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“We don’t know that. We can’t risk everything for one little human!” somebody shouts.
“She has to die for our people. Would you risk us all for her?”
And on and on it goes.
He doesn’t want to kill me, but there’s no way he can protect me against all these monsters, and why would he betray his people for little old me? No. I need to leave and fast, before he lets them at me. I might be a strong fighter, but even I can’t take on all of these massive beasts.
They don’t want to be found by humans, they fear them… The knowledge makes me stumble as I scan the room in panic, looking for an exit. I no longer feel safe here. I don’t spot anything on the walls or ceilings, but there has to be a hole or vent in here. It’s obviously an old set of tunnels for the underground or something. There has to be something…
Getting on my knees, I crawl around the room, checking everywhere, and that’s when I feel moving air.
I follow it, ripping back the fur overhang on the metal bed to see a vent below it. It’s just big enough for me, but definitely not a monster, which is why he probably didn’t think it would be an issue. Smirking, I slide under the bed but realise the nails are rusted in each corner. I need something to get it off.
Slipping out, I get to my knees and search for something, anything, before I spot the toolbox with the junk in the corner. I glance at the door, where the roaring and screaming grow louder, and then I hurry over, rip open the lid, and rifle through it. I pocket a Stanley knife, some screwdrivers, and a few pliers before sliding back to the bed and crawling under. When I reach the vent once again, I pull out the pliers, grip the rusted metal, and start to twist. Sweat beads on my forehead with the force until it finally moves. Dropping the screw to the floor, I move onto the next as I hear a deafening roar.
Time to go.
I make quick work of the next two, but the last one is stuck tight. My hand cramps and aches, and I press my back into the wall to help, but it’s no use.
“Go get her now!” someone shouts.
Yep, I’m out of here. Dropping the pliers, I twist, grab the metal bars of the bed for purchase, and slam my booted feet into the vent. On the fifth kick, it gives, flying into the metal tunnel with a clank. I crawl inside, ignoring the inhuman roars. Sliding over the vent, I wince when I feel it snag my shirt and cut my stomach. I use my hands and legs to propel myself forward through the dirty, once silver vent.
It twists right at the end, and I have to scrunch up to fit through it, and then it becomes flat again for what seems like minutes. Sweat drips down my spine and head as I pant. It’s so hot in here, I can barely breathe, plus I’m coughing and choking on dust.
My name is howled through the vents.
“Aria!”
Oh fuck. I hurry forward but reach a dead end, where the shaft abruptly goes up. Shit. I press my back to one side, my legs and arms to the other, and start the long, slow process of shimmying up the vent. The howls continue to come, sending more shivers through me.
The longing, sadness, and anger in that one word shakes me to my very core.
I freeze for just a moment before urging myself on, thinking of Talia. She doesn’t have Red to protect her, nor have any skills like me. They will kill her. I’ve got to find her first. It’s what spurs me on and keeps me climbing, even as my arms and legs ache.
I finally reach a hatch above. Holding myself up with one hand, I twist the handle and push, but it’s stuck.
I have to shove my entire body into it before it lifts. Pushing it back, I slip through it and roll onto the floor, sucking in lungfuls of fresh air before pulling the knife and looking around. I’m in some kind of maintenance shack. There are tools everywhere, but otherwise, it’s empty bar me. Dropping the knife for a moment, I put the hatch back and lock it before I stand. There’s an old wooden door before me. I move over to it, slowly cracking it open and peering out before shutting it and standing as still as possible.
Double fuck.
There’s a red, horned bastard outside, and it’s not mine.
Wait, mine? No, it’s not Aku.
It’s a big, scarred one who looks very angry as he scans the surrounding area, no doubt searching for me. Great. I move away and silently wait. I’m not going back into the vent, so maybe if I stay quiet, he won’t find me and I can leave when he moves along. I stand here for at least thirty seconds before I grow bored.
I pull the knife again, but when I do, I shift my foot, and it hits a screw which rolls across the floor. My head jerks up, my eyes going to the door. Two seconds later, it rips open, and the huge, snarling monster is framed there.
“Found you. You’re dead, human,” he snarls as he lumbers in.
“Yeah, no thanks!” I reply, turning the knife and throwing it. He roars as it hits its mark—his eye. As he falls back, gripping it, I grab a bit of wood from the side and leap at him, smacking him across the head. He falls forward, and I bring it down across him again and again as he roars. When he stops and I drop the wood, I kick him for good measure.
“Some good monster you are. You got your ass kicked by a girl.” I spit on him and turn, not wasting any more time as I rush into the pitch-black city in search of Talia.
But the monsters hunt in the dark, and I’m their prey.
TEN
