War

by R. S. Broadhead

  Sim straightened, his chin rising. “The number grows more every day. People aren’t scared to face these things. They’re scared of losing their home, family, and everything they’ve built in this world. We’re not sitting back and letting them take over. No sir. If they want this place, they are going to have one hell of a fight on their hands.”

  I fished in my pocket and pulled out the keys to the Jeep. “Follow us to the new place we’re based at. Sounds like we need to talk strategy with you.”

  23

  Masey

  Sweat poured down my back as I bolted upright. I blinked, the room coming into focus. With one foot, I kicked the twisted sheet off my damp skin onto the floor. Cool air was a pleasant caress over me. After a few seconds of struggling to get a grip, I grunted and rolled off the bed. My fingers fumbled through what few shirts I had hanging up and snatched one free from the hanger. Quickly, I yanked it over my head before pulling on a pair of jeans. Not bothering to put on shoes, I left the room. Distance from the bed was all I wanted. Well, that and to quit thinking about the images I had seen. I rubbed the crust from the corners of my eyes unable to shake how real the dream was. Even now that I was awake, I couldn’t manage the jolted feeling that quaked within my knees.

  Dreaming of your death is never fun. Especially when every day you were on edge and toying with fate like we were. Any day could be an end for us. Several had already come close. I stopped and leaned against the wall. Twisting my wrist, I stared down at my hand. I could practically still feel Casey’s hand in mine. As I was dying, she’d stood there, and when it was over, she reached down for me. That was the only comfort it held. My sister was waiting for me. I closed my lids. Even though she had done what she did, I still couldn’t help missing her. Her joining Dermetheus broke my heart. Losing her had been one of the worst experiences of my life.

  “There you are,” Lyric said.

  I jumped, sucking air in. “You scared the hell out of me,” I said, putting one hand over my chest to calm my slamming heartbeat.

  He stepped forward and slipped an arm around my waist. “Sorry.” His lips brushed over my hair. I melted into his form. He was the only good thing that had come from all this. “Hey.” He pulled back and with two fingers gently lifted my chin up. “Is everything okay?”

  My teeth sank into my bottom lip. It was a silly dream. There was really no point in telling him about it. “I’m fine. Just stressed with having to come up with a way to destroy the relic once all the energy from the portals has been absorbed, that’s all.” I ran a hand through my matted hair. God, I must look awful. “Everything I try just doesn’t work.”

  His thumb ran over my jaw. “No worries. I know you’ll get it. You’re one of the smartest creatures I’ve come in contact with, my love.”

  My mouth opened with the intent of shrugging off his flattery, but instead emotion clogged my throat and erupted into a tiny squeak followed by a sob.

  “Masey?”

  I couldn’t answer. No matter how much I wanted to. I couldn’t shake the dream and the feeling that my time with him was limited.

  “Masey, please tell me what’s wrong,” he pleaded.

  I shook my head, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him toward me. Our mouths met, moving softly against one another. I reveled in the feel of lips on mine. He drew me closer. This was all I wanted. A moment to forget it all. The way he made me feel washed the uneasiness from my muscles. When he retreated, I was left breathless and yearning for more. With one finger, he twisted a lock of my hair over his knuckle and smiled down at me.

  “If that was all you wanted, you didn’t have to get so emotional over it. You know I’d give you all the kisses.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine once again. “I wouldn’t mind doing this all day long, but I know you. You couldn’t stand blowing off working.”

  For a split moment, I considered doing just that. But the responsible side of me rejected the idea almost as quickly as it was put there. Our fingers intertwined between us. “Promise I’ll try not to be all day.” It seemed I had very little time for him. All I did was work. Hopefully after all this was over we could go somewhere together. Hell, a normal date would be nice. A smile crept over my face. Normal for a human and a snake demon that was.

  He lifted my hands and kissed the top of each one. “I’m going to hold you to that. I’ll be in there in a few hours to drag you out even if you go kicking and screaming in the process.”

  “Perfect.” I twisted and turned toward the direction of the lab Fuzz had set up, the room I had been holed up in from the moment we had made this place our new training facility. “See you in a bit,” I called over my shoulder and gave him a wink.

  I walked down the hall and turned the corner. At the end of the corridor, I reached the lab and unlocked the door. With a swiping motion, I flicked the switch on and a low hum buzzed overhead from the fluorescent lights. I unhooked a lab coat from the hanger and slipped some goggles over my head. After adjusting them, I focused on the test tubes and ingredients placed over the station.

  We had managed to chip a piece of a corner free, so I could test it. After doing so, the relic seemed to regenerate and heal itself. Nothing I had tried so far had worked, but I was determined not to give up. I would find a way to destroy the relic if it was the last thing I did. That was the plan. Once all the energy was absorbed and we closed the portals for good, the relic had to be destroyed. Funny thing was, no one knew how to do that. I stilled, staring at the glass within my grasp. Geez. I really hoped this wasn’t the last thing I got to do. I couldn’t stop the unsettling feeling from the dream from resurfacing. I didn’t have time to dwell on that. Instead, I shrugged it off and dove into what I knew best.

