Deathmarked, p.6
DeathMarked, page 6
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Blane,” Camilla said. “He didn’t tell me everything, but he showed me the Reek that was locked up in the DEZ. He told me that thing had been one of our guards, and it had killed Scott when it turned before anyone noticed the change in him. But still, I thought we’d have a chance out here. I thought we’d be given a new life eventually, and this was just some test.”
I nodded along, feeling the same anger she felt.
“I’m sorry I never told you. I wanted to… to warn you all, but I was scared… I was weak,” she whispered.
I let out a long breath and bit my cheek. I didn’t blame Camilla for this, for not telling me about what we would be facing. Would knowing what was to come have made any of this better? The only regret I had was not getting Vic out of there when we had a chance. Her life was on my conscience; I should have fought harder to make her stay behind with Jayla and Em. And now, she was likely dead because of it.
I shook my head, wiping away the memory of Vic’s face. “Nothing you could have told me would prepare me for this. Nothing.”
Hours passed and the sun set, but Theo and Gunner hadn’t returned. A few others did, and when I asked each one if they’d seen either of the men I described, they all said no. My hands trembled, and I’d picked my nails nearly raw. I paced before the ladder, silently screaming at myself, idiot, why would you separate?
I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t sleep as every sound outside shook me awake, and I pictured Theo out there alone. I pressed my fingers to my temple, a headache forming, and tried to close my eyes—tried to breath.
Why had I ever trusted Gunner? Why had I left Theo alone? We had to stay together; it was the only plan we’d made to survive. Stick together and we had a chance at living. But now I had put his life in the hands of someone who’d warned us, more than once, not to trust anyone. I couldn’t get enough air, and my lungs felt as though they were filled with water. Being underground was suffocating me.
When the clock on the wall indicated the sun had finally rose and we opened the hatch, I was the first one out. I bit my lip, so I didn’t call out his name, knowing the monsters still roamed the forest.
My heart raced, and I was just getting ready to start searching the forest for Theo when a thud sounded to my right. I whipped around.
Gunner stood on the spot he’d just jumped down from with a crooked grin on his face.
He smirked. “Miss me?”
“Where is he?”
Gunner rolled his eyes and pointed a thumb to the tree behind him. Theo was climbing down.
I let out a breath as my eyes scanned him for any injuries.
“Told you I’d take care of him.” Gunner nudged me as he strolled past and made his way down into Camp Ten to check in.
Theo’s feet hit the ground, and I had my arms wrapped around him before he even collected his footing. He pulled me in tight.
“I’m okay. It’s okay,” he whispered into my hair, and for some reason, a sob caught in my throat.
“We never split up again, no matter what,” I mumbled into his chest, not wanting to pull away just yet. But he gently leaned back and planted a soft kiss to my forehead.
“Deal.”
“Hurry up, you disgusting love birds, before I lose my non-existent breakfast,” Gunner said from the camp door.
Theo glared in his direction before leading me back down behind him.
Before we’d reached the bottom of the ladder, Gunner had his hand out. “All right, a deal’s a deal.”
I glanced between him and Theo, trying to figure out what sort of deal they’d made. Theo reached into his pocket and pulled out the small triangle shaped artifact we’d found and pressed it into Gunner’s hand.
Gunner smirked. “Pleasure doing business with you, sir.”
I grabbed Gunner’s wrist before he spun around. “Wait? You’re taking our artifact?”
Gunner shrugged. “Uh, yeah, that was the deal.”
“You worm!” I spat. “We almost died to get that, and you used it as a bargaining chip? You’re no better than a Poacher!”
“That’s how the game works, sweetheart.” Gunner ripped his arm out of my grasp. “He’s lucky he had anything to bargain with. It’s the only reason I didn’t leave his ass behind.”
“It’s fine, Sienna. We’ll find another one.” Theo rested a hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off and moved on Gunner, who was heading to the distribution station at the back.
