Midnight Ruling (18 page)

Above, I saw that Phoebe had disappeared. She must have jumped down while I was distracted, but she was nowhere in sight. “Phoebe?” I called, feeling the rise of betrayal threatening the back of my mind. Was the girl in the tree not Phoebe at all but a trap?

They
surrounded me on the ground, foam dripping as they calculated their next steps. Intelligence glistened in the dozens of eyes staring back at me.

I readjusted the wooden pole in sweaty hands before swinging a warning. But these monkeys were calling my bluff with each step forward. “Phoebe?”

Finally, a brave creature flew at my side, hissing in a way that made my skin crawl. Landing only a few feet away, it jumped at my nearest arm.

Screaming, I swung at it, but to my horror, I missed.

The agile little monkey dodged under my swing and was at my back.

I closed my eyes as the weight hit me from behind.

Claws dug into my shoulder blades, deep enough to force a scream. I could feel my skin tearing through my flimsy shirt, and warmth trickled down my back.

Pain and fear brought tears to my eyes as I turned in a frantic circle. I partly expected it to reach around and bite my face.

A familiar warmth, something I hadn’t felt since the first Challenge, coiled in my stomach. It drew back, ready to spring, when a second monkey shot forward.

In my haste to back away, I tripped, falling backward. My weapon flew from my grip as I tried to catch myself, and I knew, in that instant, that I was done.

I fell onto the moss-covered ground, and the monkey squished at my back, softening the blow. I heard a wheeze from behind, and the claws retracted from my sore wounds.

Rolling, I tried to get to my feet now that I was free of—and forgive me for this—the monkey on my back.

The warmth in my stomach must have burned out. The next thing I knew, it was gone, abandoning me in an instant.

In my roll, my elbow collided with a rock. The numbing tingling raced up through my fingers, and I cried out.

The monkey that had caused my fall bumped into the three others to jump at me. The four snarled a warning before fighting amongst themselves.

At least their attention was on each other and not me.

Keeping a stern eye on the monkeys, I pushed to my feet and grabbed my feeble weapon. It would be better if I had something sharper. I glanced behind me to see if the one that had clawed me was still there.

The twisted form was spasming as if electrocuted, though only for a few final seconds. Then it was still.

I turned just as another attacker propelled through the air.

Crying out, I brought my weapon around and hit as hard as I could. The crack resounded beneath flesh, shocking me.

My attacker landed limp amongst its colleagues, blood matting the little hair it had left.

Heavy nausea seeped into the back of my throat, prompting me to look away.

“Phoebe!” I tried one last time as I backed away.

I attempted to peer into the surrounding brush for any sign of the golden-haired girl.

The monkeys shrieked, and without thinking I swung my stick, causing three that had advanced to hop out of my reach.

Where the bloodied monkey lay, I saw two of its brethren performing a masochistic autopsy. They licked bloodied fingers and pulled a ropey intestine from their friend as if a surprise were at the end.

“Oh, son of a…” I backed into a tree behind me.

My legs and arms felt rubbery as the nausea hit me harder than before. My jaw felt stiff, and I prayed for the sensation to go away. If I doubled over to vomit now, the little monsters would be pulling out
my
organs instead.

I had to run, to get away before being trapped. With the cancerous tree at my back, I used it to spin around and take off.

A high-pitched battle cry erupted behind me, stoking the festering fear.

I shouldn’t have come back. Aidan had warned me; so did Damien, and so did every damn thought I’d ever had since returning home.
I came back just to die
, I thought, horrified, as I heard the stampede of hungry primates advancing.
To pay my penance? To alleviate the guilt? Was death the only answer?

Nearing what I’d hoped to be the black door, I kept my arms and stick out in front of me to hold the large leaves away from my face.

I nearly had a heart attack when a monkey landed on the ground in front of me. I hadn’t noticed it in the trees.

Twisting to run, I veered to the right. My socks slipped on the mossy ground as if I’d hit ice. Landing on my hip in a half turn, I didn’t stop moving. I used both hands to clumsily sit up then swung my stick.

The creature dodged my first attempt, its companions not far behind. I could hear their panting breaths as they marked me as their target.

