Survivors, Chapter Two
The air was numbingly cold despite the harsh rays of the sun and the heavy suit weighing him down. Snow and gravel crunched under his boots, leaving a trail of footprints that made it significantly easier for his partner, Anna, to track him through the scope of her sniper rifle.
Artyom's trek across the old highway, short as it was, was arduous and time-consuming, a brand new, thick layer of half-melted snow sucking on his boots and impeding his path.
He could not see the child, the last of the Dark Ones, but Artyom knew it was close, watching over him from a world invisible to the human eye.
"Artyom!" the child exclaimed with a disembodied voice that only the Russian could hear. "Quick! She's still breathing!"
The newly instated ranger moved as quickly as he was able to, clumsily sliding on the slush and vaulting over a car. Arriving on the sidewalk, Artyom spotted the woman laying face-first in the snow. Dropping to a knee as the Dark One appeared at his side, Artyom gently rolled the woman onto her back and checked his high-tech watch.
Speaking to both Anna via his radio and the Dark One, Artyom lowered his arm to feel the woman's vitals, "Miller was right, there's no radiation in this part of the city. Almost like there's a bubble. Regardless, she's going to freeze to death if we don't find her shelter soon."
"Does she have a Red Line symbol on her? Or Revolutionary, for that matter?" Anna inquired from her position atop an overpass.
"Not that I can tell," Artyom responded, briefly looking the unconscious woman over. "But she's wearing several layers of clothing, so it's hard to tell."
"Don't get any bright ideas, rabbit. Bring her back to the hole," Anna commanded him humorously.
"Roger," Artyom responded drily before clicking his radio off and hoisting the woman up, onto his shoulder.
"Artyom?" the Dark One spoke as the Russian began his trek back.
"Yes?"
"What's a 'rabbit'?"
"A small critter much like yourself, only not as smart and with much more hair."
"Why would Anna call you that?"
Artyom thought for a long moment before answering truthfully, "I don't know, little one. I don't know."
Jodie Holmes' eyes opened to a blinding light that forced her to shield them with a hand. Surprisingly, she was not very sore, likely thanks to Aiden, her supernatural companion. Rolling her head to look around the room, she spotted a small boy at her bedside who was watching her curiously. Upon meeting Jodie's gaze, the young boy turned, running over to a young maid on the other side of the room. Silently, the boy caught the girl's attention with a hand and pointed at Jodie, who sat up in her bed. The maid, likely still a teen, told the boy something in Russian before he darted out of the room. A large basin of water and a washcloth in her hands, the maid stepped over to Jodie's bedside, placing the items down on a small table. As the girl prepared the rag, she said something in Russian.
"Where am I?" was Jodie's first question.
The maid froze half-way through wringing the washcloth out before dropping it into the water and asking Jodie a question in the foreign language.
"I-I don't understand what you're saying," Jodie stuttered apologetically, shaking her head slowly. "D-do you speak English?"
The girl spoke once more in Russian before the boy returned with Artyom at his side. The two approached the young women, Artyom engaging in a conversation with the maid. Once it was over, the girl left the room, shutting the door behind her. Artyom took a seat beside Jodie's bed, silent as he turned to face the boy, who stared at Jodie silently. An awkward moment passed before Artyom nodded, speaking a quick sentence in Russian to the boy. Suddenly embarrassed, the boy lowered his gaze as he stepped closer to Jodie, reaching a hand out to her.
"Don't...be...afraid..." Artyom spoke in a thick Russian accent, clearly having to concentrate to piece English sentences together. "We...help...you..."
Jodie nodded slowly, taking the child's hand with caution. A sudden, piercing headache struck her as the child's grip tightened about her hand, the lights flickering and shelves rumbling nearby.
A voice that Jodie had no control over began to speak within her head. And it wasn't Aiden's. It was a child's.
"Don't worry, the pain will fade," the childish voice spoke in a thick Russian accent. "My friend is Artyom. I am the Dark One. As Artyom said, we wish to help you. What is your name?"
"Jodie," she answered nervously, her headache dying as she wiped blood away from her nose. Artyom offered her a tissue, which Jodie took gratefully, "Thank you. So, where am I? How'd you find me?"
"We're in Moscow, Russia. Or what's left of it," the voice explained. "We found you in the snow, freezing. We brought you in, where it's warm."
Unsure of what to do with her bloodied tissue, Jodie gently placed it on the beside table, "Moscow? How'd I...never mind. Thank you for your help."
