4) Unto Dawn

Artemis returns to the real world.

4) Unto Dawn

I stare into the darkness. I can feel my eyes are open. But I can’t see anything. It’s as if that thing sucked all the light out the world.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.” I hear Stacey say before a door closes.
“Stacey?” I yell after her. I move. Too far. I fall out of the bed and slam onto the cold floor. A machine starts beeping. A constant drone. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. I hear the door open. “Stacey?” I whisper. I feel hands grab me and lift my back onto the bed. The constant drone evolves into a regular beep.

I lie there, in a place I can’t even describe. White shapes surrounded by blue. The sound of scuffling feet. The sound of heels clicking on a marble floor. Click, click. The sound of a clock hand ticking. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. I feel like im in a pool. I feel as light as a feather, as free as a coyote, as alive as a coral reef. I can’t move. I lie there. In a place, that makes no sense. Shapes curve this way and that; they intersect each other at random intervals. I lie there. In a place that should not exist. It flows around me like a river around a pebble. The room spins every now and then. Sometimes it does a summersault this way and other times it rolls that way. The room’s never still. Something’s always moving, be it a random shape or the entire room. The shapes come and go as if they don’t belong anywhere. I watch them as they flow into the room and stay for a minute and then back out. In, out, in, out. Shake it all about. There is always a few shapes though �" these ones don’t leave. They stay here constantly. They have a strange curvature to them, as if they’re not real. Are they real? If the room isn’t real they aren’t. In, out, in, out, in, out. The shapes never stop. Always coming in and out, in, out, tick-tock, in, out, tick-tock, tick-tock, in, out, in, out, tick-tock, in, out, An insufferable noise that never stops and never quietens. A gently beep hums through the air like a bee in the wind. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Tick-tock, beep, in, beep, out, tick-tock, in, beep, out, in, beep, tick-tock, out. Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep. Tick-tock. I can’t stand it anymore. A constant drone of noises that won’t give up. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. Beep. I can’t. Tick-tock. In, tick-tock , beep, out, I can’t, beep, I can’t, I can’t, in, beep, I can’t, tick-tock, I can’t, out. A constant noise. I can’t. It hurts. Tick-tock. Shut up! Shut up! I scream.

The clouds outside have stopped doing gymnastics. Instead, they linger there, like mischievous teens. They watch me through the window, same as I watch them. They are full to the brim with rain. Soon, they’ll be here.

 The world stops doing cartwheels. It settles. I can feel my body. I know that my eyes are open, but I can’t see. 
“Artemis?” A voice says.
“Yes?” I croak.
“Do you know where you are?”
“No.”
“Hospital.”
“Why?” I almost weep.
“You and Dante Smith were in an explosion.” The man says weakly.
“Is he alive?”
“Yes. You both got lucky...” He stops, “It’s been two years.”
“Oh… I can’t see.”
“I’m sorry.”

Time passes. As it often does. But something about it seems liquid like. Like I’m swimming in it. I hear the door open.
A silvery voice “Hello, I’m with �"“she is abruptly cut short, silence… “Artemis, we don’t have long �" you don’t have long. You need to get out of here, and hide.” The voice has changed.
“Who are you?” I ask the darkness.
“Dawn. And you need to run.”
“How can I run, when I can’t see?”
“Follow the lights.”
“What lights?” Silence, they’re gone. What lights? There aren’t any f*****g lights. How the f**k am I supposed to run?

Run? How the hell am I meant to run? The door opens again.
“Artemis?” I hear Dante whisper.
“Oh my God. Dante.”
“Thank God. They refused to tell me what happened.” He says. I feel his weight sit on my bed. “I’ve been in a coma for two years.”
“Same. But I’m blind.” As I say this. I see something. Not with my eyes. Well yeah, with my eyes, but in a third eye sort of way. A ball of light appears above Dante illuminating his red hair. His brown eyes that are normally full of life peer back at me.
“I’m sorry.” He whispers. A Shadow Person steps into view. It tells me one thing. ‘Run’. I hear it. Like I did all those years ago…

“Dante. We need to go. Now.” I say ripping myself from the memory,
“Why?”
“Trust me.” I say as the ball of light glows brighter. I slap at my arms, trying to find an IV.
“There’s no drip.” Dante says reading my mind, “I have some clothes that’ll fit you.” He says. I feel his weight shift, then it’s gone, “I’ll be quick.”

Within a couple minutes, Dante returns. He places what I assume to be a bag on the bed, along with some clothes. “Jeans and a hoodie.”
“Keep an eye on the door please.” I order. I slip into the jeans; I feel them hang short. The hoodie fits fine. “Right. Let’s go.” I say moving towards the door. I run my fingers along the wall. The ball of light floats just ahead of me. Dante opens the door. A ball of light sits on the floor. This one doesn’t illuminate anything. It sits there, like a beacon. A beacon. ‘Follow the lights.’ How had she known? Who was she?

