Kaya trembled, ragged sobs shaking her body. The ammonia-scented silt burned her eyes and lungs. But there still wasn’t silence. Even as the blocks and chunks settled and clattered, the terrifying sounds of metal tearing returned.
Janis gasped for breath. Sweat and dust clung to him. "Come on, Kaya. We’ve got to get out of here. They’ll be here any minute."
"Darryl." Kaya choked. When Janis’s grip loosened on her, she collapsed. The salt bit into her hands. "Darryl."
"I know. I know." Janis’s strength had weakened as he tugged her up. "But we’ve got to go. There’s even more of them in there. Those bulowits and hellframes will be through this in minutes. We’ve got to get out of here before they get here."
"Just leave me." Kaya clung to the wall.
"No. No!" Janis lifted her up. His muscles shook. He dropped her, barely keeping his grip on her waist as his feet slipped on the salt.
Kaya grabbed Janis by the shirt. "He could be alive though, right? He was covered in that salt! They can’t eat him that way. I’ll get him out."
"Bulowits don’t know that until they’ve eaten someone, and he’s dead. Darryl is dead."
"No, no he isn’t. Now let go. Let go!"
Janis held her tight. He dragged her along. "Those hellframes could be up in the ceiling by now. We’ve got to go. All right? We can mourn later. But something so much worse is on its way to deal with these and seal the rift, okay, Kaya?" He grabbed her face. "Kaya, you know Darryl would have wanted you to live. I’m not going to leave you behind, okay?"
The tears poured down Kaya’s cheeks. But somehow, through the sludge of grief, a vague memory of her and Darryl talking at the table punched through. She had to live. She could live. She’d do it for Darryl. She straightened, wincing at the pain in her legs and core. "Okay."
"Good. Let’s go." Still holding onto her, Janis limped along. Blood trickled down his arm, and he winced every time he put weight on his ankle. The druano, exhaustion, and fighting had taken its toll on both of them.
Only now that they were hobbling toward the exit did Kaya realize just how far they were from the entrance. It was pitch black beyond the windows.
"I know the floor’s slick," Janis gasped. "Be careful. If it’d just been the bulowits, this would’ve worked. Hellframes don’t run with bulowits. They’re not in the same place. Shouldn’t be here."
Kaya’s mouth was dry, her mind numb. The next set of doors and the end of the hall was so far away.
"We’re doing good. We’ll make it. The van’s outside." Janis wiped his arm across his face. His breaths were hard and ragged. "It’s all changing again. That’s got to be it. It’s always changing. The dimensional walls are getting weaker."
The wails and shrieks grew louder and closer. Then, with a flicker and hiss, the fluorescents died. Clanking rustling footsteps sounded above them.
Janis swore. His grip on Kaya’s arm tightened.
"They cut the power?" Kaya gasped.
"Keep going straight." Janis quickened his pace, but his breaths grew more labored.
Lactic acid burned within Kaya’s muscles. The darkness moved, the haunting sounds surrounding her.
Something metal fell behind them. Skittering legs followed.
Janis groaned and let her go, shoving her ahead. "Just run, Kaya! Straight out. To the van."
"Not without you!" Kaya grabbed for him in the dark.
Something crackled and fizzed at the intersection of the hall. A cold blue light expanded and grew, the darkness peeling back to reveal cracked paint and dull walls.
Janis froze. Kaya looked back over her shoulder. Seven hellframes were mere feet behind them. Their sets of six milky eyes glowed vermilion in the light, their mouths slack-jawed. But they too had stopped moving. All had become death still.
Footsteps echoed along the corner of the hall, firm, deliberate.
Kaya tensed.
Janis moved in front of her, pressing her back to the wall. "They’re here."
Two of the hellframes skittered away. Kaya tensed. What was enough to scare both Janis and the hellframes?
More footsteps sounded from the opposite side of the adjoining hall.
There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.
The footsteps neared. A male form appeared around the corner, outlined in the pale cold light. He was both human and not at once. Almost like the difference between a realistic wax figurine and a human: something off just enough to be alarming. He continued as a dull sourceless light formed over their heads. A smile played at the edges of his thin mouth. He had pale grey skin and long wild black hair. His eyes were sharp and observant, taking in every detail as he strode closer. Something in his manner and form reminded Kaya of a predator. "You would leave so swiftly?"
