Daren and Alicia leave the mines to be met by enemy fire. It’s a race to the train station and beyond.
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This is NOT professionally recorded and is not intended to act like it is. This is a free audio recording of “The Ansville Gatehouse” short story. If you want to help support my projects and perhaps one day be able to make this professional, you can help by going to https://andrewnusz.com and clicking on the “Support Me” button. My hope is that you will enjoy this enough to encourage the writing and future publication of my writings.
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Daren's heart beat hard and fast watching in transfixed bewilderment. White tentacles of lightning from Alicia’s hands slowly fizzled and died out. She held his gaze in what appeared to be an equally shocked look. He couldn’t think straight. Everything happened so fast!
Electricity only existed in small spurts these days. And yet, Alicia defied all known understanding. Nothing made sense!
And then there was the word she uttered.
Dragonblood... It spun in his half crazed mind like a thunder bolt had crashed into him.
Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths before focusing again on the woman in the doorway. She stared back at him as though she had seen a ghost.
Words finally came to him and he simply whispered, "Who...who are you?"
Alicia took in several deep breaths, regaining her composure. An increasing worry line formed around her eyes. In a hesitant voice, she replied, "You don't know who you are, do you?"
He felt jitters run the length of his body as his brain caught up to what was asked. Feeling himself spiraling down a dark hole, he whispered, "What? What does that mean?”
Alicia waved a dismissive hand and looked about her. "How far down from the surface are we?" She was deliberately side stepping the conversation, her former walls returning in force. Fine!
When he didn’t respond, her eyes hardened in a scowl. "What just happened could have easily been felt by those hunting me. I need to know how far down we are." Her eyes locked on his with a hardened gaze.
Daren forced himself to not look away. Her words unnerved him somewhat. Calculating in his head, he said a second later, "About two hundred feet."
Alicia swore and made her way back to the large chamber.
Seeing she meant business, he grumbled but followed. He had a feeling she was done giving any information. But she knew! He was absolutely certain she knew something!
When they had entered the large chamber again, she looked towards the second tunnel opening. "Where does this lead?"
“Out past the abandoned houses to an old school."
"Let's go!" She turned and in seconds ran hard.
Running to catch up, he matched pace with her and together, jogged the length of the dark interior in silence.
For several long minutes, they ran, his mind occupied with replaying the few seconds when he woke up. He glanced sidelong at Alicia but her eyes were singularly focused. He couldn't shake the growing doubt in his head. She was a mystery that kept growing in a troubling way. She was extremely dangerous.
With growing irritation, he said through heavy breathing, "Answer me, who are you!"
The only response was a slight gust of fresh air brushing his face.
Alicia kept intruding his other thoughts. He hated not knowing who he hung around with. She was a variable that went way over problematic. She made his arm hairs stand on end.
After a few seconds, Alicia replied through brief intakes of breath. "I told you who I was."
"No, you did not!" He glared. "What have I gotten myself involved in? Who in the world are you people!"
Ahead, a fraction of light from high above illuminated a split in the tunnel.
"To the right," he muttered.
Alicia turned to the right and kept running with him laboring along. When they turned down a third tunnel, it began to narrow slightly with an evident climb in the floor.
Another minute and lit lanterns began dotting the walls.
Alicia suddenly stopped near one of the lanterns and bent low, catching her breath.
Daren felt his leg muscles burn from exertion he wasn't use to. His breathing came harsh with his lungs burning from the unnatural use. He stood there panting like a dog.
In a gentler tone than he was use to, Alicia said, "I'm the same as you, Daren." She straightened again and fixed her gaze on him.
He glared back. She wasn’t going to tell him anything. This whole thing was one really bad idea. He should never have helped her. He was so far over his head now.
"When we are out of here, I think it's best you follow me. You're no longer safe." She turned and looked down the tunnel.
"What?" he gave a harsh laugh. "When we're out of here, I'll show you the way out of town but that's it! You and whoever these crazies are can leave me be."
Alicia gave a half chuckle without the warmth of a smile. "When we get out, those who are hunting me will have their weapons aiming for you. You just announced to everyone in a ten mile radius your location and your makeup. They will now be hunting you just as they are me."
Daren felt his insides grow hot. He grabbed Alicia's arm and roughly spun her about to face him. With fury in his eyes, he growled menacingly, "What did you do to me when I woke?! I saw you!"
