A/N: Here is a fellow Wattpadian that I would like to introduce to you all (who, by the way is MUCH more talented than I). Her stories really are great- a few, specifically, that would be PERFECT for a night such as this. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
CHAPTER 10: Swallowed Whole
Heat.
Heat scorched my face.
Tiny, hard grains of...sand?
I was outside?
My eyes popped open to be greeted with burning, bright light; sun. Just as a choking, dry sensation claimed my airways and I hacked up a lung, Thor's hammer pounded on my skull and lightning bolts of pain wired through my brain cells.
I shielded my eyes from the sun and slowly sat up. Clutching my pounding head, I coughed again, this time breaking something apart inside.
Surrounding me was an endless landscape of craggy mountains, hills, and sand. Shrubs covered most of the ground, one in particular covering most of my body in a slightly protective shade. With a seed of dread in my stomach, I looked all around to find the warehouse- or some form of civilization- out of sight.
Panic overloaded my senses and my stomach clenched at the sensation.
Did I get too drunk last night? The headache and amnesia made sense- the only thing not adding up was the fact that I was lying in the middle of (what I assumed to be) the Mojave desert, with no sign of human activity, safe the possible hermit camping out in the mountains. Was someone playing a prank on me? Had Rick put something in my drink and dragged me-
My line of thoughts was brutally chopped as images from a horror movie flashed before me. Bloody tiles. Splattered walls. A bloody face. My red hands...
My memory came back to me then like snapping spandex. I put my head between my knees as the hammer pounded harder, pain pulsing behind my eyelids. A series of groans emitted from my throat-or most of them. Another set of noise caught my attention and I lifted my head, squinting. About fifteen feet away from me a man sat, appearing to have just come out of a sleep or trance. Grunting, I got on my feet, resulting in an intense bout of vertigo.
“Hey!” A gruff voice called. I waved towards the man as I regained my balance, clutching my head in my other hand. As we neared each other, I saw that his clothes were dirty and sand encrusted. A quick look at my own attire proved that I was just as nasty and grungy as him.
“Anthony?” I questioned in disbelief. Was he the one who dragged me out here? Or- my stomach twisted unpleasantly- had it been someone else? My eyes widened in fear-had we been stranded?
“Banner?” Anthony echoed back in his familiar, too-deep-to-be-sixteen voice laced with anger, “did you do this?”
I gave him an incredulous look. “And exactly how would I of hauled your heavy ass out here?" Though he wasn’t exceptionally tall, Anthony’s dirty clothes hinted non-too subtly at what lie beneath; an impressively built form. I scowled inwardly for my interest.
"Well then who did?"
The sound of another awakening caught both of our attentions. A girl grunted from under a shrub, concealed just as I had been, and twisted her gaze around in disorientation. Anthony and I both approached her, and the blond faced us. It was Phoebe.
“The hell…” She muttered and frowned up at us, her eyes resting on Anthony. Realization suddenly broke free of the clouds in her sky blue eyes. “Blades. Shit!” She cursed and practically leaped to her fee, recovering faster than I had.
“Phebes, what are you talking about?” Anthony questioned as he touched her hand. I crossed my arms.
Phoebe brushed a few strands of platinum from her eyes and faced us with the wary eyes of a worn warrior. “Where are we?”
“Don’t know.”
The strength in her eyes dissolved, replaced with blood-thirsty hatred. Ugh. I really needed to work on my analogies. “Blades. They were everywhere. The others, they…” I lowered my head slightly, lips pressed together and sighed. Anthony, however, seemed unfazed.
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“I-I was driving one of the vans back and I was almost at the warehouse. There were…there were so many. Blades…they were everywhere. We were surrounded. People-normals- saw them shooting at us. There was a car behind me, a black car- but everything’s blurry after that.” My breathing was shaken by the time Phoebe finished. She looked to me, not smiling kindly like the first day of my arrival. “And what about you? What do you remember?”
I bit my lip, the simple act of recalling the last bits of memory in the bathroom making my brain hurt. “I was in a bathroom, at a gas station, I think. There were gunshots. A man dressed in all black…he came in and I-I attacked him,” my voice cracked and I gaped sharply. “There was blood. Blood. And I don’t remember anything else.”
They both shook their heads, mirroring the same shrewd expression. “Blade no doubt,” Phoebe concluded the obvious.
“But why would they throw us out in the middle of the desert? Or shoot at us in public?” Anthony pondered. I wanted to vomit.
Phoebe sighed. “Who knows with those guys. Probably just did it to see us suffer.”
“They're testing us," I said despairingly.
“They run tests in LABS, Banner,” Anthony said like discounting the existence of Santa Claus. I glared.
“Actually, that sounds pretty likely. They’re probably testing us on endurance,” Phoebe said inside of her cheek, as if she wished it wasn't true. Her hands clenched, face hardening.
