Off of the Cliff and into the Water

…

Whyley was yelling. His voice was hoarse. The HEAV disappeared behind the trees.

Godzilla was still beyond solid reach. Back toward the temple, only threads of base emotions crossed the distance. The surge of urgency was the first to surface when the initial shock wore off.

She had completely frozen. Whyley could have been shot and she had just been standing there, unmoving, unthinking. Completely and utterly useless. And now they were both tied up.

Didn't Nathan see what Ren was doing to them?

The sound of sobbing drew her attention back to Whyley. He let out an angry shout before struggling with the rope around his wrists. Tears streamed down his face as he tried pulling his hands out of their binds.

The more he fought the more the rope dug into her arms. Both the rope and paracord tied her to the tree.

"I'm sorry, Whyley."

He stopped struggling, taking a shaky breath before speaking. "Not your fault, 'Mara."

"Yes, it is. I threatened Ren, I threatened Nathan—I basically told Jia not to listen to Ilene. I just didn't think—"

"Just stop."

Amara swallowed.

"There's no point worrying about who's to blame for what. We just need to get out before Hollow Godzilla finds us."

Hollow Godzilla, or any other massive creature that roamed the Hollow Earth.

She scanned the ground around their feet. Small plants and grasses dotted stone and dirt. Anything sharp would work.

If only they had— "Ugh, we forgot to look for your knife."

"Wouldn't matter," Whyley said still composing himself, "I kept it in my backpack."

Amara followed his gaze over to their backpacks lying in a patch of grass.

A pebble bounced. Both she and Whyley stilled.

A second later, it bounced again, this time joined by others. Then more. The tree vibrated against their backs.

Whyley looked at her, the silent question clear in his eyes.

She shook her head. "It's not Godzilla."

Whyley swore under his breath. His squirming resumed.

She tried to pull her arm up, but there was so little leverage when they were pinned down at her sides.

The earth shook more and more, harder and harder.

Amara paused. "Whyley stop for a second."

"We don't have time!"

"No, it feels like—"

Kong landed in the clearing below them. He lifted his head, nostrils flaring. Was he smelling the HEAV?

Without a second to waste, she focused on Godzilla's presence in her mind and let it fill her until it burst outwards.

Kong turned. Huge deep brown eyes landed on her. He'd already left Godzilla behind, but why?

"Help us!" she yelled.

Kong stepped closer. His chest towered over the cliff. He reached forward, giant finger feet from them. But as it came closer, it became clear there was nothing he could do that wouldn't hurt them.

She opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but at that moment, Kong recoiled, his head snapped in the direction of the transfer zone. The direction the HEAV went.

Her stomach lurched from the vertigo as his body flew up into the air and he jumped out of sight.

The back of Whyley's head thudded against the trunk. His chest rose and fell as he took a breath. "He's looking for Jia."

Kong's form appeared again, smaller and distant by the transfer zone. He was jumping, arm reaching for something in the air. The leaves shook on the trees when he landed. Then silence.

"Come on, 'Mara, keep looking for something."

"There's nothing!" Amara began to squirm again. She'd only attempted to pull out her arm twice more before fatigue overtook her.

Whyley was trying to lower his body down and get out from under the rope.

Out of all the situations she imagined being in, this wasn't one of them. Going from almost being sacrificed to being tied up by gunpoint in what, two days if that? All this time she'd been worrying about Hollow Godzilla, when it'd been humans trying to kill her.

A weird feeling crept into the back of her mind. A presence. Her heart leaped into her throat.

"Whyley…"

He looked at her.

"You don't happen to have your compass on you, do you?"

"Let me just get it out of my pocket. Oh wait, I can't!" his voice rose sharply. When he looked at her, his face dropped. "Don't tell me…"

"I think I'm getting the weird sense again. But it feels like it's all around us."

Or maybe it was all around them. Hollow Godzilla's radiation filled the entire Hollow Earth, so he himself was a concentration of it. Almost like camouflage. Did that mean he would be almost impossible to detect if he released the gathered radiation in the crystals on his back?

Whyley hissed in pain when he began to struggle against his bindings with renewed vigor. Both the rope and his skin were turning red. Blood smeared against the white fabric of his shirt.

