“Fine…” Enya said.
She unlocked the handcuffs, eyeing Dustin throughout the process. She narrowed her eyes as she returned the key into her backpack, continuing to eye Dustin like a predator.
He smiled. “Thanks, Flames.”
Enya laughed sarcastically. “Never call me that again.”
Dustin, Ju-long, and Enya pulled open the door.
There was nothing wrong with the train. Serre’s bridge was demolished into rubble. Only pieces, hanging by small threads. Flint, ash, and smoke stench the area and gray covered the sky. I leaned over to take a look at what was under the bridge. It looked to be a drop of about fifty feet, but who was I to say? It was enough to make my stomach churn. Why would The Regime do this? Were there people still inside?
“It’s Regime protocol to destroy city bridges in emergencies. Dreamers have been left to starve… probably.” Dustin folded his arms over his chest.
“No…” Ivory’s eyes welled with tears.
No way to help those Dreamers? I wasn’t about to lose hope! I’d be letting down everyone if we didn’t save them, especially those we already lost. There had to be another way in, right? Dustin had to know something to help us out. After all, if he wanted to prove we were on the same side, he needed to help us get into Serre.
Dustin's face became sour. “There’s a way in through the underground cave system, but it’s risky. You probably have an eighty percent death rate.”
Ju-long's jaw dropped. “They have an underground cave system, Sir?”
“It’s said only true Dreamers can manage their way out alive.” Dustin sighed. “Fewer people make it out of there than they do outside the border. That's not a proud accomplishment.”
“Can you help us get down?” I put my backpack on.
Dustin scanned the train car. “We need supplies.”
“We’re actually going through with this?” Enya whispered in my ear.
I nodded.
We made sure to repack our backpacks and have supplies with us. If Serre was starving, we didn’t know when our next restock would be.
Enya packed her gun and showed it to Dustin before putting it away. “The last shot’s for you.”
“How are we getting down? Take a rope down the rock wall?” Ivory asked.
“Who wants to go first?” Enya slung her gray backpack strap over one shoulder.
I shivered. “We’re going straight down?”
“Yeah, if we’re going to Serre! Dustin, drop a rock down there. A big one. I want to see how far down this goes.” Enya’s lip curled up.
“What?” Dustin grabbed a box, obviously not listening to her.
“What are you? Stupid?” Enya jolted his arm away from the cargo.
“Sheesh!” Dustin placed his hands in the air.
“I think it’s safe. Let’s go,” I said. They stopped arguing and looked at me. “I’ll go first.”
Ivory gulped. “Be careful, Cally…”
Dustin tied the rope under two huge weights we found in a box of cargo carried on the train and we placed it near the narrow strip of ground next to us. Ju-long threw the rope down, ready for me to climb.
“Pull the rope four times once you make it.” Dustin pointed to the rope.
I nodded and started my descent, my every movement complemented by a heartbeat or two.
I made my way down the rope, seeing rock around me in different gems and colors, but the wall mostly made of granite. A rock slipped from beneath my foot, and I shrieked.
Looking down at my foot, my torn shoe’s sole made a crevice near my heel. I sighed and continued down the cliff, clinging onto the rope. My hands burned from the new blisters on them, and the rope slowly crept away from my fingers. I should’ve asked Ivory to make me some gloves.
My sweaty hands slipped further down the rope. I struggled to hold on. In a sudden jolt, my right hand slipped off the cord and my heart skipped a beat. I drew in a sharp breath and grunted, pushing myself upward to get a better grip. My left foot slipped from underneath a rock and I hung on for my life. Gravity wanted to pull me down to its level.
I clutched my right hand back on the rope to stabilize myself, blood oozing down the string. My heart pounded. I couldn’t lose to gravity. Not as a rebellion leader. I took some more deep breaths and continued my descent. It was slow, painful, but I managed to jump off of the rope a foot from the ground.
I actually made it down! Feeling stone underneath my feet never felt better. I pulled on the rope four times and breathed a sigh of relief. Glad that was over with!
