The Arena (Ultimate Soldier Book 1) (15 page)

"That's not possible." Lila's mind was reeling, and she hoped she wouldn't collapse again. Once was enough for today. "Everyone knows about the Snake."

"A lie, perpetrated by Jarda to keep the people fearful."

"But how is that possible?"

"Ask anyone who fought in the last battle what one of their opponents looked like. Ask if anyone has ever seen the 'prisoners' taken, besides Jarda's inner circle. Ask why so many more men and women are found 'guilty' in the days before the Snake attacks. Ask if anyone knows why there is no wall built around the land we hold, why guards are posted on the inside of the doors rather than out."

"Surely the people cannot be so stupid as to believe this lie!"

Nolan's eyes hardened. "Why do you think the smartest are the ones sent on the most dangerous missions? Josef, Elan and Aran were all on the front lines of the last 'battle'. Elan would be long dead by now were not his skill with a bow unsurpassed. Had you not come along, only Antonio and Fell would have returned from the journey to find the mansion."

"You mean, they were going to kill..." Lila trailed off. That was the last straw. Rage burned through her veins, and she leapt to her feet and started toward the door.

Nolan grabbed her arm as she passed. "Where are you going?"

Lila jerked her arm free. "I don't care if you come with me, I'm going to rescue them!"

"Don't be a fool. You'll never make it out alive."

Lila laughed in his face. "That's what they said about the forest. That's what they said about the wolf fever. I kind of like my odds." With that, she swept past him, lunging against the door to open it. It opened easier than she had expected and she stumbled out into the hall. Catching herself, she straigthened and flicked her hair over her shoulder, striding toward the stairs.

By the time she reached the stairs it occurred to her that she should probably be prepared when she was trying to find Josef and the twins (assuming Aran and Elan were still alive). She ran down the steps as quickly as she could without tripping and grabbed a second long knife which she shoved into the belt that was holding up her skirt. A small throwing knife went under the strap of the confining underthing Martha made her wear under her shirt. Another throwing knife with leather buckles on the case was strapped to her calf. She felt a little silly with all the weapons hidden under her clothes, but she didn't know what she was walking into. Almost as an afterthought, she grabbed a sturdy backpack leaning against the wall and stuffed it full of medicines, a flashlight and batteries. She took off at a trot for the door while she slung the backpack over her shoulders and pulled the straps down to tighten them.

She half expected to see Nolan on her way out, but her path was empty as she ran up the stairs. Once she reached the outside door she slid through into the darkness, letting the door swing shut behind her and pressing her back to the brick wall. The rain pounded on her head as she strained her eyes and ears to detect anyone that might be nearby. The darkness was almost complete except for the two pinpricks of light that were the guards standing by the door into what she thought of as Jarda's building.

The cold rain shocked her back into reality, and for a minute she stood there silently, trying to decide her next move.

Where are you?
She thought, searching her memory of the scene at the prison for any clues.

There was a tugging sensation deep in her chest, as if someone had a rope attached to her ribcage that was pulling her forward. When she turned aside, the tug increased almost to the point of being painful, but as long as she faced straight across the square, it was bearable.

Help me, Lila!
Lila stumbled forward as if the invisible rope had jerked her. The wind whipped at her skirt as she moved forward into the square. She could barely see the path under her feet, and hit her toes painfully on rocks as she picked her way toward the fourth building--the one she had yet to see the inside of. The thunder and wind covered any sound of her passage and the dark hid her from view. The two pinpricks of flashlights did not move.

It was almost too late when she saw that a man stood against the wall of the building. His gaze turned toward Lila, and she gasped and crouched, but he did not seem to see her. She slowly shrunk back until he disappeared from view and the building was only a vague outline. She would not enter that way.

Despite the renewed tugging when she turned aside, Lila ran as quickly as she dared to her left and the north side of the building. She could hear the snapping of clothes on the lines off to the left and to the right loomed the hulking mass of the building. She came close enough to run her fingers along the brick until she reached what she sought--a window. The glass was cracked and shattered when she tried to lift the pane. Sinking down into the grass, she listened intently for any sign that someone had noticed the sound. When no noise came, she wrapped the sleeve of her blouse around her hand and knocked the rest of the shards out before carefully raising herself up and over. She hissed when her feet came into contact with the glass on the floor, and kicked herself mentally for not remembering. Sliding her feet so as not to step on any more glass, she quickly made her way to the door.