Alicia slowly closed her eyes, taking in several deep breaths. The muscles underneath her skin rippled and tightened. When she opened her eyes, she was calm though something told him it was taking her a lot to keep this composure. In a controlled voice, she said, "I did nothing to you, Daren. It was you who did something. I only reacted to what I felt coming from you."
He shook his head.
"*You have been seen and are no longer safe alone. Speak the word "Dragonblood" to her ears and she will teach you what you must know*."
The words echoed in his mind. But it was just a dream.
And the white fire surrounding Alicia?
In a whisper, he said, "What is Dragonblood?"
Alicia's whole body went still and her eyes locked on him intently. "Why?"
Daren slowly let go of Alicia's arm and let his eyes fall to the ground. "I've had dreams my whole life, always the same...until now." He stared off, flashes of his parents invading his mind, the unreal dream of them fighting strange monstrous beasts. Nothing made sense! "When we were in Pete's Tavern, just as we were about to exit..." He hesitated, feeling the realness of it all. "I had a waking dream or whatever it was...of my parents." He shook his head. "But... it couldn't have been them. They were in a room of an enormous castle-like mansion on the top of a hill."
Alicia's eyes grew slightly, her focus suddenly more intent than before. "And?"
"They were dressed in strange clothing....I've never seen it before. And on their backs, a crest with outlines of claws, a strange wheel pattern and a cross in the middle."
Alicia's eyes turned slightly then, a strange expression of guilt?
"Then when we were sleeping, I had the same dream I always have...except this time everything changed. I saw them again...in a burning city wielding bizarre weapons. They glowed as if by magic. But it's not real. None of this is real!" He hesitated, looked on Alicia. He had the distinct feeling, her gaze on his told him him she believed him. That, more than anything else, chilled him to his core.
"I see an old man all the time in these dreams but we never speak much. This time though...he said I was in danger, that I've been seen and no longer safe. He said, speak the word, 'Dragonblood' to her and she will teach you what you must know."
Alicia stepped back, that haunted look returning, her breathing slow and deliberate as though it were a technique to control something inside.
"What does it mean?" He dared to look into her eyes. In a hesitant whisper, he asked, "Am I going crazy?"
Alicia shook her head slowly and leaned back against a wall. In a whisper, she said almost inaudible, "This can't be a coincidence..." She stared long and hard back at Daren before looking away, a worried expression clearly visible now. She shook her head, a shaking of her breathing. She was disturbed, probably deeply. And yet, he was still at a loss of what was happening.
In a desperate plea, he whispered loudly, "Tell me!" He never got scared. He lived a hard life here. But this unknown thing happening broke things inside. His voice shook softly. "What is happening to me? You know something, don't you!"
With a shake of her head again, Alicia gave a slight crooked smile. "You're not crazy...at least not more than me." She paused and glanced at him briefly. "You woke up what's been dormant inside. You can't stay here any longer. I don't know why you can't remember things except in brief flashes of memory but at this point, you must stay with me at all cost." She turned and stretched, faced where clear signs of fresh air was blowing and ran on again.
Not long after this, natural light appeared in the distant. At first it was a pin prick of white shooting a line down the middle of the tunnel. A few minutes later, the light grew to where shadows formed on the chiseled rock walls.
A strong cold breeze filtered in from above and to the sides with a soft howl of wind. Ahead, a short tunnel with tracks led to where boards had been piled up. Through the cracks, sunlight filtered through the other side.
Daren reached the old fallen boards first. Dropping to his knees, he grabbed hold of one of the boards and yanked.
The board came away with ease and broke in half, crumbling.
Each board after this came away the same way and soon, a small opening appeared.
All this time, he got the distinct impression Alicia was watching his every move like someone calculating something.
Still on his knees, he turned and beckoned her towards him. "The opening is narrow but I think we can fit through easy enough."
He got down on his hands and knees and shimmied underneath the boards. His nostrils flared as the fresh scent of vegetation swept in. It sent his senses flailing, a hunger for distinct new earthen smells. A few seconds later, he was on the other side, morning sunlight casting warm rays of heat down.
He breathed in the fresh air, lifted his head up to the sky and let the sun beat down on his face. Glancing forward, he focused on an enormous metal fence. It lined the entire perimeter of the old city, twenty feet high in the air. But he wasn't looking at that right now. He focused outward, past the fence to the enormous growth of trees that lined the horizon. What would he give to sail above those trees.
His daydreaming ended at the soft crack of a dried tree branch.
Alicia came to stand next to him. Her eyes were focused on the fence. Around her neck, the strange saphire stone glowed softly. Narrowing her eyes, she whispered, "spell cast."
