Free Entanglements by P R Mason Page B

silent scream. I thrust out a hand to her but she was too far away for even brief contact.
    The pull of the rope almost split me in two, but it tugged me ruthlessly up. The swirling area of the vortex had shrunk to no bigger than a basketball by this time, but I made it through. As I broke the surface of the vortex, I gulped in a heaving breath. I hadn't been conscious of oxygen deprivation, but it seemed my body had. The drag continued until I lay like a beached whale on solid ground.
    I wiped the sweat from my face, pushed the hair out of my eyes and took in what was happening around me and saw the back of the great hairy figure as he lumbered away down the tunnel in the direction of the grate. Billy kneeled at the side of the shrinking vortex crying Juliette’s name over and over. Quinn hadn't moved from his statuary position in the corner. Rom and Senji wrestled with the figure I’d come to think of as the horseman. Well, actually Rom and the figure struggled and Senji hung on the side of the horseman like a barnacle.
    I managed to get to my feet and stagger to Billy.
    “Help them.” I grabbed his shoulder and shook him.
    He swiveled his head and looked up at me with moist red eyes.
    “She’s gone,” he said. “Juliette. I really loved her, you know.”
    “Get up,” I screamed. “We might be able to get her back if you help us.”
    “She’s gone.” His head fell into his hands and he sobbed.
    Turning my attention back to the fight, I saw the horseman had almost broken free of Rom. Rom threw a punch and his fist cracked against the horseman’s jaw. The horseman staggered back, stunned and Rom pushed him toward the vortex. But somehow the horseman recovered. He clutched at Rom, seizing his forearm and biting down.
    “Aghhhh,” Rom cried out.
    I dashed to one of the construction lights and picked it up by the tripod. Wielding it like a club, I struck the horseman across the back. The fixture smashed and the bulb shattered scattering glass over the horseman's shoulders. The blow forced him to release his biting hold on Rom’s arm. As Rom fell to his knees, the horseman shook off Senji. The horseman hopped over Rom and then barreled off past the remaining light before disappearing down the tunnel.
     
     
     

Part II:   Anarchy
    Quantum entanglement: “spooky action at a distance.” -Albert Einstein.
     

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    Senji stood cleaning Rom’s arm with antiseptic on one side of what remained of the morgue. Quinn finally emerged from his corner and helped Billy to his feet before the two of them stumbled out.
    I stared at the design on the floor. My mind could not process what had happened, but I knew Juliette and Franky were gone. I also knew that somehow I had caused all this.
    There was only one thing to do now. I bolted.
    “Kizzy,” Rom called after me and the echo of my name followed me as I ran.
     
    * * * * *
     
    The next morning I didn’t wait for Mom to pry me out of bed as I usually did. I rose, dressed before dawn and opened the front door to sneak out. However, despite my efforts, Mom caught me.
    She leaned into the hall from inside the kitchen.
    “Oh, Kizzy.” She stepped fully into the hall. “Off to school?”
    Facing the open front door, I grunted.
    “Do you want me to drive you?” Her tone was sunny.
    “I’ll walk,” I mumbled.
    “Okay. Be careful, honey.”
    Too late for that , I thought and stepped over the threshold.
    During the night I’d decided I wasn’t to blame for Franky and Juliette. I’d told them not to go to the hospital. I’d warned Juliette not to go into the morgue hadn’t I? Still I couldn’t face Mom. Maybe I wasn’t so convinced of my lack of blame after all.
    “Oh and Kizzy?”
    I stopped, but didn’t turn around.
    “Have you seen Juliette?” Mom asked.
    “Not today.” Truthful answer.
    “Where is she?”
    Should I be truthful or lie?
    “I don’t know.” A little of both.
    “She said she was going to her friend Brenda’s house