The Southern Calt pt. 5

In which Akashi learns the truth...

Last Night was a sacred tradition in Cain. One Last Night before you were married off to the war. For Last Night, soldiers-to-be went out and partied in Steel Midtown with factory workers who bought the next generation shots to ease the pain of their own traumatic nightmares. After months of basic training, this was their last chance to go home and be who they were before who they were was lost to time. 

Some stayed home with their families. Others went home with strangers. With nowhere else to go, Akashi stood outside the door of his Aunt Gee’s apartment. It was his home once. He couldn’t remember those days anymore. The apartment complex was eerily quiet that night. He hadn’t seen another soul since he walked in the lobby door. Now here he was high up in the sky, standing at the door, trying to think about what to do. He reached up to knock, then thought better of it. Maybe he could find somewhere else to say. Maybe he could just go back to the basic training bunker and wait. Just as he was about to walk away, the door swung open. 

“Akashi…” His aunt’s tired face breathed out in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” She had on an old, cracked leather jacket. It had the signets that denoted her service and the spec ops team she was a part of. Under the old leather, he could see an energy pistol poking out from a holster that wrapped around her chest. She was heading out into the neon night for work. He would’ve thought the lead detective would get nights off. 

The buzz of a voice in her ear caught Akashi’s attention. “Hold on that. I’ll be there shortly.” She replied to the buzz. She looked her nephew up and down. “Basic’s put you through the ringer, nephew.” Akashi nodded, the words were trapped in his throat. She rubbed her arm. He couldn’t see it, but he knew she was rubbing that old scar. The scar that reminded her that she survived her deployment. She gave him a concerned look that made him worry that she was suspicious he had done something wrong.

“Last Night.” Was all he said. Her face softened.

“Time already?” Akashi nodded. She reached an uncomfortable hand out to his shoulder and gave him a firm squeeze. “Strala couldn’t make the day easier. No one can.” 

“Aunt Gee, I -” The buzz came back to her ear and his aunt sighed.

“I’m sorry, nephew. I need to take care of this.” She gestured to her earpiece. He nodded.

“I understand. Duty and all...”

“You can stay in your room tonight.” She said as she brushed past him. “No one will bother you.” The words made his heart sink. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

“Thanks.” He said as he stepped into the apartment. She was rushing down the hall, but before she disappeared around the corner, she turned back to him.

“Akashi. Never. Never show fear. Never. When the Calt eats you up, that’s when you show them. Show them who you are.” She left before he could respond. He closed the door, the words rolled off of his back, but he must’ve caught them somewhere along the way because here he was remembering them in a distant dream. That night he lay in his old bed and wished she’d open the door and watch him like when he was a boy. She watched because she was worried. She watched because she cared. It wasn’t abnormal back then for her to be gone for work some nights, but this time it felt like a slap to the face. On this night of all nights. On Last Night.

When he woke up the next morning, his deployment summons had already come through his datapad. It was time for Akashi to go.

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Before Akashi could fully open his eyes, he felt his head throbbing. It bloomed outwards from there, encapsulating his entire body in a pain he couldn’t even begin to quantify. Finally, his eyes fluttered open, barely under his own control. His deepest primal need was to see. To know what was happening around him. He was quickly disappointed. He was in some sort of tank. Water encapsulated the glass on the three sides he could see. In the distance, deep in the water, he could see creatures swimming around. Large schools of fish darted around, and dolphin-like animals looped through the water.

“Why? Why did you release the servant of Rayyan?” A voice said from behind him. The voice was gravelly. Dark. Among all else though, the voice was afraid. Akashi could feel the fear. It made his spine run cold.

“Where am I?” Akashi asked, ignoring the question.

“You’re at your end. Now tell me, why did you do this? Why have you doomed us?”

“I - I didn’t.”

“Don’t lie to me.” The voice deepened and bit at the air. Akashi tried to raise his hands, but he couldn’t move them. He only then realized they were tied behind his back.

“I’m not lying! I saw the squad leading them - we fell into the tunnel - we were trying to find a way out.”

“You’re telling me the priest just lost control. That’s it?”

“Look, guy, I didn’t even see a priest I -”

“You will address me with respect, outsider.” A foot stomped as the voice seethed.