  A few hours passed by with no success. “Shit!” I growled and threw my arm out. Papers showered the room, floating to the floor. I wanted to pick the tiny piece of material I had been testing and throw it across the room. It sat on the desk practically mocking me with its completely unchanged form. Rolling my neck, I exhaled through my nose and dropped my eyes back down. My gaze landed on an acid sitting behind of all the others that I had yet to try. I shrugged. It was worth a shot. Carefully, I mixed it along with a few others in a clean beaker. “Here goes nothing.” With a pair of tongs, I dropped the metal into the now bright purple liquid. The reaction was instant. Foam bubbled up to the rim, eating away at the foreign object.

  I backed away. The tiny fragment melted before my eyes. I continued to stare with my mouth hanging open. A rush of excitement pulsed through me. I had done it! I had done the impossible. We could get rid of this thing so no one could use it. Skirting around the corner of my workstation I practically jogged to the locking chamber Fuzz had placed the relic in. I stopped short and ran my fingers over the surface of the metal door. Deep scratches marred the exterior. Who would have been trying to get it out? Without wasting anymore time, I placed my thumb on the panel. The scanner read my print and the door swung open. I needed to chip another piece free and retest it before I went to Fuzz with my methods.

  “Have any luck?”

  I jerked around nearly dropping the relic. Abby stood in the doorway, leaning against its frame as she regarded the lab. I relaxed and closed the locking chamber with my elbow. “You’re never going to believe it.” Before she could ask what I was talking about, I rushed to finish telling her. “I finally found a way to destroy it! I just need to mix more up and this thing is as good as gone once we get the energy absorbed.” I crossed the room and placed the object on the counter.

  She neared and stopped at the corner. “Can’t believe you finally found a way. You did the impossible.”

  “Right?” I still couldn’t believe it myself.

  “To think this one thing holds the power of all the realms.” Her hand darted forward and snatched it off the counter before I could react. She lifted it until it was eye level and studied it intently.

  An uneasy feeling blanketed me as I watched her expression
change from wonder to something almost sinister. I grabbed it from her. “Yeah, it’s really crazy, huh?” I glanced to the door hoping Lyric would suddenly appear to free me of work like he’d promised. This was totally unlike Abby. I hated that I was now getting uncomfortable being around one of my best friends.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t destroy it. It could come in handy one day.” Abby took a step forward, her gaze unfaltering from the relic within my grasp. “Or we could use it to barter with. Dermetheus wants this, so maybe if we gave it to him he would spare us.” There was a hunger laced in her words that made her sound like a completely different person.

  I breathed through my mouth, suddenly aware of how close she was to me. “Abby, you’re being really weird. Maybe you should just let me catch up with you later.”

  Her head tossed back. There was an edge to her laughter. One that I had never heard from her before. “If only it was that easy,” she said, refocusing on me with dilated pupils. She reached for my hand and wrapped her fingers tightly around my wrist.

  Instantly, I jerked away. Pain lanced over my joint. I rubbed it, my skin red from her grasp. Impulsively, I tucked the relic close to my body. Something was off about this.

  “Abby.” Her glazed expression told that the name I spoke didn’t belong to the person who was standing in front of me. Who had we been living with since she was brought back? “Abby, you’re starting to scare me,” I tried again. Taking a step back, I tried to put some distance between our bodies. She followed suit, not allowing the gap to widen.

  “Abby isn’t here. She hasn’t been since that Banshee brought her to me.” She toyed with a bottle of purple liquid. “Believe me, she fought me. But really there was no point. Not against the Queen of Agathra.”

  I paused, certain for a moment that she had to be joking around with me. I even laughed. But her stoic expression returned my gaze. One that was nowhere near as amused as I was with this confession. “As in the spirit realm?” I breathed.

  A sardonic smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “The one and only. Lamia at your service.” She gave me a small curtsy before lunging forward.

  Panicked, I spun on my heels and screamed. There was no use in trying to sugarcoat it. I wasn’t a fighter by any means. I had more a technical defensive that involved weapons using the concoctions I had come up with in this lab. I wasn’t prepared to fight off some queen from another realm.

  I managed to scoop up a bottle of acid and toss it into her face. She howled in pain as it ate away at her flesh. But it didn’t stop her. She charged me even harder. I raced for the door, but was stopped short when her iron-clad grip brought me to my knees in one grinding halt. I wiggled against her heavy body, kicking and scratching with my free hand.

  “Help me! Please someone help me!” My throat burned as the vocal cords within strained.

