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I swiped at him but laughed anyway, grateful for the moment of light relief. The camp had been weird the last few days. Alastor had been instructed in no uncertain terms by Carlisle that he needed rest and time to recover from the burns the salt water had caused, and he hadn’t taken it well. I looked over at Carlisle. Although just as tall and built as Theo, he had a slight softness about him that came from him not being a supernatural being, and he always seemed so serious, and quiet. I’d sat at the table with him and Theo to eat every night, and although Theo chatted and joked away, Carlisle mainly listened and reacted, without offering conversation of his own, other than polite enquiries as to how I was doing, and if I was coping with the heat. He was reserved and calm, and I really liked that about him. Ifelt very comfortable around him, less so than Theo, because I never knew what Theo was going to say next and whether or not he was teasing. Carlisle’s very presence relaxed me, so I had been amazed that Alastor hadn’t just completely ignored him and gone back down to the caves the following day. There was definitely more here than I could see on the surface. Carlisle had kept him in the med tent the first day, but the next day I’d seen Alastor from a distance, stalking around the tents, grumbling at everyone he’d crossed paths with, and not wanting a repeat of the shouting match, I’d kept my head down and out of his way.
Most people had avoided him to be fair, though according to Lily, Theo hadn’t and the two had had a huge fight. She wasn’t sure what it was about, and I thought she’d meant a shouting match, but the next time I saw Theo, he was covered in claw marks and there was a huge bite mark on his arm. I’d asked about it, but Theo had laughed it off, saying I should see the other guy, and wouldn’t elaborate further. Whatever it was that had gone on between them, it still wasn’t settled. Even when Alastor had been cleared by Carlisle to continue with the mission, there had been an underlying tension at the meetings, and everyone had been overly professional, without the usual banter. I had a nasty feeling that it had been to do with me, and to my surprise, I found myself feeling guilty that I had come into the team and caused dissension and upset, when they had seemed so strong and connected.
Theo must have sensed my mood change, because he wrapped one arm around my shoulder and hugged me.
“Don’t worry, my little badass. It’s going to go smoothly this time.”
“Sure it is,” I muttered, as Alastor called our names and we trudged over to the dark opening in the wall, water sloshing over our boots.
Carlisle sent me a warm smile, which I returned. The rest of the crew had packed the rest of the pump line away and were getting their own dive gear back on, but I was surprised as one of the taller guys came towards us, and stood quietly, waiting for Alastor to speak. He was as tall as Alastor, if that was even possible, though not quite as broad and he had rich olive skin instead of Alastor’s dark brown. His hair was thick and black with silver touches and a definite curl to it, especially around the collar. His square jawline and high cheekbones were worthy of a 1920’s movie star, and his dark eyes were intense, and missed nothing. Including me looking at him, apparently.
I blushed as I looked away and leaned closer to Theo.
“Who’s that?” I murmured almost silently. Theo’s wolf hearing heard me no problem. He flicked his eyes over to the guy.
“That’s Ash. One of Cole’s guys. He’s been around a few months and checks out ok. Some kind of demon, not sure what. Cole wanted more muscle down there with us after he heard what happened to Alastor.”
Ash. Oh, the driver from the other day. Out of his suit and his dark glasses, I hadn’t recognised him. In the same black tank top, cotton shirt and black cargo pants as the rest of the team, he was… well, I could see why Lily found him appealing. Though there was a heaviness about him, an intensity that unnerved me. Without saying a word, he felt… dangerous, and although I knew Cole vetted his guys thoroughly, something inside warned me not to trust him.
“Ok, listen up.” Alastor stood at the doorway, kitted up like the rest of us, his black shirt sleeves rolled up revealing his dark forearms that bore several healing claw marks, but otherwise, clear skin completely healed from the salt burns. I glanced over at Theo, but he just kept his eyes on Alastor, waiting.
“We’re about to head on into the tunnels. There might be more flooded tunnels, we don’t know, hence the rebreathers andwetsuits. If we get lucky and we hit the main tunnel leading us to the city, we’re looking at about a 13 km hike. It’s going to be warm and humid, so make sure you keep drinking. I don’t want anyone collapsing from dehydration.
