Isabel trudged through the dark tunnels. Despite the lack of light to assist her, she was able to navigate without too much trouble. Her rags were sticking to her body, still drenched in whatever she had been submerged in. The liquid didn't have a particular smell to it. But it felt incredibly warm, causing her muscles to buzz and throb. A few times she licked her dry lips and tasted the liquid. She couldn't figure it out. It almost tasted like ash.
All she wanted to do now was make it back to the other explorers. She figured that Thane had dashed off like a coward back to the rest, leaving her to fend for herself. A twinge of anger coiled inside of her body, burning like a rising flame. She shrugged off the feeling and continued on until she could hear talking in the distance.
It sounded close. However, as she turned from one corner to the other, she realized that she still wasn't anywhere near the rest of her group. Could she really hear them from so far away? She considered the possibility that it was their echo carrying their voices to her ears. She blinked twice when something to the side caught her attention. Looking down on the ground, she saw a tiny beetle burying itself amidst the rubble. She could hear it's little legs scraping against the dirt and see the hairs on those legs.
She shook her head. The liquid must be driving her mad. There's no way she could see that clearly with no light. Her heartbeat quickened. She feared that she might be growing sick.
''I've got to reach the others before I go mad down here.'' She paused and stared at the ground. ''Is that what happened to you father?''
She didn't know why Thane's taunts cut so deeply. She hardly remembered her father. He was a silhouette in her mind, disappearing from her life before she could even distinguish his features. If she saw him now, she wouldn't recognize him. But, he was still her father. He was an explorer like her. She wanted to know more about him. Was he like her? Did he disappear because he made some great discovery? She could never get more information from her mother.
Helen would gladly recite the history of the world. But she would barely speak of the man whom she shared her heart with.
Before long, Isabel saw a glow in the distance. It fluttered gently. Isabel knew it had to be the firefly lamps belonging to the other explorers. Filled with relief, Isabel quickened her pace and started into a sprint. The tunnel became a blur around her as she ran faster than anticipated, almost crashing into the wall before she sputtered to a stop. Tripping and staggering to her feet, she saw the other explorers turn to her and their faces paled when they saw her.
''Get a doctor! Someone's hurt!'' One of the explorers shouted as a crowd began to form around Isabel, inspecting her carefully.
''No, it's not blood. I'm fine.'' Isabel replied.
Honestly, she was better than fine. Even the soreness from Thane's beating earlier seemed to have disappeared.
''Isabel?'' Jess's timid voice could be heard.
Isabel searched for her friend and found her all the way at the back. How she heard her friend was beyond her. But she didn't care. She darted forward and wrapped her arms around Jess's shoulders, nearly crushing her in a tight hug.
''I thought I was going to die!'' Isabel whimpered. The realization of what had happened taken hold upon seeing Jess's concerned face. She dreaded the possibility of dying without saying goodbye.
Jess didn't know where to place her arms. Her eyes glided over Isabel's soaked clothing. ''Isabel, what happened to you? And what is this stuff on you?''
Isabel pulled back. She now had the group's full attention. ''I don't know. I was off on my own when Thane…'' she stopped talking. The last thing she needed was to play the blaming game with Thane right now. She just wanted to get out the important details in the hopes of better understanding what happened. ''We were attacked by this thing. I got pulled into whatever this stuff is and I came back here.''
One of the leaders of the group, an older man with white hair named Giovanni approached. ''Where is Thane now?''
Isabel froze. ''He didn't come back?''
She didn't like the guy, not by any stretch of the imagination. But Isabel felt a chill run across her body. What if he had encountered another skeleton like she had? Or did it take him after it tried to take her? So many possibilities, all of them not leading to positive outcomes.
''What exactly attacked you?'' Giovanni asked.
Isabel wasn't sure if describing what she saw was the best idea. Who would believe her if she said a skeleton came to life and attacked her? So she shook her head. ''It was too dark to see. All I know is that it grabbed me and pulled me under this liquid stuff that's on me. I broke free and when I looked around, Thane and the creature were gone.''
''Shit.'' Giovanni grunted. ''Sir Lucan isn't going to be happy hearing his son is missing.''
The other explorers began to murmur amongst themselves, seeming more concerned with Thane's whereabouts rather than Isabel, who was standing right in front of them, now being ignored by everyone except for Jess.
Isabel felt Jess's hand rub her arm. ''Are you hurt?''
Isabel looked at the group. She could see they were no longer thinking about her as they were talking about Thane. ''That's the thing, I'm not hurt anymore.''
''What do you mean?''
''Thane beat me to a bloody pulp before the creature attacked us.''
Jess gasped. ''That's horrible. Why would he do that?''
Cause he felt like taking my stuff.'' Isabel scoffed. ''If I told the others, they would probably be more worried about Thane's fists.''
Jess stared at her friend sadly before inspecting her body. ''But…you're not hurt now?''
''Ever since I got covered in this liquid I feel brand new. It's strange to say, but I feel better. Better than better.''
Their conversation was cut short as they could hear the explorers split into different groups. The much larger one, led by Giovanni started marching towards the tunnel that Isabel had come from. ''We'll look for Thane. Keep this one under close watch. She's not to move until I get back.'' He pointed to Isabel.
''What?'' Isabel gasped. She looked around to see five other explorers surround her, clutching their pickaxes tightly, as if she was now a threat.
Surprisingly, Jess was the next one to speak. ''We need to bring her back to the colony. We need a doctor to examine this stuff on her.''
''That's precisely why she's to stay put. She could be contaminated. I will not put the colony at risk until we know more about it and know that she's safe to be around others.''
