Chapter 8 - The Mother Who Knew EverythingThe woman inside the chamber was older than Alex remembered.
But it was her.
The eyes.
The hands.
The scar beneath the left ear.
Alex approached the glass.
"You survived."
"I did."
"Why didn't you find me?"
Her mother looked down.
"I tried."
"You abandoned me."
The words came out sharper than Alex expected.
Her mother's face tightened.
"I knew where you were."
"Then why?"
"Because they were watching."
"Who?"
"The Vael."
Alex shook her head.
"Why protect them?"
Her mother closed her eyes.
"Because without them, you would have been dead years ago."
Kael stiffened.
"Explain."
She looked at him.
"You shouldn't have brought her here."
"I had no choice."
"You always have a choice."
Kael stepped toward the glass.
"You knew about the Roar."
"Of course."
"You knew what it does."
"Yes."
"You knew Alex was resistant."
Her mother looked at Alex.
"She isn't resistant."
Alex felt cold.
"Then what am I?"
Her mother pressed her hand against the glass.
"Compatible."
"Compatible with what?"
"The original signal."
Silence.
Her mother continued.
"Long before the Vael came to the surface, humanity discovered a structure beneath Earth."
"The Roar?"
"No."
"The machine."
"No."
"Then what?"
Her mother's voice dropped.
"A door."
Alex stared.
"A door to what?"
"Something that should never have been opened."
Kael looked at the ceiling.
"We need to leave."
Her mother laughed.
"You still don't understand."
"What?"
"The coast is not an escape route."
"Then what is it?"
"A gateway."
Alex felt the room spin.
Her mother continued.
"The first humans who entered the chamber came back changed."
"How?"
"They could hear frequencies nobody else could."
Alex whispered:
"Like the Roar."
"Yes."
"Then why can I hear it?"
"Because you're carrying their bloodline."
Alex recoiled.
"What bloodline?"
Her mother hesitated.
Then she said:
"The first."
A violent tremor shook the chamber.
Kael raised his weapon.
"They found us."
Her mother shouted:
"Take her to the coast!"
Alex turned.
"You're coming with us."
"No."
"Mom."
"I can't leave."
"Why?"
Her mother looked at the glass chamber.
Then Alex noticed the cables attached to her body.
She understood.
"You've been powering this."
Her mother nodded.
"The machine needs me."
Alex searched her face.
"How long?"
"Six years."
Alex's breath broke.
"Since I was taken."
"Yes."
Her mother looked toward Kael.
"Listen carefully."
A warning siren began.
"They do not want Alex dead."
Kael knew.
"They want her alive."
"Why?"
Her mother's eyes moved to Alex.
"Because once she reaches the coast, the door will open."
Alex shook her head.
"I'm not opening anything."
Her mother smiled.
"You won't have a choice."
The chamber doors began to shake.
Soldiers were coming.
Kael grabbed Alex.
Her mother shouted:
"Go!"
Alex resisted.
"I'm not leaving you again!"
Her mother slammed her hand against the glass.
The machine activated.
A pulse threw Alex backward.
The last thing she heard was her mother's voice.
"I'm sorry."
The chamber exploded.
Alex woke outside.
Kael was dragging her through the forest.
Behind them, the underground facility collapsed into flames.
Alex screamed.
"Mom!"
Kael didn't stop.
At the edge of the forest, he finally turned.
"I tried."
Alex looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"You knew she would die."
Kael said nothing.
Alex raised her weapon.
"You knew."
"I knew."
"Then why?"
Kael's voice cracked for the first time.
"Because your mother ordered me to."
A roar echoed behind them.
Not the Roar.
Something enormous.
The forest shook.
Kael looked toward the burning ruins.
"Run."
"Why?"
May you like
He stared into the darkness.
"Because what came out with us wasn't human."
