Chapter 28
Over the next few days I was watched constantly by various members of the tribe. Several members of the tribe including Salene, Siva and Allyn came to talk to me trying to bring up the subject of my bruises, cutting myself and the fact I had tried to kill myself, all trying to find out why, but I would not tell them, as soon as they brought up the subject I gave them the same sullen treatment as Jay and they soon became frustrated and gave up. The day after I woke Patch let me get up and walk around the room for a bit, I felt tired but the day afterwards I left the room and didn't feel nearly as tired afterwards, I was glad to be getting better.
When I woke later that night Patch was asleep on the chair just outside my room. I was full of energy and I needed to get away from that room and the constant gaze of the Mallrats. I slipped quietly out of my bed then padded past Patch silently down the corridor out of the room. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, I had the feeling I might end up on the roof, but for a while I just wanted to wander about the silent mall, I made my way into the entrance and sat on the silent fountain absorbing the silence and peacefulness after the stress of being watched constantly for several days.
After I had been sitting there for a few minutes a sudden sound echoed around the silent mall amplified by the deathly quiet. At first I could not pinpoint its source but soon it was followed by another and another in a seemingly endless stream of sounds, I realized they were footsteps were coming from behind me, someone was coming into the mall.
As I turned to face the entrance I realized the grids were up. From my conversations with the Mallrats over the last few days I had discovered that Java had launched a campaign against 'Rams murderers', which meant it was not safe for the Mallrats to leave the mall, the grids should be down, Siva had specifically said the grids were down. So why were they up? Who had opened them?
And then more worryingly I heard the person advance past the alarm sensors and yet the mall stayed silent. Why were the alarms off?
And then the person rounded the corner and I saw who it was. The demon who filled all my nightmares. As he walked towards me I backed away from him around the fountain holding out a hand as if to ward off an evil sprit.
"Keep away from me" I told him my voice shaking slightly with fear but he ignored me and kept walking towards me pleading with me as if he cared as he walked
"But Ebony my love, the time to leave has come, the time to reunite is here" he said
What was the maniac on about now? Time to leave? Time to reunite? He was truly off his rocker if he thought I was going anywhere with him.
"Keep your hands off me," I warned him as I hit the stairs and ran out of space to back away but he just kept coming towards me. I held out my arms and screamed at him
"Haven't you done enough" as if that would defend me from him in some way.
"But my queen." he hissed at me as he reached out and grabbed my arm.
Suddenly someone launched themselves out of a shadowy doorway towards Zoot. Seeing the on coming figure Zoot turned to face them head on flinging me across the floor. As I slid across the floor I missed the brief scuffle between Zoot and his attacker. When I came to a stop and lifted my head I say Zoot standing over his prone attacker. The first thing I noticed about the attacker was he had blonde hair.
Jay?
No it wasn't Jay I realized after a longer look, it was Patch. I ran over to where he was lying, ignoring Zoot, and knelt down next to him shaking his shoulders and calling his name to try and wake him. I couldn't believe he had actually got the nerve together to attack anyone. Let alone Zoot, he had risked himself for me and now he was lying lifeless on the floor.
Zoot laughed above me
"He'll wake up.sometime," he told me maliciously then he bent down next to me and whispered in my ear "I will kill all of these rats to make you go with me. All of them!"
I felt my body stiffen in horror at his words. He would kill the Mallrats? All of them? To make me go with him? Including Jay and Siva?
After a slight pause to let me think he whispered "Yes, I will kill Jay, slowly, in front of you" My breath caught in my throat, I didn't doubt him in the slightest, he would do it, he would kill them all in front of me to get what he wanted and he would enjoy it. He would kill Jay, slowly. God, he would even kill Mouse, an innocent six-year-old girl, he would kill her. And the only thing that would stop him was me going with him.
I don't usually go in for self-sacrifice, but it wasn't just people getting put down or loosing power anymore, it was people dying for me, people I actually cared about, an innocent young girl. Dying. For me. And Jay, screaming in pain and then going silent, deadly silent. It was too much. I stood up turning to face him.
"Fine" I whispered in defeat dropping my head
"You made a wise choice my queen," he hissed and hearing his voice I shuddered. What had I let myself in for? What had I done to myself?
And yet the other option of seeing Jay die seemed a lot worse, of seeing Siva and Mouse die, that would be worse than death, worse than anything Zoot could do to me, I hoped.
As Zoot began to pull me out of the mall I turned and behind me I saw Mouse stood at the top of the stairs frozen in terror.
"Mouse!" I called in surprise; I knew soon I would be leaving the mall. I had seconds to say anything, to make any apologies and to tell them all anything but somehow in those few brief seconds all that was important to me was to say one thing, one thing I should have said many times but hadn't
"Tell Jay I love him" I called out to the little figure standing forlornly on the stairs and as I was dragged out of sight I hoped she did tell him.
