We Shall Be Monsters

by Ryan Decaria

  Jackie held up the device. “I think I get it. It should activate at a certain voltage, right?”

  “What voltage?” Sasha asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jackie said. “Why didn’t your mom leave us a flunking operating manual?”

  “It’s fine,” Anika said. “Sasha can open it.”

  The insect slammed into the platform, knocking them all to the grating. Jackie rolled and fell off the side. It clawed toward them. Anika grabbed the spear and dropped over the edge. Above them, Sasha slammed her fist into the creature’s disgusting face.

  It grabbed her in its claws and shook her, but didn’t bite. It flung her off the platform.

  Several of the insect’s spindly legs had wedged themselves into the grating. It was stuck. Temporarily.

  Jackie still held the device and the glass. “I’m good.”

  Anika helped Jackie up, and the girls ran under the machine.

  Sasha sprinted after them. “This was your plan? Turn him into a monster?”

  “No.” Jackie wheezed. “It was supposed to be Anika.”

  “What?”

  Anika inspected the scratched-up skin on Sasha’s arms, which was already healing. “Good thing you taste awful.”

  “A little help, please.” Margery was perched on the side of the machine, yanking on the wrench with all her weight. The connection didn’t budge. “I’m not strong enough.”

  Sasha leaped up to her and yanked. The connection spun until it came loose. She grabbed the plastic tubing and Margery and jumped.

  Jackie screamed as the creature landed next to them.

  Anika swung the spear, knocking it back a step. “Run!”

  It reached for her.

  She swung the spear again, bouncing the tip off the creature’s head, slicing a bit of skin away from the bone. It wasn’t invulnerable.

  Good.

  Margery and Jackie ran farther into the cavern.

  Dravovitch screeched and raised its claw into the air, bringing it down on Anika.

  Sasha pulled Anika away as the claw smacked into the ground. She pushed the tubing into Anika’s hands and turned to face the monster.

  Anika ran after Jackie and Margery. The three of them assembled their weapon, fastening the tubing onto the device, slicing the tubing in half, and jamming the glass into the opening.

  Anika turned toward the battle. Sasha kept leaping out of its way as it tried to get her. But it finally caught her with both arms and pulled her in different directions. Sasha’s arm snapped off in a brilliant spark of lightning. The monster reeled back, tossing the rest of her across the cavern.

  “No!” Anika froze. Not Sasha. She’d been through too much.

  Dravovitch was still dazed from the flash. It dropped Sasha’s arm to the cavern floor.

  Anika wanted to quit. To give up. She couldn’t save them. How many people would Dravovitch kill before he was eventually stopped? This was all Anika’s fault.

  Jackie grabbed her. “What do we do now?”

  She stared into Jackie’s eyes. Jackie didn’t deserve to be here. Didn’t deserve to be eaten by a giant insect. Jackie cradled the device in her arms.

  No! They weren’t going to die today. Their plan was still solid.

  “Find Boulsour.” Anika took the device from Jackie. “Wake him up.”

  Jackie ran toward the platform. “Then what?”

  “Don’t die.” Anika sprinted toward Sasha’s body.

  Margery screamed and ran after Jackie as the creature recovered and came for them.

  “Sasha.” Anika flipped Sasha over. “Wake up.”

  Sasha opened her eyes and sucked in a breath. She screamed.

  Anika held out the device with the tubing hanging off it. “Let’s finish this.”

  “My arm.” Sasha grimaced.

  “I know.” Anika inspected the wound. The flesh and muscle was torn cleanly, and she could see the socket of her shoulder joint. Little blood, or whatever it was in her veins. “But I still need you. Just a little while longer.”

  Sasha lifted her remaining arm, examining her fingers. “Anika, I’m running out of power.”

  “We’re almost done.” Anika helped Sasha stand.

  Another hiss echoed across the cavern, followed by another snap. Good, Boulsour was back in the game.

  Sasha felt at the spot where her other arm used to be. “Is it too late to take a vote?”

  Anika grinned. “Yes.”

  Sasha took the device. “Lead it under the machine.”

  “Hey,” Anika said. “Thanks for saving me.”

