by Mark Ayre
“What’s your alternative?” said Mercury. “If you have any friends left it sounds like they’re too busy blowing things up to help you out.”
“I don’t need any friends,” said Nanny.
“That’s a sad state of affairs.”
Nanny laughed again.
“Enough. I’m going to blow the girl’s brains out in five seconds. Only you can stop me.”
Mercury wanted to call it a bluff. Didn’t have the courage. Will was dying in the hall downstairs if he wasn’t already dead. Amira and Trey were gone. Mercury couldn’t stand to lose another. Especially not Edie. Young, sweet, innocent Edie.
“How can I stop you?” she asked.
“Oh it’s quite simple, my dear. All you have to do is put the gun to your head and pull the trigger.”
Silence. Mercury didn’t know what to say. There was that sickly laugh again.
Then Nanny began to count down from five.
The man came charging out of the woods like a bull, his head bowed, his rage clear. Pluto raised his hands. Then the man hit him. Sent them flying, twisting, tumbling towards the kitchen.
Pluto broke away, rose in what had been the doorway of what had been the kitchen. Behind him, the oven was on fire. The ceiling strained, bending towards them. Ready to collapse.
“Stop,” said Pluto. He had a knife in his back pocket but didn’t grab it. He raised his hands again, palm up, facing the man.
“Look at me. I’m on your side. I took this human’s body and came looking for our master. I wasn’t there on time, but I learned she wanted Mercury. I came to do the boss a favour.”
The grenade thrower tilted his head. His smile was reminiscent of a wolf from a cartoon. His eyes sparkled with the need for destruction. He licked his lower lip.
“I took a bullet through the eye,” said Pluto. “I’m still standing. Come on, you know I’m not human.”
“How did you know to come here?” Asked the man. His voice was low, raspy. Sam wondered if that had come from the human he’d inhabited, or if it was put on. It seemed like the latter.
“I have my means,” said Pluto. “Now are we going to work together or not?”
The man tilted his head, considering. Pluto shot forward, withdrawing the knife as he went, and plunged it into the grenade thrower’s heart.
“Well look at that,” said Pluto as the man collapsed. “I decided for you.”
“One.”
“Wait, wait, I’ll do it.”
“Now or never,” said Nanny.
Mercury paused.
“Zero.”
Unable to hesitate a second longer, Mercury raised the gun, pulled the trigger, and slumped to the ground as the sound of the shot reverberated down the hall.
Edie screamed. Burst into uncontrollable tears. There was a thud as the butt of the shotgun cracked her skull, and Edie slumped. Xyla went quiet at the same time, sensing something was wrong. Afraid.
Nanny rose. She grunted as she attempted to drag the dead weight of Edie towards the door.
“I’m going to step out in a second,” she said. “Before I do, I want you to know I’m a forgiving person.”
Mercury didn’t move. She lay on the floor with her arms spread in what she hoped were natural positions for the limbs of the dead. Not that it would help. There was no blood.
“I know you might have chickened out, but I’m understanding. So here’s the deal: you play dead. If I see or hear movement, I’ll shoot the girl. When I get into the hall, I’ll shoot you. You’ll take the bullet, hopefully, because you’re dead. If you’re not, this is your second chance not to let down the brat.”
Nanny edged closer. Mercury’s gun had slipped from her hand when she fell and was out of reach. Didn’t matter. She had expended her last bullet faking suicide. Buying time. Now what? She was unarmed. She could beat Nanny in a straight fight, but how would she get that? When Nanny appeared through the door, she would waste no time in blowing off Mercury’s head. If Mercury moved before or after Nanny appeared, Nanny would shoot Edie and then Mercury.
Nanny took another step. Stopped. Mercury knew the old woman was a step from crossing the threshold into the hall. Then Mercury would have to act. Much as it would put Edie in danger, she had to do something.
“Time to find out how much Mercury cares about you,” Nanny whispered. Though with Edie unconscious and Mercury supposedly dead, there was no one to hear.
Nanny took the final step into the hall with Edie at her side. The gun was still to the teen’s temple. Trying not to move, not to breathe, Mercury waited, listened. The moment the gun moved away from Edie and towards Mercury, she would have to pounce. She could not get this wrong.
