Edyn (The Essence Project Book 1) Read online

  I bit the inside of my cheek and thought about it for a moment. Tylenol definitely sounded good, and I doubted the men that had my mother would find me down there.

  Yet, the man I'd killed said I'd be sought after down there, and if they discovered what I was, it wouldn't be good. I had very few options though.

  I released a breath and took his hand as I stood.

  You’re just being paranoid. He's a harmless old man.

  I could keep my Essence hidden, surely.

  He offered me his arm. "Since you must be hurting you can put some of your weight on me."

  I thanked him, took it, and we started down the aisle again. "How do you get down there?"

  "There are lots of entrances all over the city. All the old MARTA stations lead down there. The closest one is only about a five minute walk."

  He guided me through a side door that led to the cracked parking lot. I frantically looked around me for signs of those men in the black van. Nobody seemed to be out and about, though. We walked for about five minutes like he had said and came to a sign that said, "Atlanta Station". The doors to the building were unlocked, and he pushed them open. We continued through them and started ever slowly down the stairs. I wondered if I was making a huge mistake in trusting this man.

  "Do you mind me asking who it is you’re running from?’ he said as we descended.

  What should I tell him?

  I thought for a moment.

  He put his hand up. "I know, I’m sorry. That was rude. I didn’t mean to pry."

  "It’s okay. I’m not really sure who they were actually, but they had guns and a black van so I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. And they were hitting my mother, so there’s no telling what they would’ve done to me."

  "Not much you could’ve done against several armed men," he said.

  Remembering what they’d done to my mother, I silently nodded.

  I hoped she was alright.

  The tunnel in front of me was dimly lit, but in spite of that I could see quite clearly. The walls were rough, carved for purpose and not aesthetics. I ran my fingers along one side as I followed him, feeling every bump and groove. It wasn’t long before this tunnel opened to a much larger and brighter one. In every direction I looked, I could see smaller tunnels branching off, leading to God knows where. How anybody navigated this place, I had no idea.

  Samuel led me down another short tunnel off to the right that opened up to a much larger open space. More tunnels spread every which way, but this space was more open that the tunnel we had come from. I stopped for a moment, resting my sore ankle.

  "It isn’t much farther," he said.

  I started in his wake again, wincing as I put too much weight on my foot. A few people were scattered here and there, most of them sleeping under threadbare blankets. To my left, a group of dirty faced women were staring at me, pausing their conversation and breaking into whispers.

  I quickly turned my gaze to the back of Samuel’s shoes before glancing to the right. Several grungy guys with piercings in their faces whistled as I walked by.

  I tilted my head down further, and the eyes from the man on the bus, the eyes of the man I killed, flashed in my mind.

  Was he one of them?

  He certainly seemed like he could be.

  It still felt surreal. I had killed a man today. Me. I ended his life. I knew it was in self-defense, but nonetheless the finality of what I had done weighed heavily on my shoulders.

  We turned down another tunnel, and then another. Mismatched doors lined this one on both sides. Samuel stopped at the fourth door on the left and pulled out a key. I stared at the door as he fit the key into the deadbolt. It was at one time red, but the paint was faded and peeling. Something felt ominous about that.

  He pushed open the door and walked into his apartment, flipping a light switch on the wall.

  "How is there electricity down here?" I asked, as I limped through the door.

  "A lot of it is solar powered and then most people have generators as well."

  I closed the door and followed him to a small, sparse living room with a connected kitchen. A sofa that had seen better days was against a rock wall on the left, and a dented folding chair was placed few feet away. To the right was the small kitchen. A few cabinets flanked a range and refrigerator. The sink was a chipped black ceramic mess.

  "Please, sit," he said as he crossed to a cabinet by the sink. "I know it’s not much, but at least it’s safe."

  Safe. That word came out awkwardly from his mouth. I perched on the edge of the couch while he busied himself opening cabinet doors.

  "I promise I have some Tylenol here somewhere. Give me just a second."

