A few minutes later, it engulfed Sook-kyoung completely, plunging her into darkness.
Book Two
Chapter Seventeen
Jason woke to the sounds of people chatting quietly, utensils clanking against metal plates, and horses milling about. He did not hear dust beating against the walls and ceiling. The last thing he remembered, the storm had been at its height and hammered the cement structure in full fury.
After being engulfed by the storm, Jason had led the team through the swirling cloud toward the buildings in the distance, coming across nothing for more than an hour. At first, he figured they had gotten lost. Finally, after close to ninety minutes of walking, a cement wall emerged from the dust, which turned out to be a garage for a local construction company. Jason had ordered the team to settle down and ride out the storm, and then rested his eyes for a few minutes to collect his thoughts. Considering that everyone else now ate dinner, he must have fallen asleep.
Rolling over, Jason bumped into a large brown mass. Lilith was curled up beside him. On feeling her master awake, she twisted her head to one side and licked Jason on the face. As he rubbed her belly, he sought out Lucifer. Sure enough, his faithful companion sat by Sasha at the fire, mooching food. Jason got to his feet and strolled over, with Lilith trotting beside him.
“Why didn’t you wake me for dinner?”
“We tried,” said Sasha. “You were sound asleep.”
Haneef held up his tray. “And this is breakfast.”
“I slept all night?”
“You needed it,” said Sasha. “Besides, the storm didn’t let up until early in the morning. It’s not like we were going anywhere.”
“Has anybody been outside?”
Haneef shook his head. “Not yet. The sun only came up a few minutes ago.”
Jason grabbed his binoculars and made his way to one of the garage bays. As he raised the metal door, a seven-inch pile of sand and dust that had drifted against it collapsed onto his feet. He stepped out and surveyed the landscape.
Dust and sand covered everything, making the area appear like a dirty gray winter setting. He raised the binoculars to his eyes and scanned the horizon. Several miles away, he spotted two large and one small mounds of dust, the remains of the slaughtered worms and his friend Slava. He saw no signs of the missing team members. His own team’s footprints to the garage had been wiped clean by the wind, so tracking the others would be impossible.
Sasha moved up beside Jason and handed him a tin cup of coffee. “I thought you might want this.”
“Thanks.” He lowered the binoculars and took the cup. When he did, pain shot through his wounded shoulder. He noticed fresh blood on his flight suit. “Shit. Did I reopen it during combat?”
“No. You banged it around so much it bled a little. Ustagov checked it while you were out.”
“I slept through that, too?”
Sasha nodded and motioned to the field. “Any sign of the others?”
“Not a thing,” Jason answered. “The last I saw them, they were about a mile to our south when we were running from the worms. Then we were attacked and the storm hit. I have no idea what happened to them or which way they went.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Come on. I need to talk to the team.”
Jason and Sasha rejoined the others and sat down around the fire.
“Are we heading out to search for the rest of our people?” Haneef asked.
“No.” Jason reached out and patted Lucifer. “It’s their responsibility to backtrack and find us.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“I do.” Jason stopped the others before anyone could speak. “I know it sounds uncaring, but I have no choice. We lost eight people yesterday, and at least one of those worms is still out there. If we go traipsing through the countryside, we might lose more people trying to find the rest of the team who are probably dead already.”
“We have to try at least,” Haneef protested.
“I agree,” added Sasha. “We don’t stand much of a chance of closing the portal without them.”
“We stand even less of a chance if we go searching for them. Remember, we’re on our own in China, and if we keep losing people at this rate, our expedition ends here. I’m not going to let that happen. We still have two of the devices, and we know the third is not far from here. Father Belsario and I will head out after breakfast, retrieve Sook-kyoung’s device, and give her and Slava a proper burial. The rest of you stay put. Set up a beacon fire and post a guard. Hopefully, if the others are nearby, they’ll find us. We can only give them twenty-four hours. After that, if they’re not back, we move on.”
“Jeanette is missing,” said Sasha.
“That’s irrelevant. She knew what the risks were when she joined us and how slim were the chances of survival.”
“It’s not fair.”
“I’m not making my decisions based on what’s fair. I’m making them based on what’s necessary to complete our goal.”
“Jason’s right,” Father Belsario interrupted. “Every one of us is expendable. Sasha, you realize that more than anyone.”
“I know.” Sasha lowered her head.
“I would make only one change in your plan,” said the cleric. “Let me and Gabriel retrieve the device and bury the bodies. If something happens to us, we’ll be resurrected in a few days. Your death is permanent and irreplaceable.”
“You’re right, but I’m still going with you.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“It is to me.”
Father Belsario nodded, understanding what Jason meant.
Jason asked Matthew, “Will you build a fire on the roof and keep the first watch for the others?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. Haneef, after breakfast take an inventory of what supplies we have left so we know how to ration them. Since Vicky and Sook-kyoung used to take care of the horses, Sasha and Ustagov will now do it. Are there any questions?”
No one had any.
