Across the Deadzone

Chapter 27: Wystan

They had taken Zilla and I to an underground cavern, mostly hidden by sand. Water dripped from the ceiling, making a consistent sound for me to focus on in the infinite darkness around us. In the coolness, my fingers and toes began to go numb. If it hadn't been for the water drops, I would start to think I was dead.
I had no way of telling when day had faded into night, but it felt like we'd been there for at least a full twenty-four hours. Maybe more.
The dark was pressing on my eyes, weighing on them like a physical force. It was driving me batty that my vision hadn't adjusted at all.
"Why do you think they seperated us if they're gonna change us all at the same time?" Zilla's voice came from my right, startling me more than I'd care to admit. I'd grown used to the silence.
I felt around for the wall of the cave. Even though it was damp, I leaned my back against it, closing my eyes.
"They think that having two ceremonies is more befitting of the All-Powerful Being's greatness," I offered, only half joking.
Not-Coatés had conveniently explained everything that was going to happen to us, including that we had to wait for however long it took for Stevie and Ophelia to finish their conditioning.
There was also the reason they needed to be put into conditioning: Stevie and Ophelia were fighters. They would be harder for the Zombie-crawlers to control, whereas Zilla and I were- as Not-Coatés so kindly put it- meek. We'd do whatever we could to make sure that everyone else was safe. Even walking into an utterly black cave to rot with our heads down and mouths shut.
I pulled my knees up against my chest, resting my chin. There weren't a lot of comfortable places to sleep in here. So far, my knees have made the best pillow.
I heard Zilla shift beside me before I felt her shoulder press against mine. The contact was comforting. At least now I wasn't floating off into space. Now we were both grounded. Tethered, or whatever.
Maybe that had been her goal.
"What do you think they're doing to them?" Zilla asked, so quietly she could've been drowned out by the sound of the dripping water.
That was the one thing Not-Coatés hadn't told us. We had no idea what they were actually doing to the other half of our group. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. It made my stomach writhe to think about it.
"I don't know," I finally said. For a long moment, I had forgotten she had even asked me a question. "But from what I can tell about Stevie, they'll be fine."
"I was just gonna say the same thing about Ophelia." Her head landed on my shoulder.
There was no talk about escaping. How could you escape creatures who were of a single mind? Who couldn't feel pain? No use filling our heads and our hearts with false hope.
Maybe we wouldn't be finding out if Thalia was alive after all.