Decay (23 page)

“My tribe doesn't treat me like a tool.” He shrugged and stepped away from the door, allowing her more room. It wasn't too large in size, and from what she could tell, there wasn't another way out. No other doors, not even a window.

Potion entered as well and bumped into Nia's back. The girl purposefully stayed close to her actually, like Nia was going to protect her or something.
I feel like a babysitter.
With a heavy sigh, she took a step forward, wanting some more space between her and Potion.
How are we supposed to get in? Nehihe said to use my powers to try and make contact with the dead who were left behind here.
The problem was that she'd never used her ability for such a thing before. She'd always been close to the body of the individual. And yet, she could feel the presence of spirits not belonging to the living already in the room. Spirits that were near.

“We need your help,” she whispered. As much as she hated trying to communicate with the spirits verbally, she didn't feel confident enough in her powers to attempt it mentally. She knew it was possible, but it took up more of her energy and concentration than she cared to use at the moment. To bring back century old corpses, she'd need a lot of both.

Chihuahua Man faced her, his brow slightly furrowed. “Huh?”

“Shh!” In order to hear anything, she needed to feel peaceful and calm. Two things which were hard enough to muster inside of herself given all the drama surrounding her life, but she didn't need to answer any stupid questions on top of that.

“We need your help,” she repeated, eyes closed. She took in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. After doing that a couple of times, she heard a faint voice, but she couldn't quite make out the words. “Great, we're on our own,” she muttered.

“Not to butt in again, but what exactly are you talking about?” Chihuahua asked.

“My power is to make contact with the great beyond. I was looking to see if anyone was around who could offer up some help on how to get into the compound so we can get this stupid artifact and go home again.” She scowled and went to examine the thick, metal walls. “Make yourself useful and help me look.”

He did as he was told without any hesitation. She liked that, obedient lackeys were always the easiest to work with.

For a moment, they were all quiet. Then he spoke again. “I remember you. Back in December, right before Christmas, you attacked Bean and Sprout's supply smuggling operation.”

She glanced at him briefly and watched as he ran his hands over the edges of a wall. “I remember the assignment, but I don't remember seeing you there.” Bean and Sprout, head minions for a member of the blue tribe, and powerful enemies, she wouldn't ever forget them. Nia hated them and all of the pain their tribe was causing hers. They were trying to destroy the closest thing to family she'd ever known, and she wasn't going to let them get away with it. What she wanted to know was how this Chihuahua Man knew anything, but she wasn't sure how to ask. The guy seemed to be highly thought of by all of her superiors. Disrespecting him too much would be a bad idea, even if he hadn't done anything worth respecting.

He smiled. “I was there doing my own smuggling mission, but I recognized the costume. Thought it might be you, and now that you've told me about your powers, it confirms it. Those zombies you used to fight with were pretty tough.”

“I wanted to send a message,” she said. “I didn't realize there were other tribes there too, but the whole thing was a success. The enemy didn't get what they needed, not completely, and they've gone into hiding like the cowards they are.”

“Or they're being more discreet,” he mumbled. “I found something!” Nia watched as his hands moved along a crack in the wall and to a small hole. He put his finger into the hole, and a click could be heard. The wall shifted ever so slightly under the pressure of his hands. He grunted as he pushed against it.

Before he could even ask, both Nia and Potion pushed on the wall to help him. It wouldn't budge.

Nia growled quietly while she pushed. “Are you still pressing the button? That might help.”

Biting his lip, Chihuahua Man put his finger back into the hole. The wall gave way under all of their weight, swinging open wide. The three of them tumbled to the floor. Nia landed on the ground, Chihuahua Man next to her, and Potion on top of him. While the other two hadn't exactly fallen onto Nia, she was being elbowed and shoved around a lot. Hands seemed to be everywhere, and she couldn't figure out who they belonged to. All she knew was they needed to get off of her abdomen before she not only got a bruise, but puked from the pressure.