Amara closed her eyes. The thread was there. The pull. Through the tree against her back and beyond the cliff. Back before the river started, there was Godzilla, trudging onward through exhaustion.

It was difficult to concentrate through the looming presence around her. Impending. Ominous almost. Like the air filled with his intention.

But then there was something else. Concentrated, familiar. Kong. And he was…coming closer?

"What are you doing?" Whyley yelled. "You have to at least try to get out!"

"We're stuck, Whyley. We're going to have to figure out a different way to get out of this."

"You can't keep assuming someone is going to come save you! We have to get out of this on our own!"

"No," she said. Whyley looked up. "We don't."

The bushes across the clearing stirred. Jia sprinted out from the trees. Kong flew into view, once again landing in the clearing below the cliff.

Whyley finally stopped struggling. "Jia!"

She ran straight to them, small fingers going for the knot that bound Whyley's wrists.

If Jia was here did that mean something happened to the HEAV? Did the others have a change of heart? No…Kong had jumped, reaching for something. Jia had called him, or her emotions were strong enough to compel him to follow.

She had said it from the beginning. She wanted to stay.

Jia fumbled with the knots. The rope wasn't budging under her fingers.

"I think he grabbed the HEAV and brought Jia back here," she told Whyley.

A distant shout called for Jia. It sounded like Ilene.

"Shit, that means they're going to come back here looking for her."

Kong turned from them and looked out to hills beyond the clearing. His posture was tense. Scraps and scabs marred the fur on his arms and back. His raised pickaxe cast a glow over Whyley and Jia's skin. When he turned back, he grunted, a clear look of concern in his eyes.

Ilene's voice called out again, followed by Nathan's quieter one.

It was funny, calling out to a deaf girl who didn't want to leave.

Jia huffed, slapping her hands down to her sides. Whyley pointed at the ground the best he could. "Look, Jia, look for a rock!"

Able to read his lips or not, Jia got the message and began searching the ground. There were rocks everywhere, it was just a matter of finding one sharp enough to cut rope or paracord.

While Amara scanned the ground again, Kong let out a roar. The sudden noise made her jump before following Whyley's line of sight to the hills.

The tree shuttered against her back when Hollow Godzilla's feet touched the ground. There he was, hulking, menacing. Eyes trained on Kong's weapon, a piece of his very own body.

How?

How did he get there so fast? Did she unintendedly call out to him when she'd tried to get Kong's attention?

What were they supposed to do now? What was even the point of planning anything when nothing ever went right? Now she was tied to a tree and Godzilla was still miles away.

The thread pulled against her brain. Her head hit the tree.

I'm coming.

Hollow Godzilla took a single step closer. Bits of the edge of the cliff broke off, and a few seconds later water splashed below.

Hurry!

A roar filled the clearing. Filled the Hollow Earth. So familiar, yet so foreign.

When Godzilla roared, it was as if thunder itself tore from the heavens. It shook the earth with its ferocity. One would know just by hearing it that Godzilla was a force of nature.

But Hollow Godzilla's roar was different. It wasn't like thunder. It wasn't a storm that passed overhead. It was a comet crashing down on Earth. It was the last thing anyone would ever hear before everything was decimated. It was agony. It was reckoning.

When Hollow Godzilla went to move, Kong charged him, pickaxe raised high. Hollow Godzilla turned his shoulder. Crystal hit crystal. Shards glimmered like rain falling to the ground.

Jia tore her eyes away and grabbed a rock off the ground. It wasn't any sharper than the rest of the rocks around, but maybe it would be good enough. It had to be.

Jia ran back to Whyley who pulled the rope tight between his wrists so she could saw at it.

Hollow Godzilla swung at Kong. He managed to evade by leaping backward. Kong jumped back at him. Hollow Godzilla went to strike back but missed. Instead, Kong flew past him and onto a hill on the opposite side. He then jumped and hit Hollow Godzilla from the other side.

Blood splatted out of the wound. The tip of the pickaxe was embedded in his shoulder. Hollow Godzilla didn't wait for Kong to pull it out, rather stepping to the side and yanking his shoulder from it.

So the theory was right, his skin could be penetrated by his own spines.

