Paphos, p.14
Paphos, page 14
To advocate for the devil, however, some things were unforgiveable. It was a cycle for Dublin; when the hate subsided, he would drum it all up again on principle. Hard not to when your teammates left you to die. A therapist had taught him to feel the feelings or something like that, actually. Well, Austin better hope he was forgiven by the time he was found. Otherwise, he was a dead man.
The hallway lights flickered out; the sudden deprivation of noise made his ears ring. Deep underground and in total black, it wasn’t Dublin’s happy place. Other sounds from far ends of the facility crept in. He heard footsteps, but couldn’t tell much more than that.
When the lights returned, he felt some relief, though he wasn’t exactly afraid of the dark. All the same, he preferred the lights. This was the third time the lights had gone out, and so far, they had kept coming back.
He decided to avoid another climb and see where this floor led him. Lots of cables in this hallway, and it got the engineer in him piqued. His path branched off to the left and into a room of buzzing generators. Fascinating to discover their versions of portable power units, how they were arranged. Not a lot of thought went into concealing cables, though the rest of the facility wasn’t like that. Then he saw something and instinctively crouched near the wall. What was he looking at?
He realized he was looking at Helena, or at least what was left of her. “Good grief, you poor lass,” he covered his nose from the smell of burnt flesh. Poor girl. She was hardly recognizable, and he looked long enough to be certain it was her.
He spun around at a sound behind him.
It was Dmitry, walking into the room, seemingly oblivious of what was in here. “Dublin?” he said finally.
“Aye, it’s me. Good to see another face.”
“You’re alive?” Dmitry wiped his hands on his pants.
“Aye. But listen, before you come any closer…”
“Dublin, I’m sorry about before, it’s not what you think,” Dmitry pleaded.
“Lemme’ stop you right there, it is what I think, and don’t bother trying to protect him. Now look, I hate to be the one to tell you, it’s poor Helena down here. I think the creature got her somehow.”
Dmitry took a step forward and looked at her. “Oh my God, what happened to her?”
“Found her like this. Listen, Austin owes me a little explanation from before, but right now I want to know what happened to her. Who was with her?”
Dmitry seemed to think for a moment. “I never should have trusted him after what he did to you.” He watched to see Dublin’s reaction to that.
“Aye. Go on…”
Satisfied, he continued. “He just… we were all down here looking for a way out. That’s when we heard the monster.”
“Aye?”
Lies came too easily to Dmitry, as he wove his fictions and sold them. “I climbed up into that air shaft to hide. I reached my hand down for Helena, but Austin pushed her out of the way because he wanted to go first. Before I had time to help either one… the creature stormed in. Austin practically threw Helena at the monster to escape. I didn’t see the rest because the lights went dark, and I stayed inside the air vent. I was too afraid to move… I’m sorry. I was just too afraid.”
Dublin’s face had turned a deep shade of red. When he finally spoke, it was dark and slow. “Aye, you did what you could… Austin is the one who should be sorry, the bastard sacrificed someone to save himself…again! Where is he now?”
“It was about fifteen minutes ago, so he can’t be too far… what are you going to do to him?”
“Jus’ never mind that. Is the kid still with him?”
“No. Austin wasn’t even trying to find her… he seemed relieved that he didn’t have to ‘babysit’…his words. All he kept talking about was doing anything to get out of here,” Dmitry added. That was probably the dumbest lie he ever told. Austin would never abandon Carolina. But Dublin was eating it up, and it made him giddy to watch it. Mostly because he thought he was going to have to fight Dublin, and that would be a tough fight. All this time, ha! Dublin thought it was Austin who trapped him in with that beast. Damnit if things just didn’t have a way of working out for ol’ Dmitry.
He impressed himself sometimes. Dublin was always headstrong and a little gullible. Hopefully, he killed Austin before they had a chance to discuss the truth. The fewer crew members that remained, the easier it would be to bring the creature home, and the easier it would be to explain any version of events he wanted. “Austin went crazy. I guess I can understand, people are quick to save themselves. You never really know someone,” Dmitry said. He’d better slow down; he didn’t want to oversell it.
