by Alexie Aaron
Mike looked at the men he had been left to defend. Ted had Curly moving around after he’d turned his phone into a localized Wi-Fi hub. Cid was working on small wormlike machines. They had a lens at the end of them.
Burt limped over to Mike with a rolled up paper. “Want to take a look at this?”
“You shouldn’t be on that leg,” Mike scolded.
“Mia did a good job, and Jake designed a better cast. Cid built it while you were sleeping.”
“Did any of you develop anything resembling a gun?” Mike asked the room. When he didn’t receive a positive comment, he requested, “Tell me what we do have?”
Chapter Ten
Mia followed Murphy’s lead, and Audrey followed Mia. No one spoke. Their aim was to get in and out of the rooms as quickly as they could. Mia grabbed the meds Mike needed, stuffing them in her pockets when Audrey wasn’t looking. She didn’t pay attention to the labels. She didn’t want to invade his privacy. She also grabbed some clothes out of Mike’s suitcase. He didn’t ask for them, but he couldn’t go on wearing the blood-stained jeans. She grabbed Ted’s go bag and stuffed a few of her clothes in. She met Audrey in the hall. Audrey had taken care of Burt’s and Cid’s requests. She just had her stuff to get.
Mia and Murphy looked at each other while they waited. He knew something was up with her. She decided to try something. She pushed a thought in his direction.
“Wings?” he said.
She nodded.
“How are you doing this?”
“It’s similar to mind reading, but I’m not listening, just talking. I can’t read your mind.”
“Good. Tell me about the wings,” he said.
Mia closed her eyes and sent the memory to Murphy.
“Audrey is a true friend, Mia. I’m worried about the wings.”
Mia forgot herself and asked “Why?” aloud.
“You need someone to show you how to use them. I can’t help you there. I barely survived showing you how to row a boat.” He pulled his hat down over his brow and smiled.
Audrey burst out of the room. “Sorry, but I stopped to wash my pits.”
“Thank God, I thought someone let a skunk in the hotel,” Mia teased.
“Bad Mia,” Murphy pushed through the veil for Audrey’s benefit.
Mia sent some colorful euphemisms his way.
A thunderclap hit near the hotel, and the ground shook.
“I hope this place has a few lightning rods,” Mia said as she increased her speed.
Audrey kept close to Mia’s heels. “I’m sure that’s the first thing one thinks up when you build on top of a hill.”
“You’d be surprised,” Mia said.
Murphy stopped. Mia barely missed running through him. She caught Audrey in her arms. “Murphy’s stopped,” she hissed.
Murphy waved them back. He joined them. “Another hole has opened up in the floor.”
Mia repeated it to Audrey.
“Can we jump it?” Audrey asked.
He nodded. He walked up to the hole and counted footsteps across it as he moved to the other side. “Five feet.”
“It’s five feet across,” Mia told her.
“I can do that. Let’s tie the bags together, and we’ll pull them after us,” Audrey suggested.
“Sounds like a plan,” Mia said, uncoiling the rope from around her waist. “You go ahead. Murph, back her up just in case.”
Mia watched as Audrey backed up and started to run. She took off and made the gap with two feet to spare. Mia made sure she had enough rope to give herself the same running room. She ran and took off sailing over the gap and into Murphy’s arms. Together, they pulled the bags to the end. They pulled them off the edge and managed to bear the weight and pull them in. Mia leaned over and shone her light into the open space. “How are they setting these off?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Audrey answered. “I’m worried about how many there are and why they were built in the first place.”
“Thunder,” Murphy said.
“Murphy thinks this one opened when the ground shook.”
“The inside of this building is unstable. How the hell did they expect to have families stay here? I’m not going to recommend it. Plus, I’m going to put a bug in the ear of the local building inspector,” Audrey added.
They turned the corner and could see the bar. Murphy cautioned them to stay back until he checked inside. He came out and waved them in. Mia shut the door and moved the bar top in front of it.
