Spy School: The Rise of Gama

Chapter 31: You Don't Know

A metal door slamming shut pulls Liz back to consciousness. She sits up slowly, her head pounding. Every inch of her is sore and bruised, encouraging her to stay still.

She's not surprised to find herself locked away in yet another stone cell. This one is at least large enough for her to stand and move around in, a luxury the previous two lacked. The door for this one is made of thick metal bars spread far enough apart to look through but not so far as to allow her to reach out of them and make an attempt at the lock. The single dim light doesn't provide enough lighting to try anyway.

Liz turns and lets out a gasp, scurrying backward so quickly she nearly stumbles and falls over. Her back hits against the bars of the cell door, forcing her to come to a halt.

On the other side of the cell lays Adela whom is still unconscious. She's still covered in blood from head to toe, but it seems now that some of it is her own. There are white bandages wrapped around her neck, almost like a choker necklace. The section on the back of her neck right under her hairline is a deep scarlet color.

"You don't need to worry." The sudden voice from directly behind Liz causes her to jump and move away so she's standing in the center of the cell once more. "Your friend isn't a danger any more. At least not to you."

Standing outside the door is a boy no older than sixteen. He's dressed in all black with the Gama symbol of the snake clearly visible on his left shoulder. He carries a rifle of some kind with various other guns and knives strapped to his belt. The most unsettling thing is his face, Liz can't seem to tear her eyes away.

Despite how young he appears, the hair on his head is completely silver, as are his furrowed eyebrows. His brown, expressionless eyes had a strange hue, almost to the point of being considered red. A jagged scar that looks recent travels down from above his right eye to the center of his cheek.

"What do you mean?" Liz asks, finally finding her voice.

"She's a failed experiment. Gama no longer as use for her, or for you." The boy speaks in complete monotone, his face remaining blank as his eyes scan over Liz and the crumpled form of Adela.

"What's going to happen to us then? What are you going to do to us?" Even though she's still terrified of Adela waking up and hurting her again, Liz steps protectively in front of Adela.

"I'm not going to shoot you now, you can relax." The boy's tone gives away nothing.

Before Liz can respond to him, he steps to the side of the door, standing just out of view. She's unsure if that makes her feel more or less safe. Afterall, isn't it better to always have a visual on the enemy?

"Does that mean you're going to shoot us later?" She whispers as she sits down. Her body is aching from all the movement she just forced it through.

Time seems to stand still after that, nothing to measure its passing. The boy doesn't appear at the door to talk again, no one passes the cell, and Adela doesn't wake up. Liz switches between sitting down and pacing the cell, constantly glancing at Adela.

When she can take the silence no more, Liz stands up and walks to the cell door. She wraps her hands around the cool metal bars as she tries to look at the boy whom she's hoping is still outside. All she can see is the stone wall on the opposite side of the dimly lit hallway.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" Liz waits a moment, straining to hear a response. When none is given, she tries again. "I'm getting hungry. Could you bring food?" Again, only silence is heard.

The light in the cell goes out, darkness covering Liz and Adela. The lights in the hallway dim as well. No noise is heard, even the hum of the fans that circulate the musty air in the halls have been silenced.