"Come on, Jia!"

Jia had switched hands, still sawing at the rope. Threads frayed where she cut. It was working!

The air tingled. They all snapped toward Hollow Godzilla. The crystals on his back were pulsing. The ground vibrated as rocks containing crystal tore upwards out of the ground and into the air. Large boulders that looked little more than rocks next to Hollow Godzilla floated upwards. The floating ring of crystals was pulled from the gravity inversion. Then Hollow Godzilla roared. The rocks, pebbles, and boulders all launched at Kong.

Kong recoiled, unable to dodge the onslaught. Rocks smashed against his body and head. Before he could recover, Hollow Godzilla spun. His massive tail drove into Kong. The sound was like an explosion. Kong fell back in a cloud of dust.

Only then did Hollow Godzilla turn his eyes on them.

The rope was almost cut. Only a few thick cords held it together. Whyley's arms flexed with exertion from pulling his wrists apart. Jia's eyes darted from the rope to Kong and back to the rope again.

We need you!

Godzilla's exhaustion hit her like a truck. I'm…coming.

The dust settled around Kong. His chest rose and fell irregularly. He'd had the wind knocked out of him.

Hollow Godzilla's spines began to glow brighter. His eyes dead set on her, Whyley, and Jia. It was personal then. He knew they were connected and was jealous of it. It was in his eyes, clear as day. All must suffer as he had suffered—Will always suffer.

A hollow existence.

Nathan and Ilene's distant shouts were frantic now. Closer, but still somewhere in the trees.

Jia switched hands again. Whyley's arms shook.

Hollow Godzilla opened his mouth. The crystals on his back grew brighter. Light shone in the back of his throat.

Kong struggled to his knees.

Something snapped. Whyley's elbow hit Amara in the stomach, but the pain was nothing compared to the feeling of the rope slacking against her skin and falling to the ground. Now only the paracord remained.

Whyley kneeled in front of Jia and pointed toward the trees. "Run! Go!"

Back on his feet Whyley took the hanging end of the paracord and threaded it behind the bit that was tied around Amara. He put his foot against the tree, pulling both ends tight and began to saw the paracord against itself.

The pulsing grew faster.

Jia still stood there. She was biting her lip and looking at Kong. Tears streamed down her face.

"Jia, go!"

Whyley looked back at her, still cutting. "What are you doing, Jia, leave!"

Kong heaved himself up, stumbling. He used the pickaxe for support.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. How long had Hollow Godzilla been charging? Channeling all his hatred, all his jealousy into one attack? Would he blow a hole straight through the core?

Would they be vaporized in an instant? Would there be any pain?

"Whyley…"

"No, Amara. Not now!" Whyley gave a final pull and the cord snapped. It too fell around her feet.

Neither of them moved. It was as if time was standing still. Hollow Godzilla's chest was tall. His arms were back. His head was almost discernable from the bright light pouring from his mouth.

With one hand, Whyley pulled Jia towards him, with the other he grabbed Amara. On their knees, he wrapped his arms around both of them, back to Hollow Godzilla. Jia's hand gripped hers while her other held onto Whyley.

Amara closed her eyes.

Why did it hurt less when she thought she would die alone?

The earth trembled. Something blocked the light from the back of her eyelids. A groan.

Kong.

The pulsing stopped.

This was it. Kong's efforts were as much in vain as Whyley's.

Then heat. Unbearable heat. It would all be over in a second.

But…nothing.

Amara opened her eyes. A wall of billowing fire engulfed the entire clearing beyond Kong who stood hunched before them like a shield.

Hollow Godzilla let out a wail. A beam of atomic breath shot upward into the mantle side. The explosion shook the earthen sky.

This time it was Godzilla that roared. Her Godzilla.

The shockwave blasted the trees around them. Kong had to brace with his arms to avoid crushing them under his chest.

Godzilla merely turned his head to the side, the shockwave little more than a ripple against his body.

When the fire dissipated, Hollow Godzilla stood panting. Looking on in anger, but completely still.

Amara fell back. Jia stood and ran over to the edge of the cliff where Kong stood. Whyley remained still. His eyes were open, staring at the ground by Amara's legs.