The hallway outside was empty, lit only with the same dim green glow as the Armory hall. The front door lay to her right, a long corridor to her left. Closing the door to the room behind her, Lila limped as quickly as she could down the hallway.

Stairs. I need to find stairs.
Concrete block walls suggested that Josef and the others were underground...all of the rooms above the ground were walled with plaster and wood. A few hundred feet down the hallway split, running both left and right. The hall to the right was lined with several sets of double metal doors, but at the end of the bare-walled corridor to the left was a flickering red sign that read "stairs". A door to her right squeaked open, and without looking to see who came out, Lila ran to the left, adrenaline surging when someone shouted behind her. She yanked the heavy door open and took the steps two at a time, bursting through the door at the bottom into a musty, concrete-walled hallway. On either side were wooden doors with small windows, some apparently empty, but from many issues sounds of pain and desperation.

Hearing pounding feet behind her on the stairs, Lila darted into an empty cell and pushed the door shut, crouching down behind hit. To her horror, when she looked down she saw that her feet were bleeding and had left a trail. When the two men burst through the door, they knew exactly where to find her.

The next few moments were a blur, Lila's heart leaping into her throat as the door slid open, reaching for two of her hidden knives, holding them ready. Their shouts when they saw her crouched in the corner, their lunges toward her, Lila danced away from their outstretched arms, backing up with the knives held out in front of her. One of the men was the tall, tatooed one from her vision.

As the large man lunged again, Lila cried out and ducked under the arm reaching for hers. With a horrible ripping sound, her knife found cloth and then flesh. Blood gushed around her hand, staining the green sleeve crimson, the heat of the red liquid feeling as if it would burn her skin. She jerked back, and he groaned and crumpled to the ground. His partner hesitated, but only long enough to draw a wickedly curved knife of his own.

"Drop your weapon!" the man demanded, brandishing the knife.

Lila found back the surge of nausea that came with drawing blood from another human being. "Lower yours first," she said through gritted teeth.

With a yell, the second man lunged, but Lila was ready this time. She ducked, came up behind him and leapt, grabbing his arm that held the knife and clinging to it for dear life. The man growled, shaking her like she was a leaf on his sleeve. His other hand came forward, driving into her belly, knocking the wind out of her. Lila retched, but refused to let go. She wrapped her legs around his ankle, tripping him. He fell with a grunt--on top of her. Her breath knocked out of her a second time, Lila panicked, struggling to get free.

With a harsh laugh, the man moved so that he was kneeling with one knee in the small of her back. Lila screamed, the sound echoing back at her from the walls.

"Teach you to mess with a real man, little girl," the man laughed again, pinning her wrists behind her. He flipped her around so that she was lying on her back. His breath reeked of rotted meat. "What a funny little prize I caught for Jarda. But maybe first..." He leaned closer. "I'll,"

Lila lunged upward and bit his nose. With a howl, the man fell backward, hands over his face. Jumping up, Lila ran out of the cell, pulling the door closed until the latch clicked. The man yelled and yanked at the bars behind her, but Lila didn't turn back. Following the tug in her chest, she ran down the row of doors, silently praying there was no more of Jarda's men down here.

She skidded to a halt when she reached Josef's cell--the guards hadn't even bothered to lock it. Her heart sinking at what this might mean, she pushed the door open. There sat her three friends, their hands shackled to the wall above their heads, limply slumped on the floor.

Lila felt tears sting her eyes as she rushed forward. All three men were covered in dirt and bruises, their clothes tattered and filty. A ring of keys hung on a nail on the wall within sight of the three men, as if to taunt them. The door to the stairs creaked open just as Lila lifted the ring of keys from the nail.

Feverishly, she tried each key in the chains on Aran's wrists, the one closest to her. Whoever had just entered the cell block had found the men she had bolted in the cell. There was a commotion, boots thumping down the long hall.

Aran's chains fell loose, and she moved on to Josef's. it took 6 keys to find the one that fit his chains. His hands fell limply to his lap. Aran was looking around, half dazed, but at least he was moving. Lila tossed the key ring to Aran and motioned for him to unchain his brother. She ran to the door and crouched behind it, pulling the small knife from her calf. The man that came through the door pushed it open so violently that it squashed Lila to the wall.