If this was a test, why aren't there a bunch of white coats out here? Why aren't we being stuck with needles, or in an infinite amount of pain?"
"Then who drug us out here? The tooth fairy?" I questioned, growing irritated.
Anthony glared, apparently not liking his ideas being shot down. "How would you know if this is an experiment? You've never had to endure that kind of hell. You've never known another world short of perfect until we picked you up-"
"Anthony." Phoebe cut in quietly, brushing his arm. Anthony stopped. His eyes met mine again, the irritated heat subdued in his gaze.
However, I my irritation had not bee. I crossed my arms at his defensiveness and huffed. His unwillingness to cooperate annoyed me. "I honestly wouldn't doubt it, Anthony. I mean, what else could have possibly happened?" Phoebe said quietly.
Anthony frowned, looking at the ground. "I know the Blades did this. There's no doubt. It's just...things don't add up. This is...odd, even for them. If we were really in an experiment, we'd know it. There'd be pain. There'd be monitors, people watching behind one-way glass."
"Well, think for a moment," Phoebe said, stroking her chin, "exactly WHY would they put us out here? If we were in an experiment, what would it be over?"
"Endurance?" I wondered aloud, my blood running cold as soon as the thought was spoken. There was a long pause; the only sounds were of distant howling wind and our churning brains.
“To see who can last the longest,” Anthony spat. His eyes reflected the same hate that Phoebe held. His fists clenched until bone they were bone white against the rest of his deeply tanned skin.
Phoebe reached out for his hand and stroked it gently. This act of intimacy, even in our dire situation, caused a pang of jealousy to stab my heart. I could’ve had that. I winced as a certain golden-haired boy’s face flitted through my mind, a particular pair of shining flint eyes flashing behind my eyelids. It lasted less than a second, and the pain dulled, only a stabbing ache left.
Her soothing effect on the man didn't cease to work the second time. Anthony smiled- I mean his teeth showed- down at Phoebe. It stunned me that he could express any emotion besides irritation and anger.
"What now?" I asked, wanting their little moment to end. I didn't like the feelings it brought. Anthony, apparently still our leader, paused in thought for a moment.
“Search for any others out here. It's probably only us, but we still need to check. We'll meet back at that cactus," Anthony gestured to a towering green plant a few feet away, oddly life-like compared to the rest of our surroundings, ''in fifteen minutes. Kay?"
Though I hated to be bossed around by him, I crossed my arms, nodded and we scattered. As the sun glared down and sweat pored I combed through thick and thin brush frantically, calling out to anyone who might’ve heard. I grew thirsty soon, my headache still alive and kicking.
Before long, black spots danced in my vision, twirling like tiny, vicious gnats. My mouth felt like someone had mixed a gallon of salt and super glue together and put it in my mouth. Had I of not been exposed to desert for a time of…well, little over a month I probably wouldn’t of been able to stand, let alone stumble my way through the rocky scape.
Sweat drenched every crevice of me, but I was used to that too, along with the ‘I need to take a shower or I may suffocate from my own stench’ urge. Well, I got used to the idea.
"Hello!" I shouted again, walking around a large boulder to find a body protected in shade and not ten feet away from me- a petite, blond body. My heart stopped. It was dressed in a t shirt splattered with rust, pants, and a pair of boots; the outfit I last saw Karson in.
"Karson?" I rasped and touched her shoulder. She rolled over and groaned. I breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyelids shot open, revealing bloodshot eyes. Karson grabbed my shoulders, her eyes blind in panic and breaths panting. I ripped myself from her grasp while she became oriented. "The hell?" I said, confused. That had never happened at our sleepovers.
I rubbed my shoulders which were likely to be bruised by tomorrow. "Banner?" Karson whispered, disbelieving.
"The one and only," I mumbled.
"How did you make it out? Why are we..." she trailed off as she surveyed our surroundings, "in the desert?"
"Blades," I grumbled. "We're stranded." Karson's eyes squeezed shut.
"Damn. Well, are you okay?" Karson said, starting to get up on her feet.
"As far as I know. You?" I said, thankful to have Karson with me.
“I feel okay. We should probably get back to the others now- make sure everyone’s alright."
"Yeah," I paused, taking an sharp breath. I had known there was a risk of death since the beginning. But now...it was scary how hostile my environment was becoming. The familiar pang of home sickness washed over me, something I hadn't felt in weeks. "Karson, are we going to die?"
Karson smiled and I locked gazes with her two deep, impossibly blue eyes- the kind of blue that one would imagine the color of the bottom of the ocean to be- and something crawled out of those depths. It wasn't a parasite or blood, but something much more dangerous. Something no child would want to see in their mother's eyes; fear.