fog.
“Hah!” Brady said triumphantly. “I told you we were going the right way.”
Chapter 9
As the dust settled, Lys saw Brady holding up the slumping figure of Mark. They both wore the same plain, white outfits that she did, although someone had wrapped Brady’s cut arm.
“What are you doing?” Lys asked, stepping forward to help Mark get through the opening. It was a hole at least four feet around.
“Busting you guys out of here,” Brady said, supporting Mark from the other side. “Kamau is here, isn’t he?”
“I’m here,” Kamau said.
“Good, just let me get these doors open and we’ll be on our way,” Brady said.
Brady left Mark with Lys. As he stepped away, Lys noticed that Mark could barely stand. He leaned heavily on her, and Lys tried not to stumble. Fresh bruises adorned Mark’s face and arms. Lys’s eye traveled down to his hands, which were encased in what looked like bright yellow hair gel. Solid hair gel.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Don’t touch it, mate,” Mark said, slurring the words together.
“Come on,” Brady said, pulling the bars of her door apart like Superman would. “I’ll grab Kamau and we’ll get out of here.” He looked back toward her with a grin.
“How did you do that?” she asked, shaking her head. Brady winked at her.
Lys stopped, noticing his eyes. They were the black, oily clouds again, just like when they got out of the basement of the hospital. But now the swirling vortex only filled in where the color of his iris should be.
The Need poked a hand out from under the pile of blankets.
Lys pulled her eye away from Brady’s. He didn’t seem to know (or care) that his eyes looked like pools of oil.
“Where are we going to go?” Kamau asked as Brady stepped through Lys’s door and pulled the bars on Kamau’s cell apart.
“Out,” Brady said. “I heard some of the guards saying that only a few people are on duty tonight. A company party or something.”
“And you think we can get past them?” Lys asked. She sent Kamau a grateful smile when he came over and pulled Mark’s other arm over his shoulders.
“Brady can get us out,” Mark said. “We have to go now.”
“Why?” Lys asked as they started to follow Brady to the far door. “Who are these guys?”
“They’re bad guys,” Mark said. His head lolled around as if it might fall off any second. “They kill users.”
Kill? Lys looked over at Kamau, who frowned down at Mark.
“Kill us?” Kamau asked, voicing the question before Lys could. “Why?”
“Because we can kill them. Don’t worry, Brady will get us out,” Mark said. “Just follow him.”
The words garbled together. Mark’s shirt came up as Kamau readjusted his hold. A dark, ugly, purple bruise, bigger than Lys’s hand, covered his stomach.
Before she could ask what happened, Brady pulled the door at the end of the hall off its hinges and set it gently back on the floor.
“See,” he said, looking back at Mark. “I told you I could be gentle.”
“Good job,” Mark muttered. “Now get us out of here.”
Brady grinned. He seemed to be enjoying this a little too much.
They followed the younger boy out of the dungeon and into the more normal hall. The dim lights bathed the corridor in twilight. Brady waved them to follow as he crept along, keeping one hand on the wall at all times.
“How did he do that?” Lys asked, eying the door as they came through. Had Mr. Mason given him super powers?
“He’s a chaos user. He can get through the field,” Mark said. He jerked in their arms, and Lys almost lost her grip.
She exchanged a worried glance with Kamau. He shook his head—he didn’t understand Mark’s words either.
Brady waited for them at the next intersection. “There are a couple of people pretty close. I’m assuming that’s the way out?” He directed his question to Mark.
“Dunno. I was out when they brought me in.”
“I was awake,” Kamau said. “The entrance they brought us
“Hah!” Brady said triumphantly. “I told you we were going the right way.”
Chapter 9
As the dust settled, Lys saw Brady holding up the slumping figure of Mark. They both wore the same plain, white outfits that she did, although someone had wrapped Brady’s cut arm.
“What are you doing?” Lys asked, stepping forward to help Mark get through the opening. It was a hole at least four feet around.
“Busting you guys out of here,” Brady said, supporting Mark from the other side. “Kamau is here, isn’t he?”
“I’m here,” Kamau said.
“Good, just let me get these doors open and we’ll be on our way,” Brady said.
Brady left Mark with Lys. As he stepped away, Lys noticed that Mark could barely stand. He leaned heavily on her, and Lys tried not to stumble. Fresh bruises adorned Mark’s face and arms. Lys’s eye traveled down to his hands, which were encased in what looked like bright yellow hair gel. Solid hair gel.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Don’t touch it, mate,” Mark said, slurring the words together.
“Come on,” Brady said, pulling the bars of her door apart like Superman would. “I’ll grab Kamau and we’ll get out of here.” He looked back toward her with a grin.
“How did you do that?” she asked, shaking her head. Brady winked at her.
Lys stopped, noticing his eyes. They were the black, oily clouds again, just like when they got out of the basement of the hospital. But now the swirling vortex only filled in where the color of his iris should be.
The Need poked a hand out from under the pile of blankets.
Lys pulled her eye away from Brady’s. He didn’t seem to know (or care) that his eyes looked like pools of oil.
“Where are we going to go?” Kamau asked as Brady stepped through Lys’s door and pulled the bars on Kamau’s cell apart.
“Out,” Brady said. “I heard some of the guards saying that only a few people are on duty tonight. A company party or something.”
“And you think we can get past them?” Lys asked. She sent Kamau a grateful smile when he came over and pulled Mark’s other arm over his shoulders.
“Brady can get us out,” Mark said. “We have to go now.”
“Why?” Lys asked as they started to follow Brady to the far door. “Who are these guys?”
“They’re bad guys,” Mark said. His head lolled around as if it might fall off any second. “They kill users.”
Kill? Lys looked over at Kamau, who frowned down at Mark.
“Kill us?” Kamau asked, voicing the question before Lys could. “Why?”
“Because we can kill them. Don’t worry, Brady will get us out,” Mark said. “Just follow him.”
The words garbled together. Mark’s shirt came up as Kamau readjusted his hold. A dark, ugly, purple bruise, bigger than Lys’s hand, covered his stomach.
Before she could ask what happened, Brady pulled the door at the end of the hall off its hinges and set it gently back on the floor.
“See,” he said, looking back at Mark. “I told you I could be gentle.”
“Good job,” Mark muttered. “Now get us out of here.”
Brady grinned. He seemed to be enjoying this a little too much.
They followed the younger boy out of the dungeon and into the more normal hall. The dim lights bathed the corridor in twilight. Brady waved them to follow as he crept along, keeping one hand on the wall at all times.
“How did he do that?” Lys asked, eying the door as they came through. Had Mr. Mason given him super powers?
“He’s a chaos user. He can get through the field,” Mark said. He jerked in their arms, and Lys almost lost her grip.
She exchanged a worried glance with Kamau. He shook his head—he didn’t understand Mark’s words either.
Brady waited for them at the next intersection. “There are a couple of people pretty close. I’m assuming that’s the way out?” He directed his question to Mark.
“Dunno. I was out when they brought me in.”
“I was awake,” Kamau said. “The entrance they brought us
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