Hanna tossed the screwdriver aside, rolled into the dark space, and quickly started to make her climb. As her foot hit the first step, the ladder shook with the ravages of time. A thick curtain of dust and dirt showered down from above. Oh my God. This ladder is going to disintegrate! Despite the safety concern, it was her only option. She gritted her teeth and started the slow and cautious climb upward. The brightness from the sunlight above was the only thing she focused on. I’m almost there. You can do this!
The creature arrived moments after Hanna had reached the halfway point. It quickly went after her, flying up the wooden scaffolding in a matter of seconds. The sudden movement added more instability to the old wooden ladder, sending it into a violent swaying motion. Hanna reached toward the wall for support as she looked down at the ferocious creature climbing toward her with rage. The ladder started to twist and pop from the weathered concrete fastener that had held it to the wall for decades. The only thing keeping it from collapsing was a handful of bolts at the top near the exit.
Hanna refocused on the sunlight above and moved up a few more steps. The creature gained quickly, grabbing her foot and pulling her down a few feet. She hung on desperately as the ladder started to separate from the wall. The ladder fell back into the other wall, pinning Hanna underneath. The creature fell a few feet but reclaimed its position quickly. Hanna crawled out from under the ladder and fought desperately to gain more ground. The creature reached up and grabbed her ankle. Hanna looked down. The creature was within striking distance. She raised her left foot and kicked down on the creature’s face, this time stunning it. She twisted her ankle from its grasp and hurled upward to the sunlight. The creature shook off its daze and pursued her, sending the ladder into another spin.
Hanna had barely reached the ledge when the left side of the ladder separated from itself. The wood slowly broke into slivers and collapsed downward toward the creature. Hanna quickly hoisted her body onto the ledge as the structure crumpled. The creature glared upward as gravity took control; its body dropped along with the debris and crashed down four stories into a plume of dust. Hanna rolled over to her back and sighed heavily.
Something was strange about how she felt at that moment. As thankful and relieved as she was, she couldn’t help dwelling on the four others she had left behind. Her survival seemed to make little sense, considering she had been the outsider. Hanna mustered up her remaining strength and reached toward a slotted metal grate that looked out toward the blue sky. It was a beautiful, bright summer day.
The sun cascaded against a long, jagged line of purple mountains. The vast desert landscape seemed like a different planet. A steady breeze wove through the coves and hummocks of the terrain. There was no sign of life other than the cacti and towering Joshua trees that dwelt in the region.
The ground began to separate. Vegetation and dry foliage began to slide forward against the horizon. It appeared as if the earth was folding in on itself. She heard the sounds of metal and locks snapping open. The large metal grate lifted upward and crashed topside down. Hanna painfully ascended from a hole as the bright sun spilled across her tired and disheveled face. She rolled onto her back and stared at the sun. It was hard to contain her emotion at the sight of the deep-blue desert sky. It was the first time she had allowed herself to cry. But her moment of release was short-lived. Off in the distance, the sound of a motor vehicle raced toward her.
Alongside a long, dusty road, Hanna climbed up for a better look. Less than a mile away, several vehicles raced toward her. They kicked up a tornado of dust behind them. Within seconds, the unmarked trucks and SUVs cautiously rolled up and began slowing down. Before the tires had the chance to stop, a dozen heavily armed military police officers piled out from the vehicles and surrounded Hanna at gunpoint. The sky came alive with the arrival of a Pave Hawk helicopter. Hanna looked up as it hovered overhead, stirring up the desert floor with a tornado of dust.
EPILOGUE
It was as if a nightmare had just ended. Hanna returned to the world through the arrival of bright overhead office lights. Her eyes fluttered open. She fought back the brightness with a sour, disorientated scowl. Where the hell am I? The sounds of heart monitors and overhead announcements seemed to be an indication of where she was. A large military hospital. The blurry outline of a man wearing medical scrubs emerged from the corner of the room with a clipboard. “Ma’am, your daughter is here to see you,” the nurse said as he checked an IV bag that hovered over the bedside.
The man quickly finished his duties in the room and exited.
Emily! Hanna cracked a smile. She took a deep sigh and sat up in her bed, anticipating the arrival of her little girl.
The doorway was empty. The anticipation was painful. Hanna kept her eyes angled toward the lower part of the doorframe. Then a young woman stepped into the room and stopped. A look of confusion swept over Hanna’s face as the young woman stepped toward her. Who is this? Hanna thought. Why is she just standing there and staring at me? Where is my daughter? Where’s Emily?
The woman was dressed in street clothing: a leather jacket, blue jeans, and boots. The girl was an attractive twentysomething. Her eyes were blue and strikingly familiar. Hanna kept looking around for someone else to arrive.
“Who are you? Where’s my daughter?” Hanna asked through dry lips.
The young woman stood as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes began to fill with tears. She parted her lips. She muttered words and tried to make sense of the situation. “I haven’t seen you since the accident.”
Hanna took in the response as though she had just been given a diagnosis of cancer. “What? Who are you?” Hanna demanded.
“You’ve been gone for fifteen years,” said the young woman.
Hanna couldn’t believe what this girl was implying. Instinctively, though, something made her believe the girl. She, in fact, was her daughter, Emily.
“Oh my God,” Hanna muttered, and she broke into a mess of tears.
“Well, you’re home now,” the young woman replied, wiping the emotion from her face.
In the moment of her astonishment, Hanna failed to feel the long purple vein that spider-webbed down the back of her neck.