Five hours.
Hatchman will reduce Segment Six to rubble and dust in five hours. In five hours, the Floodgates will be a victim of whatever lies beyond the walls. Whether that be the wild oceans, or the virulent disease, or the unknown. The mighty Walls trap us within the city, in Sneya's grasp. Without the Walls, we are at the mercy of the rest of the world. We are at its disposal.
"Elle, we need to get you cleaned up, now," Aston says from behind me.
At last, I tear my gaze from the blinking red light at Segment Six, turning to face him. "We do not have time, Aston."
"Elle, we need to get you cleaned up, now," Aston says from behind me.
At last, I tear my gaze from the blinking red light at Segment Six, turning to face him. "We do not have time, Aston."
"You're injured, Elle. How can you be of use?"
"But don't have time," My voice rises a notch, shrill with panic. "We only have five hours. Five! We do not know the bomb's wiring. We only about the timer. Hatchman can manipulate it."
"Aston is right, though, Elle," Ajax steps in, attempting a smile. "You will be of no use to this cause if you are bleeding everywhere. Let's take you to the research wing and glue back together."
"But we need more information about the bombs, Ajax," I snap, impatience getting the better of me. "That is our priority."
"Yes, it is our priority. But you are our friend, and nothing comes before you, alright?"
A gentle smile works its way onto my face despite me. "Thanks, Ajax."
We make our way to the research wing, passing by Convex servants and Concave ambassadors, all unaware that Lord Sneya is dead. It is an odd feeling, knowing he is dead when no one else does. Like city has held its breath, bracing itself for implosion. We file into an empty room in the research wing. Ajax closes the door, clicking the lock. A long, white table sits in the centre of the room.
"Elle, lay on the table," Ajax instructs, opening drawers at the equipment bench, sifting for equipment to help me.
"Do you know how to treat these wounds, Ajax?" Ruben grunts. Killian helps him sink into a plastic chair at the far side of the room.
"Not quite, you might have to coach me through it." Ajax pulls out a sterile needle, thread, and other various things.
"Why don't you just let me do it?" Ruben asks, rising to his feet, biting his lip to hold back the grimace.
At once, Killian pushes him back to his seat. "No, Ruben. You just rest and we will patch you up too."
Ruben opens his mouth to protest, but I cut in. "Don't even bother. There's no point. Ajax will do his best."
He glares at me, and I know it is taking every trace of him to bite his tongue. He nods. At once, Ajax gets to work. I lay on my stomach and drop my head in my hands, tilting my gaze to Monet as Killian gestures for her to sit in the second plastic chair beside Ruben.
"You are a Concave, right, Monet?" I ask, fighting back a grimace as Ajax peels the shredded material of my shirt away from my skin.
"Well, not quite. I was a Convex for a while, and then I met Killian."
"You were a Convex?" I ignore the sting of Ajax applying the antiseptic to my wounds, only allowing a hiss to escape my lips.
"I was," Monet nods. She draws in a deep breath as if steeling herself. "When they banished my parents from the Floodgates–"
"Oh, my God. They banished your parents, too?"
Her dark eyes glint with grief and she swallows. "They banished my parents when I was 15. I was already friends with Killian. He took me under his wing, and I pretended to be a Concave. It worked for a while. I enrolled in his cooking school under an unfamiliar name and lived with Killian and Ajax. But then we became a little careless. They arrested me. They sent me into the depths of the cavern, without telling Killian. He thought they killed or banished me."
"That's incredible," I say, mind reeling with this information.
Once again, I am proven wrong. I was not the only one who lost my parents to the unknown world. I am not alone. The Concave people do not differ from me; we have all suffered. One cannot measure who suffers most.
Ajax at last cuts the thread. He ties a secure knot. Monet helps me cover my breasts while Ajax wraps my torso in gauze, protecting the wounds. I step off the bench. While Ajax cleans my blood away, Killian helps Ruben up, laying him down on the bench. He places his head in his hands, tilting his gaze to me as I sit in a plastic seat. His light eyes are prominent against the dirt and blood coating his face.
"Are you okay, Elle?" he says.
I scoff, brushing my matted braid over my shoulder. "Ruben, I don't think you're quite in the position to ask such a question."
He rolls his eyes, lips pulling into a smirk before he grimaces as Ajax tugs at the thread in his flesh.