The light outside the door isn’t the only light. Every five meters or so is another one. They lead us through the hospital… around corners, down stairs. Dante never questions how I know where I’m going. He just follows. No one questions us. I wonder what we look like? We’ve been in a coma for two years… that makes me fifteen and Dante… “What’s the date?”
“March 17^th” He answers quickly.
“Happy birthday for those two years.” I laugh.
“Funny.” Says, I picture him smiling, “Happy birthday to you too.”

We walk in silence the rest of the way. No one stops us. I mean, why would they? But at the same time why wouldn’t they? Surely, the entire hospital must know of the two children who were blown up and in a coma who’ve just woken up. But then again, with me following the lights, they probably make us seem like we know our way around, so why couldn’t we just be children visiting?

Stepping out onto the pavement is a surprise. The fresh air smacks me violently in the face. Air as fresh as you can get in a city. The noise of the road outside is alarming. I have no clue of where we are.
“We still in New York?”
“Looks like it.”
“Good thing one of us has eyes.” I laugh. The laughter is me trying to shake off the feeling that something’s wrong.

Despite the feeling of dread, I follow the lights. The stay on the floor, glowing, but not illuminating. They pulsate gently. I look at each one as we pass it. Each one seems to have something inside of it. Something magical. Looking closer, each ball has a galaxy in it. The lights lead us… somewhere… many cars, lots of people; I can feel them all around me.
“Times Square.” Dante says. The lights take a right and Dante grabs my shoulder, “There’s a door there.”
“A door?” I ask confused,
“Yeah, it’s a café. Why do you want to go to a café?”
“I’ll explain later.” I reply,
“It’s open.” Dante says. I step into the café. The smell hits me. Pastries. Pain au chocolats. Croissants. Crêpes. The lights lead me through the room, “Careful!” Dante shouts after me, I stop “Sorry.” I hear him say after, “There’s a table there. Here let me.” I hear a chair scrape across the floor. A ball of light appears above the table, illuminating it, and the chair. Just the table and chairs. Couldn’t show me the entire room. Rude. I take the seat. “Want anything?” Dante asks,
“Crêpes with chocolate please.”
“Ok.” He says. I hear another chair scrape across the floor. Too close to me to be another table. I look up. Dawn sits opposite me.
“Hi.” She says, “How the lights treating you? Good I hope.”
“What do you want?”
“Hey, lose that attitude. I saved your life.” She says in mock horror.
“Who are you?” I hear Dante say from next to me, before I get a chance to answer, Dawn speaks,
“Hi, Dante, I think you should sit.”
“Do I know you?” He asks,
“No. But I know you. Sit, please.” Dawn says, even though she sounds calm, I get the feeling she really isn’t. “Look, I can’t stay long.” She raps her fingers on the table, “Right. Artemis, you might remember something about The Four, and a prophecy.” She falls silent. I realise she’s waiting for an answer,
“Yeah.”
“Right. So an explanation. The Four are �"“ She starts, but I cut her off,
“You’ve told me.”
“Oh, I have?”
“Yeah, in The Palace of The Gods.”
“Oh, right. Then why am I here?”
“Beats us.” Dante chips in, “but you could explain to me.” He says. Dawn takes a sharp breath.
“Basically, whilst you were in a coma, Artemis here was out meeting Gods, me, and learning about a prophecy.”
“Right.”
“That prophecy being that four being are destined to either destroy or save the universe.”
“Right.” Dante says again but louder. Dawn looks at me,
“Why you here?”
“The lights brought me here.”
“Then why the fu �"“ She groans, “Oh, that’s why. Could’ve told me it was the 17^th.”  She lets out a sigh, “Eat up. Got a long day ahead of you. Good luck.” She says; I watch as she disappears from the light; she dissolves into the darkness.
“Who the f**k’s she?” Dante asks,
“She told you. Dawn, I met her in The Palace of The Gods.”
“They aren’t lying.” Dawn says reappearing, “I forgot to give you this.” She says placing a bag on the table. The bag I had gotten from that giant woman. What had she said? Something about a hiding place, ‘The best hiding places are in plain sight.’ Then Dawn’s gone again. I take the bag; slip it open. Inside the bag are the gifts. Including the dagger.
“What’s in it?” Dante asks curiously.
“Nothing.” I say shrugging. A girl walks past the table, close enough for her to be illuminated. Close enough for me to see her.
“Artemis.” She says in that all too familiar voice, a voice I thought I’d never hear again. Then she’s gone, and I’m out my chair, slipping the bag over my shoulders, and charging through the café. I see her step through the door. I charge after her. I slam open the door. And I stop. I feel the ground below me change. It goes from hard, to soft. And for a brief second I’m terrified the grounds going to open up and devour me. Someone crashes into my back.
“What the f**k?” I hear Dante yelp, “Double what the f**k.”
“What?”
“We’re at that arch. You know the metal one in America.” 
“The Gateway Arch?”
“I mean sure.”
“That’s in Missouri…”
“Is that far?”
“Don’t know.” I say confused, “How?”
“I followed you after you decided to leap from your chair.”
“Did you not see her?”
“Who?”
“Chloe.” I say.
“No.” Dante says quietly. If I could see his face, I bet it wouldn’t be happy. Chloe is a touchy subject for us all. “Arte-“ He starts,
“Don’t.” I say. A hand touches my shoulder. “Dante, I said don’t.”
“That’s not me.” I hear him say from in front of me.  I feel my heart plummet. Who or what has it’s hand on my shoulder?
“Dears, would you mind helping an old lady?”
“Uh…sure.” Dante says.
“Thank you dears.” The lady croaks. 
“Artemis? Come on, I want to find out how we got here.” Dante says taking my hand.
“Yeah… Same…”