Nanny moved.
Someone stepped into the hall from the stairs and fired a gun.
Mercury had been rising. She opened her eyes in time to see Nanny fling backwards and collapse to the ground, dragging the unconscious Edie with her.
Breathing hard, Mercury rose. Rushing a couple of steps forward, she dropped, grabbed the shotgun, and yanked it from Nanny’s death grip. Chucking it aside she dragged the dead woman’s other arm from around Edie’s neck and pulled the unconscious girl free. Thinking of Will, Mercury cradled the girl in her arms, kissed her head, shushed her though she was unconscious and making no sound.
Footsteps approached up the hall. The feet of her saviour, but did that mean he was on her side? Mercury knew there were more enemies about. She had shot one of them twice and knew he was not dead.
Expecting to see a man one eye short, Mercury looked up. First, she caught the smoking gun, then met the eye of Nanny’s killer.
He said, “I guess I’m a better shot than I thought.”
At first, Mercury could say nothing. Something in her mind seemed to be jammed. She blinked a couple of times, stared. In the end, she could say but one word—a question of disbelief and pathetic hope.
“Trey?”
Smiling a tired smile, he said, “Good to see you again, Mercury.”
Thirty-Four
Because she could not stand to watch another man die; even one who had tried to kill her and others, Sam moved away from Pluto and the charging bull with the knife in his heart.
Debris and rubble from the kitchen littered the lawn and had smashed part of the white picket fence which encircled the property. Surrounded and partially covered by brick and marble, Stephanie lay on her back in the grass, her head to one side, staring towards the woods.
Titus had suffered an awful death. He might have deserved it. Benny was in hospital. Even now the doctors might be declaring him beyond saving, pulling a sheet over his head.
Because of Stephanie.
Sam found herself wandering towards the beautiful woman with the hideous heart. A couple of feet away, she stopped and looked down at the victim of the explosion. Did Sam want this beauty to be dead? She couldn’t tell. If she did, she was set to be disappointed.
Groaning, Stephanie moved a hand then twisted her neck to look at Sam. Her top was ripped; her stomach smeared red. Her jeans seemed intact, but a missing shoe revealed a dark, swollen foot.
When Sam had approached, she had been able to see the right side of Stephanie’s face, which the exploding grenade had failed to damage. Perfect, porcelain skin, a sparkling eye, full red lips. Her long hair looked as soft and smooth as ever. She was stunning.
When Stephanie turned her neck, Sam realised the right side had taken the damage. Her hair was matted and stuck together with debris and blood. Her face was cut deep, and blood covered those ruby lips. Unlike Pluto, Stephanie hadn’t lost an eye. Already the socket was swelling. The light of the iris seemed to dim with each passing second.
“What are you staring at?” Stephanie hissed. Her voice croaked, but her throat was intact.
“You’re alive,” said Sam. “I can’t decide if I’m pleased or not.”
Stephanie shook her head, wincing as she did. “You shouldn’t be. I threatened you with rape then killed y
our brother, remember?”
“Benny isn’t dead.”
“No? Are you sure? You ran from the hospital, remember? I would suggest there is every chance you missed his passing. In fact, when the doctors sensed there was nothing they could do, they probably ran to fetch you—one final goodbye. You’ll have missed that of course. I’m sure you’ll get over it.”
Sam’s vision hazed red. She took a step forward, raised her foot, and stomped her trainer onto Stephanie’s exposed, bloodied midriff, prompting a scream from the floored beauty.
“Bitch,” hissed Stephanie.
Sam raised her foot to do it again.
Pluto grabbed her arm. Pulled her back.
“Enough.”
Sam stumbled as he tugged her. As she adjusted her balance, Pluto tossed aside any rubble that still covered Stephanie.
“Can you stand?”
“Let’s see.”
Pluto outstretched a hand, and Stephanie grabbed it. He hauled her up and held her under the arm as she practised. Her left foot was fine. When she put weight on the right, she winced with pain and tears reached her eyes.