“You hold the fort here. Father Belsario, Gabriel, and I will head out to get the other device.”
A pair of whimpers sounded to Jason’s left. Lucifer and Lilith stared up at him with their soulful eyes. “Yes, you can come, too.”
The wagging of tails indicated the werehounds approved of his plan.
Chapter Eighteen
“It’s sunrise,” said Antoine. “What do you want to do?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Jeanette leaned against a tree and stared into the woods. She honestly had no clue what their course of action should be. As pissed off as Jeanette was at Jason, she desperately wished he was here now. He would be able to figure out the next move.
The worm had broken off its pursuit of Jeanette’s group after they had entered the dust storm, probably because Ustagov had been correct about the creature not being able to detect their movements with so much noise being generated along the ground. They had eventually reached the woods and continued for another few miles to put as much distance as possible between them and the creature. Being amongst the trees had the added benefit of dissipating much of the wind’s intensity. Once night had fallen, they had settled down in their sleeping bags until the storm had passed. When it did, Jeanette set up a campfire and tried to get her bearings.
That was more difficult than she originally thought. Jeanette had no idea how far they had ridden and in which direction. With the storm having covered their tracks, she had no way of retracing their movements. She had a general idea where Jason and the others might be based on his last known position. However, that assumed he had not moved since then, which seemed unlikely. She had three options. She could stay put and wait for Jason’s team to find them; there were too many variables attached to that, key among them that the others could spend days searching for her group, expending valuable time that could be used to close the portal. Jeanette could go searching for the others, but that could
also take days and had no guarantee of success. That left only one viable alternative.
Jeanette pushed herself off the tree and faced the rest of her group. “We’re going to head south and find the portal.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Jason?” Vicky asked tentatively.
“We have no idea how long it’ll take them to find us, or if they’ll be successful.”
“Or if they’re even looking,” said Ian.
Jeanette did not want to entertain that possibility. “We were circling back to the G1 when the worms attacked, so it’s a safe bet that the rest of the group will continue doing the same. We’ll head southwest until we reach the road and proceed to Shenyang. If Jason does the same, we’ll eventually meet back up.”
“We don’t have any of the devices,” said Antoine. “What will we do if we discover the portal?”
“Once we know where it is, we’ll find Jason and the others and lead them to it.”
“And what if we never find him?”
Vicky reached over and punched Antoine in the shoulder. He glared at the woman, more hurt than angry.
“I know it’s not the best option,” began Jeanette. “If any of you have a better idea, I’m willing to listen.”
Jeanette hoped one of them would, but they did not.
“Grab something to eat and get the horses ready. We move out in half an hour.”
As the others followed orders, Jeanette stared back through the trees. What Antoine had said bothered her, although he did not mean to upset her. She had not considered the reality of the situation until then. They had lost Sook-kyoung and her device. If something had happened to Haneef and Slava, they had failed. They had come all this way for nothing. And if something had happened to Jason—
Jeanette refused to consider that scenario, yet she could not get the idea out of her head. She wished she had treated Jason better this past week. Not that it mattered. She would make it up to him once they were together again. Somehow Jeanette knew he was alive, as if she could feel him nearby. And she knew he would do everything possible to find her.
Chapter Nineteen
Sook-kyoung woke with a start and opened her eyes. She saw only the dirt and sand that covered her. Panic set in. She gasped but took in plenty of oxygen because of her gas mask. Sook-kyoung realized her erratic breathing resulted from anxiety. Taking a deep breath, she held it for several seconds, which calmed her nerves.
The events of last night slowly came back. When the dust storm had engulfed her, she had continued walking west toward the G1. Trudging through the wind and dust had tired her out, and when she eventually tripped and fell, she had laid there until sleep overtook her. She had no idea how long she had been out; however, considering the layer of sand that covered her, it probably had been a while. Pushing herself up, Sook-kyoung felt the earth cascade off her body, creating a small cloud as it hit the ground. She rested on her knees a moment, unable to hear anything or see out of the faceplate of her gas mask. Closing her eyes, she pulled off the mask and shook her head. Sand slid across her brow and cheeks and dislodged from her ears. The storm had stopped. The fresh air felt good in her lungs, as did the warm sunshine against her skin. She opened her eyes.
A dozen Chinese men formed a semi-circle in front of Sook-kyoung, each armed with a bow and arrow. One stood three feet away, staring down at her through a pair of Ray-Bans. Sook-kyoung grabbed her AK-47. The men with bows raised their weapons and aimed.
Ray-Ban held up his hand and spoke in Mandarin. The bowmen hesitated then lowered their weapons and kept their fingers on the nocks of the arrows, ready to fire quickly if necessary. Ray-Ban focused his attention back to Sook-kyoung and removed his sunglasses. His brown eyes were soulful, yet cold and hardened by everything he had witnessed over the last year. Sook-kyoung saw nothing threatening in them. She slowly placed her automatic weapon back on the ground.
Ray-Ban nodded. He spoke to her in Korean laden with a thick Mandarin accent. “My name is Qiang.”
