A Journey Through Time
Chapter 10

It didn’t take much to convince Moira to meet me when I told her I had information on her brother. I could hear the sound of hope in her voice and I hadn’t even told her anything yet. I had her meet me at the little coffee slash sandwich shop on the corner across from the park and then headed that way. The little shop had been in Black Hollow for about twenty years now and it was a popular place for students to go. They made all types of coffee and tea and about ten years ago, had started making sandwiches and soups too. So even though it sold food now, it kept its original names; Café Glacé. This translated to iced coffee in French. It was kind of an odd name when they first opened and people had begged the owners to change it but they never budged.

It was a small square building, painted a rich brown with white trim, so it almost looked like foam on coffee. There were two doors, one on each end of the building, plus a back door; seven or eight four seat booths lined along the wall; and a long bar with bar stools which separated the dining room from the kitchen. There were no windows, except for in the kitchen, so the dining room was always pretty dim, but it just made it more relaxed that way. The smell of coffee hit me before I’d even stepped inside and I wrinkled my nose. I’d never really been a big coffee drinker; I didn’t like the taste of it. I slid onto a stool at the bar and a tall dark haired woman rushed out of the kitchen.

“I’ll be right with you, dear” she called before disappearing again. I frowned and looked around the dining room, three of the booths were full but that was far from busy for this place. The woman rushed out of the kitchen with a huge tray perched on her shoulder and danced out to two of the booths. When she ducked back behind the bar, she stashed the tray under it and glided over to me.

“So sorry about that honey, one of my waitresses quit and the other went home sick so I’m all alone here until closing. What can I get you?” she asked. So that explained the rushing, she didn’t have anyone to help her. I recognized the woman a split second later, as she tied back her waist length jet black hair. It was Norah Durand, one of the owners.

“Just a hot chocolate for me, please. DO you need any help here, Norah?” I asked. Norah shuffled over to make my hot chocolate but she answered over her shoulder.

“Do I ever? You interested in a job, sweetheart?” she asked. She set a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of me and dropped a handful of mini marshmallows into it. I felt like I was a kid again, going there with my parents; I always held the marshmallows under with a spoon until they dissolved. I resisted the urge to ask for silverware.

“Actually, if you really need the help, my boyfriend needs as job as well. We’ve both kinda been……………………………………off the radar for the past couple of years” I said. I wasn’t sure how to phrase our adventure in the Hidden, especially since we didn’t feel like we’d missed any time. I still felt 18 but if we were actually gone for two years, I’d be 20 now. Or was I? Less than a day had passed for us when we were gone, how old did that make us?

“Are you one of the ids that disappeared for two years and then randomly reappeared outside your own funerals Sunday afternoon?” she asked. It shocked me at first that she knew so much but then I remembered in a town as small as Black Hollow, we’d probably made front page news. It took a lot of self-control not to roll my eyes.

“Yes ma’am, my boyfriend was one of them as well” I said. Norah put her elbows on the bar and rested her head in her hands, all while her pale blue eyes remained on my face. She studied me quietly for a few minutes; her eyes squinted at the corners, before finally lifting her head again.

“I assume you weren’t in any trouble because it would’ve said something about it in the paper. Here’s what I’ll do: let me have a talk with my husband and gather up the paperwork, and why don’t you and your boyfriend come in on Saturday and we’ll have a talk with you” she said. I smiled widely and reached across the bar to shake hands with her.

“Sounds great Norah, thank you” I said. She nodded to me and disappeared back into the kitchen. I sat sipping my hot chocolate until Moira finally showed up about ten minutes later. I could see the spark of life in her eyes from across the room. I barely had enough time to swing one leg off the stool before Moira was at my side.

“Where is Sean?” she demanded. Yeah, that I expected. I slipped down off the stool and dug a wad of money out of my pocket. Moira waited impatiently as I downed the rest of my hot chocolate, unfolded a five dollar bill, and set the cup on it. When I finally turned to Moira, she looked like she was dancing, this anxious little stepping movement where she traded off standing on one leg for half a second. This time I did roll my eyes.