The other footsteps continued to draw closer.
"The problem has been rectified." Janis’s voice was now steady. "Or it will be once you seal the rift and eliminate the invaders. But my friend and I should leave."
"You would presume to tell the Seven what to do?" the newcomer chuckled. "You are arrogant, mortal. And yet you fail to realize how much my kin blood misses you. She is coming for you."
"Your sister and I disagree on the nature of our relationship, Curator."
One of the hellframes shrieked and bolted forward. The rest followed suit.
Kaya screamed, pressing back against the wall as Janis started.
The Curator lifted his left hand. His fingers elongated in icy silver light. They stretched out and spread, puncturing each of the hellframes. They rose into the air, twitching but silent. The Curator twisted his wrist sharply, and they collapsed, dead. His fingers returned to their previous state. "It is the Custodian’s choice, mortal. You should be honored she selected you. Few are chosen. But I do not recommend you choose a rival for her."
"Kaya is a friend." Janis spoke slowly, his posture tenser than before. "She is no threat to anyone."
Kaya covered her mouth, her gaze still fixed on the fallen hellframes.
"Just let her go. I’ll stay," Janis said.
"I’m not leaving you." Kaya gripped his sleeve, rousing herself. She didn’t know who these Seven were or what they wanted with Janis, but she’d lost enough people for one day.
"You will if I say so," Janis hissed at her. His voice resumed its previous tone as he looked back at the Curator. "She is an innocent in all this. Long-suffering and determined. There is great value in her and little harm."
"I am the one who determines such things," a male voice said from the opposing hall.
Kaya turned sharply. Another man had entered the room. He closely resembled the Curator except that his hair was neat, combed, and bound low against the back of his neck.
Behind him was a woman with similar features. She seemed to hover over the ground, her long grey skirt sweeping over the floor. Her arms were exposed and sleek but strong, and she wore a black veil over her eyes that left her mouth exposed. Fine woven lace as black as onyx trimmed the veil.
"I almost didn’t recognize you, Janis." Her voice had an affectionate tone. "You have changed much, but your scent will always betray you."
Kaya felt Janis trembling slightly. She squeezed his arm to remind him he wasn’t alone.
The Curator passed between the Custodian and the second male, moving toward the pile of rubble until he disappeared into the darkness.
"I’ll return with you, Custodian. If that’s what you desire." Janis spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on the Custodian. He squared his shoulders. "But Kaya must be allowed to go free."
"Kaya?" The Custodian’s gaze slipped to her. A chill spread through Kaya’s soul. The Custodian stepped closer, staring into Kaya’s eyes. Kaya shrunk beneath her gaze, pressed against the wall as if pinned for an eternity. At last the Custodian spoke again. "What tragedy has befallen you, mortal? Your spirit is heavy. Even I can feel it."
Tears garbled Kaya’s voice. "Those creatures killed my husband."
"She has other friends and family," Janis said loudly. "She serves a purpose in her community."
"Be silent." The Custodian grabbed him by the arm to separate him from Kaya. "You should not have come here in the first place, my love. You are too delicate, and you cannot prevent our coming or the price we take."
"You should not even want to." The Curator returned to stand beside the second male. "Your fellow humans keep breaking holes in their own dimensions, and you are the ones who pay. It’s challenge enough to deal with all that’s always trying to get into this world, but your kind is more than happy to invite their own doom. Such deserve the death that comes."
Janis’s expression darkened. "Those who deserve death received it. And many others who did not."
"All eventually deserve death except for a few," the second male said. "Though you suggest this one does not."
Kaya’s skin prickled. All three looked at her now. She tried to suppress the utter terror that washed over her as their eyes bore into her.
"Just let Kaya go," Janis said again. "There is no reason to keep her here."
The Custodian curled her arm tighter around him and then stooped to kiss him. He did not respond until she pulled away. "I will be angry with you if she doesn’t survive."
"How would you know if she did not survive?" The Custodian’s tone was playful. "She could be eliminated as soon as you and I depart, and you would never know."
"I would. I always know. And I will never forgive." Janis’s eyes hardened.
"You feel you have reason to forgive me?" The Custodian’s mouth tensed. "I have offered to let you be my chosen. This is one of the greatest honors your kind can receive."
