Chapter 8
Evie ran her hand along the wall, keeping her balance as she made her way through the dark tunnel. Her heels slipped along the murky ground, the sloshing noise letting her know below a layer of water covered the ground. She didn’t want to fall in it. After biting back questions for the past few minutes, she couldn't stop herself and asked, “Where are we?” Blackness covered her entire field of vision. The only sound she heard sounded like water dripping. They might be anywhere – she didn’t know where these creatures preferred building their hideouts.
“I'd have to say we’re in a cave. Or a cavern. You know, I never learned the difference between the two. I'm not even sure there is a difference. I might need to look that up later. Or not. Do you know the difference?” Her companion continued leading the way, a small lighter being the only indication they had of seeing what lay ahead of them. Even then it barely gave off enough light for him to see two steps in front. Most of the time he guessed where they stepped and hoped for the best.
“I never learned either... Brad?” Evie tested out the new name on him. Even before it came out it sounded wrong. He didn’t seem a Brad type. A Brad type wouldn't be tracking down creatures called Reachers who preyed on college students. Or maybe he would. The least obvious choice might be the right one.
He made a face hearing her choice of name. “Brad? Do I look like a Brad?” He only met one once before and he certainly didn't think he looked that way. At least the game continued. She’d keep coming up with names for him and he’d keep shooting them down. He doubted she would ever determine his true name.
“You're right. I had a feeling the moment it left my lips I was wrong.” She needed to think clearer about finding a good name for him. She couldn't keep referring to him as the strange guy. “Agamemnon?” Perhaps that one would work.
“Getting closer.”
“Really?”
He dropped the forced stoic look on his face and let a laugh escape. “No. Not even close. I can’t believe you actually said that.”
He stopped abruptly in his tracks and she missed the cue. She walked into him but caught herself before falling onto the ground. “What's wrong?” She regained her composure and tried looking further down into the darkness. Once again nothing seemed to be coming out at her.
“Listen,” he said. His eyes appeared vacant as he stood there.
She stood perfectly still as well and listened to the sounds around them. She didn’t hear anything in particular jumping out at her, letting her know something was wrong. The only sound she listened to was the dropping of water. It came down in the same drip fashion she heard ever since they started heading down this forsaken tunnel. “That's the same noise we've been hearing. It's only the water.”
“It's louder. We're getting close,” he said excitedly as he moved quicker down the tunnel. The Reachers loved water. Wherever they collected it would be the central location of this cave.
She attempted to keep up with him, her own feet slipping against the ground. She pulled off her heels, letting her bare feet hit against the moist, cold stone ground. At least now she might keep up with him. She’d worry about what they looked like later.
When they finally reached a clearing, they were rewarded with a viable source of light. A strange, soft glow seemed to fill the room, every corner being illuminated with a light green texture. If she knew where the light came from, she would turn it off.
What her mind described as pods clung against the wall, each of them filled with one of those fish men. They all seemed to be in some sort of suspended animation, none of them moving around much. Their arms and legs appeared tucked in, compacting their bodies into the proper size to fit inside their containers. “What's this?” She stayed close to him. This fell outside her comfort zone by far. It was odd what became normal for her so quickly. At this rate, she might assume these pods common by the next hour.
He walked over to one of the pods. He wiped his hand against the green slime and peered inside. “Travel capsules.” He dropped his head lower and inspected the device holding them in place. Everything seemed typical from his vantage point. This would be a routine move.
“What? Travel from where?” The Reachers must be aliens. That explained everything. She was dealing with someone who tracked down aliens. It brought her some form of closure.
“You can't make the move from the plane of water to here in one shot. You have to travel through all sorts of different obstacles and of course, no one wants to do it without some sort of protection. If you tried, you'd burn up before you reached your destination. These capsules protect them from anything that might try killing them.” He moved on to the next one suspended beside the first one. Once again, the pod was connected in the same manner. They must’ve all been part of a large shipment. He continued on, checking each pod he passed only for a brief moment to note their attachment.
“Wait,” she said, “I think I'm missing something. I think I heard wrong. It's been a crazy day. Did you say travel from another plane?” She hoped she caught him wrong. Aliens seemed more plausible.
