Mission 615

Chapter 8

Panic grips me and I scramble to get away from whoever had rescued me. My heel throbs as I push against the stone and I resort to half crawling, half rolling to get away from them. Strong hands grab my shoulders and I'm pulled back into the stranger's grasp.

"Jackson!" I shriek. Just as I call out his name, a hand slaps over my mouth. Instinctively, I bite down hard on the person's finger until the metallic taste of blood overwhelms my senses. Eventually, the grip falters for just a moment and I twist away from him, tumbling back to the ground. Jackson is almost to us now. I leap towards him in a desperate attempt to get away from whoever was holding me captive. Jackson rushes past me, heading straight for the stranger.

I straighten, gazing at the figure in the beam of light. I'm not sure what I expected, but it definitely isn't what I see. A tall boy stands in the light, his face is almost entirely covered by long, dripping tufts of dark brown hair. His wet clothes stick to his skin, the black fabric sharply contrasting his pale skin. My eyes shift down to his hand where a thin trail of blood snakes around his middle finger. 
Jackson steps in front of him, successfully blocking my view of the stranger. In a flash of movement, Jackson lunges towards the stranger and for the first time since I'd met my partner, I realize exactly why he's here.

Before the stranger even knows what's happening, Jackson strikes at his left eye socket with his fist. He reacts with a few jabs of his own, catching Jackson off guard. The flashlight falls out of Jackson's hand, clattering on the ground. It comes to a stop a couple feet away, still pointing in the direction of the battle. My friend dodges his offensives, occasionally jumping in to land his own blow. The stranger aims his elbow right for Jackson's temple but he ducks down just in time. His fist sinks into the boy's stomach and he staggers back with a grunt. Their shadows creep up along the ledge beyond the river as they fight on in the small shaft of light. I scoot myself backwards into the darkness, figuring that I'll be of no help to Jackson sitting out in the open. As I do, I hear a scuff off in the darkness. I turn slowly and just barely see a sliver of light before it's snuffed out.

For a second, I try to convince myself that it was just my imagination but then I see it again. There are more of them.

My brain shoots a hundred different ways as I try to find some solution to the problem. The light was growing closer as more people approached. There wasn't much time to act but as I glance over at Jackson, I see he's still extremely preoccupied.

My eyes fall upon the flashlight that sits a few feet away. In a second, I make the decision, snatching it into my grasp and clicking it off. Everything around me goes dark. Not just your average dark night, I'm talking about complete and utter blackness. The kind that eats away at your very consciousness, even as I clutch a light source in my hands. No one makes a sound. It's like everything is frozen.

I try to slow my breathing but even that seems like a scream in the middle of a library. My heart beats loudly in my ears and for a second, I wonder if they'll be able to hear that.

My spine prickles as I wait for something to happen. When a soft hand touches my shoulder, I almost explode. The hand clamps me down to the ground and it takes every ounce of my self control not to scream. I'd give anything in that moment to know whether or not the person touching me was Jackson. 

Slowly, the hand traces down my arm and grasps my hand. He moves it up above my head until my fingers touch cold skin. My touch is guided to the side where the soft skin changes into the rough texture of gauze. My heart flutters as I recognize the bandages I'd tied over Jackson's shoulder just a few short days ago.

I give Jackson's hand a short squeeze. He laces his arm under my own and uses the other to scoop my feet up off the ground. Part of me hates the unwarranted feeling of safety that washes over me as Jackson moves silently through the darkness. I'm not sure how he doesn't trip but then again, I'm not entirely sure how he found me either.

Just as I start to relax into Jackson's arms he jerks forwards, falling to his knees. I fall out of his grasp, rolling to a stop on the dusty ground. Jackson moans loudly and I cringe, knowing he just gave our exact position away to everyone in the chamber. A couple shouts echo from around the cavern, followed by a chorus of footsteps all heading in our direction.

 A hand finds its way under my arms yet again and I'm pulled to my feet, this time forced to limp on my hurt heel. Our pace is faster as I'm dragged on, tripping loudly over the uneven terrain. Still, my companion's pulling is relentless. He pulls me forwards with another exaggerated yank and the ground comes out from under my feet. I flail my feet in the air and squint my eyes into the blackness, hoping to find something to gain purchase on. Moments later the grip on my shoulders is let go and I'm caught by my wrists. My shoulders scream in pain as I hang out over the expanse.

I'm lowered one last inch and my toes just barely brush against the hard ground. I let go of Jackson's hands and drop down onto the ledge. There's a soft thud on the ground to my right as Jackson lands beside me. He grabs my hand and pulls me towards the steep rocky ledge. Jackson's arm pins me against the rock like a seat belt. I'm about to push him away when the soft hum of electricity fills my ears. Seconds later, lights on the ceiling of the cave begin to pop to life. Their light is dim but it illuminates the space around us. We're standing on a small ledge that's carved out just feet above the bubbling river. I glance up at where we jumped down from, wishing I could see what was happening up there.

I turn to see if Jackson can provide any information but what I see makes my heart sink. The arm that holds me against the rock wall belongs not to Jackson but to the boy who rescued me from the river.

My eyes widen and he clamps his hand over my mouth once again. His blue eyes stare back at me, silently begging me not to say anything. I nod ever so slightly and he slowly pulls his hand away. He points along the ledge to where it leads up the hill but is quick to yank me back when I veer too far away from the wall.

Slowly, I creep along the rock ledge until I can just peek up onto the other level of the cave. What I see makes my stomach drop. There, in the middle of the cavern, surrounded by a group of strange men is the body of Jackson with a crude knife protruding from his back.

I gasp, too loudly for my captor's liking. He tries to pull me back but I'm frozen as I stare at Jackson. Finally, he practically drags me back down towards the river.

"We don't have much time," he whispers.

"You speak English?" I gasp.

"Shush!" he scolds. "We need to get out of here."

"Not without Jackson."

The strange boy glares at me and for the first time I notice how much damage Jackson had inflicted to him, particularly his face.

"We can't. I need to get you to the city."

"Which city?" I ask.

The boy looks up at the ceiling as if he couldn't be more irritated by my questions.

"The only one we've got. Let's go."

He grabs my arm and starts tugging me along the ledge. I wretch my arm out of his grasp.

"I'm not going anywhere without Jackson," I hiss. I whirl around and start limping towards the upper level of the cave.

"I can't let you do that," I hear him whisper in my ear. Suddenly, I feel the pinprick of something piercing my arm followed by the all too familiar sensation of an injection. Things start to spin almost instantly and I crumble to my knees. After a few more seconds, I can't support my upper body and fall to the ground. That's when everything fades to black.

"Sweet dreams."