The soft ground soon shifts to a hard floor. I hear cars whizz past me. “Where to ma’am?” Dante asks politely.
“Just to a café dear.” She says shrilly.

As we walk down the pavement, I get the feeling we’re being followed, not that I can check. Even if I could, I doubt I’d see anything. Just this feeling. The lights on the floor are back, they lead me somewhere. I can hear him. Not Dante. But whoever is following me. Just the silent noise of their feet hitting the floor. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. A steady pace. Just far enough behind to be inconspicuous. Tap. Tap. Their footsteps land softly on the concrete. Softly. But terrifying. Dante pulls me along the pavement, blissfully unaware of the follower. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Dante pulls me to the left. A crossing? I feel the heat of cars near me. I hope that I’m wrong, that they aren’t following me; my dreams are destroyed as I hear their footsteps again. Tap. Tap. Still no closer. Then we’re back on the pavement. Then a doors opening and we’re stepping inside. The warm air strikes me across the face. I take a deep breath and pray. Nothing. No sound of footsteps. Thank God.
“Thank you dears.” The lady croaks.
“Drink?” Dante asks, “I think we deserve it after traveling across country.”
“Sure.” I say, my heart finally settling. Dante leads me to table and we sit. A ball of light appears above the table, illuminating it, Dante, and the window.

Close enough to the window to be illuminated by my magic ball of sight. Is a face. Kind of a face. A mask. No, a hooded face. A face hidden behind a black hood. Not well enough hidden. I see the face. And I really wish I don’t. It’s an old face. Not eighty-years old, old in the sense that it’s decaying, and maggots squirm around in the flesh. One eye’s gone completely. Their nose is just a hole. It smiles at me. Exposing a set of destroyed teeth. One of its front teeth is missing, and a worm dangles from where it would be. The figure taps something on the glass. A sliver blade that glints in the light. A pair of hands grab my neck. Dante screams. I scream. I feel the hands pressing into my neck, squeezing the life from it. An explosion ripples through the room. The hands go limp and drop from my neck. I spin around as best I can in the chair. An old lady sits behind me, blood covers the window next to her. Everyone in the café lets out a shriek.
“I think it’s time you ran, Artemis.” A voice says, I turn to it, a girl stands holding a pistol, “That’s not a sugg-“ She starts, but the sound of the door opening stops her, “Well s**t.”
I turn to face the door, but unfortunately, the ball of light doesn’t reach it. Despite this, I’m pretty sure I know who just walked in. Mr Decay and his murder boner. “Hey over here!” I hear the girl shout, “Ignore the children, look at me.” She shouts, “I don’t even exist yet.” She carries on, apparently to no avail, “Look at me.” She orders. She steps back into the light. I see her raise her hand and drop her sleeve, exposing two diagonal lines with curved ends meeting at a point above another set of identical lines, above several dots. “Look. I don’t belong here. Come get me.” Another explosion rocks the room, at the edge of my sight, I see a man stood behind the counter, holding a shotgun, he points it at Mr Decay, I assume. Then the man with the shotgun explodes. “Nah, ah, I don’t die here.” The girl says, “And neither do they. The only person to die is you.” The girls says pointing a finger towards the man. A chain of sparks wrap themselves around the finger, before leaping from it, and presumably striking Mr Decay. And hopefully killing it.
The girl looks at me, her face stern and commanding, or would be if it weren’t for the dip-dyed blue tips of hair hanging over her face, “Now are you two going to run or are you gonna sit there looking dumb? If not, follow me.” She commands, I look at Dante; he looks at me.
“Shall we?” I ask.
“Don’t think we get a choice.” He replies fearfully. The sound of sirens pierce the silence.
“Hurry up you two.” The girl says; she looks past me and out the window, “What day is it?”
“Friday.” Dante replies.
“Date?”
“27^th March, 2018…” Dante asks confused.
“S**t. F**k. Uh. Well, why don’t you two, just sit here a little longer.” The sirens grow closer. “Yeah. That’s the plan. Stay here. I’ll be back sometime around the 30^th… hopefully.” She opens the door and steps outside.
“Wait! What’s your name?” I shout after her. She stops.
“If I told you that, it would ruin the surprise.”