Sanctuary

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. All characters appearing in this work are the product of the individual author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

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© 2019 Zimbell House Publishing

Published in the United States by Zimbell House Publishing

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Trade Paper ISBN: 978-1-64390-17-9

.mobi ISBN: 978-1-64390-018-6

Digital ISBN: 978-1-64390-019-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019901362

First Edition: February 2019

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Zimbell House Publishing

Union Lake

Acknowledgments

ZIMBELL HOUSE PUBLISHING would like to thank all those that contributed to this anthology. We chose to showcase ten new voices that best represented our vision for this work.

We would also like to thank our Zimbell House team for all their hard work and dedication to these projects.

Codekeeper Blue

Michelle Ropp

They were never supposed to meet.

Codekeepers, Caeran’s mother told her, were to remain secrets. They were never to have contact with each other, never to tell anyone what they were. It was the only way to keep the city of Espérer safe.

War raged around them, firestorms of blue light spider-webbing across the sky every time a rogue blast hit the barrier. At night they rivaled even the auroras. Sometimes, ships pushed up against the barrier, tested it until their hulls were red and smoking, but it held. It always held, and it always would, as long as there were Codekeepers in Espérer.

Once, there were six. At least, according to the rumors. Six Codekeepers, each from a different family, each one raised from birth with a piece of the barrier’s encryption buried inside them. The Codekeepers were supposed to be secrets known only to their parents and a small team of scientists, but word got out. Rumors of the barrier’s secret spread. Still, Caeran had felt safe. No one out there knew who the Codekeepers were, or at least, that’s what Caeran had thought.

With four of the Codekeepers confirmed dead on the news, dread seeped into Caeran’s bones like cold water.

She was next.

Caeran sighed, pushing fingers through her dark hair as she stared at the flickering monitor screen. One unread message stared back, an invitation. It was a trap, it had to be a trap. Either that or the other Codekeepers had been absolute and total idiots. Caeran considered the possibility that she might be, too. She double-checked that she was as invisible as possible, falsified coordinates were still in place. She checked the home-brew encryption for the seventh time, and hand hovering in doubt, tapped the invitation to accept it.

Welcome, Silens, to the Codekeeper channel.

A chill ran down her spine at the sight of the automated message. The ominous twisting in her gut grew worse as she scanned over the list of users. Six other users. Seven total, four dead, and one too many.

Silens: Anyone here?

Caeran didn’t expect a quick response from a channel full of ghosts, but ellipses hovered on the screen, and a new line appeared.

Rex: Oh, hey!

The line vanished with an error sound almost immediately.

Blue: You shouldn’t be here!

More ellipses hovered. Caeran glared at the screen—she knew that already, obviously.

Blue: It’s too dangerous, sign out now!

Caeran didn’t let Blue explain. They didn’t have time for it. At least she had an inkling of who the real Codekeeper was.

Silens: Too late for that and you know it, so just listen for a click.

Rex: You want to meet up in person, right? Safety in numbers and all.

Caeran’s foot tapped. She watched the fight erupt between Blue and Rex over what was safer—to meet up or to stay far away. Caeran knew it was stupid, knew she was risking her life over this, but she pulled up a private server and sent an invite to Blue. Come on, come on, already, she muttered.

Blue: You really have a death wish, don’t you?

Caeran’s lips tugged into a small grin.

Probably, she replied. But you’re the one in a channel with a killer, so. Guess I’m not the only one.

Blue: Why should I believe you aren’t the killer?

Caeran stared at the words, not sure Blue would believe her. It was worth a shot, though.

Silens: Four Codekeepers were killed. That makes you five. Plus me is six. Rex is seven ... and there were only six Codekeepers, so my money’s on him as the killer. Plus, he was annoyingly cheerful.

Blue: You could be seven. I shouldn’t trust you or Rex.

Silens: And yet, here you are.

Blue: I guess so. But even if you were a Codekeeper, why would you join the channel after ... after that?

Caeran’s typing paused, she considered her words carefully before she responded.

Silens: This invite has been sitting in my messages for ages.

Blue: ?

Silens: I didn’t respond to it because I thought it was stupid and dangerous and a great way to get killed.