The others slowly came down after me. There were moments where Ivory almost fell, but thankfully Ju-long and Dustin helped her regain balance.
“So, now what, Sir?” Ju-long asked.
Dustin pointed to the cave ahead of us. “We go in there.”
The cave looked haunted as if hundreds of screams cried in agony. The warning signs didn’t ease up our frustration either with words like Stay Away, Get Out, Do Not Enter, and Doom Awaits. The cave presented an interesting smell, a mix of blood and molding water. A swift wind came out of the cave's mouth, running away from danger.
Ivory gulped in fear. “What’s inside there?”
“I never went in, but everyone who did, never came back out,” Even though Dustin was brave, his breathing was shallow from fear. Who wouldn't be afraid?
“If you’ve led us to our deaths, I’ll make sure you die first.” Enya clenched her teeth like Dustin had done this on purpose. She cuffed her wrist to his.
“Come on guys! The quicker we go in there, the quicker we can get out…” Ivory gulped. “I… I hope.”
Fear ran through me as the shadows swallowed us whole.
TWENTY-SIX
Calista
Whispers echoed throughout the cave, and my ears heard drops of water fall to the ground every few seconds. The only sources of light were the flickering torches which lit by themselves, making the cave creepier with every light of the orange fire. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself tighter. Dustin stopped as the last torch lit pulling Enya and her hand back because of the handcuffs.
Five identical pathways stood in front of us, all covered by a veil of darkness. One way had to be the way out, right?
Dustin turned to face the group. “Which path?”
The whispers continued like they were haunting us, watching us, laughing at us. They called out as if they wanted us to follow to certain doom.
“This way...” the lingering spirit called.
Another whisper said, "This one is safest."
Words sent doubt through my body. Doom awaits beyond these gates. You'll never make it out alive. Give up and go home. We lingered in a maze we didn’t understand. Leftover magic laid everywhere, just like in this cave.
I started hearing a familiar voice in the distance… but that couldn’t be right!
I perked up. “Do you hear that?”
“It’s just the whispers,” Enya said.
Dustin lowered his head, producing a grim face for the worst. “All these whispers are from people who’ve already passed through, or died trying.”
“I recognize one of them…” I said.
“That’s surprising, Miss. The cave’s only trying to trick you,” Ju-long raised an eyebrow.
Dustin nodded. “Maybe...”
The voice was gentle, like flowing water or a gentle breeze. It still had familiar flow and sound all the same, but I couldn't hear the words it said.
Enya scanned our group. “Uh… has anyone seen Ivory?”
Ivory's soft and high pitched coos echoed from one of the tunnels— the same one where the familiar voice lingered. “This way!”
We entered the second tunnel where we could hear Ivory’s voice. She didn't sound like she was in danger. Her giggles echoed in the cave, and my stomach churned just thinking about where the whispers were leading her.
“Where are you?” Iv
ory squealed.
The sound bounced off of the walls, but we followed the echoing sound the best we could.
“Ivory?” I yelled.
We got no reply. She wasn't interested in where we were.
“Ivory, this isn't funny!” Enya shouted.
Dustin used his hand to cup his mouth. “Ivory!”
“Don’t pull the cuff!” Enya growled.
“You can just remove it, ya know! I’m not a baby,” Dustin said.
“Ivory, please listen to us…” Ju-long squinted his hooded eyes.
We wandered through the cave. Out of breath, I stopped to spot familiar dark hair and dark skin. In the dim light of the cave, Ivory strode closer to a cliff's edge — sharp rocks at its bottom.
Ivory smiled. "Almost here. Take my hand."
I ran to her side. “Ivory, don't!”
Hearing my shriek, the others came to my aid. Ju-long's jaw dropped and he hid his face.
Dustin shook Ivory's shoulder with his free hand. “Ivory, whoever it is, they’re not here.”
Ivory acted like she wore a pair of headphones—her ears deaf to our words.
Enya took out a canteen of water out of her backpack and splashed its contents on Ivory's face. “They’re not real, Ivory. Stop!”
