CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
As Alice's gaze fell down on them; a completely new fear engulfed them—her crystal blue eyes like luminescence in the dark; glinting dangerously mad. She pulled at her arms, the chains wrapped around her wrists rattled as it dug at her skin and blood dripped down from it. But Alice made no notion that she was aware of it.
She tilted her head as she surveyed them, the anger in her eyes remained. Alec took a step towards her and her eyes darted to him. He stopped once more, with his hands raised in the air to show her that he wasn't going to attack.
"We have to let you out," he started. "You're hurt,"
She gave a silent laugh. Her expression changed, her eyes no longer glinted as it became dull. She sighed and gave them a smile; a smile that somehow told them thousands of things without her actually saying anything. And she shook her head.
"What do you mean no?" Alec asked, his voice shaking as his heart clenched at the sight his sister was making. "Alice,"
"We need to get her out of there," Ronnie voiced as he started making a portal. But the black hole would barely open in a shape of a dime before vanishing. "Oh, hell. The portal doesn't work inside the cage,"
She looked at her feet and shook her head once more. -"I'm tired. And it's all over,"-
"We're doomed," Jet started, hearing Alice's answer in his head.
Alec rushed towards the younger man and grabbed him by the collar. "What do you mean we're doomed? We finally found my sister and I'm getting her out of there no matter what it takes,"
Jet removed Alec's grip and pushed him away as he pointed at Alice. "She said it! She said that she's tired and that it's all over!" Jet shouted. What do you seriously expect me to feel after the one who actually knows what the fuck is going on says it's too late?"
Alec froze. "What do you mean? What do you mean she's tired?"
Jet raised his arms in frustration. "How the hell would I know?"
"Hey, come on, mates," Ronnie interjected. "Calm down. For now, let's think of how we'll free Alice, okay?"
Alec let out a loud breath to calm himself down as Jet paced back and forth, his face contorted in anger. Once he had collected himself, he walked towards the younger man and put his hand on top of his shoulder. Jet stopped his pacing but refused to look Alec in the hands.
"I'm sorry, kid," Alec started. "The worry, the nerves, I let it get to me. I'm sorry for taking it out on you,"
Jet sighed as he nodded. Ronnie patted the two of them and gestured towards Alice who looked up once more. Alec quickly ran towards her. He slowly outstretched his arms to touch the cage she was in to see if there was any trap. But nothing happened.
"It's a regular cage," Alec stated. "But—there's no door or anything,"
-"You should go,"- Alice insisted. -"Go. You need to hide. Run,"-
"Oh, we'll run. Definitely," Jet answered as Ronnie and Alec looked at him in confusion. "But we are taking you with us,"
Alice stared at him. He could see the power gone from her eyes and what replaced it was exhaustion. He couldn't deny that Alice was definitely not in any condition to fight if they ever free her from the cage she was in.
-"I'm too tired,"- Alice whispered as she blinked repeatedly as if forcing herself to stay awake. -"Tired. So tired,"-
Suddenly, her head hanged limp as she lost consciousness. Alec panicked and he yanked at the irons repeatedly as he called her name. Ronnie touched him and gently pushed him out of the way. He crackled his fingers, his bones made a cracking sound. And with a deep breath, he put his hands around two irons and pulled it apart.
With thanks, Alec quickly entered the cage. He lifted Alice's hand and tried to shake her away. When it hadn't worked, he slapped her gently in the cheek twice. She slowly came too and stared at him with drowsy orbs. Her head kept drooping as she fought against her obvious sleepiness.
Ronnie and Jet entered the cage as well and while Alec tried his best to keep Alice awake, the two of them went to work on removing her chains. Though Ronnie easily broke the chains he was in charge of Jet hadn't managed to even remove one. With a shake of his head and a growl from Jet, he took those chains and removed them as well.
Alice spiraled towards the ground but Alec caught her. Removing a strand of hair away from her face, he gave her a loving smile. "You're safe. You're safe," he murmured under his breath and gave his sister a kiss in the forehead as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "You're safe,"
"Let's go, mate," Ronnie anxiously said as he looked up at the sky. "We don't wanna stay here any longer than we need to,"
Alec nodded and carried Alice in his arms. The four of them exited the cage. And Ronnie pointed the night sky.
"I don't know if any of you noticed it when we got here but that moon had changed," he explained. "It was only half-crimson before but now. . . Now there's only a third of its that left,"
"That doesn't look good," Alec remarked. "What could it mean?"
Alice grabbed him abruptly and Alec was forced to turn to her with a jolt. -"Hurry. Or it will really be too late,"-
"She said that we should hurry. Or it will be too late," Jet vocalized.
Ronnie nodded as he hastily created a portal to go back to the office. But before they could cross it, Alice jumped out of Alec's arms. Surprised, he hadn't managed to stop her and she fell to the floor. Jet knelt down and helped her sat down. Just as he was about to pick her up, Alice weakly slapped his hands away and shook her head.
"What the hell are you doing? You're the one that said we should hurry," Jet angrily asked.
She shook her head. -"I can't go with you. My body is not there,"-
Jet stared at her in surprise and then in realization. He looked over his shoulder to see Alec behind him and he verbalized what Alice had just said. Ronnie slapped himself as he muttered to himself why he hadn't thought of that.
"Then, just tell me where you are," Ronnie chimed in. "We can open one there,"
-"You must go,"- Alice answered. -"That moon is a countdown. If you do not leave now, it will be too late,"-
"Shit!" Jet cussed. "Countdown for what?"
-"Awakening. Once that moon turned fully crimson, there is no stopping him,"-
"Who is 'him'?" Alec questioned after Jet had told them of what Alice was saying.
Alice turned to him, her crystal blue orbs full of fear.
-"The Nightmare,"-