In no time at all, a purple flash raced from the darkness. I leaped behind a neighboring tree. Rolling and going prone, I fired off several rounds from where I saw the light, then bear-crawled to a new spot. Moments later, another purple fireball slammed into the spot I was just in.
Missed.
Don’t back down.
The roars and screeches of advancing Corruptions could be heard off in the distance behind where the Caster was hiding. Drawing in rapid breaths, I sprung from my hiding spot and sprinted across the road. Purple light manifested somewhere off in the darkness. I sidestepped behind a tree at the last moment and felt the force of the impact and the heat of the flames licking around the tree. Not missing a beat, I sprang from the other side and raced to the source.
Using the light from the flames and the moon, twenty yards ahead, I made out the silhouette of the Caster. My rifle drowned out everything as I dumped everything into evil incarnate, the bastard staggering and falling as I ran up. With my rifle dry, I drew my Beretta and fired off three rounds into the things head.
Forcefully exhaling the breath I’d been holding, I forced off one more round, making extra sure it was dead. Staring blankly into the sky was the same face pale face of the thing that attacked me back in Illinois. What was left of the face.
In the weak light, I could most of my round nailed the upper chest, a few having taken a great chunk of face away. Overkill, but I didn’t know if this one could deflect bullets.
The moment of triumph was bittersweet. The Caster that killed my friends was still out there.
Movement ahead snapped me back into the moment. Raising my pistol, I fired at the approaching Corruption to my left, getting a headshot, then adjusted to the one on the right for another kill. I emptied the last of my pistol into one that almost caught me off guard, then rapidly ejected and threw in a fresh mag for my rifle.
Just as I sighted in on another grey monster, several arrows lanced into its side and head. Tes and Tru appeared in front of me and were firing off into the monsters stumbling out of the woodwork, their shots landing with precision and keeping us from getting overwhelmed.
Meriel and Fell rushed up and rapidly exchanged words and gestures that were easy to understand: run. I did a quick spray into a small group of monsters, sending them stumbling, then mounted on the waiting Nuna. Everyone else got in place and we got the hell out of Dodge.
Though my ears were ringing, I could hear roars and screeches coming from every direction as we put the battered and skewered corpses behind us.
Trudging on at near-breakneck speed, the trees grew less dense, and I could see signs of civilization. Ahead of us on either side of the road was a low stone wall, and beyond that was a few rooftops of some squat buildings, but towering over everything was a grand cathedral-like building. Spurred on by our goal, Nuna led us past the entrance.
From secondhand knowledge, Chaparral was like its own little village in the forest, where students and teachers lived for prolonged periods to study magic. Luppa said she spent a year studying there, and Wren stayed around three years in her youth. It must’ve been a charming place when it was thriving.
Now, it was nothing more than skeletal remains of something long since passed. Flowerbeds barren plots of colorless, withered flowers. Trees lining the streets just as dead and bare as everything else for miles around. The road broke off into various paths that mostly led to piles of rubble, and the standing structures looked as though a tornado filled with razor wire had passed over them. Even the academy itself was partially carved in, but by some miracle still stood tall. And our goal was somewhere behind it.
Unfortunately, about three dozen Corruptions stood in the center of the village square. Dozens of uniquely twisted and hideous heads whipped around, and they rushed to greet us.
Nuna spat out what sounded like a curse, then veered to the side, taking us off the street and around a heaping pile of rubble, then off around one of the still-standing buildings. Rounding the corner, she came face to face with a lamia Corruption, ready with its grotesque claws wound back. Seeing her own kind as a monster didn’t faze her in the slightest. Nuna dodged, drew her machete, then adroitly cut three-thirds of the way through the Corruption’s scaly neck.
Seeing more incoming down the path, I let go of Nuna and brought my rifle up. Squinting in the low light, I picked a form and fired off a small burst, then hoped target to another. Six dropped before I had to reload, in which time the girls picked up the slack with their bows.
