“Let me see,” he commanded, sitting up beside me. I looked over to him and stared. The sun seemed to make him glow like a Greek God. Get it together. I needed to get it together.
My eyebrows slashed together as I pulled away from him and bumped into Hollywood, making him shout a curse word before rolling over. “What do you need to look at?”
He looked a little taken aback. “I just want to see your wound. That’s what’s hurting.” He licked his lips, waiting on my response. My hormones wanted me to taste his lips. They were so full and smooth. He chuckled, drawing my attention away from drooling over wanting to kiss him. I lay back and motioned with both hands for him to have his way with me. He picked up the T-shirt I was wearing and gazed down at my side. “It’s healing nicely. We put some paste on it, but it will probably be sore for the rest of the day.”
I glanced down and realized the shirt I was wearing wasn’t my own. “How did I get in this?” I asked. I was mortified. Either he or all of them had seen me with nothing on. Heat radiated over my entire body. I looked over to him to find a crimson glow under his tan skin.
“I had to change you. The clothes you had on were ruined after that fight.” He looked away and picked at the blanket covering us. “I hope you’re not mad. I did it quickly, without staring at anything.”
“It’s fine.” It was anything but fine. They probably all undressed me and laid me out naked for them to stare at. I glanced over to their sleeping bodies wanting to punch them into consciousness.
Harley jumped up and grabbed something a few feet from us. He unwrapped it as he walked back over to me. “Here. You’ve got to be starving.” I had temporarily forgotten about food, but with him mentioning it, my stomach growled. I took the plate and started eating some type of meat.
“Yeah, especially since those wolves kinda ruined me from eating yesterday,” I said, looking straight ahead, determined not to stare at his shirtless frame. “Where are they anyway?” I looked around expecting them to be lying at our feet.
“Probably out humping the shit out of something,” someone mumbled. The guy with the Mullet Mohawk sat up and smiled at me. Oh, he definitely saw some skin last night from the way he was smiling. “Wanna share that snake?” Suddenly, the food in my mouth tasted rubbery, like a foreign object that was never intended to be there.
“Snake?” I repeated. I gave him the plate and forced the food down my throat.
“Nice going, Zeke. Now she isn’t going to eat it,” Harley said, plopping down beside me with a canteen in hand. “Want some water to wash it down?” He held it out for me to take. I took a huge gulp, swishing it around in my mouth, trying to get the snake and morning stank off my breath. “Nah. My wolves are out scouting, before we head back. We should be at the village by mid-day. It’s not far from here.” He looked up at the sun and then out at some trees.
I suddenly became aware we were outside, but the last thing I remembered was being deep into a cave. “How did we get out here?” I asked.
He stood, and pulled a shirt over his head. “We’re in the base of the mountain. The middle of it. This one just happens to have a big ass opening at the top.” He walked over to the other two guys still asleep and nudged them with his foot. “Hollywood. Freeman. Time to move it. The wolves are getting close.”
I shifted to look at him, blocking the sun with my arm. “How would you know that?” A pounding sound from the near-by trees started closing in on us. The three wolves exploded through them. They ran straight for Harley. I was sure they were about to attack as they leapt in his direction. I opened my mouth to scream for someone to help him, but before the words would come out the wolves shrunk mid-air and landing on his skin, making tattoos. They moved around, as if settling, before one stopped on his arm, while the other two disappeared under his shirt. I cast a disgruntled look over at the other guys to see if they noticed what just happened. They were too busy arguing over who was going to eat the last piece of shriveled up snake.
“Guess now you know how I can tell. They’re a part of me.” He smiled down at me, obviously proud of what he’d just confided. I couldn’t help but stare at the one on his arm. I wanted to run my fingers across it, but that would come off as really creepy. I stood with everyone else to get dressed. I was wearing some sweat pants that belonged to Zeke since he was the skinniest one of the group. I pulled on my shoes and laced them up, ignoring the nagging pain in my midsection.