“Not here, walk with me” I said. She followed me willingly out of the shop and down the street. As we walked, I filled her in on our run in with Rodriguez, him touching the symbol that transported us to that basement, and what we’d seen there before we saw Sean. Moira listened quietly and didn’t interrupt but I could tell from the distracted glint in her eyes that she only cared about the information concerning her brother. I sighed deeply.

“Look Moira, Sean is down there in one of those cells. He’s beat up a little but he’s alive” I said. Moira let out a breath of relief so strong, it was like watching an asthmatic breathe again after an attack. Tears filled her eyes and she threw her arms around me. Okay, so she was relieved now, wait until she found out what else we’d seen down there. She pulled away from me and wiped her hands across her cheeks, rubbing the tears from her face.

“How are we going to get to him?” she asked. Oh no, that hopeful tone in her voice. Despite all the trouble Moira had caused me lately, my heart sank. ‘How am I supposed to tell her that we have no hope of ever rescuing her brother?’ I wondered. My mom’s voice visited me and I physically jumped. ‘Tell her the truth, all of it; you have to make her see.’ I shot the building across from me a dirty look. Moira was stubborn anyway but that determination was tripled when it came to her brother. Yeah right, easier said than done. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

“Moira, you weren’t there, you didn’t see what I saw. The D.D.S. created these guards that prowl that basement, they killed Rodriguez in just a matter of seconds. We don’t stand a chance against them, there isn’t anything we can do for Sean” I said. The hope slowly drained out of Moira’s eyes and for a few seconds, her face was expressionless. And then a look of steely determination and anger formed and she stopped in her tracks. I raised my eyebrows.

“Where was the symbol that transported you to the basement where Sean is?” she asked. I studied her for a few seconds, judging the level of her anger. It wouldn’t cause any harm to tell her that, would it? Boy was I wrong.

“It was on the side of the old museum, why?” I asked. Moira ignored me and spun around to head the other direction, in the same direction the museum was. I understood then. She intended to use the symbol to send her down there so she could rescue her brother herself. I rushed forward and grabbed her arm, jerking her to a stop.

“Moira, don’t be stupid! You don’t stand anymore of a chance than we did!” I yelled. Moira reeled around, yanking her arm out of my grasp. She raised a hand like she was going to slap me again but then seemed to think better of it. Her eyes were tearing up again but this time with anger and helplessness rather than happiness.

“I’m not giving up on him!” she screamed. My hand itched to slap her too but I forced myself to stay calm. I closed my hands in tight fists and gritted my teeth. She was just frustrated, that’s all, no reason to hit her again. Although she did kind of need the wake up call. I took a deep breath in and relaxed my hands and teeth.

“We’re not giving up on him either Moira, but we’re no good to him dead. Listen to me, he had detective Rodriguez’s gun, he’s better protected than the rest of us” I said. Moira let her head fall and took a few deep breaths. A street light came on over our heads and I looked up at in reflexively. It was getting late and Tommy was waiting for me. I’d just opened my mouth to suggest we go home when I noticed Moira’s eyes locked on something behind me. Immediately, I felt a chill travel down my spine. ‘Not again, please not again’ I pleaded. I slowly turned around to see what Moira was staring at. We’d stopped in the mouth of an alley and in the deepest, darkest of the shadows stood………………………………………………………oh god.

“Can you see them too or am I imagining things again?” Moira asked. Again! She’d seen these things before?! And yes, I bloody did see them. There were two of them, they looked like dogs except I’d never seen a dog that big in Black Hollow. They were easily the size of mastiffs with huge glistening white fangs and paws the size of baseball mitts. Their bodies were rippling with lean hard muscles, like someone on steroids would get, and saliva streamed from their open mouths. They were both pitch black with glowing silver eyes and they were shrouded in a pale grey mist. The fog rolled over them like it rolls over the ocean before a storm and pooled around their paws like foam beneath a waterfall. I felt my heart rate increase. Around their necks were bright red spiked collars and hanging from both was a black dog tag. One side had a skull and crossbones on it and the other side had a blazing red Symtrix. ‘Figures’ I thought. The one closest to me snarled and the hair on my arms rose.

