Chapter 16: Newcomer
Trust was a word I wasn't willing to give anyone who I'd met just about ten minutes ago. Especially one who I'd perceived to be a monster. But as I got up and found that my leg felt almost completely new— like it had never been hit by a bullet in the first place, I was eager to know who Dante was, and what he was up to.
Not as much eager as I was to search for my friends, but it was pretty damn close.
"There," he said, smiling, as I got to my feet. "Better, isn't it? Like I'd told you?"
"Yup," I replied, still disbelieving. How did he manage to do that? Even my parents wouldn't be able to do this, and they'd been Doctors for a long time.
"And you can walk now too." Dante encouraged me. "Well, maybe not run, but you can at least give it some baby steps. Try."
I took a deep, shaky breath. What he was asking of me, sure wasn't easy. Especially since I knew that the pain could come anytime soon. Or had he, in fact, just given me a placebo? That could be possible too.
Dante's gentle hand went to my shoulder. "Try. . ."
I gulped. I hope he was right. Otherwise, I'd just go stumbling down. It would be such a disaster, and my crutch was nowhere to be found.
Taking another deep breath, I pushed myself forward.
And smiled.
"Wow. . ."
I glanced at him. The interchanging pain and numbness from before were completely gone now, like they had never even existed. I could totally feel every inch of my leg without me wincing or groaning. But again, how?
"Magic," Dante said, letting go of one of my hands, which I didn't notice was still tightly clasped to his. "Like I said, we can help you in here, if you just trust me."
My eyes narrowed at him. Okay, maybe he was on to something here. After all, he saved me and healed me afterwards. But why was he so insistent on trust? I mean, he barely even knew me. For all he knew, I could be a serial killer.
Dante, who was looking closely at me, gave me a shrug. "That, or you can search for your friends alone," he said. "Your choice, little one. I'm just happy to help.
Wow. He didn't give much leeway, did he?
With him looking convinced that I was willing to do anything for my friends, Dante stepped away, though not without a wink and a warning. "If you do fall down, it wouldn't be my fault." He then went to the tent flap, took one of the edges, turned to me with an expectant smile. "Ready?"
"I guess. . ."
With a flick of his hand, the flap came upward— along with it my jaw dropped downward. What I was seeing was impossible.
"Where. . ." I stammered. "Where are we?"
The waterfall that cascaded in the distance was nothing short of a fairy tale. Several feet high, even at this range, everything else— even the astonishment with my legs suddenly healing, felt unimportant as I hobbled towards the exit.
"D-Dante, where's the sewer?!" I gasped.
The man went outside, tilted his head to me. "Come now, little one. We have more land to cover."
I blinked one more time, rubbed my eyes to see if I was dreaming. Yet the waterfall in front was still there when I stepped outside the tent. I looked at the rest of the scenery, wondering what happened.
Instead of the gloominess of the sewer, I was greeted by not only the waterfall or the river where the stream flowed to, but also boulders, plants, and the whole force of nature, just a few steps away from us.
We were not inside the sewer anymore— that's what my mind was screaming to me. Yet how could this be? Were three days even enough to get here?
Of course, it was.
Dante motioned to the waterfall. "It's a sight to behold, isn't it? Welcome to Conduit."
"C-Conduit?"
He gave me another one of his famous shrugs. "Trust me, and I'll trust you. That's how it works down here."
Okay then. I closed my mouth. We were in a need-to-know basis for now; that was the vibe that he was giving me. But maybe if I did give him the benefit of the doubt and followed him to wherever he wanted, he would start the explanations somehow, which at this point I needed badly.
Dante gave an appreciative nod when I started limping ahead. "There you go," he murmured. "But you don't have to limp anymore, you know."
"Habit," I said, one that I'd acquired from the short-lived bullet wound that I got.
Either way, he trailed after me, his voice behind being the direction that I needed. "Go on those flat rocks floating on the water."
"You sure?"
"Yes," he said, sounding more confident than I felt. "I live down here, along with a couple of others. It's completely safe. Like I said, trust."
I was glad that he couldn't see my frown, otherwise he'd know that I was not totally ready to do that just yet. Trust. Also, I stepped on the flat but massive rocks like he'd instructed, floating on the water, and found myself feeling like I was treading on something that felt almost like solid ground. I continued to the next rock.