  Sasha smiled. “Every time.”

  Sasha ran toward the machine and rocketed a cool twenty feet to the lowest arm, holding the device over her head.

  Anika hustled across the cavern.

  The monster had Boulsour pinned to the ground with a large claw and was reaching into the tunnel for the girls.

  “Hey, Daddy!” Anika picked up a rock and tossed it, bouncing it off the monster’s jagged back. “It’s me you want. Your little princess.”

  The creature pulled its arms from the tunnel and turned toward her.

  “Oh, crap.” Anika ran back the other way.

  The giant insect chased after her. Anika reached the machine, but its claws grabbed her waist and lifted her into the air. It pulled her toward it, face to face. Its jagged mandibles twitched wildly.

  Sasha whooshed over Anika’s head and landed on Dravovitch’s back, straddling its neck, keeping herself on its jagged shell with her legs.

  Dravovitch pulled Anika toward its toothy maw.

  “Stop.” Anika begged. “Please.”

  It squeezed her, pulling her closer to its salivating jaws.

  “Dad. Please.”

  It hesitated.

  Sasha secured the device between two spines coming out of its neck and grasped its shoulder.

  “Dad. It’s me, Anika. Don’t eat me.”

  She stared into its dozen compound insect eyes at hundreds of her own reflections. Its jaws closed. Its antenna buzzed.

  Sasha gripped a large jagged scale and ripped it off Dravovitch’s shoulder.

  It hissed. Anika covered her ears, but her head rang, and she cried out.

  It opened its jaws. Its mandibles pulled her in.

  Sasha lifted the jagged glass over her head as lightning arced from the machine into her body, lighting up the cavern. Anika saw her father clearly for the first time. The insect face retained a grey halo of hair, a hint of a nose, and a pair of fuzzy white eyebrows.

  Sasha jabbed the glass into Dravovitch’s exposed shoulder.

  The insect screamed, lowering Anika away from its face. It shook its body, trying to knock Sasha off. Sasha held on with her legs wrapped around its neck as she held the device up, pulling electricity from the machine, arching over their heads into the device. The liquid drained through the tubing into the vein in its neck.

  Dravovitch screeched, dropping Anika to the ground. She hit the stone hard and tumbled over. Her father skittered over her, spindly legs crashing into the stone floor around her.

  Anika tried to scoot from underneath its jagged limbs.

  A claw came down on her.

  Boulsour knocked it away and pulled her up.

  Anika threw her arms around his neck as he darted from underneath the flailing monster.

  Boulsour sprinted until he reached the cavern wall. He set her down, resting his arms against the wall, shielding Anika. His shirt was torn through in a dozen places. His skin underneath was scratched up, grey and bloodless.

  Dravovitch screamed.

  Anika peeked around Boulsour and gazed up at the monster.

  It skittered back and forth, reaching its spindly limbs toward Sasha, but she held onto the device, kicking at its arms. “Just die already!”

  Its dozen eyes swiveled toward Anika, and it took three steps toward her before collapsing to the ground, sending Sasha tumbling off its back.

  Dravovitch’s arms twi
tched. A lone claw scraped the stone. Sasha stirred, but didn’t get up.

  Anika took a few steps toward Dravovitch. Its blackened carapace faded to a dull pink. Its mandibles retracted into its head. Then the transformation stopped.

  Her father’s body rose and fell, still breathing, barely humanlike.

  “Dad.” Anika inched closer until Boulsour grabbed her shoulder. A dozen questions ran through her head in that moment, but she only had seconds. One question rose to the top and came blurting out. “What’s in the basement?”

  He lifted his head up. His mouth warbled as if he were trying to speak human words through an insect mouth. Two of his eyes, now nearly human, examined her before rolling back into his head. His head crashed to the ground. His eyes went dim, one by one, the life fading away.

  Anika fell to her knees and sobbed.

  Anika wiped the tears from her eyes. Enough mourning, pining for a father who never loved her. She’d earned the only respect he could understand.

  She had defeated him.