“Moira, you’re not imagining them. Run!” I whispered. We both turned tail and ran but I couldn’t stop myself from looking back. They weren’t chasing us. What? Wait a minute, I could hear them! Their claws clicking on the pavement and their tags rattling against the spikes on their collars. But they weren’t behind us; I couldn’t see them. Finally, I caught a glimpse of silver, its’ eyes, in the shadow cast by a building. They were running using the shadows, what did that mean? Somehow they got in front of us and stopped in our path in the darkness under a broken street lamp. Moira skidded to a stop and I slammed into her. The dogs snarled a vicious snarl and they barked a few times. The sound made me jump but at least they sounded normal. I shoved my shoulder against Moira’s, making her stumble to the left.

“Go that way!” I seethed. Moira latched onto my hand and flat out sprinted in that direction. She ran past the park where I saw her little red car parked. But the park was completely dark, there was no safety there for us. I had no idea where Moira was leading us until she jumped the guard railing of the bridge over the town’s drainage ditch. The only place constantly illuminated by a huge flood light. So she had noticed their aversion to light. I cleared the railing easily but without both hands to steady myself when I hit the ground; I rolled. My chin hit the concrete and I slid a few inches before Moira hurtled me back to my feet by jerking on my arm so hard, she almost dislocated my shoulder. The dogs formed in the shadow under the bridge but we were safe in the light from the flood lamp. My chin and a few inches down my neck were burning but I had more pressing issues to think about.

“Moira, we can’t stay here forever, what are we going to do?” I asked. Moira looked around, focusing her eyes on the street lamps surrounding the outer walls of the ditch. It was a relief for once not to have someone looking at me for answers because I had no idea what to do. ‘God, I wish Tommy was with me.’ I whimpered. We’d still probably be no safer but I felt better when he was by my side.

“We’re gonna trick them, lure one out in the light to see what it does to them. You dive for that light post and I’ll dive for this one” she said. I nodded and we both braced ourselves to jump except……………………………………………………Moira had moved slightly to her left to get ready for her leap to the street light and both animals had shifted to follow her. They weren’t even after me. I toyed with the idea of just running away but I felt bad for even thinking about it. I couldn’t leave Moira on her own.

“Moira, as brilliant as your plan is, I don’t think it’s gonna work. Look at those things, they’re gonna follow you not me” I said. Moira looked back at them and watched them as she shifted back closer to me. They both followed her and one of them stepped forward. His front paw barely touched out of the shadows and the whole thing flamed out with a loud yelp. The other one backed farther into the darkness with a deep thundering growl. Well, one down, one to go.

“Okay, change of plans; we both go the same way. Jump on the count of three. One.” She reached out and latched onto my hand again before leaning into a crouch. I copied her and the canine snarled. “Two.” Her grip on my hand tightened and I tensed the muscles in my legs to prepare for the leap. The creature snapped at us. “Three!” We lunged for the light post, our feet leaving the concrete at the same time. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the dog leap sideways into the patch of shadows between the light and the edge of the ditch. I quickly judged the distance we still had to go versus where he was. We weren’t going to make it. I turned my head forward again and reached my hand out for the light pole.

I watched in awe as a Symtrix blazed brightly in the center of the metal pole and Moira made a noise of denial. It wasn’t like we could suddenly stop moving to avoid one of us hitting the symbol, not if we wanted to get away from the dog. I reached out with my free hand and slammed it down on the symbol at the same time that the dog’s claws ripped through my shirt. I cried out in alarm and the creature yelped in surprise. Neither of us saw it disappear, but I heard the crackle of flames and smelled singed hair. Moira and I hit the grass under the light post and I pulled my hand off the symbol. It blazed powder blue for a brief second before vanishing. I looked sideways at Moira and found her dark eyes wide. I knew exactly what she was thinking because I could feel the question bouncing around in my own head. I’d touched the Symtrix; my hand had been flat against it for several seconds, why hadn’t anything happened? I waved my hand at the street, motioning for Moira to walk without saying anything; she stepped off of the curb. We were both breathing hard so for about a block, neither of us said anything. We were two blocks away from the park where her car was, when she spoke.