"Good," Dante said from behind. "Just keep following those rocks. Pretty soon we'll reach the dwellings."
Dwellings? I wanted to ask. But didn't, anyhow. Did he mean that there were more tents in there? Or out there, whatever this place was?
For the millionth time, I checked out the area. There was a waterfall, yes, looming closer and closer now as we headed towards it. But what I hadn't noticed before were the rock walls. We were completely surrounded by them, towering like giants.
"Dante?"
"Yes?"
"Can you humor me for a second and tell me if we're inside a cave?"
"We're inside a cave, Pax."
My insides twirled. So that explained the walls. They were so high up, but with no ceiling whatsoever. The waterfall gave the illusion that we were outside, yet for all intents and purposes we were still inside, weren't we?
How?
Dante, who had now made it beside me, gave me a little smile. "You're an observant, kid. I like that."
"I'm hardly a kid anymore," I said.
"Oh?" Something sparkled on his blue eyes. "I think I'll still stick to calling you little one, though. That's your nickname from now on, okay, Pax?"
I glanced at my shoes. If that's what he wanted. Pretty soon I'd be out of here anyhow.
Dante continued our unspoken game of not speaking at all, all-throughout the river. Which was fine to me; in most cases, seeing that I was quiet myself. But now, as we neared the waterfall for just a few feet away, I needed all the speaking and explanations I could get, especially since Dante didn't look like he wanted to stop anytime soon.
Shielding my face, I didn't let the sprinkle from the water ruin my sour expression as I turned fast to him. "Uhm. . ."
"Yes, little one?"
"Where the hell are we going?"
Dante pointed to the fall. "Conduit," he said. "The main dwellings is just beyond."
"Oh." I glanced doubtfully at the waterfall not far from me again. Just a few feet ahead. "I don't know," I said, "but the current looks pretty strong. Should we swim?"
Dante squeezed my shoulder— he had made it to my side now. "Let me through," he said, and I tried to balance myself on the rock floating on the water. It was not that slippery, but there was barely enough room for him to maneuver through.
Once he was in front of me, though, Dante motioned to yet another smaller rock that I hadn't noticed before, somehow floating on the water as well. "Just follow me," he said. "This leads straight behind the falls."
Alright. That sounded easy. Except as we traversed the smaller rocks, the surfaces got slimier, covered in moss, that I almost lost my balance.
Dante caught my hand just as I was teetering to the side. "Got you," he said, straightening me back up. "Just a little bit more, Pax. And then it would be all over with."
Fine.
I took a big breath.
The air was so much colder now that we were almost to the waterfall. It was as if someone had let out the breeze inside the fridge. But before I could say so, Dante was making his way forward and diligently again. I followed from behind, the anticipation making me shiver.
It didn't take a while before we broke through.
Wow. . .
I sounded like Owen Wilson. But jokes aside, I had never experienced this in my life; it was surreal. Not the bad kind this time, but more of me being glad that I was alive. Never in my seventeen years had I thought I would go to somewhere like this. Behind the waterfalls, the curtain of stream rushed down like it was nobody's business.
"It still gets me every time," Dante said, his voice echoing in the chamber we just broke through. "I'm still surprised every time I see this place, which nobody else has the ability to go to. Be glad, little one, that you're here."
That I was. My legs took a life of their own though. I hobbled to the middle part of the curtain, was barely a stone's throw away from the water, this time not shielding my face anymore. The sprinkle from the stream made me tremble.
"I wish Audra was here," I said before I could stop myself.
"Your friend?" Dante asked.
"More or less."
The kind of look he was giving me as I turned around was no doubt the kind of look I give Audra every single time I see her; curiosity, amusement, but mine was shadowed with something else. Something I couldn't define. Whatever I felt for her was still a question mark.
My stomach turned both in a good and bad way when I suddenly thought of her unreadable eyes.
I missed her. Somehow. . .
Even though we weren't that close, and I was miles away from having whatever kind of valid relationship with her, Audra's kindness had always been infectious. Genuine.
Dante was looking expectantly at me when my gaze focused back on him. "She's important to you. I get that," he said.
"No, you don't. Old man."