Daren glanced at her, confused. "What did you say?"
Alicia looked away with an uncertain expression as if pondering something. In a sudden determined look, she replied, "No matter what anyone does, we can't breach the fence line. It's protected." She stepped forward slightly, extending a hand out and closed her eyes. Like she was half asleep, she said softly, "It's old...very ancient magic. It's of the old world, protected by..."
In a sudden jerk, she was back to herself, the saphire stone shining. With a hiss, she darted her eyes back and forth atop the fence line for a few seconds. Forming fists, she glared. "Wards of the old world!"
Daren felt his chest tighten. He didn't know much but anything concerning this woman meant trouble. Looking about him hesitantly, he frowned. Turning slightly, he took in the crumbling structures that were once houses. Now, only foundations and partial walls stood in the middle of a growing forest outside the fence.
In the opposite direction, directly behind a large growth of grass, a large two story building loomed with boarded up windows. His mind was already on the next step, getting into the train station nearby.
Returning his gaze at Alicia, he could see her uneasy stare. And for the tenth time today, wondered what he had gotten himself mixed up in.
***
Alicia Alcorin stood next to Daren, her heart pounding in her chest. Images of powerful ruling forces holding her down, black eyes that sparkled with intense magic. They had been her masters in human form. But in reality, they were much more. They were beyond the stars, lords of the air of the hierarchy of divine spirits. These were the gods of old, usurping power while unleashing pain on human souls. There was no bargaining with them. As old as time, they were master manipulators who sought dominion and worship of humans. They were terrifyingly powerful and in her role played for her family, a priestess to be used by the gods in whatever way they deemed.
She shook her head violently as memories of those days surfaced for brief seconds. Don't dwell on them! She swore internally, screaming as nightmarish phantom pain flooded her, horrifying echos of her tears dripping in withering screams... The darkness had hold of her. And then as they took hold of others, whispering their pleasures, other nightmarish pain left her in shock, humiliating numbed silence. Her world was of two places. The one that endured torture of family, the other where her mind went to escape the shame of being a girl who the lords of air whispered was the cause of her humiliating pain.
Blinking back threatening waves of tears, she enforced the walls she had built over decades and looked at the fence in front of her. Her keen senses and being born of the Garland house, trained in the arts, she knew instantly when a demonic presence was near. Or worse, one higher still. Here, unseen to the naked eye, a Watcher stood by. It guarded the city but also fueled fear in the hearts of the human colony. It hadn't noticed her yet and she took this as a sign to not stay.
"We can't stay here," she said, intentionally letting Daren hear the apprehension in her voice. He had to know the hightened danger they were in now. She darted a glance in several directions. "We need to move!"
Daren pointed towards a building in the distance. "The train station is the only thing on the ground besides the factories. It's right across from the school. It's guarded but there's a way in. We can blend in from there."
She nodded and followed Daren through the towering weeds towards the school building.
While they walked briskly, her mind replayed the last day. It was all foreign to her. Her entire life was of war, of deep ingrained distrust of all. And then, there was Daren. He was someone who kept making her second guess herself. And that was very dangerous. He was a temporary problem that suddenly shifted into a mountain that obscured her path.
Dragonblood... the word sent shivers down her back. They were her enemy...and her only safety.
Daren was one of them, although he had no knowledge of his family's past. She even knew of his family if only by the crest he had mentioned. The Coles were a force to be reckoned with in both strength and will. Their heritage was marked in battles almost as famous as the ruling house of Sherwin and Eskaver's sword. Those were horror stories to Garlands. The might of Sherwin's God was poured into that sword that when wielded, no created thing stood in it's wake.
She paused and silenced all thought. The grass she and Daren were moving through was growing thick and tall. Instincts was flaring though. She knew when trouble was ahead. Holding up a hand, she motioned to stop. She crouched low and he followed.
After a count of thirty and nothing appeared, she slowly got up and again walked but this time in a slow, creeping fashion. She wasn't one to dismiss her gut feelings. They were almost right all the time.
Her thoughts intruded and she found herself glancing sideways when she knew Daren wasn't looking. How could she trust him even now? Her emotions warred heavily with simple evidence. He hadn't betrayed her. But men were...
She clenched her fists tight, willing herself to wall away the past. She wasn't a prisoner of that place anymore. She was free! But she wasn't totally. So many things were triggers that dug into her head like tiny claws dredging up all sort of unwanted images.
And again...Daren Cole, Dragonblood, a person she had been trying to reach for over a year.
