The Soul Searcher

Chapter 1

The slam of the front door echoed in the small living room with such a finality that Elnora wanted to reach out and take it back. To tell Thea she changed her mind and she needed to go with them. It would be simple, easy even, to swing open the door and rush up the stairs to join them. 

Markus slid the bolts in place, crushing any glimmer of hope that she was strong enough to leave this place. It wasn’t his fault. Markus was doing what he was here for, to protect her at all cost. A chill swept up her arm and down her back, but Viktor was no longer here to bring about the cool range in temperature. Did Markus feel the loss of the group’s departure as well? 

Elnora stole a glance at him, but his face gave nothing away, as usual. “It’s quiet now.”

“Finally.” 

“It wasn’t that bad.” 

Markus moved slightly from his post at the door to look at her. “Do I need to remind you that your arm required stitches this morning?”

“No, you don’t have to remind me. It still hurts.” Sam did a good job of stitching up her arm, but it still stung. Hurt lingered in Markus’s eyes. When he returned from searching for her, he was angry with her for leaving the safe house, and she couldn’t blame him for his anger. How would she feel if her charge slipped out without her notice? 

“You want to watch a movie?” She claimed her spot on the couch, tucking in the crocheted afghan her Nanny made around her. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Come on, Markus. You can’t stay mad at me forever.” 

“Sure I can.” The corners of his mouth turned upwards, so she wasn’t completely unforgiven. 

“Fine.” The Princess Bride was still in the DVD player, so she pushed Play. One of her favorites, she had the movie memorized. As did Markus. Elnora suppressed a laugh as she tried to keep her eyes on the TV and not on Markus’s face.

His shoulders shook, as he covered up his laugh by faking a yawn and covering his mouth. Elnora’s finger hovered over the Pause button. He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. The movie was at the part where the grandson asked his grandfather, “Is this a kissing book?” when Markus sighed and mumbled, “I’ll go get some snacks.” He returned with a big bowl of popcorn and a couple of sodas. 

“I’m sorry about sneaking out on you.” 

“We have rules for a reason, you know.” 

Elnora did know. She had a state-of-the-art safe room that doubled as her bedroom, a compromise to Markus’s demand to add a second guard. Signing up to guard her was an around-the-clock job, and she couldn’t stand the idea of one more person sacrificing their personal life to protect her. 

When the movie was over and Buttercup was riding off into the sunset with Westley, she pushed off the afghan to take the bowl to the kitchen. The movie did not calm her like it usually did. Ever since Thea and her entourage left, she couldn’t get rid of the feeling of loneliness. Now that the safe house was quiet, the silence of their absence was all she could hear.

Elnora never thought of herself as someone who needed others around. She had always been independent. Of course, success in staying hidden away demanded her to be independent, so why did the silence all of a sudden bother her? 

She rinsed the bowl in the sink, taking longer than the task actually required. She didn’t have the energy to debate with Markus tonight. Placing the bowl back in the cabinet, she walked past him and to her room, punching in the code on the panel in the inside of her door. Flattening her hand on the panel, she waited for the familiar green light to scan her hand to activate the safe room for the night.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on the reason for Thea’s absence to bother her, but the invitation to come to The Kalila had taken root and stirred hope of escaping her cozy little safe house. It gave her a hope that there was another route she could take, a way to take charge of her life and lead it on her own terms. 

A nagging feeling of guilt weighed heavily upon her. Usually, the routine of washing off her makeup and brushing her teeth was comforting. Even though she was irritated at the overall situation, she should have at least told Markus goodnight instead of walking away. It wasn’t his fault that she had to stay in hiding, but if she was completely honest with herself, she missed the excitement of getting to know Thea and the others. As soon as she opened the door the day they arrived, the room was charged with a curiosity she couldn’t ignore and one she hadn’t felt in a long time. All of their gifts tugged at her to investigate them, to learn as much as she could, to find what made them unique. Their strengths and weaknesses demanded her attention until she was satisfied with what she learned. That was what unnerved her the most since their departure. Elnora wasn’t fully satisfied. The urge to learn more lingered behind. 

Would she be able to give up this place and move to The Kalila? To come out of hiding and go back to the place that she never thought she would return? What would happen to Markus if she did? Would he even want to follow her?

A red blinking light from the safe room door caught her attention as she placed her toothbrush in the holder and left the bathroom. Purple, silk pajamas slipped through her fingers and landed at her feet. The smooth fabric tickled her toes as she tried to get her legs to cooperate and move towards the door, but she couldn’t move. 

