by Stuart Jaffe
Tasting blood on her lips, Roni rolled onto her feet. With one hellspider on either side and no metal pole in hand, she did not see how to get free. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Elliot, but he was too far away to rescue her. Gram had a hellspider of her own to contend with.
Roni’s right leg shivered. Her left fingers tapped. Her heart raced.
She never saw the signal, yet both hellspiders lunged after her simultaneously. Her fingers curled into fists. She had no expectation of defeating them, not dealing with both at once, but she hoped to get a couple of solid punches in first.
Right before she pulled back her arm to strike, she heard Elliot scream as if far away. Thinking of him falling under those tooth-riddled mouths angered her more. She roared and swung her fist.
But she never had time to connect.
A single pulse of sound erupted like a flash of lightning. A sound thick as clay, sharp as razor. It shook Roni’s limbs, shuddered her muscles, jarred her teeth. Though it lasted less than a second, she covered her ears and dropped to her knees. The ground lifted beneath her as she lost all sense of balance. With her cheek pressed into the dirt, she saw that the hellspiders had suffered even worse — one stumbled like a drunk, another lay on its back wriggling, and the third dragged itself using only three legs.
She heard nothing.
All sounds had fallen away. Not even a ringing in her ears. Simply silence.
She rolled onto her back. Gram crawled on all fours. It seemed she tried to get near Roni, but her disorientation had her weaving away as much as towards her granddaughter.
Roni attempted sitting up but only succeeded in flopping onto her side once again. Her new angle gave her a view of Elliot. She had to be hallucinating — Elliot stood firm and unaffected.
He surveyed the scene, dropped to his knees, and dug into the ground. Roni reached out to him — tried to, but her hand fell to the ground. He pulled something from his shirt and buried it. Rubbing his face — tears? — he stood. She tried to call him but could not make a sound.
Working hard with his cane, he managed to move closer towards her. Agonizing step after agonizing step. The pain wrinkling his brow, the sweat dripping off his chin, and the blood dribbling from his nose all told Roni that she did not hallucinate. Elliot must have created a hellish force.
She tried to smile — a hellish force for a hellish spider.
When he finally reached her, he bent down and clipped the end of his chain to one that Gram had tossed across the ground. Roni could not recall when Gram had done so, but there the chain waited. He then tied an end around her waist and secured it.
“Now, Lillian,” he said, though Roni only saw his lips move.
Though Gram still weaved and wobbled, she had enough control to grab onto the chain and tug it repeatedly. Seconds later, the chain reeled into the pathway. In another universe, Sully had to be digging his feet in hard as he pulled all three of his friends back to safety.
Roni had the barest awareness of dragging along the ground. When she slipped out of the book and onto the sand of the Isle, her imbalance helped her a bit — just another disorientation. The change in the way the air smelled, however, woke her senses faster.
Her hearing returned to the level of a muted undersea sound, but it was enough. She heard Gram yelling, “We’re through. We’re through. Close it.”
Sully dropped the chains and hustled over to the book. He snapped the cover shut before a single hellspider could escape.
Chapter 15
Roni kept her eyes closed, feeling the cool grains of sand along the back of her neck, beneath her fingers, and under her legs. She wanted to move and not to move. If she kept her eyes closed, she could be at the beach hearing the soft waves under the cool night stars. But she heard Gram to her left sitting up, and to her right, Sully helped Elliot do the same.
“Is everyone okay?” Elliot asked.
Roni heard Gram brushing sand off her clothes as she stood. There would be no reprieve. Roni opened her eyes. “I’m okay. What did you do to us?”
Elliot sat with his bare feet in the sand. While Sully knelt behind him and massaged his temples, Elliot said, “I used the power that I had hoped I never would have to use. I learned of it in one of the old journals in the Grand Library. You see, you are not the only one who ever steps foot in there.”
“We’ve all made use of the Library, too,” Gram said as she walked over to the book. With a practiced hand, she created chains and wrapped them around the cover like ribbons around a Christmas present. “I’d still like an answer to Roni’s question, though. I’ve never seen you do that before. I’d like to know if there’s going to be some residual effects. Like this ringing in my ear — how long is that going to last?”
“There has been no permanent damage, I promise you. As to the reason why you have never seen me do this before, it is because creating that particular shockwave, the kind that disoriented those creatures, puts great strain upon me.”
Sully said, “He’s underselling it. The words great strain mean it damn near killed him. Maybe when he was a younger man, but at our age, he shouldn’t be creating that kind of thing.”
“It was, as you have probably begun to surmise, a loud blast of sound. It self–calibrated to cause maximum damage to those creatures while harming us the least possible.”
“That was the least possible?” Gram said. “I’ll pray we never have to experience it again.”
Elliot leaned over towards his side. Sully held him as his stomach convulsed. But after three fruitless heaves, Elliot continued down until his cheek rested firmly in the sand.
Roni had made it to her feet. “Any idea how long it’ll take him to recover?”
“What’s the rush?” Sully said. “You have somewhere special to be?”
“Sorry, no. I’m just happy to be done with this. We have a long walk home, and I’m looking forward to a hot bath. That’s all.”