Hanging her head briefly, she felt the weight of guilt eat at her heart. She couldn't share anything with him. He would never understand her. Especially the horror of her own past.
Her deepening thoughts were interrupted with the saphire stone suddenly lighting again. Trouble!
Lifting her head up, Alicia scanned all about her, extending her senses wide, a technique she could share with Daren if she wanted to. That would of course be a firm no!
Approaching the two story building boarded up brick school, she paused.
Heightened feelings, tingling hair... they were close by! Magic was in the air.
Crouching fast, she motioned and Daren immediately dropped beside her, pulling out his charge gun.
She didn't bother to tell him it was useless against those who were after her. He'd find out soon enough.
For several seconds, nothing was heard or seen.
Daren laid his charge gun in his lap and simply waited for her.
Give him something, anything to go on! The thought was harsh, condemning her fearful heart. Don't be cold to the only person willing to help you!
Hesitant at first, she said In a whisper, "I feel them."
"Feel...them?"
Alicia sighed. "The way I can feel you...it's why it's a danger to use the energy inside us. It gives off a distinct feel to all those who are the same. We can always tell who is one of us."
Daren opened his mouth but thought better of it. He just shook his head.
"There!" Alicia pointed to the left. Her senses found them first and seconds later, she focused and locked on six men rounding the corner of the school building. They began spreading out in the open field. The three hunters she immediately recognized with or without the red and black traveling clothes. It was more for show than anything else. Garlands were not modest about anything. When traveling and wanting to show their lordship, colors were everything. Red and black was their thing. The other three humans with them were strangers.
Daren's eyes narrowed at seeing the six figures. He nodded his head slightly in recognition of the other three. They wore blue V stripe emblems with a hand. "They're city guards." He frowned. "What are they doing with your people?"
Alicia glared and swore, feeling her heart sink. "That was fast." At Daren's puzzled look, she said, "My family has ties in everything. No where I go is safe. They got to your city council."
Daren grumbled and clutched his charge gun a little harder. "Great. Let's invite some more fun." Underneath all this, Alicia sensed him growing nervous. None of this would be happening now if she hadn't appeared, if he hadn't rescued her.
...it was her fault.
In a soft whisper, she said, "I'm sorry, Daren. I got you in this mess. If I hadn't-"
Daren's eyes locked on her own, a hardness to them but at the same time, not hateful. He was just determined. "I chose to rescue you, Alicia." He paused, looked away for a second before returning to look straight at her. "I'd do it again."
Alicia's insides warmed slightly, a strange feeling she rarely felt for another person. "But why?"
Daren shrugged. "Because it's the right thing to do. In a world gone mad and cold-hearted, I choose to follow what my parents taught me."
Again, that odd warm feeling spread even more and she found herself strangely not as afraid of him as before. Shaking her head, she said, "You are an odd one, Daren."
"Takes one to know one, my father use to say."
Alicia let out a slight quirky smile.
Glancing back at where the men were walking, she gave a sigh of relief. They were moving away from where they were crouched.
A distant gruff bark was heard then.
Around the corner of the building, another guard walked. Beside him, an enormous wolf dog padded along. His canine teeth dropped lower than normal dogs and held a strange gate as though he weren't all there. The eyes though were what made Alicia's blood grow cold. They weren't the eyes of a canine. They were that of a vicious animal bred for a single purpose. With eyes narrowed and nose to the ground, the wolf dog sniffed for a few seconds before lifting its nose to the air, sniffing again. In another few seconds, it stood still. The head snapped towards where Daren and she hid and gave a fierce growling howl.
Instinctively, Alicia's body reacted as the saphire glowed and continued to get brighter. Her energy mixed with adrenaline heightened her awareness of everything around her. Her warrior instincts kicked in. She was keenly aware of how underwhelming Daren was beside her. He was as helpless as a child right now.
*Let him go... let him run away. He's not part of the plan...*
"No!" The force in her voice shocked her as it came out loud. She turned to where Daren crouched, looking at her with a hardened face. He wasn't about to run. And again, those intrusive warm fuzzy feelings assailed her!
Closing her eyes tight, she concentrated.
Stretching out a hand, she said, "Hold my hand and don't let go."
As Daren did so, the ground around them trembled slightly.
"I feel her!" Someone shouted.
The wolf dog howled again and charged in her direction with men running behind.
Her vision became acute, focused and she rose from her crouching position. She could feel the energy surging, screaming for release.
Stretching out the hand Daren hadn't held, she let loose with a scream.