"Sorry, dude," Ajax mutters, brushing his green hair out of his eyes. It does not take as long to stitch Ruben's wounds as mine. Soon enough, Ajax wraps Ruben's torso in gauze and helps him to his feet.
"Alright, are we ready to find Hatchman?" I ask, rising to my feet.
Ajax cleans away his equipment, and we all gather in a huddle by the exit. "Yes, we are going to find Hatchman," Ajax says with grim determination.
"How long have we been in here?" I withdraw the dagger from my side, twirling the blade in my hand.
Ajax glances at his wristwatch. "Just under an hour."
"That means we have just over four hours to track Hatchman and deactivate the bomb under Segment Six," I muse, rolling my shoulders and stretching out my stiff limbs, ignoring the pain in my back as I do so.
"Perhaps, we should split up," Killian says from in between Monet and Sterling.
"I want to go with Ajax!" Sterling pipes up, thrusting his blood-stained dagger into the air.
Killian and Ruben snicker but Ajax grins. "We will split the group in half. Monet, Killian, and Ruben. Aston, Sterling, Elle, and myself."
"Wait," Ruben cuts in, dark brows furrowing, arms crossing over his chest. "I don't want to apart from Elle."
"Don't worry about me, Ruben. I will be fine with these guys." I offer a sure smile.
"But I do not want to lose you," he says.
"You won't."
He peers at me for several more beats and opens his mouth to respond, but then seems to think better of it.
Ajax withdraws his knife. "Alright, no matter what you find, meet back here in one hour so we can assure ourselves that everyone is okay. If you find Hatchman, do not kill him right away. He is the only person that knows anything about the bombs. He knows how to deactivate them." He glances at Sterling, Aston, and I each. "Right, let's go."
He turns and opens the door ajar. He peers out. Judging the corridor outside is clear, he gestures for us to follow. Sterling eagerly steps out after him, followed by Aston. I stay back for a moment, spinning around to Ruben. Cupping his face, I press a firm kiss on his lips. "Do not worry about me, I will be fine."
His jaw clenches and swallows, exhaling a deep breath. "You know that will not happen, Elle."
I bite my lip, brows furrowing. "Just trust me, please."
"As long as you promise not to try anything reckless." He stares into my eyes as if searching for my promise. I look away, knowing that he will not find it. He places his fingers under my chin, forcing my gaze back to his. "Promise me, Elle."
"I promise," I lie.
His green eyes search my grey ones for a moment more before he presses his lips against my own. "I love you," he says.
Forcing away the guilt that threatens to swallow me whole, I glance into his eyes again. "I love you, Ruben."
I tear myself away, following Ajax, Sterling, and Aston out of the room and down the corridor.
"Are you alright, Elle?" Aston asks when I catch up to them, glancing at me concerned.
I give my head a little shake and offer a weak smile. "Of course."
His lips press together into a firm line. "No, you're not."
"It doesn't matter, Aston," I say, sliding my dagger into its scabbard. "We have harder cards to play in this game."
---
"You know the Palace the best, Ajax," Aston says as we exit the research wing and step into a corridor of the Palace. "Is there anywhere Hatchman might have gone?"
Ajax pauses, turning around. He sets his eyes in the foyer's direction. "I might know one place."
We fall into step after Ajax, moving briskly through the corridor, past the dining room, the courtroom, and the ballroom, passing through the Palace foyer. We exit the foyer. We cross the courtyard stage before slipping through the doors, leading into the Underground. Ajax pulls out a small pocket torch. I withdraw my dagger. The torch lights our path down the stairs and through the frigid, dank tunnels. My grip around the dagger tightens as we pass the room where Hatchman branded me, and my spare hand flies to the scar at the base of my neck. My fingers brush over the mark, feeling the raised marking. I inhale a harsh breath. I will never forgive Hatchman or Sneya for violating my body like this.
We reach the end of the corridor, pulling up outside the door to the cavern.
"How many people did we lose?" I ask, remembering all too well the battle that occurred in the cavern yesterday.
Ajax glances over his shoulder, blue eyes laced with remorse. "Ten."
Ten.
I draw in a long, trembling breath, exhale, pushing the number out of my brain.
Ajax then turns back around and grasps the door handle. He twists it, allowing the mouldy old door to creak open just an inch. When he decides that the coast is free, he opens the door wider. Sterling strides after him, spinning his knife in his hands. I glance up at Aston.
"I don't want to go," he says.
Of course, he doesn't.
