by West, Shay
“Alex? Where are you? Jenn just called and told me what happened.”
“I’m heading up into the mountains.” Her breath came in gasps as she climbed higher. “Paul showed us this secret cave. If I can get there and hide, Stygian can’t find me.”
“And what then? How are any of us supposed to find you?”
“Call Jenn and have Paul bring you guys to the cave to come get me. We can sneak out when it’s dark and leave.”
“I’m not sure I like this plan, Alex.”
“It’s a little late for that since I’m already on my way to the cave.” Alex didn’t dare mention that she wasn’t certain she could find it after all this time.
“I’ll call Jenn and we’ll come to get you.”
“Wait until it’s dark! And don’t come from anywhere near my house or Aunt Karen’s. He could be watching and he’ll just follow you. Paul will know how to get to the cave from a spot Stygian won’t be watching.”
“It won’t be full dark for hours yet. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Alex’s eyes teared up at the worry in his voice. “I’ll be fine. There’s no way Stygian will ever guess I’m up here. I’ll see you guys soon.”
***
Drifter followed Alex through the mountains on silent feet. His tread barely disturbed the dirt as he made his way up into the mountains. He had no idea where the girl was going but he couldn’t have picked a better place to kill her than the solitude of the sandstone hills surrounding them. She had gone off the trail and was making her way deeper into the mountains, stopping every so often to check landmarks and glance around like she was lost.
Curiosity kept Drifter from killing the girl. He wanted to know where she was going. Alex didn’t act like she was just running scared; she acted like she was looking for something, or some place. The further they got from the houses below the more excited Drifter became. He could kill her, hide her body in one of a thousand crevasses, and she would never be found. He would finally pay her back for ruining his Master’s plans.
CHAPTER 40
ALEX PAUSED and glanced around at the terrain. Her heart sank. Nothing looked familiar. The sun would be all the way down soon and then she would be out here in the wilderness in the dark. Where there were wild animals ready to devour or envenom her.
She wanted to sit down and cry but she forced her feet to keep walking, certain that something would look familiar. Suddenly, her skin crawled in a familiar sensation and she felt nauseous. A sound like falling rocks came from behind her. Alex whirled.
It can’t be!
***
Drifter smiled at the look of terror on the girl’s face. It sent his blood racing through his veins. His hands clenched, eager to squeeze the life out of her. He had hoped to confront her further along but as it was almost dark, he thought it was fortuitous that he had slipped on the sandstone rocks underfoot. He wanted to look into her eyes when life faded from them.
***
Alex looked around, praying that there would be someone, anyone close by but she and Stygian were alone. The way he walked, it was like a predator. His eyes never left hers. Stygian came closer and Alex couldn’t do anything but stand there and stare into his eyes. She wanted to run, to scream, but her body was in such a state of terror that she had lost complete control.
She wondered if Gavin, Jenn, and Paul were in the area. You aren’t anywhere close to the hidden cave. That thought made her shoulders slump. Paul would lead Gavin and Jenn right to his secret cave and Stygian would kill her in this spot and no one would ever find her. Alex knew that line of thinking should send her into hysterics but her body still seemed incapable of responding in a normal fashion.
When Stygian was only a few steps away her body finally decided to move. But it was too late. At the same time she took a step back, Stygian swept her legs out from under her. She landed with a thud that forced the air from her lungs. Her purse went flying. She could hear the contents spilling on the rocks.
“I am going to enjoy this,” Drifter said as he straddled her middle.
Alex tried to fight him off but he was too strong. He knelt on her arms, scraping the skin off. She managed to scream once before his hands closed around her throat. With the man on her arms, she couldn’t fight.
Suddenly, she was back in Agy’s body. Only instead of a pillow stealing her breath it was hands wrapped around her throat. She twisted side-to-side, bucking her body, trying to throw him off. All he did was laugh. Spots danced in front of her eyes as Stygian cut off her air supply. Terror worse than she had felt when she was Agy filled her. There would be no coming back from this. There would be no void, no body to return to. Stygian was going to kill her and she would be gone forever.
