by Tigris Eden
“How did you—?”
“C-Tech. Now, are you going to tell me why you took off like that?”
“I need to see if my sister and mother are okay.”
“You mean your fake family? Attia has them if she’s looking for you. She’ll use them as leverage to get you. There’s no telling if they’re going to be okay.”
“Well, that’s not good enough. I need assurances.”
“Diamond has a plan. He always does. I’m sure he was going to still put on the auction and offer you up to the highest bidder, hoping Attia would show.”
Possibly, but Attia would attack. Dominika wasn’t strong like her. The girl still laughed and tried to make the best out of her day. Even when their day had been shitty, Nika would sing.
“I need to get to them.”
“What were you going to do when you caught up with Attia? How were you going to get them out? Exactly what is your plan?”
There was no plan. Nadya’s only thoughts had been of the two females she’d promised to protect.
“Yeah, I can see from the look on your face just how your plan was no plan at all.”
“It’s my family,” was all she could say.
“Well, it’s good to have one of those. It doesn’t do them any good if you get killed in the process of saving them, though. Then it would have all been for nothing. You don’t look like the type of girl who’d make rash decisions. “
“So, what? I go back to Diamond?”
Phyr eyed her curiously. Looking inside his pack, he pulled out a bag with food in it.
“I didn’t say that either. The bastard is awfully stingy with you. I see the appeal. You’re Raema. I won’t let you be auctioned off. You’re a fighter, it’s in your blood. There’s another way. I have a proposition for you.”
Another proposal? Everyone wanted to offer her something but were never willing to give.
“Here, eat this. We’ll talk about my idea as soon as we find suitable shelter.”
The track they were on was in good shape for the most part. She couldn’t see any buildings close by that they could go to. The ones they passed were covered in vines. She’d use the time she had to figure out what her next move was. Phyr said nothing as he walked beside her.
“Tell me about your people,” Nadya asked.
“You mean our people?”
“I don’t know that to be true,” she replied with an eyebrow raise.
“Oh, it’s true. I’ll prove it if you agree to my proposition.”
“I don’t think that’s fair. No more deals.”
“You’re thinking way too hard.” Phyr looked at her and shook his head.
“There’s nothing hard about using your mind,” she shot back.
“Says the girl who put her cookie up for sale.”
Nadya whirled on Phyr.
“I didn’t have a choice. It was either the Quarry or Attia.”
“Still, shit went bad. You shouldn’t have deserted your people.”
“I didn’t desert anyone. I woke up in a pool of my own blood with no memory.”
Phyr changed the subject. Didn’t respond to her comment. As if he had no kind of thought about it whatsoever. It was as if the entire conversation were a discussion on what the difference was between Dark Water and Wave. There was no voice inflection, nothing. And he was completely oblivious to her outburst. He went from giving a care to not giving a care. How did people do that? Just avoid anything that would evoke an emotion. It was like he just shut down, and went a different direction.
“If you think for one moment Lavarious is going to allow you out of the deal the two of you made, you’re sick in the head. I like you, and like I said, I have a proposition for you. One Diamond may agree to.”
“Don’t care. I have to try and find Attia.”
“You should have stayed with the group. Attia is on her way to the Quarry and she’s coming with your sister. And hopefully your mom. You leaving only delayed what’s coming.”
“My mom’s dead.” She didn’t want to say it out loud, but she knew it to be true. Anna would slow them down. Attia would have done her in the first chance she got.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do!” The scream was loud, piercing. If she’d known what was waiting for them beneath the subway bridge, she might have kept quiet. These new feelings were getting the best of her. Her inability to remember—to know—making her frustrated.
There was nothing at first, no inclination whatsoever that there were others watching, waiting for the chance to strike. It was Phyr who realized they were in danger. His arm snapped out, halting her movement at the same time he whispered, “We’re not alone.”
