The Bleed: Book 2: RAPTURE by David Moody (best selling autobiographies .txt) 📕

She knew her reluctance stemmed from fear; how could it not? She and Jenny had arguably the most powerful machine known to humankind, and it had been little more than a speed bump in the highway for the Bleed. They would fight. They had to fight, and if all looked as if it might be lost, she swore to herself that she would take her own life before she would be added to the deadly maelstrom. Maddie did not reply as Sam went and hugged Thistle, who was obviously struggling to keep her composure as she thought on all she’d lost. Both of the young women had endured so much, yet they still wanted to fight, or had to, to justify the losses. Maddie, as of yet, hadn’t lost much more than her idyllic isolation.

“I would like to get some rest. And then, if we all agree, I propose we look for ways to get supplies and weapons to fight back.” Thistle was looking at Maddie as she said this; she didn’t need an answer from Sam, who was holding her hand.

“Get some rest,” Maddie told her without committing to anything. She needed to think about it. Not that it ultimately mattered; Sam and Thistle were going to do whatever the hell they wanted to. They were both teenagers, and Maddie wasn’t their custodian. It was true she had a basic understanding of the machine and could partially operate it, demigod or not. If she participated, it would make Thistle’s job more manageable, but not impossible, if she didn’t help. “I’m going down to the surface.”

“You want me to come with you?” Sam asked.

“I don’t think it’s safe. This room is tucked away from the madness going on, and anyway, someone should be here for when your mother comes through.”

“Sounds like I got the dangerous end of that stick,” Sam said.

“You really kind of did. I’ll be back,” Maddie assured them.

“Be safe,” Sam told her. Thistle was quiet.

Maddie walked out of the room and took a large breath as she stood in the hallway. She wasn’t sure if it was in preparation to deal with the people outside or the ones inside. She looked down both ends of the hallway; it was empty and as nondescript as any hotel. A wave of doubt passed over her as she thought about what she was about to do, and she turned back to the door. She gasped; there was nothing there except uninterrupted wall. She ran the gamut from thinking the entire thing was some strange dream, to she had travelled through a portal and been transported away, or possibly Thistle, realizing Maddie was going to push back on the idea to fight, had locked out her voice of reason.

“Am I going insane? Is this all early-onset dementia? Why couldn’t I get lost in a world of rainbows and unicorns instead of this nightmare.” She reached out with her right hand. As soon as she touched the wall, the door returned. She was torn between relief and depression at the discovery she was not losing her mind. She travelled toward the elevators and debated taking them down, then decided she wasn’t going to take the chance. How the building had power was a mystery beyond her capabilities of understanding. Whether it was god-tech or some fucking sort of magic, she was not going to be stuck in the box when it took that opportune moment to cease functioning. Alone, in the dark, stuck between worlds was no way to die.

“Fucking stairs, so sick of them.” This was her mantra the entire way down, knowing that each one she took now with relative ease, was going to be murderous as she climbed back up. She had not one doubt that it would not be a leisurely stroll but rather one where she was running for her life with no ability to stop and catch her breath at any point. “Well, if you’re so sure of that, why the hell are you doing it?” she asked. “Because I’m just that damn smart,” she replied. She slowly opened the door to the lobby and was surprised to see that no one was there. In an extremely unfamiliar place, it only made sense that some would seek out the familiar. She could see the crowds of people through the large glass windows in front, but it was like the door to the clockwork room; it did not appear that they could see the hotel.

“Yeah, this is weird,” she said as the motion detector opened the front doors for her.

“Whoa, where did you come from? Are you one of them?” It was a young man, mid-twenties, dressed in board shorts and a button-down shirt.

“One of them?”

“One of the gods.”

“I’m not a god.”

“Yo, that’s exactly what a god would say.”

“Been around a lot of gods?” Maddie asked.

“You can’t fool me, god lady. You just materialized out of thin air.”

“Thin air?” Can you not see the giant hotel behind me?” Maddie looked just to make sure it was indeed there.

“Giant hotel. Ha. Wouldn’t that be nice? I could go for some room service right now, a frosty mug and a bed. Do you know where we’re at? Do you think anyone from the states survived? I came here on vacation with a few of my friends; my fiancée is back in California. She was going to come, but she’s pregnant.”

Maddie knew by the vacant expression as he talked about his fiancée, that, on some level, he knew the truth, yet was not quite ready to acknowledge it, and for that, she felt terrible for him. She stepped away and into a large gathering of people who were all sitting, their heads down; they were in prayer.

“Join us, sister, won’t you?” A woman in the middle of the circle, wearing a floral dress and a heavy-looking set of wooden beads, had waved Maddie over.

“Thank you,” Maddie mumbled but kept on going.

“The gods will hear you better