"WHAT?! " I screamed as Albert hurried to the door.
"Hurry Artemisia, we cannot stay here much longer!" He yelled back as he kicked the door open, Gandila right behind him. I stood frozen in place, confused and very, very terrified.
The Deathtreaders are here... My heart was pounding so hard, I thought I would faint.
We're going to die.
It was that sole horrified thought that built pure terror inside me. The greatest fear during my hiding, was to be seen by the bloodthirsty soldiers that were under direct control of the Government. Deathtreaders were the most brutal and inhuman of all the Government's military and the lone force that could wipe out an entire nation on a lone order. I glanced down and realized my legs were shaking.
When a Deathtreader hunted for you, the pits of hell would be a more pleasant fate.
"ARTEMISIA!" Albert yelled, much louder than before and immediately snapping me out of my horrified state. His eyes were hard with nerves.
"Listen. Now is not the time to be afraid. There are Deathtreaders outside who will break through the tunnel anytime now. I don't know how they found this place, but they did and that means we need to move!"
"IMMEDIATELY." He added with grim desperation.
I nodded, my heart racing. I wanted to throw up, but ran after Albert and Gandila anyway. Our feet were hard on the pavement of Albert's facility. The terrible sounds of machinery breaking through the walls above us - the explosions, made me run even faster.
Albert hurried over to the large control panel in the corner of the facility. His fingers danced over the board with swift accuracy and then he closed his hand over a lever. He pulled it down in one quick motion - one that seemed almost practiced. The floor right next to Gandila made a groaning noise as a hidden passageway opened to reveal a flight of stairs. The tunnel disappeared deep into the ground and the smell of mold and dust tickled my nose. Albert pushed me down the stairs after Gandila, since I was too dumbfounded to move. The passageway closed behind us, engulfing us wholly in darkness yet again. That was however, until Albert pressed another mechanism on the wall that enabled us to see. The horrible noise of blasting echoed through the tunnel as we ran down the moist stairs. I had to concentrate not to slip while we ran deeper and deeper into the underground, my legs shaking so hard I was careful not to fall.
"Artemisia, I need you to listen very closely." Albert suddenly said as we finally came to a stop in front of a metal door. Slight rust patches covered the ancient material and I could just barely make out the faint lines of a strange red symbol imprinted on the door.
"We will now enter the room that holds my greatest secret, Artemisia. I kept this room secret from my closest friends, even family members whom I dearly loved so I need you to understand what this room means for our future. You can NOT speak about this room... ever !"
I only stared at him. My mind so scrambled with thoughts, I couldn't form coherent words. The rumbling above us was getting louder by the minute and we both knew our time was running out.
I took a deep breath. Albert was entrusting his biggest secret to someone like me - a strange, young woman he barely met a few weeks ago. Somehow that single realization made me feel both proud and very confused. My heart hammered against my ribcage and cold shivers of adrenaline shot through my body.
Pull yourself together! What other option do we have?! My consciousness screamed at me. I shook my head in order to focus and looked back at Albert, this time with grim determination. A loud eruption blasted right above us and the tunnel shook, dust raining down.
"I understand." I finally said. Albert seemed so relieved at my change of resolve that it felt like I was watching him grow younger right in front of my very eyes. He opened the door with a great push and ran inside the chamber.
Breath escaped my lungs.
The entire room was built from white material and glowed with blue colour that made my eyes feel strange. Screens and machines filled the room with flashing lights and soft beeping noises. The technology that involved each object's creation was beyond my small world of electronic imagination and the sight felt unreal.
Each holographic screen seemed to show a part of the earth. The images were from a time long, long ago. Back when there were still green plants that covered most of the earth's surface and oceans that didn't look like black oily expanses filled with disgusting floating rubbish. I walked deeper into the room and inspected a hologram that showed an image of great trees - forests that looked like they blocked out the sunlight entirely. The hologram appeared to move and my eyes followed the graceful motion of the falling leaves that tumbled to the forest bed below.