Blue: Did you really just PM me just to call me an idiot?!

Silens: No, just shut up and listen for a click already.

Silens: I responded to the invite after they died because how else would the killer find out where four Codekeepers were? He had to be here.

Blue: And you had a death wish, apparently.

Silens: No! Idiot, I’m trying to save you, are you really that dense? There are only two of us left!

Silens: I know they said we couldn’t tell anyone, but I’d really prefer not to be the last Codekeeper and spend the rest of my life hiding and running because the other five were idiots.

Blue: Rude.

Silens: I know we’re not supposed to meet.

Blue: Which is why you’re going to suggest we meet, right?

A small blip heralded a message from Rex; a preview rolled down the side of the screen.

Rex: You’re awfully quiet in the GC, Silens. What are you and Blue up to ...? :)

Caeran shuddered and blocked him. She was running out of time to talk. She turned her attention back to Blue and prayed that she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.

Silens: Meet me in the old quadrant, in the underground mall by the escalators at noon tomorrow.

Blue: You know, for someone who claims not to be a killer, you sure sound like one.

Silens: No reception, no Rex. I hope. Gotta go.

Blue: Silens?

Silens: Yeah?

The ellipses hovered on the screen longer than usual. Then, finally;

Blue: Be careful. See you tomorrow.

Caeran stared at the screen longer than she needed too, relief and anxiety twisting in her chest.

Tomorrow.

She pulled out the monitor’s tethering system, watched the screen turn black, and went to bed—but she didn’t sleep. At least, not much.

By the time noon rolled around the next day, Caeran was sure she was surviving off of nothing but pure, unfiltered adrenaline and too much caffeine.

This is a terrible idea, she told her boots as she pulled them on. Maybe I’m the idiot after all.

Shrugging on a jacket, she headed outside, locked up, and started walking toward the old quadrant.

The glistening spirals of apartment towers and military hubs and the noise of air traffic dropped away as she approached the heart of the city. The overpasses grew cracked and crumbling; green erupted from archaic tunnels in a riot of moss and ferns. Slouching stone buildings gaped at the sky with open maws, roofs and doors ripped off long ago. They sprouted up between shops and hangars, just a few at first, then more, and more, until the skeletons of the old, nameless city surrounded Caeran. The ruins grew grander, eerier; vines crawled up leaning poles and ancient radio towers. Water ran down what had once been a street in a muddy, black trickle. It fed twisted trees whose roots wrapped around doorframes and curbs and burst out of great concrete structures.

Here, there was no reception. There was too much interference, too much damage from the radiation storms. Hot spots still lingered, and most Espérerians avoided the old quadrant. The city no longer had the manpower to enforce the quarantine, but the threat of radiation poisoning kept both developers and squatters away.

Caeran tapped a few buttons on the urbassist device on her arm to activate radiation tracking. The urbassist would be useless for communication with all the radiation noise, but she was more concerned with avoiding hot spots and staying alive.

As the sun reached its zenith in the sky above, the great mouth of the entrance to the underground came into sight—a few faded letters could still be made out on the concrete, but spray paint and moss had consumed most of the surface. The urbassist didn’t sound any warnings, so Caeran stepped into the tunnel. Moisture dripped from the cracked ceiling above, drips echoing ahead. She headed down frozen, rusted escalators and the once-great mall opened up around her.

Dead lights dangled from the cracked ceiling and arced down toward the third wrap-around level. Glimpses of the second level peeked out underneath, and the lower level stretched below. Moss crept along it in an emerald carpet, and countless doorways and alcoves edged the walls like dark, watchful eyes. Where the floor had buckled and split, brambles crowded, thorny and thick, dark leaves and pale petals pointed skyward. At the bottom of the escalator, Caeran spotted a pale figure, Blue.

Caeran grit her teeth, hurrying down the escalator to the young woman who waited below. As she vaulted off of the last couple broken steps to solid ground below, she came face-to-face with the only other Codekeeper left alive.

Blue? Caeran asked, even though she didn’t need to. It couldn’t be anyone else.

