The people on the floor began to separate, creating a pathway from the tunnels Saul had gone down to investigate. “Without further ado, I give you our Sovereign. They have led us through the most important moments of our existence, and they are being honored by taking the final step. Our attuning.”
He wasn’t the Sovereign after all. A figure walked through the crowd, cowl hanging low. The Vice President passed his microphone over, and they took the place where he’d been standing.
They lifted the microphone to their face, about to speak, when the red robes appeared. The crowd grew raucous at the sight of the newcomers. I got a very bad feeling.
I counted over two hundred of them, and saw they were tied together at the waists with dark ropes. They had no head coverings, and they were all young. College-student-aged. These were their new recruits. I clutched the wooden railing of the balcony and searched for Marcus. The subtle scent of gasoline reached my nose, and I sniffed twice before it faded.
Where was Marcus? The crowd spread farther apart, making room for the recruits in the middle of the cavern.
“This is our future,” the voice said. It was a woman. When I heard it, I saw the smaller figure under the bulky robe. It was tough to tell from a hundred yards away, but now it was obvious. “The Objects have increased their velocity. This means they’ll arrive within three weeks or so. We know from our teachings we’ll be able to reach them, but only through the blood of our people.”
She brandished a knife. The steel blade glinted light as she spun around. “Dreen allono reespenlen.” The crowd chanted again.
“We’ve all read the texts. Practiced the dream walking. Now we put it to the test.” There was something vaguely familiar about her voice, but I was so enthralled with what she was saying, it took a moment for me to see the last three red-robed people reach the circle. They limped forward, heads lowered, hands behind their backs.
No, no, no. It was Tripp, Clay, and my father. I scanned the rest of the group, finding Marcus about ten people in from them. He was searching the crowd for me, and I lifted a hand, giving him a peace sign. It was how I always greeted him across our favorite bar back home. I couldn’t tell if he caught it or not, but I almost thought I spied a hint of recognition cross his face.
The Sovereign repositioned to the back of the balcony, in the direction of the exit. I had to get down there and do something.
“As the great Alan Black stated, we are proud of each and everyone of you. I have been lucky to rule as Sovereign in our greatest time of need. This past decade has been the highlight of my life. Since I was a child, wearing the robes and hearing the tales, I wanted to be exactly where I am standing today. Not for my ego, but for you. I’ve been met by the Unknowns since I was five. They came to me in my sleep, told me my future. I’ve been blessed to see their arrival, to anticipate their glory and pleasure with our commitment.
“Because of this, I have done everything in my life to see this through. We will all bask in the blood today, and be prepared for arrival!”
I climbed down the stairs, clapping with the rest of them. No one paid me any mind. The smell had changed in here. It was unsettling: sweat mixed with anticipation of blood.
I smelled gasoline again and searched the area, seeing a generator. The cords were unplugged, and the cap was off. Evan’s plan. I had to help him. I followed the electrical lines out the exit into the foyer and glanced at the guards. They waited there, facing the cavern, watching their Sovereign speaking with fervor and passion.
I peered at the crowd to locate my dad fifty yards away. There were no armed guards that I could find between us, making this my chance. Evan would know what to do. I quietly pulled my switchblade from my pocket, walking outside.
“Where are you going?” one of the guards asked. I was alone in this area, and I waved them over. After being inside the cavern, the bright daylight was overwhelming, and I squinted tightly.
“Issue with the generator,” I told them. The pair squinted at one another and shrugged, approaching it. The unit was huge, capable of powering the lights and the speaker inside. It ran smoothly, and it wasn’t quiet. I hoped that was to my advantage.
It was this. Kill or be killed. Tripp’s favorite saying. I acted as quickly as I could. My knife sliced the first man’s neck, and I stabbed the other in the throat. He managed to get his gun in his grip as he slipped in the snow, and I dove on his arm, struggling to pry it from his grip. I finally knocked it loose and aimed it at his side, pulling the trigger once. My knife was still embedded in his neck, and I pulled it free.