"Whyley?" She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I—I thought that was it," he said. His eyes met hers.

She cupped his face in her hands and smiled at him. "Not yet."

Smoke filled the air as the mushroom cloud descended towards them. Kong stood up straighter, his breathing was finally normalizing.

Godzilla limbered closer, his head looming over them like a concerned parent assessing their child. Kong stepped aside.

"We're okay," she spoke out loud.

I told you to be mindful of the humans. They are not to be trusted. And here you are, in danger yet again.

Can we focus on Hollow Godzilla please?

He must recover. It is your chance to move somewhere safer.

We'll be fine as long as you don't let him do that again.

I can make no promises. Godzilla straightened and looked to Kong.

Amara cracked her neck. Now it was time.

With a menacing glare, Hollow Godzilla snarled.

Kong moved first, doing the same attack as before, jumping past and then hitting him from the other side. Hollow Godzilla was slow to move even as the pickaxe stabbed into his leg.

Godzilla remained near the cliff, watching for a weakness.

His arms? They're not much bigger than yours and he defends with them.

Ever so slightly, Godzilla inclined his head. But he did not move.

You're not going to help?

Not until I know you are safe.

Hollow Godzilla turned his head and went to bite the handle of Kong's pickaxe. Kong punched him in the head, both deflecting the attack and filling the air with the sound of knuckles cracking.

What do you mean? Hollow Godzilla is over there.

The trees rustled behind them. Ilene came out first, then Ren holding Nathan around the shoulder. They froze when their eyes met Amara and Whyley's and then up further to Godzilla.

Nathan fumbled for the rifle still strapped to his chest. Ren went to help.

Ilene raised a hand. "Nathan, please!"

Nathan pushed Ren from him and held up the gun. It shook in his hands. "Don't move."

"Nathan, drop the gun!" This time it was Whyley who looked like he wanted to knock Nathan out.

Nathan pointed the gun at him.

"Jia, come here," Ilene signed as she spoke.

Jia only shook her head and walked in front of Whyley.

When Nathan didn't move the gun, Ilene shouted at him. Then he turned it on Amara.

It may as well have been the last thing he ever did. Godzilla's eyes were on him in an instant.

The roar aimed at Nathan sent him to his knees. The rifle clattered to the ground. Everyone covered their ears as the deafening sound reverberated through their bodies.

Godzilla clamped his mouth shut. He didn't turn away until Whyley picked up the gun, emptied the magazine, and slung it behind his back.

Now you are safe.

When Godzilla charged, he went straight for Hollow Godzilla's injured arm. His teeth buried into Hollow Godzilla's shoulder already bleeding from multiple stab wounds. Hollow Godzilla swung at his head with his other arm, claws slicing into Godzilla's neck.

Amara flinched and put her hand up to quell the stinging sensation. Ren shouted something at Whyley from behind her. When she turned, Ren and Whyley stood face to face near the edge of the cliff. Whyley was reaching out to Ren who glared at him.

Whyley stepped back at her approach. The remaining blood on Ren's face had dried. She had the sense to punch him again for inciting all this from the beginning. Ren lifted a hand in front of his face in a pathetic attempt to protect himself.

"Take off the backpack."

He lowered his hand and unclasped the strap across his waist. Slowly, he raised his hand back up to the other strap across his chest. "So tough now that your dog is here. Bet you think you're invincible." His hand hovered on top of the clasp. "But you're nothing more than a stupid little girl."

Something glinted from the bottom of her vision, shining in Ren's other hand. She'd only glimpsed the knife when Whyley pushed her out of the way.

The sound of a knife piercing flesh wasn't new to her, but it didn't make it any less shocking to hear. Both Ren and Whyley were frozen, looking down at the knife protruding out of Whyley's side. More and more blood seeped onto his white shirt.

Ren pulled the knife out. Whyley gasped. The color was already draining from his skin.

He…

He had stabbed Whyley.

Eyes wide, Ren turned on her.

Amara charged him. No punch would be hard enough. No attack painful enough. She hurled herself at him, ready to pummel him. Her body rammed into his, the knife flew out of sight.

The ground disappeared under them. Her stomach lurched.

They were falling. Still, she didn't let go.