Alex was surprised at how angry she was despite the fear of dying. It wasn’t fair. She had never been asked if she wanted to have the gift of time travel, to save the world, to have her life turned upside down. All she wanted was to be a normal girl, finish high school, go to prom, get her driver’s license, go on dates, go to college, meet the man of her dreams, become the curator of the Smithsonian, and live to a ripe old age.
She would never have the chance.
***
Alex’s eyes widened as she saw something come at Stygian from behind. It can’t be him! The boy she was supposed to have a date with appeared like some hero out of a fairy tale. Chandon swung something at Stygian and the man fell backward with a cry.
Alex choked and gagged, sucking in the sweet air through a bruised throat. She rolled to the side and coughed into the dirt. The relief at being able to draw a breath pushed all other thoughts aside.
“Alex, are you okay?”
She let his arms pick her up. It hurt so bad to breathe! I just need to rest.
“It’s me. Open your eyes.”
Alex forced her eyes open. It’s not possible! She tried to speak but her throat was too raw. She swallowed a few times but that only seemed to make it worse.
“Chandon?” she managed to croak.
“Yeah, it’s me. Can you stand? We gotta get you down the mountain and to a doctor.”
Alex managed to gain her feet with Chandon’s help but the motion made her cough so badly she nearly passed out. When she spotted Stygian lying on the ground, she cried out in a guttural, hoarse cry and nearly fell over trying to get away.
“It’s okay, he’s not going anywhere.”
Alex nodded and let Chandon lead her away. Before they got a few steps, she stopped and pointed toward where her purse lay on the ground. Chandon nodded. Alex watched as he gathered what he could find and bring it to her. She checked her phone and wilted when she noticed she didn’t have a signal.
“We can call when we get down a little ways,” Chandon said.
Alex stumbled down the mountain, throat so raw she wondered if it was bleeding. It was hard to fight the urge to swallow every five seconds but swallowing made her want to pass out. She peered behind them certain Stygian would be coming after them.
“You don’t happen to have a flashlight do you?” Chandon asked.
Alex shook her head. It was full dark and the moon wasn’t bright enough to light their way. The Monument, so beautiful during the day, was treacherous at night. One wrong step and both of them would end up with broken bones or cracked skulls.
“It’s not a flashlight, but I guess it’ll do in a pinch.” Chandon held out his phone.
The cell phone provided barely enough light to see. Alex checked her phone and as soon as she had a single bar, she dialed Jenn’s number and gave the phone to Chandon.
“Wait, what do I say?” Chandon asked.
Alex pointed to her throat and back up the trail. She tried to speak but doubled over in a fit of coughing.
“Hello? Hello, this is...no, my name isn’t...if you’d let me explain...” Chandon looked at Alex helplessly.
She could hear Jenn’s voice screeching through her cell phone but she couldn’t hear what she was saying. It would be funny if
she wasn’t sitting on this rock coughing so badly she was about to pass out. Alex motioned for Chandon to give her the phone. She grabbed it and hung up on Jenn, then quickly sent a text telling Jenn that Chandon was the one that called because she couldn’t talk.
When Chandon called back, the conversation went a little more smoothly although Chandon didn’t know some of the answers to Jenn’s questions and Alex wasn’t able to answer.
I wish I would have brought some water with me.
“Alex, are you close to Paul’s hidden cave?” Chandon asked.
Alex shrugged.
“She doesn’t know.” He paused and nodded. “That would be great except neither one of us has a flashlight.” Chandon rolled his eyes and pulled the phone away from his ear as Jenn yelled. “I wasn’t planning on a trip into the mountains at night. If you want to yell at someone for not bringing a flashlight, yell at Alex.”
Alex croaked laughter and fought down the coughing fit about to ensue.