“Look, I just want to go home. How about you help me find a way out and we leave it at that?” There was a long pause before the creak of movement shook the tank just enough for Akashi to detect the voice moving away.. 

“No. You came for this, so I will let you drown in it.” 

“What, I -” It hit him. It finally hit him. He stared out at the water. There were no water lines - no pipes. “It’s an ocean… an underground ocean…” He gasped. The voice behind him grunted in confirmation. 

“You come to my home. Try to steal our water, and you take what? My life next? What more do you want? To kill me? No. Your aim isn’t true, for Rayyan is not with you.”

“I’m not trying to steal water I’m -” Was it a lie? Was it all a lie? “You - you… you attacked us first.” The words weren’t coming out right. The panic and confusion began to well up inside him. Did they attack first? Was he the aggressor? The collective wasn’t an army of heroes… they were invaders. No, no it couldn’t be right. Akashi couldn’t believe it. Even after everything, it couldn’t be true. “You did, didn’t you?” The doubt crawled through his throat. Akashi sounded like a little boy again asking his aunt for a better punishment. The voice chuckled in what sounded like disbelief. The voice sighed, as though it was reciting something it knew by heart.

“Decades ago, a man claiming to be a farmer became lost in the desert barren above. We helped him. Guided him to our tunnels where it was cool. Safe. We brought him to our city - far from your grasp - and let him drink from our waters. He recovered there. Then he returned with an invading army. They tell stories of us invading. Of us attacking. I’ve not seen beyond this desert. No one of Rayyan’s people has seen beyond the Calt. You have invaded us. All for this.” A hand encased in a black glove gestured in front of Akashi to the ocean. “It is only fitting that I let it be your tomb.”

“She knew…” Was all Akashi could say. The voice grunted again. The sound of a cycling airlock churned behind Akashi. As the door opened, the sound of the piercing alarm returned. In the distance he heard the sound of the thrashing creature. It was still trying to get out.

Still trapped.

“Wait!” Akashi called. He heard the hesitation of his captor’s footsteps. “We can stop that thing together… get out of here alive, then maybe we can… we can stop this without anymore -”

“I will not fall for your tricks!” The voice seethed.

“Not a trick! On Strala - on Rayyan - on whatever god you want, I don’t care - I’m not lying. I just want to live. Please, I just want to go home…” Akashi felt more powerless than he ever had in his entire life. Tears fell down his face, as the weight of his inability to save himself set in. Without this man’s mercy, he would die. There he was, staring out on an endless underground ocean, ready to be plunged into its depths. He was tied up, battered to a pulp, and unable to think clearly, but he knew, all he wanted was to survive. “You can’t get past that thing without help… and the other side of the tunnel is flooding, you’re going to either drown… or worse.”

“How do I know you won’t stab me in the back?” The steps returned to Akashi’s back. A hand reached down and gripped his tied up wrists. 

“Look, I just want to go home. I don’t care about your water. I don’t want your water. I didn’t know we wanted it. I just thought we were protecting our home.”

“Protecting by invading?”

“Yeah - that - that’s uh…” The years of reasoning and propaganda flooded through his mind, but he gulped it down. Something told him that would get him killed here. “I think they’ve been lying to us. To me.” The silence stretched on longer than Akashi could handle. Then, the cord holding him in place snapped. He stood up slowly, rubbing his wrists. He leaned towards the glass where he could see his bloodied face. His skin was swollen and he could see where permanent scars would probably never leave. He avoided touching his face. 

He turned to look at the soldier who captured him once more. He had a bandage wrap on his shoulder where Akashi had shot him. His face looked like it may have been much darker once upon a time. Now it was ashen from what Akashi assumed was years in the tunnels. His features were broad and his hair hung down in dreads that were forced into a tight ponytail. He handed Akashi his rifle and revolver. 

“I’m choosing to trust you because you’re right. No matter what choice I make, I will die. Maybe your idea is the only right one. Or maybe it too will kill me.”

“That’s the spirit.” Akashi said, trying to lighten the mood. “Akashi, by the way. Everyone calls me Pace though.”

“Rae-Lynd.”

“Rae-Lynd. Got it. And uh… sorry about your uh… you know.” Akashi gestured to Rae-Lynd’s shoulder. His captor - turned uneasy ally - shrugged then winced in pain.

