AIR Series Box Set

by Amanda Booloodian

  A gun was leveled directly at my face and I stopped breathing.

  "Let's not add to the damage," Jin said.

  A wet cloth went over my mouth and nose. Trying not to breathe in, I struggled to move away until cool metal settled against my temple. I gasped and fell away.

  ***

  Shadows shifted until blurry images appeared. My head pounded and my mouth was dry and tasted like chemicals. I tried to lift my hand to wipe my hair out of my face, but I couldn't move my arms. Shifting in my chair, I felt coarse ropes digging into my skin.

  "Are you awake?" Vincent's voice was low but clear.

  I blinked and lifted my head. It took some time before my eyes cooperated and I focused in on Vincent.

  His face was unreadable. "I was worried he killed you."

  My brain was groggy, and it took its time catching up. Vincent and I were tied up, facing each other in chairs.

  "I should have made you go home," Vincent said.

  "You know you couldn't have made me go." I stared at my restraints, but my mind was too cloudy to try to figure out what to do about them.

  "You wouldn't have liked it. You would have hated me, but I should have done it anyway. If Logan and Rider had known about Jin, they would have helped," Vincent said.

  There was always a way out, I only had to reach for it. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on pulling open the Path.

  Sharp pain exploded behind my closed eyes. It felt like a cleaver had been wedged into my brain.

  "No!" Vincent yelled.

  I think I screamed, but I couldn't tell what was happening beyond the pain. I wanted to crush my head between my hands, anything to stop the feeling of being ripped in two. The Path was beyond that pain, which made it beyond my ability to reach. Mentally, I drew back, and the pain began to subside. There was a feeling of gaping chasms of nothingness replacing the pain. Sagging, I stared at the ceiling trying to catch my breath.

  "Are you alright?" Vincent's voice was panicked. "You've got to answer me."

  Breathing heavy I asked, "What was that?"

  Watching Vincent from the corner of my vision, I saw him sag in his chair.

  His voice shook. "That was the void. Or a piece of it anyway."

  With all the time I had spent with Vincent last fall, I had never heard his voice carry so much fear.

  I looked up and watched Vincent. "What is the void?"

  "One of the nightmares that live between the worlds. It's roving areas of nothingness." Vincent took control of himself again. "If it touches you, it will consume you. Not only your body and mind, but your entire existence will be gone."

  Never existed? "That's not possible." If I believed that, why was my heart beating faster?

  "Which is why only Walkers survive long stays between the worlds."

  "We're not between— I mean we can't be there. Where are we?" Trying to think through the rising panic was difficult. I looked around, eyes darting from object to object, trying to take in all of my surroundings at once.

  "We're in a basement," Vincent said. "When they brought you in, I sensed the void, trapped. It's on your head somewhere."

  My eyes opened wide. "They brought this thing from between the worlds? They strapped it to my head?"

  What could I do without the Path? Tears threatened to form. I leaned back again and squeezed my eyelids as tight as I could. I wouldn't cry over this, not in this place. Holding tightly to the arm of the chair, I tried to calm myself. There was no way I was going to survive this without a cool head.

  "Don't—" Vincent swallowed hard. "If you don't try to tap into the Path, I don't think it will hurt you."

  "And if I do try for the Path?" I didn't look at him, afraid to see his response.

  "I think it will consume you," Vincent said.

  "How is this even possible? You wouldn't do this."

  "I didn't do this, but I have an idea who did."

  The door swung open. Vincent kept his gaze straight ahead, but I turned to see Jin.

  "Look at the two of you getting along so well," Jin said, pulling the door closed behind him. "I'm glad that you have had this chance together."

  "What do you want?" I spat the words, eager to turn fear to anger.

  Jin ignored me. "You know, William, I began to trust you. You were the only one to have enough skill to get close to me without being turned away. You've also shown me you could kill a man with a touch, so I know what you are."

  Vincent's face betrayed nothing.