Mike came up and took her bag. Mia told him, “I have your items in my pocket.”
He nodded.
Audrey was telling the men about the floor opening up after the last big lightning hit, when Mia arrived. Mia slid in beside Ted and put her hand on his forehead. It was cool to the touch. She took his pulse next. “You may want to ease up on the coffee. Your heart is racing.”
“It’s just because you’re here, Mighty Mouse.”
“Charmer. I’m still taking away your joy juice for a while. I imagine you have to pee.”
“Nope, already went.”
“How?”
“Mike passed the bucket while you ladies were gone.”
“Gross.”
“Mia, could I have your help over here, please?” Mike asked.
Mia kissed Ted and got up and trotted into the hallway. Mike was leaning against the wall sweating. Mia dug in her pockets and produced the medication. He opened all three bottles and counted out a few of each of the pills. He swallowed them without water.
“I could get you a glass of water…” Mia said and made a move to get it.
“No, I’m used to it. I’ll chase them down later. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m going to go back in.”
“Burt found something interesting. He’s located the graves, on paper that is.”
“I’m not sure how that helps us?” Mia asked.
“Humor him. He’s feeling pretty emasculated right now,” Mike suggested.
Mia smiled. “I can learn a lot from you, Mike. Can you teach me to fly?”
“No. Thanks for keeping quiet about these,” he said, pocketing the bottles.
“I didn’t read what they were. I felt that it was what you wanted. I figured, as long as you weren’t popping little blue pills, I was safe.”
“Cooper, you’re an asshole.”
“Yes I am,” Mia said and walked back into the main bar. She felt Ted’s eyes on her. She smiled at him, rolling her eyes to let him know that there wasn’t anything to worry about between her and Mike.
She walked over to where Burt had rolled out an old blueprint, anchoring it with highball glasses. “Mike said you found something?” she said.
“I found where the graves are. The ones that Cyryl threatened you with,” he explained. “This is where we are,” he said, pointing. “And this is where the graves are.”
“They seem far enough away from the cavern.”
“I thought, maybe Murphy could go down there to make sure they are peaceful. We don’t need the undead adding to our problems.”
“Or we could recruit them,” Mia said thoughtfully. “I’ll show Murphy after he’s had time to recharge.” Mia sat down next to him. “You better get some rest too. The rain is going to keep the baddies away for a while yet. I’m going to need you at full power. The nerds aren’t going to be able to do much to help us out. Can I count on you?”
Burt nodded.
“Good. Can I get you something for pain?” she asked.
“No, Mike gave me something while you were gone.”
“I hear he passed the bucket too.”
Burt laughed. “Leave it to a farm boy to think of everything.”
“That’s funny. I keep forgetting he grew up on a farm. He’s so posh.”
“I think he got that from reading books,” Burt said.
“Maybe,” Mia replied. “How are the nerds holding up? They’re both going to lie to me when I ask.”
“Cid’s in co
nsiderable pain. He won’t take anything for it. Says it will dull his mega brain.”
“I gave Ted something before I left, but I can’t tell if he’s in pain. He’s behaving rather odd.”
“How can you tell?”
This caused Mia to laugh.
“Mia, all of us feel guilty. We fear that our situation has forced your hand, or wings.”
“Burt, I appreciate your concern, but if I have the ability to help you, to start your healing, I’m going to take advantage of it. If I need to deal with the crap that goes with it, I will. It’s the way I roll. No one forced my hand. It was my choice.”
“Thank you, Mia.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. The lightning flashed, immediately followed by a loud crash. She moved quickly over to Ted and slid in beside him.
Ted put his arm around her. “My brave little warrior who’s afraid of lightning.”
Mia inched closer and put her hand on his wounded leg. She used the situation to pull the poison out of his leg. She visualized the clean tissue knitting together and new cells forming where the corrupted cells had been removed.
“Mia,” Ted said gently. “Are you awake?”
“Mmmm,” she said. “Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. What did I miss?”
