by Beth Martin
She smiled, then began pacing up and down the hall. “As you can clearly see, I don’t need any help—I’m doing fine all by myself. So, there’s really no reason I would keep him around. And you,” she looked at Leona who was breathing even heavier, “I just really don’t like you. In fact, I’m so apathetic about what happens to both of you, that I’m not going to do anything. You can just stay here and burn with the rest of the estate.”
Roemell’s mind was racing. He couldn’t think of anything to do. There was no way to get his hands and feet free, but even if he could, he wasn’t sure how to get out of the cell.
“Why?” Leona asked, her voice loud and clear.
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you terrorizing everyone?”
Tina shrugged her shoulders, then came right up to Leona’s cell, gripping the bars and pressing her face between them. “Because you’re soft.”
Leona shot a look at Roemell briefly before glancing back at Tina.
Tina took a step back and crossed her arms. “I thought that I was a strong woman. And part of that was loving whomever I pleased. Even a piece of scum like you.” She sneered at Roemell. “But I wasn’t. Only after I left the comforts of my parents’ home was I forced to build strength of character. So when my lousy street-scum ex crawled back into the hole he came from, I didn’t need him or anyone else. I can rely completely on myself. See, I actually did you a favor. I freed you from the restrictions of your cushy life. It’s too bad you wasted the opportunity. And now, you’ll burn.” She turned and walked off.
Both Leona and Roemell watched Tina as she crossed the large room and left. When she opened the door, the smell of smoke rolled into the building.
“What should we do?” Leona asked, an edge of panic in her voice.
“Are your hands free?”
She turned to show him that the circle of plastic still bound her wrists behind her back.
“Good, that’s okay. Those aren’t foolproof. They can break. Try to get your hands in front of you.”
She rolled onto her side and struggled to get her arms around her legs and bring her wrists under her feet. After a moment, she sat back up, her hands now in front.
“Great. Now raise your hands above your head.” She followed his directions. “And bring them down as hard as you can. The sharp motion will tear apart the plastic.” She brought her hands down, but hesitated at the very end. “Try it again.” She raised her hands back up, then brought them down in a large arcing motion. The tie made a satisfying snap as it broke off.
“It worked,” she said. She stretched out her arms before scrambling to her feet and shuffling up to the set of bars separating the two. “Now for your cuffs.”
She ran her hands through her hair, poking her fingers through her curls. “Aha!” She pulled out a hair pin and held it in front of her like it was the answer to everything. “I used to dabble in magic tricks when I was younger. Here, come closer and hold up your wrists.”
He scooted along the floor up to Leona and lifted his hands.
“My dad was a fan of Houdini, and I wanted to be just like him.” She unfolded the hairpin and stuck one of the ends into a small hole in one of the cuffs. It instantly yielded and popped open, freeing his hand. He pulled himself to standing and stuck one of his feet through the bars. A moment later and all of his chains were off.
“I’m not sure who Houdini is, but did he bust out of jail cells too?”
“Sure,” Leona said, a smile spreading across her face. She swept her hair behind her shoulder and strode to her door. Each cell had a heavy iron door with a large iron lock. She took the hairpin and slid one end into the keyhole.
A loud crash came from above them, and they both jumped. “What was that?” Roemell asked. He looked up to the concrete ceiling to see a large crack traversing the entire space. There was another loud rumble, and the entire building shook.
“Shit,” Leona said. “I dropped it.” She sunk down to the floor and reached her hands around the ground, feeling for her hairpin.
Another loud groan came from above. He grasped his hands tightly around the bars of his cell and looked up. “I think it’s going to cave in.” The house shook even more, and pebbles of concrete started raining around them.
“I’ve almost got it,” she said, straining to touch the pin, which had landed outside the bars of her cell, with her fingertips.
“Forget about it. Take cover!” There wasn’t a cot or any other piece of furniture in the cell, so he just dropped to the ground and threw his hands on his head.
More crashing came from above, and then the ceiling sheared into several pieces. Large boulders of concrete struck the floor all around him, throwing his body in the air from the force of impact. He balled up into the fetal position, keeping his hands behind his neck to protect it.
Leona screamed out, but he could see her and didn’t dare move around. The air filled with dust, and soon smoke. Curtains and pillows and wooden planks fell through the gaping hole in the ceiling, every piece of debris lit in flames. Thick black smoke permeated the air. He started coughing from all the pollutants, and he couldn’t see anything around him. The rumbling quieted, and then the crackling of fire filled his ears.
“Leona!” he shouted. He stood up and surveyed the damage around him, at least what he could see. Flames billowed all around him, and piles of cement rocks littered the floor. Some of the iron bars had been knocked out of the way, and he climbed over to where Leona’s cell had been. “Leona!”
He couldn’t hear or see her. He thought he caught a glimpse of dark curly hair and rushed over to it, but it was just the charred filling from a pillow. “Leona! Can you hear me?” He began to dig through the rubble, trying to find any sign on her.
