by Rachel West
Although her lip trembles and her eyes fill with unspilled tears, Kalia thumps her fist against her chest in solidarity. Refusing to break even though everything around her is falling to pieces.
Ezzor and Kalia break off, disappearing around a corner, heading towards Vertigo’s quarters. The three of us remaining, Jaxon, Red and I, crouch low in the tunnels and begin moving slowly towards where our rooms are. Distant, lingering sounds of battle crawl down the hallway like shadows made real.
The first body is a surprise, even though it shouldn’t be. A man, although it’s nearly impossible to tell. He’s torn apart by a thousand cuts. Blood pools endlessly around him, bits of neatly severed flesh floating in it like islands. I gag at stench, blood and shit and the lingering aroma of death.
This could not have been the work of one man. No, he’s torn apart. Ripped to pieces. What has done this?
Red crouches low, closing the dead man’s sightless eyes with a brush of his hand. Small circles of blood stain his knees.
I drag myself away and lead us towards the sound of battle. Howls and screams. The pleading voices of men and women and children. Screams, high and loud, animal and human. I grip my weapon in my hand as I pass a wall full of bullet holes and painted in blood. Two more bodies, slumped against the wall; lovers, their hands reaching for each other even in death. I glance behind me, seeking out Jaxon, but he stares, eyes full of horror, at the fallen couple.
I grab Jaxon’s hand. Tugging him away from a death that should never have been
“What have we done?” He brings his eyes up to mine and his voice is the desperate plea of a child seeking comfort.
“Come on. Darren and Annie need us,” I say trying to sound firm even though every part of me wants to give up. To collapse to the ground and let someone else fix what we broke. “We need to keep moving.”
Jaxon stares at me for a moment longer then he straightens up with determination. There. There is the man that brings a war against a god. I smile through the tightness in my face. We are all what we need to be.
We reach the small, empty hallway that leads to our rooms. Red peers around the corner, leading the way then waving us forward as he finds nothing but empty halls and flickering lights.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what’s to come, then shove the door open to Annie’s room. She has to be here, she has to. If not I don’t know where else to look. “Annie,” I cry out softly.
The room is torn to pieces. The dresser’s fallen over onto the floor, clothes and papers and broken bits of pottery spread out from broken drawers like bile. The small mattress is shredded. One of the thin aluminum walls hangs at an awkward angle, one corner tipped forward and reaching for the floor.
“No, no no,” I whisper. But there is no blood, no sign that anyone was in here when they came. But someone was here. Someone was looking for something.
Or someone.
Jaxon comes skidding into my room. “Darren wasn’t there,” he says, panic coloring the edge of his words.
“Annie’s not here either.
“Where?”
“We need to split up. I can’t--.” I stop fear choking my words from me.
“We won’t leave until we find them,” Jaxon promises. I nod my agreement, not trusting myself to say another word. “You and Red, check the war room and training areas. I’ll search the atrium and markets.”
“You shouldn’t go alone,” Red says, entering the doorway.
“We have no other choice,” Jaxon replies harshly.
Red considers for a moment then tosses something at Jaxon, a small dagger that glimmers as it dances through the air. Jaxon plucks the dagger from its trajectory. “Don’t get hurt,” Red smirks. “I won’t be there to rescue your delicate hide.”
Red turns around, stepping outside and shutting the door quietly behind him. Giving Jaxon and I one last moment of peace.
“If you find Annie before I do...”
“I know,” Jaxon rests his gaze on me, “I’ll keep her safe.”
“I--”
“Don’t,” Jaxon says. “Don’t say it. We’ll be fine. We’ll find Darren and we’ll find your sister and we’ll get them to safety. And then we will make my father pay for what he’s done here today. This isn’t the end Evie, I swear to you. This isn’t the end.”
“Okay,” I say simply because there is nothing else to be said.
Jaxon grabs me and lays a hard, desperate kiss on my lips. “See you on the other side,” he promises.
“The other side,” I echo.