“If I die today, this isn’t what will kill me, Akashi.” He turned and left the small chamber. Akashi stepped out of the airlock and the tunnel wall closed behind him. The airlock he was held prisoner inside of was gone. 

“So is that just for dropping people into the endless ocean or…?”

“It used to be for expeditions. Now it’s for invaders.” Rae-Lynd replied. For people like him. It took Akashi a moment to understand the perspective he was looking at the room from. The elevator wall was to his left and barely recognizable. Layers of paint and metal had been shredded away, revealing an intricate electrical system. The creature continued attacking the walls, trying to get out. To his right was a wall. Hiding amongst the white walls, he knew the tunnel back towards where he had come was waiting for him. Waiting for him to find his squad mates. He wondered how long it had been. How long was he out? He shook the thought away. It didn’t matter now. Akashi checked his rifle. It had a low charge, but the scope was still transmitting. All around them were the dead bodies of soldiers that the monster meters away had murdered. How could they possibly stand up to this beast?

“So what’s the plan?” He asked Rae-Lynd.

“You’re a rifleman?” Akashi nodded in reply. “Then I will draw its fire. You will shoot. We have to get a shot under the carapace. Anywhere else and the beast lives on. Rayyan builds his servants to withstand the worst of environments, but no mortal creature is indestructible.” 

“Right… right. Got it.” Rae-Lynd walked away from Akashi, drawing a knife from the waist of his armor. Akashi couldn't help but think how ridiculous he looked approaching the monstrous servant of a god with a knife - even if it was a large knife. Rae-Lynd started making a semi-circle around the beast, just far enough away that it couldn’t lunge at him too fast. Akashi got down on one knee and steadied his aim, waiting for an opening. Rae-Lynd waved his arms and screamed.

“Servant of Rayyan, you attack his chosen people! Stand down from your fear and you will be freed!” 

“I don’t think it speaks, guy!” Akashi called over to him. Rae-Lynd gave him a dirty look then looked back at the creature.

“Servant, this is your final warning! If you continue on this path, you will kill us all! We’ll drown if you break through the wall!” The creature continued attacking the wall, breaking through things that looked fairly important to Akashi. Rae-Lynd gave Akashi a serious look then nodded. He took his knife and threw it. He pulled another one from somewhere on his armor before the first one made contact. Once it did, the creature let out a howl as the blade dug in just beneath its natural armor. It thrashed and howled then threw its body down on the ground. It eyed Rae-Lynd with fury, then charged him. “Quick, Akashi, take the shot!” Rae-Lynd yelled. Akashi fired off a round. It seared through the undercarriage of the beast. It howled in anger as it smashed into Rae-Lynd, driving him into the shredded wall.

“No!” Akashi screamed as he fired another round. The bolt caught hold of the creature’s pincer, ripping into it, leaving its maw torn open. The insect screamed as it fell on its back away from Rae-Lynd. It’s legs kicked up in the air, struggling to roll back onto its legs again. Akashi knew he only had a moment. He ran forward, preparing the revolver. He steadied his hands, his heart, and his mind then leapt on top of the creature’s stomach. He fired a shot into its underbelly. 

Then another. 

And another. 

It thrashed about, and as he pulled the trigger again, the fourth bullet plunged into its gut, and the beast went limp. Akashi fell to his knees on the creature. There was one bullet left. He jammed the revolver into his belt again. He stared down at the sandy green paste seeping from its wounds, “A monster of a god… just trying to get out. I’m sorry, but me too.” He mumbled through numb lips. 

It was over. Wasn’t it over? The beast’s legs all twitched in unison, then it jerked up. Akashi stumbled off its stomach. He landed on his back and the revolver came free of his belt, skidding away. Akashi clambered onto his feet and pulled out his rifle. The creature rolled over onto its legs - green fluid flooded from the bullet wounds in its stomach - and howled. It jabbed one of its legs at its prey. Akashi stumbled out of the way in time for the spindly leg to tear through his arm, scraping against his bicep. He screamed in pain, but he could tell the muscle wasn’t compromised. He took the rifle and fired it into the creature’s mouth. It only made it more enraged. 

He ran forward, sliding under the creature's body. He stopped right beneath it, where the strange sandy-green muck dripped down onto him from its wounds. The creature looked around for him, but couldn’t find him anywhere. He tried to fire, but a low battery flash appeared on his scope. As quickly as he could, Akashi dropped the depleted energy magazine and reached for his thigh, pulling his emergency backup charged magazine up. He loaded it in a fluid motion.