Chapter 12
He’d spotted them about twenty paces back. Plan of attack? None. There was no way out of their current situation unless one of them ended up dead. Or they both got out alive because Nadya was capable of holding her own. She was Raema, not Bloodborne, but she was better than any female he’d seen. Even within his tribe. Raema were the offspring of a female Traveler and a human male. They had long lives, and heightened senses. They were also more acceptable of their emotions on a physical level. Although too much of an emotion bombarding them could sometimes lead to a complete breakdown. Symptoms he had yet to see from Nadya. She had a loose rein on her emotions, and he could tell she was trying to keep it together. Phyr hoped he was right, because if shit went down, it’d come flying back up in his face with the stench of a thousand deaths if something happened to the girl. And a girl she was. Naïve in her thoughts. Any other Raema female was ruthless and showed very little emotion. The females of his kind made succinct choices that benefited only themselves. It’s why he worked alone. Childish with her impulses, Nadya had to go and run the hell off. Now they were in a situation. And definitely not a good one.
“Be ready with your weapon. I suggest you draw it now because once they get up in our face, you’re not going to have time to do anything else except maybe attempt to protect your face while they gut you with their bare hands.”
Nadya pulled the saw blade and thrust it out in front of her, her knuckles prominent as she held her weapon in a death grip. Good. She’d keep hold of her blade.
“What are they?” she whispered. Anytime anyone first came in contact with a Reaper, they were scared shitless. Reapers were blind, but they had exceptional hearing. They had very large, very bald heads and no eyes. Not even sockets. Their noses were two slits, and their mouths were wide with sharp teeth for killing their prey. It wasn’t public knowledge where they came from, but most assumed they were some form of mutation. Everyone who came in contact with a Reaper—and survived—were only able to give descriptions. They couldn’t tell you where they came from or where they went. They’d just popped up around the same time the tunnels were flooded.
“Reapers. No more talking, they have acute hearing, and if you make any more noise than necessary, they’ll swarm us. They travel in groups of two to four. Let’s hope there’s only two of them.”
He knew there wasn’t, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. He needed her head in the game, not on the grotesque monsters in front of them. One by one, they crawled up through the opening of the tracks like roaches crawling up a wall, each creature bent low on all fours as if sniffing the ground. Their heads cocked to the side as they tried to listen for any sound that would direct them toward their prey. Phyr could hear his own heart as it beat at a somewhat steady pace. He knew what to do, but he was more worried for Nadya than himself. The honest truth of it was, if she should get herself into trouble, he’d be reluctant to help her. He was a loner by nature, didn’t care to have people in his space for a very good reason. But even as the thought crossed his mind, Phyr knew he’d make an exception for her. As the creatures drew closer, he realized belatedly that they were completely surrounded. There was only one way to go, and it was through them.
Phyr slowly pulled his sword from his back. The sound of the blade scraping t
he leather as it was unsheathed was all the sound the Reapers needed to attack. Any sane person would have probably given up, or screamed as their flesh was ripped from their bodies. Not Phyr. A sick as it was, things like this gave him a rush. Fueled his need to survive. He spared a second for Nadya, saw she too was moving quickly to duck out of the way of the Reapers’ claws. He should have warned her about the venom secreted from their fingertips. Should she get scratched, she would become deathly ill. Don’t get caught, girl.
All sound was muted as he focused in on each of his attackers. He took on three, and Nadya was holding her own with two more. His sword sang through the air with a distinct sound as he brought it down, slicing through a Reaper’s arm. White blood sprayed, hitting the ground at his feet and covering his boots. The Reapers’ blood was deadly too, but both he and Nadya were wearing protective street clothes made by Stitch. They were practically invincible as long as they stayed clear of their claws.
“Get in front of them, Nadya!”
“Busy over here!” she shouted back, not paying attention to a word he was saying. Phyr swung his sword wide in a blind fury, hoping to catch the other two Reapers off guard, but they quickly jumped out of the way. Now that they knew the sound of his blade, they were dodging his blows, making the fight nearly an impossible one. But he continued to sever as many limbs that got in the way of his blade as he could.