  Boulsour lumbered to his feet and stooped over her. It was dark, and Anika thought she might have a concussion, but he looked like he was smiling. She held out her hand, and Boulsour gently took it and helped her stand. She stared into his eyes. In the dim light, they shone bright with the twinkling diodes of the machine.

  “Are you well?”

  His eyes brightened the tiniest of smidges.

  Anika patted his cheek.

  Jackie walked up next to her. “Is it dead?”

  Anika threw her arms around Jackie. “It’s over.”

  “I knew it.” Jackie picked her up and spun her around.

  “What?”

  Jackie set Anika down. “You’re amazeballs.”

  Anika smiled. “It was Sasha.”

  Wait. Sasha! Anika scanned the darkened cave until she spotted a body lying in a heap. She ran toward it but tripped and fell over something long and soft. She felt to the end of it and gasped.

  Fingers.

  Sasha’s arm.

  Anika picked it up and ran to Sasha, falling beside her. “Sasha. Are you okay?”

  Sasha sucked in air and moaned. Anika pulled her head into her lap, again.

  Sasha stared up at her, her beautiful face pulled tight. “It hurts, Anika.”

  “Shh.” Anika smoothed out Sasha’s hair. “I’m going to help you. We’re going to charge you back up.”

  Boulsour lumbered around Anika and gently picked Sasha up, cradling her in his arms. Anika carried Sasha’s arm as they headed toward the tunnel.

  Jackie fell in beside them.

  Margery slinked out of the tunnel, her lab coat torn and her wig askew. They all froze. Anika didn’t have anything to fight her with, well, other than Sasha’s arm. She was ready to swing it.

  Her sister searched the cavern, her eyes falling on their dad’s mound of carapace. She lowered her head. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

  Anika took one last look at the bug corpse and headed toward the tunnel. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Margery grabbed Anika’s arm. “Thank you.”

  Anika pulled her arm away. “Leave me alone.”

  “Anika, wait.”

  Anika whipped around, ready to beat Margery over the head with Sasha’s arm. “You tried to kill me!”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Anika staggered back. “What do you want?”

  Margery hung her head. “I can help her.”

  “Help her what?” Anika doubted Sasha would mind if she thwacked her a few times.

  “I can reattach her arm. Please, let me help her.”

  Anika examined Margery’s face. Her eyes were bloodshot, but her pupils didn’t waver. She didn’t blink.

  “No strings attached.” Jackie said. “None at all. She owes you or this place nothing.”

  “No strings, I promise.” Margery smiled. “Some sinew and tissue, but no strings.”

  “Gross,” Jackie said. “And strangely intriguing.”

  “No.” Sasha moaned. “She’s going to use the bodies.”

  Anika frowned “What bodies?”

  “Dravovitch had a few bodies brought in tonight. He wanted to…to save you.”

  “Where did they come from?” Anika asked.

  “I don’t know.” Margery pulled her wig off her head and dropped it. “He has a network in place, but he doesn’t kill them.”

  Anika stroked Sasha’s hair. “Grave robbing?”

  “I need part of one arm.”

  Sasha grabbed Anika’s shoulder. “It’s not worth…”

  Sasha grimaced. Anika hadn’t ever seen her in this much pain. Anika couldn’t have that on her conscience. Could she? What was worse? Being the mad scientist or letting her friend suffer?

  Anika pulled away. “Do it.”

  “Bring her over here,” Margery said.

  Boulsour gently placed Sasha on the slab.

  “I don’t know about this,” Jackie ran two fingers across the stone and scrunched up her face. “How can we trust her?”

  Anika set Sasha’s arm next to her on the slab. “Because Boulsour will rip her arms off if she tries anything.”

  Margery glanced at the lumbering man unfazed as she jabbed wires into Sasha’s chest. “Boulsour, please retrieve the container.”

  Boulsour plodded up the tunnel.

  Jackie tsked. “You’re picking up right where your father left off.”

  Anika scowled. “I’m trying to help her.”

  Jackie threw her hands in the air. “Not saying you’re wrong.”

  Anika walked around the slab and took Sasha’s hand. “We’re going to help everyone.”

  Margery cleaned the wounds at the stub of Sasha’s arm, finally noticing Anika and Jackie staring at her. “What?”