“Ivory, wake up…” I attempted to pull her back.
Ju-long attempted to lift her, but Ivory pounded on his back and bit his finger. “Ahh! She bit me!”
Ivory kept going. She kept walking toward the cliff, shoving us off like she didn't need us. Her smile was haunting, her face seemed so eager to get to the cliff and meet her end. She didn't even realize what was going on!
“Someone please come and help me!” I pleaded.
Dustin sighed. “She’s deep in a trance. She’ll do anything they say.”
“We can’t just let her walk off of this cliff,” Enya screamed.
“Then uncuff me!” Dustin demanded.
Enya chortled. “And let you kill us all?”
“Fine. Guess you won’t mind returning her remains?” Dustin’s wry smile sickened me.
“Ambert would kill me.” Enya’s eyes widened.
“Not my problem.” Dustin turned his head away from Enya. “Seven feet away.”
“I hate you.” Enya clenched her jaw and took her key out to release them from the handcuffs.
As soon as this was completed, Dustin pulled the rope out of his backpack. “We’re going to have to catch her. Tie it around her waist. Make sure it's pretty tight.”
We tied several layers of knots only seconds before she jumped off the cliff, and screamed. Dustin, Enya, and I held onto the rope with our strength. The rope burned my hands from the friction, causing tears to stream down my face.
Her back hit the rock wall of the cliff, and she gasped for breath. Ivory's eyes widened in alarm before shrieking at the sharp rocks below her.
Her lip quivered in fear. She held onto the rope like a life preserver. “Help!”
We pulled her up, the rope causing my hands to sweat and burn with every inch. With much effort, Ivory was back on the top of the cliff brushing the dirt off of her dress. Dustin took a knife out of his bag.
“Darn it!” Enya pushed me aside.
Dustin cut the rope off of Ivory before placing the rope and knife in his bag.
We assessed Ivory's condition. Besides the patches of dirt and the obvious shock, lifting her hair revealed visible scratches on her back. The scratches appeared red and irritated, but her skin was merely grazed. Ju-long reached into his bag and got out a small clear container and some medical tape. He opened the medication and massaged it on Ivory's back, gently placing the medical tape over her wounds. Ivory responded with a sigh of relief.
“You were in a trance…” Dustin crouched down to talk to Ivory.
Ivory's eyes widened before tearing up. "He wasn’t real?”
“What did you hear, Ivory?” I asked.
“Ambert's voice.” Ivory's tears stroked down her face. She gripped onto Dustin, refusing to let him go. “I wouldn’t have gone if I didn’t hear him. I swear.”
Dustin grasped onto her tighter. “You’re okay now, kid.”
Enya looked to Dustin before crossing her arms. “That’s impossible. The cave only uses voices who’ve been through here, right ex-government official?”
Dustin continued to take care of Ivory.
A short breath quivered from my lip. “Golly… if you weren’t here. She’d be dead.”
“The cave’s played with our minds.” Ju-long shook and dropped the cap for the cream.
“Let’s keep going, shall we?” Dustin pointed back to the path.
“Handcuffs. Now.” Enya demanded.
I sighed. “Just watch him. I don’t want you two to worry about that if someone gets pulled off the path again.”
Our company walked through the cave again, ready to get out of it before the whispers struck down their next victim. We didn't want anyone getting hurt or possibly killed by a voice like Ivory almost was.
Ivory clutched Dustin’s metal hand, leaning against him as we walked. She didn’t want to be let go. She didn’t want to die here. No one did.
What if Ivory was right about Ambert’s voice? What kind of other voices would the cave use to try to kill us? I tried thinking about what Ambert, Wes, and Chief Starbright would do, but I couldn’t help but be scared. Ivory was almost killed by a voice. A voice. Words… sound… they were deadly.
“Calista…” a voice echoed, cold and unforgiving with its breath. I shivered.
It’s not real…
“Calista, are you okay?” Enya’s face filled with pity.