I spun around, greedily drinking in everything I saw. Another image showed a sparkling blue ocean that stretched as far as the screen was able to show me. The golden light of the sun - the sunlight warm and soft - made the blue water sparkle like millions of precious stones. Birds cloaked in white swept over the tiny waves that formed on the watery surface, some even slipping into the water with elegant dives of their wings.
I was simply mesmerized. The images felt real, so real I wanted to jump through the screen and explore all the beautiful places, shown on the holograms. My heart fluttered as I stared from one image to the next. I had never seen a world quite so beautiful.
Albert stumbled to the corner of the room, followed by Gandila. His eyes looked very bright in the abnormal blue hue of the room. For a moment there was nothing in the corner until I focused on Albert in order to see what he was doing.
As I squinted, something materialized next to Albert. To my great surprise, I began to notice the faint outlines of some structure.
Albert did not look at me as he spoke, his words senile. "This is the device used to transport most of the Aliums to Nova Terra." I gaped at him. I couldn't believe it.
"Are w-we going to Nova Terra ?!" My voice shook as I spoke. Albert didn't appear to have noticed and paused slightly before nodding. My eyes went to the now very visible cylinder-shaped device that radiated with a bronze glow.
The creation was clearly very different from the other machines in the room and stood out like an otherworldly beacon of bright light. It was skilfully crafted from bright metals and glass in order to make it see-through. The overall structure was supported by two white steel frames, outlining the beautiful panes like a frame would a painting. After seconds of inspection, I realized the bronze light escaped through the glass panes from the inside of the long tube. I glanced back to where Albert was typing away on a keyboard of some sorts and noticed Gandila inspecting the cylinder, her blue fur glowing even brighter in the techno room.
A thought suddenly popped into my head as I stared at the feline. "Wait, what about Gandila? Will there be enough space for her as well?!" The idea of leaving Gandila to the Deathtreaders made me sick to my stomach.
Albert tapped the glass and I gasped as one of the panes shimmered and transformed into another control panel.
"She is a creature not exactly of this world Artemisia. She will be able to make it back to her birthplace without the usage of simple human devices." He explained while his fingers moved over the control panel in such speed, I had trouble keeping up with what he was pressing.
A thundering explosion shook the underground facility yet again and pieces of ceiling fell unto some of the holographic images, causing them to distort. Albert jerked his head in the direction of the metal door. The blood-curdling sound of the Deathtreaders and many thundering footsteps of Government officials - chilled my blood. Fear strangled me, piercing its knives into my skin.
Albert swore through clenched teeth and turned his attention back to the glowing machine. The device hummed as the glass barrier slid opened. Albert took a sharp object out of a nearby table and turned to me.
"Give me your arm child." He said hastily and I winced as he pushed the sharp needle attached to the object into my skin - still fragile from the acid rain's destruction.
"I'm sorry for the pain, but I need a sample of your blood in order for this to work." He explained apologetically and dripped the red liquid into a small vessel that appeared from inside the machine.
"Climb in." He ordered, his expression making me immediately obey. I gulped nervously and stepped into the bronze light. My eyes burned for a few seconds and I squinted in order to make out what Albert was doing on the other side of the glowing glass. The latter, looked back at the door of the chamber once more and then turned to face me, his appearance old with age and brightly lit in the bronze luminance that radiated from the cylinder.
Albert's expression slowly turned relaxed until the elder looked very calm. I was shocked at the sad smile that spread across his lips.
"Are you finished? Climb in, they will break through any moment!" I shouted, the desperation in my voice evident. We had absolutely no time to waste. The Deathtreaders were almost upon us and I couldn't handle the thought of those demons killing us before we even managed to reach Nova Terra.
