Steven dos Santos - The Sowing

But it’s no use. My throat’s raw, my stomach twisted like a wrung-out washcloth.

Oxygen level: thirty-eight percent.

My breaths are quick rasps bursting through my ears like the chugging of a steam engine, growing faster and faster. I’m starting to feel dizzy, like I’m going to pass out. Lightning jets through my hands, feet, and lips. I’m hyperventilating, losing too much carbon dioxide. The realization makes me feel floaty.

Oxygen level: nineteen percent.

I think of Digory. Instead of the dark, cold waters drowning me, I’m bobbing in the warm blue of his eyes. He smiles, his flawless lips forming words that travel in concentric circles of perfect ripples until they cozy up to my ears and fill them with bliss.

Never give up .

My heart surges—

Until I remember Digory’s betrayal and how much it hurts. I’ve tried my best not to think of it during these weeks in Purgatorium.

But the rage works just as well.

Frosty sea water laps against my chin, jarring me back to reality. Control yourself, damn it! Cole needs you to survive and get back to him!

I force myself to imagine that each breath I’m expelling is pushing me farther and farther away from Cole, and I feel them begin to slow.

Oxygen level: ten percent.

On the monitors, Boaz has overtaken Drusilla and Crowley and is racing ahead of them to pick up his second Incentive. Seawater seeps past my lower lip, filling my mouth with salty ice that I spit back out.

Boaz scoops up his remaining Incentive and heads for the surface, followed by Drusilla. At least that guarantees that Corin, Leander, Arrah, and Mr. Ryland will make it through to the next round.

Crowley’s left behind, trying to untangle his remaining Bio-Pod from debris. From the way his face is contorting, he looks like he’s struggling to breathe.

My mouth’s now completely submerged and I tilt my head up as far as I can, struggling to keep my nostrils free.

Crowley finally pulls the last of the debris free and grips his Incentive’s Bio-Pod.

Cage darts into view, propelling himself like a fish. Gripping my pod, he heaves me from the ocean floor and begins the trek to the surface. Crowley’s just a little farther ahead with his Incentive.

Oxygen level: four percent.

The water spewing into my pod is trickling past my nostrils.

Then Cage pulls ahead and takes the lead. Oxygen level: two percent.

An oblong shape zooms into view, dissecting the shafts of surface glow. It’s a fish. A big fish with a long pointed snout, angular fin, gills like slashes in its side, and the blackest eyes I’ve ever seen.

A carcharian.

Crowley lets go of his Incentive and swims away, but Cage just freezes. Wham! The predator slams into me, teeth chomping through the monitors and gauges as it rips a large hole in my pod.

I manage to avoid the creature’s teeth and slip through the opening. Cage grabs my arm and starts to pull me up with him to the surface. Beside us, Crowley’s recovered his Incentive and is swimming neck-in-neck with us, just as the carcharian rips free of the remnants of my Bio-Pod and shoots toward us like a silver bullet. Its maw grazes one of Crowley’s legs as it zooms by him, then circles around to attack him full force. Crowley clutches his wound and shoves his remaining pod toward the predator.

Tearing away from Cage, I grab Crowley, pulling him up with us to the surface as the carcharian devours Crowley’s Incentive, Bio-Pod and all. Then I’m breaking through the surface, gasping, filling my starving lungs with glorious air, Crowley slumped against me. On my other side, Cage is bobbing in the water, hand clasped in mine, holding them both high for everyone to see we’ve made it.

“You okay, mate?” he whispers.

I nod.

The whine of feedback pierces my clogged ears:

Recruit Cage, you have rescued your second Incentive and completed this Trial in Third Place. Unfortunately, Recruit Crowley has finished last and his Incentive has been shelved accordingly.

On the platform above us, Drusilla and Boaz stand, anxious looks plastered on their faces.

“Crowley… needs… help!” I gasp.

Boaz pushes forward. “We got him!”

Then they’re crouching at the edge, helping Cage and me haul Crowley onto the platform. Blood oozes from the wound in his leg, puddling at our feet.

Crowley’s eyes are wide open and glazed, all the color drained from his flesh. “ Jorgen …” he mutters through clenched teeth.

Drusilla cradles his head in her lap. “Is he even breathing?”

Cage rubs Crowley’s forehead. “He’s in bloody shock.”

I’m gripping Crowley’s leg, trying to apply as much pressure as I can. “He’s losing too much blood.”

“We need a medic here!” Boaz shouts at the spherical drones hovering above us like insects.

I lean in close to Crowley’s ear. “Hang in there. It’s going to be okay. Help’s coming.”

He moans and clutches my arm. “Please tell me I didn’t just kill Jorg—oh, hell… what have I done…?”

“Stay away from him!” Boaz shoves me so hard I nearly fall back into the sea.

Cage grabs me and keeps me from going over. He springs up and shoves Boaz away. “Rack off! It’s nobody’s fault except the mongrels running this show.”

Boaz ogles him. “How can you take this traitor’s side? Crowley’s one of us . And now he’s going to die because of—”

“He’s not going to die, you whacker!”

But even as he says the words, Cage’s jaw clenches, his expression hardening like dried clay.

He turns to gaze at the recovered Bio-Pods, which are being picked up by metal claws descending from a conveyor belt in the maze of girders and beams above. “Tristin okay?” he mutters.

“She’s hanging in there. Better than most.” I try to crack a smile. “Why didn’t you just leave when you saw who was in your other pod?”

He nods toward the drones. “Is that what you’d do, mate?”

Two Imposers appear and lift Crowley into a hovering med capsule, disappearing with him.

I can’t help but think of that image I saw of Digory on that grainy surveillance footage.

Styles and Renquist emerge out of a side door and approach me with weapons drawn.

Drusilla touches my hand. “Tell Arrah… tell her… I love her…”

I nod. “I will.”

“Let’s go, Spark.” Renquist grunts.

Then they’re hauling me away, and I’m wondering if it’s Dahlia or Jorgen who won’t be there when I get back.

I’m standing in the middle of a long corridor of arched black stone. Something’s swaying back and forth, something metallic like dangling chains…

A Bio-Pod, torn and smeared with blood.

I grab hold and rip the faceplate away.

It’s Digory. His skin’s mottled gray, once-full lips shriveled and torn. His eyes pop open. Instead of that brilliant blue, they’re white as eggshells. Tears of blood pool and drip from the corners down his hollow cheeks. His mouth opens with a sickening pop, as if his lips have been stuck together for a long time.

“You never came back for me like you promised.” His voice is a throaty gurgle. His skin tears as his mouth stretches into a smile, oozing pus. “But soon you’ll be dead, too.”

I bolt upright.

“Lucian, are you okay?” a voice whispers in my ear.

I can’t see anything but the thick cloak of blackness that smothers me. Panic jolts through me like a live wire. What have they done to me? I’m blind. Instinctively, my fingers grope my face to make sure my eyes are still in their sockets.