I froze in horror, staring at the two men I’d killed in cold blood. They were about to start sacrificing innocent people inside. I wiped my bloody palms in the inside of my robe and sent Veronica a text. I had a single bar out here and hoped the message went through. My fingers left red streaks on the screen as I typed.
Rex – Rendezvous in five minutes
I didn’t wait for a response. The generator was still going, and I turned it off, the unit sputtering before stopping. One of the men had a heavy black flashlight on his belt, and I retrieved it, not looking at his face.
With the sound of the generator gone, I heard people shouting their surprise inside. I rushed to the entrance and saw dozens of lighters illuminating the main cavern.
The Sovereign’s voice carried through the open room, despite her microphone no longer working. “Don’t panic. We are fine. The generator has faltered. We will not stumble.” She motioned to a guard near the exit, and he trotted off in search of the issue. Candles appeared from somewhere, as if they’d been expecting this, and soon there was a line of them on the floor near the leader, casting faint light over the red-robed recruits. She cut one of them free from the front of the line. I was too far away, and it was too dark to make out much more than silhouettes. I did see the flash of her blade as she struck the victim in the chest, using two hands to shove the knife in.
The crowd cheered as the body fell. The rest of the recruits began to panic, trying to escape, but the crowd gathered around them. This was our shot, and apparently, Evan Young sensed it too. I had no clue where he was, but I did smell the smoke rising from deeper inside the cavern.
The balcony held fewer people as the cultists’ curiosity and bloodlust increased. It allowed me to sneak past them, taking the handful of stairs to reach the base of the cavern. Hundreds of robed cultists surrounded the sacrifices, and many of them brandished their own knives, ready to follow the Sovereign’s lead.
I mumbled apologies as I shoved into the crowd, trying not to let the close quarters and scent of smoke and sweat sicken me. When I blinked, I saw the men outside dying in the snow by the generator, and I tried to focus on saving my friends instead.
Someone bumped into me, and I dropped my knife. I couldn’t lose it. I went to my knees, and narrowly avoided having my fingers stepped on. The only light available was from a few candles a hundred yards away, making it difficult to see. I heard it skitter across the floor as a big boot kicked it, and I moved in that direction, getting a knee in the side for my trouble. Once it was in my grip, I rose, finding myself at the edge of the corralled sacrificial guests.
“Bask in their blood!” the Sovereign yelled, and once again, the voice felt strangely familiar. Someone had lit more candles along the balconies, casting more light. But when I glanced over, I saw that wasn’t the case. The balcony itself was on fire. More smoke rose, and the people around finally seemed to notice. There was only one exit here, and panic was about to ensue.
A few of them didn’t care as they grabbed their own recruit. I cringed as they were cut down, stabbed and sliced, the cultists basking in an audience. They bent to the dead bodies, rubbing blood on their faces and chanting their favorite three words. As much as I wanted to stop them all, I had to focus on my father.
The recruits were hastily attempting to untie themselves, but the ropes were tightly secured. I saw another blade on the ground beside a woman using blood as war
paint on her face. Her teeth shone white in the firelight. I took it, rushing over to the side of the red robes. “Here. Cut the line. Pass it on!”
The girl was young, eighteen maybe, and she just clutched the knife, not understanding.
The flames licked higher, and people were finally comprehending what was happening. Everyone was making noise, chants and screams combining in an awful cacophony of death.
There was no time to hide. Veronica would already be cresting the peaks, moving for the extraction point. I grabbed the flashlight and searched the scared faces. “Dad! Tripp!”
My beam drifted over panicked recruits, most of them crying, frantically struggling to flee. The Believers were divided, with half of them attempting to make a sacrifice, and the other half shoving toward the exit.
Smoke was filling the cavern, pooling at the ceiling, but drifting lower as it thickened. The entire edge of the wooden balcony was on fire, with the farthest section beginning to burn.
“Dad!”