A faint coughing caught his attention. “Over here,” she said weakly.
He dashed over to her voice about ten yards away, ignoring the pain slicing through his body. He dug through the rocks until he uncovered her under the pile.
“I got it,” she said, feebly holding up her hand to show him the hair pin.
He looked around quickly. “I don’t think that’s going to do us much good now.” Another rumble started gaining volume. “We need to get away from the middle. I bet the stairs are over there.” He pointed in the direction where Tina had exited. Grabbing Leona’s hand, he pulled her along as they stumbled across the room. When more debris started coming down, he yelled, “Take cover.” This time he leapt on top of her, using his body to shield hers.
After a few seconds, the tremors subsided, and he stood back up and helped Leona to her feet. They dashed over to the edge of the room.
“It’s blocked,” she said, looking at the pile of rocks where there had once been a staircase.
A loud crack split the air, and Roemell instinctively ducked, pulling her down with him. Large blocks and pieces of furniture fell through a new hole. This time when he looked up, he could see a bit of sky through the ceiling.
“Let’s climb over it,” he said. “Remember how I gave you a boost over the fence?” She nodded. “Grab that ledge and pull yourself up. You ready?”
She nodded again, and he held out his hands. When she placed her foot in his grasp, she jumped up and he gave her a swift push. The floor was about ten feet above them, but she was just able to hold onto the edge. She pulled up, grunting with the effort, until she was on the floor of the story above.
Roemell wasn’t able to climb high enough using just the blocks on the ground. “I need a hand!”
She lay down on her belly and reached her arms out toward him. He jumped, but was still a few feet short. A low grinding sound started growing in intensity. She looked behind her briefly and yelled, “Hurry!”
He took a few steps back, then ran at full speed toward the wall. Kicking his feet against the cement surface, he vaulted upward, and his body slammed into the side. Before he could fall back to the floor, he felt Leona’s hands grasp onto his wrists. She pu
lled up as he stepped against the wall to ascend. Once at the top, he flopped onto the floor, then crawled away from the hole.
The mansion that had been above them was now engulfed in flames. “Which way is out?” he asked.
Leona looked around her before pointing. “That way.”
Every direction looked the same, so he followed her through the destruction toward a barrier of fire. “There’s no way through!” he shouted, barely able to hear himself over the roar of the flames.
“Just run!” she shouted. She grabbed his hand and they raced forward. He pushed himself and the pair broke through the flames and kept running until they were outside the house. It was dark out with no moon in the sky. The usual cool night breeze had been replaced with hot dry air from the blaze.
Both of them were on fire, and Leona dove to the ground and started rolling. Roemell copied the movement and, sure enough, was able to squelch the flames that had scorched his clothing.
“Your hair,” he gasped. Her mass of curls was much less now, and smoke rose from behind her ears.
She slid a hand through her hair. “This is better than staying in that basement.”
But it wasn’t just her hair that was singed. Her left shoulder was charred and oozing blood. One of her shoes was so torn up, he could see her toes peeking out the ends. Her clothes had been torn apart, and her skin was covered in scrapes and cuts. He wondered how bad he must look and glanced down at his hands. They were still there, just covered in soot.
“We need to get away from here,” he said.
“No,” she said forcefully. “I’m going to finish this. I don’t care if you want to help or not, but I am stopping Tina.”
He shook his head, but knew there was no way to change Leona’s mind. “All right,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
Leona looked back at the remains of the mansion that had housed the VanStraten family. The entire structure was engulfed in flames, lighting up the night. She hoped the three daughters had been able to get out safely. Visions of her own house burning flashed in her mind. The memory was particularly potent since it also brought back the feelings from that kiss. She glanced back at Roemell. After everything, she was glad she had him by her side.
“This way,” she said as they walked across the lawn. The orchards surrounding the group of houses were all consumed with fire, and the air above them was thick with black oily smoke.
Although the security androids had dragged her and Roemell straight to the main house and into the depths of the basement, she had been able to look around and watch Tina take a path around the back of the smallest house. That had to be where the emergency shelter was located.
The crispy black grass crunched under her feet as she marched forward. She could hear Roemell walking behind her, his breathing loud and heavy, punctuated with coughs. They wound around the smallest house and under a fiery hedge. She could see that the heavy door to the shelter laid open. Leona broke into a run and quickly descended into the dark underground room.
No one was here. She looked at the security screens which flashed through live feed of the destruction. Roemell came barreling down the stairs and stopped quickly behind her.
“She’s gone,” Leona said as she banged her fist into the computer panel.
“What do you want to do?” he asked, gently placing a hand on her back.
She spoke to the computer instead of answering him. “Set all sprinkler systems to max. Invoke emergency fire protocols. Reset all security androids to patrol.” She leaned back and glanced at Roemell. “If she’s still somewhere on the grounds, this should tease her out.”
“Is there any first aid down here?”
“There should be back there.” She pointed to the depths of the shelter.