While Jess kept closer to Isabel, Isabel could hear the other explorers take a small step away from her. She could feel her anger rising once again. She was being treated worse than a freak or an outcast, she was being treated like a plague. Her breathing turned into quiet growls, boiling with rage that threatened to spill over if not for the fact that Jess was standing right next to her. She eventually managed to calm down. ''Fine,'' she spat. ''But if I have to stay here, then at least let my mom know that I'm okay.''
Giovanni nodded. ''Once we've found Thane, we'll return to the colony and have a doctor come out here to check on you. I'm not doing this out of spite. I'm putting the needs of the colony first.''
''At least the ones in the colony who matter.'' Isabel whispered.
Giovanni either missed what she said or elected to ignore her as he led his search party down the tunnel. The glow of their firefly lamps gradually disappeared into the darkness, leaving Isabel and Jess alone with their small group of guards.
Since it seemed like she was going to be staying put for a while, Isabel found a small rock jutting out of the ground to use as a seat. The other explorers still kept their distance as they watched her closely. She was being treated like a murder suspect. Did they think that she might have something to do with Thane's disappearance? It was absurd? However, she had returned covered in an unknown fluid that under a certain reflection of light looked like blood. And she was deliberately vague with her recounting of events. She hadn't done herself any favors.
After a while, the other explorers found seats of their own, though they still kept a close eye on any movement Isabel made. She was beginning to become irritated with their constant scowls. She felt a fire in the pit of her belly, enticing her to take out her frustrations on something or someone. She shook away those thoughts of anger. She didn't want Giovanni to return and have more reason for closing her off.
She just wanted Thane to be found, this issue to be sorted, and for her to return home and see her mother's beautiful face again.
''Here.'' Jess offered her a water can, dragging Isabel out of her thoughts. ''You should clean yourself a bit.''
''No, you shouldn't waste it.''
''I'm not. I'm letting my best friend use it.'' Jess smiled.
Isabel smiled warmly and took the can. She dabbed her fingers into the cool liquid and rubbed her face and hair. It still felt warm against her skin. ''Thank you.''
''Are you sure you're okay?'' Jess sat next to Isabel.
There wasn't much room on the rock, so Isabel could feel Jess's body brush up against hers. Something inside of her stirred. It was a hunger that she hadn't felt before. She cleared her throat and pushed those thoughts and feelings back down into the pit of her stomach, where she still felt a small flame burning.
''I'm fine. I just want to go home.''
Jess nodded understandingly. ''You really don't know what attacked you?''
Isabel thought about confiding in her friend. But she wanted to wait until she really knew what happened. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her? Perhaps the fear of the situation caused her to see things that weren't really there. ''All I know is that something grabbed me and I thought I was going to die. And everyone seems to think I've done something wrong. Maybe I did by not dying.''
''Don't think like that.''
''Jess, I know what the colony really thinks of me. I'm a burden. Thane said it. I didn't want to admit he was right because I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. They don't think I contribute. I'm the only woman in the colony that can't give birth. I'm just a waste on their recourses.''
''How do you know?'' Jess started to blush heavily. ''I mean…you can still have children, right?''
''I don't know. I mean I can…'' Isabel stopped, suddenly feeling conscious about what she was saying, and it didn't help that she could see Jess's face turning red. There was also something else driving her crazy. It was like a sixth sense that was making her pulse race and a heat started to take hold of her.
Jess licked her lips. ''I think I know what you mean. So what's stopping you?''
''Well, firstly no woman would want to risk it with me. If there's more women like me, then eventually there'll be less options for mating. That's all the colony cares about. That's what my mom said. It's all about breeding and mating. There's no love or unity.''
It was quiet between the two of them. Isabel didn't know what more there was to say. She had grown up hearing enough about how other girls didn't want to bother with her. Despite her mother constantly trying to encourage her, telling her how beautiful and unique she was and how any woman would be lucky to be with her. Her and her mother were loners in the colony. Everyone feared Helen for her mind. Everyone feared Isabel for her body.
Suddenly, Isabel felt Jess shift slightly closer. ''Isabel…I've been meaning to ask, about…''
A loud bang exploded in the distance, startling everyone. Isabel, Jess and the guards watching them jumped to their feet. ''What was that?'' one cried out.
Isabel stared towards the tunnel that Giovanni's group went. She seemed to be the only one who wasn't distracted by the echo and knew the sound was coming from that direction. Fear clutched her heart as she turned to Jess. ''If I remember what my mom told me about the old world…I think that sounded like a gunshot.''
XXX
HOLA MY SWEET SUPERSTARS. DID YOU LIKE THIS NEW CHAPTER? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ISABEL AND WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO THANE AND THE SEARCH PARTY? THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE QUITE THE EXCITING ONE, SO YOU BETTER BRACE YOURSELVES FOR WHAT IS TO COME. I CAN'T THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH FOR NOT ONLY CHECKING OUT MY STORY BUT LEAVING SUCH KIND AND THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS AND REVIEWS TELLING ME WHAT YOU LIKE AND WHAT YOU THINK MIGHT HAPPEN. IT WAS A BIG RISK DOING AN ORIGINAL STORY AND I WASN'T SURE HOW IT WOULD FAIR BUT I'M SO SURPRISED HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE READING. YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND WHILE I CAN'T PERSONALLY GIVE YOU COOKIES, I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT I WILL DO MY BEST TO WRITE THE BEST CHAPTERS AND STORIES I CAN.
THANK YOU ALL AND TA-TA FOR NOW.
