The Lores of Lyra - Shattered Star [Book II]

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

 

“It could be a trap,” Vega said. Joshua looked over and nodded. The thought had occurred to him too.

They were wandering through a forest with no idea where to go. The best idea they had been to go back to the city they had arrived in, and then ask around there. The language hadn't seemed to be a problem with the black hole, so they agreed to try it. 

As they walked through the forest, an eerie silence fell between the two of them. The silence felt both awkward and yet desired for both parts.

The city seemed still, but as they found their way to the marketplace once more, they saw a funny looking port which people kept going in to, without coming out.

“What’s that?” Vega asked one of the salesmen across from them.

“Aye, you must not be from around here I take it, well, that is a transporter. You take that to get to a destination, it’s pretty smart,” the salesman answered. Vega looked at Joshua and with a shared shrug; they both decided that they could try it at least.

Walking over to the port, they walked carefully inside. The place seemed similar to a bus, which Vega knew about from one of the various books that she had read, or rather as Miriam had read.

“Where to?” a man asked in a monotone voice.

“The city of Draco,” Vega answered. Joshua’s watched as he saw the man’s eyes shoot up to them. A frightened look passed over, but he quickly gathered himself and pointed to the back row.

“That will be the last stop, please do take a seat back there,” he said in a formal tone before concentrating on the pad in front of him. Avoiding their eyes, he kept focusing on his hands.

Joshua shot him a look, not sure how to react but as lead Vega to the back he decided not to pursue it.


The transporter was overheated, overpopulated, and the stench it brought along was horrible. As Vega sat in the overcrowded seat, Joshua on one side, and a mother with a wailing baby on the other, she couldn’t help but to hope that the trip would end soon.
When the pair had given said their destination to the bus driver, he had sent them a frightened look.

As she sat there, Vega once again looked at the black hole, there had been nothing valuable in his pockets, and the only thing they had to go on was the destination she had now. That was if it were of any use at all. Joshua had mentioned before they got onto the bus that the black hole could have set them on a false trail. A boulder had settled in Vega’s stomach when she realized that what Joshua was suggesting could be true.

Errai had known that Vega and Joshua would be at the ruins. She had heard his taunting voice in her head. Could he be the one who had sent them to Draco?

Breathing slowly, she calmed herself. Errai wouldn’t be that smart.

As the transporter slowly emptied, Vega noticed the chauffeur glancing at them now and then. When they were the last passengers left, they drove in silence. If they had talked, it could be heard through the whole bus.

The feeling in the air gradually changed from optimistic and busy to peaceful and silent and then again to something dark and sinister. The transported stopped, and the man at the front, signaled for them to get off. This was their stop.

As they stepped out, she took in her surroundings. The city they were in, seemed worn down and old.

Vega looked around. The few people that were outside stared at them as the bus drove away.

“I don’t really feel welcome here,” Joshua whispered. “What’s your plan?”

“We’ll ask around if anyone know Errai,” Vega shrugged slightly, but the she had an uneasy feeling inside her whole body. They walked over to a small group of people, who were staring at them.

“Hello there, I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could ask some questions?” Vega said and smiled to an elder lady. She was with two men, her grey hair in contrast to the men’s youthful looks. The woman simply stared back, not saying anything.

“Does anyone of you know a man called Errai?” Vega asked bluntly. At the mentioning of his name, the woman’s eyes narrowed and turned away.

Vega shrugged to Joshua and watched them walk away.

She was about to turn around, when an elder man poked her gently on the shoulder to get her attention. She turned around and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Yes, Can I help you, sir?” she asked politely, smiling slightly at him. He had a cane, and struggled to stand.

“The one you seek, is back there,” he said and pointed towards what looked like an abandoned bar. A toothless smile flashed at her before the man started walking away.

Vega’s face lit up, and she smiled brightly.

“Thank you so much, sir!” she said and began walking with Joshua trailing her. The closer she got, the slower her steps became. The nauseating feeling was back. Joshua grabbed her hand and together they neared the worn out building.

They went inside, and dust rose whenever they took a step. A ray of sunlight showed the dust whirl around in the air, and they looked around with nervous looks on their faces.

A scream erupted from inside, and both of them hurried to the place. As they broke down the door that shielded them, they took in the horrid scene in front of them. The old lady that had left them outside was standing in front of them, with blood red eyes.

“Run!” someone screamed. A hand grabbed them, and before they knew it, both of them were being dragged in the opposite direction. They ran to another building and locked themselves inside.

“That won’t hold her out for long, she is hungry. We need to move,” their savior had said. They looked towards the person in question and recoiled as they stared into the spitting image of Blake. Joshua instantly reacted and took a defensive position, his fist raised. He was ready to fight this guy.

“What are you doing? Get your asses moving!” the guy commanded and ran to another exit in the house. Loud bangs could be heard on the door, and they both ran after the one who looked at Blake. Questions swarmed through their heads.

