glow of the Panavice was enough to see they all wore the same expression. Hank shook his head as if to make sure Joey understood. He didn’t want to hurt his friends and everywhere he took them put them at risk. The idea of ending it was intoxicating. Maybe he should go with Simon and end it for the rest of them. Poly’s hand touched his wrist.
Simon’s voice floated down the staircase again. “Last chance, if you portal off right now, I’ll follow.”
“Good luck with that, jerkwad,” Poly spat.
Simon laughed.
Joey frantically glanced to each of his friends. All he needed was a nod, something to tell him to do it and he would walk up those stairs.
Poly whispered in his ear, “You better not let this guy get into your head for one second. You’re not going anywhere.” She gripped his wrist hard.
“I think I’ve got it . . . or something close,” Lucas said.
“Poly dear, is that you?” Simon asked. “I have a present for you,” Simon entered the hallway, fired a shot and stepped back. Stunned at the speed of it all, Joey moved back but felt Poly’s grip loosen around his wrist.
Poly groaned as she clutched her arm, blood seeping through her fingers and running down her sleeve. Julie ran to Poly and grabbed her arm.
“That one is on you, Joey,” Simon said.
Joey fired into the stairwell, emptying his cylinders. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the explosive Harris gave him, tossed it into the stairs, and pulled the steel door close. It would blow in ten seconds.
“We need to go now!” Joey screamed.
The soft hum emanated from the room and everything went black. He knew Lucas had found another location. The dirty, musty smell let him know they were in another cave. Julie lit up the room with her Panavice.
Joey rushed to Poly’s side, being careful of her bleeding arm as he hugged her against his chest, kissing her head. “I’m so sorry.”
Her tears soaked into his shirt.
“You didn’t shoot me,” Poly said.
“I shouldn’t have let him get that shot off.” Joey shook his head and swore under his breath. He would’ve taken the deal in a second, if he thought he could have prevented Poly from getting hurt.
“What’s that box next to the door?” Hank asked.
A small metal box sat near the door with a row of numbers on the top, counting down. The first number stopped on zero and the box purred with power and vibrated on the floor. The noise grew louder with each passing second. Another number stopped on zero, only four numbers remained.
“Some kind of countdown,” Julie said. “Simon must have thrown it in here at the last second.”
“Where are we?” Hank asked.
Lucas threw his arms up. “I don’t know. I thought we were going to the bunker.”
“The doors are locked from the outside,” Hank reported as he pushed on the steel door.
“We need to get out of here,” Julie warned
. Another number on the box went to zero and the humming grew louder.
“Can you get us to another stone, Lucas?” Joey asked.
“I was only taught a few locations and the last one was back on Harris’s world, the bunker.”
The sound from the box revved, squealing with a mechanical noise. The box vibrated against the stone floor, kicking up small puffs of dust around it. Another number zeroed out, only two more left.
Hank pounded his foot at the steel door. “It won’t budge.”
Joey pushed Poly back so he could see her face. “How are you doing, Poly?” Joey asked, letting go of her and inspecting her arm. It bled on both sides of her bicep; at least the bullet went through.
She lifted her arm, gawking at it with glazed eyes. “I don’t know.” She swayed and Joey held her up.
“She might be going into shock,” Julie said, staring at the countdown box. “Get us out of here, Lucas!”
Lucas moved his hands around the stone. The soft hum filled the room and the room became bright with light.
THE ROOM FILLED WITH THE smell of recycled air. Joey squinted against the onslaught of light filling the room. The noise of people talking and cars moving by drowned out the humming from the box. A glass dome, much larger than anything he had seen before, soared hundreds of feet over his head. Twisted and fantastic skyscrapers towered above the glass.
A woman arguing brought his attention to the line of people nearby. Two guards moved their hands in a defensive manner, as a woman in a purple dress with her hands on her hips yelled at them. She gazed up and made eye contact with Joey. He made out the words as she pointed at them.
“They’re allowed in and I’m not?”
Joey held Poly closer, as the men turned to face them.
“Hey!” the guards yelled and jumped from their seats. They pulled out square guns, an electrical type of gun Joey had seen in training simulations, and ran toward them. Joey held his gun in his free hand. He didn’t want to kill anyone, but another number zeroed on the steel box. Only one left. He figured he had twenty seconds before it counted down. He looked to Poly with her wounded arm and Lucas, who struggled to stand straight; they were all going to die if he didn’t do something.
He controlled his rapid breathing and felt the chill at the back of his neck flow over his body. Things slowed down. The scrolling numbers slowed to a crawl. He watched as the eight turned to a seven. The guards froze in a run, pointing their guns at him, and his four friends were all staring at the box. He had seconds to make the right decision, to get them to safety. Looking around, he found the back door on the opposite side of the dome from the guards.
He picked up Poly, carried her to the back door, and pushed on it—locked. He placed her next to the door and ran back to grab Julie. Lucas wasn’t as easy, and Hank took everything Joey had left.
Muscles burning, he fell to the ground and the sounds crashed back. His insides wanted to come out, but he willed them to stay put, with great effort. Sweat poured from his face and he struggled to get to his feet, wiping his mouth.
His friends, confused, looked around at their new location. The last circle disappeared, the box vibrated on the floor and the guards slid to a stop.
“Bomb!” one guard yelled, running in the other direction.
The box clattered against the floor. Julie pressed her hands over her ears and then it went silent and still.
The bomb exploded with a bright, white light. The sound hit them like a shockwave and blew them back against the glass. Joey fell to the floor after hitting the glass wall. The guards and some others unlucky enough to be next in line were on the ground, one struggling to get to his feet. Joey’s ears rang and he touched Poly’s shoulder. She looked up at him, terrified. The rest of his friends were on his other side. They’d all made it. He let a brief moment of relief enter his heart before he heard the noise—glass cracking.
