The dog bared its teeth at Nine while slobber dripped down its jowls as it snarled. Survival instinct kicked in, and the girl disappeared, causing the dog's ears to perk up. Looking around, the confused creature tilted its head before pressing its nose to the gravel driveway, before trailing off to the gate, inching ever closer in the direction she just came from… to Eights.
Panic rose like bile in her throat as she rushed across the massive yard, her feet slipping across the loose rocks, falling, she caught herself with her hands before looking to the dog, still closing in on the gate, gritting her teeth, she pulled her stinging hands from the rocks and lifted herself from the ground. The sounds of panic came from the manor as she ran for the gate, and the dog's ears perked up once more, looking back at her.
Her heart leaped in her chest as she approached the animal, who was now in attack mode, but without breaking her stride, she kicked gravel at the beast, leaving it to swipe at its nose as she made her way to the large metal fencing. Grabbing one side, she watched as the dog settled down before looking directly at her. It gave chase just as she grabbed the second fence and began to swing it closed, slamming it right as the dog pounced.
Stumbling backward, Nine bumped something, bringing both her and it to the ground. Rolling off to the side, she turned slowly as a zombie grabbed hold of her shirt. Scrambling to her feet, the rotting arm clung to her, tearing at the already frayed edges and ripping the fabric as the dog barked and whimpered at the gate's entrance. Two figures slowly made their way to the gate, and Nine disappeared once more as the numbered approached.
Scampering behind the zombie, she could hear the howls of war before kicking the corpse, causing him to stumble towards the dog. She could hear angry growls and groans as the beasts fought one another, and she watched as the numbered closed the gates before turning and walking back to the mansion.
She rushed back to the cabin, barging through the door; her eyes flicked across the room when an old tarp caught her eye. The fabric was sprinkled with yellowish dust and snagging against a dying tree branch protruding through a broken window. Pulling hard, the branch snapped off a large pine tree just outside, falling to the ground. A loud panicked squeak knocked her from her feet as a humongous rat clawed at the ground before scampering from underneath the fallen plant.
Dragging the tarp to Eights, who still lay unconscious on the dusty floor, his chest slowly rising and falling as if he were back in the prison, and not in imminent danger. She smacked his forehead, checking if he truly was still knocked out from the tranq or not, before pulling his arms above his head and yanking his shirt off. She huffed as the clothing came off, and Eights head hit the ground hard, still not waking up.
Surveying the room, she spotted a frayed rope on an old table and made quick work of wrapping it around the shirt and tying the whole thing into a ball. She could hear the fight outside ending as the dog howled in excitement, and she froze. Turning her head slowly, she caught a glimpse of the animal walking down the dirt road from the window.
Slowly, she stood as if not to alert the dog to her presence and trudged over to the tarp, pulling it across Eight's body. Then, grabbing a handful of rat droppings from the corner, she smeared them all over the tarp just as a click-click-click-click of nails rushed up the steps.
Grabbing the rope, she held the doorknob tightly, looking back at the tarp, she checked once more that he was fully covered. She could hear the sniffing and snorting from the other side, and she closed her eyes. Was it really too late to turn back?
A growl sent shivers up her spine, and in a swift movement, she swung the door open, hitting the dog on the nose, hard. Jumping down, she landed at the bottom of the small stairway before turning back to see the dog baring its teeth. Hitting it with Eights' shirt, the creature attacked while chomping wildly at the air.
She watched as the dog's head snapped up, its ears on alert as it glanced around. Letting the shirt fall to the ground, she took off, dragging the clothing behind her as she weaved through trees. Footsteps rushed at her from behind, but anytime they got too close, she turned, zigging around a tree, causing the beast to stop and sniff before continuing the chase.
Rushing water filled her ears as she got closer to a river. Heading for the water, the forest floor snagged and scraped against her jeans as she vaulted through a thick brush, and blurs of green foliage rushed past her as she turned alongside a large old stone wall. Vines overtook the stones, and up ahead she could see an opening.
Eights' shirt snagged, and a pop displaced her shoulder as she fell to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs. Wide-eyed, she watched as green leaves swayed against the blue sky just before her, was overtaken by the fierce beast with its slobber dripping onto her face.