“Oh great, so if you guys have a flashlight, why don’t you shine it up into the air instead of yelling about us not having one?” Chandon said.
Chandon walked a little ways off and stood on a large rock, getting a better view of the surrounding area. She could barely make him out in the darkness. Alex hoped she wasn’t too far off course. She needed to find her friends and get off this mountain.
“Hey, hey! I see them!” Chandon waved his arms, jumped off the rock, and trotted off in the direction of the light that Alex could barely see off to the left. In a few minutes, she heard familiar voices. Jenn was at the front, running so fast Alex feared the girl would trip and break her head open. Jenn threw herself at Alex, her tears wetting the side of Alex’s neck.
Alex held Jenn and sobbed, though it hurt like hell. The sobs tore from her ravaged throat but there was nothing Alex could do to stop it. A vision of Stygian lying on the ground, his face bloody and torn made her cry all the harder. She wondered if he was dead or if he was on his way to them right now to finish the job.
“It’s okay, don’t try to talk,” Jenn said.
Alex shook her head and forced the words out. “Stygian, up trail.” Alex pointed in the direction she and Chandon had come from.
“Gavin has already been in contact with the police,” Jenn glanced at where Gavin stood with Paul and Chandon. “For now, he wants us to keep up the crazy Marine on the loose act and keep quiet about the time travel thing. Cops wouldn’t believe it anyway,” Jenn whispered.
“Cops, coming here?” Alex said.
“I think so. Gavin is having Paul explain to them how to get up here. He’s got his fancy GPS thingy. Thank God, or else we could be up here all night.”
Gavin ran up to the girls. “Alex, thank God you’re all right. Chandon is going to take me to where he thinks Stygian is. If he hit the man as hard as he said he did, he’s probably still up there and unconscious. But I don’t want to take the chance that Stygian will leave before the cops get here.”
Alex nodded. “Careful,” she croaked.
“We will be. Stay here and try not to talk. Jenn, help her drink some water.”
Alex wanted to gulp the water but her throat felt like it was the size of a straw and would only allow a tiny bit past the injury. After she sipped a little, Alex put the bottle against her throat. The cold eased the throbbing a little.
“What in the heck is going on here, Alex? Why would some Marine come after you?”
Alex glanced up at Paul. His face was lit by the GPS unit he held in his hand.
“Don’t know. But he killed a girl and framed my uncle.” Alex was relieved that it was easier to speak. It still hurt but at least she was able to say a few words without coughing.
Paul shook his head. “It’s so bizarre, like something out of a movie. Hey, maybe Simon and I can write a screenplay!”
Alex chuckled at his enthusiasm. Part of her wanted to come clean and tell Paul everything but it had become so much easier to keep the secret.
“What about mom?” Alex asked.
“Gavin told her and your aunt that he was on his way to get you and for them to wait at your house in case Stygian got away,” Jenn said.
“I should call, let her know I’m okay.”
Alex called her mom and had to fight the tears at the fear in her mother’s voice. She assured her that everything was fine, that Chandon had come in like a knight in shining armor and saved her from the bad guy.
“I still can’t believe this guy came after you. Why would he do something like that?” Patricia asked.
Alex thought quickly, something she was getting used to. “While he had me down, he said he was coming after you and Karen too, that there was nowhere you could hide.”
“It’s terrifying is what it is. And who’s this Gavin character? Mark says he’s a friend of his but Karen doesn’t recall ever hearing his name before.”
“I don’t know where they know each other either. But I’m glad Uncle Mark has such good friends.” Alex was glad her uncle was as good at coming up with lies as she herself was.
“Yeah, me too.”
Her mom didn’t sound convinced so Alex changed the subject. “I think the cops are here so I gotta go. I’ll let you know which hospital they take me to so you and Karen can come down, okay?”
“I can’t believe it. This guy nearly chokes the life out of you and you are the one that’s all calm and collected while I’m a complete mess. When did you grow up?”