"Hey!" He bellowed when he saw the three men freed. He moved forward, but Lila leapt from her hiding place, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. He yelled, the force of her momentum forcing him to his knees. He reached down to grab his weapon, but Lila growled at him to stay still, pressing the blade of her neck to where the artery pulsed under his sweaty skin.

"Go!" She urged the three men. Aran and Elan were in better shape than Josef, who seemed to be unconscious. They each dragged one of his arms over their shoulders and stumbled past Lila, crouched on the huge man's back, out of the cell.

"Stay put." Lila hissed fiercely, jumping back and running into the hallway, dragging the door closed until the latch caught. Jarda's man threw himself after her, but he was too late. He reached through the door, catching Lila's long braid and pulling her back until she hit the door with a gasp. His other arm came around until she felt the point of his knife press into her neck, a warm line of blood streaming down to join the collar of her blouse. Without thinking, Lila brought her knife hand up and jabbed it back, pulling her head to the side despite the pain of her hair being held, away from his knife. This time the man didn't even cry out. Blood gushed around her hand, and in the split second before he sank to the floor, Lila saw that she had driven her weapon into his eye socket, deep into his skull.

There was no time to think about what she had done. "Is there another way out of here?" She asked the brothers.

"There is a storeroom at the end of the hall," Aran coughed, his voice hoarse. "It's where Jarda keeps her 'special stockpile' of alcohol and other stuff. There's a window without bars...I don't know of any other way unless we go back the way you came."

"Let's go." She saw that both Aran and Elan were swaying where they stood. She walked up in front of Josef and pulled his arms from their shoulders until they were over hers, his body weight slumped on her back. She staggered under the weight, but even with her small size she was stronger than the twins. "Show me where it is."

Their progress was painfully slow, their footsteps punctuated by the shouts of the man locked in the cell behind them. Every time he pounded on the door she tensed, sure someone else was coming down to catch them. Even their quickest pace seemed a snail's crawl.

Lila was panting and dizzy by the time they reached the solid metal door that led to the storeroom. The room inside was dark, lit only by a small bulb on the ceiling. The window was a dark square on the far wall. The walls to either side were lined with shelves holding glass bottles, packages of food, batteries and dozens of other items. Lila let Josef slide to the floor, hurrying forward to try the window. The glass was thick, and there was no way to open the window. Lila moved back down the shelves, searching. She found a half dozen hammers sitting on a shelf next to pile of ropes, and took one of each, sure the rope would come in handy at some point.

The glass did not yield easily, but a few hard hits with the blunt side of the hammer damaged it, until it finally shattered. As soon as the glass broke, a bolt of lightning crashed across the sky and her face was wet by the pouring rain. Lila knocked out the sharp pieces on the bottom of the frame, then motioned for Aran and Elan to bring Josef forward.

After brushing broken glass from the sill, Lila pulled herself up and out onto wet grass, rolling to avoid as much of the glass shards as possible. She brushed the glass away and stuck her head back through. "Can you guys get Josef up here?"

Much careful pushing and pulling later, Josef lay on the grass next to Lila, and Aran and Elan were painfully pulling themselves up.

Lila didn't have a plan, all she knew was that they had to get away, and that they couldn't go back to the family building. If Jarda hadn't been after them before, she sure was now. No, they couldn't risk going back.

Hoping the rain would cover their escape, each of the twins slung one of Josef's arms over their shoulders while Lila came around in front and put an arm around his waist to help. Slowly, the four limped off into the darkness.

Lila had no idea how far they had walked when Aran collapsed and she and Elan had to lower the still-unconscious Josef slowly to the ground. The rain had tapered off and the eastern sky was starting to turn gray. Lila dropped to the ground next to Aran, shivering when her knees touched the cold grass. "Are you okay?"

She could barely see his face in the predawn darkness, but she could see his small nod. He reached out and grasped her hand in his. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for rescuing us."

Lila squeezed his hand. "I didn't do it alone," she said. "I couldn't leave the three of you to die."

She heard a groan and turned to see Josef stirring, a hand to his head. Elan sat, his face pale against the darkness, on the other side of their prone friend. "Josef!" Lila exclaimed, moving to kneel next to him. "Are you alright?"

