The Zoya Chronicles Boxed Set

by Kate Sander

  Senka feigned confusion. “All we found were some files on this compound and a list of kids you’ve taken. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She saw relief flood across his face. Carter you genius, she thought.

  “Good,” Freudman said, “that’s all I need.” He turned to Alejandra and nodded. She smiled and punched Tomo in the face.

  “Hey! Fuck you man!” Senka yelled. “I didn’t lie about anything!”

  “I know,” Freudman answered, smiling, “but Alejandra has wanted to do that for a long time.” He turned towards Tomo. “Now it’s your turn to be honest,” he said.

  Alejandra rose and went and stood beside Senka. This time she took a gun out and placed it to the side of her head.

  “If you lie to her once,” Freudman said, “Alejandra will make sure her brains stain my carpet. Is that clear?”

  “Why are you doing this?” Tomo asked. Her voice was muffled from the blood that was coming from her nose.

  “Call me old-fashioned,” Freudman said, “but I would love to be the one who destroys this partnership. It will make me feel good. So many have tried, and I will succeed.” He nodded towards Senka. “Tell her.”

  Tomo looked at Senka for a long time.

  “I don’t have all day,” Freudman said impatiently. “I actually have plans. Tell her so that when she gets to The Other Place she can hate you as much as I do.”

  “I made a pill,” Tomo said.

  Senka waited patiently. She had managed to flip the knife open behind her and was maybe a quarter of the way through the zip-ties.

  “Tell her what it does,” Freudman said.

  “It makes…” Tomo paused. She collected herself. “It makes Zoya.”

  Senka was so shocked she forgot to keep working on the zip-tie. “You made a pill that does what now?”

  “It… It makes Zoya. It sends people to The Other Place.”

  Senka stared at her.

  “But I don’t actually know if it does,” Tomo said hurriedly. “Yes, the brain wave pattern is the same but I don’t know how we can confirm…” She trailed off.

  “Yes, I can confirm,” Freudman said. He looked quite pleased with himself. “They die here and wake up there,” he said. “Quite fascinating. Never been documented.”

  “How?” Senka asked. Her head was reeling. “That’s not possible. It’s not even known why some people in comas get to The Other Place and others don’t…” Senka trailed off, confusion muddling her thoughts.

  “Well,” Freudman said speaking up, “you get the smartest woman to figure it out.” He smiled at Tomo. She hung her head. The blood from her face dripped slowly onto her knees.

  “I don’t believe you,” Senka said firmly. “You die here you die over there. That’s what happens. You can’t just wake up in The Other Place and be dead here.”

  Freudman smiled. “Well, our dear Dr. Penner figured it out! And trust me when I say the Zoya over there are very much alive. We’ve sent,” he looked at Alejandra, who shrugged. “Damn near ten people over so far. And I can attest that they are very much dead here and alive in The Other Place.”

  “There’s no possible way that you could know if they were alive in The Other Place,” Senka said.

  Freudman laughed. “My dear, speed and intelligence are not the only Zoya tricks. And as we’re all Zoya in this room I would say that there are quite a lot of hidden talents.”

  “What’s yours?” Senka asked Alejandra. She was beyond being surprised anymore. She needed to keep one of these people alive to get answers, and she knew which one it would be.

  “That’s for me to know,” she answered softly.

  “Quite a rude and personal question, actually,” Freudman said. “Now! I have had enough of our little chat. And quite frankly I have been dying to do this.” He walked toward Tomo swiftly. “Think of this as retribution for what you’ve done.” He forced her jaw open and pulled open the bottle of pills he had grabbed off the desk. He popped it open and poured it into her mouth. He then forced her mouth closed and held it.

  Tomo looked terrified. She coughed and fought but she eventually swallowed.

  “No!” Senka yelled. She tried to break the zip-tie but she hadn’t cut through enough. She tried to spring to her feet but Alejandra was there, thumb in her bullet wound, forcing Senka back to the ground. Pain exploded but Senka didn’t close her eyes. She needed to watch.

  Tomo was struggling against the chair but it held her too tight. She was looking around white-faced. She knew what was going to happen.