A shout from Fell forced me to whirl around to look back the way we came, where a roaring mass of monsters was rapidly approaching. Pulling the charging handle back with an assuring rack for the new magazine, I did four long bursts at roughly head-level. Half came tumbling to the ground, but I’d missed a few stragglers.
One feral creature took the last two rounds in my rifle, marching on with only a slight misstep. Swinging my rifle away on its sling, I drew my backup pistol and nailed a perfect headshot.
Panic hit me for a split second when the last two were within ten feet, but Fell appeared by my side, two baseball-sized globs of water in her hands. One glob nailed a monster square in its snout, the other landing true in the neighboring creature’s throat. Meriel leaped in while they were stunned, effectively cutting them down three seconds flat.
We were managing, but only barely. At the sight of Tru reaching into her quiver to only grab air, I was reminded of my dwindling ammo supply. There was still the horde coming from the forest to worry about. From all my firing, they knew damn well where we were.
Using our brief reprieve, I scanned around and saw a mostly intact building beyond a small grove to our side. Coming to a snap decision, I dug out my smoke grenade and shouted for Nuna. Once she got my attention, I pointed to the building in question, then chucked the smoke grenade into the grove after pulling the pin.
Nuna reiterated her ability by understanding my meaning and hastily barked orders to the others. Smoke began to spew from the grenade at the same time I climbed on Nuna’s back. And just in time. Corruptions began to spill from around the corner, more being heard from beyond the rough stone wall to our backs.
I fired off into the crowd as Meriel and Fell mounted Tru and Tes, only then hopping onto Nuna’s back once a few monsters had stumbled. Once in place, we raced into the smoke-filled grove.
Visibility was non-existent for an agonizingly long minute. Terror compounded when the ever-present roars of evil ambition sounded from behind us. Terror became relief when I saw the ajar doors of the building I spotted through the smoke shroud.
Just as everyone slipped inside, Nuna pushed the door closed, hardly a squeak from the worn hinge.
Hoping off her back with a soft landing to dampen any noise, I fervently searched around what looked like the interior of a small gardening shed. Nothing looked heavy enough to blockade the door, so I grabbed a spade resting against the wall and slid in through the handles.
Together, we slowly backed up into the deep shadows of the corner. Our weapons pointed toward the door. I sincerely hoped with every fiber of my being nothing saw us through the trees and smoke.
A heavy heartbeat later, something struck the door, causing everyone to flinch, but our deathly silence held. There was a howl, some scratching, and then the patter of retreating steps. Lots of movement could be heard from just behind the doors, but it sounded random, uncoordinated. Soon after the oppressive ambiance of bumbling monsters, a roar sounded off in the distance like a call. A spectrum of howls vocalized in response, and they raced off towards where they thought a meal was.
Sweat dripping from the tip of my nose in the pregnant silence, I slowly rose and tiptoed to the only window cut into the earthen wall of clay. Letting only a sliver of moonlight hit my face as I peeked out, dread hit me luck a sucker punch. Not only had several more corruptions spilled onto the grounds, a great bulk of them were shuffling around right in front of the academy.
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
/> Chapter 26
Tes had secured an empty burlap sack she had been resting on to cover the window, which was nerve-wracking to get into place. Couldn’t have any curious Corruptions spotting us out of chance.
Forced into hiding like a rat and unable to communicate, I saw against the wall and cradled my face, hoping for a eureka moment that would spell salvation.
I had nothing.
Hearing hay crunching, I looked up to see Meriel kneeling before me with a waterskin held out. As I took a swig, she sat beside me, pressing her shoulder into mine. Like everyone else, her hair was plastered to her face with sweat and the dust of the decaying forest had left splotches of grey on her olive complexion. Still as beautiful as a daisy in the peak of spring. I draped an arm over her shoulder and tried to find comfort in her closeness, to distance myself from this clusterfuck.
Fell, Nuna, Tes, and Tru were still speaking in hushed whispers, probably arguing what the best course of action was. Outside making a mad rush to the Bridge, I couldn’t imagine they’d come to anything else.