I shoved him hard, and he tripped forward a step. “No, it’s not fine. I trusted you.”
Gunner spun around so fast I nearly ran into him. I stumbled back a step, falling into Theo behind me.
“What have I been telling you from day one? What have I preached since the moment we met?” Gunner asked. I clamped my mouth shut. He moved in closer, his eyes narrowing on me, and Theo tensed behind me. “Trust no one.”
My voice was small as I said, “I thought you were different.”
Gunner shrugged as he turned away. “Well, that was your first mistake. Best to not let it happen again.”
My mouth gaped open, and Theo pulled me away. “Let’s go,” Theo whispered in my ear.
Gunner dropped down his artifact, taking whatever he’d been given with a smirk, just as Theo pulled me away. I reached for the ladder when I heard a quiet voice from the ground. “Good luck,” Camilla said.
I’d nearly forgotten about her. Theo’s fists balled at his side the moment he realized who it was, and I knew just the sight of her brought back memories of what she’d done to me, but I placed a hand on his arm and he relaxed at my touch. He hesitated before climbing the ladder and moving out of the camp. I paused with one foot on the rung. I knew I shouldn’t make any promises, and Theo and I had only a few days to find our own artifacts, but still I said, “We’ll be back, Camilla. Hold on.”
JAYLA
Emery had worked out three possible locations Simon could still be hiding based on the information Reyes gave us. After finding no signs of anyone in the first two, we had moved on to the last one.
We approached a small, old apartment building only three stories high and clearly not kept up to date like the rest of Cytos. A few windows had clear plastic covering holes, and paint was smeared across the side of the building. I smirked at the one with the Wraith symbol painted across it. Two narrow, shadowed eyes gleaming above a vicious smile. The drippings from the black paint made it look like the image had just taken a victim.
The door wouldn’t even shut all the way, and as we walked up the creaky stairs, we had to step over spots where the floorboards were missing. The place smelled disgusting, like moldy food.
Em led the way, having scouted the place out first and deeming it to be nothing more than a hole in the wall, but still she had her twin blades out as she walked the hall on the top floor. The two children we passed on the second floor didn’t even balk at her swords.
I had Azrael ready at my side, and I watched the shadows behind us, carefully stepping over the trash left in the hallway and a broken bottle. This place was the epitome of slums, something even I hadn’t seen in a long time.
We reached door number 331, and Em carefully picked the lock while I scanned the near empty hallways. Blaring music sounded in the distance, and the thin walls bounced with it, dust flickering in the florescent lights—only half of them worked. The floor was a tattered red carpet with moth-eaten holes and suspicious burn marks at the center.
With a slight whine, the door slid open, and we stepped into the gloomy hallway of the apartment. The curtains were drawn, masking the room in darkness. It took my eyes a few moments to adjust. Em continued leading the way down the narrow hall. On our right was a small kitchen; it was empty but filled with dishes that looked like they’d been sitting there for a while. Smelled like it, too. On the left was another short hallway leading to the single bedroom with the door open. It also looked to be empty. We continued straight ahead into the living space. A high-backed chair sat in the middle of the room facing away from us, and a Linked screen played an image dancing across a small table tucked into the corner of the room.
Em inclined her chin to the chair. From behind, I could just barely see the top of dirty blond hair from the person sitting in it.
“I figured you’d find me eventually,” Simon said.
“Can’t hide forever.” I smirked as we circled around to face him.
Simon’s face was sombre. His eyes drooped as they followed the Linked image of a little boy skipping around a large room, kicking a ball to a few other kids. The children couldn’t be any older than six or seven, and from the view of the Linked image, this video was taken from a Camera Bot hovering above the cement-clad room.
“No, you can’t…” Simon mused. My brows scrunched, and Simon quickly blinked away whatever distant thoughts had taken over, and he turned his gaze towards me. “Well, you found me. What now?”
“You know why we’re here.” Em sneered impatiently.
