Break The Ice (9 page)

“I don’t even feel it,” I say.

“Stay close in case we both turn into popsicles again,” Ted says.

“Agreed,” Kaitlyn says.

“Was it as soon as you walked in?” I say.

Kaitlyn nods. “I walked through the door and couldn’t move my legs anymore.”

“Same,” Ted says. “You think the others in here are like that?”

I have no idea, but it explains why nobody’s in the lobby. “Let’s go,” I say. We pile into the elevator, and I smack the large
2
. “Stay close,” I say. “I remember what it felt like when I approached Tinjo the first time. It’ll be worse than before.”

“Tinjo?” Kaitlyn says.

“It’ll be easier to show than tell.” I lead them through the still opening elevator doors, past the bathroom, and straight for mom’s room. No crying. No laughter. Worst case scenarios play through my head. As we pass it, I peek into the laughing man’s room. His bed is empty.

“This doesn’t seem right,” Kaitlyn says.

“Give it a second. It’s right here.”

I turn into mom’s room and my heart stops. There’s nobody in her bed. This isn’t happening. “Tinjo, where are you?”

A dark swirl of clouds appears in the corner.

“Enough of the dramatic bullshit, get out here.”

The darkest cloud opens up and a long, blue leg steps through first. His hands follow and grab onto the swirling mist. He pulls himself through the opening and lands hard on the floor. Dusting himself off, he says, “I was expecting you.”

“What’s going on here? Where’s my mom?”

“She is safe, like I promised she would be.”

“And the rest of the hospital?”

“They are in refuge. My men needed to take post in the building, and it became too cold for some of the guests.”

“What do you mean
refuge
?”

He steps closer to me. A wave of cold air flows from his body. “We sealed off the kitchen so that they stayed warm. Are these your first recruits?”

“Yes,” I say, still trying to accept what he’s saying. “But they can’t even be near you without freezing.”

Reaching out, Tinjo plants one hand on each of their shoulders. I don’t know how different it is when he touches you versus you absorbing his smoke, but both Kaitlyn and Ted’s bodies tense and then relax.

“I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of this hot and cold game. Pick one and leave me alone,” Ted says.

“Are you okay?” I say.

Kaitlyn looks me in the eyes and nods even though I can tell she’s in pain.

I turn to Tinjo. “Are they going to be okay from now on?”

“The chill of the Dinmani will no longer pain your warriors,” he says. “Onto the matter at hand.”

“Not until I see mom,” I say. Even before I said them, I knew the words would make me sound childish.

“My men are working with her,” he says. “You must complete your work first, then we will arrange something.”

“What am I supposed to do? I did what you asked and brought back someone that can help. Plus a second.”

“You will need more,” he says.

“I don’t know any more.”

“I have already taken the liberty to round up more humans for you.”

“You make it sound like you’re herding cattle,” Kaitlyn says.

His eyes dart to her and shine with an icy heat, but his tone remains calm and collected. “Despite how you may feel about it, you will need them.”

“Where are they?” I say before he can say anything else to Kaitlyn. I don’t like the way he looks at her.

“Far from here. You will go to them using the railways.” Tinjo pulls out three tickets from behind him. “These will get you there. You must not miss the first train, or it will be too late.”

I take the tickets, not sure how he knew there would be three of us. The departure time shows
12:00a.m.
“I want to at least see the hospital staff.”

Tinjo cocks his head and stares at me like a confused dog. “You must not miss the first train.”

“We’re fifteen minutes from the station, and it’s barely past nine. We have enough time.”

“You risk their wellbeing by breaking my seal.”

“We’ll be quick.” I put the tickets in my pocket and usher Kaitlyn and Ted from the room. “You said the kitchen. Did you mean the cafeteria?” I say without looking back.

“You remember the way. Go if you must.” The chill from his portal brushes my back for a moment then disappears.

“We can trust him?” Kaitlyn says when we get to the ground floor.

“He’s helping my mom, so I have to,” I say.

“I don’t like him,” she says.

“Me neither. Gives me the chills–and not because of the whole frozen man thing,” Ted says, rubbing his arms.

You’re not the only one. “We’re getting close. I don’t know what it’s going to be like inside there, but try to keep everybody calm. We’ll only be a minute.”

