"Ashley?" The dirty guy says in surprise, eyes widening.
"Peter?!?" I exclaim, stepping out from behind Lager, who let's out some kind of growl I could barely hear.
"It is you, Thank God." He says, taking a shaky step forward. "I can't believe you're here. I'm so glad to see you-"
"Peter!" I cut him off, my anxiety starting to grow as I think about what Peter being here and in such a state probably means."What are you doing here?"
Peter opens his mouth to answer, but that's the moment when he finally realizes Lager standing not two feet away, looking ready to pummel him. He straightens, his hand drifting to his gun holster which I notice is empty. What happened to his gun? And more importantly, what happened to him?
"Lager," I say, gesturing with my hand. "This is Peter. Peter, Lager."
"You're a Darkling." Peter breathes in awe.
Lager lets a wicked smirk settle on his face.
"Not just a Darkling. I'm the Darkling High Commander," he says in a very threatening voice. I roll my eyes and sigh.
"Peter you need to tell us what's wrong now. Is my father okay?" I get back on topic.
Peter focuses back on me, a Shadow crossing his eyes.
"I don't know." He admits, hands starting to tremble a little. "We were so close to reaching the Core, when we were attacked by these huge, terrifying creatures. They mostly stuck to the shadows, so I didn't catch a glimpse, but one of my comrades did. He-he froze up, not moving an inch, and was instantly dragged away by one of those things." He shudders, recalling the memory that makes me want to barf.
"Lynchers." Lager says, seeming a little spooked himself. "Those idiots. They should have known we would have protection around the Core."
"What happened next?" I ask, desperate for every detail, to see if he knows anything at all about my father.
"I was separated from the rest of the group and took that chance to run. Stumbling upon you was a miracle."
My mind is whirling, my skin clammy and pale. No, no no. Dad has to be alright. He has to be.
Lager notices my distress and speaks up. "I'll let you stay here for the night Peter, but that is it. Follow me."
Lager turns to leave, but pauses as if forgetting something. Slightly hesitant, he raises his hand, then with determination he takes a hold on my other one, tugging me ahead with him. I might have let him, or tugged free, but I was too anxious to even consider doing either, so I let him drag me behind, Peter walking quickly to keep up.
Soon the what seemed like an endless orchard melts away to reveal Highclere, The volcano just up ahead. There's a huge set of metallic double doors carved into the side of the volcano, and two Darklings stand guard there. When they see Lager coming, one of them immediately moves to a lock pad at the side of the doors. He enters in a very long code, which is so long we stand there for a few moments as beeps fill the air with each number he presses.
"Why is the code so long?" I ask, thankful for the distraction that keeps me away from my worry.
Lager looks down at me, his lip twitching up. "Extra security measure of course.....and I might have wanted to punish the Darkling guards for their recent slack on their job. They had to memorize this code in one night or else they had to spend an entire day locked in our prison, which is located around the very core of the volcano way down under."
I grow pale thinking about how unbearably hot it must be in that prison.
A last beep sounds and the heavy doors slide open. The guard gets back into his position and in unison they both salute as Lager strides past. He tugs me along and as I'm passing the guard who entered the code I mouth "I'm sorry". The guard doesn't see though and continues to stare straight ahead.
Lager leads us down a hallway and up a flight of stairs until we reach the same hallway Sylvia had found me in not too long ago. Lager storms up to a door and opens it, turning his cold stare onto Peter.
"Wash up in here. The door will stay locked until we are ready to talk to you."
Peter slowly, almost hesitantly walks past us and into the room, his eyes on me the entire time, urging me to look at him, but I can't. Not yet at least, I need to cool down before I can bring myself to think about what to do now.
The door slides shut behind Peter and Lager's cold look dissapears. He sighs, rubbing his forehead, and that's when I notice our hands are still connected.
"Uh, Lager?" I say. He looks up, his gaze questioning. I look pointedly down at our hands, and specifically his huge, warm hand clasped around my wrist.
His grip tightens for a second, before he releases me and leans up against the wall. I look down the hallway, wondering where my room is.
"Your room," Lager says, startling me because it's like he read my mind, "is the next door down the hallway."
"How did you know I was thinking that?" I ask and a corner of his lips twitches up tiredly.
"Your face is an open book."
I scowl at this, and even though I know Lager is trying to make light hearted conversation, I can't get over the fact that my dad is probably dead.
