Xenofall (The Wasteland Chronicles, Book 7) (9 page)

Anna’s voice snapped me back to attention.

“Almost to the stairs.”

We began the long descent to Level One. With this Bunker, the floors were numbered more traditionally – Level One was at the bottom, Level Fifty-Two was on top. In Bunker 84, it was the opposite. Level One was at the top while Level Twenty was at the bottom.

However you figured it, the result was the same: fifty-two floors was a long way down.

But we had only descended a few flights before I heard voices.

I held up a hand, bringing everyone to a halt. In the following silence, the voices had ceased.

“Anyone down there?” I asked. “Hello?”

Looking over the railing, I shone my flashlight down. Below, three faces looked up at me – Makara, Samuel, and Michael.

Ruth was lying on her back, eyes closed.

I rushed downstairs, the others following. After four more flights down, we arrived at the landing of Level 38.

“She collapsed at the bottom,” Samuel said. “We’ve had to carry her the entire way.”

“What happened?” Anna asked.

“We don’t know,” Makara said. “She’s out cold.”

“You weren’t attacked?” I asked. “She just...fell?”

“Yeah,” Samuel said. “Michael said she doesn’t have a medical condition that he knows of.”

“We need to hurry it up,” Makara said.

I knew she was right. Together, we lifted Ruth from the floor. Every muscle in her body was limp. I had no idea what could have knocked her out like this, but connected to what we had just learned about the writhes, it was more than a little worrisome.

We went up the steps. With all of us lifting, it went fast. Within a few minutes, we had reached the top level, huffing from exertion. We carried Ruth down the dark corridor, toward the door still open to the runway.

“We need to get Ruth to the Xenolith,” Samuel said.

“The Xenolith?” Anna asked. “Why?”

“We think she might be infected with a writhe.”

***

W
e put Ruth in the clinic aboard
Perseus.
Her face was pale and her form limp. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

“You think it’s a writhe?” I asked.

“It just seems awfully convenient,” Samuel said. “The moment we learn about the writhes, Askala triggered this reaction in Ruth. For all we know, she has swarmers on the way.”

If that was the case, then they hadn’t reached the Bunker in time.

Samuel continued. “Whether it’s a writhe, or something else, we know for a fact that the
Elekai
ichor has healing properties. And if it
is
a writhe, Askal or Quietus might be able to confirm.”

“Get to
Orion,”
Makara said. “And follow our lead.”

***

B
oth ships touched down by the Xenolith. We exited the ships, entered the Xenolith, and ran down to the
Elekai
pool, toting Ruth with us.

When we arrived at the shoreline, there was no sign of either dragon...until an angular head emerged from the water. The size and shape told me immediately that it was Quietus. As she arose further from the ichor, the liquid streamed down her dark scales, glittering and returning to the pool. Her white eyes radiated light as her neck stretched out, lifting the head far above the pool’s surface.

I didn’t waste any time.

What do you know about the writhe?

The writhe, human? You ask about something that is ancient indeed. The writhe existed even before the virus. Why do you ask?

How come you didn’t tell us about it?

It cannot harm you,
Elekim, Quietus said.

It’s harmed Ruth,
I said.
At least, that’s what we think.

Quietus’s eyes turned to Ruth, gazing at her inert body for a moment before turning back to me.

It might be that she has a writhe. Bear her forth to the pool,
Elekim,
and we can know for certain.

I turned to the others. “We need to bring her to the pool.”

After exchanging glances, Samuel, Char, Marcus, and Anna carried Ruth to the pool, laying her face-up in the warm ichor while Makara and Michael watched from the shore. I strode forward, entering the ichor. I pulled Ruth farther away from the shore. Around her form, the liquid frothed and bubbled. It reminded me of when the
Radaskim
dragons entered the pool – the ichor had done the very same thing.

Yes, I can see now that there is darkness within her. The pool alone will avail her not – only by your power might she be freed from the clutches of the Dark Mother. The pool will give you strength,
Elekim...
but the battle will still be fierce. You must drive it out!

How?

You must sever its connection to Askala. As far as
how
to do that...I know not.

I looked down at Ruth, having no idea what I was supposed to do. All I knew was that I had to connect with the writhe mentally, as if I was trying to communicate with it. After all, its chief purpose was communication. As Quietus said, I had to cut it off from Askala.

I closed my eyes and reached out to Ruth’s mind. When I did so, my vision went black.

***

I
didn’t know where I was. I didn’t feel like I was...
anywhere.
Just a mind, floating in a void.

But someone
else
was there. A dark dread came over me, draining me of hope. I felt cut off from all memory, goodness, and existence. In the darkness I heard my heart beating, the blood flowing through my veins...

Something was out there, watching me from the darkness. I directed my thoughts toward it.

Who’s there?

It felt as if I were being enveloped in a dark cloud. A cold breeze blew, tickling my skin. Sharp laughter resounded in the void – I couldn’t tell if it was real or imagined.

I see you,
Elekim...

The voice came out in a harsh, inhuman whisper.

Who’s there? Show yourself.

I don’t think you would want that...

A physical heaviness surrounded me, compressed me...

What are you doing to me?

Crushing you.

The heaviness increased, and everything pushed...inward. As the pressure became more unbearable, my panic mounted.

Why are you doing this?

For the same reason the blade cuts, the serpent bites, or pestilence wastes...

The pressure was now sheer agony. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came.

I do it...because it is my nature.

You will leave her, writhe,
I said.

You do not command me,
Elekim.
She is mine.

You
will
leave her.

The pain and the pressure increased sharply, like I was being swallowed by a black hole. I couldn’t bear this a second longer.

Yet, I had to. For her.

Her? I didn’t know why I was fighting anymore. I saw little point to this struggle, this resistance.

