Redemption - A Darla Gray Novel Page 4

  “Thank you,” she croaked between gasps, her throat dry and her voice hoarse from the constant retching.

  Quinn uncharacteristically felt a rush of guilt. Obviously she had assumed the coat was an act of kindness where in reality he had used it as a barrier against his own unexplained desires.

  “Yeah whatever, no problem.” Coughing uncomfortably he turned his back. You are one sick puppy, he thought to himself. “Your clothes are in the inside pocket,” he reminded her.

  Trying to regain some semblance of control while erasing visions of her stood naked behind him, Quinn sprang into action the second he heard the scream escape her lips. Crouching with a large serrated knife-- pulled from a sheath at the top of his thigh-- clasped firmly in his right hand, his eyes scanned the area searching for the source of the threat.

  A fully clothed Darla stood frozen to the spot too shaken to do anything but point towards a severed, mangled arm lying on the ground before her. Knowing there to be no danger from the lifeless limb, Quinn quickly sheathed the lethal looking blade and kicked the monstrosity away.

  Jeez’ that had been a close call. Couple more seconds and there would have been human sushi on the rippers menu.

  “You okay?” he asked seeing the revulsion on her face.

  The wind had begun to steadily increase and whilst he stood waiting for her to reply he couldn’t help but notice how the thin fabric of her blouse hugged the taunt peaks of her breasts. Without the benefit of underwear it left very little to his already overworked imagination.

  This time Darla noticed in which direction his attention fell and it only served to fuel an anger that had momentarily been suppressed by fear. “I... I know you don’t like all my questions but please just this once I really need to know. What the hell were those creatures?” Her voice shook as she once again crossed her arms over her chest defending what modesty she had left.

  “Ripper’s.”

  Darla couldn’t quite figure out whether he was a bit of a smart guy or just one for not talking much. “You keep saying that like I’m supposed to understand what it means.” She glared frustratingly. “What the hell are Rippers? God knows they weren’t human.”

  Sensing her frustration Quinn couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, breather or not. Innocence like hers very seldom lasted long in his world and regardless of her being a human it somehow seemed such a waste.

  “Rippers are… Were actually human,” he corrected. “Well, before they came through that is.”

  “Came through! What do you mean came through? And you said ‘were human’. How do you stop being human? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “They came through the same damn way that you did. It’s kind of a doorway......” Quinn paused for a moment struggling for the right words to explain. “I don’t know, sort of …like a rip between the two dimensions, Earth and here, and sometimes things fall through, objects, people that sort of thing. Some of the humans for reasons unknown to us get kinda get messed up on the journey in.”

  “What do you mean ‘messed up’? And where exactly is here?”

  “Jeez.” Quinn rolled his eyes in frustration. “You see! This is why I don’t answer your damn questions. You just keep firing more and more back at me. There’s actually a procedure for all this, but no…always with the questions wanting more.”

  Annoyed by his response Darla snapped back. “Well excuse me for being such a burden. I just need some answers. Perhaps if you were to explain better I wouldn’t have to ask more questions.” Noting his egotistical expression she raised her hands in exasperation. “Okay that’s it. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me. I ran for miles, I’ve stripped till I was almost naked and I’ve been confronted with a twitching severed arm from god only knows what, but no more. I’m done here. Finished! Whatever your problem is you can go tell it to someone who gives a damn.”

  Turning her back on him Darla started walking away, as fast as her slightly shaky legs would carry her, not even caring about where exactly it was that she was heading.

  “Hey wait up!”

  She stopped the instant she heard him call. Feeling intensely satisfied about standing up to him, she allowed herself a small victorious smile before composing her features and turning to face him. Maybe now he could lose the smug arrogance and realise that she was not prepared to be fobbed off every time she asked a question.

  “Can I just say, if you plan on taking off in the wrong direction, I’d like my jacket back first. Those things aren’t cheap.”

  Fighting the urge to scream in his face, Darla looked down at the offending garment hanging forgotten over her arm. “Here take the damn thing,” she snapped hurling the jacket across at him watching it fall in a crumpled heap at his feet.

  “What the hell was that for?” His shocked expression only succeeded in fuelling her anger further.

  “Well you’re obviously more concerned about your stupid jacket than you are about my safety.”

  Quinn picked his coat up off the floor and shook it out before swirling it around his shoulders, slipping his arms back inside. “Well you can’t deny it’s a pretty fine looking jacket.” The look on her face clearly showed that she hadn’t seen the humour in his words.

  “Listen lady, I didn’t ask for this job and quite frankly from the moment I picked you up wish I hadn’t took it. If it hadn’t been for those damn Rippers showing up your ass would still be sitting in no-mans-land. Nothing good ever did come from a breather. However, I will willingly take you to civilization and drop you off safe and sound but I sure as hell ain’t gonna force you. That ain’t my style.” Sweeping his coat aside he braced his hands firmly on his hips.

  Darla continued to glare. She could feel the anger coursing through her. Squeezing her temple she took a moment to calm down. If her body truly was lying in a hospital bed somewhere, wired up to a slack of machines then she wished that someone would just pull the damn plug and let her go. Perhaps then this nightmare would finally be over. But until then even she could see that she was left with very few options.