Nadya hissed, and Phyr looked back to see she’d been scratched. She kept going, fighting through the pain. It was time to bring this gathering to a complete and total standstill. Phyr pulled a spray grenade from his belt, knowing he would suffer its wrath, as well. He saw no other way out of the fray. There were more coming, and he didn’t understand why the pack was so large. Nadya was beginning to get lethargic. Her breathing was short, and as she lifted her saw blade high above her head, she almost stumbled back, as if the blade were too heavy for her. The venom from the Reaper was setting in. “Fuck!”
Phyr released the pin and grabbed Nadya around the waist, careful of her blades as he covered her body, just as the explosive went off. Small rock pellets sprayed in every direction, a few caught him on his arms and back as well as the backs of his leg, but he didn’t move. The Reapers received the most damage; the sound of the rock pellets penetrating their skin sounded like dart gun ammo hitting its target. The pellets wouldn’t kill the Reapers, but they would slow them down long enough for Phyr to get them to safety.
“All right, you fought well, but we gotta get out of here. Can you walk?”
Her face was covered in sweat, and he knew the fever was setting in. He needed to find them a place to rest. He knew she had meds in her bag, but he didn’t have time to give them to her before the Reapers recovered. “We have to move, Nadya. Get up.”
She moaned. Clearly feeling the effects of the venom. It wouldn’t be too much longer before she’d be puking her guts out.
Fuck.
Phyr reached down, pulled her up, and threw her arm over his shoulder so he could lift her. She didn’t weigh much. He was able to half carry, half drag her down the tracks. There were no buildings near that would be of use to them, but below him was dry land, and what looked to be some kind of sewer. It was better to be in the sewer tunnels then topside with Reapers.
“Look, see over there—” he pointed to the covered manhole, “—we just need to make it there, then you can rest. I’ll see what’s in the bag and get you patched up. Are you with me, Nadya?”
No response.
Shit.
Her body started to convulse. That was never a good sign. He’d never been scratched by a Reaper, but he’d seen others afflicted, and the ones infected with the venom very rarely survived.
V
There were voices all around, but Nadya couldn’t understand a single one. Or is that just in my head? There was something in her ears, or at least that’s what it felt like. There was also the pungent odor of waste. The kind she’d rather not think about. Her body ached all over, and she was sweating. A lot. She tried to open her eyes, but it hurt too much. It felt like someone had poured sand into her eyes and scratched her eyeballs raw. Her body temperature rose with every breath she took, tightening the muscles in her stomach until she ached more.
“Don’t try to open your eyes. You won’t like where we are anyway.”
That voice she understood loud and clear. It was Phyr.
“Where…” Her voice sounded broken. She could barely form words. If she tried, she feared there would be dire consequences. It felt like she’d been stung by giant tree ants and scratched past the point of bleeding by thistle bushes.
“Don’t try to talk. You need to rest. You’ve been out for most of the night. You need to get some more sleep before we can head back. You’re lucky I had supplies, you’re clean out.”
She didn’t want to go back to the Quarry. Nadya tried to move her body, but it protested. Too weak to even move, she collapsed back into Phyr’s chest. She realized the heat was coming not only from her but him, too. His back was against a wall, she assumed, and the upper half of her body was cradled in his arms. She wanted to open her eyes, gauge his state of mind, but was unable to. She refused to take too deep a breath, for fear of the pain she was currently experiencing. Why does it hurt so bad? Even when she’d awakened in a pool of her own blood, the pain hadn’t escalated to the level of discomfort she was experiencing now.
“You fought really well. I could show you more if you want to learn. I think you’d be better with throwing daggers. No up close and personal combat for you. Or maybe a long-range rifle. I have a few stashed.”
