by Emma Hamm
“You coming in?”
Letting out a slow breath, Jane nodded.
She walked into the sterile white room as Willow closed the door behind her with a soft snick. As Willow turned, she walked up to Jane and slid a hand into hers.
Jane was standing frozen in the middle of the room as she looked down upon the goblin boy who was already as tall as she was. He was strapped down to the table, horribly thin and breathing shallowly. But it was the neatly stitched gashes along his thighs, stomach, and arms that made her want to vomit.
Slowly, the goblin boy’s head turned on the table and his eyes opened to stare at hers.
Only then did she flinch forward while a choked sound erupted from her mouth. Her hands found his head and stroked the hair that had grown above his ears. Juo’s blind eyes were not staring at the right place, but she could see the tension ease from him as her hands touched him.
Like the goblins below, Jane did not greet him with a nod and a hug that might last for a few seconds at best. Her hands hovered over his shoulders and down his arms. She leaned forward to press her forehead against his and breathed in deeply.
The goblins had always been more comfortable with touch than the humans. The close contact had always made Jane unsettled and she had avoided acting in the same manner. But her heart was breaking as she saw what had been done to this goblin boy. Suddenly she realized why the goblins touched when they saw each other again.
“Juo, I’m so sorry.” She whispered.
A tear dripped from her nose and landed onto his face.
“Willow.”
Her little sister quietly walked to her side but remained a few steps away. The distance between them only seemed to grow.
“Help me get him out of these.”
Willow’s small hands were faster on the leather straps. Between the sisters, they were able to untie Juo in a matter of minutes.
Jane’s brow wrinkled as the goblin remained lying down on the table they had him strapped to. Her hands curved underneath his shoulders and pushed.
“Come on Juo, you have to move.”
But when she finally managed to prop him up, she could see the muscles along his back and arms shaking.
“They haven’t let you move.” Fury bubbled through her veins as her face flushed a bright red.
“He’s been here for a while.” Willow said.
Jane watched in fascination as Juo’s head turned at her sister’s voice. A shaking hand was reached out to be placed directly on top of her head.
His fingers were clumsy, but he had managed to grasp a blonde curl. The soft texture was comforting though he didn’t understand why. He followed the length of the curves until his wrist was resting against Willow’s shoulder and his fingers could continue to rub the hair he had captured.
“He recognizes you.”
Willow nodded. “I’ve visited a couple times.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Nah.” Willow shrugged. “No one’s found me yet. Plus, I’m just a kid. No one’s going to get mad for exploring.”
“Thank you.”
The whisper was released from a breath that Jane had been holding. At least someone here had shown him kindness.
“I’m so proud of you.”
Willow blushed bright red before she cleared her throat and nodded at the goblin boy. “So how are we moving him? He can’t even stand up.”
“I don’t know.” She wished she did. Jane wasn’t familiar enough with the City, nor was there anyway to sneak out someone who looked like an entirely different species.
“He can’t fit in the vents.” Willow pointed up at her usual escape route. “I thought maybe but I forget how big he is.”
Jane’s hand squeezed Juo’s shoulder, realizing the goblin’s eyes had closed once more. He was concentrating on staying upright. “He’s just a child.”
“That ain’t a child.” Willow shook her head. “You think Luther?”
The words trailed off as both sisters stared at each other.
“I don’t know.” Jane said.
She didn’t know much of anything lately, and the frustration was creeping up on her. She had worked so hard to get here and now… Now there was nothing but an uncertain future.
Just as she was moving to see if she could lift Juo on her own, the door banged open once more.
Both of the sisters froze as they stared at Catherine and the lingering shadow of Luther behind her. Jane heard her brother make a strangled noise while Catherine’s hands flew to her lips.
“You’re not supposed to be in here.” Catherine hissed at them, but she shoved Luther into the room and shut the door behind them.
Jane’s hand curled around a medical instrument on a tray nearby as she bolted towards Catherine. The only thing that saved the much smaller woman was Luther’s shoulder that slammed into Jane’s chest.
“Let go of me!” Jane wanted to scream the words, but the need for quiet was more important than her own anger.
“I can’t.” Luther said. “You know I can’t. Put it down Jane.”
Instead, Jane pointed the thin metal tool directly at Catherine. “You did this. I know you did this, I can see it in your eyes.”
She watched as Catherine’s throat worked in a hard swallow before the woman nodded.
“I did. I didn’t have a choice.”
“We all have choices.” Jane knew that more than anyone. She had already made enough foolish choices to last a lifetime. Right now, she was going to make the right choice for all of them.
Luther’s hands eased on her but he grasped hold of the metal in her hand and gave her a severe look.
“Give it to me Jane.”
She clenched her jaw hard before she released it. Even without a weapon, she advanced upon Catherine with a snarl, pushing the woman back towards the wall with her body.
“You’re going to help us get out of here.”
“I can’t.”
