Thomas didn’t stir as we approached, and I felt my stomach lurch at the growing pool of blood on and around his stomach. He was still breathing, but in the harsh glow of the phone’s light he looked faded and pale. The man named Patrick stepped past me, using his own flashlight to highlight Thomas as he checked him with a calm efficiency that was both comforting and maddening. He had to hurry. Had to help him. Had to…
“Get your light over here. Shine it on his stomach.”
I jumped slightly and stepped around to get a better angle with the light. I could barely breathe as I pushed out the question I’d been wanting to ask since the man started checking him.
“H-how is he?”
Patrick didn’t pause in his examination of the stab wounds in Thomas’ stomach. “Not good. His pulse is off and he’s losing too much blood. He’s not in hemorrhagic shock yet, but he’s heading that way. I need to work on him now, but not down here.” He paused and looked up at me. “We need to carry him upstairs. Outside to where that light is. I have to perform a laparotomy, and the lights we have down here are insufficient.” Standing up, he gestured to Thomas’ feet. “We need to be gentle moving him. Try not to bend or compress his abdomen more than we can help. So grab his feet and help me get him up there.”
I took a step forward but then stopped. “Wait, maybe we can do it in the tunnel?” Patrick gave me a confused frown. “There’s a…we got here through a tunnel that appears in this back wall.” I walked to the wall, but nothing happened. I felt panic surging through me as I turned back to him. “It’s not…The tree, it has to let us in. But the tunnel stops the bleeding and can help him.” The fear I felt boiled into anger as I turned back to the wall and slapped my hand against it. “Let us fucking in, you piece of shit. He’s going to die because of you. You fucking let us…” I trailed off as I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned back to see Patrick looking at me somberly, his gaze sharp but not unkind in the ambient glow of my light.
“I believe you. But it’s not working right now. And we don’t have time to wait. So get his feet.”
I tensed at every bump and jostle as we carried him upstairs, but it went much smoother and quicker than I’d expected. Despite his apparent age, Patrick was very strong and sure-footed, and in a couple of minutes Thomas was laid out on the front porch as the doctor handed me his flashlight. He immediately started digging in the bag he carried, laying out a strip of paper and then spreading out a line of medical supplies.
“The stuff I have is limited—I brought enough for first aid, simple emergency surgery, and initial treatment of burns or infection. But my space was at a premium, as I had to make room for food, water, and other supplies as well.” He paused and looked up at me. “Pay attention to this.” He glanced back at the row of tools and began pointing at them. “Scalpel. Forceps. Hemostats. Syringe. Retractors. Needle. P.G.A. suture. PDS suture.” He began rolling up his sleeves as he met my eyes again. “You keep the lights where I tell you, hand me things as I ask for them. I’m about to open up these wounds more so I can see the degree of damage and try to repair them. I’ll likely need you to hold open some of these wounds with a retractor at times. Got it?”
I puffed out a shaky breath and nodded. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
He offered me a smile. “Good. Let’s get started.”
Time slipped to and fro as he worked, crawling and rushing at the same time. I was still terrified that Thomas might not make it, but that fear was in the background now. Part of that was due to seeing Patrick work--he moved with a quick grace and self-assuredness that told me he knew what he was doing even if I didn’t know myself. But a lot of it was my focus on making sure I did my part. Lit what he needed lit, handed him what he asked for, pulled back an opening when it was required. Despite the cold air in the cavern, I could feel sweat running down my back as Patrick suddenly paused and looked at me.
“There’s something in here. Not at the wound sites, but close by. It could be a surgical implant, but it feels irregular. You’re sure it was a knife he was stabbed with, right?” I swallowed and nodded. “And no signs of it breaking or looking like it left something in him?” When I shook my head, he frowned slightly. “Any idea of what it could be?”
I glanced past him to the corrupted version of the Tree sitting some distance away. “Yeah. The tree…the tree over there is part of a tree on a lot of different worlds. Maybe all of them. A year ago, some bad people had Thomas, and they put a piece of the tree in him. That might be what you feel.”
He studied me for a moment before giving a slight nod. “I see. I still don’t think I should…” He broke off as Thomas lifted his arm weakly.
“Take it…Take it out please. It’s time for it to...” His arm slipped back down as his eyes closed with a flutter.
Patrick looked at him and then back to me. “I can try, but given his other injuries, it may be better to leave well enough alone if it’s been in him this long without…”
“It’s killing him.” I was staring at Thomas now, my words sounding more calm and sure than I felt. “I think we’ve both known it for awhile, but I also think he knew he needed to keep it for some reason. Maybe for now, I don’t know. Either way, it needs to come out.” I met Patrick’s eyes. “Please, if you can get it out without hurting him worse, do it.”
He seemed to consider it for a moment and then nodded. “He’s stable now. He had four peritoneal penetrations, one of which punctured his liver and two more his colon, but the sutures should hold well enough for the time being. My main concern is putting his body through more than is necessary, but it sounds like this is necessary.” Patrick turned back to Thomas. “Hold up the light. Let’s see if we can get this thing out.”
“Not trying to be nosy, but why are you in here?”