But didn’t people have to fight, even if they didn’t know the reason? Sometimes, losing a battle meant to lose oneself. It was important to fight, no matter the darkness, no matter the pain...

Something greater than me rode on this. I was fighting for Ruth, for her freedom.

You will not have her,
I said, for a third and final time.
You will leave her.

The pressure was maintained for a moment, but eased ever so slightly. This was my chance to fight back. And so I pushed back against the darkness with all my will. A terrible scream resonated as the darkness was filled with light, excruciatingly bright. This brightness was maintained for a long while, until it began to dissipate.

I felt my consciousness slip away as I rejoined the waking world.

***

I
opened my eyes, seeing the glowing ceiling of the cavern above. I was lying on my back, floating on the surface of the ichor. Anna’s face appeared above mine.

“Alex?”

I tried to move, but found that I couldn’t. So Anna grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me to the shore.

Once I was lying on dry ground, I finally found the strength to move. I pulled myself to a sitting position. Everyone stood around me, Ruth included. She was shaking all over.

“You’re alright,” I said.

She nodded. “Yeah. I think I am.”

I thought about the voice I’d heard. At the time, I thought it was the writhe. But could it have been Askala herself?

“I heard her voice in my mind,” Ruth said. “That’s all I remember. I think...she was trying to get me to hurt you.”

At last, it became clear to me. That was Askala who was attacking me, not the writhe. Samuel said the writhe was merely the means by which Askala communicated with the host.

That meant Askala had spoken to me. That meant that I had driven her out of Ruth, somehow, by my will alone.

“It was her, alright,” I said. “It couldn’t have been anyone else.”

“You mean Askala?” Makara asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. No doubt in my mind.”

“The writhe is a connection to Askala, according to Ashton’s report,” Samuel said. “If you connected to it, you must have connected to Askala’s consciousness.”

Everyone looked at me, as if realizing the gravity of that sentence.
I had connected to Askala’s consciousness.
It seemed unreal.

“It was horrible,” I said. “I forgot everything about who I was, why I was fighting. I felt like I had no hope.” I paused. “I still feel that way, a bit.”

“I don’t want you to try anything like that again,” Anna said. “What if
you
were knocked unconscious, too?”

“What about the writhe itself?” Julian asked. “Is it still...there?”

Ruth shook her head. “Don’t even talk about it. Just the thought of that thing, in my head still...”

The writhe probably
was
still in Ruth’s brain. Even if it was dead, that was still a horrifying picture. And having that writhe in there could have some ill effects.

“Is there any way to get it out?” Makara asked.

“At this point,” Samuel said, “the only thing we can do is allow her immune system to run its course.”

“What will that do to me?” Ruth asked.

“Probably nothing,” Samuel said. “It’s possible you might get a fever, but I’m definitely no expert.”

Whatever the situation, we would have to keep an eye on it. For now, though, it seemed as if Ruth was okay.

I stood up, and turned to face the pool, where Quietus stood in the ichor, watching me in silence. I walked to the shoreline and met Quietus’s eyes.

You could have warned me about what would happen.

Would that have made a difference? You stand victorious, and you saved the girl’s life.

I heard her voice, Quietus,
I said.

Ah, yes,
Quietus thought.
What you endured for a mere two minutes I’ve endured for eons. It is a voice that only becomes more hellish with time.

How did you survive it?

Quietus became silent, as if hesitant to revisit that former darkness.

One cannot endure against her,
Quietus said.
Not for long. She will relent for a short time – only to become even more terrible than before. This is how she teaches her truths, and I will not go into any further detail. It is not good to understand darkness. You must defeat her,
Elekim.

What about Ruth?
I asked.
Is the writhe still in her brain?

In her brain, yes, though it is dead. She will be fine,
Elekim.
Just see that she gets proper rest.

I’m worried about the others. Are there any more writhes among us?

Beware if there are,
Elekim, Quietus said.
There is nothing you can do but be on your guard. And if there
are
writhes among you...do
not
attempt to free anyone outside the confines of this pool. Without its power to aid you, it would be foolish indeed to attack a writhe. Just because you are
Elekim
doesn’t mean you are invincible.

You don’t have to remind me of that,
I said.

I resisted the temptation to turn around and look at the others. If any of them were controlled by a writhe, wouldn’t they have been knocked unconscious, like Ruth? I had no idea.

I decided to turn my attention to other matters.

Will your dragons be ready for the final battle?

Some of Askal’s dragons are still healing from their last battle, but they should be ready to fly soon.

We have to return to Los Angeles,
I said.
If the new evolutions are any indication, we need to move quickly.

Go in haste, then,
Quietus said.

I left the pool, returning to the shore. I stood there for a moment, thinking, as everyone watched.

“Quietus says the writhe is dead. All the same, we need to be on our guard.”

“Even from each other?” Anna asked.

I didn’t want to admit that truth, yet I didn’t want my silence to become my answer.

“We have to trust one another,” I said. “Ruth was the only one who fell unconscious, so there’s no reason to believe another person is infected. It’s just time for us to move on to planning the final battle.”

“Well said, Alex,” Makara said. “Now, we need to get back to Los Angeles. Augustus needs to know what we’ve learned.”

W
hen we returned to Los Angeles, it was almost fully dark. Makara, Char, and Marcus went to brief Augustus and Carin about what we had learned. She told the rest of us to eat and get some sleep.

We took her up on that, gathering in
Orion’s
wardroom and making a meal of the leftover wedding food – pork, rice, and veggies. It seemed strange that the wedding was only three days ago, yet here was the evidence of it on my plate. There was also the ring on my finger that felt like it didn’t belong.

Who got married when they knew they were going to die in a few days?