Spider cracks ran up the glass wall to the ceiling, making a crunching sound. He followed the fractures as they splintered off the main fissures into a million tiny ones. These ran all the way to the top of the glass dome, small pieces were falling like snowflakes.
“We need to get out—” Julie words stopped as the glass above shattered, raining chunks of glass. Joey moved over Poly, covering her. He felt a few shards slice his back open, and warm blood trickled down into his pants. Julie screamed as a piece of glass stuck out of the top of her shoulder. Lucas hobbled next to her and pulled it out. She winced and gripped the wound. Bits of glass continued to fall as the entire dome shattered.
Joey grabbed the door handle—still locked.
“Hank, we need this door opened.” Urgency flooded his tone.
Hank stood in front of the door and kicked at the handle. It flung open and more shards dropped around him as Hank shot out of the dome. Lucas and Julie ran right behind him. The sounds of the city burst through the open door. The cacophony of cars, music, and hovering crafts filled Joey’s ringing ears. He helped Poly through the door and out to the alley behind the dome.
In the distance, sirens from emergency vehicles closed in on them. He had no idea where to go, but opposite the direction of sirens made sense. He looked back into the chaos of the dome. Purses littered the floor, people yelled while shoving and pushing each other to the ground, guards attempted to usher everyone to safety. He sighed, hoping everyone would make it out alive. After all, they had brought the bomb to them—even if it wasn’t their bomb.
“We’re in Vanar. I recognize some of these buildings from scenes Almadon had me do.” Julie gazed at the skyscrapers towering above. “We’re in MM territory.”
“Great, any more good news?” Lucas said.
“Come on. We better get away from here.” Joey scanned the sky. Some of it did look familiar. Holy hell. Out of all the places they could have gone.
The backs of businesses passed by, as they ran down the alley. Most had small signs displaying their wares. A man with a cigarette in his mouth, dressed in clothes resembling a chef’s uniform, appeared from the back door of one. He dumped out a bucket of dirty water as they came near. The smell of bleach filled the alleyway. When the chef made notice of them, he dropped the bucket and went back into his store.
Joey took inventory of his friends. Poly had turned almost as pale as Lucas had, and was clutching her bloody arm. Blood streaked down the front of Julie’s shirt. No wonder the man ran back into his store, they were a walking horror movie. Joey frantically looked for something to help him—no 911, no hospital, no Harris. He didn’t know a soul here, and his friends needed help.
“Keep pressure on it, Poly,” Julie said.
She nodded and squeezed her arm, wincing as she tried to keep pace. He tried not to stare at Poly’s arm for too long, the site sent him into vertigo. He blinked hard and concentrated, trying to figure out a way around the impossible. First thing, he needed to get out of the alley and get to a place where he might be able to help his injured friends.
They passed a building with a door covered in old, cracked plastic with a faded Do Not Enter sign. Joey grabbed at the plastic and broke it. He kicked the rest of the plastic down and entered the building.
Dim light snuck in, enough to see the tables and chairs filling the room. Thin pipes hugged the walls on all sides, with hoses sticking out at regular intervals. Many had signs like Rose, Cinnamon, and Chocolate overhead. He pulled a chair from the table and spun it on its leg.
“Poly, take a seat and let’s look at that,” Julie said, clutching her shoulder. Joey followed her moves, staying a foot behind.
“You’re bleeding too, Julie,” Poly said, as if noticing for the first time.
“Let’s get you buttoned up first,” Julie said. “And back off, Joey, you’re freaking me out.”
Joey took a half step back, waiting for the second he could help.
Poly sat in the chair, holding her arm and breathing fast. The pain in her face hit him in the gut, hard.
“We need to cut the slee
ve off,” Julie said.
“Can I borrow a knife?” Joey asked the patient.
Poly smiled. “Make sure I get it back.” She produced a knife from somewhere in her outfit and handed it to him.
He slid the blade under the cuff of her shirtsleeve. The shirt was thick, but the knife sliced through it with ease. He peeled the sleeve back, exposing the wound. She watched his face as he stared at it. Keep strong for her.
“Ah, it’s not that bad,” Joey said.
The bullet went in one side and left a hole, but where it exited, produced damage that made him struggle to stand.
“Liar,” Poly said and smiled.
“I’m getting dizzy,” Julie said, leaning forward.
Hank moved over to help her stay up and she wobbled in his arms. The sounds of vomit splashing the floor drew Joey’s attention to Lucas. He hunched over on the floor near the back of the store, heaving. Lucas couldn’t even look up to see Julie limp in Hank’s arms. His pale face had turned a shade of gray and Joey gritted his teeth, fighting his attention between each of his friends. They were in serious trouble and he had no idea what to do. His friends were dying.
The weight of everything crashed against Joey. He moved his hand over his face, pushing against his eyeballs. He wanted to cry, he wanted to help, he wanted to make everything go away. Taking a deep breath, he met Hank’s steely gaze. A nod from his friend forced him to face the situation.
Julie propped herself back up and wiped her hair back from her face. Joey didn’t think she notice Lucas on the floor behind them yet and he didn’t plan on pulling her attention away from Poly. If something happened to Lucas . . . he’d be the one to deal with it.
“You can do this.” Joey refocused and hunched next to Julie.
“I can do this.” Julie sounded as if she was convincing herself. She pulled out a small tub of the white paste she used on Lucas.
Scrapping the bottom, she dabbed a bit onto her own wound first, then went to Poly and pushed the cream into her wound. Poly winced, but Julie moved Poly’s arm and pressed the remaining liquid on the other side. The pain in Poly’s face diminished and Julie placed a pad on each side of the arm and wrapped tape around it.