This was not a drill. 

Someone was in her house.

She was such a fool. She shouldn’t have let hope come in and take root, because it came in and caught her with her guard down. This hope turned her whole world upside down. Forcing her feet to move this time, she took a step closer to the door, hoping it was an accident, that Markus made a mistake and triggered the alarm without meaning to. This hope kept her taking another step, and another, even though her heart knew what her mind didn’t want to accept yet. Markus didn’t make those kinds of mistakes. The silent, blinking red light taunted her, beckoned her to come to the door and see for herself. To come and see if this was all a mistake. 

Why was she still walking towards the door? She knew it wouldn’t open now. This type of safe room was specifically designed with a special lockdown mode which was triggered by a code, one that only Markus had access to. If the red blinking light was on, it was because Markus punched in the alarm code.

She ran trembling fingers over the buttons of the intercom and selected the video feed. The black screen instantly showed the living room, or what was once her living room. Tears stung her eyes as she took in the busted front door. End tables were knocked over and smashed, lamps lay broken on the floor, and her couch was upside down. 

She called Markus’s name through the intercom, but there was no response, just silence. She quickly panned the video feed across the living room again but only came up with more damaged items. Her Nanny’s afghan was on the other side of the room, far from where she left it on the couch. She clicked on the kitchen video feed, but instead of Markus, there were broken dishes and items strewn all over the floor. Where was Markus? Her fingers trembled as she hovered over the hallway camera. It was the last place that she could see Markus. Her heart beat wildly as she closed her eyes and pressed the hallway camera. She opened her eyes, instantly wishing she could take back the decision. 

“Markus!” She screamed with every fiber of her being, but he didn’t even look in her direction. 

“Markus!” She choked on a sob that worked its way from her throat, mangling her words. She pounded her fist against the door, but neither her words nor pounding could drag Markus away from what was happening on the other side of this door. 

Three men were sprawled out on the floor, their bodies intermingled with each other as if they died immediately one after the other. Blood pooled underneath them and trailed towards Markus, where he was battling another man and losing. Elnora’s knees gave way, and she grabbed the nightstand for support before she fell all the way to the floor.

The trail of blood was from Markus. 

This could not be happening. Elnora had to help Markus. She couldn’t let him fight someone for her. If she could get out the door and make it to the end of the hall, she could grab a gun from one of the dead intruders. Even if she wasn’t able to make it all the way, it could distract the other man so Markus could get the upper hand. 

She pressed her hand up to the security panel and waited for the door to open. Nothing. She placed it again on the panel and waited. It didn’t even scan her hand. She pushed the intercom button again, hoping it would work this time. “Markus!” She screamed his name, over and over. She pleaded with him to let her out so she could help him. She banged on the door until her hand went numb. It wasn’t any use. He couldn’t hear her. Markus had muted her intercom.

Elnora lowered her head to rest against the door, exhausted from her attempts for Markus to hear her. Somewhere in the midst of the attack, Markus must have lost his gun because his holster was empty. They were now battling it out with whatever weapon they could find. Markus had a broken broom, but even she could tell that he was tiring out. 

“Leave me here!” 

Sobs choked her, triggering her to panic since she couldn’t draw in a deep breath. She wished she could tell Markus to leave her, to run away. She wasn’t worth this. 

The trail of blood was no longer trickling down but was now a pool at his feet. He lost his footing, slipping in the sticky mess. 

“Please, Markus, just leave me.” Tears poured from her eyes, but she refused to look away. She wouldn’t dishonor Markus by hiding her eyes.

Markus swung his broom handle, hitting the man in the side. The man stumbled from the blow, but the momentum from Markus’s swing, mixed with the blood caused him to lose his balance, and he fell. 

“Oh, Markus.” 

Markus tried to stand, but the fall gave the other man the upper hand. He brought down his weapon and plunged it straight through Markus’s chest. 

“No!”

Markus didn’t look away from his attacker, even as he fell, he never gave away her location by looking down towards her room. Even at death’s door, he never wavered. She didn’t deserve such loyalty, and Markus didn’t deserve to die.

Her fingers fell away from the intercom, and she slid down the door to the floor. She wished that Markus had looked down the hall towards her room. She wished that the intercom was working so the attacker knew that she was here. If he did look this way, if the attacker knew she was here, then she wouldn’t have to live with the guilt that was crushing her, consuming her, and breaking her. 

Hope was a dangerous thing. It made her wish for things that could never be.