Two men stand in front of the doors leading into the eating area. Their skin isn’t as dark as Tinjo’s. They’re both very tall, a few inches taller than me, and thinner.

“Hey, look who it is,” one says, elbowing the other.

The second’s eyes bolt open as he wakes up. “Back again.”

I recognize the higher pitched voices from the night that Tinjo broke through. “We need to get in there,” I say.

“Woah, man, that is not a good idea,” Lefty says.

“I have to agree with my brother here.” Righty leans in close. “If I break the seal, they are going to get cold inside.”

“Wicked cold.”

“Frozen solid.”

“A group of popsicles in an open–”

“Enough,” I say. “How do I get in there without freezing them?”

They lean close to each other and whisper loud enough for me to hear them.

“I can sense his Dinmow.”

“Me too. Stronger than you would expect a human to hold.”

“I guess he is the one.”

“You think we can squeeze him through?”

“Getting him back will be harder.”

“Only one way to find out.”

They both look at me for a second and then smile. “We can do it,” they say together.

“But we’re not allowed?” Ted says.

“My power would crush you,” Lefty says.

“Your power cannot wrinkle his shirt.” Righty says and jabs his brother in the side.

Kaitlyn and Ted both stand behind me. “I’ll be back out in five minutes. Stay away if you can. I don’t want everyone inside to freeze because of something we can avoid. Okay?”

They both nod.

Turning back to the blue brothers, I say, “What do I need to do?”

“Stand right there.”

“And do not move.”

“There will be a tight pinch.”

“It will not hurt…after the first few seconds. Then maybe ten minutes later.”

“Close your eyes.”

“Breathe.”

“And on the count of three, open them.”

“One.”

How HowHo “
I take a deep breath.

“Two.”

An immense pressure builds up around me. It tugs at my skin, trying to peel it off. Strands of hair pull at the root, tearing out of my scalp. My lungs are ready to explode. Another second of this and I’ll die.

“Three.”

I open my eyes and the pressure releases. Holding my breath wasn’t a good idea. I suck in air, trying not to pass out. A pinch, they said. More like a vacuum.

“Not bad.”

“Except you did not breathe.”

“You have three minutes before it seals up and–”

“You do not want to be stuck here after that. If you thought the first time hurt, getting back would kill you.”

“Literally.”

They both laugh.

A sea of people are in front of me, crowding tables and sharing chairs, a few still in their hospital beds or tucked away in the corner. I scan the room, searching for mom. Tinjo really did take her some place different. I stop on Mel’s face. She’s leaning over one of the hospital beds, checking a woman’s pulse and shaking her head.

I run over to her. “Mel,” I say.

She holds up a finger, her lips moving as she counts. “This isn’t good. If she doesn’t get a new drip soon, she’ll go into shock. John, I need you–” She turns and looks at my face while she talks. “You’re not John.” She blinks a few times and then says, “Oh my god. Sam? Where have you been?”

“Trying to get back here,” I say.

Putting the bed-ridden woman’s hand down gently, Mel storms over to where I stand. Her body language suggests she’s ready to slap me, but she wraps her arms around me instead. “I thought you were dead.”

I’ve never been good at hugging back, so I fold my arms around her back and let them hang there until she steps back. “Why would I be dead?”

“You didn’t answer my thousand phone calls or any of my texts. Then they threw us in here and everybody’s phones stopped working.” She shrugs and looks down as she says, “I was worried about you.”

I smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “Thanks. But I’m okay.” Relatively speaking. “Are you okay? How long have you been in here?”

“Hours? Days? I can’t tell. I went to check on your mom. It got so cold. Before I knew it, I woke up in here with everybody else.”

“Have they hurt anyone?”

“I have no idea who
they
are,” she says. “You’re the first new person I’ve seen since waking up.”

So the Dinmani stayed hidden during containment. That explains why nobody inside is panicking.

“Thirty seconds.”

I’m not sure if that’s Lefty or Righty, but my heart rate quickens.

Mel looks around behind her. “Who said that?”

“No time to explain. I need to go. I’ll be back as soon as I can to make sure you’re still okay. Take care of everyone, okay?” I turn to leave, but she grabs my arm.

“You can’t leave, you just got here. Plus, we could use help.”

“I want to, but I can’t. It’s hard to explain. Trust me. I really have to go.”

