Rift by Heidi J. Leavitt

Author:Heidi J. Leavitt [Leavitt, Heidi J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Magamawood Books
Published: 2018-05-26T22:00:00+00:00

27. A Spark of Hope

Jenna’s eyes snapped open, and she took a shuddering breath. That nightmare had been even worse than the ones in the medical capsule. Something had been attacking her, something malevolent she couldn’t see. She could feel the presence pressing against her, while she stumbled among the trees of the forest, shouting for her children. Then it had swooped over her and began to squeeze her out of existence. First, she found it impossible to draw breath. Then it was inside her head. Icy needles of pain burrowed themselves inside her skull, as if trying to gore her brain. Then her skin had burned, burned as if an electric current were traveling from the needles in her head to every nerve ending. She opened her mouth soundlessly; she couldn’t even draw breath to scream. Every second seemed to last an eternity until her mind hadn’t been able to cope anymore, and she jolted into consciousness.

For a moment, all she could do was lie frozen in the semidarkness, blessedly enjoying her freedom from pain of any kind. Her sweat-slicked body trembled, and her back ached from lying on a thin pallet on the floor. As her breathing slowed and the agonizing pain and helplessness and fear from the dream began to fade, Jenna blinked and tried to process her surroundings. She knew exactly where she was—the strange bug researcher’s office. But she must have slept through the rest of the night. The faint light of dawn filtered in through an overhead skylight, making possible to see at least some shapes in the room. Stretching out her arms with a groan, Jenna realized that she was alone on the pallet. She wearily dragged herself into a sitting position, peering around in the dim gloom in search of Kendra. She spotted her instantly, a small silhouette of darkness standing near the door to the kitchen.

“Kendra?” she asked, her voice rough.

“Mommy, something’s wrong,” Kendra said, her high voice strained.

“What is it?” She rubbed at her bleary eyes, trying to make sense of the shadowy shapes around her. She could see Lenata asleep on another pallet against the wall; she was snoring softly, one arm over her head. Nobody else was in the room with them. Jenna couldn’t hear anything unusual either. Just the quiet hum of the electricity, Lenata’s snoring, and Kendra’s rapid breathing.

Suddenly her brain woke up. Her daughter was terrified.

“What is it?” she asked again, forcing her aching legs to stand. Sharp needles pricked at her legs and feet, and she ignored it as she staggered over to her daughter.

“Dina says they’re coming,” Kendra whispered, as if she were afraid she would be overheard.

“They?” Jenna probed. “Who are you . . .”

A sudden, piercing screech broke the air. Kendra screamed, covered her ears, and threw herself at her mother. Lenata bolted upright against the wall, looking around wildly. Jenna clutched at Kendra as she spun toward the sound—an alarm was coming from the desk terminal, whose screen had flared to life.

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