"Aston," I say, at an absolute loss for words.
"But I have to go in, mustn't I?" His forehead creases as his hazel eyes glint with past horrors. "We need to find Hatchman." Without waiting for a response, Aston shoulders through the doorway and enters the cavern. Gripping my dagger at my side, I follow him.
Death. Its smell works its way into your nose, sharp, nauseating, and all-encompassing. It demands attention, forcing sweet memories to become tainted. It's there to haunt the living.
Bodies litter the cavern floor, staining the stone in their blood. As we cross into the middle of the cavern, I keep my gaze averted from the faces of the dead. I don't want to see someone that I might recognise. Then my boot meets a body, connecting with a sickening thud. I sway before righting myself. The body at my feet belongs to the first man that I killed. I sidestep his body and catch up to Aston.
Ajax, Sterling, and Aston have edged themselves down into the pit where the enormous drill looms. I follow them. I pay careful attention to my feet as they step over the rough, jagged stone. We descend into the bottom of the pit. Ajax holds up a hand, pulling us to a halt. I watch as his sharp eyes scan the stone surrounding us. They land on a particular spot of stone. The stones have made a narrow cave, concealed by the surrounding rock. Ajax steps up to it, shining his torch into the cave, and peers inside.
"This way." He glances at us, gesturing for us to follow. "There's a door just in here."
Aston, Sterling, and Ajax must duck to enter the narrow cave. But being just taller than five feet, I do not. The wooden door into the cave is mouldy, I am surprised it still stands. Blood stains the rusty door handle. Still slick. Still fresh. Ajax shoves the door open and we step into the narrow, low-rising tunnel. There is a pause as we all stare into the infinite black abyss before Ajax nods grimly and we fall into step after him. We do not speak. Each rendered silent as apprehension claws at our thoughts.
Ajax only draws us back to the present when he pulls up short, shining his torch down a gaping hole in the floor. An old metal ladder glints at us.
"Come on," Ajax says, holding his torch in between his teeth. He lowers himself into the hole, placing his foot on a rung, testing its sureness. Seeming to find it alright, he descends the ladder. "Be cautious when you climb, it's slick."
Sterling goes next, and I follow him. I sit on the edge, placing my foot on a rung before rotating around and lowering myself into the hole. Ajax was right; the rungs are slick with grime. I grip the metal tighter as I pick my way down the ladder. At last, I hear Ajax somewhere below reaching the bottom, along with Sterling. When Aston and I reach the bottom, I notice an eerie orange light down yet another hallway, casting ominous shadows along the grimy stone walls as it stretches towards us. The four of us reach the end of the hallway. We round the corner and come into the light.
We find ourselves in a small underground cave, much like the cavern, only smaller. A large panel on the left wall with a map of the Floodgates looks like the one in Lord Sneya's secret quarters. Doctor Cedric Hatchman stands in the centre of the room. The first thing I notice is that blood coats his right hand. He clutches a small silver device in the other hand.
"Elizabeth Fallon." My name drips off his tongue like poison. "You always seem to see me."
"You are the only one who can deactivate the bomb under Segment Six, Hatchman." I ignore his goad, getting right to the point.
"Where is our beloved Ruben Chander?" Hatchman ploughs on as if I said nothing at all. "And who are they, Elizabeth?"
"They are my friends."
Hatchman snorts. "Did I hear you say something about Segment Six?"
I glare at him, hands clenching into fists. "Yes. We cannot let the bomb go off, Hatchman. Deactivate it."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Elizabeth," he sneers. He steps closer and my hand flies to the handle of the dagger at my waist.
"You will expose the city to the virus. People will die," I say, fighting to keep my expression calm.
Hatchman peers at me for a beat, as though I said something stupid. "Oh, Elizabeth. The virus will spread anyway. The people are no safer within the walls than beyond."
"I thought you killed Sneya because you wanted the city for yourself."
A slow, sadistic grin stretches across his refined features. "I lied," Hatchman says.
At last, he averts his eyes. Hatchman strides to the panel on the wall. "I did not intend on an audience. But of course, you are welcome to watch."
As I peer closer at the panel, I can see a screen. There is a list of each Segment. Every other Segment apart from number Six has the word inactivated next to it. Segment Six is on the countdown.
Three and a half hours left.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snap.
"Forgive me, Elizabeth." His lips stay in a twisted, cynical grin. "But I must yet again advance the countdown of Segment Six."