"You're very welcome!" the voice spoke happily. "Artyom runs this place. You can stay, if you want. Though, I am curious. When I look at you, I see a certain...glow about you, one I've never seen before. Could you explain this to me?"
"It's...complicated..." Jodie mumbled, breaking eye contact with the boy but allowing him to continue holding her hand. Such a nice place to live...she couldn't afford for them to think she was crazy. Though, was it possible that this boy was "gifted" just like her?
Aiden spoke in Jodie's mind, expressing his concern about the child. The boy turned to look up at Artyom as if the man had said something. A moment later, Artyom shook his head. The child then looked about the room as if he was expecting to see someone else. But the trio was alone.
Except for Aiden.
"Aiden, say something," Jodie breathed.
Aiden questioned her, genuinely confused.
The boy turned to look at Jodie once more.
"You can hear Aiden, can't you?" Jodie muttered.
Artyom asked a question that ended with "Aiden", but the child didn't have the answer he was looking for.
Instead, Jodie forgot he knew little English and explained, "Aiden's a...friend. He's always with me, but no one can see or hear him except for me. Usually."
The child turned to Artyom, and a moment later, he nodded. He then asked Jodie a question, the child translating as he spoke, "Artyom wishes to ask you a question. Who do you work for?"
Jodie shook her head, lowering her gaze, "No one. I'm alone."
A troubled Anna threw the door open, rushing into the room shouting, "Artyom!"
"Anna!" the man exclaimed, startled. He stood as she said something in Russian. She left immediately, but Artyom told the child something more before following her.
"What was that all about?" a nervous Jodie wanted to know.
"There's an attack," the child explained uneasily. "Reds, I think. Artyom asked us to stay here."
Aiden looked about the room, freely expressing his opposition to the suggestion.
"Do not worry, Aiden," the child spoke to the entity through Jodie. "Artyom is strong. He will keep us safe."
Jodie offered a weak smile, "You really trust that man, don't you?"
"With my life," the child nodded proudly. "He's a good man."
Aiden refused to sway his standing, but Jodie was convinced, "No, Aiden. I'm tired of sleeping on the streets. We're staying here. For now."
Angrily, Aiden expressed his concern once more.
The child lowered his head, his eyelids drooping, "All this talk...it makes me tired...if you don't mind, Jodie, I'll rest now."
The boy released Jodie's hand, clambering up, into the chair in which Artyom had been sitting. As he leaned back, the image of the child dissolved like embers about a fire to reveal a small, skeletal, brown creature with humorously large green eyes. Mandibles made it look similar to an insect, yet long, thin limbs and fingers made it look human.
Jodie was startled, but she was far beyond the point of being surprised by unexpected events. Aiden made a rude remark as the creature closed its eyes and rested in its seat. Jodie disregarded the remark as she examined the being curiously. Was it alien? It certainly wasn't human, and she doubted it was some sort of entity. Perhaps Artyom would know?
Crawling out of her bed to stretch, Jodie released a yawn as she scanned the room. Aiden informed her of a fresh pair of clothes near where the maid had been when she first woke up. Suddenly aware of her lack of proper clothing, Jodie quickly slipped on the jacket and cargo pants. Taking a deep breath as she fiddled with her necklace, Jodie wandered about the room, examining every little detail in an attempt to pass the time. As she arrived back at the counter near the door, she heard heavy footsteps and Russian voices in the room beyond. Had Artyom returned already?
The door was thrown open a second time, two unfamiliar Russians in thuggish uniforms darting into the room, fully-automatic assault rifles at the ready. Startled, the Dark One scrambled under the bed, one of the soldiers shouting at the creature harshly. The second one turned to Jodie, pointing his rifle at her. Frightened, the former CIA operative backed away slowly, her hands high in the air.
Before the hostiles could take a step toward either of them, Aiden forced a cabinet door open, spilling glass, needles, and other medical equipment onto the men. Confused, they raised their arms to protect themselves, shouting and stumbling. Jodie moved quickly, taking hold of the closer soldier's rifle before smashing her elbow into his face. The man was thrown against the counter before his ally stepped forward, aiming his rifle at the woman. A lower cabinet shot open, smacking his knee into an awkward position. Instinctively, Jodie used the butt of her new weapon to slam the hostile's face into the counter. As the second man fell, the first man rushed Jodie with a knife. She quickly turned her gun to crack the side of his head, slamming his ribcage into the counter before cracking his head into the tabletop. He, too, slumped to the floor.
