THE CAGE (The Chosen Series #3)

CH42. ♙h5 ♚h7

Ciara

Isla leads us into a sterile laboratory-type room, and I can't stop myself from wrinkling my nose at the overwhelming scent of pickles. The smell causes my stomach to roll, so I stop breathing through my nose and open my mouth to gain the oxygen I require to prevent myself from gagging.

With my breathing under control, I take a moment to asses my surroundings. I almost lose the battle and begin tapping my free hand against my leg. Apart from the metal workbenches with all kinds of sciency stuff, there is an entire wall of things that cause bile to build in the back of my throat. 

"This takes creepy to another level," Ava whispers, and I purse my lips in agreement, then regret it when I can't breathe.

Moving closer to the wall, I try not to look at the shelves stacked from floor to ceiling with glass jars filled with all sorts of human and not-so-human anatomy. Oh, they are so nasty. I shiver when I see a partially formed fetus, its alien-like body looking bloated as it floats in its liquid grave.

Yep, I'm now officially going to be sick.

Isla's throat clicks, and the noise distracts my nausea party for one as we continue to walk deeper into the room and towards a door partially hidden by the wall of horrors. It's then that I notice that even with the ick factor, this room seems to be unused like the others we've walked through, given the fine layer of dust coating the surfaces.

I'm surprised we haven't encountered another Elemental or their workers as Isla leads us away from White Room 2.0. I don't know how she and the others did it, but somehow they've managed to lock everyone out.

It could be because Isla seems to be taking us a back way and navigating us through what I assume are old maintenance tunnels, given the fine particles of grime and the cobwebs littered around the space. Either way, whatever they've done has worked, and we've been able to walk in and out of different rooms without detection.

I may be directionally challenged, but even I know that we seem to be zigzagging our way out of this hell hole, and nothing I've seen so far is familiar.

Thankfully Ava can still walk, but her contractions have slowly increased in frequency and are currently five minutes apart. Isla and I have continued supporting her so she can reserve her energy, but we make sure to stop when the contraction hits.

As for my sister, while her eyes are still that deep red and filled with storms, they appear to be less chaotic. Her communication has also improved, her voice is more stable, and her clicking has reduced. But I haven't overlooked the continuous trail of blood coming from her wrist where her watch rests, dripping onto the floor as we walk.

I want to ask her about it, but something tells me she's using the pain to control whatever she is.

Shay has also been a constant support in the background, asking for updates while giving me an account of the boys' activities. I'm grateful that he's avoided sharing every tiny piece of information. The background noises are more than enough information for me, and there's only so much a girl can handle without knowing who is making those ripping and chomping sounds.

Shay quite proudly informed me that someone named Liz has been keeping him updated on our location by tracking Isla's watch and advised that we are only a room and level apart.

It blows my mind how well he and Isla work together. It's like they are one at times. But what's scary is I feel that this isn't the first time they have done something like this. Worked together while Isla is... Well, Isla.

I swear, when we are out of here, that girl has some serious explaining to do. I also want to know who the fuck Jase and Ev are and what in the world Ava was mumbling about after one of her contractions. She was saying something about a red jacket in Isla's closet and understanding now.