A low, guttural scream builds in the back of my throat. I snatch the dagger from my side, stride forward and launch myself at him. I knock him with my boot, slamming him with a sharp thud against the wall.
"Elle!" I hear Ajax and Aston shout. But I ignore them.
I press the blade of my dagger up to Hatchman's neck. "Deactivate the bomb now."
"Or what, Elizabeth?" he sneers.
"I will kill you." I allow the edge of the blade to sink into his flesh.
"Elle! Back down!" Ajax hisses.
"You will not kill me." Hatchman's icy eyes stare into my grey ones, bloodshot and wild.
"Oh, I will," I say, keeping the dagger at his throat. "Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but I will kill you."
At last, I drop the blade from his neck and back away.
"Please, sir," Ajax steps forward, adopting a calm, measured tone. "We need to deactivate this bomb. The people within the walls cannot handle such exposure, nor do they deserve it. Please, sir, do the right thing and help us."
Something unforeseen flashes across Hatchman's icy eyes, a fleeting moment of doubt. Then, just like that, it's gone. "Some things are not always in my control, boy," he says. "What is your name?"
"Ajax. Ajax Rowan."
"Ajax," Hatchman drawls as if testing the name. "Which sector?"
"Concave."
"If you are Concave, why do you help the Convex, Ajax?"
"Because I am human," Ajax says. "They are human, too."
"They are Convex," Hatchman corrects, waggling a finger at him.
Without another word, Doctor Hatchman raises his long, bony fingers up to the screen with the list of the Segments and begins advancing the timer forward.
Two and a half hours.
Another guttural sound escapes my lips and I lunge forward, but Ajax jerks me back.
One and a half hours.
I cannot help but thrash against Ajax's grip, desperate to stop Hatchman from advancing the time forward even more.
One hour.
At last, he stops and brings his sadistic grin to me. "That's enough time to travel to the southern forest."
Hatchman turns to a small bench. He plucks up a screwdriver. He brings it up to the panel and begins unscrewing the bolts in the corner. He pulls the plate of the panel away from the wall, revealing an array of cords and wires behind it. Hatchman picks up a pair of scissors and brings them up to the wires.
"What the hell are you doing?" I say.
"I am destroying this panel so that when I leave for the southern forest, you lot do not alter the timer."
"Why are you going to the Forest?" I ask, focusing hard on keeping my voice calm and collected.
"You need not concern yourself with business other than your own, Elizabeth," Hatchman grins. Then, with a snap, he cuts the wires.
Without another word, Hatchman picks up a peculiar-looking briefcase and marches right past us. He moves around the corner and down the narrow hallway. We hear him clamber up the ladder and into the corridor.
"You four are not brilliant," Hatchman's voice echoes across the stone. "You have led yourselves right into a trap."
The door makes a sickening, booming thud as Hatchman throws it shut. Hatchman's hysterical laughter cuts short. That is when my body notices the damp chill. It washes over my skin, raising the hair on my arms.
"Ajax, why the hell didn't you let me force him?" I snap.
"Because that would have gotten us nowhere, Elle." He glances at me with a look of obvious irritation.
"But letting him advance the bomb forward got us nowhere, either!" My voice is shrill with panic as I toss my hands up in frustration.
Biting my lip to suppress another outburst, I march out of the cave and down the tunnel. I pick my way up the ladder and stride towards the door. With a sharp yank, the dim light of the cavern falls over my face. I peer across the cavern. Hatchman has disappeared. He is on his way to the Southern Forest.
I need to find Ruben. Then I must get to Hatchman. I need the device before the hour. My heart reminds me there is no use with broken wires, but I ignore her. I jog across the cavern to the exit, hearing the three boys call me. But I ignore them. I hurry through the underground tunnels, past the torture room, and up the steps. I cross the courtyard and enter the Palace, stepping into the foyer. I make my way back to the research wing, slipping into the same room where we left off.
Ruben, Monet, and Killian are already in there.
"He is running away," I splutter, chest rising and falling in panic. "Ruben, come help me catch him."
"Wait, what? Elle, sit down and explain what has happened, please." Ruben peers at me, brows furrowed in concern.
"No, Ruben!" I snap, feeling hysteria rise in my throat. "There is no time!"
"What are you talking about?" Ruben stands up. "We have three and a half hours."
M panic vanishes as I come to the sudden acceptance of the inevitable. "Not anymore," I say, voice now calm. "We only have less than an hour. Hatchman's already headed towards the southern forest now with the only device in the entire city that can deactivate the bombs."