Josef's eyes fluttered open and he reached up to touch Lila's face with his fingertips. "You came."

Lila grabbed his hand and held it tightly in both of hers, afraid he would pass out again. "I heard you," she whispered, too low for the others to hear. "I heard you, and I knew you were in trouble."

A small smile tugged at Josef's lips and he let his head fall back, his hand going limp in her grasp. For a moment Lila panicked, but soon his chest began to rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern, and his pulse was still strong under her fingers. As the first rays of dawn began to stain the eastern side pink, she laid down beside him and fell instantly asleep, his hand still held tightly in hers.

"Hold her!" Lila cried, and Josef and Aran doubled their hold on Katie's arms. The girl with the yellow eyes snarled, screaming and growling at the men holding her. Katie's belly was greatly distended, and Lila was crouched between the struggling girl's knees. "I see the baby!" She said, trying to avoid being kicked by Katie's flailing feet.

The instinct of the laboring mother took over, and Katie worked to push her child into the world. Lila, Joseph, Aran and Elan looked on, the men up by Katie's shoulders, and Lila had to force herself to breathe. Would the child be born normal? Or would it be changed, as Katie had been, by the wolf fever?

It seemed like hours as Katie screamed and struggled to rid her body of the child within it. When the baby finally was born, Lila caught the little boy and wrapped him in a blanket, cradling him close to her. The infant wailed, sounding just like a baby should. The little boy turned into her shoulder, searching for nourishment that only his mother could provide. Katie snarled and ripped her arms away from Josef and Aran, lunging forward to pluck the baby from Lila's arms. The baby wailed, then snuggled into his mother. Katie's entire demeanor softened as she looked down at her baby, and the fierce yellow of her eyes seemed to dim a little.

The rest of the party moved away far enough to give mother and baby some privacy, but Lila could not take her eyes off of the pair. The baby had his eyes opened, and they were a light, clear blue, a normal color. Katie looked up and her eye's fixed with Lila's. Lila was now sure that the yellow color had faded. "David," Katie said. Her voice was harsh, as if she had not spoken in a very long time, which was true. Lila had not heard her speak since they found her huddled in the tunnel.

"What?" Lila asked, shocked.

"His name is David." an almost tender expression on her face, Katie looked down on the tiny bundle cradled in her arms. "Just like his daddy."

Lila wasn't quite sure what woke her, but the sun was high in the sky when she opened her eyes. Antoch loomed in the difference, the four buildings of the Fox fading into the background of the tumbled and overgrown ruin. Josef was sitting up, watching her, while Aran and Elan conversed silently a few feet away.

Lila sat up, futilely dusting off the grass-stained areas of her skirt. The blood on her sleeve had partially washed out with the rain, but what was left had dried and made the fabric stiff. She had just the one small knife tucked into her undergarment, and the coil of rope like a sash over one shoulder and across her torso.

Aran and Elan saw that she was awake and walked over. "What's the plan?" asked Aran, crouching down and spinning a blade of grass between his fingers.

The memory of the night before came rushing back, and Lila shuddered, the image of Jarda's lackey with her knife in his eye flooding into her mind. Her stomach lurched and she jumped up, stumbling away from the group before she collapsed in the grass, retching up what little was in her stomach.

What have I done?
she screamed silently, tears streaming down her face as her body convulsed. Then Josef was there, brushing her hair out of her face, his fingers cool on her cheeks. He held her shoulders until the spasms passed, then gathered her up in his arms like a child. Lila dug her nails into her palms until they bled, trying to force the picture from her mind. She cried as she had never cried before, sobs wracking her body until she could barely breathe. Her head throbbed in time with her heartbeat, and she pounded her fist against Josef's chest.

She lifted her face to look into Josef's. "I killed him!" She cried. "I killed a human! What kind of monster am I? I'm no better than the wolves!"

Lilac, you had no choice. He would have gladly killed you. You only did what you had to do.
Now that the sun was up, Lila realized that the words she heard were in her head. Josef's lips had not moved.

"What's wrong?" She asked Aran, never taking her eyes off of Josef's face. "Why doesn't he talk?"

Aran shook his head sadly, gingerly rubbing a deep cut on one hand with his thumb. "She took away his ability to speak, just like with my brother. It was one of the first things they did when we were put in those cells."

