by Ann Bakshis
“Nex did it. She used the Arliss to bring Wavern back.”
“The Arliss is dead, Sara.”
“No, he wasn’t,” I say, dropping my head. “He was in Cody. The Arliss took possession of him while we were in Virtus.”
“I don’t understand,” Jules says, confused.
I tell him everything that happened, including why I ran into Lymont, leaving out the abuse and experimentation from the home, and that Keegan is a Pheles. Jules has to step away for a few minutes, whether to be sick or punch something, or someone, I can’t tell. He goes over to the other leaders and discusses Andra’s death with them, along with Wavern’s return. They decide that the leaders want everyone armed no matter where in the compound they are, and that there’ll be increased security presence in all the tunnels including the one leading into the Aslu Territory.
“If a firing squad didn’t kill him last time, what makes you think our weapons will work now?” one of the squad leaders asks.
“I don’t know if they will, but at least it’ll give everyone a chance to slow him down if nothing else,” Jules says before turning to me. “Where are those monitors you found?”
“This way,” I say, pointing towards the door between the screens showing the Daily Slate for Rinku and the one that once belonged to Virtus.
The door is locked, so Keegan has to force it open. I step over to the wall on the left and open it, revealing the monitors, all of which have been smashed.
“Do you know where she kept the controls for the satellites?” Keegan asks.
“No. She launched the nuke for the abandonment home from here, so I was assuming she did the same thing when she sent one after me.”
“If Wavern did this, there’s no telling if he managed to obtain the controls for the satellites from Andra before he killed her or not,” Jules says.
“We need to alert Demmer,” Keegan says.
“I’ll handle that. You two get to the firing range. That’s where Squad Five will be handing out all weapons,” Jules says as we leave the office.
Since word hasn’t spread about the order to collect our weapons, Keegan and I are practically the first in line at the counter down in the range. We’re given two guns with holsters, and six extra clips, each holding thirty rounds of ammunition. I want to head back to our quarters to snag the pack I have hidden, but Keegan wants to get to the garage and take an ATV into Demos. We move to the preparation room to get out of the way of the growing crowds, so I leave him standing there while I run back to the apartment. I dig out the pack, stuff whatever else I can into it, and put it on my back. As I hit the metal grating for the floor around my level, I stop. I hadn’t noticed it when I first got to the floor, but now there’s a gaping hole in the stairwell leading down to the other levels. The sealant has been removed and the smell of gas wafts up from below.
I bolt up the stairs as quickly as possible and am able to reach the mess hall before an explosion rips the barracks apart. I’m thrown across several tables, cutting my forehead and slamming my already-wounded right arm onto the floor, but there isn’t any time to worry about the pain shooting up my arm. I cut through the control center as Squad Three tries to seal off the gas that’s started leaking in the life support level. I dart down the tunnel to the preparation room and nearly collide with Keegan as he’s heading towards me.
“We have to get out of here,” I say, grabbing his arm and pulling him along.
Another detonation rocks the compound, this one from the control center. Dust and debris rain down on us, but we keep moving. When we’re back in the preparation room, Keegan snags a survival pack while I take a couple of radios, tossing him one and shoving a couple more into my pack. We take the tunnel leading to the exit into the Aslu Territory. Keegan places his hand on the scanner for the soft-seal door, and it opens. He’s about to close it when I stop him.
“Leave it open in case anyone else is able to get out,” I say.
“The other door won’t open if this one still is,” he says. “I have to close it if we want to live.”
Another explosion erupts behind us, collapsing the tunnel just beyond the door. Keegan hits the button that’ll shut the door while I run to the other one. Once the door is open, Keegan and I bolt towards the mouth of the cave, but we don’t get far as several Mulgrim block our path. I pull out my gun when Keegan places his hand on the barrel, stopping me from firing.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he cautiously approaches the wolves.
“Just watch,” he says.
