by Mark Ayre
He passed Sam the handset. Sensing she would not like it, he stayed opposite her, rather than taking the seat at her side. She glanced at the phone and saw a woman she didn’t recognise.
“Her name is Mercury,” said Pluto. “The ruler of whom I speak is afraid she might stop him.”
Sam stared at the phone a while, then handed it back.
“Maybe I wasn’t clear. I said I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I meant directly or indirectly. In luring Liam from the pub, I got him killed. I won’t do the same again, and if you think you can persuade me then—“
“Sam,” he said, raising a hand. “You misunderstand. I don’t want you to hurt her.”
Looking up, Sam gave Pluto a questioning look. In return, he smiled.
“I want you to help her.”
Thirty-One
For almost three hours, Mercury drove without stopping. Fifteen minutes from her destination she pulled into a service station, used the bathroom and refilled Amira's car, then set off again. In total, the vehicle was stationary for perhaps fifteen minutes.
From the service station, she made her way onto a tree-lined road, driving South. Three miles along, she slowed and turned onto an obscure path which broke through the woods, barely wide enough to accommodate Amira's small car of choice.
The path wound this way and that, more like a river than a road, and narrowing the further she drove. At one point, Mercury's wing mirror hit a tree and smacked the side of her car. Low hanging branches scraped the windscreen and roof, high grass and broken twigs snapped and crackled beneath her wheels.
For five minutes, she proceeded at a crawl. Before long, she reached the path's end. A small circular clearing bordered by trees. The only way out, for the vehicle, was to reverse or attempt a tight turn and head back to the road. Mercury didn't intend to take either option.
Jumping from the car, she grabbed a bag from the boot and filled it with her few personal belongings and the items Trey and Amira had left in the vehicle, none of which she needed. For some reason, she wanted to keep close the possessions of those she had lost, though it would weigh her down.
Locking the car, she faced into the quiet of the tightly packed trees. Memories came like a swirling mist. All the oldies—the death of her mother, of her boyfriend; the sacrifice of Liz, the slaughter of countless infected. New ones too. Unsurprisingly, she was treated to Cleo tossing Trey off the edge of the building as though he were litter. And of Amira, held aloft, being shredded from the inside by the incoming monster.
At the edge of the clearing, Mercury collapsed against a tree as the tears came. All her life she'd fancied herself a loner. What a fool she'd been. Boyfriend, mother, best friend. Someone had ripped them away. Now she was truly alone. Now she knew what a joke it had been to call herself a loner.
It even hurt losing Liz, who had tried to arrest her before joining the team, and Trey, who had tried to kill her.
In fact, she dwelled on Trey far more than expected, given he had died right before the person Mercury loved most in the world. His demise should have been overshadowed, but it wasn't.
Born into a monstrous family, Trey was lucky he had held onto any kindness. It was no surprise he had performed despicable acts. Mercury should have hated him for his part in the possessions of her, her mother, and her boyfriend, but found she couldn't. Since then, Trey had proven himself a true hero. Cleo had been right about that if nothing else.
But now, he was gone. Mercury had expected to die during the final battle and suspected Trey and Amira might die too.
The scenario she had never considered? The one where her partners died, and she was forced to live. From Cleo, she had fled. She had tricked Heidi into letting her go and had thrown a grenade to stop the monsters catching her before she could flee the building.
Had that been right? There was a black hole in her stomach and heart. Would not it have been better to let them kill her?
She was still leaning against the trunk. Having driven into the clearing with purpose, she now felt stranded, as though the tree were a raft and she was lost in the endless ocean, no rescue or island in sight.
Seeking some way to escape the bleak misery, she routed through her pockets, dragged free Amira's little black book. As though it were connected to the friend she had lost, Amira's words floated into her mind the moment she touched the leather cover.