  I glanced around at the small room. Another was off to the right as well, a plain curtain used as a door. It was probably his bedroom, and maybe a bathroom.

  I wonder how they do the bathrooms down here?

  Samuel interrupted that completely random thought. "Ah. Here it is."

  He grabbed a Coca-Cola glass from a drying rack by the sink and filled it with water. Turning, he smiled, and stretched his arms out to give me the water and the Tylenol.

  "Thank you," I said taking them. I took a drink of water first. It tasted metallic, and I grimaced, making Samuel laugh.

  "It is filtered, but it’s hard to get that taste out of it."

  I gave up a small smile and took another gulp, this time chasing the little white pills.

  He set his hand on my shoulder and said, "Why don’t I go and check the bathroom for that bandage for your ankle? I should have a first aid kit in there too to clean up that knee a little bit."

  I nodded and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. It felt good to sit and not be rushing off. The dead bolt clicked, and I looked towards the door just as Samuel slipped the key into his pocket. He caught my eye and my expression must’ve given away the spike of fear rising in my chest.

  "These tunnels aren’t exactly the safest. We don’t want anyone busting in on us that could do you harm, now do we?"

  I tried to calm my face, but my heart was fluttering.

  Samuel disappeared behind the curtain, and I heard him rummaging around in the bathroom.

  Surely I was safe? Why would he give me Tylenol and look for stuff for my leg if he wasn’t trying to help me?

  I took another deep breath and leaned back on the couch. The day’s events were beginning to catch up to me. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I sat down. It was odd, considering I had slept for several hours in the woods before that man showed up. I suppose it shouldn’t be odd though, since adrenaline, once it faded took some of your energy with it.

  My ankle throbbed and I wondered if there was any ice in the freezer. Surely not, but I staggered to my feet to go and check. I felt heavy and exhausted, and shook my head.

  Wake up.

  As I crossed to the freezer, I realized I no longer heard any noise coming from the bathroom. I pulled the freezer door open and it was barely cold. The ice tray was empty, and there weren’t any ice packs.

  As if I would be that lucky.

  I stifled a yawn and felt a little wobbly on my feet. My hand found the counter, and I leaned my weight on it as I tried to steady myself.

  "Are you alright?" Samuel said, emerging from behind the curtain. His hands were empty.

  "Just a little woozy," I replied. "No bandage?"

  He crossed the room to me in three steps and placed an arm around my waist. "No, I'm sorry. Let’s get you back on the couch."

  I leaned on him as I hobbled my way back to the couch and plopped down without much grace. Another giant yawn overtook me, and I rubbed my eyes.

  "Tired?"

  "Mmm. Yeah," I mumbled.

  "Well it sounds like you’ve had quite the day, and that sedative I’m sure is starting to kick in."

  My eyes shot open wide. "Sedative?"

  He smiled. "Yes. That wasn’t actually Tylenol."

  "What the Hell did you give me?" I
tried to prop myself up on my arm, but my body felt so heavy and my arm so weak.

  "Try not to fight it. It’ll just make it worse." Something wicked gleamed in his eyes, and I was reeling with horror.

  What was he going to do to me?

  I slipped off the couch and onto my knees, pain shooting through my torn up one. It caused me to collapse onto my side. I groaned as I pushed myself up and tried crawling to the door.

  "There’s no point, Edyn. You’ll be out before you know it."

  I had only made it a few feet when he put an arm under my stomach and pulled me upright. Meagerly, I swung at him, and he laughed. He began dragging me towards the curtain that led to his bedroom.

  Oh God. Please, no!

  I tried to squirm, but it was a wasted effort. Darkness crept into my mind, and I tried to fight it off.

  Unceremoniously, he hoisted me onto his bed and rolled me onto my back. He reached for something next to my face, but I couldn’t make out what it was. Rough hands held mine together, and I felt the sharp plastic of a zip tie cutting into my wrists.