We trudged through the forest. The guys put me in the middle with two up front and two in the back. We walked a few hours until everything became denser. We crossed paths with an actual trail made of chips of wood and followed it.
“Home sweet home!” Freeman shouted to the top of his lungs. He held back a vine for me to pass under. We came out to an open area, circular in formation. Walls of the mountain were on one side while the other had massive trees that reached hundreds of feet into the air. Rope bridges stretched across, connecting them to each other. Holes lined the sides of the mountain, with ledges big enough to walk on and steps made of stone lead the way up. Each tree had a ladder nailed to the wood for another way to climb to the top on that side, if you didn’t want to take the bridge across. People walked around, some with baskets of food, children chasing chickens, and others taking a leisurely stroll.
“Who are all these people?” I asked, watching them carrying on their daily lives.
“People who were attack and had nowhere else to go,” Freeman said. I narrowed my eyes and observed him closely.
“What do mean by attacked?”
He gestured toward them. “All these people were attacked by the things we fight. That thing you and Harley fought last night, that’s just one of them. There are a shit ton of different things out there. You knew that at one time. You’ve fought them before.” He mumbled the last part in a slightly agitated manner. It wasn’t my fault I didn’t remember anything before I woke up. It wasn’t like I’d planned it out just to make these guys have a sucky life all of a sudden.
“Cool it. We need to take her to meet Lavarus. He’s been waiting a long time for her,” Hollywood said, stepping in the middle of Freeman and I. Lavarus. Lavarus. Why did that name sound so familiar? He skirted in between a group of kids playing some type of game involving kicking a rock. I followed him, with the others flanking behind. We climbed the steps lining the mountain wall, higher and higher, until the people below looked like ants. We finally stopped at a large opening with moss. Something inside clattered, and a second later a man leaning on a polished cane stumbled out.
His eyes danced over the group and then rested on me, bringing a smile to his thin lips. “Finally!” His accent was thick and weird. “Did you have any trouble finding your way here?” he asked as a light breeze blew his wispy shoulder length white hair across his incomprehensible dark eyes. I couldn’t help but feel like he was sizing me up, like I wasn’t the person he expected.
“Uh …” I shot the guys a look. No one jumped to tell him of our run in with a monster that tried to end Harley and I. I locked eyes with Harley, making my heart skip a beat. “If these guys wouldn’t have found me when they did, I probably wouldn’t be here,” I finally said, breaking our stare to look at Lavarus once again. The side of his mouth turned up, making the wrinkles around his eyes deepen, showing his age.
“Excellent. Glad I sent them out for a sweep of the area.” He stepped forward and draped a heavy arm across my shoulders. The fabric of the robes he wore seemed to stab through my shirt, making my skin itch like crazy. I fought the urge to scratch it or push him away. This was the guy I needed to help me. He had to be my answer. “Now, we have a chance to end all this,” he said to the others with a wave of his hand. “Someone show her to her sleeping quarters. All of them were full, but one of the guys have graciously volunteered their room for you.” He stepped away. Relief flooding my sensitive shoulders to the point I wanted to jump up and down and sing praises.
“I’ll show you to my room,” Harley said, g
iving Lavarus a small head nod. He motioned me to follow him down the steps. The other guys headed into Lazarus’s room. I fell into step behind him, still feeling Lavarus’s burning eyes on my back. End this? It’s just the beginning. Her hissing voice brought unwanted shudders.
Chapter Fifteen
Reese
Harley’s room was a few flights below Lavarus’s. There wasn’t much to it. A handmade basket woven from thick vines with clothes hanging over the rim sat in a corner. Next to it was a small table, the legs made of pieces of a cut up tree. On top of it sat a bowl, water pitcher, and a few bath clothes. A pallet stuffed with something and covered by a sheet, lay in the middle of the floor. A few pairs of shoes rested against the wall beside the entrance. But what interested me the most was the acoustic guitar propped against the wall. Their life here was simple, with only the essentials needed to survive.
