Welcome to the Multiverse

Emoryn

Chapter created by H_speaks1

For the first time in her entire life, Emoryn's mind was still. There was no wandering of thoughts or idyllic daydreams that plagued her. Internally everything was quiet as she panted, her heart pounding, filling the emptiness that carved itself inside of her. There was only one thing that had all her focus. Each stride she took brought her closer to fulfilling her goal. This silent motivation was the only driving force in keeping her legs pumping, even though they undoubtedly could go no further. Somehow, she kept moving.

She exhaled sharply, catching herself before she could fall, as her barefoot snagged on a branch, leaving a sharp sting in its wake. She sucked in a breath, her grip tightening on Archer's legs so he would not slip, but not too hard as to cause further pain to his left leg. He had been favoring his right one for weeks, so she knew that there was something wrong. While he had shown her what had been plaguing him, the sight having ignited a wave of anger she had never felt before; he hadn't told her what the merciless scientists had done to him.

"Are you okay, Archie?" She panted, eyes flitting to the left, her body following. The surrounding scenery was undistinguishable, emerald hues and murky brown tones, muddling together to form an abstract painting. Even so, she did not stop. She couldn't. The sunlight that shone through the pockets of trees warmed her back as she continued to find her way out of the forest. She pulled at her mind in desperation, trying to form an image of the map she had sneaked a glance of a few weeks before.

"Yes." Despite his words, it was a slight delay in response and the breathiness that caused her awareness to rise. She slowed her pace slightly.

"Is it bad?"

There was a hesitant pause, and Emoryn told herself that it was because Archer had not understood what she asked, that he didn't answer. Not because he was about to tell her that the pain was not as bad as it seemed. He had downplayed his ailments starting the second week that they had been caged up in the pit of fire. She knew that it was only torturing herself more to check on him each day, but he was more important than the pain she felt.

She was supposed to be his rock, but in that brief time that they had stolen to visit each other, she had been unable to keep her position as a foundation. Each time that she saw what they had done to him, a part of her resolve had chipped away. Protect Archer, her parents had said. She had failed to do so and was going to kill the merciless bastard who was the reason for it.

"Emoryn?" Her blood ran cold as her name sounded from Archer's mouth. She hoisted him further on her back, and somehow amidst the fear, she was able to keep her feet moving, preparing herself to hear the worst. Archer had not told her much before they left about his last session with the scientists, and she wasn't sure how she would take it if he was in more pain than he had been in the day before.

"Yes?"

"Can you put me down?"

Emoryn slowed to a walk, swallowing down the lump in her throat, confused but complying. When she finally stopped, she crouched down, and Archer slid off. Leaves crunched as his feet touched the forest floor. She turned, biting her lip as she watched her curly-headed look-alike sit down.

What happened next caused her heart to skip a few beats before it stopped pumping all together. The surrounding world seemed to hold its breath too as if even the universe was speechless in face of what Emoryn saw when Archer pulled his left pants leg up. It was as if her body had revoked her authority to control her breathing, her lungs seizing up and oxygen escaping her.

"Archer," She breathed, kneeling to touch his leg gently. Her eyes widened as she poked around his leg. He didn't even flinch. But that was not what had surprised her. It was that while his leg had been covered in splotches of blue and purple just the day before, now the bruises were gone.

"They injected me with something the last time that I want in," Archer whispered, wiggling his foot. "I noticed that this morning the bruises were fading, but now they are completely gone. He looked up, his eyes straying from his leg, and his eyes wide. "Emmy, I feel no pain."

Emoryn said nothing, searching his eyes, before she looked back at his leg, trying to urge her lungs to take in air again. Nobody had really told them why they had been taken, let alone what the goal of it all was. But there had been a moment, in between tortured pants and grunts of pain, that one of the white coats had stepped aside long enough for her to steal a glance at the stack of papers that had sat on the lab table.

Between trying to decipher the technicalities, what Emoryn had read stopped her heartbeat. What she read was unnatural and inhumane. All because the scientists were trying to defy science itself. Trying to turn the mortal immortal and killing people in the process. But if everything they had been doing was immoral on every level, in their wrongness the white coats had gotten something right. Or they had done something terribly wrong. Emoryn knew at least that truth, as she stared at Archer's leg, her mind racing a mile a minute.

There was no reasonable explanation for why Archer's bruises had faded, or why the color that had been missing from his face a few hours before had returned. Yet these circumstances were a reality, as she chewed on her lip, before pulling Archer's pants leg down. She said nothing, standing up and offering her hand.

"I think they did something to me," Archer mumbled once he was standing, pressing his weight onto his left foot.

Emoryn ruffled his hair, her heart pounding, as she tightened the grip on his hand and sent him a reassuring smile. If Archer noticed the heaviness that lingered in her eyes or the way her fingers drummed against her thigh —a nervous habit she had picked up over the years — he said nothing. Instead, he smiled back. It was him this time who started walking first, leading Emoryn by the hand, and heading in the direction they had been going before they had stopped.

They continued in silence as the time passed, brushing through thick branches, and directing their steps carefully. At each snap of twigs and crunch of leaves, Emoryn's senses jumped to alert, only to die down when she realized that they were not being followed. Their absence had been noticed by now, but if Emoryn was right, she and Archer were out of the danger zone. Still, it was as if nothing went unnoticed by her.

Being that there was no way for Emoryn to tell the time, she had no idea how long they had been walking but knew that a few hours had passed since they had left the atrocity behind them. So, she also knew that they should be hitting the Little Rock city limits soon. As if hearing her thoughts, a faint but steady rush of cars sounded, and Archer looked at Emoryn, his eyes lighting.

She wasn't sure who had started running first, but as the wind ripped through their clothes, slapping them in the face, it did not matter.

****

Everything was the same as she had left it. Emoryn glanced at Archer, who tugged on her hand in support, as they marched up the steps that twisted into the stairwell of their apartment building.

When they reached the faded gray door that they had known to conceal their home for the past few years, Emoryn lifted the mat she had placed in front of it. It had been an attempt to make the dreary place a bit more welcoming. Sure enough, the dull flash of the silver key caught her eye.

"What are we going to do now? Are we going to the police?" Archer asked, just as she had pushed the key into the lock, her movements stilling. She peered around the dimly lit hallway, noticing that no one was there before she glanced at him. Even though a few weeks had passed in the lifeless caged, he had seemed to age beyond his years. Somewhere deep inside she knew that there was still the fun-loving little boy who could bring a smile to anyone's face. But she was not sure if that same little boy would be returning soon.

He had seen things that no ten-year-old should ever see. He had experienced pain that not even the strongest of men should have to endure. Her chest tightened, paining her to even breathe.

"The others are counting on us. That is what we have to do."