Chapter 15: Escape, Part 2

Now the hard part.

She poked her head down into the room for a brief look. What she saw appalled and saddened her. How could they use Jack like that?

Jack was tied naked to a metal four poster bed. A large breasted burly brunette had her dress pulled up and was sitting on top of him moving her body up and down.

The girl chattered on and on. "And then I'm going to raise him to be a big strong warrior and my family will be honored. Those Vestarians don't-" and on and on she went.

Jack's head lolled from side to side with a look between a grin and a grimace. His chest hair was matted with sweat and vomit. A bucket full of pink vomit sat on the floor next to his bed. His eyes were tired, glossy, and drunk.

Alex was in luck though. The room was set up the same way hers was and the girl faced away from her. She timed the drop of her bag with the movement of the rocking bed. The girl didn't even hear the bag hit the ground. Alex held on to the sides of the rock and hung, then dropped silently to the ground. She crept to the footboard and crawled on to the bed right behind the girl.

"-Then he's going to have babies and my grandchildren will be the most smartest, strongest warriors and I will be the mother of an Elder. See, that's what you will be doing for me."

Alex clamped her biceps around the woman's throat to cut off her oxygen supply. She tried to gasp, but no air came. She gulped like a fish and thrashed. Her nails tried to dig into Alex's leather coat, but the Kevlar embedded in it kept Alex from being hurt. Finally, the girl went limp. Alex held just a little longer in case she was faking. She couldn't have her screaming and alerting the guards. Alex could have just killed her, still could now, but it wasn't her fault entirely. Isolated civilizations could warp a person's mind.

Alex let the girl fall from her grip. She rolled her off of Jack and pulled her dress down to cover her lady parts.

Jack grinned drunkenly. He was mouthing some slurred words, but the sounds that came out were coarse and broken. They sounded happy though.

She cut the ropes around his wrists and ankles with her pocket knife. They had worn bloody red marks into his skin. He smelled of vomit, sex, and rooart.

Alex laid a hand on his cheek in his greasy beard to comfort him. He stopped trying to talk and closed his eyes gratefully. His cold, clammy skin worried her.

"It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here," Alex whispered.

She leaned over, took his arm over her shoulder, and helped him up. He leaned heavily on her. His head hung drunkenly. Alex half carried, half dragged him to the granite basin and put him in one limb at a time. She plugged the drain so the basin would fill up with water. Jack lay with his head against the granite, his feet beneath the waterfall, and his knees up out of the water.

While the basin filled, Alex poured water in a cup. She sat on the side of the basin facing him and held it to his lips. One hand tipped the cup and the other held the back of his neck. Jack drank very slowly. His eyes focused in and out as if trying to decide if he was in a dream.

"The more you drink, the better you will feel later," she said, filling another cup.

Once the basin was full, Alex redirected the waterfall away so that it wouldn't overflow.

She cupped one of Jack's hands around the glass so he would keep drinking water while she worked. After retrieving her soap and shampoo from her bag, she began to soap him up. After finishing, she squeezed a glob of the shampoo in his long hair and worked it with her fingers.

Jack's eyes focused on her. "Alex," he whispered hoarsely, "What happened?"

Alex couldn't answer. What could she even say? Sorry, I passed out and you've been raped by countless women over the last two days? She felt tears course down her cheeks. Jack's free hand came up clumsily to touch her face. It was cold, but gentle. Alex smiled and choked back more tears. Her fingers worked their way into his beard and one hand into his chest hair until the sweat, sex, and grime smell no longer lingered.

"Now don't drown on me."

Alex took his water glass and helped him sink down into the water while combing her fingers through his hair until there were no more soap bubbles. She stood him up and wrapped a towel around him. Jack tottered uneasily and shivered. Alex helped him out, dried him off, and then dressed him in boxers and jeans. She handed him a cereal bar to munch on as she pulled a grey T-shirt over his head.

Tears of relief worked their way back to the surface as she buttoned a black shirt on to him. He was going to be alright. They were going to get out of here and be okay. Jack must have caught her look, because he wrapped a big arm around her and pulled her close. She buried her head into his shoulder and sobbed twice, just to get it out. They were going to get out of here and find Lexi. He stroked her hair and ate the granola, sending crumbs tumbling down his shirt and into her hair.

Alex pulled back and wiped the tears from her face. "Okay." She combed her fingers through his wet hair, straightening it out. He closed his eyes at her touch. "Almost done."

She sat him down to put on socks and shoes. Then packed his bag back together and threw it, and her own, up into the hole. Alex crouched in front of his chair so that they were eye level. He smiled an innocent child-like smile. She took his hands in hers and held them. "Can you travel?"

He nodded.

"We don't have to go too far, maybe an hour. Then we will just sit and you can get better."

She helped him up. He stood more steadily now, but his movements were still sluggish and clumsy.

"Okay, you're going to use this chair to go up in the hole. Go right but then back up so that I am first. I won't be able to see where to go if you're in front of me."

Jack nodded and she pulled the chair across the stone floor until it was right under the hole in the ceiling. Alex steadied him, then pushed his legs up after him as he disappeared into the hole. Alex moved the chair to the side and then crouched down as before, springing up into the hole. Once she was in the tunnel, she pushed both bags ahead of her.

"Okay, we have to be quiet now. We can't get caught in here or else we're done for. If there's a problem, grab my boot."

He patted her butt, showing he understood.

"My boot," she reiterated. "Time's ticking, let's go."

Alex pushed the bags forward as they crawled through the dark cold vent. Most of the vents to the room were dark. It must be the Antarian day and everyone was out and about. They pushed forward as quickly and quietly as possible.

Alex's ears twitched. She heard a skitter of legs in front of her bag, her hand too slow to move away from it. Two sharp fangs sunk into the flesh of her forearm, the jacket sleeve had been pushed up her arm away from her fingerless gloves. She covered her mouth with her left hand before she had a chance to scream.

Alex wrenched her arm back. It stung and warm blood oozed down her arm. Large shiny spider eyes stared back at her from the tunnel. Its thick hairy legs crouched down, ready to spring. She hated spiders. Why'd it have to be spiders?

She slammed the end of the blow torch into the huge spider, smashing it against the wall. The smashed spider convulsed, legs twitching. Her arm throbbed painfully as she pushed her backpack in front of her, forcing the dead spider body away with her bag until they came to the up-down vents. Its body tumbled down into the darkness.