“Someone get up!” she snarled. Potion squeaked, Chihuahua groaned, someone rolled away from Nia, and she could breathe easier at least. Once she had space to move, she crawled away and slowly sat up onto her knees.
Hopefully no one was around to hear that.

“S-sorry,” Potion whimpered. She stood first and adjusted the skirt of her dress.

Nia was next to get on her feet, and she took another look around to try and figure out where they were exactly. In the compound, she hoped. Florescent lights were turned on above her head and thick concrete walls made up the majority of the hallway. On occasion she'd spot another metal panel, or a door. They were at the end of the hallway, so they only had one option to travel in. She gave Chihuahua Man a light shove forward. If he insisted on protecting her, he could lead the way. She needed to focus.

“We're inside, I think. Are you inside of here too? Are we close?” Nia asked, once more trying to talk with the spirits she could feel, but not hear.

A faint voice could be heard inside of her mind.
“Yes.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief. “We're on the right track. Can you give me some kind of a sign if we're close?”

The lights above flickered slightly.
“Yes.”

Chihuahua Man sucked in a breath. “Okay, that was creepy. You found some ghosties?”

“No, I found Santa Claus,” she grumbled.
Who else would I find? Why does he have to ask so many stupid questions?
She glanced at him and saw him rolling his eyes and mumbling to himself. It caused her to feel a little guilty, but only a little. “Let's go. I don't think it's a good idea to stay in one place.”

“Probably not,” he agreed.

“Potion, I need you to give me a boost.” Nia glanced behind her to see the other girl nodding.

The perks to Potion's ability were wonderful. Having the extra enhancement always allowed for some potentially awesome things. It was a pity the effects weren't permanent. If she had the extra power when she saw Dallas, she might have been able to fully resurrect him without anyone having to sacrifice their life to do so. Nia knew if she asked, Potion would still give her the enhancement just for that purpose alone, but it didn't seem right. The request would be fulfilled grudgingly. Potion did not like Nia messing around with the dead, she'd said as much a few months back when they'd first met.

Everyone was quiet as they walked, even Chihuahua Man, and the soft echo of their footsteps were a nice comfort to Nia's ears. Ambient noise always relaxed her, and it was quiet enough she could focus on listening for the spirits. They came to a fork in the hallway.
Which way do we go?
she wondered. It hadn't been meant as a question for the dead, but they must have heard her anyway because the lights to the left flickered. Chihuahua's gaze met her own, and she could see his body shaking slightly.

She couldn't help but snicker as she pressed onward, turning left. “Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts.”

Whatever fear was inside of him didn't seem to possess him for long, because soon Chihuahua was next to her once more, as confident as ever. “More like I didn't realize they were real. The whole idea of life after death kind of trips me out.”

“Why?”

“Just does.”

She was about to ask why again, when she heard another voice in her head. Only this time it was louder.

“We're here. You're close.”

Nia held up a hand. “Stop.” She'd have been a bit more skeptical about it, but the group had stopped right in front of a door. Coincidence was fast becoming something Nia no longer believed in. She placed a hand on the handle, turning it slowly, unsure of what to expect on the other side. The three teens walked into a small room. Along one wall was a full book shelf, there was an empty table as well, and Nia wondered if maybe it used to be an office of some kind.

“Dead end?” Chihuahua Man asked. He opened his mouth, and Nia thought he was going to say more, but a new voice spoke.

“Chi-chi, be careful. The bad guys are using you too.” It belonged to a girl, the sound crackling through the communicator on Nia's head. The message must have sent to everyone.

“What does she mean the bad guy is using us...” Chihuahua frowned. “We haven't been followed or anything, right?”

Potion shook her head. “We'll have to be quicker.”

“But we're stuck in a dead end. Are you sure your spirit guide is right Ophelia?” he asked and faced Nia.

She rolled her eyes. “I know what I heard. It might be another hidden wall. Let's check the bookcase.”

