Embers & Ice (Rouge) (29 page)

FIFTY-ONE

Hunter
regained consciousness not on an operating table, but in a cell. It was so dark
she could hardly see her own hands. Her lungs were dry and itchy with sawdust
and her body ached from lying so long on the damp, concrete floor.

Everywhere
was silent. It took her only a second to realize she was behind the bars of a
Death Cave and again, she panicked. Her heart thumped in a tired beat. She
picked herself up slowly, dizzy and sore, and hobbled to the door of the cell.
Her stomach was patched up with bandages, but the movement made the wound
throb. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she became aware of what was
outside her cell.

Rubble.
So it hadn’t been repaired yet, meaning it could only be days – hours, even –
after she and Will were captured. Either that, or Dr. Wolfe didn’t care for the
architecture of the underground prison.

Only
days ago, Hunter voluntarily walked the halls of the Death Caves. Now she was
locked inside one. Which number was it? How close was she to Jack?

And
the most pressing question of all: Where was Will imprisoned?

She
stood with her hands on the bars for a long time, listening to the silence and
thankful that her thoughts, too, were silent. Sometime later, Hunter heard a
female sobbing far away from her cell. The sound was like poison in her ears
and she stumbled back until she hit the wall and slid down to the ground. She
curled up in the fetal position, even though it hurt like hell.

Then
she, too, was crying. Heaving. She cried so much that her tears dried up and
her chest ached. The fire tried to warm her, but it couldn’t reach her skin.
Once again, a bracelet circled her wrist and she was back where she started.

“Hunter?”

His
voice broke through the darkness, hoarse and wonderful. Hunter lurched upright
and looked for him in her cell.

“Will?
Where are you?”

“Next
to you. There’s a crack in the wall.”

Hunter
scrambled to the left side of her cell where his voice was coming from. She pressed
her body against it, desperate to be close to him. She scratched at the
concrete with her fingers until they ached.

“You’re
the stupidest person I’ve ever met, do you know that?” he said from his cell.
“Do you always go running off into danger without any concern for your safety?”

Smiling,
Hunter remembered saying those exact words to him when he lay on the floor of
the breakfast hall after the dinosaur attack. “You came with me, you know.”

“Yeah.
I guess it’s my hero tendency again.”

At
that, Hunter found she couldn’t control herself anymore. The tears bubbled up
in her throat as she muttered, “Will, I-I can’t – I’m so sorry – it’s my fault
you’re–”

“Stop
it Hunter,” he snapped at her, but his tone was soft. “You’re being ridiculous.
It’s not your fault.”

“But
it is. We should have just left with the others. Why did I have to run down
here to save crazy people who only attacked us and Alfie, who could be dead too
and Jack, who was-”

“You
went back for
Jack
? Why?”

Hunter
wished more than anything that she could see his face. She put her hand against
the cold, crumbling wall and sighed. She owed him the truth.

“Because
it’s my fault Jack is here in the first place.”

Will
paused. “Hunter, you’re delusional. Not everything is your fault.”

“You’re
right. I am delusional. Delusional that I thought I could make everything right
and save the world. That I could bring my friend home to his sister, to a life
in New York where my guardian kidnapped him from his own home and studied him
like Dr. Wolfe himself. I’m delusional for not making sure he left the
warehouse safely.”

“Okay,
now you’re not making any sense at all. Tell me what you’re talking about and
start from the beginning.”

So
Hunter told him. If not for his benefit, but at least to keep her mind occupied.
It felt good to talk about things and to hear her own voice and not the dark
thoughts. Occasionally Will mumbled a response, and that helped remind her that
she wasn’t talking to herself alone in the cold.

He
didn’t seem angry. But then again, she couldn’t see his face.

“Why
didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“I…
I guess I was selfish.” It was the honest truth, and it stung worse than the
gashes across her gut. “When I saw Jack in Death Cave 1, he was… he wasn’t the
sweet and normal boy I left in New York. He was a monster. And I felt
responsible because I bought him into this mess. If it weren’t for me he
wouldn’t even know he had a power.”

“You’re
wrong. The only person to blame is Joshua.”

The
bite in his tone made her frown. “Are you still upset about Joshua?”