“You’re bleeding” she said. I automatically raised a hand to the underside of my chin and wiped a bit of the blood away. Tommy was going to have a field day about that when I got home but I wasn’t concerned about it. I was lucky to get away with just a few scrapes. We’d come out on top and that was all that mattered.

“You touched it Vanessa, you put your hand right over it.” I was wondering when she’d get up the courage to bring that up. We seemed to be more worried about the fact that I’d touched a Symtrix, than scared that we’d just out run two shadow dwelling hellhounds from the Hidden. I stuck my hands deep into the pockets of my jeans.

“I know Moira, it didn’t do anything, let’s just focus on that” I said. Moira opened her mouth to say something else but she just shook her head and closed it again. I felt I knew what she’d been about to ask: Why hadn’t it done anything? For that I had no answer. We kept quiet the rest of the way to the park and in the car as she drove me to Tommy’s. When I walked into the living room, I found Tommy pacing by the back wall, Matilda and Jonathan were on the couch watching TV, and Sadie on the floor with her homework layed out in front of her; a normal night. They all looked up at me when I walked in.

“There you are, I was starting to get worried. Dinner’s almost ready. How did Moira take the news?” Tommy asked. His look of worry had changed instantly to look of relief when he saw me and a huge smile spread across his lips. It was all I could do to keep from breaking down because of how shaken I was. Sadie jumped to her feet and threw her arms around my waist and looked up at me with shining green eyes. She caught sight of my chin and peddled backwards quickly.

“Ouch, Nessa your chin is bleeding” she said. Tommy, Matilda, and Jonathan all rushed over to me. Jonathan gently nudged Sadie out of the way and tilted my head back so he could look closer at my chin. As soon as Tommy saw it, his eyes hardened and a fierce look took over his face.

“What happened?” he demanded. I waited until Jonathan released his hold on my head and patted my shoulder before I said anything. Matilda took the towel out of her apron pocket and dabbed gently at my chin. It brought back the memory of sitting in front of my mom while she doctored my scraped knees.

“Moira and I were attacked” I murmured. Tommy hissed in outrage and I saw him clench his hands into fists. Matilda and Jonathan glanced at each other and Jonathan sighed deeply. Matilda looked pointedly down at Sadie and she gathered up her homework and ran up the stairs. Tommy pulled me over to the couch and Jonathan brought Matilda the first aid kit from the kitchen so she could finish cleaning up my chin.

“Who attacked you?” Tommy demanded. I smiled and patted his hand gently. If only it had been a normal human attack in that dark alley; I probably could have coped with that better. I just shook my head sadly. Tommy took my hand and laced his fingers through mine.

“It wasn’t a who Tommy, it was a what. It was two huge black dogs with the Hidden’s symbol on their tags. They weren’t after me though, they were after Moira, and she said she’d seen them before” I said. Tommy was squeezing my fingers tighter and tighter the more I told him until I finally had to pull my hand from his. He shook his head.

“I should have gone with you. I knew there was a reason I had a bad feeling” he seethed. I threaded my fingers back through his but I had to tip my head back so Matilda could clean my neck and I couldn’t talk for a second. Whatever she was doing stung fiercely for about two seconds and then went completely numb. I sighed in relief and tilted my head back down.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference Tommy, they still would have come after us, you just would have been involved as well. Besides, they didn’t do this, Moira dragged me down into the drainage ditch and I fell” I said. Tommy ran his thumb across the back of my hand a few times and then squeezed my hand gently.

“Did they hurt you at all? Either of you?” Jonathan asked. I started to shake my head but then I remembered the dog tearing into my shirt just as I hit the light post. I turned sideways on the couch, showing Tommy my back and he gasped loudly. I didn’t feel any pain on my back but that didn’t necessarily mean that it didn’t scratch me.

“It didn’t get Moira but one of them caught me as we were jumping to one of the street lamps” I said. I felt Tommy gently moving the ripped fabric of my shirt and then I felt his fingers on the skin beneath them. Again I felt no pain but then maybe he wasn’t actually touching the wounds. Then he sighed in relief and I frowned in confusion.