Over the next few days I was watched constantly by various members of the tribe. Several members of the tribe including Salene, Siva and Allyn came to talk to me trying to bring up the subject of my bruises, cutting myself and the fact I had tried to kill myself, all trying to find out why, but I would not tell them, as soon as they brought up the subject I gave them the same sullen treatment as Jay and they soon became frustrated and gave up. The day after I woke Patch let me get up and walk around the room for a bit, I felt tired but the day afterwards I left the room and didn't feel nearly as tired afterwards, I was glad to be getting better.
When I woke later that night Patch was asleep on the chair just outside my room. I was full of energy and I needed to get away from that room and the constant gaze of the Mallrats. I slipped quietly out of my bed then padded past Patch silently down the corridor out of the room. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, I had the feeling I might end up on the roof, but for a while I just wanted to wander about the silent mall, I made my way into the entrance and sat on the silent fountain absorbing the silence and peacefulness after the stress of being watched constantly for several days.
After I had been sitting there for a few minutes a sudden sound echoed around the silent mall amplified by the deathly quiet. At first I could not pinpoint its source but soon it was followed by another and another in a seemingly endless stream of sounds, I realized they were footsteps were coming from behind me, someone was coming into the mall.
As I turned to face the entrance I realized the grids were up. From my conversations with the Mallrats over the last few days I had discovered that Java had launched a campaign against 'Rams murderers', which meant it was not safe for the Mallrats to leave the mall, the grids should be down, Siva had specifically said the grids were down. So why were they up? Who had opened them?
And then more worryingly I heard the person advance past the alarm sensors and yet the mall stayed silent. Why were the alarms off?
And then the person rounded the corner and I saw who it was. The demon who filled all my nightmares. As he walked towards me I backed away from him around the fountain holding out a hand as if to ward off an evil sprit.
"Keep away from me" I told him my voice shaking slightly with fear but he ignored me and kept walking towards me pleading with me as if he cared as he walked
"But Ebony my love, the time to leave has come, the time to reunite is here" he said
What was the maniac on about now? Time to leave? Time to reunite? He was truly off his rocker if he thought I was going anywhere with him.
"Keep your hands off me," I warned him as I hit the stairs and ran out of space to back away but he just kept coming towards me. I held out my arms and screamed at him
"Haven't you done enough" as if that would defend me from him in some way.
"But my queen." he hissed at me as he reached out and grabbed my arm.
Suddenly someone launched themselves out of a shadowy doorway towards Zoot. Seeing the on coming figure Zoot turned to face them head on flinging me across the floor. As I slid across the floor I missed the brief scuffle between Zoot and his attacker. When I came to a stop and lifted my head I say Zoot standing over his prone attacker. The first thing I noticed about the attacker was he had blonde hair.
Jay?
No it wasn't Jay I realized after a longer look, it was Patch. I ran over to where he was lying, ignoring Zoot, and knelt down next to him shaking his shoulders and calling his name to try and wake him. I couldn't believe he had actually got the nerve together to attack anyone. Let alone Zoot, he had risked himself for me and now he was lying lifeless on the floor.
Zoot laughed above me
"He'll wake up.sometime," he told me maliciously then he bent down next to me and whispered in my ear "I will kill all of these rats to make you go with me. All of them!"
I felt my body stiffen in horror at his words. He would kill the Mallrats? All of them? To make me go with him? Including Jay and Siva?
After a slight pause to let me think he whispered "Yes, I will kill Jay, slowly, in front of you" My breath caught in my throat, I didn't doubt him in the slightest, he would do it, he would kill them all in front of me to get what he wanted and he would enjoy it. He would kill Jay, slowly. God, he would even kill Mouse, an innocent six-year-old girl, he would kill her. And the only thing that would stop him was me going with him.
I don't usually go in for self-sacrifice, but it wasn't just people getting put down or loosing power anymore, it was people dying for me, people I actually cared about, an innocent young girl. Dying. For me. And Jay, screaming in pain and then going silent, deadly silent. It was too much. I stood up turning to face him.
"Fine" I whispered in defeat dropping my head
"You made a wise choice my queen," he hissed and hearing his voice I shuddered. What had I let myself in for? What had I done to myself?
And yet the other option of seeing Jay die seemed a lot worse, of seeing Siva and Mouse die, that would be worse than death, worse than anything Zoot could do to me, I hoped.
As Zoot began to pull me out of the mall I turned and behind me I saw Mouse stood at the top of the stairs frozen in terror.
"Mouse!" I called in surprise; I knew soon I would be leaving the mall. I had seconds to say anything, to make any apologies and to tell them all anything but somehow in those few brief seconds all that was important to me was to say one thing, one thing I should have said many times but hadn't
"Tell Jay I love him" I called out to the little figure standing forlornly on the stairs and as I was dragged out of sight I hoped she did tell him.