  Senka calmed herself through the pain. She stared at Tomo and tried to stay as calm as possible. She willed Tomo to look at her. When Tomo finally did they locked eyes. She saw Tomo calm immediately. They looked at each other with love. Pure, undying love. A few seconds later Tomo’s eyes rolled back into her head and she started shaking violently, foaming at the mouth. Senka didn’t look away. She just looked at her partner with soft eyes. Her heart broke as she watched her best friend die, again. She watched her chest stop moving. It seemed so unfair that they would be reunited just to be torn apart again.

  “No!” Freudman yelled suddenly. He pulled Tomo’s shirt to the side, exposing the dragon necklace that Tomo always wore. The gold one with the ruby. He struggled to pull it off but Tomo went limp. The necklace disappeared as Tomo died.

  “No!” he yelled. He kicked at the chair. Turning violently to Alejandra he yelled, “Tell me she was afraid when she died!”

  Alejandra shook her head. “She made eye contact and it changed from fear.”

  Freudman yelled, “You were supposed to search her! How did she even get the necklace into the compound in the first place?”

  Alejandra shrugged.

  Senka was confused. She was barely listening. The pain and emotional toll was starting to drag her down to the blessed release of darkness. The relief of finding Tomo, Amanda’s betrayal, the loss of Tomo were too close together. The pain in her arm was taking over. She could hear Freudman ranting about something. She was numb to everything. She hadn’t dealt with losing Tomo the first time, this was too much. She felt the weight of Jules’ ring around her neck, as she always did when she was stressed. She missed him.

  “No matter,” Freudman said suddenly. “She has crossed, even if it is to the wrong location. I’ll inform Roald of the change. He will be able to fix it.” He walked swiftly towards the door at the back of the room. “Kill her.”

  Alejandra looked at him, confused. “But… Our orders?”

  Freudman shook his head, “Kill her. The other one went to the wrong spot. We don’t need two of them uncontrolled in The Other Place. I’ll deal with Roald. I’ve had enough of your failings for one day. Don’t follow me.” He strode from the room.

  Alejandra nodded, lips pursed, face white. She stepped back from Senka. She didn’t want to get her suit dirty. She cocked the gun. Senka was calm. It would finally be over. She’d finally be able to sleep.

  Leo exploded from beneath the desk. Senka was as surprised as Alejandra. In all the action she had forgotten he was there. He ran as hard as he could across the room.

  “No!” Senka yelled.

  Leo launched himself at Alejandra and a shot rang out. Alejandra screamed. They fell to the ground in a heap. Senka exploded upwards. In pure strength of will she broke the zip-tie that was holding her wrists and ran towards them.

  “No, no, no!” she yelled. She pulled Leo off of Alejandra. He had gotten her in the neck. It was bleeding freely but Senka could tell it wasn’t fatal. Alejandra was stunned, clutching her bleeding neck. The gun had been knocked from her hand. Senka was far more concerned about Leo. She fell to her knees and flipped him onto his side, laying his head on her lap.

  “No, Leo,” she started crying. He was breathing heavily. The shot had hit him right in the chest, missing the vest. “I told you to stay. I told you to get out.” His big brown eyes looked at her with pure love. She rubbed his head. “You’re a good boy,” she said softly betw
een tears. “You’re such a good boy.”

  Leo licked her hand. His tail wagged against the floor, making a slow thump. Senka cuddled against his neck. She had flashes of them running together at the start of the mission. Of her waking up in the ZTF hospital and Leo being by her side. They had barely known each other then, but he had waited, knowing she would need a familiar face when she woke.

  “I wish we had a lifetime together,” she sobbed into his fur. She was trying to memorize his smell, the soft texture of his fur. One week together seemed so cruel. It was so much more than a week in her mind. He was her heart. He was her everything.

  Leo’s wagging tail slowed to a stop and rested against the floor. He licked her hand one last time, big brown eyes looking at her for her support. “I’m here buddy,” she sobbed. “I’m not leaving you,” her voice cracked. He let out a soft whine and his breathing slowed to a stop.