“It’s fine,” she said.
“Don’t be a hero,” said Pluto. He scooped her into his arms and turned to the house.
“Let’s get inside. If we’re lucky, Trey will have convinced Mercury to trust him.”
“And if we’re not?” asked Sam.
“Listen for the gunshot,” said Pluto, and led the way into the burning kitchen.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then Trey took a couple of steps up the hall, and Mercury reacted. Leaning Edie against the wall, she scrambled back and grabbed the shotgun.
Xyla started to cry.
"Please don't shoot me," said Trey. He didn't raise his hands but did put his gun on the floor. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Mercury glanced into the bedroom. Xyla was on the floor, her wailing increasing in pitch and volume. She needed someone. Was scared and alone and couldn't understand why no one would pick her up.
Edie leaned against the wall, her head against her shoulder. Mercury looked at Trey.
"Don't move."
"Whatever you say."
Shotgun still aimed at Trey, Mercury sidestepped into the bedroom, leaned down, and scooped Xyla into her arm. Five seconds after leaving, she reentered the hall. Trey hadn't moved. With Xyla now in one arm, Mercury had to handle the shotgun one-handed. Already her arm was beginning to ache, she would be unable to hold it for long.
"I'm still Trey. Still the same man you knew."
"Yeah, right," said Mercury. At the same time, she was twisting side to side and bouncing, trying to comfort Xyla. "The same man, except you must have a throbbing headache and hurting back after your little fall, right?"
Trey shuddered. "You've no idea. Falling from that building was the scariest thing ever to happen to me. And my family put me through a lot of unpleasant stuff. I thought I was going to die, naturally."
"Then you flopped onto a pile of mattress? Or maybe a trampoline, and you bounced away, did a few front flips, landed in a rose garden."
"Something tells me you're not taking this seriously," said Trey. He took another step. Mercury poked the shotgun in his direction.
"Go back. In line with your gun."
Without complaint or hesitation, Trey stepped back. He looked genuine, honest, but that wasn't surprising. Trey had a genuine, honest face. In life, he'd hated lying. Which was a shame. With his face, he could have made it his career.
"Someone saved my life," he said.
"Who was that then? Superman or Spiderman? They love saving people from falling buildings. Usually women, of course. Was that emasculating?"
"It wasn't Superman or Spiderman. Wasn't DC or Marvel. Not a Superhero at all."
Xyla was beginning to calm. Mercury's arm felt as though it might soon fall off. She wished she had someone to hold her gun for her.
"Those are good clues," she said. "You'll have to further narrow it down."
"I know what you think," he said.
"Do you? What's that? And kick me your gun. If you really are on my side, you won't mind.
"Not at all."
He caught it under his foot and flipped it to her. This put Mercury in a predicament. The shotgun was too heavy. She wanted to replace it with Trey's handgun but wasn't sure how. Xyla was in her left arm. No way was she putting the baby down. That meant dropping the shotgun to grab the handgun. That would give Trey precious seconds within which he might attack. And he was faster now.
"What do I think?" She repeated.
"That when Heidi's boss grabbed me by the throat, she called one of her kind from another dimension to possess me. Maybe the process started as I fell. Possessed me would have smashed the concrete pavement but not died. It's a clever theory. It has some holes."
"Like what?"
"If I was possessed, I wouldn't have died when I hit the concrete, true. It would have shattered every bone in my body. I'd still be in a bad way a few hours later. Look at me—he spun. "I've no injuries. Possessed or not, I never hit the concrete."
Mercury hadn't expected Trey to spin. It offered the best opportunity she was going to get. As he completed his rotation, she dropped the shotgun and grabbed the alternative from the floor. Xyla was quiet now, pressing herself into Mercury. Mercury hoped she wouldn't have to fire the gun.
"Maybe Heidi caught you," said Mercury. "Maybe that was all part of the plan."
"Someone caught me," said Trey. "I'm not possessed, how can I prove it to you?"
Smiling, Mercury raised her gun, so the chamber pointed at her old ally's forehead. "Only way I know."