“There are no marks on you Ness, but your shirt is in shreds. You should have scratches all down your back” he said. That shocked and confused me but maybe the creature had hit the light before he could do any damage. I took a deep breath and turned forward again.

“I guess I just got lucky then, I’m gonna go change my shirt” I said. Tommy frowned in suspicion, like he knew I was keeping something from him. I gave him a small smile before I headed up the stairs; he followed me. He came into the room behind me and shut the door behind him.

“There’s something else, isn’t there? What are you not telling me?” he asked. I sighed and pulled a shirt out of my drawer before sticking it between my knees. Tommy stood in front of the bedroom door with his arms crossed across his chest. I pulled the tattered shirt over my head, leaving me in my bra in front of Tommy. Heat rushed my face but he didn’t react.

“Yes, there’s something else. I touched a Symtrix and nothing happened. And it faded as soon as I pulled my hand off of it” I said. Tommy frowned and let his arms fall back to his sides. I pulled the t-shirt out from in between my knees and slipped it over my head.

“Why didn’t it do anything?” he asked. I wrestled my hair up into a loose bun and kicked my shoes off. Then I padded across the room and folded myself into Tommy’s arms. He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I leaned my head against his chest and closed my eyes.

“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know” I murmured. Tommy leaned his head on top of mine and just held me for a little while. It felt good to be back in Tommy’s arms after something so weird and terrifying, I felt safe again. We only separated when Matilda called us down for dinner. I grabbed Tommy’s hand and linked our fingers together before we ever left his room.

“Something good did come out of all of that though, I might have gotten us both jobs at Café Glacé. We’re supposed to go talk to the managers on Saturday, are you in?” I asked. Tommy stopped at the top of the staircase and turned to look at me. He had a smirk on his face and his dimples were visible. Tommy had this way of smirking where it looked innocent because it showed off his dimples. It was kind of annoying to be honest, but in an endearing way.

“I might have the chance to work with my gorgeous girlfriend and come home to her every day, hell yeah I’m in” he said. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his waist again and Tommy laughed. The atmosphere was lighter during dinner while Sadie and Jonathan told stories about school and work. After dinner, Sadie took a bath and had me French braid her hair and then finally, Tommy and I went to bed. It didn’t bother me to sleep in the same bed with Tommy anymore because it felt so natural now and it usually helped me sleep soundly. That night was different because as soon as I snuggled down against Tommy’s chest, I began to dream. Except it felt so real. I was walking down a dim hallway somewhere; I could feel the flickering lights messing with my eyes, I could feel the think soft carpet under my bare feet, and most importantly, I could feel the frigid air raising goosebumps on my arms. The walls of the hallway were lined with an ugly striped wall paper but it was faded and the corners were curling so apparently no one had been here for a while.

The hall was mostly free of rooms except for at the end of the hall; I could see light from under one door. As soon as I had the thought of seeing what was on the other side of the door; I found myself there, looking around a room as badly faded as the hallway I’d just been in. The room was relatively small and it looked like a maid’s supply room in a hotel. Three high shelves hung on the wall across the room from me and they were stacked with dusty rolls of toilet paper, towels and rags yellowed from not being used, and several empty bottles of what once had been cleaners. Crouched on the floor in the corner were Ruth, Cameron, and Dale. Cameron had bruises and cuts all over his arms, his face looked like Sean’s had, and it looked like his nose had been broken. Dale’s beard was caked with dried blood and he had a deep slash over one eye. Ruth looked rough too, a little beaten, but luckily she wasn’t bleeding. I dropped to my knees in front of them.

“What happened to you guys?” I whispered. Once they realized it wasn’t somebody who would hurt them, they all relaxed their defensive positions. Ruth crawled over and wrapped me in a tight hug and that was when I noticed I hadn’t appeared shrouded in an oval of light like last time. I looked normal, and I was still in my pajamas.

“The D.D.S. caught up with us, that’s all. What happened to you?” Ruth said. She ran her fingers softly over the scrapes on my neck and chin and I winced slightly. She jerked her hands back and gave me an apologetic smile. I sighed and reached out to pat her hands. Her guilty look faded somewhat.