Dublin’s anger was redirected as something brushed against his leg. A small, parasitic snake was wriggling out of Helena’s body, inching its way towards him. He smothered it with his boot and some unnecessary anger.
“I’ll crush every one of these bloody things!”
“Let’s just stick together and find a way out of here.”
“Seems I have something to take care of first,” he said, shaking off his boot. “And Dmitry, if you see Austin before I do… don’t tell him I’m still alive.”
“Okay. I won’t.”
“Dats’ good. Be sure of that now.”
CHAPTER 22
Forgiveness?
Nary a chance in hell.
Dublin left by himself and exited down the corridor into a large room full of alien billboards. It looked like a train station, very different than the exam rooms he’d encountered. It cut across to a new hallway, and he followed that one, looking for ways to track Austin. The first elevator he tried had no power, which meant Austin didn’t go that way.
A promising stairway appeared on the right. He approached them, revealing wide and squat steps, unnatural for a man’s stride. He could try the stairs, or he could keep on tracking these hallways. Which way, which way… Austin would have taken the stairs because they go up, and up means getting out of here. He crouched to sit on his heels as he peered to get a closer look at something on the wall. At that, he smiled a tiny smile. Carolina had doodled on this wall; he recognized the work of her marker pen. Bubbles, the kid drew bubbles. If she didn’t need therapy before, she would after finding her dad’s corpse. Regretful, but necessary at this point.
She had been here, that much was certain, and it was his best chance of running into Austin. Dmitry said they were split up, but things change.
He rose to his feet and then bounded up the stairs, taking wide strides. Not too fast, not too loud, he didn’t want to announce himself, not with that monster roaming around.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he stopped to admire what he found.
The architect in him was in awe. Here was a spacious, decorated showroom with soft lighting, black walls, shiny gold elevators, and an aquarium that decorated the center. The aquarium diffused light in soft, peaceful blue tones, despite the dead creatures within it. This room wasn’t like the rest; it wasn’t stale and incomplete. There were gilded elevators that lined the wall opposite the aquarium. At the far end of it were a few crates and a gaping entrance to a new area, along with another cargo elevator. He couldn’t say that Austin absolutely went that way, but a wide-open entrance like that was pretty inviting.
He crossed the room with haste, the light from the aquarium coloring him blue. He passed the crates through the doorway, just waiting to be shipped, even after all these years, and then found a small train-car and tunnel on the inside. An alien train platform, right here underground. Stretching to the left was an endless tunnel; just in front of him was a simple platform. This place continued to amaze him—there was a train? Here? It was white and oval-shaped, a commuter train just waiting, hovering actually. It had power. He wouldn’t mind seeing where it went.
He boarded and stood. There were seats, but he was looking for a control panel of sorts, something he might need to press to make it ‘go’. But as the train began to move, he decided it was best to sit. Automatic, apparently.
“Aye, alright then,” he said as the train picked up speed. Uncertainty crept in, but trains had destinations; he just had to wait it out. He focused on what he would do to Austin when he found him. He hoped the coward would be alone; it wouldn’t be great killing him in front of the others, especially not in front of Carolina. But, it wouldn’t stop him either. A sharp hydraulic sound hissed, and he felt the train slowing.
He subconsciously looked for something to hold on to. The train floated, which was unnerving. He peered ahead as they neared the docking platform, and he smiled at the sight of daylight.
“Bless my feet,” he remarked as the train came to a halt. A final hiss as the aged commuter fully stopped. Dublin had to wonder how long it had been since all of this was a thriving hive of activity. He had many questions, but at least they had one answer. They were not alone in the universe. This trip turned out to be the one that made them all rich and famous… except for Helena. She wouldn’t get to enjoy it.
The fresh air was a welcome relief, coming in through a clear dome above him, letting in glorious daylight. The ceiling looked to be retractable, letting in daylight and more. A gap had formed at the top of the dome, with plants and vines dangling down, looking for somewhere to take root. He had to shield his eyes from the intensity of actual daylight. It was nice to have everything bask in the glow of their sun, even if it was a bit obstructed.
