Wish

In the frame of the door, the chortessa snarls. A dollop of saliva drips from its gums and slips to the floor. I swallow, keeping my eyes fixed on the beast. Around me, the room begins to vibrate. At my feet, a layer of dust puffs up from the floor. Tiles on the walls rumble and clatter to the ground.

I glance around but the chortessa growls when I take my eyes from her so I look back. She fades behind an intricate shimmer of energy. I gasp as I recognise a face in the strange warping of reality.

"Bellamy?" Then the face crystallises and I realise it's not the captain. "Niah!"

***

Niah

I spent ages flicking through the various internal settings of Virreal's intricate programs until I finally found it. An echo of Wish led to this place. I glance around at the eerie shadows as the virtual world shimmered into existence around me.

"Wish!" I cry, seeing her standing there, awake and whole. My head dances and I grin, lifting a hand to wave. The joy on her face is fleeting. It's devoured almost instantly by panic. She gestures wildly behind me. "What?" I say, turning in place. I gasp as a large, furry, four-legged beast takes a step toward us from the narrow doorway.

I take several steps backward, then feel the solid wall behind us. Wish reaches out to grasp my hand. I grip hers in mine.

"I shouldn't have used a timer," I mutter. Wish glances at me and I shake my head not wanting to waste my breath explaining.

The chortessa stalks forward again. Beside me, Wish shivers and I can feel the terror dancing through her. I take a breath, trying to steady my thoughts. The beast fixes its gaze on my sister. I wave my free hand and take a step toward it.

Wish's hand tightens on mine and she tries to pull me back but I focus on the lesser beast. Its fixed look remains on Wish and it growls low in its throat. I narrow my gaze, studying the creature.

Curious. It seems obsessed with her, to the point that it's practically ignoring me. That reminds me of something Tye said when the eagrims attacked the guards.

"Wish, calm your mind. I think it's sensing your fear."

She shakes her head. "I can't not be afraid, Niah. That thing's a killer. It ripped the guard apart. And it," her voice sticks in her throat and she sobs again. Sniffing a breath through her nose she adds, "and Bellamy."

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I close my eyes because it doesn't make much sense, except I suppose it does. In a virtual reality, anything can exist and I can't be sure this particular creature isn't programmed to be a vicious killer.

Wish takes a deep breath. It shudders from her lungs but she dries her tears and lifts her chin. "But Casper, he said it was friendly." Her voice quivers with hope.

I glance across at her. "Casper?" She nods. I have no idea who she is talking about but since it seems to give her strength I let it go. We don't have time to run a blow-by-blow. "So," I say instead, "breathe. Calm your mind, Wish. Let's be her friend."

We watch as the chortessa's snarling softens in her confusion. She pauses, sniffs the air, and then puts her head low to the ground as she growls again.

Beside me, Wish quivers. "What if it doesn't work?" she whispers. The chortessa's lips curl, baring its sharp teeth. Its tail swishes in a slow drop and it takes another step closer, watching Wish with its sharp eyes.

"That's fear talking Wish. You have to really believe."

"We should run, Niah. Back down the corridor, back to the labyrinth." She lets go of my hand and begins to edge away around the wall of the room. The chortessa lunges forward then, snapping and snarling at her. Wish freezes in place.

I step between the beast and Wish. By breaking its eye contact with Wish, I force the creature to acknowledge me. "Hey!" I shout. "Leave her alone!"

The beast's low grumble echoes around the room. My confidence doesn't make it back down or show any signs of a friendly reception. I swallow as I see the way it sizes me up.

"You're right. We should run." I wave a hand beside me to indicate to Wish that she should continue to edge around the room toward the corridor. I match each step she makes, keeping myself between her and the chortessa. The beast's eyes follow me. It circles in place at the centre of the room and snaps it's drool-soaked jowls at us with low growls.

As we reach the corridor Wish grips my shoulder. "Let's run now, Niah? Please."

I nod. "On three." I flex my legs. "One." I keep my gaze fixed on the chortessa. "Two..." She's inching closer, her sharp claws dig into the hard ground. "Three." Wish darts away. I turn, sprinting after her through the long corridor, and hear the beast lunge after us into the darkness.

The passage continues like a long, dark series of channels. Wish darts here and there at intersections. I wonder if she knows the way or if terror makes the choices for her. Behind us, the chortessa snarls and yips. She's always close, but somehow, we manage to stay ahead of her. Barely.

The darkness seems almost endless. My heart is racing, my lungs are burning, and my calves are on fire as we run as fast as we can manage. It can't possibly be fast enough because the chortessa's long strides sound with soft pads against the floor behind us. Wish bursts through into the brighter light beyond the long corridor. I race to follow. I glance back over my shoulder at the chortessa chasing our heels.

Something heavy slams into my feet and I trip, stumbling over. I crash into the ground. The breath hisses from my lungs and pain ricochets through my hands and knees. I wince, trying to roll away but come face to face with the bloody, horrified features of my doppelgänger. His mouth is frozen open in terror, his eyes wide but dull with lifelessness. My heart stills and my breath catches.

Wish screams, startling me back to action. I roll onto my back as the beast lunges forward toward me. Its fangs seem huge.

I raise my hands to shove back the beast. They meet the wall of its heavy chest. Her weight is crushing. She's bigger than I realised. All I hear is Wish's screams and the heaving breath of the chortessa. The smell of its taints my nostrils. The sticky heat of its breath on my skin makes me want to retch.

My hands grasp in its fur. I try to throw it off me but I'm not strong enough. The beast's mouth, wet lolling tongue and sharp fangs, wraps around my throat. Then everything seems to shimmer around us.

My hands thrash and all I see is darkness but the weight is gone. In its place is an uncomfortable tightness over my eyes, nose, and ears. I lift my hands and wrench off the headset, throwing it across the room as my lungs heave for breath.

I turn to Wish. She's sitting up and tugging at the cord around her head. I help pull the headset off, let it drop behind her, then detach the rest of the wires connecting her to the machine.

"Niah! Niah!" She cries, reaching for me the moment our hands are free. She clasps me tight, sobbing hard against my shoulder.

Tears stream down my own face and I feel my breath tight in my lungs as I clutch her to me. I run my hand through her hair and just hold her tight and close. I don't want to ever let her go.