Authors Note: Just wanted to thank OzQueene for her mad-awesome beta skills. I'll be running my drafts via her before publishing them here.
Lovely to see so many new reviewers. Big hugs to Oz, Becks, MissMango, Winnieminnie, RRL24 and Arya169.
Only Shadows Ahead
Chapter Ten
A momentary loss of consciousness.
The sensation of floating and a bright flash of light.
Travelling but not moving. Noise but no sound. A sense of wakefulness and the sudden realisation that gravity had kicked in. Momentum was gained and she was pushed forth, hurtling towards her destination.
Linka screamed out as she was flung violently through to the other side, unprepared for the hard impact. Landing on her back, Kroi's body partly cushioned her fall as she slammed into him.
She bounced off; rolling face-first into the dirt. Groaning in pain, she clenched the fists still bound together behind her back. A low roar penetrated her ears and a constant blast of gritty sand assaulted her. Sand blew into her mouth; the strong gale causing the Linka's loose tendrils of hair to whip wildly around her head.
A sharp pain registered in her forehead and her body ached. The taste of blood in her mouth was present: she'd bitten her tongue during the landing.
Taking a deep breath, her eyes widened in fear as she struggled to draw enough oxygen into her lungs. Fear turned to blind terror as she curled into a ball, wheezing and choking as her lungs struggled to function in this strange environment.
Blight and the others were experiencing the same side effects; coughing and groaning around her. She opened her eyes, gasping and viewing her surroundings as if through a filter. The air was tinted a murky brown colour and visibility was limited; however the distant view of a cityscape was apparent through the haze.
Linka rolled over with a whimper, drawing her knees up and blinking at the wide expanse of sky above her. Normally a crystal blue, the heavens were instead a light shade of grey. It was as if the spectrum of colours didn't exist here.
"Fuck! What the fuck, Blight?"
Argos Bleak was on his feet, stumbling and disorientated. He sunk to his knees again and leaned forward, resting his forehead on the ground with his arms outstretched.
Blight didn't answer: she was still lying spreadeagled where she had landed. Her chest also heaved with the effort of drawing breath.
Linka took advantage of their distraction and straightened her body, beginning to roll away from them at high speed. Her heart pounded as her breath came in ragged gasps; a single-minded determination to get as far away from them as possible.
"Kuda ty idesh, malyshka?"
"Nyet!" Linka shrieked, sobbing as Kroi grasped her ankles and forcibly dragged her back towards the group. She lashed out at him, fear turning into fury at her current predicament. Her bound feet impacted hard against his thigh as she spat a number of Russian expletives at him. Kroi hauled her forward, crouching down and straddling her hips again, gripping her throat with his meaty hand.
"Get off me!" she choked, tears stinging her eyes as she struggled underneath him. "Ublyudok!"
Kroi grunted, sinking his fingers deeper into her neck as he caught his breath. With her hands still bound behind her, Linka had no choice but to stop struggling. She turned her head, crying softly as she was pulled to her feet and hoisted over Kroi's shoulder again.
By now, Bleak had recovered and was on his feet, gazing around with a bewildered expression on his face. Doctor Blight was also upright, her hand on her hip and the other shielding her face from the constant stream of grit.
They set off and headed in the direction of the city, a mere shadow on the darkening horizon.
It was apparent to Blight that she and Bleak were not going to see eye to eye on things. It was also apparent that the mercenary hadn't been clued into the major details of this 'little' job.
"Where the hell are we?"
"How should I know?" Blight bit back, her voice muffled by the sleeve of her blouse.
She was weary now. The lack of oxygen content was severe, seriously impeding their energy levels. They had eventually removed items of their clothing to wrap around their mouths, shielding them from the sand constantly blowing in their faces.
A gag had also been placed around Linka's mouth, although it was more to stem her incessant pleading for answers rather than showing a regard for her welfare.
Bleak pointed towards the towering skyscrapers ahead, fixing Blight with a glare. "Is that where we're going?"
"Does it look like I know where I'm going? I'm as clueless as you are!"
"Are you kidding me!" Bleak exploded, throwing his hands in the air. "Surely you looked up the damn coordinates before you took us on this little joyride?"
"Of course I did," Blight replied, but even she sounded uncertain. "I assumed it was LA."
"This sure as shit ain't LA," he muttered under his breath, surging ahead of the group and cursing to himself. "I swear to God, you'd better have a way of getting us back home or I'll.…"
"Don't threaten me, you two-bit…"
"Shut up!" he bellowed, kicking the ground in fury. "It didn't occur to you to bring any weapons, Blight?"