  "God, please save me," I whispered groggily.

  Samuel laughed. "God is gone dear, otherwise none of us would be in this forsaken place."

  "Why are you… Please don’t…"

  He punched me hard across the jaw, and it forced the haze in my head back just a little as my eyes snapped open. I whimpered and turned my head away from him.

  He grabbed my chin in his hand and yanked my head back to face him. "Don’t cry yet, dear. We’re only just getting started."

  His hot mouth kissed my neck, and I cringed. He fumbled for something in his pocket, not taking his lips away from my skin. I cringed again, and one of his hands found my throat and squeezed. He pulled his face back a moment and showed me what he had fished out of his pocket. Flipping the black knife open, the blade caught the light from the single bulb above the meager bed.

  My eyes went wide, and I felt another surge of adrenaline trying to fight off whatever drug was coursing through my system. I tried to catch a breath and coughed instead so he released his hand, only to replace it with the knife against my throat.

  "Now, now, behave yourself. We wouldn’t want to end this early."

  He pressed the knife down, and I tensed. I felt it cut through the top layer of my skin. Blood dripped down the side of my neck, and he shook his head.

  "You shouldn’t tense up like that. Look at what you did." The back of his hand found my other cheek, and my vision went black.

  I could hear his laughter, although for a moment I couldn’t see anything. The knife point poked the soft skin of my stomach, and I flinched. It sliced through my shirt like butter, and he set it to the side. His greedy hands ripped my shirt open and away from my skin.

  "Please," I whimpered.

  He ignored my plea, and I felt the darkness closing in on my head again. I felt his lips on my stomach, and tears started to fall. There was nothing I could do. I was helpless, and the drugs were pulling me further and further down.

  Maybe I should let them take me. Then perhaps I wouldn’t remember anything that was about to happen.

  His hand slid down my hip and under my waistband. I tried one last time to shift away from him, fighting the black despair in my mind, and a blow to the head disintegrated what was left of my resolve.

  * * *

  A crash.

  A yell.

  A heavy weight on top of me.

  Then the weight was gone as abruptly as it had come. I tried to open my eyes but the ever so dim light seemed blinding so I rolled away from it.

  Another crash, this time closer.

  I forced my eyes open, trying to ignore the shooting pain in my head.

  More yelling.

  A scuffle. No, something more than that.

  Something hit my ankle, and daggers shot up my leg. With it came more adrenaline, and I could make out two figures at the foot of the bed locked in each other’s grip. I tried to put my arms behind me to prop myself up, but they were still bound by the biting plastic. Inching my way to the edge of the bed, I felt for the floor with my good foot. Everything was still blurry, and my body was still full of sludge.

  I rolled onto the floor, and my elbows hit something hard. In front of me the curtain that had been in the doorway was on the ground. Someone’s foot found the back of my head, and I cried out as I collapsed.

  Another yell, and then came the thud of a body hitting the floor.

  Hands found me and rolled me onto my back. I felt a palm on the side of my face and forced my eyes open. For a moment a new, yet familiar face stared down at me, concern furrowing his brow and fear filling his eyes. Something stirred in my stomach, and peace began flowing through me as the darkness took me hostage once again.

  4

  T he moon lit my path as I ran through the trees. Laughter was chasing me from behind. I turned my head to see who it came from, but saw nothing. Turning my head back to what lay ahead, I urged my legs to go faster. A different laughter followed me now, and I turned again as I ran. This time the voice was softer, melodic, and feminine.

  Who was following me?

  I pushed my body harder and burst into a clearing. Ahead was my rock by the creek, and in front of me, a wide smile waited. The ring through his bottom lip reflected the moonlight, and blood shone from his temple. "I told you to be careful, little girl."

  I staggered to a stop and rushed backwards, away from those dead eyes. My body slammed into someone behind me, and I turned around. The girl that had bumped into me on our job selection day was staring back at me with tears running down her face.

