I'm not fond of how this story turned out--I just didn't have the skill to write it properly back then. The beginning still holds a certain power for me, though, and I intend to rewrite the whole thing someday.
"Why are you doing this?" the girl asked, and for a moment Tolliver wondered that himself.
"Because you deserve it," Vyce responded. He gripped her right arm as tightly as Tolliver held her left, leading her down the dimly lit staircase that led below the labs.
"Do you know what the Tyrant did to me? What he did to all of us?"
"You won't get anywhere with Vyce," Tolliver interrupted. "When we learned that the Tyrant was dead, he was in the first ranks to storm this castle. His sister was one of the girls in the labs, and he found her too late. You weren't barred in like she was. You could have saved her."
"The Tyrant needed a few people to give the others food. A few to clean the floors. A few to . . ." She broke off. "But you know his power as well as I. If I'd done anything, I'd have wound up on the other side of the bars myself."
"You're a coward," spat Vyce. "But we're giving you a chance to prove you're more than that."
"He had me lead a few of the other girls down here. None of them ever came back up."
"The notes in the lab mention two experiments," said Tolliver. "A monster, and a weapon to kill it. If you can get the weapon, you'll have a fighting chance."
The girl was close to tears. "I'm just a maid! I've never killed anyone!"
At last they reached the door, thick steel with a single barred window. Vyce held the girl while Tolliver opened it. Vyce shoved her through, and the door swung closed behind her with the sound of screaming metal.
The girl pressed her face to the bars. "This is crazy!"
Vyce ascended the stairs without looking behind him. Tolliver barely heard his muttered words.
"This is justice."
The girl slumped to the ground. She was dark of skin and hair, far darker than Tolliver's pale brown, and in the gloom beyond the door, he could no longer see her. But he could hear her as she cried, and he thought of ghosts as he followed Vyce up the stairs, leaving her alone in the dark.
"Why are you doing this?" the girl asked, and for a moment Tolliver wondered that himself.
"Because you deserve it," Vyce responded. He gripped her right arm as tightly as Tolliver held her left, leading her down the dimly lit staircase that led below the labs.
"Do you know what the Tyrant did to me? What he did to all of us?"
"You won't get anywhere with Vyce," Tolliver interrupted. "When we learned that the Tyrant was dead, he was in the first ranks to storm this castle. His sister was one of the girls in the labs, and he found her too late. You weren't barred in like she was. You could have saved her."
"The Tyrant needed a few people to give the others food. A few to clean the floors. A few to . . ." She broke off. "But you know his power as well as I. If I'd done anything, I'd have wound up on the other side of the bars myself."
"You're a coward," spat Vyce. "But we're giving you a chance to prove you're more than that."
"He had me lead a few of the other girls down here. None of them ever came back up."
"The notes in the lab mention two experiments," said Tolliver. "A monster, and a weapon to kill it. If you can get the weapon, you'll have a fighting chance."
The girl was close to tears. "I'm just a maid! I've never killed anyone!"
At last they reached the door, thick steel with a single barred window. Vyce held the girl while Tolliver opened it. Vyce shoved her through, and the door swung closed behind her with the sound of screaming metal.
The girl pressed her face to the bars. "This is crazy!"
Vyce ascended the stairs without looking behind him. Tolliver barely heard his muttered words.
"This is justice."
The girl slumped to the ground. She was dark of skin and hair, far darker than Tolliver's pale brown, and in the gloom beyond the door, he could no longer see her. But he could hear her as she cried, and he thought of ghosts as he followed Vyce up the stairs, leaving her alone in the dark.