We were sitting on the steps of the porch, looking out at the shadowy cavern that served as the yard of the house in this place. Being there made my skin crawl, and not just because of the corrupted tree off to one side or just the overall strangeness of being in this cold and glowing cave. It was the constant feeling of being watched, that itch in the back of my brain that said unseen eyes were on us—maybe even the eyes of the thing that had spoke to me when I was here before. Either way, I had the impression that Patrick had come here willingly and prepared. Sitting in the chilling dark with him as we waited for Thomas to wake, I couldn’t help but wonder who he really was and what could bring him here.
“I’m…odd as it may sound…just passing through.” He glanced at me with a small smile. “There is a cave—it looks much like any other cave from the outside, but it’s not. It leads here, and from here, it leads on to another place. A place where I believe my grandson is trapped.”
My eyes had widened slightly at the mention of a cave entrance. “Do you think we’d be better off trying to get Thomas out through the cave? I know the tunnels seem to help him, but if it’s close…” I trailed off as he began shaking his head.
“It’s hard to say in here, but if I had to guess, that entrance is ten miles or more back.” He pointed a thumb behind us to where Thomas lay. “Those sutures will last for awhile, but the less movement the better, and he’ll be weak from losing all that blood. That and the pain. If your tunnels work as well as you say, that’s probably your better bet.” He puffed out a breath as he turned to meet my eyes. “And I want to be clear with you, Rachel. I was very happy to help. Given the odds of us meeting at all in this place, I tend to think I was meant to help in some way. And I’ll stay until we know he’s awake and still stable, but beyond that, you’re on your own. I…there have already been too many sacrifices to get me here. To put me on a path to where I can possibly help Jason…my grandson. I can’t squander all of that now.” Rubbing his mouth, he let out a small sigh. “I hope you understand.”
Reaching over, I gave his arm a squeeze. “I do. I…I’d do just about anything to save the man laying back there. And he already has done just about everything to save me. So I get it. And thank you. I don’t know if it’s fate, or the tree, or what else that brought us into this fucking cave at the same time, but I’ll never be able to repay what…”
Tribute?
I froze mid-sentence, and I felt Patrick tense under my hand. Though the word had been in my head, he had heard it too. Heart pounding, I looked out at the cavern, hoping to see nothing, or at most those strange glowing flames in the distance. Instead I saw a horror moving towards us across the cave floor.
Its head was like a skull stretched long and wrong, with pointed cheeks holding twin indigo flames above a crisscrossed mouth full of glass needles. Pale, almost translucent skin that seemed to swim with spots of darker color glowed with a blue shimmer in the light of the cavern, stretching down from its head to a torso that was thin but muscled and long-fingered hands that seemed to have bits of black rock or bone jutting from their tips.
It was an impossible monster, and it made even less sense as my gaze went lower. The torso ended in ragged strips of torn flesh, and from that ruined mound, four razor-sharp sickles of bone curved down, flashing and digging into the stone floor as it worked its way towards us. I started to stand up, wanting to grab Thomas and drag him toward the basement, but Patrick grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. When I looked at him, he shook his head slightly, never taking his gaze off the creature that had come to stop a few feet in front of us.
Do you come to offer tribute for your need? Or safe passage?
Its blazing eyes were hard to read, but I got the distinct impression it was focused on me, not Patrick. I didn’t know how to respond, or if I should even try. When it spoke again, its voice, which was already icy and hard, was almost painfully cold.
Or are you merely a trespasser?
I had to think. It had mentioned safe passage. If I had to offer it something to get us out of here safe, I would. And if that wasn’t good enough, I’d offer more just to get Thomas back into the tunnel. If that didn’t work, then I thought Patrick’s scalpel was still back there behind us. The thing towering over us had to be at least ten feet tall, and I knew I had little chance of actually killing…whatever it was. If nothing else, maybe I could distract it long enough for Patrick to get Thomas and get away. But first, I’d try to talk to it.
“What…um, what do you want for safe passage for us? For all of us?”
Its eyes flickered lower for a moment before brightening again.
What is your offering for passage?
“Goddamnit.”
I looked over at Patrick when he spoke, surprised to see both anger and sadness in his expression as he stood up slowly.
“The passage that…was bought for me included safe passage for friends of my choosing.” He turned and gestured to me and then to Thomas on the porch. “These two are those friends.” He met my eyes briefly before turning back to the monster. “As part of our bargain, I extend my safe passage to them.”
The creature’s eyes flared as it focused on the old man. When it spoke again, its voice was threaded with poison.
Very well, Traveler. Safe passage is granted and our bargain is complete. None of you will be harmed…so long as you don’t tarry overlong.
With that, it turned and moved back across the cavern, disappearing into one of the dark openings at the far end.
I puffed out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding as I turned and gave Patrick a hug. “Thank you so much! I don’t know what it wanted, but I was ready to give it whatever to get you two out of here.” Letting out a shaky laugh, I pulled back. Patrick was smiling at me, but his eyes were troubled. I frowned. “That…that was meant for him, wasn’t it? Jason?”
