Chapter 17

A liquid spike of fear rushes up my spine and I run faster. I put my head down and sprint for the far end of the room. I slap my hands against the wall to stop my momentum and then pivot on my toes and run alongside the wall. I count seven rows, grab the eight metal bracket and swing myself to a stop against the shelf. I lower myself into a crouch. My chest is heaving but I force myself to breath slowly, silently.

I peer through the gaps in the shelving and see nothing. There are no footsteps and no movement. I wait for two minutes and then rise to my feet. I creep slowly along the row, staying close to the containers and stopping to listen every few feet. Still nothing. Maybe the woman decided I wasn’t worth pursuing.

At the end of the row, I stop again and listen. All I can hear is the soft hum from the overhead lights. I’ve been inside the room for fourteen minutes and fifteen seconds. Too long.

I step out from behind the shelf and someone grabs me from behind. I let out a shriek and throw myself forward. I stumble towards the door, but strong hands grip my arms and pull me backwards. I kick behind me and connect with something soft. The woman grunts and looses her hold on my left arm. I use it to grab hold of the closest shelf and pull myself away, but she recovers and lunges at me. I feel her full weight crash into me and the both of us careen into the shelf. The structure rocks slightly but stays steady as we stumble into the middle of the corridor. She has her arms wrapped around me, pinning my hands to my side. I realize she’s trying to push me to the ground so I’ll be immobilized. I thrash violently and throw my head back. It makes impact with something hard and her arms are no longer pinning me down. I lurch forward. I’m eight feet from the door. I’m off balance and I make an ungraceful lunge towards it. She grabs hold of my ankle and I slam face first to the ground. Pain flares through my elbows and knees, and a muscle in my calf seizes. I’m breathing hard now and I hear a rushing in my head. I taste something metallic in my mouth and realize I’ve bitten my tongue. I watch as a drop of blood falls to the tiled floor.

I know my pursuer is about to fall on me and I’ll be useless against the weight. I’ve been caught. For the first time in my life, I’ve been caught. A surge of disappointment rushes through me and I feel like crying. I never thought I would make this kind of mistake and yet here I am, face down on the ground, pain leaping through my leg.

Time slows and I imagine I can see the black clad woman rising up behind me, hands gripping my thighs, then my waist, holding me down and cuffing my hands behind my back. I envision it so clearly I almost give up. And then I see vision of the city, a sweeping vista of buildings and streets domed with a blue sky. I have no idea where this vision comes from but it snaps me out of my complacency.

Anger blossoms in my chest and I kick backwards. My foot connects with the pursers face and I hear something snap. She yells, short and high pitched, and it’s enough for me to scramble away and up to my feet. I run to the door and slap at the access panel. The door slides open and I squeeze through before it’s entirely open. I run straight towards the hallway, the hallway we entered from, expecting to see Cenric crouched in the dark, but the area is empty and he’s not in sight. I keep running and give myself a mental pat on the back for making note of my escape route. I take the turns and twists with confidence. I’m breathing hard and limping a little from the pain in my left leg but I’m making good time and estimate I’ll make it to the service entrance in less than four minutes.

I’m halfway there when the lights in the hallway flicker on and I see a dark shape standing at the end of the hall. This figure is dressed in the same black outfit, but they’re taller and broader across the shoulders. I hadn’t considered that there might be more than one.

I skid to a halt and consider my options. If I backtrack I could be sandwiched between the two strangers, but going forward isn’t much of an option. I was lucky to get away from the first person but I don’t think my luck will hold out a second time.

I swivel around and run back the way I came. I turn at the first corner and pound down the hallway. I open the first door I come to and I enter a darkened room. I shut the door quietly and wait for a moment to listen. I don’t hear the sounds of pursuit but that doesn’t mean they’re not outside waiting.

It’s pitch black in room and I’m blind. I consider using my illuminator but abandon the idea. I can’t risk giving myself away. Instead, I feel my way around the room, sliding one hand along the wall to keep my bearings. I estimate I’ve gone half way around when I feel an opening in the wall. I turn into another room and another, all the while feeling my way in complete darkness. I worry for a moment that this warren of rooms will lead to a dead end and I’ll be trapped.

Eventually I find another closed door and sigh in relief when it opens onto a main corridor lined with illuminator strips. I know a main thorough fair will lead out of the building. I turn left and jog along the corridor. I don’t know this building and I have no sense of direction now that I’ve lost the way we came in. I take turns randomly, stop at corners to check they’re clear and pause to listen every minute. I’ve been inside the building for thirty-seven minutes.

I get the sense that I’m close to an exit, which makes me nervous. I slow down to a crawl and when I reach the next turn in the corridor I peek around the edge. I see the main entrance across a large foyer. A set of glass sliding doors framed by a person sized scanner. I wonder if they keep it on at night and whether it will track me as I exit. If Cenric is right and I’m almost invisible to the scanning tech then maybe it won’t matter.