He opened fire, draining the battery. Bolts of energy blasted through the monster’s stomach, shredding its insides apart. The oozing green of the creature splashed down onto him. Akashi was soaked in the monster’s innards. He coughed and sputtered as he rolled out from under the beast, leaving his rifle behind. He crawled away from the insect’s body as it crumbled to the ground, crushing his rifle. He supposed that meant the transmission stopped. 

With a final death curdling screech, the creature’s legs stopped writhing. The room went dead silent. He looked to his side, and the revolver was right next to him on the ground. He grabbed hold of it and shoved it back in his belt. “One bullet.” He sighed as he forced himself back up. He dragged himself over to Rae-Lynd’s unconscious body. He gave him a nudge and Rae-Lynd stirred. He was alive. That had to count for something. Akashi sat down next to him and waited. 

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He watched for the remaining time until Rae-Lynd came to again. It didn’t take long, and his injuries seemed superficial as far as Akashi could tell. He looked around in disbelief at the dead insect's corpse in the center of the room. All around them was death, but they survived the encounter. Rae-Lynd looked at Akashi and nodded. Akashi smiled a grin of sorrow.

“In Cain, being sent to the Calt is a coming of age ritual. We don’t have a choice, you know. They would have dragged me out of my bedroom kicking and screaming. It didn’t change anything. It was this or a prison cell for life.” Akashi shook his head, “I didn’t know we were attacking people for water… water.” Rae-Lynd grunted.

“In a time before you and I were even ideas, the Calt used to be a trade route. That’s what Calt meant, you know. It was a passage that connected two people to better them both. The language the word’s from is forgotten and so was its meaning. Now the passage is just a trail of horror for us. And a government sanctioned death wish for you. I suppose there was much neither of us knew. We were never supposed to understand each other.” He wasn’t sure if what Rae-Lynd said was true, but he didn’t think it mattered. It was a beautiful thought to him.

“Yeah… that’s… something.” Akashi didn’t have the words to describe his wonder. His amazement. “Since the day I stepped into that mountain pass, all that mattered was survival. Then I became like a protector… a bad one, but I tried. It wasn’t just my survival anymore. It was the collective’s survival. Now… I just want everyone to get out of this no worse for wear.” Rae-Lynd grunted in response. They sat in silence, surrounded by the consequences of their actions for a while longer.

“You kept your word. So I’ll keep mine.” Rae-Lynd struggled to stand up, but refused Akashi’s help. “We’ll take the elevator to the hold on the surface. I’ll make sure they let you free from there.”

“I can’t leave yet. There’s people down here that still need me. You go ahead. Maybe just do me a favor: When we get up there, don’t let them shoot us.”

“On one condition.” Rae-Lynd held direct eye contact with Akashi. His brown eyes stared a hole in Akashi’s own.

“Anything.”

“You tell your people about what happened to you. About the truth you learned. If you didn’t even know of our ocean, tell everyone. They need to know. We are just protecting our home.”

“I swear. On my life.” Akashi replied. “Might just be putting myself in a slightly later grave than I would’ve letting you drop me into the ocean… but, hey, I want to do the right thing. This feels right.”

“Maybe the next grave will be more dry.” Rae-Lynd stepped away from Akashi and limped his way to the elevator. He stopped at the corpse of the servant to his god and bowed his head, whispering a quiet prayer. He turned to Akashi,

“Our time was brief, but you won’t be soon forgotten. If you manage to get the word out… then I will praise you even more. Farewell.” Rae-Lynd stepped into the elevator.  He rose up through the elevator and away from Akashi. Akashi let out a deep sigh as he watched him disappear. The shock of everything that happened - everything he saw - was finally starting to dawn on him. If not for the impending flood, he would’ve sat down and cried. Instead, he breathed in his tears and turned back around to find his squad.

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Goodness me, here we are at the end of part 5! We’re almost out of the tunnels! Forgive me if there’s more errors than normal in this one. I’m in the process of moving house this week and my editing brain wasn’t functioning at 100%.

No big updates at the end of this one, but feel free to leave some feedback! Stay tuned for next week where Akashi faces Saquoa again after learning the truth of the war.

Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you next week!