I nodded and looked around. Enya and I were heading down the path… but everyone else disappeared. They couldn't have slipped past me, right? Maybe I was deeper in my thoughts than I realized.
My eyes widened. “Where is everyone?”
“We have to find them. Now!” Enya pointed toward a pathway.
I followed her down the path, unaware and not focusing on where I was going. We scrambled to get to a two-path intersection.
My lungs were out of breath from running. “Which way?”
Enya listened to see if she could hear anyone. “Dustin’s this way. Let’s get him.”
We kept running. The pressure in my lungs caused me to breathe in and out heavily like I was a balloon losing helium.
I have to be strong.
I ran down the path with Enya. The lights dimmed around us, torches constantly losing their flame. Enya stopped ahead of me. What now? I placed my hands on a wall.
“It’s a dead end!” I kicked my foot on the cold granite.
Enya pointed toward a nearby room where the torches were lit. “There’s a path.”
I followed her with the rest of the strength my lungs had. I could hear someone screaming. We must’ve been heading in the right direction, and I was determined to rescue them.
“Come on, Calista.” Enya reached out her hand.
“Please!” a voice screamed, far out into the distance.
The voice was definitely feminine from the higher pitch and irritated tone. That didn't make sense. I could hear the heavy sighs, and imagine the person crossing her arms… even her short uneven-cut hair and flames in her hands.
I stopped in my tracks. “You said we were after Dustin.”
“Of course we’re after Dustin.” Enya’s smile twisted.
“Why are you the one I hear screaming?” Fear crept through me. “You don’t like Dustin. Why save him?”
“Calista, we both know he’s valuable.”
I heard a familiar scream. “Wallflower, don’t…”
Wallflower. Ever since we lost the others, Enya had avoided the nickname. Something was up.
I backed away from Enya. “You’re not real.”
Enya charged at me, attacked my arm, flung it around my back, and forced me to the ground face fir
st.
I shrieked, feeling the pain from my arm course from my wrist to my shoulder. The pain pounded like a drum and several places on my arm felt like they had been cut. The stabbing sensation caused my breathing to get shallow. I could feel a liquid on my nose as well, running down from my nostrils to my lips. The iron smell was present, the odor of my affliction.
Around me lay the skeletons of many people. Some were dressed in Regime uniforms, others in bright colored clothing. More were rotting away, their bones corroding. It was like they’d been eaten away by the whispers that consumed them. A twisted smile appeared across Enya’s face, and her eyes flashed red, just like the blood stains on the floor.
She wiped her hands onto her shirt, her voice sounding slightly different from before. “No one will wake you up again by the time I’m done with you.” Enya leered.
I flung myself at her. She caught me in her pale, clawed arms, now twisted like everything else in the cave.
What am I thinking? I’m already too weak to attack without a gun! How do you defeat a voice?
“There’s nothing you can do. They’ll never see you breathing again.” Enya clawed my wrist on my already injured arm all the way around. I screeched.
“Wallflower! You’re hurting yourself!” the real Enya cried from outside the illusion.
“You won’t protect the life you want to save… you’re too naive to see the truth.” Enya smiled before she punched my face. “And forget about keeping your promise to Wes.”
“Why’s Cally bleeding?” Ivory panicked.
Her voice, too, was far off and cut off by the illusion I was in.
“She’s resisting the illusion…” Dustin informed, just as faint as the others.
I covered my ears with my elbows and crouched to the floor. “Stop telling me lies!”
“Wake up! You’re killing yourself!” the real Enya screamed closer than before, louder.
The fake bent down to look me in the eye. “You’re a pawn, Calista. Do you think they really care about you? You’re just a shy, misplaced girl trying to achieve an impossible destiny. You’re too scared to face your own shadow.”
Am I going to die here? A tear streamed down my face.
Would it be better for me to die in the cave rather than fail to protect the two lives? What was I saying? If I died, I would never find Aurelia or see Wes or Ambert again.
Splintering Reality (Breaking Order Series Book 2) Page 17