Dead.
The word resonates through me, at the same time my stomach lurches. I clasp a hand over my mouth, teeth clamping shut and make a dash down the hallway to the next door. It slides open easily and I run inside, banging into the bathroom door before throwing it open.
I manage to reach the toilet right as I vomit, emptying the contents in my stomach into the chemical scented water.
I wretch for a few more seconds, panting. I look over my shoulder to see Lager standing in the doorway, clutching the door frame with a tense expression on his face. I give a sheepish smile, flushing the toilet, before standing on shaky knees. I open my mouth to tell him I'm fine, but he beats me to it.
"I'll go grab some medicine." Then he's gone in a flash.
I sigh, walking over to the sink and rinsing my mouth out. I breathe deeply for a few moments, trying to calm my nerves and thoughts. I wish they'd just dissapear from my head. I grab a hand towel and pat my face, feeling a tiny headache start to form. The worst part is, I don't know if the headache is from stress or my impending death.
Even though I try to stop my thoughts from drifting there again, they still go right back to my father. He has to be safe. He has to be. I won't lose him to this island like I did with my mom.
I set the towel down, coming to a firm decision. The second Lager comes back I'm going to demand he let me go save my father.
I'm almost certain he's not dead, because if I start to think, for even the slightest second, that he is, I'll break down and combust.
A figure appears out of the corner of my eye, and I turn, glad for his perfect timing.
"Lager, I-" But Lager doesn't stand in the doorway. It's End, in all his dark glory.
Silence permeates the air, and then I'm shouting.
"End!" I exclaim, taking a step in his direction. I smile very widely, probably looking insane, but then my grin dissapears replaced by fury so hot it's from Hell. "You traitor! Just when I thought we were becoming friends you leave me alone with my worst nightmare, Sylvia! How could you?"
End is dead silent as always, but I find its becoming increasingly easier to read his facial expressions, and something is telling me right now he's the slightest bit sheepish.
My smile returns, and now End probably not only thinks I'm insane, but bipolar too.
My eyes catch on something, and I realize he's holding something. A bottle rests in his hand, half full of dark grey pills that clink together as he shifts.
Didn't Lager say he was going to grab me some medicine? And how would End know I threw up, even if it wasn't from sickness?
I put two and two together.
"Did Lager send you?" I ask.
End seems to hesitate, before nodding slowly.
I huff, clenching my fists. "That lying Jerk! He said he didn't know you. What an idiot."
I sigh, shaking my head, before turning back to End. "Sorry, and thank you."
He nods, reaching out his hand. I reach out to take the pill bottles, but am surprised when he takes my hand instead, his shadow form materializing, and leads me out of the bathroom and to one of the white couches.
I sit down while End takes the cap off, pouring two pills out into his hand. He presents them to me, but I shake my head.
"Honestly, End. I'm fine, I wasn't throwing up because I was sick."
End pushes them closer towards me, seeming to frown stubbornly.
I gently push his shadow hand away, smiling apologetically.
"Really, I just threw up because of stress."
End stares down at me a moment longer, before pouring the pills back into the bottle. Although he does this, he still doesn't put the cap back on and sets it on the coffee table very close. I expect him to leave, since he accomplished his job of delivering the pills to me, but instead he shocks me by sitting down beside me.
I shift over a little to give him room, eyes wide as I watch him get comfortable.
Once settled, he turns towards me and just stares......intently.
I swallow, fidgeting nervously as he keeps that intense gaze on me, penetrating my very soul. Finally, I sigh, my shoulders deflating.
"I guess you want to know why I'm stressed don't you?"
End doesn't nod, but I can tell that he's urging me on. I close my eyes, leaning my head up against the back of the couch.
"I'm worried because my dad may be out there, struggling to survive, while I'm stuck in here, taking strolls through orchards and chatting."
I open my eyes, staring at the ceiling and feeling like my shoulders feel a little lighter. I didn't know it would feel this good to just talk about things.
"I've made of my mind." I say after a long pause of silence. "The second I see Lager I'm going to demand he let me go."
I finally turn my head to look at End and see him sitting surprisingly still and tense.
"Don't worry." I say, shifting my body towards him. "I promise I'll try not to put myself in danger, and I'll see you again, sooner than you can notice I'm gone."
This doesn't seem to appease him, because he doesn't relax.
