by Amy Cross
"And what about you?" he asks. "Are you coming with us?"
"I have to stay," I continue. "There's someone here I need to be with. She's in pain, and she can't leave."
"Yet you want to herd the rest of us out into the forest?" He pauses, and it's clear that he's still very suspicious. "You're welcome to this place," he says eventually. "Whatever's waiting out here for us, it has to be better than spending another moment in Tor Cliff. I'd rather die than have to wait for a longer, slower death in one of those cells. If you're being honest with us, then you have our gratitude; if you're lying and sending us to our doom, then... You still have our gratitude."
I watch as he turns and heads off into the forest. There's a part of me that still hopes I can eventually follow them and get away from this place, but I can't leave Nurse Silk. I'm staying here with her, even if she ends up killing me.
Chapter Nine
Dronigan
"Dronigan, is that you?"
At first, I don't even notice the voice. My eyes are closed and I'm resting, trying to sleep my way through the chaos. Unfortunately, the fact that I'm composed of the nightmares of others means that my own dreams are twisted and contorted, pulling me in every direction at once. No matter how hard I try to calm my soul, I can feel the tension and fear bubbling beneath the surface.
"Dronigan. Wake up!"
Slowly, I open my eyes.
The beast is still working with his machines. Although I know very little about him, I can tell that he's absorbed in his work, and it's clear that he doesn't view me as a threat. Even now, he has his back to me and he's muttering to himself as he attempts to reconfigure a set of cables; I could try to attack him, of course, but something tells me that he's more than prepared for anything I might throw at him. For the first time in my existence, I feel completely powerless.
"Dronigan," the voice continues, filled with urgency. "Please, tell me you can hear me!"
At first, I'm convinced that it must be a trick. Abby's head is in exactly the same place as before, and her eyes are still closed; nevertheless, I can hear her voice reaching out to me, connecting with my mind as if she's come to seek my help. Her presence is filling the room, but the beast seems not to have even noticed. As he works to connect some of the machines together, he continues to mutter under his breath. I don't want to get my hopes up too much, but he certainly seems to be distracted. Still, is it really possible that I'm the only one who can hear Abby right now?
"I know you can hear me," she adds. "Listen, I hate asking other people for help, but on this one occasion, I really don't think I've got much of a choice. Can you see me?"
"Yes," I reply, speaking to her through my mind. "I'm just a few meters from you."
"So you've got some idea of the problem I'm dealing with, right?" she asks. "How do I look?"
I want to answer her, but I feel as if no words can adequately express my thoughts.
"That bad, huh?" she replies. "I guess I should have figured. The decapitated look is notoriously difficult to pull off, but at least they haven't stuck my head on a spike." She pauses. "Joking aside, I need to get out of here, and for that I'm gonna need your help."
"If you want death," I tell her, "I can allow you to pass through to the next world -"
"Death? Hell, no. There's no way I'm giving up my body that easily. This asshole's poking around in my head, and it hurts, but I'm not going to let him get what he's after. It doesn't matter how many wires he pokes through my skull and how many times he carves into my brain, he won't get to the part where the secret's held. Not unless I let him, anyway, and there's no way that's going to happen. I've come too far to simply let my defenses down."
"He has his methods," I reply. "You must not underestimate him."
"I'm not underestimating him," she says calmly. "I think I've got his measure, though. The problem is, it's a little hard to get anything done when you're just a head. I doubt I can even roll anywhere. Is there any chance you could go and find my body?"
"I have your body right here," I tell her.
"You do?" She pauses. "I'm not sure whether that's brilliant or creepy. Anyway, I need to be reunited with it, and the process has to be complete before you start letting people die again. I'm pretty sure decapitation isn't something I can take too lightly., so I'd rather be reunited with my stump before it starts to rot."
"He told me I can have your head once he's done with it," I reply. "He believes he's close to discovering the secret that's hidden in your mind. Once he's managed to extract it and start working to decrypt it, he has no further need for your physical form. He was going to throw it away, but now he'll give it to me. All I have to do is wait."
"And you believe him?" she asks.
"Why would I not?"
"Come on," she replies, with a hint of derision in her voice. "You actually think he's a man of his word? Look what he did to me! This guy isn't trustworthy. Whatever the hell he's after, he's got a sadistic streak that's a mile wide. When he's done with his work here, he's going to let the whole of Tor Cliff crumble, and then he won't have any need for you. He'll destroy you anyway; trust me, I know how men like him work." She pauses. "Dronigan, you have to listen to me. Don't let this asshole fool you!"
"He gave me his word -"
"Screw his word," she says firmly. "Time's running out, Dronigan, and I don't think I can hold him back much longer. I need you to get my head and my body together so I can heal the wound, but it'll take a while. You've got to distract the beast at the same time."
I take a deep breath, watching the beast as he works. It's hard to believe that I could do anything that would draw his attention from Abby, and even if I managed it somehow, I'm convinced that he'll go through with his threat to end my existence. Then again, perhaps the time has come to sacrifice myself. I don't know where the sensation comes from, but deep in my body I suddenly have a new kind of belief in my own purpose; it's almost as if I've waited all my life to find out why I was born, and now it's clear that even if I have to die, it would be worth losing my life if I can save Abby in return.