He nodded slightly. “It was, or I thought it was. Now I see it was meant for you two instead.” Rubbing his face he gave a slight shrug. “No need to worry. If I find him…when I find him, we’ll figure out another way back.” Patrick glanced toward the dark where the monster had gone. “For now, we need to hurry. I think it may keep to the letter of its bargain, but I don’t trust it any further. I’ll help you get Thomas back into the tunnels if it will open this time, and then I’ll be on my way. First things first, let’s see if we can wake…”
“I’m up.”
I jumped at the sound of Thomas’ voice. It was soft and hoarse, and one of the best sounds I’d ever heard. Turning to look, I saw he was not only awake, but was already sitting up with a wince.
“Careful, go slow.” I moved to his side and put my arm around him, kissing the side of his head as I supported him. Looking up at Patrick, I raised an eyebrow. “Should he be moving like this?”
He nodded. “He should be okay to walk if he’s careful and you help him. Just don’t waste time getting back home and getting him to a hospital. Magic tunnel or not, he needs more help than he’s gotten.” Patrick held out his hand to Thomas. “Let’s see if you can keep your feet.”
The wall fell away before we even reached the cell room this time, as though the Tree was as anxious as I was for Thomas to be back inside. Or maybe it just cared about what we carried—Thomas had insisted that we use the remains of his bloody shirt to wrap up the thing Patrick had removed from him and bring it along. I felt its weight inside of my jacket—a small piece of red wood covered in bits of new, green growth—and shuddered at the dread coiled in my stomach. The cutting was just another reminder that we weren’t done with the Tree yet, and it wasn’t done with us.
Still, for the moment I was grateful. While I was worried with every step Thomas took that he might collapse or start bleeding again, so far he seemed alert and…if not strong, at least not so weak he couldn’t walk. When we reached the threshold of the tunnel, Patrick let him go and stepped back. He was looking past us at the soft, golden light coming from the tunnel that had appeared.
“That’s really something. Do you know how to get back home?”
I frowned slightly. “Not exactly. But between the two of us we’ll figure it out.” I used the light on Thomas’ phone to highlight the number etched onto the concrete behind Patrick. “The tunnels go to different worlds. Different versions of this house. Some of them have numbers. This one’s 71. We’ll keep looking until we find number one again.”
Patrick raised his eyebrows. “I see. Well, I don’t know if your home is even the same as mine then. But if it is, and if we all make it back there, feel free to contact me some time and let me know how you are.” He handed me a wrinkled card that said “Jager Solutions” in thin, black lettering. “The number isn’t good any more, but the email address still works.” He started to step away. “But you two get going, and I’ll do the…”
Thomas suddenly stepped forward and embraced Patrick. At first I thought he was giving the man a hug for saving him, but then I realized Thomas was speaking in his ear. I couldn’t make out most of it, but I thought I heard a number. 26.
Patrick nodded to Thomas as they stepped apart and then gave me a last smile before turning and heading away in the direction of the stairs. His expression had been troubled at the end, but I could ask Thomas what he’d told him later. For the time being, getting out of this place and into the tunnel was more important.
Within moments of crossing into that golden light, I could feel Thomas growing stronger. He still leaned on me for support, but more for balance than anything, and more than once I had to tell him to slow down and take it easy as he picked up the pace.
“Do you know where you’re going?” I tried to keep the hope out of my voice. I had managed to get back to our world from 71 before, and I could do it again, but I had no illusions that it would be a quick or error-free process. “Do you still have your…feelings about things? Without the cutting inside you, I mean?”
He stopped and smiled down at me. Even with the improvement, his face was slick with sweat after a few minutes of pain and exertion. “No, I don’t think. But I do have something…I don’t know. It’s like I’m guessing, but I know I’m guessing right.” Thomas frowned. “That sounds dumb. But I think it’s right.”
I nodded. “We’ll let’s just take it slow and see. The main thing is you don’t overdo it and we get you to a hospital as soon as we can.”
Squeezing me with the arm I was supporting, he nodded. “I’m okay. And I think I know where we need to go.”
We kept walking, and every time we came to a turn or branching path, Thomas paused only a moment before picking one and continuing on. As time passed, I could feel the weight of him increasing again. He was wearing himself out, and I didn’t know that he couldn’t do more harm than the tunnel and Patrick’s work could mitigate. I was about to make him stop for a bit and rest when I saw an opening in the distance. I glanced at him.
“Is that it?”
He grinned at me and nodded. “”Yeah. This is where we need to go.”
Thomas picked up his speed again, and this time I let him. We’d have to be careful when we crossed the threshold—I didn’t want him to collapse again. But we’d get out, get to the car, and I’d drive us into town to the hosp—
This wasn’t the basement. It wasn’t a basement at all. I’d been here before. A large chamber of roots with a burned pedestal of branches in the middle. What Phil…or Justin…had called “the heart room.”
I stopped and looked at Thomas. He didn’t look surprised or disappointed, and his eyes were clear as he looked around the room. I could hear the fear in my voice when I spoke. “This…this isn’t the way out. This is the wrong place.”
A chill of recognition shot up my spine as a voice sounded from behind us. Phil’s voice. Justin’s voice.
“On the contrary, Rachel. You’re exactly where you need to be.”
---
Credits
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