"End....." I say, wracking my mind for something to say, but suddenly the door is thrown open.
A Darkling guard stands there, panting. I immediately jump up, eyes wide.
"It's....It's Zero." He sputters, and the second He does a mighty roar shakes the ground.
I immediately take off, pushing past the guard and into the hallway. I sprint in the direction I heard the sound come from, ignoring my tired body as I run past Windows with views of the late night sky.
I see the doors to the throne room up ahead, and father past that is Lager, running towards me.
We meet each other halfway in front of the doors, and he pauses before me for a moment, looking me up and down with a concerned look. There's also something else there in his eyes, which looks very strange, but I don't give it a second thought. I nod, and he nods back, before turning to the doors and opening them without using his hand and only a flick of darkness.
The second the doors open, pain explodes in my head and I cry out, dropping to one knee as I clutch my skull.
No, this can't be happening. I can't die, not when my father and Zero need me.
My vision is filled with black spots for a moment, the pain burning. It could be a few seconds or a minute later, but eventually it receeds to a dull ache, and I relax in relief.
I look up, one hand against my forehead only to take in a new, worse scene.
Zero stands more than halfway down the aisle, the moon from the Windows shining down on his form and making his silver eyes glow. Lager, who only stands a few feet in front of me with his back to me, is facing him off. Becky and Max stand next to the throne, a worried expression on their face, and Sylvia stands on the opposite side of the throne, hand on whip as if ready to use it on Zero.
Like Hell, I think.
I get to my feet wobbly and Zero's eyes immediately dart to mine.
"Zero." I say, my voice shaking. "What are you doing?"
Zero's form seems to tremble, and he bows his head, muscles munching together as he seems to restrain himself.
"I tried, Ashley." He says in a raspy voice, and my nerves are set alight. It seems like it's the first time he's calls me by my actual name, and my skin crawls at what that could mean.
"Tried what?" I ask.
Zero opens his mouth, but is cut off by Lager, the master of interruptions.
"Don't." Lager warns.
Zero raises his head, his eyes burning with anger and pain.
"Don't tell me what to do!" He exclaims, and his voice makes me flinch. Another wave of pain echoes through my head and it takes everything I have to keep myself from collapsing.
When the pain is gone again, I blink a few times, clearing my blurry vision to see Zero, panting and staring at me like he's in agony.
"Zero." I croak.
"I can't." He whispers, just loudly enough for me to hear. "I can't do it anymore."
Fear, real fear creeps up my spine as I stare at a broken Zero before me. When did things go so downhill?
"Ashie." Zero says, looking deeply into my eyes. I'm compelled to take another step forward, not letting my eyes leave his. "I'm so sorry."
Then Zero, my adorable man child, who's been with me through so much on both islands and has always had my back, falls to his knees, burying his head in his hands.
I don't stop myself from running forward, kneeling down beside him. I pry his hands off with all the strength I can muster. Grabbing his face, I lift it to mine and without hesitating do what I've been wanting to do for some time.
I slam my lips down on his, holding his face tightly as he jerks in surprise.
I have no clue what I'm doing, only knowing that Zero is breaking and I need to keep him together and were kissing and time seems to slow.
He returns it after a few moments, kissing me back as a low rumble comes from his chest.
I let myself sink into the steady warmth of the kiss, and the tingles it ignites, running my hands along his jaw.
The kiss ends soon, too soon, and I'm pulling away, slightly breathless.
I look into his eyes, expecting my normal, protective and sometimes happy Zero to be back, but instead he only seems more broken than before.
"Ashie." He croaks, his shoulders shaking slightly as a few tears slide down his face. "I can't keep this from you any longer."
I feel myself go into some sort of daze, anticipating his next words and not knowing just how horrible they would be.
"The reason you're dying," He says shakily, "........is because of me."
Dears Readers, I honestly am speechless. What I just wrote is honestly killing me about as much as it probably is for you. If I thought you were gonna kill me before, now I'm certain you will. I apologize for the cliffhanger. Honestly, I have to keep you on your toes or else you wouldn't want to read. At least I updated! Yay! My manager should be happy. Anyway, Experiment Zero is coming to an ending soon, and I'm still deciding on possible pathways for this book. Sorry for the delay in updates! Vote, comment, and listen to Coldplay.
Lots of love,
Dangeroustoken.