Water slammed against her body. Ren's body immediately dragged her down into the lake. Under the surface, he swung at her. His hand had little effect. Keeping hold of his backpack, she reeled back and punched him in the face again. Blood clouded the water, rising upwards as Ren's backpack pulled them down.

He went for another hit, but this one was even weaker. His eyes turned upwards to the rays of light shining down on them.

He was running out of breath.

She went for the clasp. He slapped her hand away. Bubbles escaped his nose.

Lower they sunk.

She tried again. Was he willing to die for some stupid rocks?

He grabbed her hand this time. His other reached for her face, gabbing her chin tightly and pulling her closer.

Bubbles came from his mouth now, yet he glared. He glared as if there was no one he hated more. No one that had ever hurt him more.

And then his expression went blank.

His hands loosened as he sank.

Lower and lower…

Until he was swallowed by the darkness.

Gone.

Dead.

The rays of light were cut off.

Would she too be engulfed by darkness?

The inky black surrounded her until it shut out the deep blue waters below.

Was that the fate Ren deserved? To die filled with hatred?

Water drained from around her until she landed on Godzilla's tongue. Air filled her lungs.

The darkness parted and the cliff came into view. Eyes stared up in wonder. Ilene and Jia were at Whyley's side. Nathan hadn't moved.

She crawled between Godzilla's teeth and ran to Whyley.

Ilene was kneeling next to him, first-aid kit open beside her. She pressed blood-soaked gauze to his wound. Jia held his hand on the other side.

"Amara," he squeezed his eyes shut. "I thought you were…"

"I'm fine, Whyley, just breathe, please."

Ilene looked at her, alarm clear in her eyes. "Where's Ren? Did he?" She adjusted the gauze, her hands were covered in blood. "I don't know what to do, it won't stop bleeding!"

It wasn't just external bleeding, there would be internal as well. Would cauterizing help?

"We were so close…" Whyley said. His voice was weak, almost far away.

Amara took his free hand in both of hers. His blood smeared against her skin. Warm and sticky. "We're getting out of here, okay? Just hold on."

Maybe Ren did deserve that fate. How could he? How could he do this to Whyley? Of all people, Whyley?

There was a bang and Godzilla roared. Pain flared against her ribs.

But it was nothing compared to the sinking feeling in her chest. Nothing compared to the way Whyley looked at her.

Her eyes burned. "Whyley—Gale, please."

When he smiled, blood dripped down his chin. "Don't…call me that."

If only he could heal like she could. She should have made him stay when Godzilla breathed his healing radiation on her. Why hadn't she? How could she have been so stupid?

Do for him as I did to you.

Amara turned. Godzilla looked back at her while Hollow Godzilla fended off Kong.

Save him.

Godzilla looked away, his attention back on Hollow Godzilla.

She could heal him? But how?

Her gaze fell on her hand holding Whyley's. The fresh gauze Ilene pressed to his wound. The blood soaking it.

Was that it?

The knife rested by the edge of the cliff. She pulled her hands from Whyley's and got up to get it. Ilene watched wide eyed as Amara sat back down and sliced her palm.

It burned, but that didn't matter.

Palm full of blood, she took Ilene's spot and pulled away the gauze. Whyley hissed when she put her hand on the wound.

Ilene stared at Amara's hand. "What are you—"

"My blood's full of Godzilla's radiation. It might be enough to stop the bleeding."

She held it there. Whyley's eyes were wide.

She removed her hand, wiping his skin gently with her thumb. It…it worked.

Whyley looked from the wound to her face. His eyes met hers, one blue one brown. He reached out, his hand gently brushing against her cheek, the other taking her hand.

He pulled her towards him.

And kissed her.

It was as if everything came crashing down around them. All the fear, anxiety, anger, it all washed away in Whyley's embrace. In the way he held her face in his hands. The way he breathed her name when their lips parted.

If only they could stay like this for a while longer.

When she pulled away, Whyley shook his head at her, a smile on his lips. "Better go help Big G 'Mara."

She stood. Ilene and Jia had similar faces of astonishment. Jia got up too, taking Amara's extended hand.

Now it was time to deal with Hollow Godzilla.

…