Inner Workings

Inner Workings - Part 45

Will's body was hot, leaden, and prickly, like a ball of needles fresh from an oven. Strange since he had been so cold a minute ago. He curled his aching arms to his chest, wishing to lay there and go back to sleep. The mission, Sandra, lightening, shrinking and being pulled into two bloody halves while his legs were around Louis. Yep, sounded like another nightmare to him. So he could go back to sleep.

Except his legs still squeezed around something, and the ground below was warm and moving.

A weight shoved his shoulder. Will sucked in a pained breath and opened his eyes. Louis lay under him, red-faced and pissed.

"Wake up!" snapped Louis. "And get off me."

Will sat up, straddling Louis' hips for a moment before moving off to the side with a groan at the sudden movement. The prickles in his body faded, but his head swam like a bad carnival ride. The flashes of light didn't help.

"Dizzy," Will muttered.

"Shake it off," said Louis, getting to his feet first. "Let's haul ass before that crazy bitch comes back." Louis grabbed at Will's elbow with his right hand to haul him to his feet.

Will looked up at a much bigger world. The cross beam he was chained to a minute ago was a mile up. The pole Louis had been tied to stretched to the heavens like a Neolithic monolith. The scattered boxes stood as high as buildings. And the slivers and cracks in the wood under his feet became spikes and yawning gaps he could trip on.

Will's breath came out like he had been punched, cracking in amazement. He crouched down again, putting his head between his knees. "Holy shit."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Louis grabbed his arm again. "Welcome to my week."

Lightning flashed again, the thunder rumbling under the agents' feet. The door to the outside, now so far away, opened. Louis and Will hid behind the pole as Sandra walked in, her orange umbrella in one hand, and a gun in the other.

Will's jaw dropped. She was a giant, shivering menace that could squish both of them under one muddy shoe. Or drop them in a bowl of bleach to drown.

Sandra had the gun out, face hard and determined, but the moment she registered the empty room, her face turned to rage. She screamed and stomped around the room, kicking boxes away and glaring at the ceiling, all the while the gun clenched tightly in her hand.

"You bastards!" she screamed, hitting the boxes with her umbrella. "I'll find you! And when I do I'll bleach your bones!"

Will jerked up, wanting to run but Louis pinned him down in the lee of the pole.

"Don't move," whispered Louis.

Easy for Louis to say; Will shook as Sandra banged around the storage shed, her eyes going everywhere but the small patch of shadow where Will and Louis knelt. After a minute Sandra left, slamming the door behind her hard enough to make it bounce against the frame.

Louis and Will got back to their feet.

"She's going to take that out on the Devi's if she finds them," said Will.

"Then we need to get to them first," said Louis, heading to the door. "C'mon."

"Wait." Will dug into the inner pocket of his jacket and took out the other SkySprecht. "In case we get separated."

Louis shrugged and put the small communicator in his ear, switching it on as he went. "Cetz, update. Sandra's on her way to town. And she's pissed."

"Got it."

Will and Louis jogged towards the door, seeing a crack between it and the doorframe. Will, still shocked at a whole new world, kept as close to Louis as possible without tripping over his feet. Outside the heavens poured, lightning flashing like the wrath of God. Puddles were lakes and the gravel and grass was a forest. At their size, Louis and Will wouldn't get far.