“I’m Sook-kyoung.”
“Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you. Are you all right?”
Sook-kyoung ran her fingers through her ponytail, dislodging sand and dirt. “I’m a little shaken up after getting caught in that storm yesterday, but other than that I’m fine.”
“Good. We’ll take you back to our camp where you can rest up and get a hot meal.” Qiang offered her his hand. Sook-kyoung took it and he helped her to her feet. “First, we should find your friends and make certain they’re okay.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Sook-kyoung lied. “I’m alone.”
The friendliness drained from Qiang’s expression. “I’m sorry to hear you say that.”
“Why?”
“Because we’ve been following your group since Harbin and thought we could trust you.”
“You can.”
“Lying does not equate with trust. We’ll take you back to camp and deal with you later.”
“I don’t want to be a bother.” Sook-kyoung picked up the saddle bag with the anti-matter device and her personal bag, slinging them over her left shoulder. “I’ll be on my way. I appreciate the offer, though.”
“It’s not an offer.” Qiang snapped his fingers. Two of his men stepped forward. One took the bags from Sook-kyoung, the other picked up her AK-47. They moved back in line. “Will you please come with us?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes. You can go peacefully or we can force you.”
Sook-kyoung shrugged her shoulders and began walking.
Chapter Twenty
Jason, Father Belsario, and Gabriel stood by the partially-devoured remains of Gaston’s horse which they had dug out from under a mound of sand. Lucifer and Lilith sniffed the ground around the carcass, the latter pawing the horse to see if it was alive. Jason moved away from the others, strolling in a circle fifty feet from the remains. When he again approached the Purgatoriati, he stopped.
“Isn’t this where the worms killed Gaston and Sook-kyoung?”
The cleric nodded.
“Where is she?”
“Maybe the last worm came back and ate her.”
“Why didn’t it also take the horse?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe the demons prefer fresh kill,” suggested Gabriel.
Jason thought for a moment. “Shit.”
“What?”
“What if Sook-kyoung wasn’t dead?”
“She took a direct hit by the worm. I doubt she could have survived that.”
“We never checked.” Jason paced back and forth. He couldn’t believe how stupid… no, how insensitive he had been. Sook-kyoung had been a valuable team member from day one and deserved better than to be left behind.
Father Belsario placed a comforting hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Don’t be hard on yourself. You know as well as any of us that we would have lost several people if we tried to go back for her. You did what you had to do.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier.”
“If Sook-kyoung is alive, we’ll find her.”
Lilith sniffed the spot.
“Do you have her scent, girl?”
The werehound continued sniffing.
Jason frowned. “The storm must have covered her tracks.”
“I can go search,” Gabriel volunteered. “If I find her, we can catch up with you later.”
“We can’t afford to lose anyone else. If she’s alive, she’ll make her way toward Shenyang, probably along the G1. If we’re lucky, we’ll all be back together in a few days.”
“God willing.”
“Come on.” Jason headed back to the garage. “I want to make sure we have enough time to give Slava a decent burial and get back before sunset.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Does anyone have any idea where we are?” Jeanette asked.
“We’re bloody lost, mate.” Ian thought he had said it under his breath. Jeanette had heard him.
“That’s not very helpful.”
“Sorry.”
Jeanette felt bad for snapping at Ian, although right now she was in no mood to apologize. In truth, they were “bloody lost” because of her.
They had broken camp and headed southeast. Several hours passed before they picked up the G1 and proceeded towards Shenyang. Not until a few hours later did Jeanette realize they were, in fact, on the G25 and approaching a town called Kangping thirty-five miles away. Without a map, that information was useless. Jeanette had opted to continue until they could get their bearings. She had not counted on traveling another two hours with no clue as to their whereabouts.
Antoine brought his horse alongside Jeanette.
“Are you going to tell me we’re lost?” she asked.
The Moroccan scrunched his eyebrows. “Why would I tell you the obvious?”
“Sorry.”
“I wanted to show you that.” He pointed ahead of them.
Two hundred feet in front of them off to the side of the road stood a rural Chinese version of a highway rest stop. Two tractor trailers, three smaller trucks, and half a dozen run-down cars lay scattered across the parking lot. Three structures were bunched together. Off to the left stood a small concrete building with two doors, the one on the right marked with a female figure and the one on the left with a male. Off to the right stood a small convenience stand long ago picked clean. Jeanette’s interest focused on the structure in the center—a wooden wall covered with a green-tiled roof that mounted a glass display. She spurred her horse ahead. The others followed.
“Yes!” Jeanette said aloud when she pulled her horse up to the display wall. A map was pinned to the interior corkboard. The group dismounted and tied their horses to the bumper of one of the tractor trailers. Jeanette used the sleeve of her winter coat to wipe away the accumulated dirt and grime from the glass, then she and Vicky checked out the map. Antoine stayed close by, unslinging his AK-47 in case of an ambush. Ian rushed off toward the restroom.
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