  “Oh Leo,” Senka sobbed, weeping freely. She buried her head in his fur and held him against her body, rocking and crying. The same way they would sit after her terrible nightmares. His head in her lap, comforting her through her worst times. Now he was gone, and Senka felt the last good in her soul go with him.

  Senka gently laid Leo’s head to the concrete beside her and rose. She gave him a last pet around the ears, just as he liked, and stood up. She wiped the tears from her face. Her heart turned to stone. She was pure anger. It filled her soul. She was calm, ice cold. She bent and picked up Alejandra’s gun. Her left hand was still useless.

  She knew she needed to keep Alejandra alive. They needed answers.

  Senka didn’t care.

  She walked up to Alejandra, who was still lying on the ground, writhing in pain. She was holding a hand to her throat, trying to stop the bleeding.

  Senka stepped on her throat. She relished the bulge of Alejandra’s eyes as she leaned on her neck. Alejandra wrapped both hands around her boot and tried to push up. Fear. She was pure fear. Senka was loving every moment.

  Senka leaned harder, putting more pressure. Alejandra was gasping for air, writhing against the ground. Alejandra tried to shake her head. She was pushing up on Senka’s boot, trying to survive, desperately trying to get air in her lungs. Senka leaned harder and aimed the gun at her head, making sure the safety was off.

  “I’ll… Tell you… Everything,” Alejandra gasped through sucking breaths.

  “Fuck you,” Senka said.

  She pulled the trigger.

  32

  Senka

  October 31, 2023, 04:51

  Location: Dorfen, Germany.

  Senka’s chest was heaving. She should feel guilty. It was the first time she had taken a life out of pure revenge. She should have kept her alive. They needed information.

  She didn’t feel guilty. She didn’t feel anything.

  Bitch had killed her dog.

  Senka removed her boot from Alejandra’s throat and frowned. She had brain matter on the bottom of her pants. She shook her leg a bit, trying to get the sticky grey substance off her pants but it was no use.

  Senka didn’t look at the carnage of the room. She didn’t need to see her dead best friend again, head rolling, tied to a chair. She didn’t need to see loyal, wonderful, beautiful Leo. She needed to remember them alive and vibrant. Not what this place had made them.

  She squared her shoulders.

  Time to kill the fucker that had caused it all.

  She didn’t even look for her earpiece. She knew she would be removed from the ZTF and most likely arrested if she got out of here. She had killed a very viable and valuable piece of information. She didn’t care. She was going to finish this, then face the consequences later. If she even lived to face the consequences.

  Her left arm was useless but the blood had stopped flowing.

  She checked the clip of the gun she had stolen from Alejandra. Ten left. Plenty of bullets to get the job done.

  Without a backwards glance, Senka strode through the door.

  She heard the click of the trip wire.

  “Fuck.”

  She started to turn away. An explosion rocked the hallway in front of her, blowing her back through the door.

  She landed hard on her back. The remnants of the fireball dissipated overhead. There was pain everywhere. She could feel burns on her face and arms. She tried to breathe but her lungs were crushed from the explosion. The golden ring Jules had given her had burned into her chest. She could smell her own flesh burning. The sickly smell of meat burning on a bar-b-que.

  She smiled to herself, gritting her teeth through the immeasurable pain.

  The end was near.

  “You can’t give up that easily,” a new voice piped up from in the room.

  Confused, Senka painfully raised her head to look. The fire alarm was going off and there was a red light blinking in the room. Sprinklers were raining water down from the ceiling. The room was in shambles, destroyed by the explosion. Sitting cross-legged on the wreckage of the oak desk was a woman. Her eyes were totally black, no whites visible at all. She had dark skin and was dressed like a Melanthios.

  A Melanthios in this world?

  Senka chuckled to herself, at least I’ll die crazy, she thought. She wouldn’t have been able to speak if she wanted to, her face was too burnt.

  The Melanthios woman smiled and snapped her fingers. Time slowed. Senka could tell by the sprinklers. The water started falling in slow motion.

  “You’re not crazy,” the Melanthios woman said.

  Senka couldn’t speak. Not without her lungs.