“I
have good reason to be. He left me here sixteen years ago and took you with
him. And after leaving this place, he didn’t tell a single person about it.
Instead he raised you and went about his life as if nothing had changed while
soul after soul died here within these walls, tortured because of something
they couldn’t control. It also sounds like he wasn’t the best influence towards
you either. He did kill your teacher and your boyfriend and kidnap your friend,
right?”

“He
was doing that to protect my secret.”

The
words just fell out of her mouth. She had defended Joshua. Hunter couldn’t
believe it, and yet it was true. Joshua only ever wanted her to be safe. He
went crazy because he cared about her.

A
deep ache erupted in her chest. She missed him. She missed Joshua more than
anything.

“Hunter…”

“I’m
okay,” she sniffed and wiped her eyes.

After
a moment, Will said, “I wonder where the others are right now.”

“Free?”

“Yeah.”
She heard him sigh. “Free.”

They
sat in silence again, but it wasn’t so terrifying knowing he was just a few
blocks of cement away. Hunter closed her eyes as she lay slumped against the
wall. If she fell asleep, it didn’t feel like it, for next second she had
jerked awake at the sound of several footsteps in the corridor.

Her
heart leapt into a familiar rhythm, pounding fast and hard. Keys jingled and a
cell door opened.

“Good
morning, William.”

Dr.
Wolfe’s voice brought ice back into her soul. She leapt to her feet and pressed
her face against the bars, desperate to see what was happening, desperate to
see Will.

And
there he was.

“Let
go of me!” he exclaimed to the guards that dragged him from his cell. “I can
walk myself, let go!”

“Will!”
Hunter called.

In
a split second, he turned and met her eyes. He was dirty and covered in dried
blood stains, but all she saw was his face. She stretched her arm out of her
cell and reached towards him. Will shrugged out of the grip of the guards and
his hand grabbed hold of hers. It was strong and cool and so familiar that her
knees felt suddenly weak. The touch lasted only a moment, until the guards
shoved him hard in the shoulder and he stumbled forward, out of sight.

“No,
Will
!”

“It’s
okay,” he called back. “Don’t worry about me!”

She
rested her forehead against the iron bars with her hand still slumped out of
her cell, her fingers tingling with the ghost of his touch. She listened to his
footsteps fade away, horrible thoughts of where they were taking him forcing
the guilt further into the pit of her stomach.

When
she looked up, Dr. Wolfe was a foot from her face. Hunter gasped in fright and
fell back.

“Look
at yourself Hunter,” he sneered. “So afraid. You’re not even going to insult
me?”

The
fire burned in outrage, but the doctor was right. She had nothing left inside
her but fear.

He
shook his head. “So easily broken, and I don’t see a fire in your eyes anymore.
Your embers are dying out.”

With
that, he was gone and she was alone again. She rocked back and forth, flinching
at every sound no matter how small or distant and waiting for Will to return.
Waiting, endlessly, waiting.

First
came the anger. She picked up broken rocks from the ground and threw them at
the door. She screamed and tore at her hair and kicked the wall until her
stomach ached too much for her to move. Then, she crawled up against the wall
next to the crack, forcing herself to sleep until he returned.

And
when the silence came, so did the sobs of the woman in another cell and the
mumbling of a man who had surely gone crazy and the sounds of someone
scratching against the walls. All of it echoed in her mind louder than the
pounding of her heart.

This
was
hell.

FIFTY-TWO

Hunter
heard footsteps hours later. She scrambled to her feet and threw herself
against the door, praying it was Will. But to her utter shock, the guards were
not dragging a mutant with them. They were dragging Dr. Rosenthal.

She
could not believe the state he was in. It looked like someone had run over the
doctor with a monster truck. He could hardly put one foot in front of the
other.

The
guards threw the doctor in the cell directly opposite hers. She heard him gasp
in pain. The Men in White stalked away and she waited a few more seconds before
she called to him.

“Dr.
Rosenthal?”

There
came no response.

“Dr.
Rosenthal, are you alright?”

He
grumbled through the silence.

“What
did you say?”

“Hello…
Hunter.”

His
face appeared between the bars – or, what she could see of his face. Most of it
was covered in blood and ugly bruises. His right eye would not open.

“What
did they do to you?”

“Oh,”
he sighed, “most of this wasn’t the guards. It was a struggle to set Alfie free
and… I didn’t get out in time.”

“You
were here, under this chaos, while a dinosaur stomped around? How are you
alive?”