“My friends and I have had our own little adventures lately. The bonehead detective who questioned us when we first got back got us dragged down to the Hidden’s jail by touching a Symtrix. The good news is we saw Sean and he’s alive but we saw something else that wasn’t so alive” I said. Ruth and Dale nodded their heads and Dale crawled over to sit beside Ruth.

“They’re called Paladins; they’re like zombies on steroids. They won’t hurt anyone in the cells or the D.D.S., but anyone else loose in the basement is fair game. They kill without thought and they never show mercy” Dale said. I shuddered when the memories of those things attacking Rodriguez came back to me.

“Yeah I know, they killed the cop that was with us” I whispered. Ruth looked over at Dale and he raised his eyebrows. I pulled my hands away from Ruth’s and ran my fingers through my hair. “He was brainless and kind of a jackass but no one deserves to die that way!” I cried. Ruth put her hands over mine on my head and pulled me towards her to kiss the top of my head.

“I know sweetheart, but the good news is if the D.D.S. is keeping your friend alive down in that place it’s because they want him for something. They’re using him and he’s safe for now; we’ll do what we can to get him out” Dale said. Cameron scoffed in annoyance but he didn’t say anything, it seemed that he was still against helping my friends and I.

“There’s more; Sean’s sister and I were attacked by these huge dogs that couldn’t come out of the shadows. They’re after Moira, she said she’d seen then before” I said. A startled look appeared in Dale’s eyes and he fell backwards off of his heels. It frightened me slightly to see him look so stunned. Dale didn’t seem to be the type of man to scare easily; in fact, he pegged me as the type that wasn’t afraid of anything. So just what the hell did he know about those dogs that attacked Moira and I? Ruth elbowed him gently and Dale cleared his throat.

“I didn’t think they used them anymore, those things are ferocious and extremely hard to control. They started turning on the members of the department that created them, so the director put an end to their creation. They haven’t been used in years, I wonder what possessed them to bring them back?” he said. Okay, that was enlightening but it didn’t answer the one question I wanted answered.

“Well, what are they? What makes them so dangerous?” I asked. As much as the things had scared me, they hadn’t seemed much for actual attack. They just chased us…………..………or herded us. I wondered if we’d gone where they had wanted us to. And why had they only been centered on Moira?

“They’re called Stygian Nightmares, but most of us just called them Howlers. They made this awful piercing noise that would make your ears bleed. The damn things are dangerous because they’re unpredictable, stubborn, and they always, always kill their targets. Which begs the question, how did you and your friend make it out?” he asked. For supposedly always getting their targets, the two that had chased us were slightly behind.

“They didn’t seem very motivated for some reason, but it wasn’t fully dark yet so maybe they were just being wary. We killed them by luring them into the light” I said. Dale frowned and shook his head. Ruth put a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to be in fierce denial, like he just absolutely couldn’t believe that we’d gotten away or that we’d killed them. Ruth nudged him gently again.

“There must have been a glitch or something in their programming; Howlers aren’t stupid, they know better than anything else not to go into the light. As for it only going after your friend, that’s just because she was the real target, not you. Although you seem to be in the middle of everything that goes on that involves the Hidden” he said. I rolled my eyes and situated myself so I was sitting with my legs pulled up against my chest.

“Trust me, I’ve noticed. It may not all be centered around me but I’m somehow always involved. It’s infuriating” I said. Ruth and Dale laughed lightly but I just sat there pouting. There were six other people besides myself that had been in the Hidden, why was I the center of all the bad stuff? It didn’t seem fair to me. Dale leaned forward and ruffled my hair lightly.

“It’s that way for a reason honey, and I wish I could tell you why. It sounds like forces from the Hidden are drawn to you, like that Symtrix just appearing like that. A department officer has to place those, they don’t just appear” he said. The pout faded from my face and I frowned instead. If a Symtrix had to be placed, then how did that one on the light post get there? And why did it disappear as soon as I took my hand off of it?

