by J A Raikes
“That won’t hold it for long,” Harris said through labored breaths.
“It’ll have to,” Eva replied, bending over her knees, as she tried to slow her own breathing.
The lift slowly descended into increasing darkness until I couldn’t even see my hand inches in front of my face.
No one spoke. I could tell they were exhausted and the adrenaline made me forget some of the searing pain from earlier. Now that we had a moment of rest, the pain flooded back and with it, a wave of nausea and lightheadedness.
I gripped the arms of the chair to keep from passing out and steadied myself against the methodical rattling of the elevator.
“Finn, are you okay?” Eva asked in the darkness.
“No, to be honest. But that’s fine. Thanks for coming back for me,” I said, eyes closed and just trying to focus on staying conscious. Blood seeped down over the chair edge from my arm and I think somewhere on my back.
“Yeah. No problem,” she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice combined with a nervous laugh.
A few more moments passed. The only sound in the darkness was the hum of the elevator, aside from the labored breathing from Eva and Harris.
“What was that thing?” I asked finally.
“Voidkin,” Harris replied, his deep voice blunt and echoing in the metal chamber.
I didn’t know what that meant either, but I locked it away for another time. Harris’ tone indicated no one was in a position to explain and now did not seem like the time for a history lesson.
“So, uhh, where are we headed?” I asked Eva, shifting gears.
“This lift will get us to the Network - a series of tunnels and passageways built by the Founders to help navigate the city in the event that the streets above became unsafe. We should be able to make our way to the Dragon’s Barrow and from there, we should be able to contact my dad. He’ll know what’s going on by that point.”
As she finished, the lift came to a halt and I heard Eva pull up on the grate. She opened the door to the tunnel and all three of us made that weird “hsssk!” sound through our teeth as light flooded into lift, momentarily blinding us. A few beats passed before my eyes adjusted and I saw small Edison bulbs lining a metal tunnel. The tunnel itself was probably five feet wide and maybe eight feet tall. Once we left the lift, Harris turned around, closed the gate, shut the metal door behind us and then grabbed a small piece of pipe laying on the ground and wedged it in the handle to stop the Voidkin from following us.
‘I don’t think that thing will be able to get to us now,” Harris said quietly, more to himself than to anyone in particular.
We moved briskly down the corridor, though no one was running anymore. After probably a hundred yards or so, it branched off and we took the left passage. We snaked our way through corridors for probably 15 minutes. Periodically there appeared a door with a design etched into the center which seemed to give Eva and Harris an idea of where we were. Each time we opened a door, we took the time to close it behind us. Honestly, I would’ve been lost down there. With the doors shut behind us, there was little evidence that we had passed in that direction. During our trek, neither Eva or Harris spoke, instead focusing solely on the task at hand. After perhaps half an hour of brisk walking, we came to a door marked by a symbol of a dragon encircled by a cog.
Eva turned to us and smiled, “We made it. This is the door leading to the entrance of the Dragon’s Barrow. Once we’re inside, let me do the talking. My father is friends with the owner, Kal, but most of the people who frequent the Dragon’s Barrow are of... a less savory sort.” She tried to be tactful, but I got the picture - guys who chose drinking in the underbelly of society usually weren’t your typical law-abiding sort.
Eva continued, “I only met Kal once and I was much younger. I don’t know what to expect in there, but chances are good if things are crazy up in the streets, this place will be even crazier. It’s one of the only Barrows still in operation and it’s possible that other people had the same idea we did. If nothing else, Ms. Weatherby should be here, along with a few of the other staff.”
Harris nodded his assent and I gestured pulling a zipper over my lips. Eva turned the knob and pushed open the door.
Immediately, a din of voices flooded the hallway ahead of us. The tunnels we had worked our way through continued forward, but along the lefthand wall, a nook was etched out and brighter light spilled into the dim tunnel. Harris shut the door behind us and we marched toward the opening. A small metal plaque was affixed to the wall next to the nook with the same symbol that had been on the corridor door moments ago. We turned the corner, Eva took a deep breath to steel herself and we entered the Barrow.
CHAPTER TEN
Activity was everywhere. The Barrow looked to be something like a speakeasy - an underground tavern of sorts - dimly lit with a long bar along the back and tables and booths scattered throughout, all designed to be inconspicuous and unobtrusive to the naked eye. The door stood open and looked to be the same material of the tunnel walls behind us. If the door was shut, I imagine you’d have a hard time finding the Barrow.
The room busted with families, groups, cliques and the like. There was hardly any space to move around, and by the looks on their faces, they were scared. With the sheer number of people packed in there, you’d have thought it would be a lot louder. Instead, people whispered and huddled together. Some had gotten there early enough to snag a booth to sit down. Others were simply standing with their arms around their families, trying to comfort their children. Others yet were coping through intoxication. One man in particular, as we entered, fell off his stool and lay in a puddle of his own tears and drink. All of them were wearing the same type of clothes I’d seen Gladys and Eva wearing earlier, a strange mixture of civil-war era design mixed with utilitarian, yet fashionable updates. Some were wearing tall boots with the flaps turned down, comfortable yet classy pants, loose-fitting shirts and blouses, drawn together with either vests or overcoats with large brass buttons. Others were wearing functionally long dresses with various designs and small hats or full-blown evening gowns and tuxedos. Nothing looked quite right though, and if I had to sum it up for you, I’d venture to say I’d fallen into some kind of steampunk theme park and this was where the staff hung out.