The world went dark.
White energy exploded outward like lightning, cracking with blinding force.
It swept outward and the two men nearest burst into flames, their screams cut short as something within the lightning contacting their bodies combusted. With a "boom!", the men's bodies ripped apart violently, their limbs shredded and insides bursting into a massive flame.
Beside her, Daren's eyes went wide in horror. To his credit, he didn't vomit the first time he saw her in real action. For herself, there was no feeling. It was war. She was the instrument of death.
Another wave of energy spread out and a second guard turned to run, screaming. The bolt of energy swept through him. His skin peeled away in flakes of black as an orange light glowed from within. He screamed, eyes bulging before like a watermelon, his stomach exploded with blood and entrails spilling out with cascading fire dripping like droplets of orange liquid flame. He burned fast till seconds later, nothing but ash was left.
The air smelled of burned flesh and she turned with a menacing glare at the man with the wolf dog.
The city guard backed away, shock written in his eyes, reeling from the unnatural sight. The dog as well gave a howl of fear at this strange new threat.
A screaming sensation made Alicia side step and watched as a corner piece of the building behind her exploded. Debri flew everywhere, one rather large jagged brick spun sideways into the city guard's face, flinging him backwards through the air to land dead on the ground, his face caved in. From his side, the wolf dog howled in terror before running in the opposite direction.
A volley of red plasma fire streaked towards her and Daren immediately leaped up and fired off a few blasts of his own. Each shot was direct but bounced harmlessly off something invisible in front of the men.
"What the heck is that!" he yelled and ducked as another round of fire filled the air.
"Run!" she screamed and held her hand upwards. From behind, red blasts of the plasma fire came at them to be deflected off a translucent blue dome. Each hit to the shield was felt intently but she screamed and ran on, anger fueling her feet to move faster and faster. One of the flaming plasma darts hit her directly behind and she went down stumbling from the intense weight.
Daren was immediately beside her, gripping her shirt hard and pulling her upright. "Get to the doors! I know a secret way into the train station!" He no sooner said this than lifted his gun and blasted. Directly ahead, a chain lock on the doors cracked and fell away from the handles.
Kicking the door hard, he raced in, still holding firm to Alicia.
"This way!" he shouted and raced towards the middle hallway filled with half open sky and fallen beams. From behind them, the men shouted as they chased after.
Alicia charged ahead, not willing for Daren to show her up. They raced to the center of a long hallway where a large staircase led up and down. Daren leaped down the staircase two steps at a time as fast as possible. Alicia followed after, using her abilities to soften the blow each time. Behind them, the hunters charged after.
She had no idea how Daren kept a steady gate flying down the stairs as he did. Maneuvering herself with fast intellect and a bit of elemental manipulation, she was at his side when he hit the basement floor.
Daren spun immediately to the right and sprinted past several more halls and doors. The light from the stairs quickly diminished to where it turned black and he reached in and pulled something.
A reddish hue went out before him to the far wall.
"Where are you taking us?" she gasped through clenched teeth. The blasts she had taken from the men were eating away at her resolve.
Daren pointed ahead in the dimming light. "There's stairs leading down again at the end of this hall. We're almost to the train station." He made his way quickly down the hall with one hand on Alicia. He guided her from memory now and with the steps in front of them, they quickly descended.
At the bottom, he turned where a large wall met them.
Grabbing her arm, he pulled her towards him.
From the stairs, men fired off blasts of plasma fire as the glowing redness illuminated the bottom of the stairs. All that could be seen though was a large concrete wall.
"Get down there and look!" somebody shouted.
Men descended the stairs and began feeling about them in the dark. Nobody had bothered to grab lanterns.
After a minute or so, they all looked at each other in puzzlement before up at an increasingly glaring man. He started swearing repeatedly in rage.
* * *
It was complete blackness. The only sound was the shuffle of feet and the dripping of water somewhere in the distant.
With hand in hand, Alicia followed blindly as Daren led her through the darkness.
Daren stopped shortly and they listened intently. When nothing was heard, she whispered, "Where are we?"
"It's part of the water system that use to operate. We just have to follow it to the end and it will lead directly to the station.
Extending her senses, Alicia felt for the others following her. They were dim, fleeting pin pricks on her senses. They would have the same feelings as her. With a nod, she lifted a hand. A ball of light lifted and began hovering above her.
"Won't that draw attention?" Daren asked, not sure what to make of anything now.
She shook her head slightly. "This is hardly noticeable. You'd have to be only feet away from me to detect it."