Gram crouched near the pedestal, poking at a hole in the sand. “We’re not leaving yet.”
“I got the kyolo stones, so the mission is over. It’s what we came for. Of course, we’ll wait for Elliot to feel better, but —”
“I’m not talking about Elliot.” She looked to Sully. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. In fact, we need him to be fine. Look at these marks.”
Roni did not need to inspect the holes that had caught Gram’s interest. She already knew. “It’s another hellspider, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so. From these marks, I’m guessing it’s a much larger version. You said you saw something when we were on the river, and we all saw the dead relics and the missing books. And now these footprints. When I went in that book to get you out, I saw what those creatures had done to the place. We can’t let that thing remain free in these caverns.”
Sully said, “Of course not.”
Roni spit sand off her lips. “Are you losing your mind in your old age? Elliot and I barely survived fighting off those hellspiders. You didn’t fare much better. And now look at him. He can’t even sit up. There is no way we can go fighting a mama hellspider without Elliot, and he’s in no shape to do anything.”
Brushing off her hands, Gram walked toward the raft. “Elliot can rest in here while we paddle. If we move the supplies around, he’ll fit. It might be a little scrunched for us, but we’ll manage.”
“Listen to me. We are too weak to take this thing on.” Roni wanted to mention her father’s warnings, but she held back. Gram had already made up her mind and mentioning the ravings of a man in a mental hospital would only stir her anger. Roni had enough anger for the both of them. She figured if she got Gram equally upset, they might cause a seismic event.
“Dear, I’m not a fool. I know what we are facing.”
“Then why —”
“We are talking about entire universes. Each book out there represents billions, maybe trillions or quadrillions, of lives. Probably even more. Infinite lives. You were in that world, you saw what t
he hellspiders did. How many universes is enough before we act?”
“I’m not saying we should allow the hellspider to go destroying universes. But running into a fight down a man — particularly, the only one of us who has managed to stop these things — it seems a bit idiotic.”
“We don’t have a choice. This is the job.”
“I thought the job was to protect our own universe, and we can’t do that if we all end up dead.”
Gram tilted her head with an understanding grin. “I know this is scary. I’m at the end of my life as it is, and Lord knows, I’m terrified. But what do you think happens if we allow this cavern, this incredible and impossible cavern, what do you think happens to our world if this place is destroyed? Come now, I know you. You are not a heartless person. Rather than fighting me on this decision, you should be helping me figure out how to make it work.”
With his head still against the sand, Elliot said, “May I weigh in on this?” Using Sully to assist, he managed to get into a sitting position. “Roni seems to have forgotten that I am a healer. It will not take me long to be ready.”
“You see? He’s going to be fine.”
“I did not say that. I will be ready, but there are limits to how much healing I can do to myself, even under the best of circumstances. And even if I were to be as strong as I was twenty years ago, do not expect me to use that sound blast again.”
Sully approached the raft and wagged his finger. “He’s got you there. Both of you are right and both of you are wrong. With an answer like that, Elliot would make a good Rabbi.”
Though she smirked, Gram said, “Right or wrong, I’m still the leader of this group. So, let’s get this raft ready. Elliot, you rest. When the time comes, we’ll need you to do everything you can.”
Straightening her back as if she tried to grow a few inches, she stared at Roni. For a moment, Roni’s chest withered as it had so many times when she was younger and had to endure her grandmother drawing a line in the sand. But this situation was different. She was no longer a little girl who had made a mistake. In fact, she knew she was right. She understood Gram’s position, but a leader had to make tough choices — and in this case, the decision was between losing several universes while they regained their strength versus fighting now, losing, and watching all the universes be destroyed. She wondered if Gram sought to go out in a blaze. Unfortunately, Roni also recognized that the Old Gang would stick together. She could not let them face the hellspider alone. So, doing her best to avoid meeting Gram’s eyes, Roni helped Sully prepare the raft.
By the time they were ready, Elliot had managed to stand with the aid of his cane. Gram walked him to the edge of the water, and Sully assisted him into the raft. After a little finagling, they all managed to find a space, gather their oars, and push off onto the lake.
Roni watched the sands of the Isle recede and wondered if all her experiences with the books in the cavern would be like this. Every book she had encountered led to horror. Even the one that had promised to be a paradise — it came the closest to killing her. The whole world had become like that. On the surface, the world offered opportunity and a chance for happiness. But beneath the façade resided an ugly truth. The world was like all the others out there. It promised one thing and delivered another. It was a fairytale — on the surface a pleasant children’s story, but beneath, a dark and sinister gaze into the abyss of mankind’s heart.
And yet she still wanted to save it.
Perhaps it was Waterfield’s journal. Perhaps it was seeing the way Elliot and Sully and even Gram fought for it. Perhaps it was nothing more than the survival instinct. Whatever the case, deep in her core, she would continue to fight for their world. Having learned the truth and joined the Parallel Society, she felt a duty, if not an honor, to fulfill this task.
But Gram was wrong. Her decision would most likely cost the lives of many universes and that might include their own. Roni wanted to take over, but she doubted Sully and Elliot would follow her. They trusted her well enough, but after decades of being part of the Old Gang, their allegiance went to Gram. Understandable, but frustrating.