Our happiness doesn't matter anymore. Doesn't that suck? But it's true. Anything we lose, anything we give up, we have to take that on the chin and move on. All that matters now is doing what's right. We gotta save the world. And hey, maybe we survive, and if we do, they base a movie on our adventures. Then we'll be rich and happy, and everything will be groovy. There's always a silver lining, right?
In the years before their lives ended, when Mercury and Amira had been best friends with no worries and few responsibilities, Mercury would have characterised Amira as a loyal friend but selfish in the grander scheme of things. She loved her job as an investigative journalist but never seemed interested in helping her fellow man. It was only when the monsters came and threatened humanity that Amira's true self was revealed. With startling ease, she put her needs and desires to one side, all to focus on the greater good.
If I die during this, you're not allowed to give up or collapse in on yourself. The world needs you. Do the right thing, always.
As Amira's words whispered through the trees, Mercury forced her eyes shut. Tears dripped down her cheek and fell to the leather book in her hands. Amira had put personal feelings to one side to be a hero. Trey had been afraid, had believed he was a coward. He didn't want to die. When it came to it, he had thrown himself at Cleo and got himself thrown from a building. Amira and Trey had died doing the right thing. To survive and fall apart would be to disrespect their memories.
Sliding the leather book away, Mercury pulled her bag tighter over her shoulder. She didn't have far to go. She needed to move onwards, to continue with the plan.
She was alone now. She missed her friends.
That was no excuse not to get on with saving the world.
Mercury wound her way through the trees. Though she had only visited the spot twice before, she remembered the way well enough. The markers left by her and Amira remained, and she followed them when she feared she was going off course.
Ten minutes after pulling herself together and leaving her car, the trees began to break. Though she remained deep in the woods, the trunks were further apart, the woodland floor less strewn with dead leaves and broken twigs. More beams of light broke through the canopy above and illuminated her way. Ahead, no more than a minute’s walk, Mercury saw the first hints of the building she was approaching.
The house was made of bricks and tiles, with glass windows and an oak front door. There was a wooden fence which marked the outskirts of the property land. Two pedal bikes leaned against one side of the home. There was not a sweet or chocolate bar to be seen. Despite the external trappings and knowledge the homeowner was not a witch, Mercury could not help but think of the gingerbread house visited by Hansel and Gretel as she approached the front door. The home’s isolation and strange woodland setting were enough.
Beyond the gate, she walked a cobbled path. It was the middle of the day. The light shone on the roof and house front. The curtains were drawn. Mercury could see no signs of movement nor hear any voices. She was still sure someone would be inside.
The door was chocolate brown. When Mercury knocked, it gave the sturdy rap of oak, rather than the hollow thwack of confectionary.
Footsteps, coming from the back of the house, down the hall. Mercury stepped back as they stopped at the door. She knew he’d be peeking through the spy hole, ensuring she was harmless if not someone he wanted to see. She was sure she heard his sigh a second before he threw open the door. The look on his face when their eyes met confirmed his frustration that she had returned.
“Good to see you again, Will. Can I come in?”
The monsters from another world had bu
rst into the lives of the humans who ended up facing them. Some, like Amira and Liz, had chosen to become involved when they might have stayed away. Mercury and Will never had a choice. Much suffering and fighting had preceded their first T-junction moment. Turn left to keep battling, right to flee.
Skipping the pleasantries, Will said, “Wait in the living room,” then turned and rushed upstairs.
Mercury entered, closed the door, and wiped her shoes on the mat. The stairs were directly ahead. Parallel to them was a corridor which ran to the kitchen door at the end. Immediately to Mercury’s right was another door, this one leading into the living room.
A cosy space. Warm, comfortable. At its end was a door into the kitchen. Beyond that was a back door which led into a garden that was tiny, but needed to be no bigger when the house was surrounded by empty woodland.
There were framed photographs everywhere. Three faces recurred around the room: Will, his daughter Edie, and his wife, Gina.
After killing Mercury’s mother and boyfriend and leaving town, Heidi had rocked up in a new location with plans to free her master. To facilitate what would be her first, failed attempt to bring Cleo to Earth, she ensured many of the folk of this small, sleepy town became infected.
