Before we even make it to the door, I realize we’re too late. I can hear them in the hall, laughing at the naivety of the boy they lured here.
I knew there was something off about it all, it was too easy, too simple. I wonder if they know I’m here. Not that it’ll make much of a difference soon. I’m tired from my fight with Queen and my limbs are starting to stiffen.
I going to have to end this quick, or we’ll never make it.
I try the door and it’s locked. Damn. I was so focused on unlocking the girls’ manacles, I didn’t notice the door lock behind us.
Fine, we’ll just have to do this hard and fast, no door is a match for me.
I motion for Julian and the Russian to move to the back of the room; they look confused but do as I ask. I get ready for the fight ahead of me and clear my mind.
My eyes snap open and I kick out the door. It flies to the other side of the hall and I fly after it, in their surprise they freeze. Just for a second, but it’s enough time for me to get five men out of the fight effortlessly. This is no time for games, my movements are quick and lethal. I only knock them out, but some might end up with brain damage. I can’t dare have any wake up before we’ve gone.
The fight is hard, fierce, wild. It’s a tornado of fists and legs, people falling down left, right and centre. I’m winning, slowly but surely, they’re going down, staying down. I can feel my muscles aching, begging me to stop, rest, give up. I can’t, I won’t, not now, not ever.
Suddenly, I’m alone, no one but me is standing. Julian pokes his head out and takes in the carnage, the destruction I’ve caused. I keep my eyes off his face and beckon him forward.
I can’t see the look in his eyes, not now. I’ve seen it many times before, but if I see it now, and from him, I don’t think I could make it out.
I can feel myself trembling. If I don’t control myself everyone will know I’m on my last legs, and they’ll all come after us.
Not just for the boy. No idea why they want him, but for me. To be the first one to take down the newly crowned champion, The Raven Queen.
Still, after the fight I feel the euphoria, the feeling of power mixed with nausea as I look at what I’ve done. I can’t afford that emotion right now. I snuff it out, lock it back up in the box deep down, where it belongs.
We head back through the hall, back to the lounge. I snag a couple of coats and throw them to Julian. They’re the coats the security wears, no one messes with them. Hopefully, it’ll help keep them from being recognised, keep them safe.
We make it out of the lounge without event, and I lead them to the back entrance. My steps getting slower, harder. My body has reached its limit, if we don’t get out soon it’s likely I’ll collapse. Then we’ll all get captured and things, bad things will happen.
Julian touches my shoulder and I flinch and slow down, “Are you alright?” Concern crosses his face. I shrug him off hurriedly. I’ll make it to the exit, I have to.
I redouble my speed and finally, finally, we reach the end of the string, we’ve made it to the exit. I force my exhausted brain to remember how to open the hidden door. The wall is covered in starry wall paper, dark and dreary.
Behind us I hear the sounds of a man-hunt. They’re coming, and coming fast, someone must have woken up and raised the alarm.
I rack my brain for the sequence in which to press the stars. Get it wrong and an alarm will blast. The doors will lock and we’d be caught.
Swiftly, I press the stars in the order I recall, hoping to heck it’s right. To my relief the wall slides silently to the left, revealing a hidden passage. I push Julian and the girl through, before quickly following and closing the door again. Just in time. A mob of angry hellites rush past barely thirty seconds later.
I start down the passage way quickly, waving Julian and the Russian to follow me. Sooner or later, someone will realize where we’ve gone, and we need to be out of hell before then.
The passage way ahead splits and becomes a maze. I memorized the way out in preparation in case something like this ever happened. There is only one true path. Take one wrong turn and you’ll be lost forever, or until one of the demons, as the guards protecting hell are called, finds you.
I’d prefer to die.
Julian tries to talk to me but I ignore him. Even if I did talk to people, I don’t have the strength right now. The strength to think about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other.
Thirty minutes later we reach the exit. Out in the open I breathe in the clear, fresh air with utter relief, no way could I have lasted much longer. As it is, my vision is blurry and I can barely walk in a straight line.
Julian comes up to me and speaks, but only garbled words come to my ears. I shake my head and try to tell him to leave, he doesn’t move.
I wobble slightly, he steadies my and I jump away scared. I don’t like to be touched. Don’t touch me. Leave me alone! Why won’t he leave?
He’s got what he came for, he can go, why doesn’t he go?
I walk backwards, my hands coming up to ward him off. My mind flashes to the man with the dragon tattoo and I panic.
My breath gets caught in my throat and I go down. As my vision blackens, I see Julian coming towards me, worry and something else, something strange, etched on his face.
Colour’s blur, sounds fade, my vision darkens and I fall into a deep dark sleep.
