Something Broken

His body wouldn't stop jerking as he made his way down a short corridor and came to the opening of a lengthy hallway. He had no idea how far he had walked, nor did he care. All he wanted to do was get to Aaliyah.

            Another group of soldiers ran by him. Again, leaving him be, just as before. It was a strange feeling, not having to worry about being shot in the back while escaping captivity, especially while his vision was so impaired. Fortunately, he had his free hand to guide him, and his hearing to aid him whenever the long screaming alarm would finally stop.

            Speak of the devil, Ed thought as the alarm howled again. He cringed in pain, but needed to keep his balance, so he stood still and hoped it would be over soon. Which, fortunately, it was.

He had been walking for what seemed like forever as he entered the hall. What little he could manage to see made it look like a mess hall, only without any seating. Instead there were huge round pillars, one of which he happened to be leaning against when he noticed that his weapon was missing.

            He decided not to care, as his head jerked once more and his eyes rolled in their sockets. He needed to get to the other side of the room and through the huge steel doors at the end. He had hardly taken more than a step away from the pillar when the alarm sounded again, startling him enough that he fell clumsily to the ground.

            He felt useless as he lay there, waiting for the alarm to stop, which it did shortly after. Never had he been as receptive to sounds, feeling, and smell as he was in this place.

            He had no idea how long he had been walking - crawling - toward the doors, but the moment he got there, he suddenly had the energy to hurry. He felt against the walls on either side, unsure of what the security panel looked like, and when he finally found it, instinctively entered Aaliyah's birthdate. It was of little surprise to him when the door opened.

            As soon as he stepped into the room on the other side, the room what he had thought to be containment, the jerking went away completely. Now all he needed his vision to return, which did not seem likely.

            He felt someone touch him on his shoulder, so he jerked back as best he could. He was in no condition to fight, no matter how lanky some of the soldiers that had guarded him seem to be. He knew that he would stand no chance unless the person who had just touched him was alone.

            "Mr. Swardt," came a female voice from... somewhere. "Welcome."

            "Where is she?" Edward asked as he tried to keep his distance from where he thought the person was, focusing on getting to the other side of the even bigger hall that he had just stepped into.

            "Don't be alarmed, Mr. Swardt."

            "'The fuck are you? Where is Aaliyah?"

            "We are the counsel," came another voice.

            "Where is she!" Ed sounded as if he did not want to know the answer any longer. Instead, he sounded more like he just wanted to scream for the hell of it. "Please?" he then said as he thought about it.

            "She is safe, for now," said the first voice. "And she will continue to be safe so long as you promise to do as we request."

            Ed sniffed out of habit as he hanged his head forward. He felt like kneeling, pleading for them to return her to him, but he knew that it would do him no good. Instead, he looked upwards. "And the agents that captured me. What are to become of them?"

            "They have been taken care of," the second voice said. "Do not concern yourself with them any longer."

            "The Commander?" Ed asked. He had to know, since it was basically the old man that had managed to free him.

            "He serves the same end as the other two," another voice said, this one sounding raspier than ever.

            "You are to return home, Mr. Swardt. You are to follow our orders and do our bidding. Only then, when we deem fit, will you be joined by the girl."

            Ed sat down and hanged his head forward again as he contemplated what he had just been told. They had promised him Aaliyah's safety as long as he kept his end of their bargain.

            "Go," the third voice said. "Return home, and remember our offer."

An unbearably white light suddenly shone into Ed's eyes. The blur became white nothingness, and then turned into a violet haze, which in turn slowly faded away to reveal open sky and clouds.

            Ed found himself lying with his back on a dock, somewhere he did not recognise.

            "Hey buddy, you alright?"

            Ed jerked away as a man knelt next to him. He gave the man one long look. Judging by his clothes, he looked like a fisherman who had just returned from a trip out to sea.

            "Where am I?" Ed asked as he took the man's hand and stood up.

            "Durban, South Africa," the man answered and looked at Ed as if he should know the answer. "You've been out cold since we picked you up with the latest catch."

            So he was back in South Africa, and had been dumped into the ocean by the sounds of it. As for how long ago... "What day is this?" he asked immediately.

            "Wednesday. Caught you floating in the water at noon yesterday." The man then looked Ed closer in the eyes cocking his head slightly in wonder. "You wearing contacts? They’re a great colour!"

            Ed looked into a small window in one of the buildings and saw in the reflection that his brown eyes had turned into a mixture between purple and hazel. He had been out for two days, wore nothing but rags, and he had returned home without Aaliyah. It was then that it dawned on him that he might never see her again.

After he had returned home and told Ian all he could recall, including how he had managed to get back, the two of them set off to their own rooms.

Ed walked in and looked at himself in his huge mirror, then tore off the clothes he wore, went to the bathroom and got in under the shower.

            Afterwards, Ed sat down on the ground in front of his bed, pulled the huge iron chest from out underneath it, opened it, and pulled out the broken arrow. He then turned around and retrieved his bow from the weapon rack.

            Ed smiled as he started calibrating the balance.

He had worked long into the night, and only after dozing off did he get up from his fletching kit, and throw everything he was busy with into the trunk. He then put the bow back into the weapon rack. As he fell onto his bed and turned out his bedside lamp, his bow gave off a faint dark purple glow.