Fresh tears coursed down Lila's cheeks, and she placed one palm on either side of Josef's face. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

At least we are free.
Lila found herself nodding, though Aran looked confused. Elan tapped his brother's shoulder and gestured, and Aran nodded.

"Elan says he will teach you and Josef our language of the hands," said Aran. Then he added, "I know it is a great loss, but Josef still has his two hands and two feet."

Lila nodded, and suddenly embarassed, dropped her hands. She rose to her feet, helping Josef up when he held out his hand. His face went pale and he closed his eyes, swallowing hard. Through the tatters in his clothing, Lila could see enough bruises to know he had been beaten within an inch of his life. Aran and Elan weren't in much better condition.

"Are you feeling better?" Aran asked Lila.

Lila bit her lip and nodded. At least she was pretty sure there was nothing left in her stomach, which growled loudly. She forced herself to think of the men in front of her instead of the night before. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. But we are going to need a plan, and soon. We have no food, no water and we can't go back. Jarda's men will most likely be searching for us."

Lila couldn't argue with that. She was so tired, so weak. She just wanted to lay down and sleep. But giving up wasn't an option, now that she had come so far. Surely her three friends felt far worse than she did. "We can't stay here..." Lila stared at the thin green line of forest in the distance, the trees that had been her home her entire life. This endless grass and sky seemed far too open, too revealing. She felt as if someone could watch her from a hiding place in the tall grass, and she would never know. She knew the woods, their sounds and their silences told her whether she was safe or in danger. The trees offered protection from the wolves. She remembered how much she had relied on faithful Seeker to tell her whether a wolf was near. She turned back to Antoch, longing to run back, take her chances with Jarda's men, and find her oldest friend. What must Seeker think?

But she couldn't risk it. Three men stood before her, filthy, thin and pale, and they needed her help.

After a while it was Aran that broke the silence. "What about that place you used to live? Where you left Katie?" There was no accusation in his voice, but Lila felt it keenly anyway. Was this to be her life--to leave bodies behind wherever she went? She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, despite the muggy heat.

Finally Lila nodded. "I can hunt in the woods, and find other food and water. I know how to keep us safe at night. I don't think Jarda's men will follow us in there."

Or the mansion?
this was Josef's voice, but Aran and Elan didn't seem able to hear him.

In the tunnel we would be safer, and then there's the way out...

What?

Lila turned around to look at Josef, whose eyes were wide.
I told you about it before.

How are you even...nevermind. I thought that was the fever talking. You mean to say you really found a way out?

I...I think so. Back in the tunnel, there's a hole. There's trees, just like in here, but it can't be part of the Arena.

That's impossible.

"It's true!" Lila exclaimed.

"What's true?" Aran asked, looking puzzled.

"I found a way out of the Arena. It's in the tunnels."

Aran shook his head. "That's impossible."

"Would you people stop trying to tell me what's impossible!" Lila cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "I saw it with my own eyes. If it weren't for Katie needing medicine, I would already be out of this awful place. If it's not wolves the size of horses, it's people that care so little for human life that they would kill without a second thought. No, whatever's on the other side of the Cliffs, it's got to be better than
here
!" She spun around, hot tears pricking her eyes and blurring her vision. More than ever, she wanted Seeker by her side. At least animals hunted out of need. But humans...their evil knew no bounds. She strode toward the distant line of trees, not waiting to see if the men would follow. She knew they would--they might not believe her, but they had no other choice.

After a few moments she slowed down to a pace the three weakened men could keep up with. Josef came up beside her, limping and slow, but some of the color had come back to his face. He pointed off to the left.
I don't know if you can hear me, but the stream is that way. We can follow it up to the forest, to the mansion if need be.

Lila nodded.
I hear you.

I don't know how this is possible. How is it that you seem to defy all laws of reality?

I don't know.
The strange dreams that revealed parts of her past she had thought forgotten, and the dreams of an impossible future. She could talk to others without saying a word. She could find Josef with no idea where he was.
Who am I?
she asked herself, thinking about Nolan, another reason she was loathe to keep walking away from Antoch. Why did it seem she could not pass through a place without developing a connection? A general care for other human beings was one thing...this ache for threads left unwoven, stories left unfinished, it was a different ache altogether. So much joy to be found in the company of other people, and safety, but also so much danger and pain.