Alex smiled. “I guess it’s the shock. See you soon.”
Alex couldn’t tell her mom that she had survived death several times already so she was sort of used to it. If she did spill her guts, her mom wouldn’t let her leave the house until she was forty.
“I know it’s probably too soon but I am so excited to get back home so I can write all this down. As soon as you’re up for it I plan on picking your brain for every last detail of your flight into the mountains.” Jenn glanced at Alex. “How do you feel now that it’s over?”
Alex opened her mouth but shut it before answering. Over. Could it really be? She had wanted that for so long, to be free of time travel so she could live a normal life. Now that it looked like that might happen Alex didn’t know how to feel about it. Time travel had become such a big part of her life that it would be strange to be able to look into a mirror without the fear of traveling back in time and facing Stygian hanging over her shoulder.
She looked up at Jenn. “To be honest, Jenn, I don’t know how I feel.”
CHAPTER 41
“LOOKS LIKE SOME deep bruising in the neck and arms but no broken bones or cartilage. You’re one lucky young lady,” the doctor said.
Alex sat on the hospital bed, her mom on one side, Jenn and Chandon on the other. Alex gave her statement to the police, though it hurt her throat to talk so much. The cops thanked her and said they would be in touch at a later date.
“Where is Stygian?” Alex asked.
The doctor smiled sympathetically. “You don’t have to worry about him. He’s unconscious and will be for quite some time. The Marine base is sending some men to guard him and they should be here later today.”
“But what if he escapes? He got away from a base that had a lot more men than just a few guards.” A vision of Stygian prowling around her house made her skin crawl.
“Trust me. Stygian isn’t going anywhere. Your friend there,” the doctor pointed to Chandon, “hurt him pretty badly.”
“How badly?” Alex asked.
“I’m sorry but I’m not allowed to discuss that. Against the privacy rules. I’ll be back shortly to check on you.” The doctor left.
“Hey mom, we could really use some snacks. Would you mind?” Alex asked.
“Sure. I’ll go see what they have in the cafeteria.”
Alex waited until her mom was out of earshot. “I need to know what’s wrong with Stygian.”
“You heard the doctor. There’s no way to find out,” Jenn said.
“He only
said he couldn’t tell me. But if Stygian is here, we can try to get a look in his room, maybe his chart or something.”
“How are we going to do that if he’s under guard?” Chandon asked.
“There are no guards yet. And mom will be back so we don’t have much time.”
Alex hopped off the bed and the trio walked to the door. “By the way, where are Paul and Gavin?”
“Down at the police station. I guess they have your uncle and some guys at the base chatting through a computer about Stygian and the girl he killed. Gavin said he would text me as soon as they were done,” Jenn said.
“So which direction do we go?” Chandon asked.
“I have no idea.”
Actually, Alex did have an idea but she couldn’t tell Chandon about it. She was going to follow her instincts, that strange feeling she got whenever she was close to Stygian, and let them lead her to the evil Traveler.
Jenn and Chandon followed her without a word. Whether by divine intervention or just plain luck, no one stopped them as they wandered the hallway. It helped that Alex walked with a confident air, the tight feeling in her belly growing with every step she took toward Stygian.
She stopped in front of a closed door and peeked through the window. She could see Stygian on the bed. At least, she thought it was him. Between the gauze and enormous amount of tubes, she couldn’t see his face.
“It’s him, it’s on the chart,” Jenn said.
“What else does it say?” Alex asked, unable to look away from the window.
“It’s all technical. Something about deep lacerations to the eyes, fracturing of the supraorbital ridge, nasal bones, lacrimal bones, zygomatic process, occipital bone...I don’t even know what all that is.”
“His eyes, front of his face, side of his face, and back of his head are damaged,” Alex said.
“How do you know all that?” Jenn asked.
“I took anatomy, remember?”
“It also says something about medically induced coma, swelling of the occipital lobe, and blindness.”
