Zarah was still lying in bed two days after they'd rescued Leah and Jared.
Getting to that dark place had been a feat in itself, but walking into that chaos, fending those things off while silence pressed down on her with a pressure that crushed lungs, had been excruciating. Her every atom still shook with the effort of it.
She wasn't sure how she'd managed to drag Jared back to their world, or how Riley and Leah held those creatures at bay while she'd closed the portal behind them. But they'd done it. And it was only once they were safe, and Leah and Jared lay pale and exhausted on the floor, that she'd collapsed.
For the last two days, that'd been it.
The officers had found Zarah a room at the station, and she'd been left in relative peace, allowed to roll through the fever dreams and cramps that wracked her body alone. It felt as if she'd drained herself of something essential; something as important as water or food, and she didn't want anyone witnessing her recovery from it. At least, not anyone she didn't trust.
Leah had visited her once, sitting still and ghost-like by her bed, and gripping her hand with a pressure that cut circulation. Cassandra had come too. She hadn't been allowed to stay long, but it'd been nice just to see her, and the news she'd brought had made her visit even better.
Danny was awake. He was still weak, but he was conscious.
The news had made Zarah determined to rise. She wanted to see Danny herself, to confirm he was okay with her own eyes, but Cassandra had visited over twelve hours ago now, and Zarah still lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
She'd tried to get up several times, but every attempt sent her head spinning, her vision rolling in and out of focus. She was just contemplating another attempt, hoping the last hour she'd spent lying still might've fixed something, when a knock came at door, quick and sharp.
Before she had time to call out, it opened, and Riley strode into the room, her face a mask.
"You need to come with me," she said.
Zarah blinked at her, the words taking a moment to settle in her brain. "Why?"
"Jared's awake."
Riley's voice had a sense of finality in it, a call to action that meant Zarah's rest time was over, whether she was ready or not. So, Zarah moved quick, slipping her hands beside her hips and levering herself up, hoping to catch whatever kept her bedridden off guard.
It didn't work. Her arms shook, her torso tilted dangerously to the side, and she was seconds from toppling off the bed when Riley came over, helping balance her.
Zarah couldn't help but resent it — the stability of Riley's muscles, the strength in her body. Zarah wasn't a competitive person, but the difference between Riley's response to that world of darkness and hers was too glaring to ignore.
"I don't understand why I'm so weak while you seem completely fine," Zarah muttered as Riley helped plant her feet on the floor.
Zarah took two deep breaths, preparing, and then she launched herself up. Her legs quivered, her quads spasming, and Zarah tilted again. But Riley was there, straightening her and giving her a pillar to lean on.
"It's not your fault," Riley said, giving her a slightly guilty smile. "It's just because you did most of the work. I opened the portal, but you're the one who closed it."
Zarah blinked at her, trying to get Riley's face to settle. It kept shifting in and out of focus though, blurring like Zarah was twisting a camera lens.
"Why does that matter?" she asked.
Riley looked at her, considering.
"I've been thinking about the portals a lot lately," Riley said. "Everyone has, really, but I've been thinking more about what they actually mean, and why they happen."
"And?"
"And the only time they makes sense to me is when I compare them to wounds. Because that's what portals are, really. They're rips in the skin of a world. And just like when a person or animal gets injured, it's a lot easier to rip skin open than it is to knit it back together. The healing takes much more time and energy."
Zarah closed her eyes, wishing that Riley's logic didn't make so much sense, that it didn't imply that every time Zarah had to close a portal this might happen.
"So you hurt and I heal?" Zarah asked.
"Something like that."
Zarah let out a huff.
"Great. That's just great."
Riley grinned at her and then glanced down, her gaze critical.
"Do you want me to get a wheelchair?" Riley asked.
Her voice had a deadly seriousness to it that made Zarah think she must look even worse than she presumed.
"No," Zarah said, shrugging Riley off. "I'm fine."
Riley kept looking at her, unconvinced, but Zarah held her gaze, commanding her body to stay upright, to appear less weak. It must've worked, at least a bit, because Riley didn't move to hold Zarah up again.
"We have a bit of a way to walk," Riley warned.
"I'm fine," Zarah repeated.
Riley shrugged.
"Okay."
And then she turned and moved out of the room, leaving Zarah to follow at her own pace.
Zarah limped after her, one palm pressed against the wall to keep herself upright, but Riley didn't turn into another room like Zarah expected. Instead, she led them outside the police station, towards the apartment Riley had claimed as her own.
Zarah glanced back at the station as she moved down the street, expecting someone to come running after her, demanding she come back. The street stayed empty though. Either, the police thought she was too weak to escape Riley, or they knew she wouldn't run while her friends were all still inside. Most likely, it was a bit of both.
Zarah followed Riley further from the station. She tried not to let her exhaustion show, but when Riley eventually came to a stop in a deserted alleyway, wedged between two collapsing buildings, relief flooded her. Zarah flopped down on a nearby crate, catching her breath, and Riley paced in front of her, head down and her brow furrowed, waiting.
"Why are we here?" Zarah asked eventually, and Riley glanced back the way they'd come scanning the alleyway before she replied.
"We needed to talk somewhere private," she said. "I didn't want this to be overheard."
Zarah's spine tingled, wariness shooting through her. "Why?"
Riley finally stopped her pacing, looking ay Zarah properly.
"When Jared woke up, he told us that he's transported people between the worlds. Hundreds, apparently."
Zarah blanched. "Really?"
"Yes."
"What does that mean?"
Riley sighed and flicked her ponytail over her shoulder, the movement agitated.
"It means that Arelie and Mark don't have shit. This whole plan was based on the fact that only a few people had... that other dark world in their veins. But now Mark and Arelie are scrambling. I was happy to go along with their idea when it was the simplest solution, but now..."
Zarah felt the words hang heavy in the air, and when Riley glanced at her, she saw the determination in her stare.
"You want to go against them," Zarah said.
Riley nodded.
"How?"
"We need to break Leah and Jared out. Danny and Cassandra too, but Leah and Jared are the most important. They're the ones who might actually get him talking."
Zarah frowned at her. "Him? Who's him?"
There was a crunch of gravel and Zarah spun around on her seat, expecting to find an officer there, gun raised.
But the face that met Zarah's was one she hadn't expected to see for a long time.
Alice Caldwell had aged since the world started collapsing; aged to the point that she was almost unrecognisable.
Even amongst the all chaos the portals were causing, Zarah had heard about what happened to Brenton. The moment the world broke apart, he'd started screaming, seizing, frothing at the mouth. Alice had been taking care of him, keeping him locked up so he didn't hurt himself or anyone else, but she'd locked herself up too — yelling at anyone who came to the door.
Now, she stood here timidly, body ringed with exhaustion.
"Hi Zarah," Alice said, and Zarah blinked at her before turning back to Riley.
There was only one him Riley could be referring to if Alice was involved, only one him who linked Alice, Jared and Leah closely.
"No," Zarah said, horror coating her voice.
Riley just grimaced. "Unfortunately, yes."
...
Ohhh things are starting to kick off!!
Next chapter out in two weeks :)
- Skylar xx