The Witch of Storn

Chapter 14

Rey blinked as she looked around. The sudden change in environment had thrown her out of balance; she was recovering her stability at a steady rate though. She took in her surroundings with a growing feeling of euphoria; it really wasn't the greatest time to be over the moon with joy but she couldn't help it. She was back in her actual body! She let herself bask in the glee for a moment, and then it was back to business. Before Rhaenar had happened Rey had been making her way to an uncompleted building deep in the industrial district with the ransom for Helene in hand. The meeting time had been set at seven in the evening, long after all the workers had left for their respective homes. She realized she was still sprawled on the grass where she had fallen and got to her feet in a flash, almost stumbling from the speed.

She looked about her hastily for  the black duffel bag. s**t, where is it? It would be heartbreaking if after everything she had gone through to make it back here the money  and consequently Helene’s life would be gone just like that—

There it is! She breathed a small sigh of relief and snatched up the bag quickly, staggering a little at the weight she had forgot about. After she adjusted to its weight she hurriedly ran; well, as best as she could while carrying a heavy bag full of money. She wished she could stop for a minute to check the time, but since it didn’t seem like she had spent a lot of time lying in the grass she left her phone alone and carried on.

Finally, after a long trek that sapped all her strength with every step forward Rey spotted the agreed meeting place in the distance. She gazed at the building suspiciously even as her feet drew closer to it. It was situated a long way from the main road unlike the other buildings around, and tall grass flourished all around it, hiding it from view until you got closer. She waded through the waist height grass, suppressing a sneeze. She stopped in front of the building, sniffing and rubbing at her eyes.

The man who had called her on the phone had said to go to the entrance of the building, but Rey wondered as she stared at the eerily quiet edifice. How did anyone tell which was the front and the back? There was only a small wooden door tucked into the far edge of the unpainted wall that faced her. She looked up, at the gaping rectangles that were supposed to be windows. There was only inky blackness in them. She couldn’t hear anything either. Only the rustling of the grass around her and the chirping of the crickets prevented the area from being totally silent. Rey shifted nervously. Her limbs were starting to itch thanks to the mosquitoes flying about and the sunlight would soon disappear. Was she in the wrong place? Maybe she should go around, to the other side of the building, maybe she was in the wrong place--

"Hands above your head, now."

Rey nearly screamed at the cold voice and the equally cold feel of metal against the back of her head. Somehow she managed to stay quiet. The bag dropped out of her arms, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Her arms went the opposite way. She started straight ahead, trying to make herself remain calm. Her heart was still pumping at an abnormally fast rate, flinging itself against its bony cage so violently that she expected it to shoot out of her chest at any moment. Her heart stayed in its place but so did the gun (at least, she assumed it was one) to her head. Behind her the woman spoke again, this time to the man who was now closing the door behind him with a shrill squeak.

“Get the bag. And you,” this time she was definitely addressing Rey, “move.” Rey was lost for a brief moment. How was she supposed to know where the woman wanted her to go? She took a step forward in spite of her thoughts, hands still in the air, and when there was no response she continued walking towards the door. Behind her she heard the unmistakable sound of a zip being pulled open, and almost immediately a sharp intake of breath.

“It’s really here!” the man exclaimed. Rey was surprised at his voice; she hadn’t thought he would be so young – he sounded like he had just left puberty.

“She really brought the money! We’re going to be rich, Vi—“

“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT IT!”

There was a stunned silence, and Rey could almost see the wide-eyed surprise on the other’s face. The woman took in a deep breath loudly, as if to calm herself, and then she continued, less vehement this time.

“I told you before, didn’t I? No names.”

“But she’s not going to say anything to the police, right? Hasn’t she already promised—“

The woman blew up again and Rey winced. Couldn’t that guy see that there was a gun ready to blow her brains out? Why did he keep aggravating the person who literally held Rey’s life in her hands? Rey mourned silently for herself and Helene. Suddenly she felt that if she survived this whole ordeal it would really be a miracle.

"Just shut your mouth! Take the money and let's go."

At this point Rey and her escort had already gotten to the door. Rey wondered whether to open the door or just stand there with her hands up. The dilemma was solved for her by the youth who announced himself by hurried footsteps. He walked past Rey to the door and opened it, then dropped the duffel before digging in the pocket of his jeans for the small flashlight that provided illumination for the three as they stepped into the building. The door closed behind the woman with a sort of finality, and Rey thought to herself once more that if she came out of this still alive it really would be miraculous.