And I found them. Tripp was standing in front of Dirk and Clayton, his fists up, defending against a round man with murder in his eyes. The guy slashed at Tripp with his knife, but Tripp sidestepped, catching the guy’s chubby arm. He snapped it with a crack, and the blade fell. A second later, it was protruding from the guy’s back.
I was already working at freeing Clayton, who was hardly conscious. Dirk was propping him up. “Rex, you’re here.”
“You think I was going to leave you to die?” I asked, slicing at the rope. It was thick, but the dry material frayed just the same, and soon I had my father free. I cut the other side of Clayton, and Tripp already had his own tether released.
“Rex, form a circle.” Tripp was dashing for the exit, but I couldn’t leave. Not without Marcus.
The smoke was becoming worse, and the escape was blocked by the crowd of people. This might have been a bad idea.
Someone was trying to bark orders, but the noise in the room was too loud. People were finally sensing their doom, and the cultists were fighting amongst one another to evacuate.
“Marcus!” I left Tripp to take charge and headed deeper into the cavern.
The cavern floor had become littered with bodies, and I had to step over them while I searched. They were all frightened, many already dead, and I saw him in the glow of the fire, crouched over a girl, his palms pressed to her stomach. Marcus’ eyes were wide, frightened, and I grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back. The girl was already dead.
“Marcus, we have to leave!” I called, and he finally stared up at me like I was a stranger. “It’s me, Rex! We need to go!” He was tied to the dead girl, and I cut him free. Once it was done, he sat there, still. I hauled him to his feet and glanced at the spot where the Sovereign had been. She was still there, her cowl off, and I couldn’t believe it. For a second, I thought I was imagining things, and I blinked away the stinging smoke and checked again. There was no doubt in my mind who she was.
I dragged Marcus to the door and gave him my knife. A moment later, my gun was in my grasp, but I kept it hidden, joining the line of people attempting to escape. It was chaos. I guessed half of the cultists were still inside, with only a trickle of them leaving for each breath I labored.
When I thought we were done for, a gun fired, and everyone grew quieter.
“One at a time! Line up and we’ll get out of here efficiently!” It was Saul.
Two men were fighting near the exit, scrambling to pass through, and Saul shot one point-blank. “Anyone else?” he called.
As much as I wanted to help the rest of the recruits, I needed to get my friends out of here.
“Thank God you made it,” a voice said behind me, and I saw Evan, his face covered in soot. The air was filled with smoke, and I couldn’t see past a few feet. Marcus hadn’t said a word, and I took him up the steps toward Saul instead of following the line. The crowd was keeping their distance from the aggressive man with the gun.
He saw us and moved for the exit, blocking the next person from stepping past. A woman tried grabbing his gun, and he hit her across the temple with it before she dropped to the floor. Saul met my gaze and nodded.
“Go.” He whispered it, and I sensed his finality.
“Come with us,” I said, while Evan took Marcus, moving through the tunnel’s opening. Daylight streamed into the foyer, and hundreds of Believers lingered outside.
“I’ll hold them off,” he replied as the surge of cultists pushed forward, trying to escape.
“Don’t let them leave!” the Sovereign shouted from somewhere in the cavern. “Stop them!”
And they came. Evan ran with Marcus, nearly tripping as we rushed through the foyer and outside. I peered over my shoulder as the horde attacked Saul. Gunshots rang out, but I doubted he stood a chance.
“Tripp!” It was the first thing Marcus said, and it caught me off guard. There he was, the great Tripp Davis, holding the knife steady, protectively standing in front of Clayton. My father had his fists up, ready to fight anyone brave enough to attack.
Evan didn’t hesitate. He fired at the gathering crowd around the free men wearing red robes. His shot struck a woman in the back, and they turned on us. Veronica’s timing was impeccable. The second the helicopter appeared over the mountaintop, everyone looked up. I used the distraction.
We barreled through the crowd and fired at a few cultists that dared to block our path. More Believers were escaping the burning cavern, and we ran, Tripp and Dirk mostly carrying Clayton. Marcus had regained some sense of himself, and he moved of his own accord, running aimlessly but fast.
