Death City (Book 1)

Chapter 26: Death's City

Late in the night, Sky entered Dawn's home and called out to her, while rushing through the wide door frame that had been smashed open. Aiming his gun as he carefully proceeded through, he quickly dropped it upon seeing Josie's unconscious body on the floor of the hallway. Kneeling beside her, Sky gently placed his index and middle fingers on the side of her neck, breathing a sigh of relief once he realized she was still alive.

"Is she here?" asked Aria, as she stepped inside. "Ellie and Warren are saying there are a bunch of park rangers and police officers dead outside the forest. This isn't good..."

"No." Sky checked his wristwatch, holding it up to his face. A blinking red indicator displayed on the screen, showing a slow progression of movement deep in the forest. "It's the tracker I gave her. She's heading towards Death City."

"So, what do we do? The cops are going to be here any minute now."

Thomas soon ran up to the front porch. "Hurry it up guys. A couple of the neighbors are looking over here."

"You two take this girl back to the meeting room and give her the shot."

"Right, but what about you?" asked Aria.

Sky cocked his gun. "I'm going in after her."

Miles away, after having escaping from Axel, Dawn ran as far as her legs could carry her, not stopping until she reached the point of exhaustion. When she finally did pause, she found herself standing on a stone bridge, as she could hear the water below. That's when it hit her–she was actually inside Death City for the first time ever. But now was no time to explore or investigate. Time was running out, and she knew it wouldn't be long before Axel found her.

She scanned her surroundings. On top of it being nighttime, there was a thick fog that coated the entire area. It was impossible to see more than three feet in front of herself. All she could rely on was the moonlight and her senses. With that in mind, Dawn held her arms out in front of her as she traversed the bridge while virtually blind. But finding the balance between slowly, safely crossing and hurrying to find a way out proved challenging.

While making her way across, Dawn heard a faint laughter. She froze in her tracks and turned in every direction. Though she couldn't discern where it originated, it was clear that she wasn't alone. Perhaps even more worrying, or frightening, was that this was the laughter of a child. Against her better judgement, she called out to the faceless voice, hoping it might somehow lead to a way out.

"I-Is anyone there?"

Dead silence followed.

In that moment, Dawn was overcome with the feeling that something was choking her. A force which she had never before experienced. She could no longer even see the ground beneath her feet and it appeared as though she was standing on clouds. The thick, otherworldly fog began to feel suffocating, like being trapped in a room where all the walls were closing in on her. With all her strength, Dawn forced her way through, waddling forward in a straight line. And the fog grew heavier, to the point where it felt no different than moving underwater.

Just as she began to give up, Dawn emerged on the other side, stumbling onto the cold pavement as she gasped for air. Once that overwhelming sensation subsided, she found herself hyperventilating as she looked behind her and heard the sound of rattling chains and footsteps approaching. But she wasted no time, gathering herself enough to stand and run deeper into the city. She turned to look in every direction for somewhere safe to hide. After what she had just experienced, there was no escaping this place on instincts alone at this point she decided.