This mystery was growing stranger by the day. I studied Joseph's arm as he rested. The infection was localized to his amputation site, so it hadn’t spread far above his elbow. Had the creature targeted Joseph’s arm specifically? Then again, it didn't take much for a monster that big to do damage, even if it was just trying to grab him. It could have done a lot more damage if it wanted to, but it hadn't attacked anything other than his arm. Why drag him off here? It seemed to snatch people up and bring them back to its lair like a bird collecting shiny objects.
“We need to move him,” Lyra said finally. Sike and I went over to Joseph and eased him upward. He was half coherent, but he took a few weak steps to help us move him. Sike gently took his knife and slipped it into Joseph’s pocket. Joseph gave a weak thanks.
The familiar sound of frantic footsteps hit my ear. Already, annoyance rose within me like a fire. I knew that scent.
Jessica crossed her arms and threw a distrustful look at Joseph. Still, her alert eyes said she was interested. Her stupid desire for a show was powerful, even with Dan missing in this madness. I was sure that if Joseph had been awake, she would have been quizzing him about his experiences without regard for his state.
“I can't find Dan,” she announced bitterly. “Those other two won’t even help me. They said they were coming back soon.”
Lyra pinched the bridge of her nose. “We're a little busy at the moment. Dan is next, but this man is severely injured. We need to get him medical attention."
For the first time, I witnessed genuine tears flooding Jessica's eyes. She blinked them back. She actually did care for Dan, on some level. "Dan's going to need medical attention, too.” She sniffed. “How are you even planning on getting us out of here? None of us can leave without a portal. There’s no exit in this place.”
I wasn’t sure how she knew there was no other exit, but somehow, I figured she was right. Her inexplicable knowledge made me more frustrated with our situation than relieved. Nothing was more unsettling than knowing how hard it would be to get Joseph medical attention. I gritted my teeth together, and Sike shot me a knowing look. Jessica’s delivery wasn’t kind, but she was right. I don't think we'd met a human this stubborn since Roxy, but at least Roxy had good sense and a kind heart underneath it all. Jessica seemed only concerned with her own needs … and possibly Dan.
I glanced worriedly down at Joseph, who mumbled about the children again. We’d promised to get him to safety, but we were all stuck here.
“We’ll figure something out,” I whispered, both to Joseph and Jessica. This guy had been through enough. I hoped we weren’t too late for Dan, but I was determined to finish our mission by at least saving the lives that we were able to.
25
Lyra
This situation was making my head hurt. We needed to get out of here, but I had no idea how. The monster had brought us through, meaning we might be dependent on it to rip open another portal to get home. I hated that, and I disliked the fact that there was nothing we could do for Joseph, beyond offering him a simple pain pill, while we were in such dire straits. Joseph gave a delirious moan as he leaned against Dorian.
"It's going to be fine," I told Jessica. "We'll need to find the monster first."
"You aren't even looking," Jessica protested. Her eyes were glassy. For the first time, I saw actual emotions aside from her insatiable drive to get information for her show. Concern showed on her face. It was respectable, but she'd worn down my patience. We all had priorities right now, and I needed to consider our best plan of action.
"It's not as if it'll come when we whistle,” I said. “Did you sense it when you went out looking?" Something about Jessica having the ability to sense the beast and see portals made me curious. Here we were, trying to figure out this strange place, and she had superpowers. It was just adding to the mystery.
She pressed her mouth shut for a moment. "I don't know. I can't always feel it."
I threw a tired look at Dorian, who shook his head. There was no way of knowing why Jessica possessed this strange power. I wasn't going to drive myself mad thinking about it, but it sure would be useful, since Sike's scanner had decided to fritz out on us in this odd bubble. So far, Jessica was the only one who had "eyes" on the beast.
"I thought you said it was in the last building," Cam said. His rodent pal squeaked loudly, as if backing him up in his question.
Jessica gave a weak shrug. "I looked there. Sometimes it's good at hiding. I can't turn this power on and off at will, you know." She referred to it as a power, too, so she must’ve realized it coming about at some point. I raised an interested brow.
"How long have you known that there is something different about you?" I asked her, making sure my tone was calm without any trace of suspicion. She huffed, apparently miffed that I would even ask.
"It just—" Her words cut off as a familiar wail echoed in the near distance. I whipped around to look deeper into the apartment block and spotted a flash of white flitting through the spaces between the buildings. It was the monster. It was coming back, halfway visible, but without Dan.
Jessica gave a startled cry as the monster reached us and immediately locked onto her. Dorian and Sike dove to the side, pulling Joseph