"I have a plan," I tell her as I slowly haul myself out of the corner and make my way toward her head. If I must die - if I can die - it should at least be in the name of something worthwhile.
Part Eight
The Escape
Chapter One
Abby Hart
I can feel his machines rooting through my mind, pushing past every defense, desperately trying to find the secret that's locked away in my head. Every second, thousands of electrical signals are passed along the wires, signaling a new failure. They've parsed every spot of my consciousness several times by now, and yet they keep going because they're convinced that eventually they'll find whatever they're looking for.
I suppose they might be right.
After all, it's in there somewhere.
When I try to open my eyes, I realize that I've forgotten what it's even like to be able to see. Images flood through my mind, but they have the substance of dreams; I struggle to make my eyelids lift, but they remain resolutely in place. Realizing that this is a lost cause, I switch my focus to my ears as I try to listen to whatever noise might be filling the air around my head. There's a lot of dissonance from the wires, and it takes a while to get past the static buzz that's building and building; finally, however, I realize that I can hear a great roar, and the sound of glass being broken. I try to zero in on the source of the violence, but my head is starting to hurt and I feel as if I need to concentrate on fighting back against the machines.
Suddenly, I feel pressure on the sides of my face, and the machines start to retreat. It's as if the wires and cables are being ripped from my mouth and skull, and as they're dragged away, I feel my mind starting to return to normal. Remembering how to open my eyes again, I force my eyelids up and finally I see a vast, fleshy shape leaning over me, still ripping out the last of the wires. It takes me a moment to recognize the shape, and at first I feel as if I must have made
a mistake, but finally I realize that it's true: Dronigan has grown to an immense size, spreading out in every direction to the extent that he almost fills the room. He looks almost nothing like the calm, attractive, ice-blue figure I met in the forest, but it's definitely him.
"You can't save her!" a voice shouts from nearby, and I realize that the beast is trying to stop him from taking my head. "We'll strike a deal! Stop what you're doing, or I swear I'll tear you apart, atom by atom!"
"I will still be myself," Dronigan replies. "My soul will ensure that the links between those atoms remain, even if you scatter them across the universe." He lifts my head from the stand and holds it up in front of one of his huge eyes, and fora moment his pupil dilates as he examines me. "This is all I wanted," he continues. "Now I have no further interest in this place."
I try to stay calm as Dronigan turns and carries me to the door, but it's hard to keep your cool when you're basically a bowling ball. I manage to get a quick glance at the beast, and I can see that he's in a crumpled heap on the floor, covered in blood. Before I can call out to him, however, Dronigan takes me out into the corridor and then along to another room, where he finally sets my head down on a workbench.
"You must be patient," he says, turning to look straight down into my eyes. "It will take me a long time to work out precisely how you must be put back together, and I will have to proceed carefully in order to ensure that I don't cause any further damage. Do not worry, though. Until you are safe and well, I will not allow anyone to die within these walls until you have been restored."
I want to reach out to him and thank him, but now that I no longer have the machines in my head, it's hard to find the voice I used to communicate with him earlier. I feel so tired, all I want to do is sleep, but in his rush to prevent death and dreaming, Dronigan seems to have put a block on any attempt to drift away, even for a moment. I'm forced, therefore, to remain conscious as he places my decapitated head on top of the stump of my neck, and seconds later I feel him starting to sew the two edges together.
"This is a crude approximation of the old join," he explains, "but it's the best I can think of for now. I hope that the legendary healing powers of your species will allow you to complete the work that I'm starting. If not, I'm afraid I have no idea how you can be returned to your old form." He stops speaking for a moment as he continues to attach my head to the rest of my body, and finally I sense that he's standing back. "How does it feel?" he asks. "Can you move at all?"
I try to take a deep breath, but it's as if the rest of my body still isn't responding to my commands. I try again, and this time I feel the faintest flicker as my chest starts to move. The effort required is immense, but I slowly realize that the feeling is starting to return to the rest of my body, and finally I take a deep breath and sit up. Although I feel as if I've got the world's worst case of pins and needles, at least I can move, and I hold my hand up in front of my face so I can watch my fingers slowly wriggling.
"That," I say slowly, "was an experience I never, ever want to repeat."
"We must leave this place," he replies. "I will allow death and dreams to restart -"
"We can't go yet," I tell him as I get to my feet and take a couple of uncertain steps forward. "We can't just walk away from Tor Cliff. This place is an abomination."
"It's not safe for you to remain here," he continues. "I came to rescue you, Abby."
"That's very nice of you," I reply, "but it still doesn't mean I'm going to just turn and run as soon as I get the chance." I take a couple more steps. "I'm not even sure I can run anyway," I add. "It's going to take a bit of time to get my body back in its old shape. Hell, I might be forced to take up yoga." After a moment, I turn to him. "What the hell happened to you, anyway? Last time I saw you, you were a more normal size."