Ruben's face falls. Without another word, I turn and flee, shoving past Ajax, Aston, and Sterling, tearing down the hallway. Before I know it, I'm sprinting towards the Palace gates, sharp eyes scanning my surroundings for Doctor Hatchman. As the gates ease open, I hear Ruben shouting after me. But ignore him. I must get to the Convex Sector. I signal for a horse and coach to pull over outside the gates, and I slide into the seat behind the horseman. Just before the horse falls into step, Ruben catches up to me and jumps into the coach himself. We are silent for the entire ride to the drawbridge, each astray in our own thoughts. I try to keep the panic at bay as the horse weaves through the Concave streets. The horse makes its way down the road towards the drawbridge that arches over the River. That's when my sharp eyes pick up the distinct figure of Doctor Cedric Hatchman walking at a clipped pace along the side of the drawbridge.
"Hey!" I yell out as we draw closer. "Hatchman!"
His head whips around and our eyes lock. A malicious grin spreads across his face before he turns and runs. Without a moment's hesitation, I leap from the coach and I stumble over my feet. My teeth rattle in my head and I ignore the screams of protest from the wounds on my back.
"Elizabeth!" Ruben shouts from the coach.
I do not even pay him a second glance. Instead, I break into a sprint, dashing across the drawbridge to the Convex Sector, after Hatchman.
The chase has begun.
My bare feet pound at the ground, kicking up dirt in my wake as I hurtle through the alleyways. I fix my tenacious gaze on Segment Six looming ahead of me. The whistling wind whips at my unruly red curls. My footsteps are an echoing thud against the cobbled streets, pounding to a steady rhythm, unlike the erratic beat of my heart. The Floodgates drips into the night. The colour of the sky adopts its yellow, pink, and indigo hues.
"Elle!" Ruben shouts from somewhere behind me. I can hear him chasing me, but I will not stop for anyone. Not even him. The only thing that matters is getting to Segment Six, to stopping Hatchman. Everything else is secondary.
My lungs gasp for oxygen. My legs burn with exertion. But the adrenaline coursing through my veins pushes me forward. Oil lamps along the street are alight, throwing their eerie, haphazard shadows across the cobbles, illuminating the dusty pathways for me in burnt orange light. I let out a yelp as I collide with someone, muttering an apology before I sidestep the person and tear around the corner.
I must get to him.
I must get that damn device.
As I approach the Forest at the Southern Wall, Hatchman's retreating figure disappears into the foliage. I push my legs harder, faster. I'm determined to get him. For if I lose him, that could be it.
Six minutes.
I career through the Forest, dodging trees and leaping over bushes. Hatchman is my target. He runs a good 20 meters ahead; the trees concealing him. But then, Hatchman skids to a halt. He bends down, uplifting a trapdoor. I do not stop running as he pauses, averting his gaze up to me. He grins. Making a show of tucking the device into the front pocket of his shirt, he steps over the edge and disappears below ground. My heels dig into the mud to slow myself down as I approach the trapdoor entrance. I almost step off when a pair of hands grab me by the waist, yanking me backwards.
"No, Elle!" Ruben snaps, tightening his grip around me.
"Let me go, Ruben." I thrash and writhe in his grip, but he holds firm. "I must catch him!"
"If you go any further, you will die. He's headed for the bunker below Segment Six."
The realisation hits me like a slap in the face, I turn, grab Ruben by the wrist and run in the opposite direction. I drive my legs into the dirt, pushing myself forward at a reckless pace, determined to get away from the impending destruction of Segment Six.
Then all at once, there's silence. My knees graze and blood drips into my eyes. Mind foggy, vision hazy, I flip around to see fragments of stone littering the visible landscape. My ears ring as the earth trembles beneath me.
The dust swallows me whole.
THE END
****
I do not think I can quite put into words how much it actually means to me that you have read right to the end of this book. This has taken me about a year to write (the first draft) and in that time I have poured so much of myself into this story. So to have you put the time into reading it means so much. Thank you so much for being so supportive and enthusiastic while reading this. I hope you enjoyed reading Elle's story as much as I did writing it.
Who is your favourite character and why?
Do you have a favourite part or scene?
Please let me know your thoughts on anything, feedback is greatly appreciated.
Thank you! Thank you so so much.
~ Emma xxx