Into the Darkness

Chapter 27

Carina puts two fingers on Nevada's neck to check for a pulse. Those few seconds seem to last decades.

She pulls her hand away and turns to me, "It's okay, she's okay."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, "Where's Benedict?"

Just as the words leave my mouth I can hear footsteps heading toward us, thanks to the now curved hallway I can't see who they belong to. My hand is already on my knife, ready for any kind of fight. Carina, now on her feet has the same idea.

The footsteps get closer and it's Benedict. Both of us release our grip on our knives. I was ready for a fight but I didn't want one. Benedict is panting and sweat is dripping down his forehead. He collapses against a wall.

"Are you okay?" I ask wondering what it is he was running from. I'll admit that I am a tad but worried for my own safety as well. What if it's still out there?

He nods and Carina digs around in her backpack for a water bottle. When she finds one he quickly sucks it dry. A few minutes later he is finally ready to tell us what happened.

"Gas... it just started seeping through the walls... we ran but it kept coming... I don't know when I lost her but I couldn't stop. It was just starting to catch up to me when it just disappeared. I came back to find her."

Carina wrinkles her brow and looks at him skeptically, "Your sure it was a gas."

He nods and buries his face in his hands, "I just can't believe I left her like that... I should have waited."

I sit down next to him, "Your fine and she's going to be fine. That's all that matters." As I say it I look up at Carina and raise an eyebrow. Why is she questioning the gas. She understands and gives a tiny head shake. She mouths the word "later". I want to scream. What could be so secret she can't say it in front of Benedict or is she simply worried about his state of mind. He seems even more off balance then when we got separated. That on top of the guilt he is feeling for leaving Nevada behind will not make for a good mix.
Even now though, I don't think I would doubt his decisions. I trust him. It doesn't matter what feeling is weighing down on him he will always try his hardest to get us through. Sure he failed with the others but he is facing impossible odds. I say he's done pretty good considering going against someone who is pretty much all powerful.

Nevada begins to stir. After a few minutes of tense silence she gives a small cough. Carina lets out a breath, "I'm going to go check for places where the gas might have come from."

A pointless task sure but it occurs to me that this is the perfect time to ask her about the gas. This maybe one of our last moments alone to do so since we are back in the bigger group. We walk a little ways off, the whole time Carina staring intently at each metal
wall panel. I follow he lead although I am not sure what to look for. A crack? An opening? Will there be anything that obvious?

Once we are a good distance away I decide to voice my concerns, "Are you really expecting to find something."

"No but something else is wrong."

"What?"

"I'm not saying that I doubt Benedict's story but something's not making sense... the gas, it couldn't have been chasing them. It doesn't work like that."

"Maybe it was just spreading not necessarily going after them."

"We would have been effected too. There wasn't enough time to block, the tunnels, wait for it to knock Nevada out, clear out the gas and then unblock the tunnel so we could get through."

I see her point and as far as a I can tell it is legit, "So what are you saying? What do you think it means?"

She thinks for a moment with her brows furrowed, "I think the voice is trying to mess with us. I am not sure how but nothing else makes sense."

"Yeah, what else is new?"

She chuckles and we both make are way back to the group but now the wheels in my head are turning. What was the point of that gas attack? There is always a point, always a message he somehow gets to us after but this time he didn't tell us anything. Thinking about it only makes me more confused and gives me a giant headache. But then again what else is new?