He was offering to teach her to fight. That was funny. She knew how to protect herself, even hold her own, but she was no match for the Reapers.
“If you’d like to learn, just squeeze my hand lightly.”
Was he holding her hand? She had no clue, but as she became more aware of her surroundings, she realized, yes, her hand was in his. His hand was big, warm, and strong. Heavily callused. She could feel his pulse—her pointer finger rested just beneath his wrist. His heart beat steadily. Strong. She lifted her finger, that’s all she was able to do. Too weak to do anything else.
“Good. Glad to hear you’re interested. I’ll see to it you end up with me in the end.”
She moved her finger again to acknowledge him. She’d rather end up with Phyr as her patron. It was the better deal. He’d been kind. But if Anna and Dominika were dead, it’d do her no good. There would be no reason for her to stay longer than needed. A small part of her was relieved to think she might be free to leave if they were dead, if she didn’t have to follow through with the contract to ensure their safety. She could do what she wanted to do, what she’d set out to do in the beginning. She tossed the thought away. She would fight. Follow through.
“I’m going to try and catch some sleep, you need to do the same. I’m hoping by mid-morning we can move. We’ll go around. Can’t go back the way we came. But Diamond knows I’m bringing you back. There’s nothing I can do about punishment, but I’ll speak in your defense.”
She moved her finger again.
Nadya didn’t go to sleep. She listened to the sounds surrounding her. There was movement above them. She was already starting to feel a little better. She could hear someone or something milling about above. She hoped it wasn’t Reapers. The sound above stopped right overhead. There was a loud scraping sound. Phyr’s hand tightened on hers.
“Quiet. We’re going to have to move.”
She wasn’t about to disagree with him. Even if it was going to kill her, she was moving. Nadya peeled her eyes open. She couldn’t do anything about the smell, but she could at least keep her eyes open. Even if it was pitch black.
“You stay right behind me. As close as you can. Where I step, you step. Don’t speak. If you understand, just use your hand.”
To remind her that her hand was still in his, Phyr squeezed. Nadya moved her thumb along the inside of his wrist so he knew she understood. They moved
quietly through the tunnel, edging along the walls. Slimy moss, sludge, and all manner of grossness were attached to her clothing. Nadya would have emptied the contents of her stomach if she could, only it would alert the Reapers to their location. As quietly as she could, Nadya moved forward. At some point during the fight with the Reapers, she’d lost her mask and goggles. She had nothing to combat the stench, as it grew thicker and fouler the deeper they went down the dark tunnel. She could hear water off in the distance.
Behind her, she could hear splashing, as if someone were running through a shallow pond. They were trying to catch up to her and Phyr. There was no sound except for their feet sloshing through the water. Every so often, she’d hear a clicking sound. They’re communicating with each other. Reapers didn’t have eyes. She’d been too busy fighting them to notice if they could speak. But it would make sense that if they used sound to track, they’d also use it to talk to each other.
Phyr stopped walking. They’d come to a fork in the tunnel. His hands squeezed hers once, twice, and then three times. Nadya didn’t know what he meant until he did it again. He was asking for her thoughts. Should they take door number one, two, or three? Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness a bit, and the path in front of them led to the sound of the water. The other two tunnels offered nothing she could see—or hear—that would be to their advantage. At least if they kept in the direction of the sound of water, it would throw the Reapers off. She hoped. She tapped his wrist twice and was glad he was on the same page as she was.
They moved towards the sound of running water. It grew until they came to a pipe gushing with it. Phyr turned towards her and she could see his eyes. He pointed up. Nadya tilted her head and noticed a manhole. They were in a sewer, she could see it, hell, it was the reason it smelled so bad down here. It could be safe up there, or it could lead them straight into another situation. The walls were slimy with algae and there was no ladder she could see.
“I’m going to need a boost, Nadya. You’re too weak to pull me up, but I can pull you up no problem. It’s going to hurt like hell, but it’s the only way.”