Off to the side were a dozen cubicles, lined along a wall that stretched the length of the room. The top of something smooth and round was peeking over the lip of the wall. The cubicles were sectioned off to the left, while the space beneath the dome was open and clear, like a helicopter pad. There were crates and drums precisely stacked, and he saw a handful of unusual tools organized on racks. The floor was wide and open-spaced.
He turned and found Austin, standing near the corner of a cubicle. He was waving at him to be silent, waving at him to hide with some urgency. He was gift-wrapped and ready.
The hand motions trailed off as Dublin ran at him. Time to collect on a tab long overdue.
Austin put his hands out and silently pleaded, but was tackled with all his force. They collapsed to the floor, rolling to the ground. A flurry of wild punches came down as Dublin decided to get this over with quickly.
To his surprise, he wasn’t on top anymore. Austin had shuffled his hips or his feet and flipped Dublin to the side. He watched as Austin scrambled to his feet.
“You aren’t getting away that easily!” he swore and wrapped his arms around Austin’s legs. He tripped him into a row of barrels, knocking them over. One of the barrels cracked and oozed a fluid out onto the ground. It was abrasive and quickly burned the nostrils.
Dublin pounced after him, but Austin kept retreating, making it hard to land a good hit. The coward had decent footwork, and there was that little judo move he used earlier. Dublin had a sensible thought that tried to surface: he should fight smarter, refrain from all-out aggression. However, his anger made it difficult for him to remain calm and fight smart. Austin hadn’t crumpled yet, which he hadn’t expected this fight to last even this long. He’d underestimated his prey. To expand on that, the next thing Dublin knew, he was seeing double; a quick punch combo had rocked him.
“Stop fighting me!” Austin urged, his voice a harsh whisper. Dublin should have picked up on his attempt to be quiet, but he was too angry.
He finally had him back against the wall, with nowhere to evade. Dublin charged and picked him up, smashing him through a cubicle before they came to the ground. Austin had his legs wrapped around him, and Dublin just couldn’t get the right angle to land his punches. For all the bar-fights he’d ended, Austin was a squirrely fellow. Again, he had to stop underestimating him.
The scalding smell was overpowering them. If he got the chance, he’d smear Austin’s face in whatever toxic goop was leaking all over.
“Daddy!”
“Carolina, hide!” Austin ordered.
“Stop it!” she cried.
“Sorry, kid, but Daddy killed Helena, tried to kill me!”
Dublin’s hands found their way to Austin’s throat with big, gnarled fingers that squeezed, draining the life from him. Austin’s face bulged, and his skin was turning color. Carolina grabbed Dublin by the hair to make him stop, so he pushed her away. In that moment, the anger that shot through, combined with the momentary distraction, let him rip those fingers away from his neck. With his hips and feet, he flipped him, but Dublin was strong, and they both scrambled to stand up.
“There’s a bigger problem, you idiot!” he hissed at Dublin, still not raising his voice. Dublin should have picked up on that, too.
The leaked fuel ignited on the ground next to them. A small eruption and intense popping filled the room. Another small burst, the fuel ignited quickly and spread flames. Dublin was torn between fighting and getting away from the fire. A gush of flames rushed between them, roasting them both.
Backing away from the flames, Dublin bumped into something that felt different, something solid but not a cubicle wall. Now he realized why Austin had been shushing him. He’d been wrestling right next to an alien spacecraft, which was easily spotted if he’d taken a moment to look around. The flames were reaching it, which couldn’t be good.
Then there was another sound, and it concerned him the most.
The creature stormed up to them, or rather to the ship, discovering it engulfed in flames. Dublin tried to move away, keeping out of its view.
The creature released a furious, deafening howl that shook the room.
CHAPTER 23
The fuel was a potent accelerant. Fire blanketed eagerly, and in a short time, it produced flames that licked the ceiling, searing at the roots coming in through the roof’s dome. Austin grabbed Carolina by the shoulders, shielding her from the waves of heat. He felt his neck hairs shrivel from an intense blast.