"I cannot control myself," he explains. "Since I met you, I have begun to feel sensations that I had never previously understood. You opened my eyes, Abigail Hart, and I must beg your continued company. It is almost as if, in my previous form, I did not truly feel anything."
"You feel alive?" I ask, stunned by the thought that I might have had such a profound impact on this guy.
"I wish to take you back to the forest," he continues, "and keep you safe. Perhaps, after a while, we can consider moving beyond the forest. I have it on good authority that there might be other places, maybe even whole worlds, beyond the horizon. If they exist, they must be explored."
"You might just be right," I tell him, "but the thing is, I'm not so keen on being kept safe. I can look after myself, or at least, I'm usually okay provided my head's still attached to my body, so I don't need anyone to look after me. All I need is a chance to make sure that no-one else ever -"
Pausing, I suddenly realize that something's very wrong. Although I hadn't noticed at first, I'm aware now of a sensation of emptiness and loss deep in my mind, as if something has been torn away. I try to think of another explanation, but finally I'm forced to accept that there's only one thing that could possibly be wrong.
"He took it," I say, filled with panic.
"Took what?" Dronigan asks.
"The secret." I turn to him. "The thing that was hidden in my mind. It's gone. He must have managed to get hold of it before you pulled him away."
"Does it matter?" Dronigan continues. "If you didn't know what it was, perhaps it's better to just accept that it wasn't important."
"Important?" I take a deep breath as I realize that I need to come up with a plan. "I'm pretty sure it was important," I add. "People don't just hide things in other people's heads unless there's something important going on, and I don't know who put this thing in me, but he or she clearly didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands."
"We must fly," he says. "The further away from Tor Cliff we get, the less likely we are to be affected."
"You don't understand," I tell him. "This is personal. He ripped something from my mind, and whatever it was, I want it back." Heading to the door, I'm forced to pause for a moment as I try to steady myself; it's clear that my body still hasn't quite recovered from its recent ordeal, and I'm very much aware that it would undoubtedly be a huge mistake to push myself too far, too soon. Still, I can't let the beast keep hold of whatever he took from my mind. He might not be able to decipher it immediately, but eventually he'd probably strike lucky.
"Stay here," I say to Dronigan. "This shouldn't take too long."
Chapter Two
Felix
"You can't kill me," Nurse Fletcher spits as I lift her wrecked body from the ground. "You're just a werewolf!"
"It's time I start acting like one," I tell her, staring into her eyes. Although I've broken her legs and spilled plenty of her blood since I caught her a couple of minutes ago, those eyes are still filled with confidence and pure, unadulterated evil. At least with Dr. Cole, it's possible to understand his commitment to science, but Nurse Fletcher has always seemed like someone who enjoys torture and pain. Even, perhaps, her own.
"If you kill me," she continues, "I'll just come back. You know how things work around here at the moment. Or are you happy just to torture me a little?"
"Not everyone has your streak of cruelty," I point out.
"Then you'll just make me angry," she replies. "Is that what you want? Believe me, when I recover, I'll take great pleasure in causing you more pain than you've ever even imagined."
Preferring not to feed into whatever game she's playing, I start dragging her across the room and out to the corridor. The truth is, I have no idea what I'm going to do with her, but I figure the best option might be to trap her in the basement and then hope that the entire building collapses on top of her. There's a part of me that wants to play with her first, to draw out her pain, but I know deep down that if I took this approach, I'd be no better than her. There are certain lines I refuse to cross.
"Felix!"
Turning, I see that Nurse Silk is hurrying toward me. There's a horrified look in her eyes, and she puts her arms aroun
d me as soon as she gets close enough.
"Something's changed," she whispers, her lips close to my ear. "I think it's Dronigan... He's lifted the curse on this place!"
"What curse?" I ask, before realizing what she means. "Death?" I drop Nurse Fletcher to the floor and take a step back. "People can die here again?"
"I can feel it," Nurse Silk replies, looking down at her hands. "Dronigan has lifted his stay on death and dreaming. My body's in flux, but there's no longer any kind of force pushing me down and making me stay alive. If I give up right now, I think I'll die permanently. I can already feel that my soul is lighter. Anyone who dies now... Their souls will be allowed to leave their bodies."
"No," I tell her. "We still have to find a way to get you away from this place."
"We can't hold back death," she replies.
"We can. For now, at least."
"I love you," she continues, "but you're a fool, Felix. Just because you want something to happen, you can't make it become reality. There's no way I can survive, not with my body in such a state."
"But -"
"You go," she adds, interrupting me. "Please, I want to know that you survive. I want to think of you out there somewhere, living a full life and maybe remembering me from time to time. That's the only kind of victory I can have over this place now. There's nothing anyone can do to save me. These changes that were made to my body... They can't be reversed."
"We'll find -"
"It's impossible," she says firmly. "Please, Felix, don't make this any harder than it already has to be."
"I'm not leaving here without you," I continue. "If that means dying, then I'll die, but I've spent my life running from things that are important to me, and I won't do it again."
