Winter's Edge

Chapter 5 - Choosing

Ian

I jerked, roused from sleep by the sound of dozens of footsteps approaching from a nearby passage. The tentacle-like sensation invaded my muscles causing my stomach to wrench. Heat seemed to emanate from my bones. Energy coursed through every inch of my being.

Something was very wrong.

I pushed off the ground and stood in the massive hall. What was I doing here? And where was here?

The place looked similar to the graveyard with the Ancient Hebrew symbols and elaborate etchings decorating the walls.

The muffled footsteps grew louder. Whoever it was didn't want to be heard. Someone was coming for me. Lots of someones.

"Ian." Abby's voice came as a sharp whisper.

I turned to see her peeking out a door at me. Her eyes grew insistently large. "Come on. Quick."

She'd chased me down, pretended to be friendly, then shot me with tranqs. But unfortunately, I didn't have time to judge her trustworthiness.

I headed for the door quietly and slipped in. She shut it behind me. I spun to look out its window. She pushed against me, edging in for a look, causing goosebumps to spring up all over me. Apparently, my hormones didn't care if she was trustworthy.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

Her voice came back quiet. Dark. "Hunters." She rotated the lock, securing the door. "They've found us."

Down the hall, soldiers in black uniforms cautiously rounded a corner with guns trained our direction.

Abby dropped and grabbed the back of my shirt, yanking me down with her. "I'm sorry, Ian. We brought you here to keep you safe, but this is the worst place you could be right now."

Gee, the place just kept getting better and better. "Why was I passed out in the hall?"

She sidestepped the door, placing herself behind its hinges. The walls, floor, and even ceiling were covered with blue mats. Why did they need mats on the ceiling?

I fell in behind her.

"I was taking you to the medical center when you fainted. Then I heard footsteps coming from the entry and ducked in here."

"You left me in the hall?" I said with stifled outrage.

"Just until I could get help. What else was I supposed to do?"

My jaw dropped, eyes creasing with disbelief. "Uh, drag me out of the hall, maybe? What if they'd shot me?"

She shook her head. "That's not their M.O. At worst, they would've collared you."

I frowned. "Collared me?"

"Electro-shock collar. Tazes you if you try to use your powers. They're pretty horrible."

"Gee, thanks. I always wanted to be tazed."

"Is your superpower fainting?" she said.

"What? No." I bit off what I was about to say, letting it go. "Why don't I remember what happened."

"The tranqs we use have that effect. It'll come back to you in a day or so."

Footsteps crept by the door and Abby's finger rose to her lips in warning.

If they looked in the door's window, all they'd see was an empty room with some training dummies and a twenty-foot ceiling that a family of giants could live in comfortably.