  "Unfortunately, to protect my business interests, I must know more." Jin went to the door and knocked twice.

  A skinny pale man entered the room. After a signal from Jin, he took out black, zippered, wallet, the size of a paperback book. He moved around behind me, where I couldn't see, but Vincent could.

  Watching Vincent's face for a clue to what was going on wasn't much help. The only reaction was him closing his eyes momentarily, as though preparing himself.

  The skinny man moved up beside me and tied a piece of plastic tight around my arm. My heart skipped a beat, and I looked from Vincent to our captor. Jin's eyes were firmly on Vincent.

  My arm was being wiped clean by a damp white wipe smelling of alcohol.

  "We are of course, hygienic," Jin said. "The doctor here makes sure of that."

  "Gee, what a relief." Showing sarcasm had to be better than yelling or crying, right?

  The doctor had a needle. When he held my arm, I tried to pull away. Whoever had trapped my arms had done a good job, but I could still twist them around.

  "That will make things worse." The doctor kept quiet, but there wasn't a trace of fear or anxiety over what he was doing. He gripped my arm tighter and repositioned it.

  "Stop." Vincent's voice was strong but emotionless.

  For that, I was thankful. If he could hold together, so could I.

  The doctor looked up, and Jin held up a finger. The doctor moved back behind me.

  "What do you want to know?" Vincent asked.

  Jin moved in front of Vincent once more. "Everything. Anything that could cause trouble for my family, my business, or my employees."

  "Injecting me with, whatever the hell is in that needle, is going to be a huge mistake," I tried to keep my voice level, but my fear slipped out.

  I couldn't see his face, but I heard Jin sigh, and he shook his head. Jin whipped around and slapped me across my already bruised face.

  Biting back the pained noise wasn't possible, but I balled up my fists and strove to end my cries quickly, working hard to pull myself together.

  Jin waited until my fists unclenched. "You will stay quiet."

  "Don't touch her again." Vincent's voice held a dark edge.

  Jin looked unfazed. "We are doing this the nice way, William. Don't make us go the hard way." Jin motioned to the doctor again.

  The needle was in my arm before I had time to react.

  Fear and anger pushed me over the brink and an internal whirlwind formed. "What the hell is this stuff?"

  The doctor sat the now empty needle aside. "This will cause temporary central sensitization."

  "What?"

  The doctor leaned in while removing the tourniquet around my arm, and lowered his voice for my ears only. "Any pressure, such as those ropes digging into your skin, will cause pain."

  I didn't bother to whisper. "Why?"

  "In less than an hour, his slap will be like a baseball bat. Without causing physical damage, he can do it again."

  Chapter 25

  Pain without damage. Turning that thought over and over again in my head only worked to increase the activity of the unsettled masses inside.

  Vincent's hands were gripping the arms of the chair, but his voice was flat. "You didn't ask anything."

  Jin let out a long, sad breath. "Asking now does no good. I have to believe the answers you give, and she will provide that assurance."

  "Injecting her was a mistake." Vincent looked around Jin to include the doctor who was leaving
the room. "For both of you."

  "I'll be back shortly," Jin said. "Cedric will keep you two company."

  Jin left and was replaced by a large man that stood by the door, watching us.

  Looking widely around the room for anything that might help us, some means of escape, got me nowhere.

  I watched Cedric for a while, wondering if there was any hope there, but Jin wouldn't have left him watching over us if there was a chance he'd help us.

  The soul fragments were shifting, wanting to reach out through me. One of these had to be useful, right? Who knew what was there?

  Who knew what would happen if I let one of them take over?

  Vincent's face remained impassive, but his hands twisted around, testing his restraints.

  Twisting my arms didn't do anything, although, it did hurt more. Were the ropes rougher against my skin? It had to be my imagination, but I stopped moving.

  I looked at Cedric again. Could we get him on our side? "You must have the most boring job in the world."

  He smirked but didn't respond.