“Karma,
I like to assume,” he smiled. How he managed to be humorous, she could not
understand.

“Where
is Alfie now?”

“I
don’t know what they did with him Hunter, but I’d be surprised if he made it
what with all the chaos he caused. Then again, Dr. Wolfe likes to keep the
unstable ones in case they’re needed, so there’s no way to know.”

Hunter
hoped Dr. Wolfe had mercy on poor Alfie.

“And
what are you doing back here? Did I not risk my life to assure your safety? Did
I not explain myself clearly when I said you
must
escape?”

Hunter
felt her stomach turn over. More guilt crushed down on her harder than a
rockslide. Yet another person she had disappointed, another life that was over
because of her selfish decisions. She had forgotten Dr. Rosenthal’s sacrifice.

“I’m
so sorry,” she said blankly, no more tears left to cry. “I wanted to leave with
the others, but it felt wrong to go without the people trapped down here. Will…
volunteered to come with me to rescue them.”

“Hunter.”
Her name fell from his mouth in a sigh. “I told you they could not be helped.”

“I
know. I’m sorry.”

He
looked at her through the bars. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or not; it
was too dark. But the heat of his gaze felt as though it had stabbed her in the
chest.

“I’ll
be honest, a part of me knew you’d try,” he said. “You’ve changed a lot these
past few months Hunter. Your fear does not consume you.”

“What
do you mean? I’ve never been more afraid.”

“Not
of yourself. Of others. Selflessness led you back to these caves to rescue the
mutants, and Jack I presume. Qualities of a true hero. And heroes have no time
for themselves.”

If
he was trying to make her feel better, he was not succeeding. The only way
Hunter would be able to flush away the darkness in her soul was to right the
wrongs she’d created. If she didn’t save everyone, she did not succeed.

“I
know it’s not right of me to ask you this,” she said as she rested her forehead
against the cool bars. “But is there any escape for us now?”

His
words came out pained as he said, “If I know Winston, we’d be lucky to remain
alive for much longer.”

Nodding,
Hunter stepped away from her cell door.

“But
Hunter-”

She
stopped and went back to the window. “Yes?”

“There
is always hope.”

Smiling
a little, Hunter returned to her place by the wall to wait for Will. Someone
came back for Dr. Rosenthal what felt like hours later. They dragged him away,
and Hunter did not see the doctor again.

“You
awake?”

Hunter
rolled her head to the side and put her cheek against the wall. Her eyes stuck
together as she opened them.

“I’m
not sure,” she mumbled. “I could be dreaming.”

“You’re
awake,” said Will.

“When
did you get back?”

“Just
now. You must’ve been pretty deep asleep not to hear me. I insulted one of the
guards and he punched me.”

“Why
would you do that?”

“Well…
he tried to touch my ass.”

“You’re
funny,” she said sleepily. Then she frowned. “Wait, why are you funny?”

“I’m
not allowed to be?”

“I
just don’t see how.”

After
a moment, he said, “cheer up Hunter. I know it sucks right now, but we’ll get
through this. We’ll escape soon.”

“I
think we’ve run out of chances to escape. I think we’re here to stay.”

He
didn’t answer. She realized then that she was letting the darkness cloud her
confidence. She was only trapped in ICE for a few months when she formed an
escape plan. Will had been there his entire life. Telling him that they’d
missed their chance at escaping would crush him.

“Well,”
he sighed. “I guess that’s it then. I don’t have much time left do I?”

“What
do you mean?”

“I’m
fading away. Just like every other mutant who died within these walls, I’m
getting too old to keep living here.”

“What
are you, eighty-nine?” she scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous Will.”

He
said nothing.

“Will?”

“Yeah?”

“You
won’t die.”

“I
know I’m immortal, but that won’t stop it from happening. Dr. Wolfe said-”

“Who
cares what he said.
You. Won’t. Die.
”

He
paused.

“How
do you know?”

“Because,”
she said as she ran her fingers down the dry wall. “I have faith.”

Silence
fell, but it was a comfortable silence. For the first time, a small amount of
warmth filled Hunter from somewhere deep in her core. It was a fire that began
as a flame, a fire of assurance and hope.

“Okay,”
said Will eventually. “I believe you. Goodnight Hunter.” 

“Goodnight,”
she said.