The monkey in front of me pushed itself onto its feet with long arms, snapping jaws at the others. I realized none of them moved any closer. Maybe this was an alpha or whatever they liked to call them.

“Help!” I shouted, never taking my eyes off of the insane animal. Hell, it wasn’t even a real animal; it was part of the Challenge. But it could still hurt or kill me.

The monkey before me was tall, stretching its back to avoid the crippling hunch the rest sported. The hair was just as matted and disheveled as all the others. The only difference I could see was the eyes. They weren’t yellow; they were a solid white. An eerie hiss escaped frothing lips before it sailed into the air, claws outstretched.

Before it reached me, a powerful, air-shuddering roar dwarfed the monkey’s shrieks and stopped my heart all together.

I turned in time to see the beast emerge from the jungle.

Lithe with each graceful step, the tiger shouldered a vine aside.

Every muscle squeezed tight. I was dead, I realized.

Before I could scream, the tiger bounded toward me with a single majestic leap. Instead of clamping the oversized incisors on my arm, it chomped down on a scraggy monkey. The crack of multiple bones made my legs weak.

Unlike the monkeys, this creature was far less decrepit. The sleek coat shone in what little light there was, making it appear surreal.

With a sharp intake of breath, I pushed myself away, edging toward the monkey pack behind me. Glancing, I realized they’d scattered, leaving little trace of their presence.

I didn’t think my stick was any match for the tiger, so I lowered it, not willing to drop it just yet.

I suppose instead being eaten alive by a pack of monkeys, it would be by a tiger. I wasn’t entirely sure which I preferred as the loud crunch of bones ricocheted through the air.

With adrenaline still searing my veins, I rolled to my feet and bolted into the brush.

I kept running, knowing that I must have missed the door; I was certain I wasn’t this far into the cage. I thought about climbing a tree to find a way out, but if I stopped now, I’d be giving the next predator a chance to catch up.

Leaping over a fallen log, I staggered to the right, hoping to run into the bars, when a hand reached out from the thick vegetation to my left, latching onto my forearm.

I yelled in terror, even when I saw the familiar face.

I cried. I couldn’t help it. The fear inside me welled up until my chest was tight enough to explode.

Phoebe jerked me to the side with her, her eyes scrutinizing me. “Is it really you this time, Fuller?”

I staggered but regained my balance. “Yes, it’s me, Phoebe.” I was unsure how to respond to “
this time.
” Did Damien have my doppelgänger again? Or had she seen me in the dreams?

Still uncertain, Phoebe dug her bony fingers into my arm as if she were afraid I was going to run away. “Come on.” She ducked her head and dragged me along.

As we flew through the trees together, I pained myself to keep on my two feet. Several times, I stumbled over hidden rocks and branches. Phoebe’s grip was mercilessly tight until we skidded to a stop near the metal bars of the cage.

Panting, Phoebe grabbed one of the thick bars, massaging the strange writing for a second as if it were braille. The steel was so thick that she could barely wrap her fingers around it.

Her forest green eyes shifted to me, hardening before inspecting the bars. Still holding onto me, she jogged along them.

I was too turned around to know which direction to go anymore.

“Well, it is me this time,” I said in a huff. “You can let me go, you know. You’re holding me kind of tight.”

Phoebe didn’t oblige. She gave me a jerk instead and started to quicken her pace, forcing me to keep up.

Unable to argue, I tried to keep my eyes rolling up to the trees in case there were any animals waiting for us to wander below. Phoebe seemed more focused on what lay ahead and on the ground.

Holding my stick weapon, I tried to knock some of the leaves out of our faces.

I whispered, “Phoebe, how long have you been in this…”

“Ssshhhhh,” she hissed and stopped so suddenly that I ran into her.

Stepping back, perplexed, I saw the splintered wood from the mangled door ahead. The sight of it had me blubbering with joy. I didn’t want to be trapped in this mini-jungle a second longer. Without prompting, we both started off in another run. It was hard to keep up with Phoebe’s long legs, but with a few monstrous steps, we jumped through the opening to our freedom.

I cried out as I heard the primate’s shrill shriek somewhere behind us.

