赤裸裸的滑稽故事

After ensuring that there was no more fae in the immediate area, Ashleigh, Alice, and Myka moved further into the heart of Spring.

The entire trip, there had been minimal conversation between the three, especially during travel time. But today, Ashleigh felt an awkward silence hung much stronger between them all.

Alice had taken the lead, leaving Myka in the middle, with Ashleigh at the rear.

"Let\'s take a break," Ashleigh called out.

Alice glanced back and nodded.

"I\'m going to take a look around," Alice said. "You two stay here."

Ashleigh nodded and moved up beside Myka.

Alice took another glance before moving into the trees.

Myka found a large rock and sat down. As Ashleigh approached, she couldn\'t help but notice the defeated look on his face. The light in his eyes had dimmed, and his overall presence was deflated.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Myka lifted his eyes to her and then dropped them again as he shook his head.

"That place… it didn\'t look like that before," he whispered. "I grew up there."

"Alice mentioned that," Ashleigh said, setting down her pack and sitting on the ground in front of him.

Myka clenched his jaw and swallowed.

"What did she say?" he asked.

"Nothing," Ashleigh replied. "Just that you grew up there, and it meant something to you."

She could see that he physically relaxed at her reply. He nodded.

"I spent the first eight years of my life in that village," he said. "I have a lot of happy memories there."

Ashleigh looked up at him, listening to him.

"My parents were my only family, but I had friends. Other kids my age that I played and learned with. My dad played soccer with us all by the lake. He taught me to skip rocks and fish, and we even caught a few tadpoles. I wanted to raise them as pets, but my mom said no."

Myka chuckled at the memory, and Ashleigh smiled.

"It sounds nice," she whispered.

Ashleigh took a deep breath. So this was what Alice had meant. Myka\'s childhood was innocent. The things that Ashleigh had seen; came after he left.

"What did you see?" Myka asked.

Ashleigh looked up; he was staring at her. A look of resignation and defeat in his eyes.

"What?"

"I heard you and Alice," he replied with a sigh. "She told you not to tell me what you saw, that I was already affected by what I had seen, and there was no reason to hurt me with the rest."

"Oh…" Ashleigh replied quietly, turning away. "Uhm… I\'m not sure I should..."

"Why?" he asked. "What did you see?"

"Listen," Ashleigh said. "This place was special to you. Let it stay that way in your mind."

Myka laughed.

"Ashleigh, the man responsible for everything I went through in my childhood, was tortured, killed, and entombed in the house I grew up in. The smell of his decayed body permeated the walls of my parent\'s bedroom," he said angrily. "The lake has dried up, and the people are gone. Even the land around it is crying and screaming."

He looked away from her.

"The memory... is ash and dust," he whispered.

Ashleigh felt a painful grip on her chest. She didn\'t know him well, but he always had such a bright disposition. It hurt to see him like this.

He turned back to her, his dark eyes looking into hers with an honest request.

"I don\'t want to keep being fooled," he whispered. "So please, tell me the truth. What did you see."

Ashleigh took a deep, shaky breath. She closed her eyes. Part of her understood why he wanted to know, but the other part knew that there was nothing to learn from knowing the truth. It would only hurt him.

"It seems I can never manage to protect you," Alice said quietly.

Ashleigh and Myka both turned to see her stepping out of the trees. She smiled at Myka.

"You\'ve always protected me," he replied quickly.

"Myka, I know you saw them," she whispered sadly. "I might not have known it then, but I realized it eventually. There was no way I could have kept your eyes covered while I focused on getting you out of that lab."

Myka lowered his head.

Alice took a deep breath and looked at Ashleigh.

"Go ahead," she whispered. "He deserves to know the truth."

Ashleigh swallowed.

"Why don\'t you tell me?" Myka asked.

Alice turned away.

"I can\'t," she whispered. Stepping away and leaning against the tree with her back to them.

Myka turned back to Ashleigh.

Ashleigh took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Ok…" she whispered.

She swallowed and licked her lips as she tried to calm herself.

"All right," she said, looking up at him, "I\'m just going to tell you what I saw… what it appeared like to me."