I decide it’s my best option and sprint for the doors. I’m halfway across the foyer when a dark shape intercepts me. The shape resolves into a person. They grab my arm and swing me around until we’re face to face. An illuminator clicks on and the light blinds me. I throw a hand up to shield my face.
I’m surprised when the person lets go and gives me a shove.

“Not this way,” a low voice hisses. “Go left.”

I blink in surprise and lower my hand. The light is still in my face and I can’t see the person standing in front of me.

“Go!” The hiss is more urgent this time. “Before they catch you.”

I don’t wait. I turn around and run back the way I came. Left, they said left. I turn left and I find myself at the foot of a staircase. I don’t pause. I run up the dimly lit steps, hoping I won’t trip over myself. I keep running until I’m so winded I have to stop. I’ve gone up seven flights and based on my estimate I have another eight to go. I keep working my way up, but slower now, at a steady climb. When I get to the top, I come out on a loft-sized space. The room is littered with long benches and chairs. It reminds me of the cafeteria at TWOC.

I’m wondering where to go next when I see a dark shadow moving towards me. I’m about to lash out when I the shadow hisses at me.

“Arela! It’s Cenric.”

I lower my hand.

“What are you doing up here?” I whisper.

“They have all the entrances under surveillance,” Cenric whispers. “This is the only exit I could think of that they wouldn’t know about.”

“Who’s they?”

“I don’t know, but they have the building surrounded. Come on. We need to get out of here.”

“They have guns,” I say and feel a chill run down my back. Guns are illegal in Osiris.

“I know. Who ever they are, they’re dangerous.”

He motions me to follow as he crosses the room. He stops at a window, flips the latch and lifts the pane of glass so there’s a two-foot gap. He sticks his head out and peers at the ground.

“I hope you’re not afraid of heights,” he says when he pulls his head back in.

“I think I’ll be fine,” I say.

“You first.” He helps me through the window and I climb onto a metal landing. The entire structure sways under my weight and I wonder if it will hold. It feels like it could collapse at any second.

I lean into the wall as Cenric climbs out beside me. There’s very little light outside and it’s eerily quiet. The buildings surrounding us are dark and the glow of the ground lamps give off a soft luminescence.

“Careful,” Cenric says. “This thing is pretty rusted.”

“Don’t remind me,” I say and climb down through the opening in the landing. The rungs are narrow under my feet. The metal is pitted with age and the ladder creaks as I move downwards. I make it to the next landing and I hear Cenric start climbing. When he’s next to me, I lower my self to the next level. We follow the same pattern for another eight flights. My heart is racing and I feel breathless.

We have six flights to go when the rung under my right foot gives way and I slip downwards. I let out a cry as my other foot slips off the ladder and I start falling. I catch the step above me and jerk to a stop, my shoulders protesting at the strain.

“Cenric,” I gasp. The fingers of my left hand slip from the step and I kick my legs frantically, looking for the next step. I start sliding off when Cenric’s hand grasps my wrist.

“Hold on.” His fingers are digging into my flesh, but I ignore the pain. He’s the only thing keeping me from falling six flights down.

“Give me you other hand,” he says and I reach up. I can’t see him clearly in the dark and my hair is in my face. I brush against him and he grabs my forearm.

“Hang on,” he says and I start inching upwards. I can feel him shaking from the strain but then my feet scrape along the step and I find my footing.

“Okay, I’ve got it,” I whisper. I cling to the metal railing, willing my heart to slow down.

“Let me go first,” Cenric says and I press myself against the railing as he slides past me. He pauses for a moment when we’re face to face.

“You okay?” he asks. He’s so close I can smell him, the scent of wood shavings and paint and something sweet, like apples.

“Yes,” I choke a little on the word. I’m grateful for the darkness.

He keeps moving past me to the next landing.

“Watch out for the missing step,” he calls up to me as I start making my way down again. When my foot reaches into empty air, I feel his hands wrap around my ankles. He tugs me down slowly, his hands moving up my legs as I get lower. He grips my waist and I feel something turn over in my chest. I hold still for a moment and then he lets go. I step onto the landing and he turns away from me.

“Four to go,” he says and I see his teeth flash in a smile.

We climb the remaining flights without incident and I want to kiss the ground when my feet drop onto it. We pause for a moment to catch our breath.

“Did you get the component?” Cenric asks.

“I did,” I say and start laughing.

“What’s so funny?” he asks, but I’m laughing too hard to answer him. I feel giddy with relief. After a moment he laughs too and we lean against the wall until the fit passes and we’re quiet in the dark.

“Thank you Cenric.”

He turns to me and I can see the hazy outline of his face, the glitter of his eyes.

“I just hope you don’t ask me to do that again.” I can see he’s grinning.

“Not any time soon,” I say and we laugh again.

Next Chapter: Chapter 18