  “Well!” he angrily snapped waiting for an answer. “Are you coming?”

  Accepting she had no real choice a deep sigh escaped her lips. Feeling her anger drain away Darla nodded reluctantly and fell into step beside him.

  “Can I at least ask you something without getting an evasive answer?” Responding to his curt nod she asked, “Do you by any chance have a name?” Calling him ‘Angry man’ was starting to wear thin on her nerves.

  “Quinn.” He replied raising his eyebrow at her sarcasm.

  “Well alright Mr Quinn.......”

  “NO! It’s just Quinn.”

  “Okay ‘just Quinn’,” she replied playfully, trying to lighten the mood. From the look on his face it wasn’t working. “Look I only want a few more answers. It’s not like we can’t walk and talk at the same time, right? We’re doing it right now in fact.”

  Quinn kept his eyes directly ahead. “Nope, that would be just you doing all the talking.”

  “Quinn, please,” she pleaded in the sweetest tone she could muster.

  “Okay! He said finally relenting. “Ask away.”

  Feeling as though she’d won a great battle Darla became excited. “Great! You said those Ripper things back there were human once right? I’ve watched hundreds of horrors with my dad when I was younger but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw back there. How could they possibly have ever been human?” Grimacing, Darla wished the image of the creature would disappear from her mind.

  “I promise you, they were human. Breathers like you don’t travel too well through the portals. In fact very few of you make it through intact.”

  “Why is that?” She asked curiously.

  “Nobody knows it’s just the way things are. Rippers are just messed up humans and I don’t just mean the whole ugly thing they got going on. It’s their D.N.A; it gets...altered somehow.”

  Darla took a moment to review the new information he
had given her, picking her questions carefully. “Have there been any tests done on them?”

  “Yeah! Loads! That’s when they discovered the other thing that’s wrong with them... they have no soul.”

  “No soul?” She gasped, a wave of nausea washed over her. She could have been like that. The same thing that happened to them could just as easily have happened to her.

  “So are there any other humans here? Normal ones I mean.”

  “A few. But like I said, not many make it in okay.”

  “When you say ‘in’, you actually mean here, right? So tell me what exactly is this place?”

  Quinn stopped and smiled broadly at her. “Now that’s an easy one to answer. Follow me.”

  Darla did as he ordered. Quinn leapt up on to a small ridge and beckoned for her to join him. With the light fading fast and the temperature dropping rapidly she almost wished she hadn’t wasted time asking questions. Perhaps they would have done better trying to find some type of shelter for the night. Having seen the Ripper’s earlier, god only knew what else could be lurking, waiting for the darkness to descend.

  Quinn stretched his hand out to her as she approached scrambling up onto the ridge. “You wanna know where you are?” he asked.

  As she nodded rapidly he pulled her up beside him instinctively slipping an arm around her waist for support. His other arm stretched out before them.

  “Then welcome to Redemption!”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Darla could only gaze in breathless wonder at the sight below her, the stark emptiness of the surrounding plateau abandoned and forgotten as it served up one of its most closely guarded secrets. A crater of immeasurable size spread out before her, and nestled deep within its central core stood an awe inspiring vision of wonder. Rising up from out of the arid depths below to engulf the cavernous space was such a sight that Darla struggled to believe what her eyes were telling her. An entire city the magnitude of which she could barely comprehend.

  The unique beauty of the wondrous sight was due largely to the nature of its construction. Standard buildings of bricks and mortar were sidled next to huge trailers which in turn were bonded to bodies of cars piled five, six high. Timber structures built on the roofs of the trailers were connected to huge aircrafts by means of rope bridges. Layer upon layer of every imaginable resource had been bound to the next in one way or another to create an enormous city of bizarre proportions. With dusk settling across the landscape and the lights of the city burning bright, the sight below held an ethereal quality entirely of its own.

  Mesmerised and drawn in by its dark and wondrous beauty Darla took a step forward.

  “Careful.” Quinn’s arm tightened around her waist, restraining her from advancing any further.

  Encouraged by the added support Darla cautiously leaned forward, peering over the edge of the crater, eyes widening in amazement and trepidation at the sheer scale of the drop below.

  Quinn’s grip held her firm. “That’s a 1350 foot drop straight to the bottom. Unless you’re ready to finish the job you started earlier you might wanna consider backing up a little.”

  Unable to miss the condemnation in his voice and having no option but to agree with him, Darla eased back to where he stood, stiffly stepping away from the comforting support of his arm. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and anger at his correct assumption of what had delivered her into this strange new world.

  How dare he judge her! He had no idea of what her life had been; the torment and suffering that had driven her to the bridge and the act she had committed. For him to even hint at such things was insulting to her pain and grief.

  Fortunately for him Quinn appeared oblivious to her discomfort. Keeping her gaze fixed firmly on the beauty of the city, Darla blinked rapidly against the rise of unexpected tears.

  “So what exactly is Redemption?” She asked, taking the opportunity to disguise her upset.

  “Everything you see around you.” Quinn’s arms opened wide indicating everything for as far as they could see which was very little with the exception of the city below.