He went over to the cabinets and open shelving and rummaged through them before returning with a couple white boxes emblazoned with large red plus symbols. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
She walked over to the sitting area. Instead of plush furniture like they had at the Poole Estate, there was only a metal bench seat. Clearly the VanStratens had never intended to actually use this shelter.
Once she sat down, Roemell opened the first box and pulled out a pair of blunt-tipped scissors. “You’ve got a nasty burn on your shoulder. I want to bandage it while we’ve got a moment.”
She looked down at the area he indicated, and a wave of nausea overcame her. She hadn’t realized the wound was that bad. Now all she could smell was her own scorched flesh. She looked away as he cut along the sleeve of her shirt and gently pulled it aside to expose the entire burn. Then he tore open a packet of sanitation wipes and said, “Brace yourself. This might sting.”
Sting was an understatement. She inhaled sharply, making a hissing noise as he pressed the wipe against her skin. “Sorry,” he whispered. Once the area was clean, he held some gauze against the burn, then secured it in place using a generous amount of medical tape. “That should do for now.” She looked at her shoulder. The sleeve of her shirt hung limply against her side, and red was already starting to show through the bandage.
They sat in silence for a minute, waiting for something to happen. “I don’t think she’s coming back,” he said.
“I disagree. She’ll want to finish what she started. Look at the security feed.” He looked up at the screens above the computer controls. “The residences are pretty destroyed, along with the apple orchard, but most of the storage facilities and fields are fine. If she gave up now, the VanStratens would be able to rebuild easily.”
“I’m not sure just waiting here is the best strategy. We’re basically sitting ducks.”
She shrugged only her good shoulder. “We could hide behind the hedges. Then we could catch her off guard.” She got up and led the way out of the shelter, then stepped behind the closest shrub.
Roemell hid behind her. “What will you do when you see her?”
“I don’t know.” She looked around the grounds. The houses were still on fire, but the orchard had been extinguished. In the distance, a security android whizzed by on its patrol. “There are the VanStraten girls.” She pointed to a trio of figures wearing nightgowns and holding hands as they ran away from the main house. A vehicle came up the drive and stopped just long enough for them to jump in before speeding back off.
Leona kept visually searching the area, looking for any sign of Tina. The minutes dragged on, and as the adrenaline wore off, her battered body began to hurt. Her shoulder ached, and the cuts on her skin stung. As she stood, trying to remain still, the world around her started to stretch and skew. She didn’t feel steady, and her knees began to shake.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Before she could respond, everything melted away.
• • •
Roemell was positive that Tina had already left the VanStraten Estate. When they were at the Evanko Estate, she hadn’t stayed around to verify total destruction. Likely, she was long gone.
He knew he should voice these concerns to Leona. She looked awful. But instead of insisting that she take a break, here he was, hiding in the bushes, looking for an enemy who would never come.
Leona started swaying, and he noticed her limbs were trembling. He was about to grasp her shoulder, but remembered the burn and decided not to touch her, at least not there. “Hey, are you okay?”
She leaned back against him, and he instinctively wrapped a hand around her waist. He thought she was just tired and looking for support, but then her head lolled to the side. “Leona?” Her eyes rolled back, and her knees buckled under her. He lifted her carefully and carried her limp body back into the emergency shelter.
There weren’t any cots or soft furniture. He was about to set her on the bench, but didn’t want to take the chance of her rolling off. Instead, he carefully placed her on the floor, then touched his fingers to her cheek. “Leona? Can you hear me.”
He thought he heard a commotion outside, and sprang up to see what was going on. As soon as he stood he s
aw dark eyes staring back at him. Tina had returned.
“I should have known you’d somehow get out and fuck everything up.”
He stared her down. “You need to stop.”
She casually descended the stairs, and he rushed to get between her and the computer controls. He was leaving Leona exposed, but was confident Tina hadn’t seen her yet.
“You know,” Tina said, “maybe I should have taken you up on that offer to join me. You’ve proved yourself quite resourceful. Now get out of my way.”
She sidestepped, attempting to get around him, but he quickly shifted as well to keep her blocked. “No.”
“Step away, and no one gets hurt.”
“I’ve killed a man with my bare hands. I’ll do it again.”
She chuckled. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to hit a woman?”
“You’re a monster!” he hissed.
When she tried to step around him again, he leapt forward and tackled her. They both fell to the floor, and he scrambled to hold her down. He pressed his forearm against her airway, and she struggled underneath him as the color began to drain from her face. She tried to push him off, but he was stronger and kept her down.
A sudden pressure sliced into his abdomen, and he jumped up and stepped back. In her hand was her knife, his blood staining the blade. He looked down and saw a crimson stain quickly growing on his shirt. Pressing both hands against the wound, he tried to stem the bleeding. His head began to feel light and woozy.
Tina quickly caught her breath, pulled herself up, and got in his face. She held the blade up against his throat. “Now, do I slit your throat and end your life quickly, or leave you to slowly bleed out and suffer?”
