by William Hawk
“She’s resting in the medical bay,” he said, “and you can rest assured that she’s doing fine.”
Jeremy raised his hand. “Repeat what happened again, because I don’t really believe it.”
“She fell seventy feet in her host’s body,” said William. “It happened right next to me.”
“But her body is damaged?” said Jeremy. “Her actual body here?”
“Yes,” said Proof.
“What exactly is the injury?”
“We’re looking into that right now,” said Proof. They all glanced over at Shana’s customary chair, which was again empty.
Hunter kicked the chair in front of him, and it skittered a few feet across the floor. It was a pointless act of symbolic cruelty, and his eyes were full of anger.
“What is your problem?” asked Jeremy.
“Proof said that nothing that happened in a snap would affect us,” said Hunter.
“Physically,” added Grace.
Proof bit on his lower lip and nodded. “True, we did say that. And we said it because nothing had ever happened to any of you. But there’s a first time for everything. It seems you aren’t totally immune to injuries sustained by your hosts.”
Grace raised her hand. “What exactly happened? Why did her host fall?”
All eyes looked at William. He was tired of telling the story but began to explain again. “My host and her host were working next to one another, on top of a wall. There was this really weird creature that attacked us. It shook the platform that our ladders were on. My host escaped by climbing onto the top of the wall. Hers didn’t, and she fell.”
Proof came around the table and stood close to William. “What kind of creature was this?”
“It’s hard to describe,” replied William.
“Was it human?” asked Proof.
William scrunched up his face, trying to describe it. “I don’t know. I’d call it humanoid. It had the shape of a human but was all pale. And the skin had little . . . horns sprouting out.” He held his raised fingers against his arm to illustrate the look of the horns.
Proof grew still. “Small horns?”
“Yes.”
“Was it wearing clothing?”
“No. It seemed alien.”
William suddenly became aware of how closely the others were listening to him.
“Creepy,” said Jeremy.
“Do you remember anything else about it?” asked Grace.
“Yeah,” William said. “It could climb walls. But Hunter would probably know more. His host jumped on the thing.”
All eyes turned to Hunter. He shrugged and nonchalantly said, “William was a little too scared and must’ve been seeing things. My host never touched that thing.”
William felt the rage building inside him. “Hunter, I saw your nimbus float onto the creature’s head.”
Hunter raised his voice in response. “You were damn near scared to death on top of a ladder with a bizarre creature crawling toward you! You think we believe your eyewitness account?”
Before he could answer, Proof said, “Wait, is that true? This creature could crawl up a wall?”
William put aside his anger with Hunter. “Yeah. It just came up the wall toward me, seventy feet straight up, crawling like a spider. Then it leaped on me a second before the snapback.”
“What did it feel like?” asked Proof.
William heard the word come out of his mouth. “Evil.”
He was just as surprised as everybody else that he’d said it. Jeremy and Grace looked stricken. Hunter regarded him with tight lips, his fingers working as though rolling small bits of paper.
“How could you tell that it was evil?” said Proof.
The teacher caught William’s eye, and in his look was a challenge. This had been the subject of their conversation the day before, when he’d been invited into Proof’s so-called private quarters.
“Because it didn’t have any self-awareness,” said William, looking at Hunter. “It felt like a shark, moving through the sea, eating anything it could find.”
“And it killed humans?” asked Proof.
“Probably Trina’s host.”
Proof circled around toward his podium. He looked uncharacteristically angry. “I know what you saw.”
“What?”
“It’s an old entity. It has many names, but one of them is Little Horn.”
William nodded. He could understand how it had earned that nickname.
“How long has it been around?” asked Jeremy.
Proof shrugged. “I don’t know. Only the Ancient Engineer knows.”
“Where does it come from?” asked Trina.
“From the days of old, before time,” he replied.
“Have you ever encountered it?” asked William.
Proof looked distraught. “In a different form, yes. It takes on many disguises.”
William said, “So do you think that this thing was trying to kill our hosts?”
“No,” said Proof. “I think it was trying to kill you.”
William stood up and walked to the back of the room, his hands over his eyes. Everyone fell silent again, deferring to him. He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t even see normally. It isn’t every day you’re informed that an ancient evil creature has targeted you for special treatment.
“Urp,” said Hunter, an attempt at humor. It fell flat.
Jeremy rubbed his forehead. “So explain why this thing is targeting us?”
“Because your spiritual awareness is growing,” said Proof. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Your spirit, everyone’s spirit, acts like a beacon. Imagine a lighthouse suddenly turning on one night. If it’s strong enough, all sorts of creatures in the vicinity see it, and are drawn to it. Proud and noble creatures, vicious and small creatures, and bizarre creepy-crawlies.”
Proof swept a finger across the room. “You are all going to have to deal with this problem from now on. Entities of all kinds will be drawn to you, and you can’t control who they are. Some will be very good, and they will help you. Some will be really bad, and they will be your enemies. Some, like Little Horn, will not even be totally human, and they will destroy you if they can.”