CHAPTER 29
I watch Jaxon as he disappears around the corner. He pauses once, glancing behind him and meeting my eyes with a world full of promises.
The walls rattle with an explosion. Red rests his hand on my shoulder, silently urging me forward. I tighten my fists against the rage that overwhelms me. How could they do this to us? What gives them the right? How could the come into our home and do…this? All of this. The destruction. The death.
What are we to them?
As Red and I reach the crossways that leads to the war room a faint clicking from behind causes us to freeze in place. I peer slowly around the corner the sound so familiar but achingly hard to place. Whatever is coming, is coming fast. I center myself, prepared for an attack but hoping that whatever comes this way will lose me in the shadows. I recognize the sound just as the creatures come into sight.
Automatons.
Red throws his arm out, pushing me backwards until both of us are pressed flat against the wall. I gasp then hold my breath, staying utterly silent. Utterly still. Knowing that a single sound will draw their attention down on us.
The Praetors have brought automatons into the Hollows. Two of them go leaping past me. Their lithe bodies glistening with sharp edges and razor teeth. My muscles stiffen like they have been electrified, adrenaline begging me to do something, run, fight, anything at all but stand here frozen.
The two automatons bound out of sight and a human scream lets me know they have found another victim. My pulse is gunfire through my veins, knowing that my cowardice led to another’s death.
Red peeks out then nods at me. The way is clear. I force myself to move through my fear. Reminding myself that Annie is somewhere down here lost and alone and that I was the one that brought this to her. There is no time for fear. No time for doubt.
Kalia’s sign on the War Room’s door has been torn down. A muddy footprint defaces its bright cheer. A sound from beyond draws my attention. I rest my ear against the door and hear the faint murmur of…something. Voices?
A sound draws my attention. I pause in the hallway, adjusting the grip around my synthblade. It’s coming from the training room. I narrow my eyes at the slightly open door. There is the clear sound of voices, hushed and urgent.
I hold my synthblade ready and use the toe of my boot to nudge the door open, Red stands half a step behind me ready to leap into action.
A startled sound escapes my throat as I see those crowded in the room. My sister, looking innocent and young in her bright yellow dress, with a Praetor guarding her to each side. Slightly behind the Praetor’s are two automatons, haunches lowered and ready to lunge.
“Annie?” I stare confused at the scene before me.
“I’m sorry,” Annie says and her voice is full of guilt and regret and something more. Determination?
“What are you doing here? What have you done?”
She steps forward but the Praetors to each side grab her arms, holding her back.
“Annie!” I shout. I lean forward raising my synthblade between us. How dare they? How dare they lay a hand on my sister?
“It was the only way!” Annie says. “I’m sorry it was the only way.” Two Praetors hold her back. She collapses between them, hunching low with guilt and shame until the only thing keeping her upright are the Praetor’s grips on her arm.
My eyes wander as I try to comprehend how this is possible. My sister..? Betrayal like I have never fel
t before. It doesn’t seem real. It can’t be real. My heart thuds in my chest, slow and steady.
I look into her eyes and see the truth. She brought them here. My sister brought the Praetors here. My sister betrayed us. Betrayed me.
I should be panicking but I’m not. Because it’s over. Everything is over. The Praetors have destroyed our home. And now I am dead. Just like everyone else.
A growl jerks my attention back to the present. The two automatons have moved to crouch in front of Annie and the Praetors. Goosebumps rise on my flesh and I take one stumbling step backwards. These are not the old automatons of three hundred years ago that we encountered in the wilds. There is no rotting flesh, no scent of death. The Great Uniter has been building new ones.
“Why?” I plead with my sister and the question falls into the empty gulf between us. My voice is scratchy and tight as if I haven’t spoken in months. I swallow hard and speak again, louder this time. “Why did you do this?”
“They were going to kill us all. All of us. I’ve tried to tell you. A thousand times but you never listened. I spent the last five years with them. I know what they are capable of. It was the only way to save us.”