"I'd prefer not to die to prove a point," said Trey. "Please, Mercury. I survived, and I brought reinforcements to find you and Amira." He looked around. "She isn't here, I guess she didn't make it?"
Mercury flashed back to the building shell. Saw Cleo lift Amira into the sky. Saw the wind rush around her best friend. None of that had happened with Trey. Could the process really have been started and finished in the time it took Trey to fall down the building? Or did Cleo have to keep hold of her victims to complete the possession?
How could Mercury find out?
"Mercury," said Trey, but someone entered the kitchen. A couple of someones. Trey looked back to the stairs. As he did, Mercury slid the handgun into her waistband and once more grabbed the shotgun.
"Looks like whoever threw the grenade is coming," said Mercury. "Friends of yours?"
"One or the other," said Trey. "Pluto, is that you?"
"It is," came a voice. "No more enemies, I don't think. Want us to come up?"
"No. Go into the living room, please."
As footsteps made their way to the living room, Trey turned from the stairs to Mercury. As he had spoken, she had placed Xyla in the lap of the unconscious Edie. When he returned, he was greeted with a shotgun butt to the face.
Screaming, he bent double, clutching his face. Blood from his nose splashed the walls but didn't sizzle or burn. That was something.
"Mercury." Trey tried to rise. Mercury swung down the shotgun, cracking his skull, knocking him cold.
Now there were feet on the stairs. Mercury dropped to Trey. Rolled him over. Checked. Blackout. He definitely wasn't faking.
Looking up, Mercury watched the man with one eye enter the hall. Pluto, she guessed. He was unarmed and spread his hands as she raised her shotgun. A sign of peace she wouldn't buy.
"You didn't kill him?" said Pluto. "That's good."
Mercury fired. Pluto ducked. The bullet punched a hole in the wall behind his head.
"Please don't shoot me again," he yelled. "My eye stings like a bitch, and my heart feels weird. I'm pretty sure it isn't beating."
Mercury fired again. Pluto dived to the side and almost fell down the stairs. As he rose, Mercury stepped forward and fired a third time.
Nothing happened.
"I think you're out of bullets
."
Chucking aside the shotgun, Mercury grabbed the handgun and swung it Pluto's way. He dived down a couple of steps and pressed against the wall so she couldn't make him.
"Don't be an idiot," he shouted. "Trey told me good things about you. One of them was that you were smart. How many bullets you got? You want to waste them firing at me when you know I can't be killed?"
Mercury kept the gun raised. Behind her, Edie stirred. Xyla was nuzzling into the teenager whose eyes began to open, slowly at first.
"Good point," said Mercury. "Maybe I should put the bullet in Trey's head, eh? He's obviously not possessed or infected, which means he's still human. Means he's evil, scum. I don't have to feel remorse in blowing out his brains."
From the stairs, Pluto sighed. "You could do that. I pray you don't. He seems like a good guy, and he's on the right side. By which I mean your side. Our side."
"Think you're getting confused," said Mercury. "I'm on the side of humanity."
Edie was still coming to. She realised Xyla was in her lap and pulled the baby close, kissing the delicate head. She looked at Mercury, and Mercury glanced back, smiled. The girl didn't remember what had happened. It was like waking from a dream. She'd have a headache, a bad one. Even worse would be the memories, which would soon arrive.
"I understand," said Pluto. "I'm possessed, so I'm on the side of the possessed. You're human, so on the side of humanity."
"You're evil," said Mercury.
"Am I? Interesting hypothesis you're working on. Can I ask you a question?"
Mercury didn't answer. Pluto took this as consent.
"When I stepped into the hall, I saw a dead woman at the end of the corridor. Her blood was all over the walls, but no steam reached for the ceiling, so she wasn't infected. She's dead from a bullet to the head, so she wasn't possessed. Therefore, I guess she was human. Therefore, she was on your side?"
Mercury's hands tensed on the gun. She didn't like where this was going. Knew he was playing games.
"She was working with your lot," said Mercury. "She was a monster."
"I believe you," said Pluto. "About her being a monster. Know why? Because the human race is like any other species with higher thought. Some of you are heroes, some are evil. Most of you fall somewhere in between."