Fire's Last Descendant

Chapter 5

           ••• Chapter 5 •••

       My chin rests on my fist as I lean against the car window. Everybody is pretty silent. My mind is submerged in unanswered questions. What's happening? Where are they taking me? Who are they? I mean, I know their names and all, but what do they want with me?

       Suddenly, the car comes to a screeching halt. I can't help but sit up straighter in my seat. As far as I can tell, the last thirty minutes were spent driving us all into the middle of nowhere.

       Trees. That's all there are. Besides the dirt road the car drove on a few seconds ago, it's all just trees.

       "Callan? Sam? Chase? Where are we?"

       Callan adjusts the rear view mirror again. Her hazel eyes stare into the mirror to see me. The corners of her mouth curl up in a smile. "Here."

       I roll my eyes. "You know what I meant."

       She chuckles in front of me. "Just HERE. 'Kay?"

       Whatever. We all hop out of the car and Callan leads the way. Sam walks on my right and Chase stays at the back.

       We keep walking for almost fourteen more minutes until Callan stops. Her body stands in front of a large group of branches, leaves, and twigs. Her hands reach up and pull the plants out of the way. After they're out of the way, she steps in behind where they once were.

       Now, her hands feel around something ahead of Chase, Sam, and I. Her right hand makes a fist and knocks on something I believe to be wooden. Her left hand feels around the wooden object again and begins to push with both.

       Then a wooden door opens. Callan steps through and waves for us to come in. We all follow into the dark place she's led us into. Chase closes the door behind us and the tiniest shred of light we have disappears.

       I hear someone's footsteps echo off to my right. A light switches on and I see that Sam turned it on.

       All four of us stand in an all white room. There is no furniture. There are no visible windows or doors. It's just white.

       Walking off to a different wall, Sam pushes open an unseen door in the wall. We leave the white room and enter what looks like a family room or a den. Here, there is furniture, yet still no windows.

       This room is far different from the white room. The walls are painted a cream color and the wooden floor is a dark, rich brown. There are two light brown leather chairs and a sofa the same color. A large television set sits on the wall between the two chairs and faces the sofa. One door the same color as the floor is next to the TV.

       "Hey, Callan? Sam? Chase?"

       "Yeah?" They all answer at the same time.

       "What exactly is this place?"

       "We call it a safe house."

       A sudden thought grabs my mind and makes me ask, "How safe, exactly."

       All three of them shrug. "Pretty safe, nothing's ever gotten in here before."

       By the way they said "nothing", I'm guessing they mean creatures like the gashadokuro. Then another question grabs my mind. Something that I've been wanting to say since they told me to get in the car. "Why did you bring me here?"

       A silence falls over the room like a blanket. All three of them exchange the silent conversation that Sam and Chase had in my house. I cross my arms and wait for them to answer. Chase answers. "You were threatened. And… other reasons."

       The other reason seems to have a great impact on the three of them. I am about to ask what the other reason is when Sam abruptly changes the subject. "Gabby, if you don't mind, we kinda need to talk alone. If you're looking for a place to stay, there's a guest bedroom at the end of the hall behind the door."

       I turn to the door. As I start walking toward the door, I cast a quick look over my shoulder. The three of them have already begun to walk off to another hidden doorway near a leather chair. Chase looks over his own shoulder and gives me a quick smile before following the girls into the different room. The door they exited through closes the same time I open the door to the hallway.

•••

       I'm starting to wonder if these folks actually live here. Mostly because all of their rooms are furnished to their own tastes and pictures are hung up showing them and the safe house.

       The room they sent me to was a soft brown that reminded me of coffee. A mahogany brown four poster bed with a light tan comforter stood in the middle of the room against the same wall as the door. Across from the bed is a brick wall with a mahogany book case. A dresser and vanity of the same wood stand on the left and right of the book case.

       I fall onto my back on the comforter. Why would they leave me in here? I haven't done anything wrong, have I?

       Suddenly, the silence in the room is interrupted. Because I hear voices. Sam, Callan's, and Chase's. I slowly get off of the bed and walk towards the voices. They're coming from the air vent. What the three are saying I can barely make out, but I hear my name a few times

       If they are talking about me, I have a right to know. I leave the air vent and open the door to exit the room. Soon, I leave the hallway and I am back in the main room. My eyes anxiously search the room for the spot where the second hidden door of the day was.

       My hands softly felt around the wall until I find a spot in the wall that pushes inwards. I push on it delicatly. When it moves slightly, I open the door a tiny crack. I see the trio in a different room, most likely a kitchen, sitting around a table when I peek through the crack.

        "… And you're sure that it's gone? Dead?" Callan says this.

       "Positive. Stabbed it right in the place where it's heart should be," Sam answers.

       "And her other relatives are safe?" Callan continues.

       "Pretty sure. She said that her brother was gonna be at the house in a few, but we sent him off to a back-up guardian's home." Chase answers this time.

       "Good," Callan says. I see her lean forward to the others on the table. "I think she's got power."

       Power? Me? Cause I'm pretty sure I'm she! I think.

       "C'mon, Callan. You say that about every person we've brought here." Sam says, exasperated.

       "First of all, that's only been one person—"

       "That ended up dead!" Sam counters.

       "Can I continue? Thanks. And second, I'm serious! Her aura simply screams 'Power!' "

       Sam and Chase both sigh. "Cal, have you been watching or reading any freaky gypsy-like stuff again?" Chase asks.

       "Hey, if it sometimes helps kill monsters, yes."

       There's a pause. My heart stops, and I start to believe they know I'm there. Then they go on. "You really think she's Fire?" Chase asks.

       I think Sam and Callan both nod their heads. "You heard the monster right before I killed it. 'I will devour your essence slowly, and leave the Fire for the master.' "

       Fire? What Fire? Then my feet slip on the wood. My hands push hard on the door. The next thing I know, I've landed on my knees with my hands on the floor. Right in the middle of their "private" conversation.