“Umm, I’ll just grab some things and get out of your way,” he said, awkwardly putting space between us. He fished around the basket, pulling out a few shirts, pairs of shorts, and underwear. I couldn’t help but to stare while he wasn’t looking. A guilty flush bloomed across my face, embarrassed at my gawking. Before he turned around, I directed my attention to the guitar.
My fingers ran down the head, plucking a few of the strings. “Are you any good?” I asked a little too chirpy. I sounded like a superficial idiot. I groaned on the inside, wishing I had just kept my mouth quiet. I blew a wilting strand of hair from my eyes, trying to regain some level of dignity. The last thing I wanted him to think was I was being flirty. I needed to keep a level head, but around him everything seemed to go out of whack.
He crossed the room, taking the guitar out of reach. “A little. I’m not great, but it’s something to help pass the time when I can’t sleep.” Imagining him sitting in this room, alone, holding the cherry wood instrument against his chest while his fingers delicately rolled across each string, brought a small smile to my lips. “What?” he asked, returning the smile.
“Nothing. It’s just hard to picture, that’s all,” I lied, crossing in front of him to take a seat on the bed. “So, are you sharing a room with one of the guys?”
“Nah. I’m gonna sleep outside. There’s a hammock down there, that’s actually really nice.” He fidgeted with the clothes in his hand as silence fell between us. He glanced behind him. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.” He turned and disappeared, leaving me alone.
Forcing myself up, I poured some water into the bowl and dipped one of the clothes into the cool water. Wiping clean was better than nothing. I scrubbed my face, taking the oils that collected there from all the sweat. I closed my eyes, enjoying the fact I’d made it. All the sneaking around, stealing, and sleepless, hunger filled days and nights had paid off. I went back to the pallet and took my shoes off to lie down. Folding my arms back, I placed my head on top of them and stared up at the ceiling reflecting on everything I had been through to get here. Staying here might not be so bad. It seemed peaceful. There were no threats, so maybe the beast inside would keep her mouth shut.
After what seemed like a few hours lapsed, I got up and walked to my door. “She’s awake!” Lavarus said.
My fists tightened as I jumped back. “You about gave me a heart attack,” I said breathlessly.
I caught a glimpse of white as he chuckled, amused at my expense, the rest of face remained shadowed. “I came by earlier, but you were asleep. Thought I would check again, and here we are.”
For a moment, my mind went blank, not sure what to say. “Sorry,” I finally muttered. This was getting awkward and fast.
He came forward, not waiting on an invitation. “No need to say sorry, my dear. You’ve probably been through a lot to get here.” He stopped, surveying the room, and made a clicking noise with his tongue. “Not much in here, is there? Are you comfortable?”
At the moment no. “It’s fine.”
He turned back to me; an elated smile radiated his face, causing the wrinkles to deepen in his forehead. “Grand. If you didn’t have any plans at the moment, I thought we could talk.” I hesitated, not really sure if I wanted to be alone with some strange old man. He seemed to take notice. “I have food.” After a moment, I nodded. “Everything is in my room. It’s much more suitable than this.” He gave a little wave of his hand before walking out, leaning against the cane with a sway.
I followed him in silence to his room. He was right. His room was much more accommodating than Harley’s. He actually had a bed, a large one. The frame was handcrafted, polished wood with a thick mattress and handmade cover. A table sat in the back corner, with four matching chairs. Bookshelves lined the walls, the worn binding showing their age. Cautiously, I walked over and ran a finger over a few of them. Sculpted statues sat on two tables, one on each side of the bed. One was a man wearing some type of amour and the other was a beautiful lady, a piece of fabric draped over her body.
“Wow,” was all I could say. Despite the high altitude, it was quite warm, like the perfect summer afternoon accompanied by a light breeze. He walked around me to the table and moved the cover off a bowl. The aroma of something mouth watering filled the room.
“Sit. Eat.” He pointed at the chair before taking one to the side of it. “You look frail. It’s important to keep up your strength, not waste away.” I looked down at my body, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. I had lost some weight since I’d left the hospital, but that wasn’t because I didn’t want to eat.