The stairs complained under their feet, and they ran down the aisle at the top, following what might be their enemy. The floorboard creaked, behind them they could hear the door be broken down, and a new adrenaline shot rushed through Joshua he pushed himself harder and caught up to the two people running in front of him.

Thundering footsteps sounded close on his heels and fear threatened to break out inside Joshua. He ran after the Blake look-a-like and as he was the last person in, he closed the small attic door after him. Looking out of a small piece of glass that was placed at the top of the door he could see the woman on all fours with blood red eyes and a gaping mouth, which revealed a set of teeth that shone in the light. Horrified he ducked. Vega and the guy were trying to find something to barricade the door with, but the attic was mostly empty and dusty.

Leaning on the door, using his body he heard the crack in the glass and watched in horror as the shards fell down over him.

“Vega!” he hissed as one of them cut into his shoulder. He turned around using his whole weight to block the door as the head of the woman stuck through the small window. Saliva threatened to fall, and as he stared up in terror, he slowly sunk down to the floor. He wanted to get away from that monster, whatever it was.

He held up his arm to secure his hold. Pushing his hands against the frame, he strained to hold the door.

“I can’t hold it much longer you guys,” he yelled to the two other. From the angle he was in, he couldn’t see what they were doing, but he hoped it would be quick. His muscles were tense as the hold on the door was about to slip. Sweat had formed on his palms, and he felt his hands slide slowly from the frame.

A searing pain roared through his arm, and he screamed aloud. His right arm felt like it was on fire. Clenching his eyes shot his lungs ached as he felt the air leave them. He distantly felt himself being dragged away, and loud bangs roared through his head. Vega’s scream was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

-
“What have you done?” Vega yelled at the guy as she saw Joshua sink to his knees. The guy who could have been Blake’s twin just sent her a look as he unloaded something from his belt and shot the lady straight in the face. A piercing scream sounded, and Vega watched with wide eyes as the woman disintegrated right before her eyes. She was on the floor next to Joshua who must have passed out.

She turned him around and surveyed him carefully; his face had small cuts from when the window had cascaded down over him. She frowned as she saw nothing that could have caused him to pass out. His t-shirt wasn’t torn anywhere on his torso, and it wasn’t until she moved and his right arm fell on the floor as she saw the gaping wound which covered his whole underarm. As she looked, she saw the wound getting wider. She stared at the acid boiling his skin away.

The other guy cursed and fell down beside her.

“Move out of the way,” he commanded in a dark tone. Even his voice sounded like Blake and Vega took a defensive stance over Joshua. She wasn’t about to let Blake get another shot at Joshua.

“You want him to die?” he asked and gaped at her. She didn’t answer, but she made sure that all the venom she could muster was in her eyes as she glared at him

“That wound is only going to get bigger if he’s not treated and I am not losing more people,” the guy’s attitude changed to desperate as he took a step towards her meaning to throw her away if he had to. Vega could see it in his eyes. He didn’t care if he had to knock her out cold if he had to.

“What are you doing here? I killed you!” she spat at him. His expression changed from desperate to shock when her words registered. Silence spread out between them, and as the seconds passed by Vega felt the worry for Joshua grow inside her. Looking down, she saw that the skin on his arm was almost gone, and the sizzling had started on the veins that ran under. A putrid smell hung in the air.

“Look, I have no idea what you are talking about, but I need to see him and stop the saliva from spreading; otherwise he will be dead!” the desperate was back in his voice, and his eyes had a crazed look as he sunk down on his knees and skidded closer.

Vega looked down once more and saw the wound spreading second by second.

“If you hurt him, I will kill you!” she hissed and moved to the other side of Joshua, not taking her eyes of the guy as he got to work.

She saw him take out a variety of components from his little satchel that he wore around his stomach. The whole thing reminded her of when Joshua first had used lion dust on them.

“What’s that?” she asked as she saw him wet a cloth with the liquid from the bottle. He shot her a look and leaned over to tend to the wound, but Vega stopped him. With a stubborn look, she refused to let go of his arm before he had answered her.

“This is a disinfectant that will remove the saliva remains which is currently scolding his skin away as you stop me from tending to him,” he said with a sigh. Vega felt a stab at her pride but didn’t let it show. She wasn’t about to let Blake use something she didn’t know what was on Joshua. Even though, he didn’t act like Blake, the resemblance was stunning. She removed her hand and watched as the wound stopped sizzling. Blood started flowing again and soon there was a large stain under Joshua’s arm. Gulping visibly, she looked over at her company.

He stopped as he noticed her look and raised the jar he had in his hands.

“This is a balm to stop the blood from gushing out,” he explained. With a satisfied nod, she let him smear what looked like a thick paste over the arm. As soon as the balm was applied, Vega saw Joshua’s chest rise and fall more steadily. His breathing became more relaxed and soon after it sounded more like a peaceful sleep.

The other guy was bandaging the wound, and he didn’t look up before he had securely tied the ends around. As he slowly stood up, she watched him with a glare. The guy turned around to the door, and before he could take a step, Vega was at his throat pushing him towards the wall.

