Another wail left the beast, and it shook off its riders. Roxy tumbled to the side and fell so that she could shelter Kane, taking a hit to her head to protect his. Colin pulled them back to avoid the monster’s thrashing. The hulking hooded figure and the woman drew back with their companions. We’d only managed to take out two of them, the dark vampires. The recent feeding—although brief—had given me a boost of power.
“What’s wrong with it?” Lyra asked, her voice rising with concern. It was our ticket out of here.
“It’s running itself ragged tracking down the interplanar energy,” Colin said. “It really wanted us to get to Kane. Thankfully, Roxy had a lock on him.” I was grateful for her psychic connection to Kane. It was probably why he was alive, and we had to get him back before that changed.
“We can’t let her kill the monster,” Lyra muttered beneath her breath. The cut on her cheek was already fading to a healthy pink, with no scabbing. The Pocket Space had strange properties that I didn’t understand. Sike’s scanner was flitting in and out of service, going absolutely insane.
A flash of silver erupted from the large hooded figure. I stiffened as the air went tense. The man had unleashed a long, piercing spike that slammed into the side of the monster. Colin gasped. A surge of compassion welled up inside me as the monster fell to the ground for a moment, screeching with pain. It had been a menace to us, but it was just an animal and didn’t deserve to be skewered by these creeps. More practically speaking, it was still our only way home.
Cam fired a shot at the hulking hooded man. He cried out for the first time, a sound which gave me great satisfaction. If he thinks vampires aren’t scary, at least he’s wise enough to pull back from bullets.
Finn poked his head out of Cam's backpack and let out a frightened squeak. The monster threw itself back and forth, tripping over its legs as it tried to make sense of what was happening. Blood, dark and foul-smelling, poured from its body. It was a strange smell, like nothing I had experienced before. It let out a fierce roar, and the cloaked group pulled back.
"You idiot," Colin snapped at the man, but he put on an air of boredom, raising one palm in an amused sort of way. Lyra gritted her teeth beside me, probably judging the distance between her hand and the man's throat.
The monster charged forward, and a portal ripped through the open space. I grabbed Lyra.
"We have to go," I hissed to her. "Everyone, we need to get out of here." The cloaked members watched as we sprinted for the portal. Chandry grabbed the weakened Dan, snatching him up as he tried to mumble a thanks. I hoisted Bryce partially on my shoulder. He could still walk after his fall, but it would be better to drag him along than risk going slowly. Once his adrenaline faded, he would need to see a medic. Colin and Roxy carried Kane between the two of them, working to support his weight as they ran. Anxiously, I watched Kane's head loll to the side. He was weak; there was barely a flicker of darkness in him. Sike followed after them.
He's been starved. I glanced back to make sure we weren't losing anyone before jumping through the portal. Lyra glared at Jessica, who was merely watching us from twenty yards away, her mouth hanging open. What is she doing?
"You have to come with us," Dan shouted weakly. Chandry pulled him along, but he struggled against her. I pushed Bryce through with Cam. It was only Dan, Chandry, Lyra, and me left looking at Jessica.
She was clearly interested in what this group offered her—some vague promise of truth. She wanted answers, and I suspected it was due to her mysterious apparent powers. We needed to get her to safety, but… we had already let Jessica lure us into danger once before. We couldn’t sacrifice the already weakened Dan because Jessica continued to defy direct orders. She’s putting us in a difficult place.
And it looked like she’d already made her decision.
"I can't," she said weakly. Chandry snatched at the portal as it tried to disintegrate downward.
"We have to move," Chandry hissed.
"Please, Jessica," Dan begged. His voice broke halfway through her name.
Jessica shook her head. "I have to know the truth, Dan. They can give me answers." Answers to what? Jessica’s dogged motivation suddenly came to me in a new light. Was she always looking for answers about the Leftovers in an effort to find out about herself?
Chandry grabbed Dan by the back of his collar. There wasn't much time. He let out a strangled protest, but it died in his throat. He was resigned to saving himself but obviously still held on to a flicker of hope that he might convince her.
"You don't need the truth," Dan muttered. "You have me."
Poor guy. I gave up on Jessica's rescue for the moment, since she was choosing to stay behind. We needed to get home before the option was gone. I strongly suspected that the monster, our ticket to portals, wasn't going to make another one for us. Lyra met my gaze with a knowing nod. Jessica had made her choice.
"Come on," Lyra whispered, and jumped through the portal. I dove after her, and Chandry followed up the end of the group. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the tall hooded man and the scarred woman watching, but they made no move to stop us. I hated the haunting feeling of their eyes on me, but I pushed it away. I had work to get back to, and this Pocket Space… it wasn't home.
The scarred woman's expression—concerned but annoyed—bothered me