Meriel felt good to have against me, but my shoulders were chaffing from all the running, and the left one still ached from when that flying Corruption almost drop-kicked me in half with its talons. The left shoulder strap only hung from a few strands, and with most of kit depleted, I didn’t see any point in keeping the sweaty vest on.
Lightly nudging Meriel away, I undid the straps as quietly as possible, then set the vest aside. I pocketed my cigar case, momentarily debating having one last smoke before shaking the idea away, then pulled out the very last of my ammo.
Only two magazines for my rifle, and three for my pistols. Including the twenty rounds already loaded in the M4, I only had a hundred and twenty-five rounds. Another clash would drain my reserves faster than a snow cone melting in hell.
Might as well be ready.
Digging out my pistols from either holster, I swapped the empty magazines for fresh ones. Fighting against the spring of the slide lock, I slowly coaxed the rail forward, a round chambering with a faint metallic click.
I might as well have dropped a china plate from how the women speaking in the other corner abruptly stopped to stare. I held up my hands apologetically, then tried to load the other Beretta more quietly.
Just as I was loading, Nuna weaved deafly across the hay and dirt and watched me, her face hard to read in the dark. Meriel said something to her, which didn’t get an immediate response. Nuna turned toward the covered window, a single ray of moonlight, highlighting her violet eyes. Deep within that aperture to her soul was the look of heavy contemplation. Turning back into the shadows, Nuna waved the others over.
I sat forward, feeling worried and confused as Nuna drew in a deep breath and muttered a few words. My attention kept shifting from woman to woman as they went back and forth. The hushed talk came to an abrupt halt once Nuna said something, then pointed my way.
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to figure out what the hell she was getting at. Reaching over with one hand, she tapped my pistol, then tapped her chest with the other. Horrified at the implication, I stared back, stunned. She tapped my gun again, then gestured to herself, Tes, and Tru, and then pointed to the far wall, toward the dead forest of claws and fangs.
Clarity hitting me like a wave of nausea, I breathed out, “No, Nuna. No.”
I looked to Meriel and Fell for some sort of feedback, but they held their tongues and stared into the ground. When I looked to Tes and Tru, they shared a brief look before nodding marginally.
I wanted to yell at her, at all of them for even fathoming the notion of throwing their lives away as a distraction. But at the same time, I couldn’t think of any other way of getting closer to the Bridge without all of us dying in the process.
I felt like a hypocrite for trying to argue because it was the same sentiment that compelled me this far. Either half of us go, or none of us go.
Fighting my own selfish desire, I held out the pistol to Nuna. She accepted it with both hands like she was cradling a newborn chick, marveling at what was a commodity to me when it was as bizarre it got in her eyes. Tearing her eyes away from the firearm, she whispered something, then Tes and Tru went to gather their weapons. By the time I stumbled to my feet, the pair was already by the door, waiting.
Their suddenness and willingness had put me through a loop, almost unable to accept this was happening. But it was.
While Meriel and Fell said goodbye to Tes and Tru, I showed Nuna how to fire by working the trigger on my pistol, being extra sure to drive home the point how easy it was to go off. With that out of the way, I signaled the number fifteen with my hand, then mined the gun firing. Nodding with understanding, she kept her index finger straight over the trigger guard like I showed her and mined firing off a round into the air.
“Yeah,” I whispered solemnly. “Just like that, Nuna.” I tried to put on a strong face, but thoughts of Heath, Ji-hyun, Judge, and Dad resurfaced, wondering why the hell I kept losing people.
Eyes glimmering in the faint light, Nuna lightly ran her fingers over my face, as if tracing all my features. Then she leaned in slowly, getting a good look at my eyes before delivering a firm kiss. Time seemed to dilate between us. I pressed into her and wrapped her up tight, savoring her feel, her taste, and her smell. A moment like this would’ve been easier to bear if I still hated her, everyone for that matter, but there would be no now if they hadn’t steered me away from my singular path of vengeance and self-destruction through their endless care and compassion.