He slowly walks towards them, exposing his palms. The Mulgrim growl so I raise my weapon again, readying to fire. The beasts howl loudly, which hurts my ears, but then sit down and pull back their ears in a submissive fashion.
“What the hell?” I mutter as I holster my weapon.
“The wolves that once roamed the Kai Mountains before the war were mine to command. They still remember their master even though we’ve both changed over the years,” Keegan says. “Come on, they won’t hurt you.”
“How are we able to see them?” I blurt out. “And it’s not nighttime, so why are they out?”
“The red in our eyes reveal them to us, even if we’re not displaying it,” Keegan explains. “It’s also a myth that they only roam at night. They can be more aggressive during the night, but they’re out at all times of the day.”
I start my approach, but they quickly get to their feet and start growling again.
“You have to show them you mean them no harm, like this,” Keegan says, flashing his palms.
I change my tactic and proceed like he had. The Mulgrim sit back down and one even allows me to gently stroke its coarse fur. We continue down the tunnel with the wolves following us as the sound of additional ruptures from the compound echoes around us. The sunshine penetrates several feet into the cave, but it’s so hot and blinding that we can’t leave the shelter of the mountain. The Mulgrim, on the other hand, continue their way onto the barren earth.
“How long do you think until the sun is on the other side?” I ask, squinting my eyes as I try to catch a glimpse of it.
“An hour or more,” Keegan replies. “We’ll have to wait in here until then.”
“Where do we go?” I ask as I sit on the ground against the wall. “Demos is on the other side, Lymont is destroyed, and if we get too visible out in the open Demmer could launch a bomb at us.”
“The abandonment home is about four hours south of here. There’s a transportation tunnel that feeds into it from both sides of the mountain. We can go there.”
“Did you grab any Cymatilis?”
“No. There wasn’t any on the conveyor,” he says, sitting beside me. “Anyway, we won’t need it. The Arliss and Pheles are immune to the radiation. I only injected myself for show.”
I lean my head on his shoulder. “Do you think anyone made it out?”
“I don’t know,” he responds sadly.
“The day Virtus was destroyed, you were supposed to have gone to the compound, not Wavern,” I say after several minutes of silence. “Why did he go in your place?”
“I was suspicious of Tennison, had been for a long time. When he requested me that day I pretended to be too ill to go, so Wavern went instead of me.”
“Why were you suspicious of Tennison?”
“I could tell there was something different about him. It was a sudden change I noticed one day, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. It was the same change I spotted in you when you came back from Lymont, which is how I knew you’d met the Arliss.”
“You and Wavern had the same idea of making me immortal, but I don’t know why you didn’t just turn me into a Pheles years ago.”
“Because I needed to know where the little bastard was hiding, and the only way I could do that was if you died and became one of his first. I knew about the mark behind your ear since I first felt it long ago, but I didn’t know who put it on you. I honestly thought Grimm had done it. I never would’ve suspected
Wavern. With that mark you were guaranteed to meet the Arliss, so I used you to find him.”
“Thanks, babe,” I say sarcastically, irritated by the deception.
“Look, I’m sorry, but I knew you’d come back and I’d have what I needed.”
I push away from him and get to my feet. “You’re unbelievable,” I say, simmering. “Why did you brand Grimm when you were younger?”
“Because I saw how close the two of you were getting and as you know I’m a very jealous, possessive being. I wanted him marked as my enemy for life,” he says, then laughs. “And I got away with it, too.”
“That was a really shitty thing to do,” I snap.
“Yeah, well, it worked, didn’t it? You’re my wife, not his.”
“What would happen if I just shot you right now?” I ask, leaning on the wall across from him with my arms folded over my chest.
“That depends on where you hit me. If it’s a fatal shot, then I’d be sent to the Fomorian Plateau, heal, and come back good as new as you see me now. But if it’s non-life-threatening, then it would just need to be cared for like any other wound. Why? Do you plan on killing me now?”
“I was just wondering,” I say. “Does that only work on the Pheles, or the Arliss as well?”