“Also, watch your step. We’ve got Carlisle with us today in case of any mishaps, but you break something, it’s going to be really fucking hard to get you back to the surface. And if you fall down a pit, we won’t be risking life and limb to retrieve your body, so deal with that.”
“Real uplifting public speaker, isn’t he?” Theo murmured to me, and I grinned. Alastor’s eyes rested on us for a second, and I knew he’d heard, but he didn’t react, just continued.
“We’re going to be down here a few days, so be sparing with your water and your supplies. Ash and I have packed extra, but it’s always better to be careful. Anyone want to rethink their role in this mission, now’s the time to speak.”
There was silence and Alastor nodded. “Right then, stay sharp and let’s go.” He switched his torch on and stepped between the pillars. Carlisle followed him, then I went, and Theo, with Ash bringing up the rear this time.
The darkness stretched ahead of us, seemingly unending, the only light from our torches and the glint and sparkle as the beams hit patches of salt crystals on the walls. After half a mile or so, the tunnel widened, allowing us to walk in pairs if we wanted. I found myself walking next to Carlisle, his steady presence a silent reassurance as we headed deeper into the earth.
Carlisle wasn't much of a talker, which I appreciated. Mostly he would point out anything interesting or potentially hazardous - sharp bends in the tunnel, sudden dips or ascents, and a few times, clusters of crystals that sparkled beautifully when our torchlight hit them.
I looked back every now and then to check on Theo. He walked in step with Ash, their torchlight casting long shadows ahead of them. Theo would occasionally throw a cheeky comment over to us, his voice echoing off the dank walls. Alastor led the group, his back straight and posture intimidating. I noticed he remained silent most of the time, only breaking it by giving directives or short updates on our progression.
Three hours into our journey, we took a short break. Carlisle insisted we hydrate and have a quick bite to eat, and Alastor agreed. We sat in silence, backs against a clear stretch of wall, the oppressing darkness that surrounded us. Theo had cracked a couple of jokes about the "lovely vacation spot" we'd chosen, but they’d fallen flat, and we’d lapsed into silence, and after a short time, Alastor got to his feet, and we began again.
I glanced over at Carlisle, catching glimpses of his face and his blonde hair in the beams of the torches coming from behind us. It occurred to me that as the only human on the team, he was the least likely to come out of this unscathed, but even down here, faced with cave-ins, drowning and possible monsters, he seemed calm and at ease. It made me wonder again about him.
“How did you end up on Alastor’s team, Carlisle?” I asked quietly. “If you don’t mind me asking? What did you do before this?”
He gave me another smile. “I don’t mind at all. I was an ER doctor at one of the bigger hospitals in Vegas, and I met Alastor and Cole five nights after the Opening.”
I nodded. The Opening was how the humans were referring to the night the Gates of Tartarus were opened and the Watchers, the Nephilim and the tens of thousands of hellions swept onto the earth, revealing the supernatural and nearly causing a world collapse of economies and total anarchy. Although the Watchers and Nephilim had been dragged back into the Pit when the Gates were closed again, the hellions remained, and the world wasforever changed. It had been complete chaos, and the hospitals had hit crisis points within days.
“That must have been really hard,” I said. “I can’t imagine what that was like.”
“Chaos,” he replied. “An ER in Vegas was never going to be smooth sailing, but the Opening was something else. It was like the end of the world. I suppose it nearly was. But yeah, Chaos, terror, heartbreak - a place of nightmares.”
There was a strange hollow sound to his voice, and something told me that the nightmares had never left since that night.
“I wasn’t stationed in a city,” I said quietly. “I was commanding a host above one of the gates, trying to stop as many as possible from getting through, but I heard stories afterwards. Of what happened when the cities were overrun.”
Carlisle nodded. “It was a slaughter, there’s no other word for it. I guess in Vegas we were luckier than other States with being legally allowed to carry guns, so at least there were people able to defend themselves, but in other places where the restrictions are tighter, the hellions just razed through, leaving none alive. There was no rest, no sleep, just snapped bones, organs and blood. So much blood.”
I nodded. I hadn’t been there for the first wave, but I’d been sent to a few cities afterwards, and I’d seen the aftermath.
