I felt something running along my arm. It felt like a single ant that was on its way back to its colony and had gotten lost. As I tried to wipe it away, a sharp pain shot through me and I cried out. Still, I didn't hear a sound, and even as I tried to get rid of the sickening tingling sensation, I realized that I was standing in the graveyard again. I was alone, around me only torn open graves, whose dark shafts seemed to stare at me like the eye sockets of a skull. And now I knew what was running down my arm. I stared at my feet, which stood in a pool of blood.
My blood.
I staggered back and squinted my eyes, but the image had already burned itself onto my retinas. Trembling, I fell to my knees and directly in front of me, with a smacking sound, another shaft opened up.
I fought back with my hands and feet, but no matter how hard I tried, it was as if a strange force was pushing me further and further toward the grave.
You're going to die, Ina.
I winced. What was that voice? Where did it come from? Why did it sound as if someone had whispered this sentence directly into my ear?
Fear rushed through my veins and I felt myself slowly losing my grip. Still, I clawed at the turf and tried to ignore the hissing voice that had now started laughing shrilly in best horror movie fashion.
I did not succeed.
An invisible hand gave me a push and I was tucked into the hole, the black night sky above me. And then the first shovel of earth fell on my legs.
My heart skipped a beat and I shook my head wildly. Would I be buried alive? No, that couldn't be, that couldn't be. I tried to push myself up, but my arm was too weak.
A second shovelful of earth pelted down on me.
I struggled to my feet, tried to climb out of the pit, to somehow escape my fate. As I did so, my pulse pounded in my ears.
You can't escape.
"Shut up!" I held my head, but the voice lapsed into a happy singsong that scared the hell out of me and made me insanely angry at the same time. Something wrapped around my ribcage and squeezed. I lashed out, scratched, bit, and screamed.
In my frenzy, I was slow to notice that the voice had changed. Now it was soothing and gentle, so I stopped and listened. I couldn't understand what she was saying, but it sounded beautiful. It reminded me of the lullabies my mother used to sing to me in my childhood when I couldn't fall asleep.
I got lost in the melody and when I opened my eyes again, I felt fabric under my fingers. I was no longer in the cemetery, yet the memory of my nightmare was so present that I almost thought I could hear again the evil the voice had whispered to me.
My mouth was dry as dust, so I cleared my throat and tried in vain to swallow. Only slowly did I arrive back in the real world. But then I suddenly realized that I was neither sitting on a sidewalk nor in an interrogation room. Rather, I was lying on... yes, on what actually?
I carefully turned to the side so as not to strain my arm and took in the room. It was still dark outside, but a rusty desk lamp with a design like from the last century sparsely lit the room. Filing cabinets that couldn't have been in use for years were piled up against the walls; in some cases, overturned stacks of paper lay before them, as did folders and other office clutter. A swivel chair stood in the middle of the room. Otherwise it was empty, except for the flatbed on which I was lying.
I gritted my teeth and shifted myself into a vertical position. There was no sign of Legolas, and there didn't seem to be much else going on. Carefully I put first one foot on the ground, then the second. Then I examined my arm.
Someone had bandaged it and the pain had subsided to a subliminal throbbing. Nevertheless, it was still there.
All at once a door opened that I had not noticed before. At first I was afraid that it might be one of our pursuers, but the fear was unfounded. Legolas had returned.
I sat up. "Where are we?"
"Safe."
"Can you be a little more specific?"
He raised an eyebrow and closed the door behind him - a little too carefully for my taste. So it couldn't be that safe here.
"I see you are in perfect health. I could have saved myself the trouble of getting more medicine."
I bit my lips and felt the blush rise to my face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"Be rude?" he finished the sentence for me.
"Yes."
Instead of an answer, he crossed the room and placed a bundle next to me on the couch. Then, unbidden, he made a pass at my bandage.
I sucked in a sharp breath as he took it off, tearing off bits of crusty skin as well, but I said nothing more. The way I saw him, he knew what he was doing, even if his treatment was probably not the usual conventional medicine. After he worked in silence for a while, I couldn't take it anymore.
"How did we get here, Legolas?"
"I carried you."
No shit. I rolled my eyes. "And where are we exactly? Are we still being followed? How long was I unconscious?"
I saw a small smirk play around his mouth and I had to stop myself from making a cynical remark that he might have taken as another insult. Why in three devils' names did he always have to be so cryptic?
"So what's so funny?", I asked instead, hoping he didn't notice the undertone.
"You are bubbling over."
"Excuse me?"
"Like a fountain."
I frowned. This was new. I wasn't sure if it was good, though. "Should I be flattered?"
"That's up to you."
Great. I stared at the fingers on my right hand, but then looked up and met his gaze. I could have sworn his eyes flashed mischievously. And then it clicked.
He was teasing me. He shamelessly took advantage of my insecurity and made fun of me. I narrowed my eyes. "Are you enjoying this?"
"What?" his voice sounded a tiny bit too innocent.
"You know exactly what I mean."
"Help me out here."
I snorted and tried to pull my arm away from him. To no avail. "You've been playing your superiority card since you entered the room. That's unfair."
"I didn't…"
"I can tell you're enjoying it."
He shrugged and handled the bundle so I couldn't see his face.
"So elves have a sense of humor, too."
"What makes you think we don't?"
"Just a thought."
He fell silent and put a new bandage on me. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched his every move. He looked thoughtful, as if my comment had made him think of something he was now trying to grasp. When he finished, he let go of my arm but didn't step back. Instead, he stared at a point somewhere above my head. "Have I made you feel unwanted so far?"
Where did that come from all of a sudden? I bit my lip. "Occasionally."
Uneasily, I tried to put a little more distance between us, but I was unsuccessful. Legolas stayed where he was, and I couldn't back away unless I wanted to lean on my injured arm. I had no idea why he had asked that question. The only thing I knew was that the conversation took a turn that made me uncomfortable. Unfortunately, he seemed to want to talk it out, because he still didn't budge.
"I've stepped on your toes enough times," I tried to steer the situation back into normal waters.
"That's not the point."
I expelled the air. "Then what is it about?"
He shook his head and put the bundle away. I felt as if that was the end of the subject, and I was not mistaken. "After you collapsed, I was looking for a shelter for us. Fortunately, I discovered this building. It seems to be abandoned."
I decided to come back to his strange question later and deal with the more pressing issues first. "It seems to be an old office building. Are you sure they won't find us?"
"No."
I guess I had to live with that honest answer. "Then we should get busy with the cell phone while we still have the leisure to do so."
He nodded, sat down next to me on the couch, and handed me the mobile phone. "I took it out of your pocket when we arrived."
"All right."
I pressed the button that would turn on the cell phone, hoping it still worked despite the water bath. I had dropped my own phone in a puddle once and it had still come on after that. It would be no different here with a bit of luck.
The screen lit up after a small eternity, interspersed with two streaks where the water had penetrated.
It was a load off my mind. "Thank God."
I called up the logs and there I also found the number we had already discovered yesterday. I caught Legolas' gaze. "Shall I?"
"If it gets us closer to solving the mystery, do it."
I took one deep breath and then pressed call.