Jodie lowered herself to a knee, looting the unconscious Russians as the Dark One appeared beside her. The child reached out to grab her hand, stuttering its question, "A-are they dead..?"
"No, I didn't hit them that hard," Jodie assured the Dark One with a weak smile, squeezing its hand carefully.
"Good. I don't like it when people kill each other," the child stated awkwardly, eying the men.
"Neither do I," Jodie breathed before pulling her hand away to go back to looting the uniforms. "Aiden, watch for more. I think Artyom could use some help."
Equipping herself with a bullet-proof vest, a semi-automatic pistol, and two full clips of ammunition, Jodie moved toward the door, taking a peek into the hallway for herself. Aiden sighed, assuring her that there was no life in the area except for rats.
The Dark One rushed to be in front of her, waving for her to follow as it half-crawled, half-walked down the hallway. Figuring the child knew its way about the station better than her or Aiden, she hurried after the creature. The Dark One led her down the hallway, through an abandoned market, through a short air duct, across a vacant railway, and into a room with a couple of corpses.
Aiden questioned the child's sense of direction as Jodie slowed, raising a hand as she spoke to the Dark One, "Hold on a sec."
The creature skidded to a stop, turning to watch her curiously as she dropped to a knee beside one of the corpses, lightly placing her hand against the man's chest. The corpse was fresh, the distinct sent of decay not having set in just yet.
Aiden pushed the rest of the corpse's spiritual energy into Jodie's mind. Her head snapped back, a blink ridding her eye of all color as a vision of the past manifested herself about the room. The Dark One looked around in awe as two groups of men opened fire on one another. Among the soldiers were Artyom and Anna, who fought viciously. Anna took a bullet to the shoulder, Artyom rushing to her side before a hostile cracked him in the head with the butt of his gun. A third man surrendered, dropping his rifle. A group of thugs half-dragged, half-carried Artyom and Anna through a doorway as another Russian shot the surrendering man in the head, his corpse falling into place beside Jodie. A flash ended the vision, Jodie shaking her head to clear her mind as her eyes returned to normal.
Aiden informed her of the Dark One's taking off, and she looked up to watch the child hurry in the direction that the men had taken its allies in Jodie's vision.
"He saw that, too?" Jodie muttered, astounded, as she followed the child.
A lengthy pathway led them to a large, wide-open train station where a battalion of Red Line soldiers were herding prisoners onto specialized train cars equipped with machine guns. Instinctively, the Dark One dissipated into nothing as Jodie dropped into cover within the tunnel's shadows. She felt an invisible hand touch hers as the child's voice played in her head, "I'm going to go find Artyom."
"No!" Jodie hissed quietly, groping for the hand. "It's too dangerous! Let Aiden take care of it!"
"Yeah, ok," the child muttered before pulling away.
Sighing with relief, Jodie peered over at the crowd. In her mind, she spoke to her companion, "Alright, Aiden, you know what to do."
Silently, Aiden moved upward, scanning the crowd of faces. As he moved closer, Jodie took a deep breath, raising her head as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Aiden's vision drowned out her own as the Dark One watched her curiously.
"Check the train," Jodie pushed her thoughts toward Aiden. "But hurry. I'm already feeling light-headed."
Aiden slid through the train's walls, quickly scanning each and every face he came across. Upon entering the second car, Jodie strained her mind, "There! That's them! Aiden, come back. Let's see if we can get them out of there."
As the entity started back, the Dark One took Jodie's hand, "What are we gonna do, Jodie?"
Aiden claimed he had an idea, altering his course as Jodie's eyes rolled back to their normal positions. Quickly wiping away a drop of blood that had formed in her nose, Jodie looked to see that the creature was holding her hand tightly, a frightened look in its eyes.
"Come on, little guy. Let's get closer to the train," Jodie assured him, stumbling toward the train. The stress of Aiden being so far away was starting to reach her muscles. She had to get closer to him. Jodie slid into cover behind the train, the Dark One at her side.
On the opposite side of the train, Aiden moved up to a guard, embracing him and forcing his being into the man's mind. The Russian lowered his rifle and rubbed his temples as if a sudden migraine had fallen upon him. Void of any warning, his head snapped back and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Aiden subsequently found himself in control of a brand new body.
"No, Aiden!" Jodie gasped as she watched Aiden approach three other guards. "You'll make too much noise!"
Disregarding her condescending tone, Aiden pointed his rifle at the three guards, who were all focused on an unarmed couple that clearly wished to go on the train. He squeezed the trigger as tightly as he could, unloading half a magazine into the soldiers' backs. As the bodies fell, chaos ensued on the platform. Men and women shouted, children screamed and cried, and everyone ran in haphazard directions, some wishing to avoid the conflict, others attempting to reunite with loved ones.