She rolled her eyes, clutching the shirt against her face as another gust of wind blew debris into the rag-tag travellers. "Guns wouldn't survive the transition. The gunpowder would ignite… along with the rest of us."
"Well, that's just fucking great," Bleak snapped. "That's just great."
Linka raised her head, blinking sleepily as she listened to the bickering pair continue to yell at one another, their voices echoing throughout this… wherever this was. The blood had pooled in her head due to being upside down for so long and her breathing was noisy, rattling in her chest. Both conditions had placed her on the verge of unconsciousness and at this point in time, she was beyond caring.
Kroi's movements slowed. He was struggling to bear her weight any longer. He called out to the others and they stopped, glancing back with irritation as he man-handled Linka back down to the ground.
"Ty gulyayesh," he said, pulling a switchblade from his pocket and holding it a mere inch from her nose. Linka winced, biting down on the gag as he dropped to his knees and cut the bindings around her ankles. He left the wrist restraints on, however. Rising unsteadily to his feet, Kroi waved the knife in her face. "Vedi sebya khorosho, malyshka."
Behave yourself, little girl.
Frightened, Linka kept her eyes trained on the ground as he swivelled her around and shoved her forward. She stumbled but remained upright, flexing her fingers behind her and following Blight and Bleak's figures as they trudged just ahead of her, still yelling bitterly at one another.
She lowered her head as her thoughts turned to her friends and their current welfare. The image of Kwame and Gi's distressed faces at the window were still etched in her memory.
Do they think I am dead?
Blinking back tears, Linka found herself craving their love and support more than ever as the harsh realisation of her situation settled over her.
She was powerless, ringless and utterly on her own.
At least an hour had passed. As if the sand storm wasn't enough, discarded trash had been added to their ever-increasing list of challenges. Debris flew past at high speeds and the four travellers were unwittingly stuck playing a twisted version of dodgeball.
Paint cans, plastic wrappers, wire fencing, faded childrens' play equipment… Kroi had narrowly avoided a collision with a twisted piece of aluminium. Perhaps once belonging to the fender of a car, it had tumbled past loudly, spinning and tumbling along the ground.
Her three captors proved to be distracted by the obstacles. Linka lowered her chin to her chest, attempting to use her shoulder to nudge the gag free. After several attempts she succeeded. It hung loosely around her chin and she raised her head, seeking out Blight's figure through the haze.
"Why did you bring me here?" Linka's voice sounded braver than she felt but she had questions that needed answering. She called out to Blight again, her voice carrying over the wind as Blight paused and turned to scrutinise her carefully. "What have you done?"
"I'm just following orders, sweetheart," Blight replied. A coughing fit left her unable to clarify things further as the scientist doubled over, clutching her chest. "Why's it so damn hard to breathe here?"
"Where is here?" Linka pleaded regardless, her voice rising in pitch as she struggled to maintain pace with Blight as she continued onwards. "What was that thing in your lab?"
"A wormhole. Something your primitive little mind would struggle to comprehend."
Linka stumbled again as a faded fuel canister blew under her feet. She tripped and shrieked as she fell to her knees. The uneven ground pierced the denim of her jeans and she winced, gritting her teeth against the pain. Blight watched as the fuel can tumbled away, bouncing along the dry ground until it disappeared from sight.
"A wormhole to where?" Linka cried. "Where are we? This is not Los Angeles." She remained slumped on the ground, refusing to move. The rational side of her brain was spitting out theories. The logical side of her mind was considering their location, based on the terrain and the distant city ever-present in the background.
A portal.
She's built a portal.
Linking two locations.
We've travelled between them.
Nairobi? Tanzania?
Linka took a shuddering breath and leaned back on her heels, watching as Blight continued on without her.
"You owe me an answer."
"I don't owe you shit," Blight snapped back. "You brats have caused enough issues for me over the -"
"Then you can leave me behind," Linka shot back. She sat down and crossed her legs, knowing the others were as depleted of oxygen as she was. Kroi was a fair distance behind them and Bleak looked in particularly bad shape, coughing and wheezing loudly. "You have my ring. Just leave me. I will not go any further."
"Oh, for God's sake," Blight muttered. She stopped, crossing her arms in front of her as she glared at the blonde. "The aim was to travel eleven years in the future. Happy?"