Daren frowned again. "And you couldn't have done that in the tunnels?"
"You were upset. I didn't think it was a good idea then."
"But you do now." Daren rolled his eyes before letting out a single breath. "I don't know if I'll get use to this."
Alicia looked back at him, already feeling his intense signature he gave off. Now that he had awakened what had been dormant, he was like a beacon shining in the dark. She would have to at least show him how to control a few things.
The thought of having to do something like that sent a wave of shivers through her. It meant she had to expose herself, to be vulnerable. It ate at her deeply with waring emotions. He was a man of Dragonblood. The two houses were sworn enemies from ages past. How could she teach him? Instincts of her past screamed she was insane.
They stood on a narrow metal platform that overlooked a body of water. To either side ran several large rusted pipe lines. The tunnel system was large enough for four people to fit in comfortably as the pipes split in different directions down adjacent tunnels. Directly in front, the pipes went straight before descending steeply. Stairs followed alongside down to a long lobby where the pipes expanded into enormous structures that criss crossed and worked their way into darkness. The lobby itself consisted of a set of chairs, a table and walls filled with levers and buttons of a bygone era.
Descending the stairs, Alicia took in the ancient mechanics that once powered a world. Those were the days where the true wars were hidden. Now, they were in plain sight.
Walking past several tables and consoles, Daren stopped at a far corner wall.
A tiny patch of light filtered in the darkness with muffled sounds.
Following a narrow corridor adjacent the wall, they found the hallway crumbling in with more light filtering in. It became a large opening in the wall.
Alicia peered out of the opening next to Daren and realized they were in someplace completely different than the one she had stumbled into.
***
The train station was awash with people of various types with high top hats, canes, and vests of intricate designs for the men. The women sported large ornate and colorful blouses and skirts with fancy flowing shirts. In their hair, feathers decorated the brim of dainty fashions while others wore elaborate hair designs and a wardrobe of strange yet fascinating designs. Everyone seemed to wear something on them with a gear or crystal.
Alicia let Daren pull her towards him and in quick fashion, they blended in, becoming one with the large crowd of bustling bodies.
Above and to the side, gears grinded away as part of the underbelly of New Muskegon. Steam and smoke poured out of ventilation shafts creating a fog like atmosphere with a very strong smell of oil. Ahead, trains of various types lay waiting for passengers. A large clock in the center of the station ticked on as a blare of horns echoed followed by a monotone tinny voice.
"The time is twelve o'clock. Proceed to the ticket stations. Departure time for New Chicago is at twelve twenty. Departure time for York is Twelve thirty." The tinny voice went on down a list of various cities.
Somewhere down the line of sight, another voice came over the speakers. "Welcome to New Muskegon, where the past and present come alive." Another voice could be heard overtop this one. "We are one with each other. Keep peaceful. This is a daily reminder. Do not engage in talks other than that which edifies the great council. You are being watched. Temple times are at three o'clock each day. Do not delay. Prayer is mandatory."
Alicia eyed her surroundings, feeling the need to shrink away. She knew all about temples and prayers. There were strict punishments for those who didn't obey. She looked to the left and right, spotting soldiers in uniform watching the flow of traffic. The large open structure of the station held elevators and long metal stairs leading top side.
Daren seemed to catch her gaze and said softly, "Don't draw attention and we'll be fine. There's too many people to spot the two of us."
Alicia nodded, knowing better. Daren thought in terms of things he could see. Her world consisted of both what could be seen and what was invisible, other dimensions. No place she went to was hidden. She would always be running.
The noise of daily life came from every direction. Merchant vendors set up shop in booths or in rented store fronts lining the station.
As they approached the trains, she looked at Daren expectantly.
"There," Daren pointed ahead to where a blue painted train car with double doors opened. "Get on any one of these and it will take you out of here."
Unexpectedly, she felt a stab of pain inside at these words. She glared and jerked them both to a stop. Rounding on him, she clenched his arm in a firm embrace. He saw the glare forming in her eyes and tensed.
"What is this? You're too foolish and stubborn to listen to me?" she said while looking about her discreetly, "You have to come with me! You aren't safe here!"
"With you, yeah." Daren glared back. "Look, I don't know what you're about but being around you seems to just bring trouble and more trouble. I don't want that in my life." He returned a glare of his own. "Whatever you did to me, stop it! I don't want it!"