I took a seat, eagerly eating the food. I stopped chewing and looked up at him. “Wait. This isn’t snake, is it?”
A smile tickled the corners of his mouth. “No.” I started eating again. “It’s frog.” My mouth dropped, making him laugh. “Just kidding! It’s only chicken.” Relief washed over me and I continued eating. “So, why don’t you tell me what happened to you?” he asked, sitting back in the chair, his eyes studying me.
I swallowed the last bit of food and wiped my face with a cloth lying beside me. “Umm, well, I don’t really remember anything before I woke up.”
He leaned forward, causing the chair to make a cracking sound and placed his elbows on the table. “What do you mean woke up?”
“I was in a hospital—a mental hospital to be exact.” I shifted. The seat had suddenly become very uncomfortable. “I found a piece of paper with the coordinates of this place and so here I am.” I left out all the gory parts. He might not want me here if he knew what I’d done.
“Reese … you’re not telling me everything. I can tell by the way you won’t make eye contact. I’m here to help. Believe me, I’ve seen it all and lived it.” He took my hand in his. “Now tell me everything.”
I stared at him. My words wouldn’t form. They rolled around, lodged. My eyes dropped, staring at my locked fingers. “I’m a bad person.” I wasn’t sure if he heard me. It came out so low.
“Why do you think you’re bad?”
“There’s something in me that’s evil. It takes over, and it kills people. Not that they were good people, but still … they didn’t deserve for me to kill them. I feel like I’m pushing against it, trying to keep it from taking over me completely, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up. Right now, I’m just shouldering it. It’s all I can do to keep it from obliterating me all together. I hate what I am.” She clawed menacingly at me, hating that I told him about her.
He squeezed my hand as if urging me to continue. So I did. I told everything from the moment I woke up to the time I arrived here. “And you have no idea who put you in the hospital or why?” he asked after I was finished. I shook my head, keeping my eyes averted. “Well, what you have inside you is a darkness that is ancient. It takes over people, leaving them with no control over their actions. Only when it happens, the person doesn’t come back. The fact that you’re able to suppress it, gives us hope that we can fight it.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Do you really think so?” I had to remain hopeful, or she would win. I couldn’t give u
p yet.
“Yeah, I do. I think the key to all of that is to unlock your memories. That will take some time, but I believe you came for some training? So maybe we should start with that.”
I bit my lip. “About that. The guys mentioned something about me being able to fight. The thing is I don’t know how to fight. The other part of me does.”
He stood, taking my dish, and placed it in a bucket full of water to soak. “The fact that she knows how to fight means you do too. She’s using your innate abilities, only making you think you can’t. The darkness wants you to feel weak and vulnerable. It uses your weakness against you, to tear you down, so you will give in. It’s getting late. How about we meet in the morning to start work?” I nodded eagerly as I pushed the chair back and stood. “Oh, did Harley give you any type of cleaning products? Obviously, we don’t have showers here, but there is a small spring just through the woods on the south side.”
I shook my head and he pulled out a towel and a basket full of other items. “Thank you. See you in the morning.”
I darted out, the chilled night air nipping at my cheeks, anxious to use what he’d given me. If only I had more clothes. I looked down at Zeke’s unflattering outfit they put on me. Oh well.
Once I made it to the ground below, it was deserted, which meant it was late. I skirted across the grounds, heading toward the south end in search of the spring. I crossed under a canopy of leaves between two massive trees towering over me, and found it.
It was larger than I’d pictured. Just across from me were several small waterfalls pouring over large, flat rocks. Rich greenery adorned the sides with vibrant flowers that made the place look like it came straight from an article out of a travel magazine. I removed my clothes, tossing them onto a nearby rock. Naked, I walked to the edge of the water. I paused for a moment, checking the wound on my side. Harley was right. It was healing quickly thanks to the paste.
Torment Page 13