Our embrace ended a moment later. We force ourselves away from each other, so everyone got a chance to give their farewells. I gave Tru an identical embrace and kiss, do everything to convey my gratitude for helping me along through thick and thin. When it came to Tes, she took me off my feet and squeezed the air out of me, planting the hungriest kiss out of the bunch.
She gave one final squeeze that cracked one of my vertebrae, then allowed me to stumble back to Meriel and Fell, who was still sniffling from our sudden parting. For a good while, we stood and stared at each other. They were bravely marching off into the abyss, and we were going off into the fray of the unknown.
My throat grew tight at the sight of them. I didn’t see monsters, only three proud, strong, and compassionate women that were far too good to grace some asshole like me with their presence.
Letting go of the distant, pragmatic part of myself, I gave in to the hope that we’d all see each other again.
Exhaling one final breath, Nuna covered her face with her mask, the others doing the same. Wiping her nose clean, Fell went over to the window, checking to see if they could slip out unnoticed. She nodded the clear, promoting Meriel to ease the spade from the handles. Though I objected and wanted to keep everyone together, I decided to be the one to send them off. Maybe whatever luck had been kept me alive would rub off on them — anything to help.
Sharing one last look to the greatest women I’d probably ever meet, I clenched my jaw hard and pulled open the doors. And then they were gone.
A pain like no other lanced my chest as I pushed the door shut, everything within me drowned out into a screaming storm. Burying everything with a shudder, I holstered my pistol after getting it loaded, then went over to my other gear. I got a fresh magazine in my rifle and got the spare ammo tucked tightly and within easy reach in my belt.
Meriel and Fell composed themselves and were standing by the window. Before it was too late, I took the chance to scoop them in my arms, embracing like I was trying to force us into one homogeneous form.
The moment ending, we separated. I gave the girls each an affirming pat on their hips, then braced myself against the door. Waiting.
Four beats later, the crack of a gunshot ripped through the inky veil of night, spurring on a motley of abhorrent roars. Fell dipped below the window as steps pounded from outside. Another shot rang out, this one further away.
Like greased lightning, girls. Please.
Fell peeked
around the mask-shift blinds. She whispered tersely, then got behind me with Meriel at her side. Slow as a cloud in the sky, I pushed the door open a crack.
Nothing.
Shouldering my M4 extra tight, I stepped out and did a quick pan of the area. Corruptions still wailed like banshees in the area, but everything was clear up ahead. I heard a third shot off in the distance, and it gave me a small sense of comfort. Shooting a glance to the girls to the girls to make sure they were ready. With me at the forefront, and Meriel guarding our rear, Fell safe in the middle, we sprinted towards the academy.
I decided to swing wide of Chaparral’s central square and cut through the shrubbery beside the academy itself. My jacket got caught on the thorny bristles of the dead bushes as I pushed through, but the branches snapped away with a little twist. Fell held back a hiss when her puffy tail snagged a branch. Meriel was there to untangle her, then our feet were back to pounding just seconds later.
A garden of some kind must’ve been here from all the long segmented plots. It must’ve been a charming sight.
The garden ended, and the dirt transitioned into a paved walkway that forked to our left and led to a tall pair of smashed-in doors and continued the rest of the way to the rear of the academy. The grand cathedral-like structure must've been as long as a football field. It certainly felt that way from my burning calves and with the taste of iron on my tongue.
The paved walk branched out as we came to an end, and I could finally see our goal. Further details were shared about the Bridge during planning, but it was the only other grand structure around. And it was in shambles.
Several massive columns had collapsed on and beside the elevated, circular base — the whole affair looking like the ruins of an ancient Greek structure. The sight sent a pang of despair in my guts, but Fell assure so long as the base itself was mostly intact then the plan would work.
Halfway to the steps leading up to the base, a screech echoed somewhere behind us. Shuffling sideways, I looked to the rear of the academy and saw a couple Corruptions racing out of a gaping hole in the wall.
Heart of the Resonant- the Soldier's Tale Page 34