The first address is a bust. A network of scaffolding has been erected around its perimeter and a crew of workers is buzzing across it like a well organized hive of bees. The second address, however, is promising.

We pull up and are greeted by the decrepit face of an old robotics factory. The worn lettering on the crumbling bricks reads 'Futur3 Unlocked.'

My car creeps down the alley, the hum of the electric motor the only sound.

"Stop there," Eko says, pointing to a spot next to two metal doors, padlocked together.

"That's a fire lane," I explain, "I could get towed."

"What's wrong with your toes?"

"No, towed."

"Toad?"

I shoot daggers at him. "Are you doing that to annoy me?"

"I have been locked away underground. What do you expect from me?"

Deciding to ignore him, I turn back to the matter of parking and find a spot between two dumpsters that provides the added bonus of hiding us from view.

Eko nods approvingly. "This is perfect. A tow truck could never fit into such a narrow space."

I whip my head around. His face is the picture of innocence. God, I hate him. At least he's actually wearing a shirt today.

We step out of the car, pulling our baseball caps low on our heads. We're dressed as nondescriptly as possible, both wearing black pants and sweatshirts with black ball caps pulled low to cover our faces. Eko's wings have grown into hand sized nubs on his back and it gives him a distinctly lumpy appearance.

I open the trunk where a jumbo set of bolt cutters wait. Pulling them out I carry them to the doors and do my best to position them. I have to use my knee for leverage but I managed to snap the chain and pull the door free. I debate leaving the bolt cutters leaning against the wall but the thought of someone walking by and seeing them has me lugging the thing back to my car.

Eko and I creep into the abandoned building. Most of the windows have been boarded up and the few that haven't give the impression of a mouth with broken teeth. They spill squares of sunlight into the space, just enough for us to find our way. Eko leads with me following close behind, scurrying to match his fast pace.

Before coming, we debated for hours about whether to bring weapons or not. I, like all good citizens of Isla Tortuga, have a small stash of firearms just in case. I also have a handful of bullets that I designed and charmed myself specially for the Flooded but Eko insisted that if we wanted Kravimik's help, we would need to prove our allegiance. So here we are, two powerless fools armed with nothing but our ball caps and flashlights.

"Did you hear that?"

I swing my flashlight around to try to locate the source of the skittering.

"If it is Kravimik you won't have to ask, you will know."

Kravimik was one of Calina's generals, a loyal follower who had given himself fully to the cause. I wonder if Eko is nervous to see him. The shadows dance on his face, revealing nothing. As usual.

We step into a large, open space. Circuit boards lay at perfectly spaced intervals along the assembly line. Only a few are missing but if it's by design or from looting it's impossible to tell. This must have been where they manufactured the robots.

"I have a bad feeling," I whisper to Eko, trying to keep up with him in the dark.

It's not just the nerves caused by breaking and entering, it's something more. A sense of dread that starts in my toes and tingles all the way up to my scalp. It's telling me that we should turn around, that we should run.

"Keep close. All will be well."

Maybe black was a bad idea. Maybe I should have gotten us those reflective vests that crossing guards wear. I don't even know if Ogres can see orange. I'm overthinking this, my heart is pounding.

"Slow down," I hiss but Eko is already halfway down a pitch black hallway and can't hear me.

A rustling to my right has me skittering to the left. I point my flashlight at it like a gun but there's nothing there save for a white plastic bag. My breath comes out in a relieved puff.

I turn back to the hallway but Eko is gone. The hallway splits into three directions and I peer down each one.

"Hello?" I whisper.

Only the whistling of wind through cracked windows answers me.

"Eko?" I call again, daring to raise my voice just a little louder.

There's a groaning, like the bones of an old house settling into place, and I jump.

I consider texting Martha. I could send her my location. Tell her that if she doesn't hear from me in the next hour that she should call the Guard. But no, I refuse to involve her in this any more than I already have. Instead, I choose a path at random and creep along, shining my flashlight at every dark crevice that seems a little too ominous.

I emerge from the hallway and into an open concept office space. Dust covered monitors sit in neat rows on desks that run the entire length of the room. I'm surprised that so many are still here and I guess boarding up the windows worked. There's still no sign of Eko, though, and I skirt the space, trying my best to keep to the edges where the sunlight still manages to find cracks to crawl through.