His lips quirked up at that. "Fair enough." He shrugged. "But if you just continue to come with me, soon you'll be reunited with her, important or not. Come."
That was my signal that we should get a move on. And Dante, in front now, didn't waste any more time asking more questions. He simply pushed through the tunnel ahead, set up on the task.
We ended up in a smaller, narrower passageway; the kind that you wouldn't want to get caught on when being chased by a clown.
"Through there." Dante's voice echoed in front.
I frowned at what he said, not at the sound, which was creepy on itself, but more of the tunnel and the darkness and its implications. I mean, I could barely see anything through the passage ahead, and yet he wanted me to go there with him?
Dante's chuckles bounced off the walls. "If I had wanted to touch you, I would have done it when you were asleep, Pax."
I balked. "You can't blame me, old man. I'm just looking out for myself."
"I know." More chuckles. "But suit yourself and just stand in the dark. In the meantime, I'll go on, while you grow old here."
His footsteps trudged forward. And I groaned.
Wow. . . (Owen Wilson.) Dante could be really straight to the point if he wanted to.
I squinted at the tunnel he disappeared into nevertheless.
He had a point though. If he wanted to do something bad, he would have gotten the opportunity lots of times and even over-powered me in the tent. Maybe I should just follow him though the tunnel.
"Predators play with their food before they eat them, you know."
I scowled. Of course. Of all the imaginary voices to come to me this time, it had to be Neil's. Shut up already.
I straightened my shoulders. Well. . . what Neil's imaginary voice had just said might be true, but I had already escaped from Dante in the sewers hadn't I? Maybe now if he wanted to hurt me, I could do the same and just break out.
"Go ahead, Leighton. You're the one making the mistake."
I shooed away the make-believe bubble of voice in my head, and continued to the darkness, hoping that I didn't regret it.
And I didn't.
Standing after a few seconds out of the path waiting, was Dante, his arms folded in front of him, leaning on a wall. But I had to blink a couple of times because it was brighter than inside the tunnel. It nearly blinded me raw.
"I see you'd made up your mind," Dante said upon seeing me. "For Audra?"
"Yes."
And to shut Neil up who was making a racket in my head. But I didn't tell him that.
Dante unfolded his arms and nudged his head around us. Looking at the place, I caught sight of several paths.
"This place is quite large." Dante strode to another wall, took a torch hanging from a sconce. There were some for each of the entrances circling around us. "Some of these paths lead to smaller, narrower paths," Dante continued. "Some of these paths lead to dead ends altogether." The flame from the torch fluttered as he pointed to the tunnel on the right. "We take this way for now. And just a warning, without me you'd be lost."
I kind of figured that out.
And yet. . . There was a small kick in my stomach as he signaled for me to follow. It felt like we were going straight to the dragon's den. I couldn't help but to feel a bit nervous as I trailed after him.
We broke to a chamber brighter than the other one, that I simply had to shield my eyes. "Ugh. . ."
Dante, undaunted, sounded like he was putting the torch back on yet another sconce.
"Pax. . ."
I lowered my hands. In front of me now was yet another body of water. Blue. Almost glowing. A few feet below, that I had to jump down if I were to go in.
Dante's hands were empty of the torch when I finally turned to him. "What's this?" I asked.
"A lake."
"Yes, I could see that it's a lake. But what do you want me to do?"
"Bathe."
"Excuse me?"
He gave me a chuckle. And yet, he still strolled to me, both hands on his back. "You're not just expecting me to point you to our dwellings, are you? You have to earn the way."
"But—"
"Your friends will be hard to find on your own," Dante said.
"But—"
"That was a bullet wound on your calf, wasn't it?"
Our eyes clashed together.
"Pax. . . To be honest, you may be doubting me, but for now you pose as a bigger threat to me and my community. The bullet wound might mean that you're a criminal on the run. And as much as I want to help a girl who is away from her group, I need to figure out if you are worthy of us. There are children in this place."
Damn. Damn it!
Dante stretched his hand to the lake. "The challenge is simple, little one, and almost everyone who wants to reach our dwellings had to go through this."
I frowned. "Really? But what's so hard with that? Did some people drown?"
His face was unreadable as I placed my gaze on him. "You'll find that out once you jump through."