Eva pushed through the crowd and headed for the back wall to the bar where a very frazzled looking older man hastily cleaned up a spilled drink on the oak bar top. Harris pushed me through as best he could, but we moved slowly and people, though accommodating my situation, were simply unable to move out of the way. The thought passed through my mind that if the terrifying creature that had found us at Eva’s home got down here and into this room, the chaos alone would be devastating. It took us a while to get across the Barrow to where Eva, speaking with the man behind the bar.
“...So you see, he’s bleeding and we need to get him some help quickly or it won’t be long before he loses too much blood. I’m concerned it’s already too late!” she said, nervously looking back and forth between the barkeep and me. I tried to look optimistic, but every few breaths, pain shot through my body like an electric pulse and I don’t think I was hiding it well.
The man leaned in and spoke quietly to Eva. “Yeah, I see that. But we just don’t have the space! We’re maxed out down here. I don’t know why everyone thought to come here, but I certainly don’t have enough space or supplies to keep everyone down here for long,” he said quietly to Eva, very obviously stressed. There were bags under his eyes and his voice, somewhat Cockney in nature, sounded frazzled.
“Look, Kal, can we just take him in your freezer and try to redress his wounds? Then we will be out of your way, the chair won’t be taking up any more room and we can help him out long enough to contact my dad and get him down here to help,” Eva said, taking the bartender’s hands in hers and doing her best to get me help. I’ve got to admit it, she is very charming when she wants to be.
Kal sighed heavily and rubbed a hand across his unshaven face
and then shook his head in frustration. Clearly, this was not the night he planned on having.
“Yeah fine,” he said, relenting to Eva. “But do not get blood everywhere. I get it, it’s gonna be messy, but just try not to get it on everything back there, okay? It’ll take me months to clean it and the stench will drive away my customers.”
Eva squeezed his hands gently and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. A smile touched the barkeep’s lips and he then pulled away to tend another mess across the room.
Eva jerked her head toward the door in the back as inconspicuously as possible and Harris quickly wheeled me through it. The back room was as plain as the rest of the bar had been. A few metal crates lined the shelves,filled with various fixings that a bar might need - bottles of liquor, snacks and dishes. To the right, a large, thick metal door was latched shut. Eva pulled on the handle and yanked the door open. A blast of cool air spilled out of the room and Harris wheeled me into the walk-in freezer. Food stores and glassware lined the shelves on all sides of the room. Clearly, Kal was very organized and I’d bet tonight was giving him a bit of an anxiety attack. There wasn’t a spot in the back rooms which was out of place or even remotely dirty.
Once in the freezer, Harris left for a few moments and I heard him in the other room gathering up a few things. A moment later, he walked back in and stepped around the front of my wheelchair. This was the first time I'd seen him in the light and I was surprised at his appearance. I’d heard him speak, albeit very briefly earlier in the tunnels and at the house. His voice was deep and rich and had a tone of confidence and authority about it. The man standing in front of me, though, looked more like an overgrown boy. Now I’m not one to talk, considering I’m mostly just arms and legs myself, but Harris just seemed too young for the voice I’d been hearing all night. His sandy blonde hair was cut short, but it was still long enough that the front had a slight curl to it and it framed his face nicely. His face was slightly round, but not chubby in any sense. His skin was incredibly smooth and he had a small birthmark or mole or something to the right of his mouth. All of this was stuffed into a body which was probably no more than 5’9” and was nothing but muscle all the way down. If I had to guess, I’d say his arms were probably the width of my torso.
He leaned down, gently took hold of my wrist and looked me in the eyes.
“I’m sorry again, but I’m going to have to pick you up and lay you down. The cold floor will help slow your bleeding and I need to change your bandages. Eva went to call her dad and see if he can get down here to help out. He’s really the only one at this point who we know that will be able to fix your injuries,” he said, his deep voice surprisingly relaxed.
I nodded once and closed my eyes to prepare for the inevitable shocks of pain. I felt his arms wrap gently around my torso and he lifted me from the chair. A wave of burning hot pain ripped through my stomach, back and legs and I drew in a sharp breath. In one smooth motion, Harris took me from sitting to standing to lying on the ground. He placed me face down on the ground and stripped off my robe and then began undoing the bandages on my back. With every movement he made, new waves of agony crashed through my body. Soon, however, he removed the tape and gauze, the layers of bandages and then, finally, the shell which was holding it all in place.
I tried to turn to look as best as I was able, but I couldn’t see my back very well.
“Hey, any chance they have a mirror in here somewhere? I haven’t seen it yet and I’m kind of curious,” I asked Harris.
“Doubt it,” he said, briefly looking around the freezer. “I’m not sure Kal is in need of a mirror while he catalogs his food stores.”
“Fair enough,” I replied through clenched teeth, trying to forget the horrible pain.