He nodded. “You heard right. Reachers control the watery aspect of it. It’s not like fish creatures would want to live in fire.” The next pod appeared connected differently. He looked back to the first one, counting to himself the various pods seeming to be part of a single shipment. This wasn't looking prospective.
Evie leaned against a nearby pod, quickly moving back when her hand touched the disgusting goo. She shook off the remnants and asked, “How many different planes are there? Is it just one big continuous one, broken into smaller pieces, or are there a million different ones.”
“I don’t think there are a million but there certainly are a few hundred.”
“And the watery plane these creatures are from is one of these?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I’m trying to understand how you’re understanding it. There are so many different areas it would take forever to list them all. Yet as an elemental, most of them only live on one plane for their entire lives. That's what makes it even more tantalizing to escape – the chance to experience all of these different sensations.”
“So these Reacher creatures – they’re escaping? That's why they made these pods.” She would try to escape if she was stuck living in one place for her entire life. She didn’t blame them for trying.
Once again he nodded as he pushed into one of the pods. The thick skinned pod gave way slightly, letting his hand hit against the Reacher nestled inside. The creature inside ignored him and remained in the comatose state as before. “And it looks like this new shipment just came in. They aren't even aware of where they landed.” His finger tapped against the creature once more with the same response.
“Is that good?” She smiled as she walked around the pod, inspecting it for herself. Knowing the creature inside didn’t see her made her feel braver. They didn't look so creepy.
He turned towards her and smiled. “This is very good. The shock alone should kill them.” His eyes began scanning the region, looking for something to bust open the capsule with. There had to be something in here with a sharp enough edge to pierce through the covering.
She held up her hands. “Okay, for some reason I can believe everything up to this point. I want to recap. If I missed something, tell me.”
“Sounds fair.” He picked up a stick nearby, weighing the wood in his hands. This might work. He tossed the object aside, hoping to find something else which wouldn’t require as much energy. If not, at least he possessed something to attack them with.
“These creatures are from a water plane. They are over here doing something with college kids. Killing them probably. Everyone always does. And you're some kind of elemental killer right?” He didn't seem to fit into any small, neatly categorized compartment.
“In a sense, yes. I guess you could say that.” He tried out another stick – this one breaking in his hands with one hit. Disgusted, he tossed the branch atop the other aba
ndoned stick.
“Well what are you?” He certainly wasn't an accountant. She laughed to herself. That was a good one. If she knew him better, she might share it.
He grabbed another stick, tapping it against his hand hard as he remained fixed in his tracks. “I'm complicated.” He turned around, shoving the end of the weapon into one of the pods. The liquid surrounding the Reacher started leaking onto the ground, the pale blue mixture running off in the direction of the cave slope. The Reacher inside burst through the now weakened exterior and dropped upon the ground as well, floundering about for a moment as the creature scrambled to regain its consciousness.
Without properly being awoken, a Reacher remained unable to control their abilities. It needed water to survive which appeared to be in short supply. The creature gave a few twitches before dissolving into a mixture of dark green liquid. With his foot, Uriz pushed some of the liquid towards the drainage zone.
“At least that time no liquid got on my dress,” she said after watching the spectacle. Her thoughts remained clouded about what these creatures existed for and why they came here.
“Don't just stand there. Grab that stick and get busy.” He pointed at another one lying on the ground. With her help, they should finish this much sooner than he expected. They could get all of the pods destroyed before anyone would notice.
She nodded and picked a stick out from the pile. The wood felt like a baseball bat in her hand, only slightly longer. She walked over to the first capsule and swung. The impact broke through the outer layer, the blue liquid and comatose creature tumbling out upon the ground. Once again, the creature dissolved into a puddle of green. This seemed this was the only way to get rid of them.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the man repeating the process over and over to all the different capsules in the room. He moved from one to another without waiting to see if the inhabitant died. She needed to hurry if she planned on keeping up with him. From now on, she would assume they died and move faster. She gave quick glance every now and again to help confirm her suspicions.
As she hit into the tenth or eleventh one, she felt his hand grab hers once more. “What's wrong?” He looked concerned; his eyes remained fixated on the portion of the cave he came from.
“We’re a bit late,” he stated taking off with her back towards the tunnel they used to come down here. His pace became rapid, barely giving her enough time to keep up with his stride. She turned around and saw a group of Reachers starting to chase after them. They did not look unconscious anymore.