The copter’s rotors whooshed loudly as she settled a quarter mile down the road. They’d recovered their guns, and the Believers fired after us. Evan glanced at his watch as we ran. “Anytime now!”
Another helicopter appeared from Boulder’s direction, and I heard the call of a police bullhorn, ordering them to cease fire. Evan’s contact had come through.
We arrived, Veronica opening the doors, and I helped my dad with Clayton. Once we were all inside, she skillfully lifted us into the air and rushed from the scene.
I stared out the window, finding the Sovereign standing at the parking lot. She watched our escape with a callous expression. I didn’t think she’d seen me today, but I sure as hell saw her.
It was my boss, Jessica.
8
“Are you kidding me?” Evan paced the room, his phone pressed to his ear. “Yes, sir, but…” His hand lowered, and he tossed the device to the couch. “They didn’t even make an arrest. Not to mention, my buddy on the force has been suspended for unauthorized use of power.”
“How can they sit back while this happens? There were bodies! Guns, knives, lunatic murderers everywhere!” Veronica shouted.
“I don’t know. Sounds like they blew up the cavern, burying the victims. It will take a lot of work to rummage through the aftermath. Even then, they know who to influence to make it go away.” Evan suffered some minor burns on his cheeks, and he had salve spread across his face under a bandage.
“This is crap. All those people,” Marcus said.
We’d departed Boulder in a hurry, making a pit stop in Omaha. We created another profile and rented a farmhouse ten minutes from town. We needed the rest and desperately had to regroup now that we were all together.
“I wish Saul was here,” Beverly said.
“So do I, sis, but he made his choice. He saved us,” I told her again.
Dirk walked into the living room, and he winced at the fire roaring in the hearth. He stared at me with a haunted expression for a moment, then broke into a grin. “I’m proud of you all.”
“We only did what you would have, Dad,” I told him.
“I don’t know if that’s true, but thank you anyway.”
“How’s my dad?” Veronica asked.
“He’s doing… your dad isn’t well.”
Veronica nodded. Clay hadn’t regained consciousness since we’d left, and Dirk refused to go t
o a hospital. He told us he thought Clay might recover, but it wasn’t looking overly positive.
Dad’s eye was still puffy and his lip split. Tripp was worse off, but he didn’t seem to care one way or another.
“We don’t have the Token,” he mumbled. He held a beer to his mouth and drank deeply.
“Where do you think it is?” I asked. We’d been through this, but the first couple of hours had been hectic and a blur. Now that we were sitting here safely, it was a better time to discuss our strategies.
Tripp took another drink. “If you’re asking if they knew what it was, they don’t.”
“How are you so sure?” Marcus asked him.
“Listen, kid, I didn’t tell them. No matter what they did to me.” He stared at Marcus, and my friend broke his gaze.
“Don’t yell at Marcus,” Veronica said.
“We’re alive, and that’s what’s important,” Dirk said.
“Won’t do much good once the bastards come into orbit and nuke us,” Tripp muttered.
“The Token is out there. We saw it with our own eyes, and all we know is that they relocated the damned thing after bringing us to that cavern.” My dad took a seat on the couch’s arm beside me. “She has it. She has to.”
“You mean the Token was in the caves?” Marcus asked.
“I doubt that. She would have left it in a secure location while their attempt at attuning occurred,” Dirk said.
“Is that what they were doing? What was the blood bit about?” I hadn’t finished reading the book I’d found in Palm Springs.
“The Believers think they’re near enough to the Unknowns to attempt their attuning. We threw a big hitch in their plans today, but they won’t ease off.” My dad seemed more like himself. Maybe the shock and imprisonment had made him snap out of his fog.
“We stopped them, but a lot of good people died.” Marcus bit at his fingernails. “All I can see is her being stabbed. I should have protected her. The rope… I was being pulled in the opposite direction, and when I scrambled over, she’d taken the knife to the stomach.”
Lost Time (The Bridge Sequence Book Two) Page 18