The first thing that struck her was just how small the other Codekeeper was. The young woman in front of her barely reached her shoulders. There was something ethereal, something otherworldly about her. The fabric of the lavender dress belted at her tiny waist flowed away from her like the trails of a ghost. Blue eyes, so light they were almost white, looked up at Caeran through long, silver lashes, and lips dusted delicate pink pressed together carefully, standing out in stark contrast to skin the color of milk. Silver hair cascaded around her graceful face, shining and straight.

Yes, she answered. Those pink lips turned up into the barest of smiles. My real name is Fiores. So. You must be Silens, then.

Caeran offered her hand in greeting. For better or worse. I’m Caeran.

Fiores took her hand, and Caeran shook it carefully, half-afraid of breaking the fragile beauty. Fiores’ hand felt so small and soft in hers, looked so shockingly pale next to Caeran’s copper complexion.

You’re—taller than I expected, Fiores managed, a smile spreading to a sheepish grin.

Nope. You’re just tiny, Caeran retorted, returning the grin. This your first time in the old quadrant?

Almost, Fiores admitted, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear. When I was little, I wandered in here while my mom was working. I picked one of the roses to bring back to her. I got a bit scratched up in the process. When I gave her the flower that night, she cried for hours and told me I could have died. Haven’t been back since.

Here, let me see your urbassist.

Fiores hesitated, doubt flickering across her blue eyes in a shadow. Reluctantly, she offered Caeran her arm.

Relax, Caeran soothed, adjusting the settings to track radiation for Fiores, too. The old quadrant is pretty safe as long as you avoid the hot spots. This will help—if you enter an area with high levels of radiation, your urbassist will sound an alarm. So, if it starts beeping, back up and go a different way. Oh, and you’ll need one of these. She reached into her bag for a small bottle, tipping a dark blue pill into her hand. She offered it to Fiores. Radiogardase. It’ll help with the radiation.

It’s that bad, here? Fiores asked in a horrified whisper, staring down at the pill.

The first time I came here, I woke up with a bunch of tubes and wires hooked up to me at the medics. So, yeah, it can be ... kinda bad. But as long as you stay away from the hot spots and take Radiogardase here and there, it is safe enough. Seeing Fiores hesitate, Caeran dropped the pill in the other woman’s hand, and tipped one out for herself as well, taking it with a swig of bottled water. She offered the water to Fiores, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

Fiores sighed, and took the pill, washing it down with the water before handing the bottle back. Sounds like you come here a lot.

Caeran shrugged. Everyone else is scared to come here, which makes it perfect for scavenging. I’ve earned a bit of iridium with the stuff I haul back from here. When work is slow, I just come out here, and usually find enough to make it worthwhile.

Oh, Fiores blinked up in surprise. I didn’t even—I didn’t know anyone did that. Isn’t that illegal?

Caeran crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. We have a killer after us. I think we have bigger problems to worry about than my jaunts into radioactive ruins to sell abandoned junk.

Fair enough. Fiores held her hands up. So, you think Rex is the killer, then?

Definitely. Caeran started walking toward the back of the mall.

Fiores seemed to get the hint, she hurried after her, hanging behind Caeran like a scared puppy. So—if he is the killer, she started, what do we do? Go to the enforcers?

Yeah, sure. Because they did a fantastic job protecting the other four Codekeepers, Caeran retorted. Even if we went to the enforcers, we don’t have any real information. They’d be searching blind. There’s no way Rex is his real name, so we have nothing.

But you have some kind of a plan, right? Fiores asked, struggling to keep up. You told me to come here for a reason, right?

I did. Caeran relaxed, pushing her way through a lopsided door to one of the back rooms. Terminals lined one wall above rotten desks. Broken chairs littered the ground around them like wooden spiders. I was careful when I entered that trap of a channel. I took precautions to make sure my signal couldn’t be traced. But you—Ms. 814 Ruelle Rd, Apt. 350—

Fiores gasped, turning a fetching shade of pink from her ears to her shoulders. How did you—

Caeran laughed, shaking her head as she walked down to the eighth terminal. She plugged it in and switched it on. It whined in complaint, but a solid smack to one side got it going again. If you don’t encrypt your signal, you’re practically advertising all of your personal information to all of Espérer. And, her smile faded, your current location. I think that’s how Rex got the other four. He won’t be able to track you here in the old quadrant. That’s why we’re here.