“Fifteen seconds.”

“Then I’m coming with you,” she says, defiant, crossing her arms.

I look from her to the door and then back at the patients crowding the room. “You said they need all the help they can get.”

“There are enough doctors here to help out. I can’t let you waltz out of here alone. Again.”

“Time is up, Romeo. Looks like she comes too.”

Before I can say anything, the room bends around me. A fog rises from the ground around me. Mel’s grip on my arm loosens, so I pull as hard as I can. She breaks through the fog’s barrier and crashes into my chest. She shivers against me. I squeeze tighter.

“One. Two. Three,” I say out loud. The evaporates almost immediately and we’re back outside the cafeteria doors.

Kaitlyn and Ted stop talking and rush over. When they get close and notice I brought someone along, they both stop. Kaitlyn’s eyes land on Mel.

“Help me with her,” I say. Neither move, so I say, “One of you, hurry up.”

Ted looks at Kaitlyn but she doesn’t move. He jumps over to my side and puts one of Mel’s arms around his neck.

“Move her to that chair,” I say.

Together, Ted and I guide Mel into the closest seat. She’s still shaking, but her breathing steadies. Fast, but steady.

“Who is she?” Ted says.

“A nurse here at the hospital,” I say. “A friend,” I add, thinking about how big Kaitlyn’s eyes were. “She wouldn’t let me leave her behind.”

“Damn…right…” she says.

“Does she know anything?” Ted says.

“Not yet,” I say.

She takes one deep breath and holds it for a few seconds before exhaling. “Know what?”

“It’s hard to explain,” I say.

“Basically? Two alien races are trying to kill each other and we’re here to stop one of them,” Ted says. He looks at me before grinning. “I said basically.”

Mel scoffs and it makes her cough. “Right, aliens.”

I step to the side, unblocking her view so that her eyes line up with Lefty and Righty. They’re poking at each other and laughing, acting human, but there’s no denying their skin color, a pale blue that means they’re auditioning for the Blue Man Group or they’re not from Earth.

“Okay,” she says, nodding. “Aliens. If they’re holding the hospital hostage, why are you out here?”

“They’re not the bad ones,” I say. “Believe it or not, it’s to keep everyone from freezing to death.”

“Freezing from what?” she says. “I wasn’t cold until you pulled me into that cloud.”

My hand has been touching her since we left the sealed room. If I let go, she’ll get a blast of the cold air. That can’t happen. I squeeze tighter. “Remember outside my mom’s room? You said you froze. It’s like that but more intense.”

“I know what freezing is,” she says. “Why is it happening?”

“I don’t know. Except that it’s because they’re here. We were recruited to help them save both our planets. Once we help with their problem, they’ll return home. Everything here will go back to normal.”

Mel stretches her neck and rolls her shoulders. She stands up, shaking out her limbs. “If you trust them, then let’s go.”

“What are we going to do about the train?” Kaitlyn says outside the hospital.

“What do you mean?” I say.

“Tinjo gave us three tickets, not four.”

“I think we can manage it, Kait,” Ted says. “It can’t be that hard to get somebody on a train.”

When Mel’s Dodge comes into site, she runs to the side. “What did you do to Veronica?” she says, stroking the scratch.

“Things were a little shaky in Lake Shore,” I say. “I’ll fix it when we’re finished here.”

“I’ll make sure you do,” she says.

I can’t tell if she’s joking or not.

“Shotgun,” Ted says, jumping to the front of the group.

“Shouldn’t Sam ride up front?” Kaitlyn says. “His legs are a lot longer than yours.”

“Hey, I don’t make the rules,” Ted says. He climbs into the car and shuts the door.

Mel turns the car on before Kaitlyn or I shuffle into the backseat. She hasn’t opened her door yet, so I say, “You alright?”

She looks at me a little sideways. “Fine, why?”

Fine
. I hate that word. I know what it really means, but she won’t admit it. “It’s just–”

“I’m fine. Drop it.” She ducks into the car.

I drop my forehead onto the roof, holding back the urge to bang it repeatedly. We were doing great before the Sunjin appeared and destroyed her hometown. Now I don’t know what’s going on. Earlier, she rolled her eyes at Ted. Now she laughs only with him. I can’t figure out if–

Ted sticks his head out the passenger window. “You coming, man?”