One such victim had been Gina. Upon discovering what had happened, Will had risked everything to save his wife’s soul.
Infection makes monsters of the kindest of people. It ended in a woods, not unlike the woods in which this house stood, nor those in which Mercury had first been possessed—there was always a woods.
Gina had threatened the life of a baby. Will and the daughter, Edie, had arrived and put their lives of the line to save Gina from the darkness. They had succeeded, in a way. But infection is not something the living can escape. Gina had handed the baby to Edie and put the gun to her head. In the end, using the strength her husband and daughter gave her, she had saved herself.
Footsteps on the stairs. Mercury realised she had lifted the frame and was staring at the family it depicted. She was replacing it on the hearth when William stepped through the door carrying a sports bag.
“Sorry,” said Mercury, her face flushing. Inexplicable guilt touching her heart for having picked up the frame. It was not Mercury’s fault, what had happened to Gina. But Heidi had been wearing Mercury’s skin when the infection took place. She knew Will hated her for that.
“This is the last time, right?” said Will, eschewing both pleasantries and accusations. “You take this, and we’re done.”
He dumped the sports bag on the rug which draped the wooden floor. Dropping to her knees, Mercury unzipped the top and checked inside. At first, all she saw was the money. Moving packs of cash to the side, fishing to the bottom, she found the handgun and two full magazines. 14 bullets total.
“You’ll never see me again if you don’t want,” she said, putting the gun and both magazines in her jacket, rezipping the bag. “But it’s not just me you want done with, is it? It’s them. The monsters.”
Will’s eyes narrowed. Following his wife’s suicide he had, at his daughter’s behest, rushed to where Heidi’s plan to raise Cleo was collapsing. The ritual was done before he turned up. Liz had sacrificed her life to ensure the monster failed. A furious Heidi was preparing to kill Mercury, Amira and Trey for thwarting her plan.
With the help of his car, Will had saved their lives. Afterwards, the four of them had stood in a garden and discussed the darkness that was to come. Three had pledged to fight. One wanted out.
Mercury stood, the bag in her hand. She wasn’t expecting anything more from Will. He spoke anyway.
“Usually Amira’s on guilt trip duty. Where’s she? In the car with Trey? I hope you cracked a window.”
“They’re both dead. Amira got possessed. We were too late. Heidi’s ritual succeeded. Her master rose.”
Will’s jaw worked but did not open. He had no idea what to say.
“That’s what I meant,” said Mercury. “You may not want to see me again. Fine. You can’t escape what’s happening in the world. They’re coming, faster than ever. They’re not looking for you, but they’ll get here eventually. I hope you’re ready for that.”
She tried to leave. He caught her arm.
“Where are you going? What are you doing?”
She tugged. He wouldn’t let go. Somehow she resisted using her enhanced strength to put him through a window. With a sigh, she dumped the bag on the sofa and withdrew Amira’s little black book.
“This was the plan before Heidi succeeded. One of Amira’s shadiest contacts in this book full of shady contacts. We were going to visit him. Look, she’s even folded the page. He was going to provide us with a weapon. Something more than a hand or shotgun. Something that might actually make a dent in these monsters. That’s where I’m going.”
“But you’ve lost,” he said. “It’s game over.”
Now she did yank free her arm. “Firstly, I’ve not lost. We have lost. This isn’t a game of chess, I’m not out of a competition. If you want to talk about loss, then it’s not only me but you, and your daughter, and Xyla, and the rest of humanity. Don’t look at me like I’m threatening you, or guilt-tripping you. You chose not to help, and that’s fine, I get it. But you have to accept the consequences. This isn’t a threat. It’s the facts.”
He closed his eyes a second. She knew he was back in the woods, a few weeks ago. Or maybe before the woods. He had seen the damage one possessed could do. His whole town had been torn apart. If Heidi alone could achieve that, what would happen when Cleo starting bringing through fellow members of her kind en mass?