“Nothing, you just went all silent for a moment. And my leg got really warm… Hey! You did that on purpose. Mia, you have to stop. You’ll wear yourself out.”
“Tell me about those wormy things Cid and Jake came up with?” she requested.
“They call them Oculars. They’re small, mobile robots that can slide under doors and crawl up the frames to give us a better view of what is going on. Curly is great but hardly stealthy. Watch.” Ted typed a few commands into the program. “Hold your hand this far off the table.”
Mia held it a half inch. The three robots slinked over, each with their lens held high, until they got to Mia’s hand. All lowered their lens so it was flat and slid it under her hand, popping it up on the other side.
“Whoa, that’s cool. And they send a signal back?” she asked.
Ted turned the monitor, and Mia watched the exercise from the worm’s-eye-view, so to speak.
“That is so cool. Congrats, guys,” she said.
“But it’s not a gun,” Cid mumbled.
“No, but they have uses. Curly can provide a charge of electricity. He’s a weapon. The Oculars give us good intel, so Murphy can concentrate on fighting,” Mia said. “Mike wasn’t being critical, Cid. He’s just a bit overwhelmed.”
The thunder crashed again nearby. The room lit up, and Mia observed all the normally dark corners and was pleased to only see Murphy lurking around. They had been rationing the light discs. They would need electricity soon. Mia needed to find out where the main was and get them some power. If she could just get them a half-an-hour, they could store enough in the generators to get them through another night.
Mia got up, moved around to the other side of the table, and slid over next to Cid. She could feel the heat even before she touched his forehead. “Baby, you’re burning up,” she said, concerned. She motioned for Mike to come over.
He was there in seconds. “What’s up?”
“Cid’s in trouble. Can you help get him to the table so I can examine him?”
“Sure, Mia. You crawl under and get behind him, and we’ll slide him until we run out of bench.”
Mia did as instructed, and soon, the two of them were carrying the tech to the banquette table. Mia took off Cid’s shirt and looked at his ribs. She ran her hand around until she found a missing piece. “Damn it, how did I miss this?”
“What?”
“There’s a piece of detached rib, and I fear that it has become lodged in his liver or spleen. I’m not sure which at this point. All I know is, I have to get it out. But I can’t, not even under the control of a mage, do that kind of operation to remove the piece.”
“I can,” Murphy said behind her. If I can start your heart, I can remove a splinter,” he reasoned.
“Oh my god, he’s right,” Mia said. “But the bleeding, how do I control the bleeding?”
“I’ll do it with my other hand,” he said.
“Ted, how long would Murphy have to apply pressure to form a clot?”
“It depends on the size of the tear. A few minutes.”
“I may be able to start the healing at this point,” Mia said. “I can’t guarantee it, but I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
“Do it, Mia,” Cid said.
Mia nodded to Murphy.
“Mike, you need to hold Cid still. Audrey, hold his legs. There isn’t any anesthetic for what we’re about to do.”
Audrey understood.
Mia once again called for the mages.
Murphy studied Cid’s chest and pushed through it and found the piece. He pulled it out and slid it back into place while he held back the flow of blood with his other hand.
“I got this, Murph. You can let go,” Mia said in an odd voice. It sounded like she was talking from far away. She held on to the two pieces with her mind, and they started to bind. Next, she concentrated on the injury to his liver. She called upon the old ones to help her. Soon the blood stopped. She placed a napkin on top of Cid’s chest and pulled the bad blood through his skin and onto the cloth. When it could hold no more, she used another cloth until she was certain she had taken all of the spilled blood away.
She wiped Cid’s chest with a clean linen napkin, and there was no wound to see. He was breathing normally. Mia stepped back from the table before she fainted. Murphy was there to catch her. He brought her unconscious form and set her down next to Ted. “She’s just tired,” he said to comfort Ted and himself.
Cid opened his eyes. He looked up at Mike and down at Audrey. “Did it work?”