“Um………………………………………………………………………….has a Symtrix ever not done what it was supposed to? Like has anyone ever touched one and it not done anything?” I asked. Dale and Ruth looked at each other and Cameron finally slid closer so he could hear better. For a second they were all quiet and I watched Dale’s expression change four or five times before it stuck on confused. He looked back at me.

“No, once a Symtrix is placed somewhere, it’s already been programmed. Anyone that touches it suffers whatever has been programmed into it” he said. He kept his eyes on me as I looked down, trying to figure out a way to form my next question. He beat me to it. “Why? Do you know someone who has touched one and it hasn’t done anything?” he asked. Yeah, me.

“Yeah, when we were running from the………………………………………the Howlers, we hit a street lamp that had one on it. I touched it but it didn’t do anything, and it faded as soon as I pulled my hand off of it” I said. Ruth’s eyebrows raised to form a look of complete surprise while Dale frowned in bewilderment. Cameron and Ruth stared at Dale while he mumbled to himself under his breath. After a few minutes of silence, I grew impatient but I forced myself to keep quiet. When Dale finally spoke, it seemed he was talking more to himself than to me.

“The only reason a Symtrix would fade is because it was created for a certain purpose and it had reached it. But it still would have done something, it doesn’t make sense! The symbols are dangerous to people outside the Hidden, it should have done something!” Ruth wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he buried his face in his hands. It felt wrong seeing Dale so frustrated and maybe he just didn’t know. I jerked my head at Cameron and he crawled around his mom to sit closer to me.

“How long has it been since your dad worked for the D.D.S.?” I asked. Cameron glanced over at Dale, who was still hunkered down in Ruth’s arms, and shook his head. I could tell it was hard for him to see his father that way. He swallowed thickly.

“He quit right after I was born and a lot of his friends still worked there. It’s killing him to be running from people he used to be so close to. And any of his friends still there have forgotten all about him” Cameron whispered. I sighed deeply and let my eyes fall closed before dropping my head into my hands like Dale. I felt Cameron wrap his arms around me.

“I didn’t know any of this would happen Cameron, you’ve got to believe me. I would never have let you guys help us if I’d known” I whispered. Cameron shushed me gently and I lifted my head to look at him. I also noticed that Ruth and Dale were watching us now.

“I know, and I don’t blame you anymore. This isn’t any more your fault that it us ours, and I’m as committed to helping you as my parents are now” he said. I smiled at him and he managed a half-smile in return. I winced in sympathy.

“You guys have taken more of a beating that I have” I muttered. They all laughed and Dale reached forward to pull me into a hug. The scrapes on my chin rubbed painfully against the rough material of his shirt and I gritted my teeth. I pulled back and looked him in the eye.

“And don’t worry about not being able to tell me everything, you haven’t worked for them in a long time, things may not be the same anymore” I said. Dale laughed lightly and kissed me on the cheek; his beard tickled my ear. A low voice called from outside the door and we all fell silent. Cameron jumped up and flipped off the light. The voice came louder this time and I jumped.

“Ness, wake up!” It was Tommy. There was a worried note to his voice but he didn’t sound panicked or scared. Cameron, Dale, and Ruth were all looking around now because Tommy’s voice wasn’t coming from outside the door anymore, it was coming from everywhere. I chuckled lightly.

“Relax, its Tommy, I’ll be waking up soon so I need to tell you something. When you get to Sean, he won’t know you’re coming, so you’ll have to tell him something only a real friend of mine would know: my full name. Only my friends know it, Vanessa Jennifer Murphy. Oh and he has a gun too, so that should help you guys get out. One more thing, you might want to stick something under the door to block the light” I said. There was just enough time to watch them all reach for the old yellowed rags when Tommy called for me again.

“Come on Nessa, wake up!” I blinked and found myself looking up at Tommy. He sighed in relief and sat back on his feet. He held his hands palm up in his lap and his fingers were wet with………………………………………………blood. I gasped and sat up but he laughed and raised his hands up.

“Calm down, it’s not my blood, it’s yours. Your chin started bleeding again” he said. I let out a sigh of relief that Tommy hadn’t been hurt and followed him to the bathroom.