War Bird

41. Cry A Little.

I stand and stare for a few minutes, looking at the door as if it might magically open again. I tug on the handle and it doesn’t budge. I can hear Finlay hammering against the door and I place a sweaty palm against it.

“Just get out of here, Finlay,” I say. I know he can’t hear me but I don’t want to yell and draw any more attention to myself. I turn around, back pressed to the door and try to calm my breathing, but then I have to breathe through my mouth. It stinks in here, like something forgotten and old. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness in here, but as well as the staircase, I can now see to my right an archway that leads off to a room that’s completely dark. To my left is a wall just full of massive portraits and one large door. I wipe my sweaty palms on my trousers and head for that door. I can still hear Finlay making a racket outside, but he can’t do anything for me, nor me him. I’m totally alone in here and I just have to get to Birdie. I try the large door to my left but it’s stuck fast, the handle won’t even turn. I look at the large archway and shudder; no way am I walking into complete pitch black. The stairs it is then.

The first step creaks so loudly it makes me jump, and my heart trips. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and I look around, back at that yawning archway. I can’t see anyone, but the feeling of being watched is so strong, I have to force my feet to move, a step at a time. It’s like my shoes are lined are lined with rocks or something, they just don’t want to take me anywhere. The stairs spiral around and soon I see a landing, with a faint blue glow. She’s up there. Alice. I crouch down. I’m not sure why, I guess I just don’t want my head popping up over the lip of the stairs unprotected. I climb the last of the steps in a crawl.

The landing is huge, like the size of the flat back home. There are doors and corridors leading off in all directions, and a long chest of drawers with huge vases full of brown, floppy flowers. No wonder the place stinks like rotten vegetables. The blue glow is coming from under a door on the far right. That has to be where Alice is, where she’s holding Birdie. I just hope I’m not too late. I step on to the landing, my eyes trained on the door. 

The blast comes from nowhere. One minute I’m standing staring at the door trying to work up the courage to walk through it, the next, the whole landing is electrified with white-blue light and I’m flying through the air. I crash into the wall above the drawers, my leg exploding in agony.. Hot pain slices up my arm and I’m drenched in putrid flower-water. I lie frozen for the second time in ten minutes. It feels like every bone in my body is broken and it hurts more than anything I’ve ever known. Something warm and hot prickles on my arm and I glance down at the blood trickling down my skin and off my fingertips.

The hallway stays electric blue; the light is pouring out from the now open door. My vision wobbles and I sit up, but as I do the chest I am on collapses and I crunch to the floor, which sends more waves of agony rocking through my body. From the corner of my eye I see a dark blot against the brightness. It’s small, wavering, but moves fast. Sweat drips into my eyes and I wipe it away, but my hand comes away red. Not sweat, blood.

“Nice trip?” The dark shadow speaks. Alice.

“Oh God.” I cough, looking up at her. She reaches down and grabs my hair, yanking me up by it. I shriek as chunks come out at the root.

“Little worm,” she spits. “So glad I have you all to myself.”

“Where’s Birdie?” I squirm in her grasp, every movement making my scalp burn more. 

“She’s fine for now. We’re just waiting for the right time to... do what’s needed.” Alice lets go of my hair and the second she does I bring my shield back up. She just laughs and rolls her eyes. “Your little friends are putting up quite the struggle outside,” she says. “Fighting against what used to be their former colleagues.” She takes a deep breath. “So tasty. Normally I’d love to watch but I’ve got better things to do.”