Alicia's eyes bore into him. She felt her stomach tighten as the idiot in front of her displayed his full ignorance of what was happening. "If you don't leave with me," she hissed in his ear, "you won't have a life at all. You'll be dead!" A second later, irritation burning hot in her, she gave an exacerbated sigh and threw up her hands. She was never good with people and was better off on her own anyway! "Have it your way. I don't have time to babysit you anyway!" She turned and walked on in a huff as nearby vent pipes enveloped her with steam.
Men! Stubborn, egotistical fools!
She walked to a nearby blue train door and climbed the narrow stairs. Walking the narrow aisle, she picked a seat in the middle and glared out the window at nothing in particular. She burned with anger but mostly at herself. Who was she kidding? Nobody could ever be around her. She didn't fit in anywhere." She blinked back sudden tears that came. Wiping them away furiously, she tried to get a hold of herself. How utterly foolish. Had she attached herself to a man so fast? What was she thinking!
She tried to focus on her mission. She had to go north to a place called Ansville. But getting there, that was a problem. She didn't know where it was. All she knew from her studies was it was in the northern part of Michigan. Once there... she would figure that out later.
She intentionally looked elsewhere than where Daren stood in the midst of a moving crowd. She glared again, feeling irritation grow.
Movement caught her trained eyes and she frowned. From different locations, soldiers began moving her way. Below, Daren's eyes were locked on one of the soldiers. The soldier's eyes rose slightly in a startled expression and quickly went to a nearby trans-speakers linked to a conduit of relay pipes.
Daren's eyes turned in her direction and Alicia felt a panic well up inside. He was already running towards her car when she rose quickly. Seconds later, he was there beside her. He said, "They know we're here!"
They raced down the car aisle and down opposite stairs to be met with a dense smoke from a train moving out.
Pulling at her arm, Daren said, "Follow me!" He began walking briskly down the walkway before looking upwards at the giant gears and steam of the underbelly of New Muskegon. "Can you fly?"
Alicia frowned. "What?"
"Can you fly an airship?"
Her eyes widened before narrowing. "What are you getting at?"
"We have to go up. If we can make it up the stairs, we can blend in easier top side. It's a maze up there. We can lose anyone in the alleys. It's a constant motion of gears and bridges."
"Hey! You two!" someone shouted.
Daren grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a nearby train track. The sound of pressurized steam squealed in their ears as the white fog grew in intensity.
"Stop those two!" another shout rang out.
Alicia followed Daren, leaping over the first two tracks effortlessly before running down the third, following Daren.
A sudden blare of a horn echoed overhead.
Leaping across another track, they were on a platform again with people bustling about.
Blending in again, they made their way to a main staircase.
Two guards were posted on each side, their attention riveted on the crowd.
Alicia ducked her head alongside Daren and they held hands.
Near the stairs, a guard turned suddenly in their direction.
Daren's face suddenly came close to hers and he held her gently as if he were holding a lover. The second the guard turned away, he released her and with hands clasped together, raced up the stairs.
Above was an enormous ceiling with glass windows filtering in light from above. People top side walked on the glass expanding half the station. To her side, Daren's eyes were fixed on the stairs, running as fast he could without looking suspicious.
Instincts screamed in her head, an intense buzzing directly to the side of her.
Grabbing Daren, she yanked him down hard as an explosion went off.
Just to the left of her, a man screamed as blood burst from a large opening in his stomach.
She was up with Daren beside her and they raced up the stairs two steps at a time.
A bright light exploded from a far balcony overlooking the station and she swung around, hands spread in the air, expanding a shield around herself and Daren. She grabbed him and he hugged her tight. They could feel each other's hearts beating hard.
From two other directions, plasma guns fired directly at them, bouncing harmlessly off the shield.
A third shot hit, this one from a much more powerful barrel, and she flinched, closing her eyes tight in pain.
Daren gripped her by the arm and half dragged her up the stairs with him.
All the while people screamed and fled the stairs leaving them an easy target.
Another round of plasma and heavier weapon fire pummeled the shield.
She stumbled to a knee with a sharp gasp, her eyes welling up in tears.
A strange thing happened then.
Anger flared up in Daren's eyes. Letting go of her arm, he spun around and raised his gun. With hardly any effort, he aimed and pulled the trigger.
From the far balcony, the man who had shot at them first gave an expression of shock before reaching for his stomach. The gun fell from his hand and he tipped over a railing that came only to his thighs. He fell face first to the concrete below. From the train tracks, another man's head snapped backwards in a spray of blood before on instinctively, Daren pointed sideways and pulled the trigger again.
Two guns exploded in the same instant.