Just as the jaws of death came upon her, Nine shoved the rope into the beast's mouth. It snapped its teeth together, fighting the rope. With shaky hands, she continued to push the animal away, and as she regained some of her footing, she somehow managed to tie the rope around the animal's throat and secure it to a tree before retrieving Eights' shirt.
Relief flooded her as it snapped, but couldn't get free, and leaning against the wall, she felt it give, sending her down a slight hill and right into a frigid pool of running water.
She spun as the river pulled her along on a hopeless path, only letting her go as she fell from a short cliff alongside a waterfall into a calm lake.
A rush of bubbles floated upwards as she fell deeper into the pool of water, hitting her arm against the bottom, causing pain to radiate from her shoulder to her clavicle. She gritted her teeth as stars formed in her eyes, and, getting her feet under her, she pushed off the floor and rose quickly to the surface, gasping loudly as she broke the tension. She could still faintly hear the muffled whines of the dog, and she sighed in relief as it seemed the river didn't take her very far.
Making her way to the shore, she crawled across as the water weighed her down with each step, like chains restraining her feet. She waded out of the shallows and fell to her knees. Her knuckles ached as she realized she was still holding Eights' shirt in her hand, and leaning back, she looked at the sky as the milky clouds stretched across the endless blue, gliding with the wind, free and safe.
Crack!
Jerking her head, she caught sight of someone atop the cliff. He shaded his eyes from the sun with his hands as he glanced down before disappearing for an instant and reappearing down a stairway beside the lake.
Nine scampered across the clearing, hiding behind a tree, and as the man got closer, her heart skipped as she saw him more clearly. He wore a cowboy hat, large clunking boots, blue jeans, and a nice button-up shirt with some kinda string around his neck. However … She quivered as a sickly-sweet stench wafted ever so closer as he approached.
Covering her mouth, she closed her eyes, counted to ten, and slowly reopened them, only for him to still be there. As he trekked across the clearing, closing in on her, the more apparent his features became, and she could no longer deny the stiff, browning skin, dry as a bone and clinging to the man's bones, or the patches of fresh skin patched onto his arms and face.
As he walked slowly, carefully, delicately even, as if to avoid harm, he looked unalive, like a zombie, but different still, without flesh peeling from his bones, or the putrid smell of death emanating from every fiber of his being. This was no ordinary zombie… He's more like… almost like… a mummy.
"Mr. Bowman," a familiar voice broke the constant thundering of Nine's heart, as Ten approached, kneeling before the mummy-man. "We've searched the perimeter, as well as Eight's regular routes, but we haven't found him. We also lost track of Bruce."
The mummy, Bowman, looked past the lake into the woods. Then he spoke, his voice like a piece of sandpaper grating against metal, "It's likely his escape this time succeeded, but we cannot be sure. Check the servant houses along the property as well as the stables and the hut just outside the main gates."
"Sir," Ten said, "Wouldn't Bruce have sniffed him out and alerted us, if that were the case?"
"No…" Bowman looked across the tree line, his eyes focusing on Nine's tree as if he could see her… he couldn't see her, right? "If Bruce is missing, it's likely the kids found a way to restrain him."
"Kids?"
"There is another the scouts brought in yesterday. I hear she's not in her cell either."
"Another?" Ten dared to look up, "I haven't seen anyone new in the cells. Did you assign this other kid a room?"
"No…" Bowman shook his head, "I fear she's an invisible."
"Sir, if I may. If there is an invisible involved, wouldn't it be impossible to find them?"
"I doubt she fully understands how to use her power. If she did… we never would have been able to catch her. She'll slip up, though, and when she does, neither she nor Eights will be allowed to live."
"Sir? But… But they're just kids."
The mummy reached down, his bony hand latching under Ten's chin, lifting his face to look up, "They killed one of your own… Are you going to let them live?"
"No, sir." Ten pulled away from Bowman, focusing on the ground. "We'll make sure to take care of them."
"Good."
Ten headed for the stairs, climbing them slowly before disappearing and leaving Bowman.
"Now…" The man tucked his arms behind his back while sauntering around the lake. "I guess we'll have to find new experiment subjects, won't we?"