  I took a few steps back as she tilted her head to one side. Her eyes went black, and laughter flooded from her mouth.

  An arm threw itself across my chest and pulled me back against a warm body.

  "Now Edyn, you wouldn’t want to spoil our fun now would you?" Samuel’s voice was low in my ear.

  I saw the gleam of the knife as he lifted it in front of my face, taunting me with it. As I fought to get free, he brought the knife to my throat. I could feel the blade eating through my flesh, and they all began to laugh. Hot blood ran down my body and covered his arm that held me to him. I tried to gasp, and blood filled my lungs. I felt as if I was drowning, and my hands clawed at the knife.

  Samuel kept sawing away at my throat. "What’s the matter Edyn? Afraid you don’t have an Essence after all?"

  I used every bit of me that was left and forced out a gurgled scream. Seven-year-old Ryker was standing before me with a hand outstretched. As I continued to scream, Samuel’s arms fell away, and I dropped to my knees, hands trying to stem the blood at my throat. The darkness started to overtake me again, and I fell into another pair of arms.

  Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around him as the laughter and the sound of the breeze blowing through the trees vanished.

  "Shh, you’re okay. You’re safe now."

  I clung to him, breathing in his smell of sandalwood and vanilla. My head was on his shoulder, and his scent soothed me. As I tried to slow my heart, I realized I had no clue who these arms belonged to. I didn't know where I was or what had happened to Samuel.

  I tried to pull away, but his grip was firm, and I was still weak.

  "Easy now, you’re safe. I promise I’m not going to hurt you."

  Piercing blue eyes were inches from mine, filled with worry. His brow was furrowed and stubble lined his stern jaw. His wavy, medium brown hair was relatively short and looked as if he'd been running his hands through it. There was something familiar in those intense eyes, but before I could make sense of what I was seeing, everything came rushing back.

  Pain filled my head, and my ankle throbbed. My knee wasn’t much better. I grasped at my throat, and my fingers felt around the cut that the knife had made. My jaw ached and so did my other cheek from where Samuel had hit me. A twinge of pain hit my stomach, and I could feel another cut. I looked at my wrists and could see marks from the zip tie, and
above them several more cuts from the knife.

  I tried to back away again, and this time he let me. My body still felt heavy, and I was in a fog. He rested a hand on my knee as I pulled them both to my chest and hid behind them. Hot tears welled up behind my eyelids, and I tried to hold them back with no success. A sob escaped my mouth, and I bit down on my bottom lip to try and regain control. The taste of blood met my tongue, and I inhaled sharply.

  I remembered Samuel’s lips on my neck and his hands all over my body. Cringing away from the thought, another sob burst out.

  "Hey, you’re okay. He can’t hurt you here."

  I looked up into those unsettling blue eyes again before my tears turned everything into a watery blur.

  "I can hold you together as long as you need."

  I blinked trying to focus, but it was useless. There was something about this guy that made me feel at peace. I don’t know why I trusted him, I shouldn’t trust anyone after my last mistake, but through my exhaustion, I did. Maybe it was the sedative still working its way out of my system.

  Scooting towards him hesitantly, I realized I was under the covers in an unfamiliar bed. The smell of sandalwood and vanilla hit me again, and I breathed deeply, closing my eyes. I felt his arms slowly wrapping around me protectively, as if shielding out the rest of the world. Immediately, I tensed. His hand found the back of my head and began stroking my hair.

  "Why?" I choked out. "Why are you helping me? And how do I know you won’t hurt me like he did? My God, did he…?"

  He pulled back and looked at me, anger burning in his eyes as he clenched his chiseled jaw. It scared me but intrigued me at the same time because I could tell I wasn’t its target.

  "No, he didn’t get the chance. I arrived right before…" His voice trailed off, and he looked away, clenching a fist against my back. A dull ache spread across my back, and I stiffened.

  "What happened to my back?" I asked.

  He turned his eyes back to me and said, "He tried to claw at you while I was beating him senseless."