But Jane could hear the uncertainty in that tone. She had apparently been picking up her tactics from Ruric. Her body was used for intimidation as Catherine was pressed firmly against the wall. Jane was the largest person in this room, other than Juo who was still using Willow’s shoulder just to remain upright.
She was going to use that to her advantage.
“You’re going to help us get out of here because you know how they got him in.”
Catherine shook her head. “They brought him in through the front door.”
“I don’t think they did.” Jane cocked her head to the side and attempted to stare the other woman down. “And I think you know how we’re going to leave.
Catherine pressed herself against the wall harder but slowly, she nodded.
They managed to strap Juo down onto the same table he had been imprisoned on. Jane murmured soft words and kept a hand on him throughout the whole process. He was confused and in pain, but somehow the soft touches kept him calm enough to allow him to be covered with a white sheet.
Catherine was shocked that he was so easily controlled. Though the goblin boy had never shown serious aggression towards her, he had resisted more times than she could count. Jane seemed to have a way with him.
But it was Catherine that gently laid the white sheet over his face.
“I don’t know if this will work.”
“It has to work.” Jane replied, looking warily at the door as though guards were going to burst through at any moment.
“The guards will notice something this large.”
“Then we’ll avoid the guards.”
“We can’t avoid the guards in this place. They’re everywhere.”
Jane’s eyes darkened as she turned to stare at the smaller woman. It would work because it had to work.
This was their only chance at getting him out of here.
As the largest person in the room, Jane pushed the gurney out of the lab room. Willow ran ahead to watch the corridors and waved them on when it was clear. Though it should ha
ve been Catherine or Luther leading, Jane felt more comfortable with her sister.
Willow didn’t understand particularly what was happening. She thought this was the grandest adventure that she had been waiting forever to be part of. The longer she felt that way, the better as far as Jane was concerned. She didn’t need to know how much danger they were in.
“This way.” Catherine murmured, and pointed down a long tunnel.
Pattering footsteps echoed as Willow raced back towards them.
“Of course!”
As the golden haired child sprinted down the hallway, even Jane found herself moving quicker. They were so close.
Not that she had any idea what she was going to do with the weak goblin boy once they got out of the City. The sun was still up, which meant that Ruric and the others could not come get him. Jane might be able to carry him for short amounts of time until they met up with the goblins.
But that meant that they would be in plain site of the City the entire time. Somehow she didn’t think that the authorities weren’t going to notice a woman carrying a body in a white sheet.
“Jane.” Luther’s voice broke through her thoughts as she wheeled the gurney closer and closer to freedom.
Jane nodded in response.
“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”
“Of course I am.”
“Don’t you remember the stories Jane? These things kill our people.”
“And we experiment on them.”
“That’s because they’re not human!”
She nearly stopped pushing the gurney.
“Luther, have you not wondered where I have been these past months?”
He nodded slowly, and even as they walked she could see that he was eyeing her.
“These creatures may not be human, but they have the capacity for great kindness. I don’t think we can judge them so harshly when we have made mistakes as well.”
Her hand once more ghosted over the goblin boy’s shoulder. He remained so still that she worried he had fainted. Or worse, that she was too safe to save him.
Jane could feel her brother’s eyes following the path of her hand. The sharp intake of breath was not surprising.
“You have feelings for them.”
“Of course I do.” She murmured. “They took care of me for many months. They were kind and I started all of this. It’s up to me to finish it.”
She didn’t give him any time to ask more questions of her. Luther didn’t need to know of her failures, because she was going to wipe them clean. Now that she saw what her own people would do to the goblins, Jane knew clearly that both sides were wrong. There had been enough blood and death to last a lifetime.
Now, she simply wanted to get everyone home and attempt to forget that this had ever happened.
Willow held open a door at the end of the hall and Jane pushed harder at the gurney. Freedom was right though those double doors. Bursting through, she breathed a sigh of relief. They had made it. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel, literally.
Until she heard the shouting. Catherine dropped to her knees with her hands placed behind her head. From the corner of her eyes, Jane could see that Luther did the same.
But she was so close. She could see the sand that the wind had blown into the tunnel. That was her freedom, surely she could make it?
A man in a white uniform blocked her path, weapon raised and pointed at her head.
The gurney slowed as she pulled it backwards, breath slowly exhaling from her lungs as she remained standing. Her eyes did not move from the man holding the gun. Jane would not get on her knees for these people.
Slow clapping echoed in the tunnel. The sound hit sharply against her ears and Juo stirred underneath the sheet.
“Well done, Miss Penderghast! I do believe I have not yet had the pleasure.”
The voice was smooth. Confident and loud, even his voice oozed a confidence that Jane did not want to turn to see. Whoever this man was, he was not someone she wanted to meet.
She turned on her heel to lock eyes with the grey haired man walking through the door she had just burst through. The black boots on his feet reflected the light nearly as much as the blinding brightness of his white suit. In fact, those black boots were the only color on him.
