X-Marks: Rising Shadows

Spill

"How much time do we have?" Evee asked and held her sister in the corner of the elevator.

"Just assume, not as much as we need, and we'll be okay," Nate said and pulled down the black lever inside the elevator.

The red bars of the doors slammed shut. Every nerve in my body fired off as my blood rushed in and out of my ears.

"What are we going to do now?" I said and turned to Nate.

"We can't go to the exit tunnel," Macie said, "Gen will know exactly where to find us on the other side."

"Wait," I said as the murky memories of a train came back to me, "I think I saw a train when I was under the machine. It's in the middle of the lower city. It travels out, into the sea."

"Isn't the center of the lower city where Gen said the bomb was going to go off?" Macie said.

Nate looked up from his slate, "Valen, are you sure that's what you saw?"

I nodded as I wiped Gen's blood from my hands onto my white shirt.

"Then let's go," Nate said and hit the key to the third floor, "We'll need to get there before Gen does."

Strips of light danced up the walls of the elevator as it raced down each floor.

"Why are you going to the 3rd floor?" Mat said, "I need to go back for my mother."

"I have someone bringing your parents from the lower city to the tower," Nate said, and put his hand on Mat's shoulder, "The entrance from the lower city is on the third floor."

Mat's eyes softened, "Who is bringing them? Are they there now?"

"Absolutely, but there is no more time to explain. We need to go," Nate said, as the elevator thudded to a halt.

The door opened into the maintenance room. It was a spacious low lit room lined with monitors of many sizes. We followed Nate and his long strides against the noisy titles. At the door, Nate halted and peaked his head out to look to each side. We waited for him to glance back at us before we followed again.

Outside the maintenance room, it was bright. I was blinded as my eyes tried to adjust. We followed Nate down the empty halls and away from the glass windows that faced the outside of the Union. I could see a hint of sun was peaking through the black of the sky.

Heavy boots echoed behind us. We each turned to the sound. Far down the hallway, like tiny pins, we could see their helmets and a pair of guns patrolling the hall. We followed Nate behind a corner where a staircase and another hall met.

"Evee and Macie," Nate said and searched through his pockets, "Check the supplies you took and see if there's anything we can use as weapons."

Evee and Macie nodded then rummaged through the bags.

"Mat,"  Nate said and pointed down the hall, "I'm going to need you to help me take down the guards."

Mat nodded as he cracked his knuckles.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked.

"Watch the area," Nate said, and pointed behind us towards the staircase, "If anyone comes through that door, or around the corner, warn us, okay?"

I nodded back to Nate.

"I don't think we have anything," Evee said.

"We just took a bunch rope and what looked like medicine," Macie said.

Nate took a piece of rope from their hands, "This will have to do, then" he said.

Gracie pulled more rope from the bag. At its end was a large four-pronged hook.

Nate grabbed the rope and the hook but before he could look any further an even louder sound emerged from the door of the staircase. We each stood back and waited with held breaths as shadows spilled out the stairs and into the hall.