Subterra Heart

Chapter 38: Tess Ritty

Time flew quickly, but not nearly as quickly as Tess's feet as she and Bastet made their way through the winding tunnels of Par-12 towards Heart Central. Every inch that they covered had once been a part of Fenrir's territory, even beyond the Anai city where Bastet and her former Host had once ruled, and Tess knew the way intimately. She had memories upon memories of humans and other creatures walking these halls. It was as if the very stone itself was a part of her.

They ran for what seemed an age until suddenly, Bastet veered off in the wrong direction. But Tess knew where the Dweller was going, and so she followed. Now, they were stopped at the edge of a precipice.

It was inky black – not even Tess's newfound ability to see through the dark could give her any sense of what lay beyond. She suspected the same to be true for Bastet. There were no bioluminescent fungi or kuar murals beyond this point, and not even a Dweller could see in total darkness.

"Arrre you rrrready, human-named-Tess?" asked Bastet. Tess glanced at the cat's shape out of the corner of her eye. During their run, she had become fractionally more familiar with Fenrir's memories. What they stood before was a seldom-used short-cut. It was a giant slide that led to one of the many sprawling mines that lay below Heart. Although it wouldn't bring them directly to Heart Central, it would get them far closer far more quickly than going by foot.

Tess hadn't wanted to take this route, but she took some small solace in the fact that Bastet appeared just as nervous and stiff as she felt. It was unusual for a Dweller to be unable to see their surroundings. Tess watched as the cat flicked her tail back and forth, steeling herself for the blind jump into darkness. Bastet's sense of urgency was surprising. Sure, the rest of her kind would come for Heart, but why should Bastet care? Something almost sad stirred in the back of Tess's mind. For a moment, she was tempted to search Fenrir's memories to see what Bastet was like when the Anai were around, but she stopped herself. She hated Fenrir's memories. Maybe she would talk with Bastet instead – there was plenty that she still needed to ask, and she still hadn't given an answer on if she was ready for this jump. But Bastet was not intent on waiting, because she leapt down the slide without a further moment's notice.

"Oh, come on," grumbled Tess, and she too leapt down the slide after the cat.

It was a steep, fast, nearly a vertical drop. A thrill of adrenaline zinged up her arms and fluttered through her chest as cold tunnel air flew past her body. She slid down stone that was smoother than melting ice, but the friction still stripped her skin bare as she tried to balance herself. She forgot to breathe.

She recalled the pain, the panic, the betrayal and confusion of when she'd been thrown down here – tossed aside by the very city that she and Matteo Rocha had been trying to save. All that Nelda had ever wanted was to help people, and to be smart enough to do so. But she was still just the same, stupid little girl that she'd always been. And she was far too trusting.

Just as suddenly as it began, the slide stopped, dumping her into a pool not unlike the one below Flores Greens. This one was far shallower though, and as she splashed around, trying to find her footing, Tess found that she was herself again. Nelda Crane's memories faded back into the jumble of histories stored in her mind, and Tess did not try to pursue them. She didn't want the rest of Nelda's story just yet. It hurt.

Her face was wet – whether the droplets that ran down her cheeks came from tears or the pool, Tess did not know. She splashed her way over to the edge and hauled herself up onto dry rock. Her feet stung and left behind dark red footprints. Bastet was already there, sitting stiffly at the edge of the pool. Somehow, she'd managed to avoid getting soaked.

"You look upset, human-named-Tess," the cat commented.

Tess took a few breaths to steady herself and wiped her eyes, nodding. "You would be too if you had a bunch of dead peoples' memories crammed into your head," she said.

"Who says that I do not?"

"Yeah, well, you're a Dweller," Tess shot back. And Dwellers didn't care about the people they'd infected. Fenrir certainly hadn't.

Bastet's ear twitched, and she stared steadily at Tess. "Yes, I am," but her raspy voice was distant, and once more, something almost sad gnawed at the back of Tess's mind.

"Sorry," she muttered automatically, although she wasn't really sure what she was sorry for. She started to glance around. Beyond the pool lay some benches and scattered gear. There was a fridge in the corner. The miners must use this area as a lunchroom. Six lunchboxes already sat on one of the benches, waiting for their contents to be eaten. A hearthbox lay on the ground. It was smashed, and its fire had been snuffed out. Only a single, buzzing, yellow lightbulb was left to light the space. Everywhere that Tess looked, there was dust. So much dust.

"Come," said Bastet. "We must leave this place. A transport rrruns through these mines. We can follow its rrrroute to – "

"Did you do this?" breathed Tess.

"No."

Tess limped over to the bench where all of the lunchboxes sat, avoiding the glass shards on the ground from the shattered hearthbox. She saw fragments of a skull next to a sandwich. And she had no memories of its owner. This wasn't someone who had been infected by Fenrir.

"Bastet, if you did this..." she hissed.

"I did not," said Bastet. "My kin – "

"Your stupid kin are here!" shouted Tess. She snatched up a shard of the hearthbox's glass and held it like a knife. It cut her palm, and dark blood dribbled down her skin. "Your kind are here, and they are already killing my home, and you didn't even warn me that it was starting! You - I will see you burn before – "

"They are not here," Bastet snapped. "Not anymore. They..." She trailed off and glanced over to where the fridge sat. There was a tunnel next to it that led out to the rest of the mine. A low growl rumbled through Bastet's throat.

"Oh, now what?" sneered Tess. She looked over at the fridge and the adjacent tunnel. Nothing. There was nothing there. Bastet was just toying with her. Tess wondered if she could find a lighter lying around. She would set the whole planet aflame if it would rid her of these Dwellers.

"Hush," hissed Bastet. "We leave now."

Tess cast an angry look back at the cat and strode over to the dark tunnel. Bastet growled again, but didn't move to stop her. As Tess drew closer, she could make out the shape of a miner lying prone on the ground. He lifted his head to meet her. He would have been older than her, and signs of bloodrot were plain to see across his grey, decaying face. He laughed. It was a hollow, whistling sound. His tongue was already blackened – necrotic.

"So," he slurred in a hissing, broken voice, "You are da human who sed us loose."