Chapter 29 - End of Darkness #3
“Hold onto that ladder for a second. Jyn will be right next to you. Once he’s there, let him go first and climb down one step at a time. We haven’t used this door in a while…” Tabitha orders Galen as he disappears from view.
From where I stand, I can see several ladders running down the dark hole, all shiny with watery moss but also covered in flaking rust.
“He’ll be fine. I’ve seen him in worse conditions.
” Mack’s voice doesn’t match his face. It’s deep and full of the echo of battles and losses.
Despite his size, I didn’t realise he’d moved up next to me.
His boots don’t make any noise when he steps closer to the edge and squats to look down, bracing his elbows on his knees.
I startle. “How long have you known Galen for?” I keep my tone vague, pretending I’ve already forgotten his first insulting words.
“Well, not long enough if I can’t still predict his next appearance, apparently.” He stands up and cups his hands around his mouth. “I thought you got tired of the cause, mate? You took your sweet time to come back to base.”
Merya is, if possible, even more imperceptible than Mack. I could easily mistake the two of them for Popplewish’s random long-lost relatives if I didn't know that it was impossible.
I jolt when she appears behind us and smacks Mack on the back of the head.
“What the hell are you doing, shouting like that? Didn’t you hear what I said?
” She towers over him, legs apart and with her hands on her hips just over the thick belt heavy with bullets, one of its ends running down her left thigh.
Mack winces and scratches his head, looking up. “I was just saying hello.”
“You were waving a massive flag with ‘Hey, assholes, we’re still here, come get us’ written on it.”
“Don’t be stupid. That’s too many words to write on a single flag.”
“Enough. Both of you. Down. Now.” Tabitha puts an end to their argument, grabbing them by the shoulders to separate the duo, leaving me to wonder if I should really be putting my life in their hands.
Or maybe I should laugh and pretend this is normal, like Mack is doing now, trying to hide his amusement from Tabitha by pulling up his black, tight shirt’s collar to cover his mouth.
“I thought I was keeping guard!” Mack bursts out. But one look from Tabitha silences him, and he nods, defeated.
“Well done, little brother. That’s how you accept orders,” Merya flicks his nose.
Brother? Looking at them side by side, I can see they share the same high cheekbones and fair skin. Their lips are the same, with the upper one slightly fuller. A subtle, reddish stubble shadows Mack’s face, but both their nose and cheeks are peppered with freckles.
Before Mack can say anything, Merya moves agilely and fast, like a big black cat, in my peripheral vision. Without hesitation, she falls into the hole backwards, arms spread wide as if jumping off a plane—without a parachute.
Nobody around me seems to care. I rush to lean over the edge, but Tabitha calls me back, “Don’t worry, she’s fine. For now.” She sucks on her teeth, betraying a hint of annoyance. But it’s difficult to ignore the corner of her lips twitching, fighting back a smile.
“Mack, please check on your sister,” Tabitha sighs.
He obliges, saluting her by raising two fingers to his forehead before jumping into the hole.
Soon after the siblings’ argument starts again, fading gradually as if they’re moving further inside the dark space below us.
“Any broken bones, show-off?” I hear Mack teasing his sister.
“What the fuck was that? You could have hit us and taken us down with you.” The familiarity in Galen’s tone surprises me. It’s the one I thought he only used with me.
As the quarrel goes on and turns into a multitude of intelligible words, Tabitha nudges me gently, “Don’t be scared. The ladders look rusty, but they’ll hold. I’ll be right behind you, and the bunch down there will catch you if—”
I hold up a hand. “I’ll manage. Thanks.” I really am grateful, but the additional threat of a fatal fall is not something I wish to contemplate right now.
Tabitha nods, but still offers a hand to help me with the first few steps. I try not to look down. It’s so dark I can barely distinguish what lurks inches below me, and the helmet visor doesn’t help. At least the voices of Galen and the siblings reassure me.
The metal ladder—there are more attached around the edge of the portal—is sturdy, but sharp flakes lift off every time I grip the next step down.
As much as the visor allows, I capture glimpses of the sky, so tranquil and clear that I struggle to imagine some civil war going on.
War? Is this what the Chapter has been hiding from us? For years?
The stench of sewage, musk and sickening dampness hits me as I leave the darkening blue sky behind.
Heavy steps shake my ladder. Tabitha moves quickly, and in seconds, she’s on my right, balancing on her ladder with one arm stretched up.
The night sky shrinks to a timid half-moon as she slides a massive, thick metal disk across the opening.
I’m in the dark again. But no longer alone.