There was silence for a moment while the four team members took in that news. Finally Jeremy cleared his throat. “You said that we had three snaps left. If Trina was so close to her host that she actually picked up his physical injury, this must mean that we’re getting closer to CA3.”
Proof looked like he wanted to say more, but he murmured only, “It’s really up to the Ancient Engineer.”
“Give us a clue,” said Hunter.
“I truly can’t. I’m just here to help you find your own path. The decision is ultimately up to you.”
The door opened, and Shana poked her head in. Everybody turned around. “Sorry to interrupt, but Trina is awake. You told me to let you know.”
“All right, team,” Proof said, “I’m going to sit with her for a while. Remember, the Ancient Engineer . . . ”
“Loves us and wants us to succeed,” all four said.
Proof looked at them searchingly. “You are all getting really tired of saying that, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” said Hunter, rolling his eyes.
Proof regarded him with wise but tired eyes. “Someday you’ll understand how true it is.”
CHAPTER 23
FEW HOURS LATER, WHEN WILLIAM learned that Trina had been released from the medical bay, he ran to the living area.
He arrived to find her sitting on one of the low sofas, propped up by pillows. She was wearing a loose yellow shift. Her face was pale and dazed, and the light in her eyes seemed to have dimmed. The other three team members were already there, Jeremy next to her, and Grace holding her hand. Hunter was on the other side of the room, with his arms crossed.
“You made it,” said William, approaching her.
Trina managed a half-smile. He sat down cross-legged in front of the c
hair. “I thought you were dead.”
“I’m not,” she said, “but I think my host died.”
“What did it feel like?” asked Grace.
Trina grew dazed for a moment. “It was weird. It felt like someone was enveloping me and swallowing me whole.”
“That wasn’t death,” Hunter said. His voice was harsh. “That was something else. Death feels different. It feels like running down a long tunnel toward total freedom.”
“How do you know?” asked Jeremy.
“Because I remember dying once.”
That took the team aback. All five of them knew that they’d experienced other people’s lives, and they knew that they had faint memories from those lives that, if jogged properly, they could remember. They’d even sat around this very room, joking about it, after several of the snaps. But none of them remembered the actual deaths.
“You never told us that before,” said William.
“You never asked,” he replied.
They were all facing Hunter now. Jeremy said, “But Proof asked us if we had ever died in a snap. You said no.”
Hunter shrugged. “I lied.”
William felt anger, frustration and a hundred other negative emotions. Lately, Hunter had become a black hole of attention and negativity. He flouted rules and disrespected the rest of the team. There didn’t seem to be any way to win with him. He would always win, because there was no bottom to his behavior. He was unable to feel shame.
Grace waved her hand and broke the awkwardness in the air. “Can we get back to Trina?”
“Yes, let’s,” said William, glad for the change of subject.
“Proof told us that we didn’t have to worry if our host died,” said Grace.
“He said that we only had to worry if the host stopped breathing,” said Jeremy.
William nodded. He remembered Proof explaining that the only criterion determining the length of a tag-along was five hundred breaths. They’d presumed that if a host died before that, Proof would intervene and manually pull the team member back to the pod tank.
Trina looked pensive. “I’m not sure that the host died.”
“You said that it felt like someone was enveloping you and swallowing you,” said Jeremy.
“Yes.”
“William told us about that strange creature. Could it have been because of that?”
“Maybe,” Trina said.
She looked slightly dazed and turned to William. “You saw it too?”
He nodded. “At the debriefing, Proof said it’s an ancient entity called Little Horn.”
Trina looked distant, as though remembering something. Then she blanched slightly. “It felt like he was possessing me and the host. It was, I don’t know . . . suffocating our souls.”
The group fell silent. William sat there, regarding Trina for a little bit longer. Then he looked over at Hunter, who had found a pad of paper and was absentmindedly drawing dark rings on the paper.
“Hunter,” he heard himself say, “do you want to be part of this team?”
“Why do you ask, William?” He spit out the last word as though spitting out a bitter cherry pit.
“Because we’re not really sure. Whose side are you on, the team’s or your own?”
Hunter sneered. “Well, since the team is the only way that I can improve myself, then I’d have to say that I’m on the side of the team. Wouldn’t you say that too, William?”
William got to his feet. “See, it’s that kind of response that makes us doubt you. I’m part of the team because I have to be. We’re all counting on you, Hunter.”
Hunter got to his feet. “You can depend on me, William.” A facsimile of sincerity appeared on his face.
“I don’t think we can,” said William.
“Guys,” Jeremy said as he stood up, “we’re all in this together.”
“Exactly my point,” said William. “We’re all in this together, Hunter.”
Hunter drew closer, flexing his arm, nostrils flaring slightly. William clenched his fists and assumed a wide stance. This was going to be a fight, a real fight, a long overdue one, and everybody in the room knew it.
Jeremy inserted himself between them. “Guys.”
“Get out of the way!” said Hunter.
“No,” said Jeremy, “I’m not going to let you do this!”