  The look on his face made my skin crawl. He was enjoying this. "Are we allowed to talk?" I asked.

  Cedric's only response was a grunt.

  Vincent's eyes looked straight ahead, but I don't think he was really seeing me. His pupils looked like saucers.

  "Vincent?" I've seen him go down this path a few times before. I glanced at Cedric again but plunged forward. "Can you get out of here?"

  "No." His voice was hollow.

  "No you can't, or no you won't?"

  "Both."

  My face began to throb in time with my heartbeat. "Why can't you go? You could get help."

  He blinked twice and focused on me. "You're suggesting I go between the worlds, strapped to a chair?"

  For once, I was thankful I couldn't really read his expression. "Right, stupid idea."

  Nothing in the room, no way to go for help, and the Path was out of reach.

  The cuts on my arm ached dully.

  Closing my eyes, I inspected the throng of souls. Most pieces were my own, which was good to know.

  "Don't." The demanding tone Vincent used made me look up.

  "Don't what?"

  "You cannot go through the void."

  I raised an eyebrow and frowned at him.

  "That wasn't a challenge." Vincent's voice was firm, but he backed off a little.

  "I'm not taking it as one," I said. "I don't like being told what to do, but I'm not stupid. You said it wouldn't work, and I trust your judgment."

  Closing my eyes again, random souls jostled their way forward. Trying to sense what type of Lost they had once belonged to, had my mind spinning and I chased after one shard. Down I went until it felt like smashing into a sheet of ice. As I fell, a burst of energy was able to urge itself forward.

  No, no, no! I had to stay me. That I was sure of.

  My body felt like it was speeding up, but I was sitting still. Anxiety crept over me, urging me to move. A sensation of someone else looking at the world with me became unnerving.

  Pain bloomed everywhere. Each bruise and bump, each rope digging into my arms and legs. Everything.

  Feeling the spike of pain, the little scrap of energy retreated to the group of others, allowing me to gain control.

  The need to move died away, but the pain stayed.

  Looking at Vincent, I could tell he had noticed the change.

  "Burst of adrenaline." Did that even make sense? "I think it kicked the drugs in faster."

  "You're a bad liar."

  I tried to hide the strain I was feeling. "The explanation is close enough."

  All those little pieces, but none of them merged. They didn't seem sentient, yet they all felt like they wanted to have their own chance out.

  After being torn to shreds, only a small bit of their nature remained. It's no wonder they wanted out to feel the world again.

  "What?" Lost in thought, I had missed what Vincent said.

  "I don't know what the drugs do." He looked pained. The blank slate that he used to shut out the world was cracking.

  I hesitated, not knowing if it was better for him to know or not. In the end, Vincent's imagination could probably get much worse than any drug.

  "It's temporary." I swallowed hard and tried to keep my voice light. "Mostly, it's going to make me cry without being hurt."

  Vincent was gaining his composure, but he stared at me, waiting for the rest.

  "It lowers pain tolerance, that's all." I didn't even want to think about what this was doing to Vincent. "It's going to look like I'm hurt, without them actually having to do anything to me."

  There was silence apart from Vincent's arms twisting under their ropes.

  I ground my teeth together and shoved the misery into the farthest reaches of my mind. Feeling around the room without opening the Path, I received a taste of Vincent's hostility, which was like venom in the air. It was candy to a few shards of soul, and the minotaur pushed me aside before I had the chance to ground myself. In a frenzy, I began pulling up at the ropes, straining to break out. Agony in my arms combined with dread that it would only get worse, allowed me to gain control.

  My head lolled down and I didn't bother lifting it up. Small pieces of soul crowded me, my body was tormented each time I moved, and Vincent was going to be forced to sit here and watch what they did to me. Despair was coming around the corner, straight for me. A person can only take so much broken.

  Crying would only cause more pain and anger for Vincent, so my eyes itched with unshed tears.

  There was Gran to think about, Logan, Rider, and all the other Lost that might be taken so that Jin could do business.