“To the left,” Gram said, pointing toward a rocky ledge poking out over the water.
Working together, they maneuvered the raft to the ledge, so that Gram could safely step out and tie them off. Getting Elliot onto the ledge proved more difficult. But they managed.
They could only walk single file down the narrow tunnel. Gram led the way with her flashlight while Sully brought up the rear. Elliot managed a slow pace using his cane in the right hand and the wall on his left side. Behind him, Roni stayed ready in case she needed to catch him should he fall.
“If you want to take a rest,” Roni said, “just say the word.”
Breathing heavily with a wheeze when he inhaled, Elliot gave a slight nod.
Sully said, “Quit worrying about him. He’s been in great shape his whole life. I’m the one that needs your concern.”
Roni looked back to wink when she noticed that the tunnel receded into darkness. She had not realized they had come so far. Only a few minutes later, the rocky walls smoothed out. Several steps after that, they became tiled walls like an old New York City subway.
“Are we in another universe?” Roni asked.
“Very possible,” Gram said, flashing her light over the group. “Often a change like this indicates a new universe. But nothing is a guarantee.”
The tunnel continued straight onward, never once curving left or right. Though not prone to claustrophobia, Roni found the cramped quarters disturbing. She kept thinking that should the hellspider attack now, they would be helpless. Yet Gram pushed forward. She seemed to quicken their pace, pushing them as fast as Elliot could handle. Roni wanted to say something, wanted to scold the woman for having no compassion, but anything that slowed them down meant they would spend that much longer as easy targets in this awful tunnel.
As if treating her thoughts like prayers, they came to a crossroads. The corners between each tunnel had been flattened, and a bench had been carved into the stone. Above each bench, a carved face gazed down. Not human faces. Nor animal. Rather, they were in amalgamation of both that left Roni with a disquieted sensation roiling in her gut.
Gram pointed to one bench. “Have a seat. Let’s rest and figure out which way to go.”
Elliot plopped down. The collar of his shirt had warped loose with sweat. As Sully peered into each tunnel, Roni sat next to Elliot and held his hand. His fingers would not be still — they danced against her while his other hand gripped his cane as if it were a life preserver. To see this man who had always been a paragon of health tremble before her churned her thoughts into a dark future — the reality that Death waited for the Old Gang. While everybody faced dying eventually, the strain on Elliot made his passing more concrete, more certain.
“He can’t go on like this,” Roni said.
Leaning forward while attempting to smile, Elliot said, “I am fine. Just a little winded. It is not easy hiking day after day, not at my age.”
Gram crossed her arms and gazed down to appraise him. “You know what we’ve got to do. I’m trusting you to tell me if you’re not up to the task.”
“I have always been up to the task.”
Roni looked between the two as if watching insane people self-diagnose. “Look at him. What part of him looks ready to take on a hellspider? Is it the way he can hardly breathe? Or perhaps you find his sweat-stained clothes more convincing?”
Elliot raised his shaking hand to quell any further arguments. Leveling a firm stare at Roni, he said, “Our job is not to live forever. We are here to fight, to protect our universe. We are sentinels, guardians, soldiers. You have to accept a lot of hard truths in order to be an effective member of the Parallel Society. Please, do not make them harder for me, Gram, or Sully.”
Despite his conviction and sincerity, Roni could not believe all that Elliot had said. She suspected that at least part of him acted out of loyalty
to Gram and nothing more. Yet despite her misgivings, she backed off. Outnumbered in this debate and outmaneuvered by Elliot, she had no choice but acceptance — after all, she still needed them to guide her back home.
Even as she nodded her acquiescence, she crossed to the opposite bench. With a silent vow, she decided that upon their return, she would rely only upon herself. Maybe someday she could have a team like the Old Gang, but until that day, the universe would still need protection. And these old folks seemed determined to kill themselves.
Gram stroked Elliot’s cheek. “You are sure you can handle this?”
Roni huffed. “Now you suddenly care?”
Gram did not bother to look back. “Before, you said you could not find this creature. Won’t it still be that hard?”
Elliot raised his cane and hand. “At that time, I did not know what I sought. But I have faced these creatures now. It will still be difficult here in the caverns, but I believe I can manage. And besides, after all this arguing, it would be a waste not to try.”
For ten excruciating minutes, Roni sat on her bench, arms folded, and watched Elliot strain through his motions in order to locate the hellspider. She could not decide what she hated more — her inability to prevent this, Gram’s willingness to push Elliot, or the way Sully had remained silent throughout the entire debate. The stone faces above mocked her like a group of adults gazing down at a foolish child.
As if bursting into the air from beneath the ocean, Elliot gasped. He dropped his cane and slumped back against the stone wall. Sully raced to his side. In that instant, Roni saw how the last ten minutes had strained Sully as well.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Though woozy, Elliot managed to say, “The hellspider can be found at the end of that passageway.” He pointed to the West. “Good luck.” With nothing more, he passed out.
Sully gazed up at Gram, a mixture of anger and understanding combating upon his features. “I will stay here and watch over him.”