  “And is this the only city?”

  “Hell no, but it is one of the largest. This divine shithole is better known as Central. Home and hideout to some of the worse miscreant scum you’ll find in any world, so I shouldn’t need to tell you that when we get below you might wanna stay real close, just ‘til I get you checked in safely.”

  “So tell me, whereabouts in Redemption do you live?”

  A devilish grin spread across his face relaxing his stern features the effects of which left her slightly breathless.

  “About as far down there as you can possibly go.” He said nodding to the immense crater. Noting her shocked expression he winked devilishly. “Never said I was one of the good guys did I?” Turning away he jumped down from the craters edge and started walking away. “Are you coming?” He called over his shoulder without looking back.

  “Where now?” She asked hurrying to fall in beside him, struggling to match his large strides.

  “It’s just a little further.” Glancing over his shoulder with one eyebrow raised he added, “I take it you’re not keen on arriving in town naked and being as you already lost your underwear last time, I figured you wouldn’t be up for stripping for me to perform a blink in…” Quinn took her stony silence as her answer, before continuing. “No? Guessed as much so…we’re gonna need a ride down.”

  With Quinn leading the way they followed a path that ran the circumference of the craters edge. From the level plain of the plateau Darla could now see how easily the natural construction of the ridge obstructed all possible indication of the vast city below. Anyone unfamiliar with Central’s location could stand directly where they were now and never even know it existed.

  In the barren landscape surrounding them, Darla quickly noticed the small structure silhouetted just slightly ahead and wondered if this was to be their means of transport into the city below. Approaching the tiny building she strained in the waning light to fathom exactly how it was going to take them 1350 feet deep into the craters hungry mouth. Patiently she watched as Quinn reached inside the structure pulling free a long spindly handle. As he began winding a soft whirring sound started to emanate from somewhere inside.

  A faint steady light began to glow above their heads and the more he cranked the handle the brighter the light shone. Darla’s relief at having some visibility in defence of the encroaching darkness swiftly turned to horror as their means of transport was suddenly revealed.

  “You’re not serious!” She gasped.

  “Genius isn’t it?” he replied enthusiastically. “Rechargeable battery powers the light at the same time as returning the harness. Simple and effective!”

  Genius wasn’t exactly the first word that came to mind as she stood staring in horror at the double handled leather strap bouncing around on the longest zip wire she’d ever seen. The bright glow of light did little to disguise the rusted bolts that held the wire’s housing unit in place.

  “This is how you get down?” Her mouth suddenly went dry with apprehension.

  Quinn looked surprised. “No, I just blink. But I thought we’d already gone over that. Hey, I’m cool if you wanna go back to plan A.”

  Recalling the depth of the drop that they needed to descend Darla couldn’t help but consider how much more appealing the whole naked poofing thing would be. But acknowledging that arriving in Central bereft of clothes wouldn’t by any means be her idea of fun, she begrudgingly conceded that the decrepit looking zip wire was unfortunately their only viable option.

  Knowing by her expression that she had resigned herself to the idea, Quinn stretched up high and reached for the harness dancing above their heads. “This will need to be done in one trip. It’s not safe for me to leave you waiting either up here or down on the ground. My hands are gonna be tied- so to speak- any support on your behalf is up to you. You let go, you fall. Are we clear?”

  With the daunting ride ahead
of her Darla had no issue complying with his instructions. Lunging nervously towards him she hastily wrapped her arms tight around his neck, locking her fingers securely together. Edging closer still, her body moulded intimately with his, any immediate desire to end her own life had been temporarily satiated by her earlier fall from the bridge. And with that memory still fresh in her mind she further tightened her grip, not entirely brave enough for a repeat performance just yet.

  Assaulted by the sudden closeness, Quinn inhaled her hair as it brushed against his face. The scent of her engulfed him, a subtle fragrance of almond milk and vanilla that he annoyingly found more than pleasing. The delicious scent- combined with the feel of her body pressed intimately against his- resulted in an immediate involuntary response, causing him to curse out loud.

  “I’m sorry. Am I too heavy?” Darla gazed up at him, her face inches from his. The softness of her breath gently caressing his lips as she spoke had Quinn closing his eyes in a bid to block out the image of her beautiful pouting mouth knowing how easy it would be to kiss her right then.

  Attempting to make herself more comfortable, Darla unknowingly brushed against him in a provocative manor, bringing her ever nearer to the damning hard-on that would condemn him in an instant.

  “Jeez, what the hell is wrong with you?” He cursed more abruptly than necessary.

  Her persistent wriggling had only succeeded in making matters worse. If she didn’t soon stop he felt almost certain that he would end up shooting his load right there like some dumb love struck teenager.

  “I can’t help it,” she protested oblivious to his aroused state. “Something’s digging into me.”

  Before he could fathom her intent Darla’s hand plunged down between them. Quinn responded by thrusting his hips as far back out of her reach as possible, his hand locking firmly onto her wrist in an iron cast grip.

  “Whoa there darlin’!” His voice thickened with supressed desire. “That ain’t gonna happen so don’t even go there.”