  There had to be a way out of this. "The thing on my head. Is it like the jewelry? A small part of the whole?"

  Vincent didn't say anything.

  When I looked up, his eyes were completely black. He looked as lost as I felt.

  Gritting my teeth, I tried to think of anything else besides what I was feeling. "Look, if we are going to get out of here, I need to know more."

  There was silence.

  "You owe me."

  Vincent flinched.

  It was a cruel thing to say, especially in anger, but I had to drag him out of himself.

  I shifted in my seat and the ropes burned into my arms. The drugs had truly set in.

  "We're out of time." I hated myself before the words were out. "Do you want me to die in pain tied to a chair, or die fighting to get out?"

  Vincent closed his eyes.

  "I'm sorry, but they are taking Lost along with humans with special abilities, including psychics." My own words caused tears to flow.

  "Your family?" Vincent spoke softly.

  "Gran has moved in with Logan. Mom is discreetly protected by AIR." I sniffed and tried to rein in the crying. "The Path is there, I can feel it. I need information if we are going to get out."

  Vincent looked up and kept his voice slow and steady. "This is nothing like the others. It is a small piece of a whole, but even a small piece will devour you if you try to pass through it. You can't make this go away."

  My heartbeat ratcheted up as my discomfort grew. "Jin has answers we need."

  Vincent went stony. "Jin will die screaming."

  Cedric chuckled, and I looked over, surprised to see him in the room.

  I turned back to Vincent. "We're taking Jin in. Does he wear a piece of his own jewelry?"

  "We don't talk about that." Cedric sounded alert.

  "Around his neck," Vincent said.

  Cedric rapped on the door, which opened a crack, and Cedric said a few words to someone outside.

  I lowered my voice and kept an eye on Cedric. "About Gran. If I don't..." My throat tightened, and I couldn't finish those words. I looked at Vincent, making sure he understood what I wasn't saying.

  He had a small, sad smile. "We'll have all the time in the world to talk after this is over."

  The only way I could fake
hope was through my words. "Of course we will.

  The ropes dug into me like knives. Looking down at my arms, I wondered how it could be that they weren't bleeding.

  "It's now or never." My vision began to blur with tears that I had no chance of stopping.

  Closing my eyes, I searched around. Even inside, pain dominated. Before I could find that little sliver of void, I had to shove as much of my torment aside as possible. Things were only going to get worse. When my mind was able to separate the misery, I moved towards the Path, careful not to reach for it. The souls lived here, but they gave me no trouble, they wanted to see outside, not be trapped in my mind.

  The emptiness sat there, directly between Path and me. It was such a small sliver of a thing. It felt like I should be able to move past it, but trusting what Vincent said, I didn't try.

  There was talking in the room, but I ignored it, knowing my chance to reach the Path was slipping away.

  Instead of trying to go through the void, I pulled. It remained resolute in its tiny prison. Souls began to clutter around me, but I kept my concentration on the target and tugged harder until it sprung free; much like the piece of the minotaur soul and the many others since I started to absorb the blockade.

  Cold darkness spread through me. My veins felt like they were covered in fire and filled with ice. My voice locked up as shadows moved in, dimming the aches in my body. Only the feeling of being trapped in an infernal darkness remained.

  A part of me wanted to curl up into a little ball, letting the void stretch out and continue dulling the sensations, but the Path was within reach. I wanted to live in the light of the Path, over the darkness of the shadows.

  Bright color burned away the shadows when I plunged myself into the Path, and then opened my eyes to our captor.

  It was a different world. The roaring Path was here, but there was contrast that I had never seen before. The darker shades made the colors of every flow more vivid in comparison.

  A beautiful yellow-green glow swirled around Jin, remaining independent, but without straying away. New shades to the Path showed me what was lurking close to Jin. Knitted tightly around him, a poisonous blur of greed and hatred appeared to be in a battle with joy and everything was coated in dull misery.