Myka nodded.

She swallowed again.

"I searched the remnants of several houses," she began. "In those houses, I saw chains, wall hooks, signs of captivity."

Myka\'s breathing increased the expression on his face crumbled.

"Your house was not the only one with remains inside," Ashleigh continued.

Myka\'s eyes widened.

"But these were not mummified or burned. They were just… left," Ashleigh continued, pausing to swallow again. "Some still chained to the wall."

Myka lowered his head as he closed his eyes and listened to what she said.

"In a few of the houses, there were bedrooms still mostly intact," she continued. Her voice straining a little. "That is where I found the bodies."

Ashleigh cleared her throat and tried to steady herself.

"Based on the bone structure, they were human women."

Myka\'s head shot up, and he looked at her in shock.

"And the blood stains around them indicate… that…." Ashleigh hesitated. Then took a deep breath. "These women likely died in childbirth."

"How…no.. that\'s not what my village was…." Myka whispered as he shook his head.

"It\'s what it became," Alice whispered.

"Why?" he asked. "Why would they do this?"

"Because Project Alice had to be controlled from somewhere," Alice replied. "Those children went to the lab eventually, but they were born in that village."

***

After getting off the phone with Galen, Caleb had to decide.

He needed to take the suppressant before they started the journey into the mountain pass. Still, if he took it without even a message, Ashleigh would assume the worst. So he needed to at least send her a message, but he wasn\'t sure what to tell her.

"Ready?" Saul called out to him.

Caleb turned to look at his gruff companion.

"Are you?"

Saul nodded with a grunt.

"Already took the suppressant."

"Just like that?" Caleb asked. "Won\'t your mate be worried?"

Saul shook his head.

"Pearl knows," he said. "Wasn\'t going to disappear on her without a word."

Caleb nodded.

"But what words to share," he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

He wanted to be honest with Ashleigh. He knew she would be upset with him for keeping the details to himself, but he also knew she would understand.

Saul reached out a hand to Caleb\'s shoulder.

"My Pearl and I have shared a life filled with risk and reward," he said. "She knows that each time I leave her side, I may not return. So I tell her what she needs to know, and she doesn\'t ask for more. Your wife is a little different."

Caleb chuckled.

"But," Saul continued. "Ashleigh is a soldier; she understands the risk of what we do and the reason for our silence. If you want it, my advice is to tell her what you want her to remember, should she need a memory."

Saul pulled away without waiting for a response.

"I will make sure the way is clear, but we need to move soon."

Caleb nodded.

"I\'ll be there," Caleb replied.

Saul gave a soft grunt in response before walking away.

"What I want her to remember…." Caleb whispered to himself.

He knew he would not call her; it was too early in the morning hours. Not to mention, she would know immediately that something was wrong and would not let it go or stop worrying.

Caleb pressed the pin on his chest and then touched his arm, bringing up the new interface of his suit, and began a recording.

"Ash," he began with a smile. "I am sending this message because you must have already felt it. The suppressant… I just wanted you to know that I am all right. We are about to travel through an area that will need our complete focus. The suppressant is just a way to protect us both. No big deal, I don\'t want you to worry. Just focus on your mission."

He paused the recording and took a deep breath before beginning again.

"We won\'t be able to talk for a few days, probably at least four or five. So, think of me. Remember the warmth of my arms around you because I will be thinking of the next time I can hold you again."

He took a deep breath.

"I love you, Ashleigh."

He stopped, closing his eyes. Quickly pausing the recording.

"Goddess, I miss you," he whispered to himself. "Please… forgive me…"

He swallowed and began the recording once more.

"I\'m with you, Ash, even when we can\'t feel each other… just know… my heart beats for you. Always."

Caleb quickly completed the recording and sent it to her inbox before he could change his mind. Then he pulled the small pill box from his pack and swallowed down the suppressant.

***

The trio had agreed to set up camp once the sun had fallen low. In her tent, Ashleigh stirred, feeling suddenly as though she couldn\'t breathe for just a moment. But the change was not enough to wake her.

Beside her, the new pin flashed a soft blue light, indicating a message had been received.