"Aiden, behind you!" Jodie stressed as a guard rushed out of the train. The possessed guard pivoted, gunning the newcomer down.
As the gunfire continued in sporadic bursts, Jodie clambered up, into the train via an open window. Multiple unarmed civilians were hunkering down, terrified. Before Jodie could examine anyone, Artyom found her, Anna at his side. A hand grasped hers, and she turned to see that the Dark One had returned to its human child form.
"We've come to save you and Anna, Artyom," the child spoke through their minds. "Aiden distracted the guards for us. Quickly, we need to leave."
Artyom spoke worriedly in Russian, to which the child responded, "More guards are on their way. We'll have to come back for the others."
Jodie turned, vaulting out the same window she had come in through. Simultaneously, a sniper rushed onto the platform, shooting Aiden in the head, pushing his being out of the guard's body. Jodie screamed as the forceful wave shook her mind. Her foot slipped and she hit the concrete ground with a thud, another trickle of blood leaking out of her nose.
"Jodie!" Artyom exclaimed, jumping down to help her to her feet. The child and Anna followed him.
"I'm ok, thank you," Jodie spoke quickly, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.
Anna said something in Russian and Artyom nodded before hurrying down the tunnel, the others at his heels. Jodie heard angry shouts behind them, but Aiden urged her to keep going, so she didn't look back.
Artyom guided them down the metro tunnel with a flashlight attached to his helmet. A hundred meters brought them to a small safe house that Anna had the keys for. Once they were all inside, she locked the door behind them.
Out of breath, Artyom found a chair to sit in while the Dark One wandered into another room. Anna sat at a coffee table beside Artyom and Jodie sat across from them. Clutching her left shoulder, where she had been shot, Anna rolled her arm about in its socket, clearly trying to wash the soreness away. Artyom said something quietly, and Anna looked at him, chuckling a little. She shook her head before standing to pace about the room, her focus still on her shoulder. Jodie looked at Artyom, who met her gaze with a tired sigh. She stood, patting him lightly on the shoulder before approaching Anna.
"You're Anna, right?" Jodie offered a weak smile.
Anna eyed her, an intimidating look about her as she nodded slowly.
"I'm Jodie, it's nice to meet you," she spoke, stretching out an open hand.
"What..do you want?" Anna questioned slowly, clearly not comfortable speaking English.
Jodie lowered her hand, surprised by the woman's bilingualism. Shaking her head, she continued, "Y-you're hurt. I can help you."
Anna shook her head, "No. I do not need...your help."
Artyom eyed the two curiously as Jodie insisted, "But you're hurt. Please, I only wish to help you."
She reached out to touch Anna's shoulder, but the woman shied away, a vicious look in her eye, "No! You can not help me!"
Aiden growled back, but Jodie was not so easily deterred, "Look, please just...trust me."
Artyom spoke up from his chair, saying something to Anna in Russian. This caught the woman's attention. The Russian eyed the man before glaring at Jodie, who did her best to smile. Lowering her gaze, Anna motioned with her head for Jodie to follow her. On the other side of the room, Anna sat down in a chair, removing her jacket to reveal the bullet wound in her shoulder. Resting her arm on a counter, she eyed Jodie, her face aggravated but eyes worried. Jodie kneeled awkwardly before the woman, gently placing her hand against the wound. Anna flinched at first but bared her teeth and stayed still. Aiden expressed his concern, but Jodie refused to listen. Giving up, the entity pushed part of Jodie's spiritual force into the wound. The bruised skin lost its unnatural pigmentation, torn skin threaded itself like a sewing machine, and growing tissue pushed the bullet out, onto the counter.
Artyom stood, walking over to them as Anna's eyes widened, a smile gradually stretching across her face, "Wow! H-how did you...?"
"I'm...gifted," Jodie shrugged happily.
Anna turned her head, staring into Jodie's eyes, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Jodie smiled.
Once their eyes truly met, Jodie knew something was wrong. Anna's eccentric smile accurately reflected the gleam of genuine gratitude in her eyes, but deeper within her, something stirred. Aiden felt it, and so did Jodie. A second emotion was threatening to show in Anna's eyes, but she fought to keep it hidden.
It was an emotion that Jodie couldn't quite pinpoint, but she knew it was there.
And neither Jodie nor Aiden liked it.