“Us?” I repeat, numb. “You think they won’t kill us?” I want to yell at her. I want to scream at how stupid and blind she has been. The Millennials don’t care about anyone. They don’t care about promises or deals or bargains. It was a trap. And now my sister has damned us all.
I take another step back until my body is parallel with Red’s. I crouch low. One of the automaton’s tails whips through the air. We have only moments.
The Praetor’s release their hold on my sister. She stands calmly between them, trying to catch my eye but I avoid her gaze.
I glance to Red. We have to go, I try and tell him with a look, we need to run. With a barely perceptible movement of his head he shows his agreement.
The Praetors watch us with curious eyes and arrogant smiles thinking they have won but they do not know what I am capable of. The two automatons step forward in sync and lower their heads. Demons, ready to pounce and rend flesh from bone. From the corner of my eye, I see Red make a movement towards the two sheaths on his back.
“Don’t,” one of the Praetors says with a tick of her finger. “Lay down your weapons and raise your arms above your head.”
Red drops his arms then turns to me and nods. To the Praetors it would looks as if he was ordering me to comply. But his eyes flick once towards the door and then back to me. He stares hard and nods again slowly.
We’ll make a run for it. My breath catches in my throat. I tense my legs and feel the exhaustion in them. It feels like we have been running and fighting and dying for a lifetime. My body demands rest but I know that now is not the time.
“Now!” Red yells. In a movement almost too fast for my eyes to follow he pulls two weapons from his back and flings them at the Praetors. I throw myself towards the door, not waiting to see if his blades hit their mark. The smell of blood blossoms behind me and I know that he has managed to take at least one of them down. With a muttered whisper, I pray that my sister was not the one injured, despite what damage she has wrought.
Red bolts from the room, following immediately behind me. He pulls the door shut behind him a crash that echoes through the tight hallway like an explosion. Two heavy bodies thud against the door. A sharp crack rings through the air as the heavy wood bends beneath the weight of the automatons.
“This way!” he grabs my hand and yanks me around the corner. I hear the growl of one of the automatons. The sound of metal scratching against metal. Another sharp crack that I can feel all the way down to my bones. The automatons have broken through the door.
We speed through the empty hallways of the Hollows. I vault over something and it is not until I am past that my eyes register the dead body. Something turns in my stomach; something so dark and twisted that almost it almost pulls me up short. Violence and rage and the thirst for revenge.
What have they done to us?
The hallways echo empty around us. The only sound is the hot breath of the automatons behind us. Is there anyone left down here? My blood burns hot then cold. Feelings rush through me and away so quickly it’s like I’m being pulled apart from the inside.
I stare hard at my feet. I can’t think right now. All I need to do is run. I find a burst of energy as we turn another corner. My muscles protest but I demand more. Moments later we burst through the arched entryway into the markets.
There is no sound.
My eyes dart frantically throughout the room. Empty. Empty except for the dead. Where is Jaxon? He should be here.
“Red…”
“Don’t look Evie. Keep running.” His words are grim. His tone hard.
I can’t obey. I look again. There are people…No, not people. Bodies. Nothing but bodies. Stalls ripped to pieces like they have been torn apart by wild animals Blood paints the floor, so dark that it nearly blends in with the obsidian stone.
A scream draws my eyes to the far corner. A half dozen Praetors stand over a body on the ground. But--no. The body moves. A man screams.
“Red!” I jerk his hand to get his attention. He looks over in the direction of the screaming. I take a step towards them but Red grips my arm tightly. He shakes his head and turns away.
Another scream. The sounds of flesh hitting against flesh. I look again, in time to see three Praetors restraining the man. A fourth sinks his synthblade into the man’s throat. A final scream trails off in a bubbling gargle.
I can’t…. My knees give out on me. I collapse to the floor in a painful tumble. It’s over. Everything is over.
“Come on Evie,” Red pulls at my hands, urging me to my feet. I stare uncomprehendingly into his face. One of his eyes is nearly swollen shut. Blood drops from an open split in his flesh. “Don’t give up,” he pleads with me. “Please Evie. Don’t do this. Not now.”