He ducked and pulled Alicia down hard.
The nearby wall exploded in chunks of mortar and stone just before a man to his left bellowed a death cry.
Again, he aimed and pulled the trigger without a seconds thought.
From a balcony to the right with gears and pipes, a heavy set man fell to his death.
"Up!" He grabbed Alicia and pulled her towards him.
Alicia complied, feeling suddenly drained from the shields being up so long. They weren't meant to be held except for brief spurts. She scowled at Daren's need to help her and forced herself to move. She wasn't about to let him see her weak!
Reaching the top of the stairs, they were on a large platform with giant chains. A large bridge with buffer engines underneath connected the stairs to the beginning of New Muskegon's many islands and bridges that made up the floating city.
In every direction, gears clicked away from the sides of buildings with a constant low hum. Nothing was stationary as the ground was in a constant motion. From the landing bridge, the city grew tall with statues and giant propellers at intervals along the edge of the city. Glowing white-blue energy burned somewhere in the central island consisting of the tallest of all the buildings. It was made to look like a large palace structure with pillars. In the distance, the sun beamed down.
"Now where?" She asked, fighting to stabilize herself.
Daren scanned the many island buildings before giving a mischievous smile. He said, "We head straight ahead then take a left. At her frown, he grinned. "We're going to hijack an airship out of here."
Alicia looked back at the long stretch of bridges and buildings. "You act as though it's going to be easy getting there." She pointed to the side a little. "Were you anticipating them?"
In the distance, a group of armed guards marched down one of the roads towards them. Above, five hovering drones descended from the sky with attached barrels. The glowing red centers of the barrels indicated they were charging up, ready to fire at any second.
Alicia immediately scanned her surroundings, feeling out of her element. This wasn't her world. A quick glance to the side and she spotted it! "There, below!"
Daren looked to where she pointed. It was an outcrop of bricks as part of the foundation of an island that was just now passing under.
"Now or never!" Alicia yelled and without thinking on it, dashed forward.
The sudden gust of wind hit hard and she leaped, feeling the wind pass around her.
Ground came up hard and she rolled, coming up before spinning about to watch Daren.
From the bridge, Daren glanced up to see the drone guns fire.
Yelling, he ran and leaped over the side.
He didn't land as effortlessly and swore, grabbing hold of an iron rod nearby. He got to his feet unsteadily before looking about him.
There was limited footing to walk on. Inches away from their standing ground, the cement slab fell away. To one end, a large exhaust pipe opened large enough to climb into.
Cement pieces suddenly exploded everywhere and Alicia yelled, "Get in the pipe!" She ran towards the opening just as she heard Daren let out of sudden scream of pain.
Spinning about, she lifted her hands.
Daren was crouched on the slab, blood pouring from his knee.
Screaming, she let out a burst of energy that slammed into the first two drones without effort.
Reaching Daren, she pulled him towards the pipe, all the while letting energy fly out at intervals catching another two drones.
"Get up!" she yelled. "We can't stay here!" She yanked hard on his arm, feeling a tinge of guilt. But they couldn't stay here. He was on his feet again, blood dripping down his pant leg. He hobbled, half leaped through the dark interior of the pipe with herself holding his weight up. She let loose several more bolts of energy before pushing him along down the length of the pipe.
Letting Daren crawl on ahead, Alicia kept watching her back, just waiting for another drone to come in after them. When nothing was pursuing them after a minute, she turned and grabbed hold of Daren, dragging him with her. She worried about his loss of blood but it had to wait. They needed to be out of here and in someplace safer. She pulled him along for another minute or two before suddenly coming up against a tight space.
The pipe jumbled together with an assortment of different pipes. Directly ahead was a large ventilation shaft where blades spun.
Straightening, she flicked her hand and let a small spark of energy fly.
It hit the blades hard and it gave a deafening squeal before abruptly stopping. She gave a quirky smile before lifting Daren up again. She pushed, half pulled him underneath the giant fan blade and into an ever decreasing space.
From behind, the whirling sound of drones came again.
Daren gave a short curse hearing the sound and tried to make himself move faster over gasps of intense pain.
Alicia pulled him along, grunting with the effort, heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't going to let him die here!
Suddenly, the darkness of the shaft took a steep decline.
She tried to grab something but the smooth surface of the shaft had nothing to hold onto.
Feeling out of options, she saw the first of many drone lights.
Growling, she turned to Daren and said softly, "I'm sorry."
He shouted as her foot pushed him forward into a free fall.
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