“Yeah.” I open the door and squeeze into the backseat. There’s almost no space for me. “Enjoying the breeze, sorry.”

“-fits the way it should. Chair back, mirrors off, steering wheel too high. Last time I let someone this tall borrow my car, I’ll tell you that.” Mel bangs the steering wheel three times until it falls into place. “Perfect. So where are we going?” Mel says, reversing from the parking spot.

“Train station. We have twenty-five minutes to get there,” I say.

“It doesn’t leave until midnight. We have more than an hour,” Ted says.

“Not if we need to find a way to get Mel on the train.”

There’s no conversation for the entirety of the drive. Mel tries to ask a few questions, but nobody answers her. I’m too busy staring out the window trying not to lose circulation in my feet. I don’t know why the others won’t talk to her.

Finally, she stops at a red light and says, “Alright, if I’m driving us all onto a train so we can go somewhere that you guys won’t tell me, someone can at least explain to me what we’re doing when we get there.”

“We don’t know,” Kaitlyn snaps.

“What my friend means to say in a more polite tone is that the blue guy didn’t tell us the details,” Ted says. “He said people are waiting for us. Sam’s the leader, the captain or general or something along those lines.”

“I have as much info as you do,” I say without taking my eyes off of the still street lamps. “Tinjo told me we need an army. I’m not sure what he expects a bunch of teenagers to do about it.”

“Hey, I’m twenty-one, thank you,” Mel says.

Kaitlyn sighs, but I ignore it. “It doesn’t change much,” I say. “None of us are actual soldiers. Unless he has us riding to a Marine base, I’m not sure what he expects. But we have to do it.”

“What’s riding on it?” Mel says.

“My mom’s life,” I say.

“And the rest of the world’s fate,” Ted adds. “You know, that little thing.”

“And why are you two helping?”

“Destroyer recruited us to save the world. How could we say no?”

Kaitlyn smacks the back of the seat. “Ted, enough.”

“Destroyer?” Mel says, her eyes finding me in the mirror.

I avoid direct contact and stare at the back of Ted’s headrest, imagining myself strangling him. “Not relevant,” I say.

“Alright…how about some music, then?” She turns up the radio and we ride the last ten minutes quiet.

The train station is empty, not a single car in the parking lot except for Mel’s. A few street lamps light up the platform, but it might as well be abandoned. I pull out my phone and check the time.
10:42p.m.
The battery is at the halfway point, and I forgot a charger. Damn.

“Anybody ever buy a ticket here?” Ted says.

“I’ve done it before,” Mel says, “except it was during the day and there were people working. I couldn’t tell you where anything is.”

“Let’s find the train and wait. Maybe you can buy a ticket on board,” Kaitlyn says.

“Or if it’s as abandoned as this place, you can ride for free,” Ted says.

I pull the tickets out and check the departure time again. Scanning everything, I stop on the destination. “What the…” Tinjo wasn’t kidding when he said far away.

“What’s wrong?” Kaitlyn says. She comes over and grabs a ticket. “Salt Lake City? Seriously? That’ll take at least two days.”

“Why don’t we fly out?” Ted says.

“Do you have the money to buy four people plane tickets?” I say.

He shakes his head, staring out at the empty tracks ahead. “At least we’ll have time to bond.”

“Here it comes,” I say, yelling over to the others gathered on a small bench surrounded by glass. I’ve been staring down the tracks for thirty minutes.

“What’s the plan?” Mel says.

“If there’s someone checking tickets, I’ll pull his attention and you slide on,” I say.

The train stops alongside our platform. Two small staircases extend out to climb aboard with nobody waiting for us. I step on first and follow a sign pointing us to our seats. Nobody is on the train, staff or passenger.

The others’ footsteps sound off behind me. No one talks. Their heavy breathing overwhelms the unnerving silence.

“Why don’t we sit here?” Ted says. “Nobody else is.”

“He’s right,” Kaitlyn says. “The farther we go in, the more likely we’re going to run into somebody asking for tickets.”

I stare down at the ticket in my hand. The price noted on the bottom is outrageous, even for an almost-cross-country ride. “It’s not much more,” I say.

Inside the next train car, I stop walking. Mel follows too close, and she runs into me. “What are you doing?” she says.