I stepped to the side in order to make room for the old man, but my shoulder immediately hit the glass wall. The cylinder was very small, but there had to be room. Albert had to climb in, had to come with even if it meant-
Loud footsteps sounded right outside the metal door and I jerked my head upwards at the terrifying sound of the Deathtreaders' bone-chilling screeches.
The howls left me petrified as I forced my gaze back to Albert, now shaking violently.
"Hurry Albert! They are right outside!" I cried, my voice breaking. The glass barrier suddenly closed around me, trapping me in a cocoon of golden light. Utterly alone.
I hammered my fists against the panes, but the barrier did not budge in the slightest. "What are you doing Albert!?" I shrieked, horror exploding in my chest. Albert inspected me, examined my terrified expression as I pounded against the unbreakable glass.
On the other side, his eyes were filled with deep pity.
"This device was built for only one person Artemisia."
I stopped pounding against the glass. Time seemed to stand still as all my previous fears dissolved, only to be replaced by the frightening realization that began to gnaw at the back of my mind. Albert's words were the only thing that existed in my head and I played them over and over, trying to unhear them. Nonetheless, Albert continued. His voice mellow.
"You are the one who can finish this mission Artemisia. My life is outlived and I am simply too old to help rid the disaster that awaits this world." He spoked hushed, the man wrapped in a haze of sheer calm that made his blue eyes shine. Albert placed his hand against the glass barrier. I memorized the utter peaceful expression on his face as he looked at me through the glass.
"Although my time has run out, yours is just beginning child and that is something to be thrilled about. Have courage and live without the regrets that you may harbour in your heart right now. Regretting one's decisions may be the greatest sorrow man has ever had to face." There was heart-splintering kindness in his gaze.
"I do not want that to ever befall you child. Not when so many of us have already suffered the same fate." Albert's expression suddenly turned very solemn.
"Our world is not dead yet Artemisia. There is always still hope for a future, much better than the one we are currently making."
His eyes held so much kindness and empathy I could no longer deny the horrible suspicion that crashed through me. Albert was indeed serious about not coming with me.
Uncontrolled tears streamed down my face and I placed shaking fingers on Albert's, not trusting myself to say anything that might ruin the last moment we will ever have together. Never before in my short life have I ever felt so completely hopeless.
The old man was the only person I did not want to loose. Could not loose. Although we didn't knew each other for very long, I felt closer to him than anything else on earth and the pain of losing my only companion - my only friend, was starting to tear through my heart peace by peace. I didn't know if I would ever be able to fill the aching hole that was now my heart.
I opened my mouth to just say something , but suddenly Albert's calm expression exploded into one of terrible pain. His face contracted in pure agony and the elder looked down slowly. My eyes followed, widening as a result.
The centre of Albert's mantel was slowly turning scarlet. I screamed and screamed as Albert sank to his knees, his one hand clamped around his stomach and the other, against the device to steady himself. My fists were beginning to bruise from the amount of times I had hit the glass in order to try and reach him. A cloud of dust tore through the machines and computers in the room, leaving behind nothing but broken metal and scrap. The Deathtreaders entered in an eruption of deathly darkness that concealed all the beautiful holograms of earth beneath a nightmarishly black veil. I didn't have the strength to focus on the petrifying soldiers, my eyes trained only on the dying Albert in front of me.
There was absolutely no way to help him. I could only watch helplessly, as Albert left our world behind.
The old man reached for the cylinder one last time - hand slick with blood - and pressed the glass' control panel. Bronze light illuminated the inside of the cylinder and everything around it. Pain I never thought existed, tore at every part of my body as if it ripped the very atoms of my existence apart. Each cell burned with hell fire and my vision exploded in a splash of red.
The horrible torture only lasted for a good five seconds, but was enough to leave me traumatized for the rest of my life. I was grateful when my vision started to blacken as a result of the pain, but not before my scorching eyes glimpsed the final image of the limp the old man, drowning in an ocean of crimson.
Albert's white mantle, soaked red with his own blood.