"What?" Linka spluttered, gaping at Doctor Blight. She was left utterly dumbfounded by the confession. The concept of time travel hadn't even occurred to her. "Future? You have brought me to the future?"
"By my calculations, yes. Eleven years. And my calculations are usually accurate."
Blight ambled towards Linka. Only her eyes were visible and they were cold, devoid of feeling. She smirked, motioning to the terrain surrounding them. "I will admit I was expecting things here to look a little more modern. Floating cars, hover-boards and the sort. This was unexpected."
"How do we get home?" Linka asked, her voice trembling as Blight finally reached her. The doctor crouched down in front of her, hooking her finger delicately under the gag and pulling sharply. Linka lurched forward with a gasp, now eye to eye with the mad scientist. "How do I get back?
"Oh darling," she said in a low voice, releasing the mouth gag. Blight patted the side of Linka's face in a condescending manner. "You know as well as anyone that I never think that far ahead."
The blood drained from Linka's already pale face. "What?"
Blight smirked, rising to her feet and wandering away with a dismissive wave. "I just wanted to see if it could be done."
Cold fury washed over Linka. The knowledge boiled away at the surface; that she was stuck here indefinitely, never to see her friends and her family again.
All because of this embittered husk of a woman.
A rush of adrenaline surged through Linka; the anger and rage spiralling her into a frenzy. Clenching the fists still tied behind her back, she stumbled to her feet and ducked low, shrieking as she charged towards Doctor Blight's retreating figure.
Blight was sent sprawling to the ground with a surprised yelp. Linka gave her no time to recover, drawing her foot back and kicking her repeatedly, unleashing her rage and resentment. An arm wrapped around Linka's waist and she was dragged away, feet flailing and crying.
"Shut up!" Bleak barked, an edge of panic evident in his voice. His free hand clapped over Linka's mouth, her breath tickling his palm and he twisted, eyes narrowed and searching. "Shut the fuck up. I heard something."
Blight had also stilled, watchful and wary as the distant sound of a truck rumbled nearby. The sound of mechanical brakes whining reached them, followed by silence again. The pervading orange haze hampered their view and they waited for what seemed like an eternity.
"Where is it?" Blight had raised herself into a sitting position, feet outspread in front of her. The altercation with Linka was already forgotten as she clutched the blouse tighter over her face against the strong gusts of wind. "Is it gone?"
"Where's Kroi?" Bleak looked back in the direction they'd just come, realising they were missing someone. "Kroi?"
There was no answer. Bleak squinted, seeing a dark shape lumbering towards them through the haze. The shape got larger and then veered off, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
"Jesus," Bleak muttered, releasing his hold on Linka and shoving her onwards. "We gotta' keep movin'."
Blight pushed herself to her feet and hurried onward, casting nervous glances behind her every now and then. Another rumble of tyres, followed by footsteps. More shapes.
Fear settled over Linka. Her eyes darted left and right, her mouth hanging open despite the grit accumulating within.
"Untie me," she pleaded, falling into step with Blight. "Someone is here. Give me my ring."
"Not a chance, Blondie."
A strangled shout came from behind them and the women both turned. They heard a groan, followed by a dragging sound.
Bleak had now disappeared.
Another shape bobbed past. Linka ceased moving, standing with her head bowed as she flexed her bound wrists. There was no sense fighting what was coming. Whatever it was, it was inevitable and, in her current state, she was powerless to prevent it.
"Bleak?"
Blight looked truly worried. She took several steps forward, treading the sand slowly. She faded into the smog and Linka swayed slightly, her bottom lip trembling as she heard a sharp yelp eventually come from Doctor Blight's direction.
Linka kept her eyes trained downwards, her heart hammering in her chest as a shape approached. Its edges gradually gained definition and, through her lashes, Linka could see thick layers of clothing covering the body and head. Her rasping breath quickened as she noticed the breathing apparatus obscuring much of the face. She recoiled, stumbling backwards and unprepared for the second figure lying in wait behind her.
A quick movement of hands. The harsh, scratchy texture of hessian was forced over her head, rendering her blind. She heard the truck's engine turn over again, spluttering to life as she was lifted and man-handled into the tray of the vehicle.
Muffled, low voices and laughter were present; idle chatter as if the occurrence of kidnapping four strangers was just so perfectly normal. Linka rolled onto her side, squeezing her eyes shut and flattening her cheek against the metal tray. She felt the vibrations of the engine through the hessian bag as she finally broke down: inconsolable, frightened and desperate for the presence of her friends.