They walked for a while, turning corners and passing through dusty rooms with dirty floors and debris all over the place. Her arms were starting to get tired; she really wanted to ask if she could put her arms down but decided it wasn't a good risk to take. So she kept quiet and went where she was told to. At last they stopped at a door which looked cleaner than any other she had seen so far. The guy knocked softly, and soon the door opened inwards. He mumbled something to the other man who opened it before stepping past him into the room. Rey followed, her eyes eagerly roaming around the lamp-lit room. They came back disappointed. Where was Helene? Rey's mind immediately went wild with theories and guesses, the worst of which pertained to death and the best was that she had gotten away by herself--

"You're late," the flat voice of the new person stated. The woman grunted in annoyance.

"Tell that to her, smartass. Also tell your dumbass--" there was an indignant 'Hey!' but she went on like it hadn't happened, "--bro...friend, to keep his big mouth shut if he can't follow simple instructions like no names."

"Oh yeah?" The boy challenged. Rey wondered if they really were going to do the whole routine while a gun was pressed to the back of her head. Thankfully the other guy cut in and made the youngest be quiet. The room went silent after that. Even though she stood with her face to a wall Rey could tell they were staring at her. At long last the gun and its deadly pressure left her head and Rey had never been so grateful.

"Turn around...you can put your hands down,"the calm man said.As soon as the words left his mouth her arms dropped. She rubbed at them in relief as she obeyed. When she was facing them, however, she discovered they were wearing masks with cutouts for eyes, nose and mouth. Haven't I already seen their faces...oh. She realized that she actually hadn't seen any of them, not even either of the two males. They'd been incredibly careful to keep their faces turned away from her the whole time. It would be incredibly hard if she wanted to report them to the police later on, since she only recognized their voices. Someone spoke and Rey was brought of her thoughts. They were asking her a question.

"Why were you late? We told you to be here by six thirty on the dot, didn't we?"

Rey nodded, but hesitated before answering. Would they really believe her story, even though it was partly false? She answered anyway, seeing the unfriendly eyes of the woman glaring at her when she took a while to respond.

"Um...I fainted, I don't know for how long..." She stopped speaking and the room stayed quiet. It was obvious they didn't believe her, especially the woman, who was pointing her gun at Rey. Again! Rey's hands automatically went up when the barrel to the gun stared her in the face.

"You fainted?"The man said, in a skeptical tone. She nodded frantically, leaning away from the gun as much as she dared.

"Yes, I swear! I didn't even bring my phone, only the money! She can check if you really want to make sure--"

He cut her off. "Yes, yes, that's unnecessary. I believe you."

"You do?" The woman whirled on him in baffled fury.

He stayed calm and unruffled. Rey got the feeling that he must have been dealing with his angry comrade for a long time.

“Her clothes are stained with dirt and grass. There’s no need for her to lie; isn’t her friend still with us? And haven’t we been monitoring her?”

Were you really? Rey wanted to ask him.  I was lying there for who knows how long, and you didn’t even come to check on me or anything. She shrugged inwardly. At least they believed her.

He turned to her. “Did you count the money? Is it complete?”

Rey nodded. He told the other guy to check whether it was all there. Rey saw her chance, so she took it.

“Can I—can I see my friend please? I want to make sure she’s alright.”

They all had a weird look on their faces when she spoke, but the woman nodded after confirming it was all right with her companions. She motioned towards the door with her head and strode out of the room, so Rey followed her. Thankfully there was no gun. For a fleeting moment Rey thought about running, dismissing the idea as soon as it came to her mind. Escape was a literal fantasy at this point. The woman had left her gun behind but Rey held no hopes of even taking her on. Her opponent was a tall, well built woman with anger issues. It would be a repeat of David and Goliath, only this time Goliath would pound David into minced meat for the scavengers. Rey shuddered at the gory imagery and changed the topic to something more concerning.

Helene. How was she doing? Rey did her best to contain her anxiety, manifesting in the form of shaky fingers tapping against her jeans. The woman stopped and frowned at her.

“Would you stop that?”

Meekly she clasped her fingers together. The other nodded in satisfaction and they resumed their journey.

Eventually they stopped at a doorway. Yellow light shone from under the door. The woman turned the door and gestured Rey into the room. The door closed behind her and she could hear the key turning in the lock. It didn’t bother her. All that mattered was that she was finally face to face with her best friend, her sister.  Her eyes grew hot all of a sudden when Helene turned to her with a small smile.

“Hey Rey,” she said. “What took you so long?”