A spasm of rage passed across Hunter’s face. A strange roar erupted from his throat, and he took Jeremy by the shoulders and threw him across the living area. Jeremy stumbled, his thin arms windmilling, and crashed into a wall. He collapsed to the floor.
Now Hunter faced William, his eyes full of manic intensity. William felt his resolve start to falter. Maybe he shouldn’t have picked this fight.
“Hunter!” said a stern voice, “stand down.”
Everybody turned. Proof stood in the doorway of the living area. He wore a stern look on his face, and his hands were placed firmly on his hips.
Hunter lowered his head, averted his eyes, and slunk away toward the corner of the room, opposite from where Jeremy lay on the floor. Grace ran over to Jeremy, while Trina looked like she wanted to cry.
“What just happened in here?” asked Proof.
Grace helped Jeremy roll over onto his back “Hunter threw Jeremy across the room, and it looks like he smashed his head into the wall.” To Jeremy she said, “Are you okay? Can you hear me?”
Jeremy blinked. Then he touched his forehead and winced. “I can hear you fine. But my head, I don’t know.”
“He’s going to need to go the medical bay too,” said Grace. “At least so we can check for a concussion.”
Shana appeared behind Proof. “I heard something crash in here.”
“It was Jeremy,” said Proof. “Go help him.”
Shana knelt down next to Jeremy. Proof turned his attention to Hunter. “What would cause you to physically attack a member of your own team?”
“He was getting in my way,” said Hunter, his voice rising, as though he were in agony. As William watched, it appeared that Hunter had taken on the mannerisms of a small child.
“What was Jeremy trying to do?”
Trina interrupted. “He was trying to keep Hunter and William from getting into a fight.”
“I don’t think that Hunter is working for the team,” William said.
Proof’s eyes searched William’s face for signs of deception. “So you’re saying you don’t trust him?”
“I don’t.” said William.
“Would you like to be able to trust him?”
“Yes, I would.”
Proof turned to Hunter. “Would you like to earn William’s trust?”
Hunter crossed his arms and looked physically uncomfortable. “Sure.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Sure.”
Proof repeated the question. “Is that a yes?”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “Yes.”
The team’s coach nodded, and then turned around to address everybody. “So here’s what’s going to happen. Tomorrow will be a special tag-along for only Hunter and William. The two of them will use this opportunity to learn to trust one another.”
“So we won’t get in the pods tomorrow?” asked Trina.
“You definitely weren’t going to anyway, and now neither is Jeremy.”
“What about me?” asked Grace.
“Sit this one out.” Proof pointed at Hunter and William with each hand. “Only you two. Tomorrow, both of you learn to get along, or else the team won’t advance.”
Proof left, and as soon as he was out of sight, William walked back to his own room, fuming. He wasn’t the one with the personality problem; Hunter was. But now it was going to be on his shoulders to mend the relationship. That wasn’t fair. Proof knew about Hunter’s antisocial personality traits.
As he climbed into bed that night, William realized that his relationship with Hunter was in fact as much of a test as the snaps were. And it was up to him to make the relationship work.
CHAPTER 24
OBODY SPOKE AT BREAKFAST IN THE galley the next morning. Jeremy had a bandage across the side of his head and was picking at a plate of runny scrambled eggs. Trina was sipping a mug of tea, still looking out of sorts. Grace was finishing her usual yogurt.
William looked down at his customary breakfast, but he didn’t have much of an appetite. He felt as though he was about to enter a boxing ring. Except, unlike a boxing match, where his job would be to knock out his opponent, his task here was to make peace with him. He imagined that he had a better chance of doing that while they were both in other people’s bodies.
That opponent was Hunter. He hadn’t shown up to breakfast yet. William had seated himself facing the door, so he could see his rival’s arrival. Truth be told, he didn’t feel comfortable turning his back on Hunter, not after yesterday’s attack on Jeremy.
“Are you ready?” asked Jeremy.
William screwed up his face. “I don’t know. Making peace with Hunter in a snap isn’t going to be easy.”
“We were talking last night,” said Grace, indicating Trina with her eyes, “and we think Proof is testing him. Not you.”
“For what?”
“For empathy.”
William chewed on the last piece of bacon, thinking. “You could be right.”
“I mean, did you see how fast Proof was at the door, and how fast he decided how to resolve the situation?” said Grace.
“Yeah, it seemed a little too quick,” replied William.
Jeremy interrupted. “I bet he’s been thinking about a way to test Hunter for a long time. We just gave him the excuse he needed to implement it.”
“You’re the guinea pig,” said Trina, smiling faintly.
“Well,” said William, rising to his feet, “some people eat guinea pigs.”
He carried his plate to the sink and left the galley. “Good luck,” Jeremy said as he was leaving.
William went back to his room, washed his hands and face in the sink, and then looked at himself in the mirror. “It comes down to this.”
He went back down the corridor to the pod tank. Shana was already there, as was Proof, waiting. They both stood up as he entered. “Hey,” he said.
“As soon as Hunter shows up, we can get started,” Shana said.