His skin was parchment white. His lips were nearly colorless. The white hair on his head was slicked back and perfectly in place.
“I think I’d remember if I have met you.”
The smile that stretched across his face made a shiver curl up her spine. Too wide, that smile was too wide. It looked as though a gash had been cut through his lips to force a mockery of happiness.
“I’m sure you would have. Now, you’ll have to come with me, my dear.”
“I don’t think I have to.” Jane’s quick retort was emphasized by her body pressing against the gurney.
“I think you do.” His boots clicked on the floor as he ambled towards her. “You see, I know you’re here to free that creature laying on the table behind you. And I know that you have more of them waiting outside the City for you.”
She swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you came in here thinking to recreate a heroic rescue and save the people who kept you alive. It’s admirable really.”
“If you knew, why did you let me get this far?”
He shrugged. “Because I could? I wanted to see what you would do. I wanted to discover how that brain ticks of yours.”
“Well now you know. What are you going to do now?”
She didn’t know who he was, nor did she want to know. But Jane continued to place her weight on the gurney in hopes that if she pushed hard enough, Juo would be sent down the tunnel without her.
It was as good a plan as she could come up with right now.
“Ah ah ah.” He waved a finger in the air. “Do try to pay attention Jane. I haven’t gotten to the good part yet.”
“I’m not in the habit of listening to rants.” She said through clenched teeth.
“You should listen when I speak.” His fingers snapped in the air and the guards moved in towards them. Neither Catherine nor Luther struggled as they were lifted from the ground. But Willow had somehow managed to disappear.
“Do not touch me.” She growled at one of the guards.
“Come now, Jane. Don’t do anything rash.” That grotesque smiled curved along his lips once more. “You wouldn’t want to hurt the child.”
As three guards descended on her, Jane’s breath rushed from her lungs. He knew. He knew and now the game had changed. The guards pushed her to her knees as the Doctor walked up to her and tilted her head towards him.
“How?” She whispered.
“I have eyes and ears everywhere. Any scan is sent directly to my computer. I saw that little monster inside of you before Catherine did.”
She jerked her head out of his grasp when his thumb nail dragged across her cheek.
The Doctor stepped back and wiped his hand on his pant leg.
“That baby of yours will make an interesting new specimen for my studies. Along with the other three goblins of yours.”
At the same time, brother and sister started to yell.
Luther had remained compliant until he heard the Doctor’s last words. “Baby? Jane?” He started to struggle against the guards then. For the first time since arriving here, Jane saw the Luther she used to know. “Let go of me!”
She couldn’t help him. She was already struggling against her own guards while shouting, “What did you do, you monster!”
Their shouts only seemed to fuel the laughter of the Doctor as he gestured with his hands. She didn’t hear what he told the guards to do, but felt the prick of a needle against her neck.
She sagged in their arms almost immediately, struggling against the black that tunneled across her vision as her eyes closed.
12
Jane woke in what the City must consider to be a cell. The c
ot she laid on was uncomfortable and the white sheets made her eyes hurt. As she slowly sat up, her feet pressed against the cold stone floor. She blinked to clear her head of the fog that made her temples ache.
The walls were clear glass and as she glanced around, she could see Luther in the cell next to her. There wasn’t a smudge on the glass, but the lights reflected upon the clear surface. Everything was pristine white.
She wanted to destroy it all.
Her hand moved and the soft shushing sound seemed to hurt her ears. They had removed her clothing. She was in some kind of hospital gown. White like the rest of this room and so clean that it made her skin look dirty.
The gown nearly ripped as she stood. Jane realized her balance was off. Her feet seemed to curl underneath her and she had to use the glass wall for balance. She had a profound sense of satisfaction as her palm left streaks upon the glass.
“Luther.” Her voice was hoarse and croaked out of her dry mouth. She pounded her fist against the glass, testing its strength and trying to get her brother’s attention.
“Luther!”
He stirred on the bed, his legs shifting until she could see his eyes open.
“Get up.” Her throat hurt when she spoke. “Get up, Luther.”
Slowly he swung himself off of the bed, and Jane had to grit her teeth as she watched his awkward walk towards her. The white gown covered him as well, and Jane realized he had lost his tan as well. Her heart squeezed as she realized she hadn’t noticed until now. The family who had lived in the sands had disappeared entirely right under her nose.
His palms hit the glass against her. It was so sturdy she didn’t feel it shudder when his weight slammed against it.
“Jane.”
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I think so.”
“What did they give us? I don’t feel right.”
“Some kind of drug.” He answered. “I’m not sure. I’ve never misbehaved, but I’ve seen them use it on people before.”
“Feels like someone hit me.” Jane’s hand rose to press against her forehead.
“I doubt it. The Doctor seemed… interested in your health.”
He was choosing his words carefully so he didn’t upset her.