I wake up with a start, my body’s exhausted and moving is painful. I open my eyes a crack trying to figure out where I am.
I’m lying on a soft bed. My mask is gone and my clothes have been switched for a soft oversized shirt. Through my split eyelids I make out a small room, it’s empty so I continue my perusal with eyes open.
The room is full of boxes and odds and ends—it looks like a storage room. Not dangerous at all. At least I hope so.
My mask is by the bed and I go to put it on but stop. Whoever brought me here (wherever I am) has already seen my face, there’s no use in hiding it anymore.
I sit up slowly, ignoring the pain in my limbs. I need to get out of here. Wait a second, my money, my winnings! I check around the bed but the envelope is nowhere in sight.
Damn. I need to get up and find it. Then get the heck out of here.
At least I’m not stuck in hospital, all those questions, all those people. It’d be much harder to escape there.
I test my arms, stretch them, and grimace at the pain. It’s not too bad, I’ve dealt with worse. Much worse. Compared to that, what I’ve been through--this is manageable, painless even.
The door opens and Julian walks through followed by the Russian girl and Miss Melody of all people. I duck down and try to cover my face. What is she doing here? What do they want?
“Snow?” Miss Melody says, voice soft, “Raven-snow are you alright?”
I can’t hide, can’t escape. There are no shadows in this room, nowhere for me to disappear, to fade silently into the background.
I raise my head and stare first at Miss Melody, then at Julian. Why didn’t he leave me on the street?
If he wanted to be nice, he could have left me tucked in some dark alley, hidden, safe, but to bring me here? To what I can only guess is his house. Why?
Julian gives me a cool stare, “We know you can speak, Raven,” Gone is the boy from the club, this is the man from the lounge, “Tell us what you were doing, the truth.”
The Russian girl tugs his sleeve, her face a frown, “Be nice, Jul, she been through lot.” She says in broken, accented English.
A giggle works its way up my throat. If only they knew!
At the sound their attention turns back to me. Julian moves closer, eyes narrow, “What’s so funny, huh? Lying to Melody, to everyone? Want to let the rest of us in on the joke?”
There is no sliver of the boy at the youth club left, I guess that’s what happens when someone you thought was broken, a victim, turns out to be vicious and brutal. A fighter covered in other people’s blood. Perspectives change.
His arms come towards me and I raise my own protectively. His hands snap out and grab my arms, just below the wrists.
“Julian!” Miss Melody exclaims. He ignores her, his eyes fastened on my wrists.
Usually no one gets this close. Close enough to see my scars, to see me.
The scars identical to the Russian girls’, only faded with time. His eyes rise to mine, confusion and shock written all over his face. Now I see a glimmer of the boy from the club. Just a flicker in the back of his eyes before he turns away.
He lets me go and pulls back. “Nikita, can I see your wrists a sec please?” She nods and he unwraps her bandage. A soft sound comes from his mouth and he looks at me, his expression unfathomable.
“What is it?” Nikita asks, eyeing me warily, “Why you want see?” Julian finishes rewrapping her wrist before answering. He turns and his eyes burn into mine, “Because she has the same scars as you, only faded, aged.”
Miss Melody and Nikita both turn to stare at me, horror and shock in their eyes. I roll my own. It’s the normal reaction to seeing my scars, and these? Why they are only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. I have many more terrifying marks.
I gesture for water, but Miss Melody shakes her head. The expression on her face changes from horror to annoyance, “You aren’t getting away with that now, young lady, no matter how many scars you have; Julian and Nikita heard you speak. From now on, if you want something, you have to ask for it, vocally. Like a human being.”
I smile back at her, taunting her with my silence. There’s the next stage of finding out about my scars, and voice.
Annoyance that I won’t behave like I should. Like a victim is supposed to.
Hah! As if I would! I sit up, pain lancing through my body; lesser than before.
I don’t need any help. I’ll show them. I’ve never needed help since I was ten years old.
I toss my legs off the bed and stand shakily. The shirt covers me to just above my knees. It must be one of Julian’s.
No.
Not the time to think of that now.
The girls make noises of concern and start to rush towards me—behave like a human huh? I’ll show them!
I snarl and show my teeth in a feral growl. They freeze and back up. Nikita faster and looking the most scared--she’s seen me in action after all.
Julian pulls them behind him and studies me as I steady myself and get ready to leave. To walk out of the damned room, the house. If only this room had a window!
Julian’s blocking the door. The only way out. Daring me to try and go through him. Not in this condition I can’t, it’s taking all my energy to stand. That’s probably why it takes me so long to realise my legs are bare.
“I’m not letting you leave, not until you ask.” He looks me up and down, and an emotion flashes over his face.
He’s seen them.
Comments (1)
See all