“Don’t even think about it, Blake,” she warned through clenched teeth. Pressing him further into the corner that was close she held an arm to his throat.

“You better start talking, pretty boy. Because I have been dying to get a chance like this again,” she threatened.

“I…” the guy tried, and Vega realized she had to release the hold on his throat.

“I don’t know who you are,” he coughed as Vega moved her arm an inch and allowed him to breathe again.

“No? Want me to refresh your memory?” she spat. Anger rose in her body, and she had to concentrate hard to control it. She met his eyes and stared in to clear blue pools of confusion. These weren’t Blake’s dark blue eyes, which she often saw in her dreams. 

“Who are you?” she asked and released him. His hand shot to his throat, and he glared up at her.

“My name is Eric. And I think I have an idea of why this mistake has been made,” he said after some time.

Vega looked at the still passed out Joshua, and suddenly wished it had been her instead. That way she wouldn’t be the one who was forced to be here in the presence of someone who looked like her worst enemy.

A part of her ached as she looked over the guy in front of her. Eric… His name was Eric, and he thought he had an idea that could explain this madness. Taking a step back, she slid down the door. Looking up at the broken window, she pondered.

“Will that thing come back?” she asked and pointed to the window to signify what she meant.

Eric shook his head.

“It’s complicated; she only comes every time new people arrive or if they try to leave. That’s why she was after you,” he told her. “It’s what the Black Holes commanded her to.”

“You know about the black holes?” Vega asked with surprise. He sent a look to tell that of course he did.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t know about them,” he said with a bitter tone.

“What do you mean?”

He looked at her once more, and a pain spread out inside her as their eyes met.

“I wasn’t born in here, I was born in Hydra,” he said.

Hydra was in Astron. On the other side of the magical shield. Vega kept silent upon hearing this. Waving her hand in a gesture for him to keep talking she leaned back.

“I lived in Hydra, until almost a year back. One night I was out late, walking through the streets and as I walked by the towns’ orphanage, some creature attacked me. At the time, I didn’t know it. He held me captive for almost a week and then he banished me to this place after taking my appearance. He told me to stay here, in this city and stay alive until he came for me,” Eric pointed at the weapon, which was still lying beside Joshua. “I got this from him. Ever since, I woke up in this star forsaken place, I have tried to escape from here, but that creature has always held me back.”

Vega tried to gather all the information

“So, a black hole gave you the means to survive?” she asked, not believing it.

“Yes, I was mostly in safety the first year. That was when an elder man arrived here too. He had been beaten badly and couldn’t fight the woman. The acid in the creature’s saliva hurt him too, and we made the balm together. He died last month though,” Eric said with sadness in his voice.

“What was his name?” Vega asked as something connected inside her mind. She just couldn’t quite grasp it.

“Steven something. We didn’t really use much time to exchange pleasantries,”

“Steven Johansson?” she urged. Eric shrugged at that. Vega fell silent again. That was the name of her mother’s, well, Miriam’s mother’s boyfriend. This nightmare had all started when he came into her life. Not knowing what to say about the subject and not wanting to dwell on the thought of her mother, she looked at Joshua again.

“Do you know how long he will be out?” she asked. They actually had to get going.

“It could be anything around two hours to two days,” he answered.

After that, they both sat leaned up to each of their walls, wondering about their own things. Vega was so exhausted, but she didn’t dare sleep. Even though, Eric seemed sincere, the resemblance just irked her.

“You look bombed,” he noted.

Vega didn’t answer but kept staring at the floor between her legs. She leaned her arms on her raised knees and sleepily rubbed her eyes. 

“You know, you can sleep if you like to, I’ll look out for you,” he said in a gentle tone of voice. Vega didn’t wish to respond to that. There was no way, she would let her guard down.

“This is ridiculous, I won’t do anything!” he said. Her eyelids felt heavy.

“I don’t trust you,” she simply mumbled, but she could feel the sleep slowly creeping in on her.

“And I don’t expect you to, but for Solem’s sake. You can barely sit upright anymore, you need sleep!” he argued.

“Why are you that intent on me going to sleep?” she asked, changing the subject away from herself.
Eric simply sent her a glare at first, but then held up his hand surrendering.

“Okay, okay. I get it. Suit yourself. But don’t blame me when you’re too tired to escape when you have to,” he said and with that he stretched out on the floor with his hands under his head staring at the ceiling.

After a few minutes,  Vega wished he would talk to her instead, with the silence she found it harder to fight the sleep.

“Tell me about yourself,” she finally said. He turned his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

“What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Everything, anything really,” she answered. He smiled at that, and the handsome way his mouth arched in both sides, made it ache inside of her.

“I’ll tell you everything, but not until later. I wasn’t kidding when I said that you need sleep. If you refuse to that, then you should at least rest for a bit,” he said.

Damn, he knew what she was thinking. The smirk on his face told her that he knew that sleep probably would come to her soon, rather by force than choice.