I blink slowly and it seems like an eternity before I can open my eyes again. My vision tunnels, goes dark then flicks back to reality so quick it makes my stomach turn. I turn my head to one side. Next to me lies another body. A boy, no older than me. I reach out my hand and stroke the side of his face. His flesh is cold. Dead.
“Come on,” Red yanks at my hands again and I hear the panic in his voice.
I grasp his forearm in my hand and use his weight to pull myself upright. There is another shout as the Praetors across the room notice us.
“Run,” Red whispers.
We run.
CHAPTER 30
The Hollows stretch on endlessly. Soon the only thing I can hear is the sound of my harsh breathing as Red and I sprint through empty hallways. We pass room after room that has been ravaged by the invaders. Cots and bedding strewn about. Floors and walls and doors all stained in blood.
I don’t know how many chase us. It seems like we must be the last two alive in the Hollows, the invaders focusing all their efforts on us. The heavy tread of the automatons still trails us, always just one corner behind, one misstep away from devouring us both; never falling further behind but never quite gaining on us either. There are more footsteps now. The men from the market place having joined in the chase.
“We have to find Jaxon,” I whisper frantically.
We pause at a corner, and I collapse against the wall, catching my breath while Red checks to see if the way is clear. We have only moments before those chasing us catch up. Red gives me a long, considering look. “He’s probably at the safe house by now,” he says slowly. “It’s too dangerous to stay here. We should never have come.”
“But he could still be here!” I say. “What if he’s hurt? We can’t just leave him behind. The Praetors will kill him just like they killed all the rest.”
“It’s too late,” Red says, “Anyone who hasn’t made it out by now is dead. Didn’t you see? There was nothing left in there. Jaxon’s a good fighter. He can take care of himself. After seeing what we just saw no one would stay here. Not even J
axon.”
“Okay,” I mumble, not quite coherently. Red is right. Red has to be right. Jaxon is smart, he would have known to get out. He would have known that he was the Praetor’s top priority. The rest of us, all of the dead, we were just icing on the cake. Jaxon is the only one the ever wanted. The only one they ever needed. “Come on. We need to get to the safe house,” I urge Red forward. If Jaxon is there it’s also exactly where I need to be.
We round a corner and come face to face with Vertigo. He leans, bent nearly in half, against one of the walls. He holds Ki half tucked under one arm. Ki’s eyes are closed. Unconscious. A metal contraption is wrapped around his jaw, holding the broken bones in place. Vertigo heaves heavy exhausted breaths. From his other hand his cane dangles. Something shiny flickers at one end, I look close -- a blade, his cane has a hidden synthblade.
Four bodies lay sprawled out around him. Three Praetors and one of our own. When he hears us, his fingers tighten around his cane and he swings it up at us.
“Watch it,” Red raises his arms to ward off the attack.
“Oh,” Vertigo says, sounding disappointed. “It’s you.” Despite his tone, a jumble of emotions crosses his face. Surprise, relief, fear. “Thought everyone was dead.” His head droops forward and he inhales tense, rattling breaths.
The clang of approaching automatons grows closer, so close they will turn the corner any moment. I swear I can hear the mechanical click of their gears.
“You need to get out of here,” Red says. “We’re being foll--”
The two automatons come charging down the hallway. One of them takes the corner so quickly he slides to the side, nearly crashing into the wall before both creatures come to a stop and face us.
“Take him,” Vertigo tries to push Ki into Reds arms.
“Too late,” Red says. He grabs Ki from the older man and places him gently on the ground, tucked against the wall. “No choice now.” Vertigo sags with relief once the younger boy’s weight is taken from him.
The three of us form a wall, blocking the automatons from reaching Ki. Exhaustion causes my synthblade to tremble in my hand. I want this to be over. I need this to end. I imagine what a pitiful sight we must make, the three of us.
