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“Does anyone know who this Go-e-tia could be?” Abby’s friend asked.
“Only one way to find out.” Ciaran stepped back and gently touched my arm, making his way around the sign.
I wasn’t sure what the touch was meant to convey, but this time I followed him without objection or complaint. The rest of our wary group did the same.
“Do you guys see anyone?” Mel asked, squinting.
“Other than us, you mean? Nope.” I popped my lips on the P.
Selena slowed so that she could walk alongside our trio. “I haven’t seen anyone but you guys since we’ve been on the shuttle,” she remarked, clearly having been listening to our conversation.
I held back a sigh, wishing I could just take a minute to stop and think all of this over. There had to be some sense in the nonsensical, right? For our sake, I hoped so. Thus far, nothing had happened since back at the first sign. Whoever was shooting fucking arrows never made an appearance.
As we got closer to the city, silhouettes of skylines punched through the air, rising well into the clouds.
Various buildings were peppered throughout.
“There isn’t anyone around,” Mr. Authority said, announcing what was already apparent.
People should’ve been everywhere, but just like all the way back in the woods, there weren’t any sounds.
No traffic. No barking dogs. No one enjoying some nightlife. There was zero sign of any activity. This didn’t seem like a place that sustained life. Looking to the sky and seeing only the moon, it was as if the stars themselves knew not to shine here.
We moved from gravel to asphalt, finally crossing the threshold into the city. Only the sound of our footsteps filled the air, practically echoing due to the sheer emptiness of the space around us.
“Should we try in there?” one of the older women suggested, pointing towards the first building on our immediate right.
“The Visitor’s Center?” Melantha questioned.
“It has the customary arrow,” Abby replied dryly.
That it did. The sign on the door read OPEN with an arrow pointing inward, a string of lights framing it entirely.
Something inside was giving off a soft glow, but it was impossible to tell what from where we stood. There was a large front window, but a dark set of blinds prevented us from seeing through it.
On the other side of the road was what appeared to be a small Starbucks café, but it didn’t have any lights on at all. That made the decision ten times easier. If someone were screwing with us, then surely this is where they were directing us?
I meandered around everyone in my way and started walking towards the entrance. As I was passing Ciaran, he reached out and grabbed hold of my upper arm.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” I attempted to pull away, but he tightened his grip.
“You think it’s a good idea to go charging blindly into what could be a trap?”
“Oh, like the one you just forced me into?”
He laughed softly. “You mean when I saved you? I’m still waiting on you to thank me, by the way.”
“Thank you for what?”
“I just told you, for saving your life.”
“Thank you so much, you’re my hero,” I oozed sarcastically.
He stared down at me, his expression morphing into one I couldn’t read.
“You can let her go now,” Gracelyn chided. She had stepped up beside us, ready to intervene physically if necessary.
Much like on the shuttle, his hooded eyes—myriad blue and set beneath dark, long lashes—pierced right through me. Only now they were so... cold. I didn’t know it was possible for someone’s gaze to be this intimidating—yet enthralling.
“Bro,” Charon began.
His tone was cautious, as if Ciaran were a wild animal that would maul me if provoked. That was all it took, though.
“Do me a favor? Start thinking with your head and not your emotions,” Ciaran advised, his tone surprisingly gentle.
He released me and walked away, heading for the very building he’d just made a scene about me trying to enter.
“That guy has issues,” Selena counseled, staring after Ciaran and the others as they began to follow him.
I guess she was going to stick with us.
“Are you okay?” Gracelyn asked. “Do I need to kick his ass?”
I gave her a tight-lipped smile. “He didn’t hurt me, Grace. He actually made a good point.”
“Yeah, he did!” Mel agreed.
I shot her a disapproving frown, watching from the corner of my eye as the group began to file into the center.
“I’m just saying, if you’re going to go all Charlie’s Angels, at least bring us with you for back-up.”
I pursed my lips and followed the others, holding open the door for Selena once I stepped inside. The layout was like most Visitor Centers I’d been to in the past, aside from the wall straight ahead. It was covered in a large wall mural of what looked like demons surrounding a naked woman. I wasn’t sure what to make of that.