They scrambled away from the cubicles towards the oval train platform.
The creature climbed to escape the heat or just for a better view. It effortlessly suspended itself from above the cubicles, using its various limbs with ease.
“Faster!” he ordered, all but carrying Carolina by the scruff of her neck. It took a moment to steal a glimpse, but it was enough to lend strength to his legs. They slipped across the empty space from the hangar bay, back towards the monorail.
Another explosion drowned the room in heat. He spared another glance behind and saw the creature stalking an unaware Dublin. Yelling would put the focus on him…
“Watch out, Dublin!” Austin cried, pointing. The puzzled look on Dublin’s face was brief as he saw it, but he took the warning and hid through the maze of cubicles not yet on fire. That would at least give the Irishman a chance to get away, though his misplaced anger was something he’d need to deal with later.
The train was his best way out of there, but helping Dublin had drawn the creature’s attention, and now they were vulnerable until the train departed. He had a split second to decide, and he didn’t think there was time for them. Carolina could make it, but only if he gave her a head start. The creature swooped down from its perch and began running towards him.
Carolina boarded the train as that happened, pounding on the wheezing doors to move.
“I have to drag it away!” Austin yelled. Carolina planted her hands against the back window, eyes full of disbelief. She saw the creature coming and banged the glass for him to hurry.
“Get in, Daddy!”
“Find Athen!”
They locked their eyes for a moment, and he prayed it would not be the last time he saw them, hazel-brown and full of hope. He pivoted his run to lead away from the train.
The shuttle activated, and air hissed as the cabin door closed. Slowly, it picked up speed. Austin crossed the tracks, running so fast his feet barely touched the ground. The creature leapt up and grabbed the ceiling, climbing hand over hand with nothing to grab onto except the suction of its pod hands. They easily gripped the otherwise smooth ceiling.
He looked again, saw nothing, but then felt a crash in front.
A last-ditch effort sent him diving behind a pallet of barrels. The creature had landed in front of him; there wouldn’t be anywhere to hide. He could practically smell its breath. The barrels were all he had for protection.
It was pissed. It planted its feet, four of its arms grabbed the pallet he was on, barrels and all, and the next thing he knew, he was tossed through the air. He careened in trajectory with those barrels, the upwards motion hurling him up into the air. In the midst of certain death, he grabbed onto the roots dangling from the ceiling dome. He clutched them as if his life depended on it because it did.
He swung from the inertia as the remaining barrels flew and bounced upon landing. A spot-check revealed the monorail was gone, thank god, and the creature was still throwing a tantrum. Austin, meanwhile, was dangling from roots of dubius tensile strength. The vines and roots were slick, something his adrenaline-fueled grip began to realize. Falling would be bad, but there was still a chance of going up. The creature searched among the barrels but didn’t find him.
A hiss from beneath made him grimace, as the creature seemed to have found him. It slapped a barrel in frustration, and he watched it smash against the wall. He swung his leg up to attempt to hook a vine, but the motion threatened his grip to fail. He wrapped a gnarled tendril around his wrist and tried again.
Another hiss, but it was not the monster this time. Fire suppression was filling the room, which was great because he felt like a pig on a spike above the flames. With a better grip, he swung his leg again and hooked the vine. He was horizontal, trying to gain elevation, when a draft from the dome’s gap swept through, swift and inviting. Another roar from the beast before he felt it land again. That sound was never good. Paphos’ dirt floor was just above that gap, he knew it.
“Ah hell,” he cursed. The creature was crawling up the wall like a spider, its six arms acting as legs. He looked up, which was a mistake as the natural daylight blinded him. He wanted to climb through and out, but it was hard enough just to hold on. Teeth! He needed any bit of friction he could get. He bit into the vine, the taste bitter as juice poured down his tongue, but he ignored it. He used the leverage to adjust his hands and then his feet. He climbed higher and could almost reach the dome’s entrance. Sweet, fresh air was howling for him to make it. Unfortunately, something else was howling too, and it would soon be upon him.
