Beneath the whispers

Chapter 48

A night has passed. We spent all night trying to figure out how to save Thelma without Harper convulsing to death. Willow’s patience grew thin and he started throwing a fit

I ended up consoling him all night and listen to his deepest confession of how much he grew to admire Thelma. I did notice they were quite close but I didn’t suspect feelings had been involved

But more so, his confession made me wish all the more that they hadn’t laid a finger on her. Taking her at the hotel and not randomly means that maybe they don't have need for her yet

It is morning now, the boys are on the floor leaving me on the hard leafy bed. footsteps approach the beaded but and we all sprung to out feet, Willow shush us and tiptoes to the window space covered with stuffed clothes and peeps. He lets out a breath “its Red and Liv”

I rush out and we all hug each other “Thelma –”

“we know” Rose say, her eyes are swollen and for the first time, her hair looks a mess

I hug her again “we will get her back” I say and look at Will’s gloomy face and he nods

“What about Harper?” Olivia asks

“He is helping” I say with a shrug

“How can we trust him?” Rose adds

“You don’t have to” Harper says coming out of the hut “they want me dead” He says scratching his head

“Harp!” I yell. How many times will he make my heart skip like that?

“You already know that, you saw me take the body, I figured you suspected it when you protected me” he defends himself

“Wait, they know you have bailed out on your boss?” Rose asks with her lids apart. Harper doesn’t say anything “they did send you to spy on us, but are you not supposed to like … die if you stop working for them” Rose says scratching the back of her neck

“that is why I stopped the gust from yesterday” I say calmly

“but then there is the part where they can just make him convulse” Olivia says

“yea, I guess that works with specific not so well thought out rules and he hasn't disobeyed one yet” I say

“liv, you have been with someone that worked for these people, maybe you should guide Harper and we are going to look through the papers for more loop holes so we can get Thelma out” Willow adds

“first we need supplies and – we lost two last night… died in their sleep” Olivia announces and I blow a breath. Time is not on our side “Willow will take Harp back to the hotel” She orders

“but Tony –”

“he is on the same page” Rose interrupts me and I breathe out in relief

We gathered the produce we could at the village farm and returned to the hotel

***************

“I am so so sorry T” I say, with my palms together and he just walks up to me and hugs me

“I was rash. I just wanted to pour my anger on something and Harper was a ready option” he says calmly

“Good thing I stopped you” I joked

“I still don’t trust him” He says watching Harper and Olivia slip through the papers that were once in the beaded hut

We had returned from gathering supplies and after feeding the villagers, Mira left with a villager to get some medicinal herb since most of the villagers were down with a fever of some sort. This puts more pressure on us to get out of here so they can get medical treatment.

Harper went into work the moment we arrived trying to figure out through Harem’s papers a way we can subdue the shadows and we are left to plan how we can get the ride from the store house since we can now cross the border

It could require fighting off some men but then we have an advantage since we can make them convulse to death though we don’t exactly know how but the knowledge of its possibility is comforting enough

“so who is going to get the bus?” Rose asks

“no” Tony says the moment I open my mouth, I swallow my words right back “I and Willow can settle it. you and Rose will watch things here. We will be back soon” He orders

I pout, scratching the back of my neck “what if there are a lot of people there?”

“not so much of a possibility but if anything, we will come right back” Willow says

“be safe” I hug Tony and he pecks my cheeks, I break free and hug Willow “we will find them” I whisper to him and he squeeze me harder

Tony smiles “don’t do anything rash until we are back. Plan properly before you set out”

“yes boss” I joke and he cups my cheeks “go already” I say and I push him lightly and he leaves with Willow

I walk up to Olivia and Harper where they were looking through papers and peep into the place “any progress?”

“nope” Rose says from behind me “they literally just started”

*****************

It's dark out and the boys are not back yet from the heist, I look out from the open hotel door tapping my feet and tugging at my hair repeatedly.

It was not part of the plan that they would not be back even though they had their weapons with them but this wasn't longer just shadow related but they had men too that could harm them

How were they supposed to take the car without anyone noticing, we didn't think this plan through and it is because I was with Harper at the beaded hut and Tony was too mad to think straight

After a long afternoon of searching through the papers, we did find some answers but Harper is still figuring out how he would tell us without gagging on his breath first. That is frustrating enough

We were supposed to go for Thelma and Maya today before it gets dark. that is if Harper found something that we can hold on to. But apparently here we are

His hand drop on my shoulder and I turn with haste “what are you thinking?”

“Isn't it obvious? Tony is not back”

“I thought you agreed to call him T”

“needs some getting used to” I brush him off with a hand gesture “ I am worried and now we don't have a way to infiltrate the mansion, alerting the men with the car theft could flop things over”

“you think they would attack?”

“you are right they would attack. So we need to be leaving once we steal the car” I turn to him letting my concern show on my face

“what if they have weapons?”

“I never thought of that but then, they might not expect us to get rebellious hence not find the need to carry weapons around right?” I pause and look at him “wait, why are you asking que-” my voice trails as I nod and he nods along with me

“we would have like a few hours in the morning to get Thelma out. But we don't know how to enter the building” Olivia adds approaching us

He hands over some paper to me. I look at the drawing of the circle in the first paper and then take it out below the other paper, this one had the whatever-language inscription in it

I look at him and back to the paper, this circle must signify something and this inscription is supposed to tell us something that would help us get Thelma out. the frustrating thing is that Harper knows all this but he cannot tell because he could die before we sliver out a word from him.

Ugh… I turn the paper upside down and keep flipping it, even raising it up and looking at the hotel fire place through it “wait a minute, this is like a ritual or something spiritual and this is the physical representation. What if it is the one controlling the shadows?”

“found anything” Rose approaches us yawning

“take a look at this” I pass the papers to her

she snatches them, takes a quick glance and gives them back to me “I have seen this a lot”

“this could be the very thing that controls the shadows” I say

“wait, what?” she snatches the paper again and look at it “if we destroy it then so does the shadows” She shrieks out and I grin brightly and Olivia collects the paper from her with excitement

“all we have to do is destroy it and the shadows will not stop us from leaving” I say excitedly but the excitement drops in a short second

“it will be in the underground door, given how much they protected it and the shadows will not let us go to the underground, how will we destroy it?” Olivia speaks my thoughts

Rose’s countenance drops and she withdraws, looking steadily at the drawing

“how long does it take a burning house to burn down?” Harper asks and we both look at him for a long second before the realization strike us

“wait… we can set the house on fire so the shadows wouldn’t come near as we enter the underground” Rose yells and hugs Harper

“we will destroy the circle with fire too” I add

I jump and hug join the hug “wait if we destroy the ritual with fire what would happen to you” I say breaking free from the group hug

His eyes grow darker and his lips purse. I nod sideways and my lips quiver “no Harper, their has to be a way” I say

“some decisions we make can put us in situations we did not bargain for” Harper says

I hug Harper “there has to be a way, you cannot just die like that” I insisted as Thelma taps her finger on her jaw

“I did this to myself, I deserve whatever comes my way. You need to save your friends and the villagers”

“no – “ a heavy wind slams into the hotel and with instinct, I rush to the door and shut it close. I lock it and steps backward