Fiores inched closer, frowning. So, we’re just going to ... stay here? And wait for someone to catch him?

Caeran snorted. No way. This, she patted the ancient terminal, means that two can play his screwed up little game. I don’t have a lot of faith in the enforcers, but if we can give them an exact location or a real name or something substantial, well, that might be a different story.

You can use that thing? Fiores asked, caught somewhere between awe and mute horror.

Watch and learn, Blue.

It’s Fiores, Fiores corrected, turning red.

I know. Caeran grinned, setting up an encryption and false name and location. A lot of the old tech is unreliable. Half of it has to be rebuilt from scratch, but, she hit a key to finalize everything, then pulled up an outdated communication center, they’re easier to work with.

Work with, Fiores echoed. Another illegal job?

Sometimes.

Fiores let out a strangled sigh.

Lips pressed together, Caeran entered the Codekeeper channel and unblocked Rex. A bunch of unanswered messages popped up.

Rex: You’re awfully quiet in the GC, Silens. What are you and Blue up to ...? :)

Rex: Shouldn’t us Codekeepers stick together?

Rex: Come on.

Rex: You two aren’t meeting up without me, are you?

Rex: You didn’t have to block me.

Rex: You’ll be back.

Rex: GC is awfully quiet lately. Have you heard from Blue?

Rex: I know what your game is, Silens.

Rex: Where, oh where, could you two be?

Rex: You’ll be back.

Anxiety shot through Caeran like a cold arrow, but she forced herself to ignore it, cursor hovering over Rex’s name.

Rex: I know you’re online, Silens.

Shut up, Caeran muttered under her breath despite the fear sinking into the pit of her stomach. A few keystrokes and she pulled up his information. He had a simple encryption up, but nothing impressive.

Rex: So. Where are you, Silens? You’re with Blue, aren’t you?

How does he know? Fiores hissed, turning an even paler shade if that was even possible.

Lucky guess, Caeran reassured her. Our messages were private. Judging by his weak encryptions, he doesn’t have the skill to hack into our conversation.

Rex: Funny. It says you’re in North Montagne, but I know that’s not right.

Rex: Fiores wasn’t at her apartment, either. Pity, she had such a nice collection of tea. Would have loved to have a cup with her.

Rex: So where, oh where, could you two really be?

Fiores stifled a sob, taking a step away from the terminal. He’s been hunting us ... he was at my home! He—he’s looking for us right now ...

Caeran copied any and all of the information she was able to pull on Rex into a new window and closed out the Codekeeper channel.

Hey, it’s okay, you’re safe here, she soothed, stepping toward Fiores. Was anyone else at your apartment?

Fiores shook her head dismally. Her tears dripped onto the damp floor and clung to her lashes. I ... I live alone, she admitted in a broken whisper.

Caeran reached up, brushing Fiores’ tears away. Fiores leaned into her touch with a pained expression, trembling. You’re safe, Caeran echoed. And ... if you need somewhere to crash for a while, you can stay with me.

Fiores nodded, scrubbing at what tears remained.

Here ... Caeran grabbed the two best-looking chairs in the room, setting them in front of the monitor. The chairs still wobbled threateningly, and the back was broken off of one, but it was something, at least. She sat down in one and patted the other for Fiores.

Fiores bit her lip, frowning at the chair. To be fair, it did look unsteady at best. But Fiores took a seat next to Caeran, sagging against it.

We’re safe down here, she reminded Fiores. He can’t find us here.

Fiores nodded again, gripping a strand of silver hair. Her thumb worried over the strands as she stared at the monitor. Are these ... locations?

Yeah, it’s everything I could pull on him. No real name. No surprise there, I guess. I’d hoped he was stupid enough to use it, but I guess not. But these are all dates and timestamps—real ones.

But ... they’re all different.

Yeah. Guess he isn’t stupid after all. Caeran sighed. We have his last location, though. Let’s head back to my place. We’ll contact the enforcers with that.

We can’t call it in from here?

Caeran