Escape

Chapter 11 pt. 1

I woke to the thump of my body falling against something cushioned. I opened my eyes at once and balanced myself up on my elbows, taking in my surroundings. I was in the backseat of some vehicle, nestled against a pair of brown leather seats with my legs tangled in blankets.

The seat in front of me made a swishing sound, and a face peeked back at me. He grinned, and quickly turned back around. "So you're finally awake. Good. I was afraid you'd still be sleeping by the time we got there."

"Got where?" Really? I've been attacked, kidnapped, and woke up in the car of some guy who I don't know, and that's the first thing I asked? What did he say his name was? Erebos? How did this all happen?

"Beach Haven."

"Beach Haven...?"

"It's a beach."

"Oh, thanks. That really gives me a lot of-"

Erebos, who is obviously not a good driver, made a sharp right, sending me to slam against the left window. I groaned and rubbed my head.

"Sorry," Erebos laughed, "I always miss that turn."

I peeked out the window and glanced curiously at the long, never ending road and tourist shops that stacked closely together, all which seemed like colorful blurs as we sped along at 70 mph. The sun splashed yellow and orange in the eastern sky as it rose, informing me that I must have slept through the night.

Erebos made a left onto a short road that stubbed off at the end with tall grass plants and a small path lined with a wood fence.

"Annnnd...we are here!" He sang, and pulled into a little rocky driveway that I would have never even seen past the abundance of plants hiding it. Erebos clicked open the door latch and stepped out of the truck, motioning me to follow suit.

My fingers held on nervously to the front seats as I realized that this would have to be my moment of escape. He claims to be one of the five dominant protectors, but why should I believe him? When I met Briseas and Leora, a smack of power ran coursed through my body, but nothing like that happened when I first encountered Erebos.

A growing pit seized my stomach as a dangerous tension devoured the situation. Who's to say this isn't some crazy dude who claims to be one of the five? What if he's bringing me to his colt right now, where they are going to kill me?

A sweat breaking, teeth grinding, mind splintering realization set on me: what if he is a...what did Briseas say the children of Niobe are called? Niobids? What if he is a Niobid?!

"Oh, gods! Oh, GODS!" I murmured to myself over and over.

I almost hit my head on the roof of the car when Erebos knocked on my window. I turned my head slowly before my eyes darted hesitantly towards his face, which was looking in at me. A goofy half-grin spread across his lips, and he raised his eyebrows as if to say: "what are you waiting for?"

I mentally prepared myself to make a fast break once I got out of the car. Hopefully he wouldn't see it coming.

"Okay." I whispered quietly while climbing out of the car. I didn't realize how high up the truck was, and when I went to step out, my foot fell to the rocky ground, bringing my cursing mouth with it.

I looked up at Erebos, who just about looked everywhere but me. From the look it, he seemed to be scanning the area. I prayed to the gods that Marshall and the guards would be here soon, before I'm skinned alive and stuffed in a trash bag.

I got up and brushed the little stone remains off of my knees, all while getting ready to make a run for it.

Erebos pointed in front of us, where the rocky driveway met an old, dark blue shack that seemed to be the last remains of the Dark Age.

I glared at Erebos and gave him an 'Are You Kidding Me?' scowl. All he did was shrug and pull out a weird little black device that made a dinging noise.

I realized that this was my chance to escape, and started off down the driveway, past a startled-looking Erebos, and out towards the little path at the end of the street.

I could hear Erebos shouting behind me, and I frowned as déjà vu brought my mind back to the similar time when I was trying to escape the safe house. Hopefully Erebos didn't have any of that stupid serum.

My feet made low thudding sounds as I ran up the wooden planks. Erebos shouts only grew louder, and I knew that he was hot on my tail.

I would've made it to someplace, to someone who I could ask for help from, but all my thoughts of escape, well all my thoughts, really, were erased when my feet submerged into something weird. It was cool and warm at the same time, and as my feet sunk down even farther, the stuff drizzled in between my toes. I laughed at the funny feeling, but suddenly grew frantic.

"Oh my gods! I'm going to be swallowed up by this stuff!"

A low chuckle came from behind me, and I turned around to see Erebos leaning comfortably against the wood fence. He was still on the wooden planks, safe from this slow death.

"Help me! Wait, no, on second thought, don't help me! Actually, I die either way!"

Erebos lifted an eyebrow, and the smirk on his face grew into a confused expression. "Die either way? Wait, do you think I'm going to kill you or something?"

I bent down and touched the stuff covering my feet. It was grainy and fell quickly through my fingers. "What is this...?" I said, almost in a trance.

"Sand. It's just sand. It's not going to kill you, and neither am I."

I picked up another handful of the 'sand' and tossed it in front of me. It fell to the ground gracefully. Turning my head, I studied Erebos curiously, "You're...not going to kill me? Well, how do I know you're not? How do I know your telling the truth about everything?"

Erebos stepped down into the sand, and I watched in fascination as he walked around with ease. He stopped right in front of me and looked into my eyes with a sudden interest. I tipped my head up and looked back into his eyes. His dark irises were mesmerizing, the way the different shades of black coursed around each other. It was just like looking into Briseas or Leora's eyes, how they colors swirled continuously. Maybe he was telling the truth...maybe he was one of us?

Erebos spoke in a soft voice, and his words seemed to slip from his lips like silk. "How do you know they are telling the truth about everything?"

"T-they?" I questioned so faintly that I thought he wouldn't hear me. But I knew what he meant. Marshall. Bastien. The guards. He was right. They could all be lying...everything could be fake.

But...it couldn't be. I grew those vines. I healed that plant. I tamed that tiger. That wasn't fake. That was me.

"Who are you? Why have you brought me here?" I asked him forcefully.

Erebos stepped back, then broke his gaze from mine and walked forward, away from the wooden path and into the sand abyss. I watched him walk away, then sighed and followed.