"I’ve refused it and you multiple times. Let Kaya live and leave, and I’ll return with you. Then you can persuade me."
The Custodian stiffened. "You still have no interest."
"Living forever as the plaything—"
"Beloved," the Custodian said sharply. "You would live in all you desire."
"There are some who would enjoy that. I am not one. I honor what you and your kin have done that benefits my kind. But…" He looked at her cautiously. "You are the one who brought your kin who prevents lies. I cannot lie to you about this so long as the Courier exerts his aura."
"I do not want you to lie." The Custodian lifted her chin. "But you should desire this."
"I don’t. And you can’t kill her."
The Custodian smiled as she looked at the Courier. "Then ask her."
"No, let her go regardless." Janis fought to escape the Custodian’s grasp. "Don’t ask her. There’s nothing for her to prove!"
"Ask—ask me what?" Kaya stuttered.
The Courier once more turned his gaze upon her. This time his eyes pierced deeper. It was as if hooks dug into her soul. She winced but could not escape.
"Tell me, mortal…" The Courier’s voice was silken. "Do you feel that you have any reason to live?"
"Don’t answer!" Janis cried. "Stop the question, Courier." The Custodian covered his mouth.
Kaya clenched her own mouth shut. A heavy weight rose within the pit of her stomach as another pressed against her mind. A horrible wave of fatigue swept over her. The harder she fought to contain the response, the weaker she became. Then, though she didn’t recall opening her mouth, the answer eked out. "No."
Kaya collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Her head spun.
The Custodian smiled triumphantly. "There is your answer."
Janis went ballistic. He narrowly escaped her hand clamped over his mouth. "No! Leave her alone. She lost almost everything today. Let her have her life. Let her have her life!"
Rolling her eyes, the Custodian covered his mouth again. She turned to the Curator. "You know what this means. Must I ask that you enforce it?"
The Curator frowned slightly. But he lifted his hand.
Kaya wanted to run. Instinctively she recognized what was coming, but the heaviness paralyzed her.
Light flowed from his fingers, reaching for her, grasping her. The long digits phased into her chest.
Electric spasms passed through her, lifting her off the ground. Her heart surged faster. The energy burned in her veins, but she couldn’t even whimper.
Janis’s muffled cries reached her, his eyes wild, his face pained.
"Remove him." The Curator gave a casual wave of his hand. "You know it isn’t necessary that he see this. I’ve already sealed the rift and dealt with the creatures. There is nothing more to be seen or done except this."
"As always, you are efficient." The Courier then left.
Stern, the Custodian lifted Janis as if he weighed nothing and carried him away.
Silence returned. The Curator focused on Kaya, his expression inscrutable. "Do you truly have no reason to live?"
At that, the energy and pulsing lessened in Kaya’s mouth and throat. She swallowed hard, fear crushing her response.
The Curator tilted his head. "My kin blood asked if you felt like you had anything else to live for. Sometimes you mortals are contradictory. What you know and feel are not always the same. So tell me, do you have any reason to live?"
Images flashed through Kaya’s mind. The unpaid bills, stained carpet, three lost jobs, strained relationships. Then she saw her nieces and nephews, her sisters, her mother, her father, friendships once lost that might be renewed. Old dreams and hopes flashed up. There was no life without Darryl. Not that she could imagine. But he’d wanted her to have one. He’d told her to fight for it. To live. She couldn’t see such a life clearly, but the desire to search for it was stronger than the desire to die. To carry on Darryl’s memory. To fulfill some greater purpose.
"Yes."
"Do you want to live?"
Kaya nodded as fiercely as she could.
The Curator lowered her. The energy released when he removed his hand. She collapsed on the floor, gulping in air.
"Very well then. Some other day. Until we meet again." He turned to leave.
"Wait." Kaya gasped. She struggled to stand, then her knees buckled. "Why are you letting me live?"
The Curator paused. For a moment, he stood there. Then he turned his head. That faint smile had returned. "Do you think this is goodbye? What pleasure is there in killing someone who barely has strength to breathe, let alone hide or flee? Some would say the sport is far better when the prey is not as weak. When it has even more to live for. So..." His smile grew. "Until we meet again."