“Yes. How do you feel?” Mike asked.
“Itchy. Like something is itching me all over inside.”
Ted moved his hand along Mia’s back. The black tattoos were gone. Mia shivered before her eyes opened. “Sorry, a little confusion in transference. How is he?”
“Up and talking.”
“Good. I could use a drink.”
“Bartender, a whiskey for my wife, please,” Ted said.
Mike looked over. “Right away. Barmaid, bring us a round.”
Audrey let go of Cid’s legs. “I guess that’s me,” she said, trying to keep her mood light.
“I’ve got this,” Burt said, limping back from the bar. He set down a bottle and a handful of shot glasses.
“Burt, I was thinking about this place,” Mia said. “There are iron-covered trapdoors all over the ground floor. It’s as if the former owners were afraid of something rising out of the depths of the mine.”
“Miners used to die all the time. It wasn’t unusual,” Ted said, sipping out of the shot glass.
Mia knocked hers back. “What if the owners did something bad, and the result was a lot of people dying. What if there was a shaft collapse, and no one bothered to recover the bodies?”
“That’s two what ifs, pumpkin,” Ted pointed out.
“No, Ted, she has a point,” Audrey said. “If I had a guilty conscience, I would go to great lengths to make sure my secret was hidden, and if I were superstitious too, I would fear repercussions. Like…”
“Ghosts,” Burt filled in.
“Vengeful ghosts,” Mia emphasized. “But what if there are no ghosts?”
“Cyryl Nowicki doesn’t have to know that. He has no clue about Murphy’s existence,” Burt reminded the team.
“I see what you’re getting at,” Mia said. “We could turn his little game of scaring the little lady into scaring Cyryl into abandoning his plan and leaving Price Hills Resort.”
“We’re going to have to put it into play soon, because the storm is waning, and soon, he’s going to discover that we survived the fall. We can’t fight bullets,” Mike said. “We can’t run with half our team broken.”
“When we are ready and abl
e, I’ll do my bit, being the scared, hysterical little lady.”
Cid opened his eyes. Mia moved quickly over to him. She looked him over and smiled. You are a very lucky man. Don’t you ever withhold information from me again. When you’re healed, I’m going to kill you. I just thought I would let you know,” Mia said.
“Yes, Mia, I love you too,” he said. He sniffed the air. “It smells like a bar in here.”
The group lifted their glasses.
“To Cid Garett the Obvious,” Mike said.
“To Cid,” they chorused.
Murphy snickered from the corner. He was feeling pretty proud of himself. His mother always wanted him to be a doctor, but a surgeon… Well, she probably was bursting her buttons in Heaven.
Chapter Eleven
The wind had died down, but it was still raining heavily. Cyryl had just pulled on his jacket to head over and check out the sole, living occupant of the hotel when the doorknob twisted violently, followed by a beating of fists on the door. He unlocked the door, and a muddy Mia fell into his arms.
“You have to help me,” she pleaded, whipping her muddy hair back off her face. “I can’t find them. I’ve been looking all night and day. They’ve disappeared,” Mia said, sending a blast of whiskey-scented breath into Cyril’s face.
Ray pulled Mia off of the man they were supposed to have had in their custody. She was drenched. At one point, the drunk woman must had slipped and fell to the muddy ground.
Carl put a blanket around the shoulders of the frightened woman.
“There’s something horrible going on in there,” she said. “Misty shapes coming out of the floor. Doors slamming, glass breaking, and the smell, oh god, it smells like a sewer in there. Help me. Help me find my friends,” she pleaded, plastering her body against the surprised guard.
“Calm down, sweetheart,” Carl said, running his hand along her backside.
Cyryl cleared his voice. “Maybe we should look into this.”
“You, you, you’re not in jail?” Mia asked, feigning surprise.
“The storm came up before we could leave here,” Ray explained. “Old Cyryl was just upset with the people his stepmother sold the hotel to. He means you no harm, miss…”