He paused, moving ever closer to Nine's hiding place.
"You all are giving me a headache. Talk once at a time."
Her ears rang as a sharp pain coursed up and down her arm, and she exhaled slowly, holding back tears as the man moved even closer while talking to himself.
"It's inevitable that we kill the boy, and the girl…"
Nine let out a muffled cry, and the man turned sharply. She leaned against the tree as he trapsed around the bend, camouflaging in with the forest almost to perfection, if it weren't for his outfit, Nine could have sworn he was a small, leafless tree.
"I believe they might still be here. Get the numbered to search my location," Bowman paused. "Send two numbers to check the cabin just to be safe. You never know if Eight might still be hiding somewhere." With that, the man casually walked back down the trail and out of the forest. Falling to the ground, Nine could feel her entire body trembling.
Nine cupped her shoulder gently, feeling the bone shift in unnatural positions, as she leaned back against the tree, exhaling, she continued massaging her joint until it nestled back into place. Closing her eyes, she savored the soreness that replaced the intense pain before making her way up the small cliff she'd just fallen from. It was a fairly short climb, but with her arm immobile for the moment, she struggled to ascend before coming to the top. For a moment, she lay on the rocky ground, looking at the sky, reaching her hand to the free-flying clouds. Then, rolling over, she looked down the path, back to the cabin, back to the mansion, and she began to run.
Nine heaved, and her lungs tingle and burn as she rushed down the path back to the mansion, while holding her arm in place. Rushing past green trees and lush bushes. She stumbled, freezing in place as she noticed two numbers walking down the path from the mansion's gate, then looked back at the lonely forest. The trees and soft scents beckoning her to turn and leave, when Eights' goofy smile flashed in her head. It reminded her of her brother; no matter how bad things got, he always had a smile. He always made her feel safe.
The numbers paused before the dirt road, and Nine's head raced when she heard a familiar growl. The zombie limped through the trees, blissfully unaware that there was food nearby, when Nine got an idea. Picking up a 'Y' shaped branch, she caught the thing by the neck and pushed it to the road. It growled and reached back for the invisible force pushing it when it tripped and stumbled right on top of one of the numbered.
He yelled for the other man, and in the chaos, Nine took the opportunity and headed to the cabin. She burst through the front door and pulled the tarp off Eights, laying it flat beside him. Propping herself against a wall, she began to move the boy onto the thick fabric with her legs. Catching her breath, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes when desperate cries and screams sounded just down the short dirt road, signaling the end of her break. Rising to her feet, she pulled Eights to the door. It creaked open, revealing the two men still standing on the path. Throwing the door open, Nine dragged Eights across its threshold onto the rickety porch.
Nine's heart thundered in her chest as Eights' feet smacked against each step as she pulled him off the porch, and with a loud thud, she fell as they came down the last step. Crying and yelling sounded from the road as Nine got herself back to her feet and started dragging Eights to the side of the cabin. A stream of lightning shot up and down her arm when she heard, Bam!
"Got him!" one of the numbered said, "You didn't get bit, right?"
Picking up her pace, Nine hauled the boy up to the wall, and her entire body coursed with energy as she got ever so close.
"Course not! Now let's get this over with. I'm done with these zombie-infested woods."
She held her breath as the faint footsteps grew louder and louder. Her heart pounded against her eardrums as she pulled Eights around the bend, falling to her back. She pulled him into her lap until his feet were hidden behind the wall. A tingling numbness crawled up her arm to her clavicle, and she clasped a hand around her mouth when the footsteps clumped down the dirt road.
"The door's open."
The wooden porch creaked under the weight of the two numbered.
"Well, if Eights was here earlier, he isn't here now. Let's check the other two houses before we join the search."
"Let's not and say we did."
"I wish!"
The wooden door creaked closed, and Nine lay back on the soft grass, wondering how she was going to get Eights back inside or if she should even try. The blue sky darkened with no longer a cloud in sight when a zombie moaned in the distance. Nine pulled herself to her feet, watching as Eights' chest rose and fell, and she rolled her eyes before she began to pull him back to the cabin.