  “My name is Black Eyes,” the woman said. “Tory sent me.”

  Senka was in too much pain to be surprised. Black Eyes? What a weird name, she thought.

  Black Eyes laughed, “Not my original one, to be sure. I was given it after my death by the hands of your friend. I liked it so I kept it.”

  You’re dead?

  “Yes, I’m dead. But unfortunately still part of existence. Don’t ask me how that works,” Black Eyes shrugged. “But I’ve learned not to question this kind of thing.”

  How?

  “Your friend Tory is becoming quite powerful,” Black Eyes said. “She’s the daughter of a Zoya. She’s going to do amazing things. As to be expected, I’m sure.”

  I don’t understand, Senka thought. I just want to die.

  “Pussy,” Black Eyes said. “I told Tory you’d be too scared to come back. But Tory sent me anyway.”

  I’m not afraid… I just…

  “Don’t want to deal with the hurt anymore,” Black Eyes finished for her. “Listen, kid, it doesn’t get any better. There’s hurt everywhere. Apparently even after you die.” Black Eyes shrugged. “But I’ve had a weird time in the afterlife. Not sure if being attached to Tory is normal.”

  Senka lowered her head. She just wanted to sleep. She didn’t understand half of what Black Eyes was talking about and she didn’t care.

  “Look, kid,” Black Eyes said. Senka was annoyed. Black Eyes looked to be around the same age as her.

  Who you calling kid? she thought.

  Black Eyes laughed, “There’s the spunk Tory was talking about. I was starting to wonder. Anyways we need you back. If you don’t come back, both worlds will burn.”

  How do I get back?

  Black Eyes was starting to fade. “Seems to me that you guys over here have already answered that question.” She snapped her fingers again. Time went back to normal. Water started raining around her. She heard Black Eyes’ voice over the falling water, “Oh, and do me a favor. Die angry.”

  Senka raised her head again. She would be dead soon. She had to hurry. She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a baggie of those pills that Tomo had created. Thinking of Tomo made her angry. She pulled the bag open with her teeth. Her burnt hand wasn’t working well. She poured the pills into her mouth and chewed.

  They tasted chalky and acidic. She forced herself to finish chewing them and to swallow. They hurt going down her burnt airway. She though
t of Tomo. She thought of Leo. She let anger flow through her. The icy, slow burning anger. She would destroy them all. Her world faded to black. It didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. She could feel her body convulsing against the floor. She felt her mouth foam. She faded.

  A flash of white.

  Then nothing.

  33

  Carter

  October 30, 2023, 23:48

  Location: Toronto, Canada.

  Carter barked the order to find Amanda then watched it all, slack-jawed. He was ecstatic when they found Tomo alive. The ecstasy switched to fear when he saw Senka take the bullet to the arm and get knocked out. He watched, through Senka’s camera, Tomo die again. He was sitting there, useless, helpless. This time Tomo was really dead and there was no going back, no helping. He saw it with his own eyes.

  The other handlers had started gathering around his desk, watching with him. News had travelled fast and everyone had woken and come to watch with him. Handlers stayed at the ZTF headquarters when their Zoya were on missions. Every Zoya was out right now so all the handlers were there with him, watching. Kevin, Simone’s handler, put his hand on Carter’s shoulder in reassurance as Tomo was force fed the pills.

  “They have to be lying,” Leslie said.

  Carter shook his head slowly, “If Tomo designed them, they aren’t lying.”

  “This will change everything,” Kevin said.

  They watched Tomo die.

  “Any eyes on Amanda?” Kevin asked. Carter couldn’t pull it together. He saw the woman raise her gun to Senka’s head. This is it, he thought, I’m going to lose them both at the same time. There was no answer from anyone. They only had eight Zoya in the task force if you included Tomo. The loss of one was devastating, the loss of two in one mission was unprecedented.

  Carter’s heart leapt when he saw Leo spring up from under the desk to attack Alejandra. There were gasps from the other handlers and Kevin squeezed his shoulder. Then they watched as Leo died. Carter could feel tears falling. Leslie, Matty’s handler, was sniffling beside him.