“The Pheles only,” he says. “The Arliss would require a new host in order to return, whereas I don’t if I die a violent death. Natural causes, on the other hand, are a different story for me.”
“But the plateau has to exist in order for that to work, right?”
He abruptly stands. “Why? What are you getting at?”
“I’m just trying to think of ways to stop Wavern,” I say with a forced grin.
“Uh-huh,” he says, cocking his head. “You know it works the same for you as well. If the plateau ceases to exist and you die, there’s no returning to this world. So I’d think very carefully about whatever is rambling around in that brain of yours.”
Oh, babe, I am, I think to myself.
Sixteen
We have to wait for the sun to clear the mountain peaks before stepping outside. We heard the last explosion perhaps an hour ago, but since then everything has been silent. No one has met us in the tunnel, which leads me to believe either they managed to get out through the garage, or not at all. I wonder if Jules was ever able to contact Demmer before everything went to hell. If not, then no one will know what happened until those from Squad Two try to return from Quarn, if they even made it out to begin with.
We stick close to the base of the mountain as we make our way south. I let Keegan lead since he knows the terrain better than I do. We’re forced to take a break after only an hour because the wound in my forehead has reopened and my shoulder is getting stiff. Keegan bandages my cut while I take off the sling and try to work the kinks out of my muscles. I toss the useless thing aside, as it’s more of a hindrance. The sutures are holding pretty well, so I’m sure I won’t even need the bandages much longer. I have to dry-swallow a couple of pain pills, which almost causes me to choke, but I do get them down… roughly.
We’re both dehydrated, so I’m hoping when we reach the abandonment home there’s something there to drink, regardless of what it is. We haven’t come across any more Mulgrim, which I find troubling. Their numbers have always been known to be substantial, so where have they gone? Maybe because there aren’t any populated settlements down here they’ve stopped roaming in this area. My mind drastically changes when we come upon two dead Mulgrim, their necks snapped.
“I thought we were the only ones who made it out,” I remark as Keegan examines the carcasses.
“I thought so, too, but maybe I was mistaken,” he says, standing.
“You weren’t mistaken,” Wavern says, appearing out of the shadows.
I go for my gun but I’m blindsided by a force that knocks me several feet away from the safety of the mountains, causing me to wrench my ankle when I land. Wavern seizes Keegan by the throat and lifts him off his feet. Keegan grapples with his gun with one hand and tries to free himself with the other.
I attempt to reach for my gun again, when searing pain radiates up my right arm. I look down at the bullet hole in my forearm and see the bandage is soaked with blood. I remove it and notice that the stitches have vanished and the wound is open. I hold my hand against the wound to slow the blood flow as I watch to see what Wavern will do next.
“Let… go,” Keegan mutters as his face turns purple.
“Not until I get what’s mine,” Wavern says.
“You… can’t… have… Sara,” Keegan groans.
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Wavern says.
A glowing pulse of energy surrounds the hand around Keegan’s throat. His body goes whiter and whiter, he withers, and then crumbles into dust. I’m too shocked to move or scream. Wavern saunters over to me, kneels down and grips my left hand, pulling it off the wound. He closes his eyes and when they reopen the irises are red.
“And now we’re the same,” he says.
“Keegan will be back,” I say through clenched teeth.
“I don’t think so,” Wavern replies. “You see, I absorbed him, just like I’m doing to the Arliss. He’s a part of me now and can never return.”
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, becoming hysterical.
“For you, Sara. This is all for you. I want everything to be perfect for the two of us. And now it almost is,” he says, grazing my cheek with a bloody finger. “I’ll let you keep going to wherever you’re trying to hide, since it makes the game that much more fun.” He snaps his fingers and disappears.