He walked over and pulled on the different books lined up on the shelves.
The guy must live in some kind of fantasy, if he honestly thinks there's a switch that's activated when a book is pulled. Does that even work?
Nia shook her head and joined him in the search, moving her hands along the edges of the shelf in search of something that could be useful.

“I think I hear people coming,” Potion said, her voice barely audible.

“The way is behind the book of words.”

Nia closed her eyes and tried to not let it all frustrate her. Why couldn't they be more direct? Why did everything have to feel like a puzzle? The fact that there was someone coming after them didn't help matters.
Focus, stay focused. Book of words.
Her gaze wandered over the titles of the different books on the shelves, and one in particular stood out. “Dictionary.” She pulled it off the shelf, letting it fall to the floor with a loud thud, and felt inside the space that was left behind. Her hand found a small lever pressed down, creating the sense of a perfectly flat wall on the shelf. She noticed a crack underneath her fingertips. There was just enough room for her to place two finger tips into the crack and lift up the lever. A loud pop broke the silence, causing Potion to shriek. Chihuahua stepped away from the bookcase, and she noticed a thin door appear in the wall.

“Trippy,” Chihuahua said and slid the door in the wall open a little further. There was enough room for them to enter through it sideways. He stepped in, turning on the flashlight that was on his wrist to see. Nia peered in behind him and saw the hallway was just as thin as the doorway, but thankfully not long. The light splayed across a larger space some five feet ahead of him.

She gave him a sharp nudge in the back. “I don't want to get caught in a tight space.”

“Me either,” he agreed and made his way through the path.

Nia grabbed Potion by the arm and made her go through it next.
The last thing I need is for her to freak out and freeze. They might not be bad guys, but we don't know they're good guys either.
The message from the communicator had her even more on edge than usual.

Once Potion was in, Nia followed, and as soon as she stepped through the door, it closed again. This time she shrieked and immediately clapped a hand over her mouth as she listened to the sound echo around her.

“Chill, I did that. There's a button over here,” Chihuahua said.

She took a moment to steady her breath, and then stepped into the larger room. There wasn't much to see by the light of Chihuahua's flashlight. She turned hers on as well, hoping it would help, but the room was much larger than she anticipated. The light didn't travel far and the darkness absorbed it further back.

“Is there a light switch?” she asked.

Potion felt along a wall and after a small click, the lights turned on with a soft hum. All three teenagers gasped.

“Hot pot of coffee...” Chihuahua whispered.

“Huh?” Nia blinked.

He shook his head. “Mom's been getting on me about swearing. I'm improvising here. Point is this is awesome!”

Nia looked around the room, taking in the sight before her. The room had a slightly higher ceiling than normal, and was over all bland. Off towards the back was a worn out couch with some blankets. Sure signs that the space had been lived in by people once upon a time. There was a dish on the floor next to a couple of books. Spider webs and dust bunnies littered the room. However, in the center was something that could only be described as a space craft. It looked like a mix between an airplane and a flying saucer, round in shape but with wings and turbines. The craft was predominantly black in color with a thick yellow stripe painted along the sides.

“I'm guessing the artifact is inside of that thing?” Chihuahua pointed to the ship.

Shrugging, Nia took a step toward it. She touched the space craft, wanting to convince herself it was in fact real. While she knew there were aliens in existence, she'd never seen one of their space ships. Sometimes if she looked at the sky, she thought she saw something, a shining yellow dot in the sky that was too small to be the sun or the moon, but too large to be a star. Nehihe had told her it was his ship. That wasn't the same as actually seeing a ship up close and personal.

For a space ship, it was small in size which she concluded was because it was meant for light travel for only a handful of passengers. It seemed to be in good shape as well. No dents or burn marks on it, the craft clearly had not crash landed. Towards what she thought was the back was a hatch with a circular door handle. She grabbed it, gave it a good twist, and was surprised to find the hatch open. Nia pulled it down, creating a ramp that led to the inside of the ship.