Simon slowly moved his gaze to her, and I saw the restraint it took Em to not slice his head off clean with the twin knives in her hands. “I’ve told you before, I can’t help. Not anymore. There’s nothing anyone can do.”
“So we’ve been told, but surprisingly we don’t accept that answer,” I said.
Simon’s movements were tired, bored, and methodical. His gaze flickered to the Linked image again before he pressed a button on the tablet in his lap and it turned off. After a long sigh, Simon turned cold eyes on me. “You think everyone should just bow down to your wishes and whims? That your problems are more important than anyone else’s?” He stood, his feet wobbling a bit, and I got a whiff of the strong liquor hanging on his breath. Em positioned herself closer to me, but Simon paid no attention to her, or the blades aimed at his heart. “You’re an obnoxiously selfish person, Jayla. And I don’t have time for people who care only about themselves.”
Simon moved to step around me, but I stood in his path. “Insulting me, Simon, won’t get us to leave.”
He leaned forward and his breath reeked. “I’m not insulting you. I’m describing you.”
I let out a humourless laugh under my breath, pressing my gun against his chest and pushed it firmly against him. “Sit down.”
He shrugged, reached past me for a bottle of clear liquid, and lazily took a seat back in the oversized reclining chair, ignoring the gun I still had pressed into him and the murderous glare from Em. Either I was losing my threatening touch as a Watcher, or Simon had a death wish. My guess was on the latter.
“I’ve already told you before when you came back, all access to the Void is gone. There’s no way in, or out for that matter. And I have fewer resources than you do at this point.” Simon took a swig of the vodka, swallowed, then let out a satisfied hiss. “You set off a chain of events that literally saw everything I worked so hard for blown up before my eyes.”
“You blame me for that?”
“I blame you for screwing up so royally that it was impossible not to connect the dots back to me,” Simon snarled. “It was pretty clear, once you were spotted, that the only transport shuttle there was the one that took you to the Void. And it didn’t take long for people to check the Camera Bots around the military base and see Kieran and me where we weren’t supposed to be.”
“That was a risk you knew you were taking.”
“A risk, yes, but we didn’t expect the complete shit show you pulled off. I’m now being hunted by my people, the military, both Governors, and apparently, you Watchers, too. And Kieran… well, they killed him before I even had a chance to warn him. So excuse me if I am a little less than cooperative,” Simon said.
I released a long breath through my nose, guilt pulling at my chest. “I never meant for any of you guys to get in trouble… or for Kieran—”
“Spare your apologies,” Simon interrupted. “Just get out of my house, and let me live out the last few days of my miserable life in peace, before she… before they all kill me, or worse.”
I placed my gun back in its holster and crossed my arms over my chest. “No.”
“No?” Simon bristled. “No? After all you’ve done to me, you refuse to just leave me be?”
“You were the one who came to us for help. You made the plans, you picked the shuttle, and you found us a way in. So, I’m not going to feel guilty for something you did to yourself. And I know you can help us find a way to get back in there, so no, I am not going to leave you be.”
“Are you deaf or just stupid?” Simon tilted his head at me. Em took a subtle step closer to Simon, her hands poised to strike at any moment. “I have nothing left. No team, no resources, just this hell hole and a bunch of shit memories to keep me company.”
“You’re the resource we need,” I said. “We don’t need what you had access to. We need what you have in here.” I tapped my temple. “That’s what we’re missing. You may very well be useless to us, but what you know and what you’ve seen could help.”
“I’m done helping,” Simon said. He slumped back into the chair. “It’s gotten me nowhere so far. What’s the use? All the planning and scheming just to end up exactly where we started. There’s no running from our destiny, no hiding who we are and what we will become.”