“Honestly, I don’t think it is that bad, considering what you looked like before we got you to Dr. Flemming,” Harris continued. “Your body looked like it had been through a meat grinder at that point. Your skin had split open in a bunch of spots and your bones were poking through the skin in a few as well. We were all thinking it was too late and you’d never really recover, that is, if you regained consciousness at all.” As he spoke, he tore several strips off a tablecloth from the storeroom.
“Actually, considering it has only been a few weeks, you’ve made remarkable progress. I’ve helped Dr. Flemming a few times with patients and I’ve been involved with a number of their physical therapy sessions, as well as redressing their wounds and none of them have looked this good this soon,” he said as he finished tearing the tablecloth and began pressing strips to my back. I winced, but it didn’t hurt as much as it had a few moments before.
“Well, that’s something, at least,” I replied. “Oh, and I didn’t get to thank you for saving me either. Eva said it was you and a few other guys who managed to break my fall.”
“Yeah, Trent and Lucky were there and we were working on Trent’s Caster when Eva shouted at us about some guy falling through the sky. We looked up, and there you were, tumbling head over heels in the open air. A moment later, a Curator smashed into you and fortunately, it actually flung you a lot closer to our direction. So, Trent and I grabbed his globe and ran over to you. Lucky was already climbing the lattices to get closer to you and we tossed it up to him. Man, he lives up to his name because just as he caught it he activated it and tossed it under you just in time.”
“Globe?” I asked while I attempted to hold my breath, trying in part to just continue to the conversation so I’d be distracted from the excruciating pain. Also, because I was curious.
“Yeah, you know. His photon globe,” he said, matter of fact.
“Oh, of course. That globe. Naturally. How could I have forgotten?”
He pushed a little bit more on the bandage he was applying and I drew in another sharp breath.
“You’ve got a mouth on you, don’t you?” he said, pulling a roll of what looked like packing tape out from behind him.
“For good or bad. Mostly bad, I suppose,” I said, awkwardly lifting my hands behind me in a placating gesture.
“Yeah, well, Eva told me about your conversation from earlier. I don’t know what happened with you but if she believes that you aren’t from here, then I’m inclined to agree.” He tore off a piece of clear tape and pressed it to my back.
“A photon globe is a small device we use to hold objects in stasis when we’re working. When you turn it on, it projects a small field of electromagnetic energy. You can manipulate the energy field to different shapes and sizes depending on the kind of task you need it for. Typically people have a few around the house for the odd task, but it’s mostly used by mechanics. They’ll toss a few cogs, screws, and gears in there and it makes it easier to grab hold of them with greasy hands.”
“Sounds really useful,” I chimed in.
“It is, and in your case, life changing.” He tore off another piece of tape and pressed it onto my back to hold the bandages.
“It isn’t designed to do much more than hold a few pounds. But, when Lucky tossed it, it projected a field underneath you which caused your body to slow enough that when you hit the ground, it was more like you’d jumped from a few stories instead of several hundred. It was still a hard hit on the ground, but it was way better than it could’ve been.”
He finished adhering the tape to the bandage and examined his handiwork. I could feel his cool hands against my back as he gently pressed to see if there were any other places he missed.
“Alright. I think that's it,” Harris said with a tone of completion. “We’re going to have to turn you on your back to let the cold ground do its work to reduce the swelling and get the bleeding to slow.”
Before I could reply, he placed one hand gently on my back between the shoulder blades and the other on my shoulder and pulled me over. My chest was red from the cold and I could see the bruising that wrapped around my sides from my back. Harris started in on my arm next, since the bandages covering that were also completely undone. My left arm
was black and blue and purple from shoulder to wrist, save for the stitches. The scabs and stitching looked like a lightning bolt struck me and etched a trail through the veins in my arm.
Quietly, Harris worked to redress the gauze on my arm and within a few minutes everything was done. He helped me into my robe once more and I tried to lie calmly on the cold ground and allow the freezer to help numb the pain away.
“Thanks,” I offered quietly, my eyes shut as I lay there.
“Yeah,” he said, grabbing up the used bandages and balling them into a pile to toss into the trash bin. Even in these few short interactions, it struck me that Harris was a man of few words. What words he spent in a conversation usually carried weight.
Just then, Eva walked back into the freezer. “Oh good, you’re all done. How’s he doing?” she asked Harris.
“His bleeding is slowed and the tablecloth should work for a while. He’s going to need more help than I can get him right now though,” Harris replied as if he was simply giving a medical history.
“Well, that's good then. I just spoke to my dad and I don’t think he’s going to be able to come any time soon.” Her face was sullen and exhausted. Little circles were starting to darken underneath her eyes and she didn’t have the same energy she had a few minutes earlier.
“Why? What’s going on?” Harris asked, his deep voice curt as he tossed the pile of garbage into the bin.
Eva looked around cautiously and closed the door from the Barrow to the back room and then leaned in to whisper.
“Something is happening. Somehow the Void has gotten free and at least one of the 12 hasn’t been heard from. The others are still piecing things together and dad isn’t sure what any of this means.”
Harris stopped abruptly and his eyes grew wide.
“How?”
That one word from deep in his chest carried an immense amount of weight behind it.