Twirling, I didn’t hesitate as I saw three of the little creatures leaping through the air at us. I grabbed the open door and slammed it shut with all my might. But just before it closed, I saw the flash of orange fur and heard the shrieking cacophony.

Phoebe slammed her weight into the door. I don’t think she saw the giant cat, and I wondered if the door would hold against a tiger.

Doubtful.

I pressed my shoulder against the splintered wood, and Phoebe squatted, pushing her back against the door. I could see her entire body trembling, but her face held sheer determination.

There was a hard series of
thuds
on the other side. We jolted with each impact, and I pushed against it harder.

Looking down, I saw the brass doorknob, it was as if it hadn’t been broken in the first place.

“Phoebe.” I pointed to the doorknob.

She glanced down, and I saw her shoulders sag in relief. Sliding down the door as if her legs had given out, she fell to the dirt. It roiled up around her, smudging her already stained clothes. Phoebe sighed and sagged in relief, her forest green eyes shifting to me. “You’re alive? Is it really you? Why are you wearing pajamas? Are those penguins?” She pointed to my shorts.

I smiled weakly. “It’s really me. Aidan and I finished the Challenge several weeks ago. We came back.”

Phoebe held up her hand to silence me. After a pause, she asked incredulously, “You and Aidan finished the Challenge?”

I frowned. “You didn’t know?”
Of course, why would Damien tell her?

She shook her head. “I thought that we were still playing the first one.”

“Well, three weeks in our time.” I grimaced. Time was different here, no way to gauge how long they’d experienced the horrors. The good news was that Phoebe had survived this long.

“How did you lose each other?” I asked, referring to Robin and Read from my dreams.

“I was pulled under a bed…by the monster under the bed. I managed to push both Robin and Read out into the light but couldn’t.” She rubbed her forehead, confused. “Next thing I knew, Damien woke me in the dark and said that plans had changed.” She rolled her eyes and mumbled, “Fucking demons.”

I glanced behind me towards the little circular center behind us. “Well, they must be around here somewhere.”

“Where’s Aidan?” Phoebe asked.

I frowned. “He was caught before I started. Maybe he’s looking for us.”

“So let me get this straight.” Phoebe started to crack her knuckles. “We were in the Challenge. You and Aidan won, and you came back for us?”

I nodded.

“How noble,” she muttered, unimpressed.

I stared at her, dumbfounded, unsure what to make of the condescension.

Looking at me, she grimaced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m glad you guys came back, but what if it means we’re all trapped here? There’s no use saving a drowning man.”

I blinked at her. “A drowning…”

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she said, “When they’re desperate, you know. And you have to push them away…” Phoebe’s eyes went glassy as she made a pushing motion with her hands. After a pause, she looked at me, but the deadened look in her eyes remained. “That way he doesn’t take you down with him. It’s you or both of you, you know?” She shook her hand, and it flopped, as if lifeless.

“You’re a drowning man,” I said. “You’re not worth saving is what your saying.”

“No,” she said, doubt clinging to the words. “I mean, yes, but at what risk?” She inspected her flopped hand and massaged it.

“We’re fine,” I pointed out. “Aidan and I. We’re okay.”

“Dumb luck.” She snorted, unconvinced.

She must have finally seen the horror on my face. How could she think this wasn’t all worth it? How could she think that we’d just leave them here? The knowledge of how little she must have thought of me stung worse than the monkey’s claw marks on my back.

Clearing her throat, Phoebe flashed a smile that resembled the devilishly playful one I’d once known. “So how do we win this thing?”

But it was too late. I already saw the truth.

“What’s wrong with your hand?”

She flexed her fingers, sullenly. “Numbs sometimes.”

I started to say something when I realized Phoebe had stopped cold and was looking past me.

Feeling a flare of annoyance, I jerked my head to see the obstacle between us and the center of the zoo.

The tiger’s yellow, predatory eyes focused on us. Its tail swished up the dirt as it waited for us to notice.

My cramped fingers molded to the stick that I raised.

I couldn’t be sure if this was the same tiger or a different one. Either way, I suppose, a tiger was a tiger.