I struggle to get my pack off to get at the bandages, which are at the bottom, to stop the bleeding, so I wind up using a shirt I’d packed. After tightening it around my arm, I try to focus on getting to the abandonment home. I’ll lose my shit when I’m someplace safe, but I can’t afford to do that here in case Demmer is watching. How did Wavern find us? Does he have a device that allows him to view the images from the satellites? I doubt it, so then how did he locate us? I find myself feeling hysterical again, so I force myself to take some deep breaths to calm myself enough to move back to the shadows of the mountains, snagging Keegan’s pack and weapons as I go since they didn’t dissolve with him. It takes me several minutes because of my twisted ankle, so once I’m at the base I work on stemming the flow of blood in my arm even more and then wrapping it up tightly with bandages and tape. It takes me several tries since I only have one arm to work with.
I tuck Keegan’s guns into his pack, leaving the holsters behind because they’re too bulky to fit inside. I put one pack on my back and another across my chest, push myself off the rock I’d been leaning against, and continue hobbling south using the rock face for support. My heart races each time I replay Keegan’s death in my head and I can’t get myself to stop. I know I was planning on killing him, but after Wavern’s return I changed my mind. I have to find that portal and destroy the plateau; only then can Wavern possibly be stopped. When he said the Arliss was in hell, I thought it meant he’d actually killed him, but he made it sound like the creature is still alive. If he is, then he has to be trapped in the plateau. So, what do I do? Kill the Arliss or bring him back to my world to halt Wavern’s madness?
I’m not sure how much time has passed, but the air starts to cool as the sun falls further behind the range. I can’t stop for a break no matter how much I hurt, as I need to get to the home. I finally come upon a tall, heavy metal entrance that’s partially closed. I grunt as my muscles strain to pull it open. It does eventually give way to a long corridor filled with dust and chunks of rock. Once I close the door I’m in complete darkness, so I break out one of the flashlights. The tunnel I enter is narrow, maybe one vehicle’s width at most, and long. When I get to the end of the space, it opens up to a parking pad, with a few transports still sitting in their spots. I swing the flashlight around and find a set of stairs ascending to the next level. They seem to be the only way up, so I grab the railing an
d haul my ass along.
When I reach the top I come to a hallway flanked by two large rooms. I don’t have the time to check out what used to be in them, and instead, at the end of the hallway I take another set of stairs up. These are cracked and have chunks missing, but are still passable. Upon entering the third level I find myself in another hallway, this one much longer than the one on level two. Several doors stand open along the way, allowing me a peek inside. One of the rooms on the right has bunkbeds stacked three high and placed in every available space. Discarded clothes, overturned mattresses, and shreds of burnt cloth are scattered around the floor. The room across the way has only one entry, which appears to go into a separate hallway with smaller rooms encircling it.
The next set of stairs I get to is much more damaged, and littered with pieces of charred bone. I try not to look at the remains as I make my way up, keeping my eyes focused on the light above. Air whistles past when I enter the final hallway, which is small and empties into a massive room filled with table remnants, melted glass, bone fragments, overturned couches, and piles of ash. When the bomb landed, it must not have been a direct hit, otherwise there wouldn’t be anything left. I’m sure the way the home was built into the western side of the mountain range had a lot to do with it, as it overlooks part of the valley. I make my way over to the far wall where windows that span the entire room have long since shattered. Only tiny bits of glass remain in the frames that stretch from floor to ceiling. I go up to one of the openings and look west, spotting the tip of the Demos force field gleaming in the setting sun.
I look into the valley below and am surprised at how lush the grasses are and how blue the water in the Rodinea Expanse is as it shines under its own dome. I retreat to a spot on the floor in front of a partially burnt couch, sit, and tend to my ankle. I’m forced to take off my boot to get a better look. The skin is starting to turn purple and is swollen. I dig through one of the packs to see if I have any more bandages and tape to at least brace it with, but I’ve used everything up on my arm, which has started seeping again. I toss the packs onto the floor, lean my head back, and bawl. But I don’t get a chance to mourn long. A scuffing noise echoes behind me, so I pull a gun from one of my holsters, turn around, and aim the weapon at the intruder.