At last, he said, “That was firstly.”
“What?”
“You said, “Firstly.” What’s secondly?”
“Oh. Yeah. Amira said it’s not game over until all our hearts have stopped beating. Trey and Amira are gone. I’m not. Much as it terrifies me, it’s not finished until they get me, and I’m going to fight like hell to stay alive as long as I need.
Brushing past him, she reached the door, threw it open, and found Edie standing on the other side.
“Hi Mercury.”
“Edie. Hey, sweetie.”
When Will first discovered his wife was infected, he went to collect her from a nearby house. While he was gone, infected and possessed entered his home. Mercury had saved Edie’s life. In the short time they’d spent together, women and teen had bonded.
“Have you been listening?” said Will. He sounded as drained and afraid as he did annoyed.
Edie nodded. She was bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet and swaying side to side. In her arms was what at first looked to be a bundle of clothes but on second glance turned out to be baby Xyla.
“Want to hold her?” asked Edie, perhaps catching Mercury’s glance.
“Mercury was just leaving,” said Will.
Mercury had been about to say the same. For some reason, she found herself nodding and reaching out. Smiling, Edie passed over the baby.
Mercury had no idea who Heidi had used as the vessel for Cleo this time. For her first attempt, a woman named Kayla had been bound on the symbol. While Will and Edie had been saving Xyla in the woods. Mercury and Liz had been forced to kill Kayla, the baby’s mother, to prevent Heidi’s plan coming to fruition.
Holding the baby was difficult. Not only did Mercury see the mother she had helped steal from Xyla, she saw the baby she might have had with her own boyfriend, had he his way, and had he survived. Dom had been desperate to start a family. Mercury only wished she had given his wishes more consideration.
As a tear touched Mercury’s eye, Will said, “You should go. It sounds as though time is of the essence.”
“We should go,” said Edie. “Mercury needs our help.”
“Good idea,” said Will. “Except, who would look after Xyla while we were off dying in an unwinnable fight?”
“Who will look after her when the monsters that took mum take over the world?”
Mercury held Xyla a
nd faced Edie. She could feel Will tense at her back and was keen to avoid escalation.
“Your dad’s right,” she said. “I can fight, I’ve not got anyone to look after. You should stay and protect Xyla. Keep her safe as long as you can. You two are all she’s got.”
Edie wasn’t looking at Mercury. Fourteen years old, she stared at her father with the hard eyes of one three times her age.
“You’re a coward, dad. Mum would be ashamed.”
Mercury closed her eyes. In her arms, Xyla stirred a little, as if disturbed by ill-feeling, but did not wake. Mercury shushed her as the silence dragged over her head, between father and daughter.
At last, Will placed a hand on Mercury’s shoulder. “Good luck,” he said. “Please don’t come here again.”
Mercury nodded. Will brushed past her without a word to his daughter and walked upstairs. Fists clenched by her sides, Edie was determinably holding a look of strength and vindication. Her lip trembled, her eyes glistened, each revealing her true feelings.
Holding Xyla in one arm, Mercury extended the other to Edie.
“Come here.”
The girl resisted a second or so, then came. She pressed her face into Mercury’s shoulder, and Mercury wrapped an arm around the girl. Edie began to cry, then to sob. They remained like that for a couple of minutes.
“Your father’s no coward,” Mercury said when Edie began to settle. “I think you know that. He risked everything to save your mother and risked it again to save Trey, Amira and me. But there’s a difference between the three of us that went off to fight, and him. He has you and Xyla. He has to keep you safe, that has to be his priority. If I had a daughter, if I was your mum and your dad was gone, would I go after Heidi? No way. I’d run to the end of the world, dragging you kicking and screaming if necessary, and I’d defend and protect you, sacrificing all else. Because that’s a parents job.”
After the tears stopped, Edie kept her head buried in Mercury’s chest for some time before coming away. Their eyes met. Edie’s were red, but she tried to smile.