  “Who knows about Misty?” Anika asked. “Who did my father tell?”

  “I don’t know.” Margery cleaned the wound in Sasha’s shoulder. “He sent everyone home after Macy woke up. He didn’t figure it out until well after that.”

  “Does Macy know?”

  “I don’t think so. She wasn’t around when he worked it out. We were alone.”

  Jackie pointed a finger at Margery. “You’re not going to tell anyone. Not about Misty or about me.”

  “Or Claire,” Anika added, “or any kid in this town.”

  “That’s part of the deal,” Jackie said.

  Margery pulled tools off the wall. “Part of what deal?”

  Boulsour lumbered into the cavern carrying a large white shipping crate and set it near the slab.

  Anika grinned. “The deal where Boulsour doesn’t rip your arms off after you’re finished. Keep up.”

  Anika glanced at Boulsour in time to see a flicker of joy in his eyes.

  Margery nodded. “I’ll help you fix your friends, and I’ll keep all your secrets.” She moved to the crate and flipped it open. Anika could see the two bodies inside. Margery raised a scalpel. “As long as you keep mine.”

  Jackie shrugged her shoulders.

  “Fine.” Anika said. “Fix her.”

  Footsteps echoed down the tunnel, and they turned to face whatever was coming for them, Boulsour and Jackie next to her, ready to face anything.

  An older man in a sharp suit and a briefcase waded into the cavern. She’d seen him before in the lab—her father’s stuffy lawyer. He hesitated, glancing about the cavern, taking in the machine and the corpse of the monster. Finally, his eyes settled on Anika.

  “Dagmar Dravovitch?”

  “What are you doing here?” Anika stepped closer. Jackie grabbed the back of her shirt, tugging to keep her back.

  “Delivering Darik Dravovitch’s Will and Testament, per his instructions.”

  “How did you even know?”

  “As he died, an automatic signal was sent, releasing several documents to his legal team. Your father was thorough.” He cleared his throat. “He left his estate, all accounts and holdings, all proceedings, and his com
pany and all its assets to the living relative who managed to kill him. In his signal, he sent the name Dagmar.”

  Anika laughed. No. Cackled. Jackie raised an eyebrow. Anika never knew who she was supposed to be or who she wanted to be, but this felt good. Felt right.

  “Dagmar owns the company?” Jackie asked. “Does that make her the CEO?”

  “If she wants to be,” he said. “Yes.”

  Anika nodded. She could save everyone and make everything right that Dravovitch had destroyed for all those years.

  She pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin. Finally, Anika knew who she was supposed to be, and it felt great. She felt whole. “I’m Dagmar Dravovitch.”

  “Excellent.” He pulled paperwork from his suitcase. “I need you to sign in a few places.”

  “Hey, Dagmar.” Jackie fumbled over the name. “Shouldn’t we have a lawyer look over that?”

  “Technically,” the man said. “I’m her lawyer now. One of them, anyway.”

  Anika examined the paperwork. “Do I need to run a black light over this?”

  “No. It’s…well, it’s completely sound. I drafted the document myself. Everything he has he is transferring to you. Of course, there are some legal restrictions until you are 18, but your father was explicit that we give you full control of his laboratory.” He coughed. “Both of them.”

  Anika signed the top page. He flipped to the next, and she signed again, and in three more places.

  “Congratulations.” His eyes flicked to the monster again. “I think.”

  Anika laughed. Maybe it was a little bit, well, maniacal.

  She didn’t care.

  Anika swiveled around the merry-go-round in the park where Sasha had sat in a meat vest two weeks ago. This time Anika had no traps or contraptions. Only a small cooler. Sasha stood on the bottom of the slide staring into Boulsour’s eyes and whispering questions to him, trying to decode his responses. She wasn’t getting it.

  After Anika was announced as the new owner and CEO of her father’s lab, the employees nearly revolted. Turned out, they all had a clause in their contracts which stipulated that they had to work for Dravovitch’s successor for at least six months to retain certain privileges. No one quit.

  One asset was unaccounted for. Macy had disappeared the night Anika had killed their father.