"Eko," I whisper hoarsely, my palms sweating against the grip of my flashlight.

"You said you wouldn't leave me alone." But my voice is even quieter, the confidence I felt in the daylight slipping away in this dark, haunted place.

I spin. What was that sound? But when I shine the light there's nothing there except some faded 'Futur3 Unlocked' branded boxes and a dead rat. I wish I'd ignored Eko and brought that gun.

There are several doors that lead out of the office and I choose one at random. It takes me up a flight of stairs and into a windowless hallway with a line of off center pictures. The labels read 'employee of the month' but now they're just worn paper and cracked glass.

I try to reach out and feel for any tendrils of magic, something I've done a million times, but I'm scared and can barely touch the floor with my powers.

"Eko," my voice sounds thin and wobbly to my own ears.

There are several more doors dotted at the end of the hallways with brass plaques beside each. I choose the fanciest one and push it open. It sticks but, with a few well placed shoves, opens wide enough for me to slip through.

This must have been the CEO's office for all its grandeur and opulence although the stench of rotting things steals a bit of its glory. A carved mahogany desk in the middle speaks to an inflated sense of self worth that only the rich can pull off and the sheen of gold on every surface only serves to heighten this. There are boxes and a pile of fur coats in one corner and a stack of binders in another. A wall of windows at one end overlooks the room with the conveyor belts and I move to stand in front of it. It's like a moment, frozen in time. I wonder why they didn't take the intricate pieces of whatever they were building. Why leave them sitting there as though they were expecting to return the next day?

A shiver runs down my spine. I don't like this. I scour the floor below for any sign of movement. Kravimik or Eko, I don't care at this point. In fact, maybe I should just wait for Eko by the car. With the rate his wounds heal it would take nothing short of a miracle for him to be killed.

I turn away from the windows, ready to retrace my steps but movement catches my eye. For a second, I convince myself it's just more rats. No such luck. The pile of what I'd thought was fur coats rises.

"Eko?" My voice is so shrill I don't even recognize it.

The mound is so large, too large to be a human and yet, it's human shaped. The furs fall away. The creature that remains looks almost nothing like what the image I'd seen on TV. Sure, he's green, he has tusks, but the blood red of his eyes, his size, the emptiness of his stare. I back away.

"Are you Kravimik?" I ask, back coming into contact with the wall of glass behind me. "I'm here with a friend of yours. I'm here with-"

The shape advances towards me and I shrink away, fear overtaking me. I'm paralyzed by it, quaking with it.

The beast roars. The building shakes with the power of it. I scream.

"Eko!" I cry. His name is the only sound I seem to be able to produce.

Eko. Eko. Eko.

"Lexi!" The reply is far away but I turn in its direction anyway, screaming back, "Eko!"

Then, I'm falling through the glass. It feels like the world is moving in slow motion. Eko is standing on a metal catwalk above the factory floor, his eyes wide in terror as he watches me plummet. I reach towards him but there's nothing he can do for me as I slam into the concrete floor. Stars dance in my vision and I groan. It feels like all the bones in my body have shattered and I lift my head up carefully to survey the damage. One of my legs is twisted under my body at a weird angle and I'm bleeding from a gash on my forearm.

Kravimik leans out of the broken window and roars again. It's a sound that's more animal than anything and adrenaline spikes in my blood. He's much more terrifying than the photo on the TV. He's at least eight feet tall and he has to bend down so the top of his bald, leathery head doesn't hit the window frame. He's naked except for a tattered loincloth dangling from his waist and his body is covered in swirling ink. I can't make out the pattern from here but it covers every surface from his neck down.

He's peering down at me with beady black eyes, his lips curled back in a snarl to reveal even more of his massive tusks.

He snarls. "I can smell your fear from here, little girl. I'm going to use your bones to pick my teeth."

His voice is so deep it sounds like the booming of thunder. My hands start to shake.

"Lexi," Eko calls down from his perch, "This was a mistake! Get out of here! Run!"

"I can't," I say weakly. "My leg..."