“I’m not an idiot, Simon. I can tell that you weren’t doing any of this this for us or those kids in the DEZ. There was another reason you were helping us in the first place.” Simon’s eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. “So, what is it?” I circled around him, my hand resting across the back of his chair as his eyes followed me. “Why would Simon help some lowly Watchers?” I stared at him, brows raised, waiting, but he kept a firm scowl on his face. “It wasn’t for peace. We all know you could care less about that. It wasn’t about doing the right thing because we both know that is the last thing on your mind. What was it then?”
I stepped in front of the chair, leaning against the arm rests. “Love? Was that it?” I watched as his eyes stared blankly into mine. I waited for a reaction. “Was it fear? Is little baby Simon afraid of the scary black creatures?” Still he said nothing. “Maybe it wasn’t about you, maybe it was someone else. Maybe you’re trying to protect someone.” There it was, his pupils dilated just a touch, and the muscles in his jaw tightened. I pushed off the chair and stood back up. “Nah, Simon couldn’t possibly give a shit about anyone but himself, isn’t that right?”
“Get. The. Hell. Out,” Simon said through clenched teeth.
I let out a dramatic sigh. “I guess we’re all just doomed to the fate the stars have brought us.” I moved towards the hallway leading out of Simon’s apartment, keeping my gait slow. “If we found you, the other Carbons are bound to find you, too. Your old friends. And they won’t be here for a friendly visit like us, that’s for sure.”
“And what about you? What have the stars fated for your life?” Simon’s voice was quiet against the silent room.
I swallowed back what my heart wanted to say. Loss, loneliness, pain, suffering. “I know my own fate, and I can live with it, knowing I never gave up… can you?”
Silence was his response.
“You know where to find us should you change your mind,” I said over my shoulder before we left.
We had one more stop to make before we headed home, and it wasn’t one Em was happy about. She led the way, through the busy streets of Cytos to the downtown core. The enormous building of Skyline Two stood before us. Em’s fingers flexed at her side, but she didn’t move to open the door.
I did it for her, leading the way to the Concierge Bot at the front desk.
“Please ring Mr. Townsend and tell him his daughter and a friend are here to see him,” I ordered the Bot. Em groaned to my right but led the way to an elevator at the back that would take us to her parents’ suite. She loved her parents, more than she would ever admit out loud, which is why she didn’t want to bring them into any of this.
Em had been less than pleased when I told her we needed to have a chat with her father, but she understood why—even if she hated it. She’d never had a bad relationship with her parents. In fact they loved her and treated her well enough, even if they were absent most of her live.
Her father, William Townsend, was one of the well-known historians of Cytos. As a Carbon, he had been around during the war one hundred and fifty years ago, so he would be able to give us information on the black creatures in the Void. I’d wanted to come here sooner, but respected Em’s wish to leave her family out of this until it was absolutely necessary—which it now was.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal the blond-haired, golden-eyed face of Mr. Townsend.
“My darling, Emery, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Em’s father pulled her into a hug, which she reluctantly reciprocated. “Your mother has put on the kettle. She will be delighted to see you. It has been far too long.”
“I saw you two weeks ago, Father,” Em said, her tone just as bored and harsh as always, but her father didn’t bristle at it in the least; he was used to his daughter’s demeanor.
“That is two weeks too long.” He smiled, directing us towards the enormous library down the hall. Books covered the floor-to-ceiling shelves, and four high-backed brown leather chairs circled around a low coffee table filled with more books and a tray of tea Em’s mother had just placed down.
“Oh Em, your hair has grown far too long. You should let me trim it!” Em’s mother, Maria Townsend, crooned, as she hugged her daughter tight, giving me a little wink.
Maria Townsend was much shorter than Em and her father. Her head only reached Em’s shoulder, and her gray hair was curled into a little bob on the top of her head. She looked much older than her husband, given the fact she was human and he wasn’t. She aged and he didn’t—one of the things you forget about until you see a married Carbon with their human spouse.
“We’re not here for a cup of tea and a haircut.” Em swatted her mom’s hand away as she played with the end of Em’s braid. “We need some information, Dad.”