  “Shut up,” she growled through clenched teeth. One hand came up and connected with my cheek. Something hard rolled around my mouth, against my tongue. I spit a tooth out as my mouth filled with blood.

  Footsteps pounded down the hall. Hope ignited within me. Maybe this wouldn’t be the demise my dream had predicted. Shayla and Lyric appeared in the doorway, both with expressions of confusion at the sight before them.

  “Lamia, queen of Agathra,” I squeaked as she tightened a grip over my neck. “Not Abby.”

  Shayla didn’t need any further words. She pulled her gun and pointed it directly at Lamia’s face. “Get the fuck up.”

  Lamia stood bringing me with her. She positioned my body in front of hers and pulled a blade from behind her back. It pressed against my neck so tightly I waited for the blood to flow. “That gun isn’t going to stop me. You know that as well as I do,” she hissed.

  Shayla didn’t say anything. Her eyes narrowed as if trying to get a good shot. “I’m willing to take a chance. The question is, are you?” She took a small step to the right. Lamia did the same, making sure she was completely covered by me.

  “All I want is the relic and to get out of here. If that happens, you can get this little bitch back unharmed.”

  Lyric’s eyes darted from the object still within my grasp and the blade at my neck. “Give it to her, Masey. What are you waiting for?”

  My mind spun. This thing was the key to it all. There was no way I could let her walk out of here with it. If that happened, I was killing all of my friends and Lyric. I stared at him without knowing what to say.

  He seemed to sense something wasn’t right and shook his head. “Masey, please. There will be another way. Just give it to her before she hurts you.”

  I remained silent.

  Lyric sank to his knees. “Please, I’m begging you. Take whatever you want. Just don’t hurt her.”

  Tears came to my eyes, blurring Lyric’s ashen face. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my cheeks from heating before glancing at Shayla. “Stop her.” With a shift movement, I tossed the relic in her direction. The next few seconds were a blur. Everything happened so fast. Shayla caught the object with one hand as the other pulled the trigger when I lunged to the side to clear her shot.

  The blade surprisingly didn’t hurt as it melted deep into my flesh. Maybe my brain hadn’t had time to register the pain or maybe I was blessed with going out as peaceful as I could. What hurt more was seeing Lyric’s face twist. I could almost hear his heartbreak as the warmth of blood ran freely down my skin.

  A shrill whistle rang in my ears. I could hardly hear the pop of Shayla’s gun over it. A force from behind me shoved my immobile legs forward. With one step my knees buckled. Lyric’s outstretched arms wrapped around my waist a split second before I crashed into the floor. I wanted to feel the heat from his body. I craved it. Suddenly, I had become so cold. There was no saving me from this. I was dying, and there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it.

  “Why did you do that?” he asked, cradling my limp form close to his torso. Tears cascaded over his cheeks.

  With one last bit of strength, I reached up and touched his face, staining it with blood. I wanted to tell him that I loved him, but the words wouldn’t come out.

  “I know,” he spoke softly. “I love you too. I’ll be along soon enough.”

  I coughed, unable to hold on any more. My head rolled to the side, and I focused on a blurry form coming closer to me. She leaned down and smiled.

  “It’s time,” Casey said.

  There was nothing left to do but let go.

  And that’s what I did.

  24

  Reese

  My throat was tight with fear as my feet pounded against the tile behind the medical staff. Someone’s voice was hoarse with panicked screams coming from in front of us. The group stopped short and turned into the lab. Heart hammering against my rib cage, I slowed to catch my breath before looking in. I didn’t know what I would find on the other side of this wall and truthfully, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it.

  “You have to help her. She’s so cold!”

  My lips pressed together as I recognized Lyric’s voice. Shit. That could only mean something had happened to Masey. I took a step forward but was cut short when Shayla emerged in a blood-soaked shirt. The fabric clung to her body, the smell of iron so potent it took everything in me not to gag. This looked bad. Really bad. Had an experiment gone wrong?

  I swallowed and drew in a breath to keep my voice steady. “What happened?”

  Her vacant eyes locked with mine. She didn’t answer, only shook her head. Stumbling away, she appeared lost and disoriented.

  Gritting my teeth, I walked into the room. The scene was one straight out of a horror movie. Blood was everywhere, stemming from a hole in the middle of Abby’s forehead and a gaping slit across Masey’s throat.

  The medical staff milled around, some chatting with grim expression across their features while others continued to work on an already dead Masey. Lyric was hysterical with tears covering his face as he refused to let her body go.

  I backed away unable to te
ar my eyes from what was in front of me. Now I could see why Shayla had left appearing so numb. It was how I felt at the very moment. Twirling around, I set off to find her. I needed to know what had happened. It looked like a shit show had gone down.

  “Reese, what happened? I heard screaming and a gunshot,” Sim said, running up.

  “Masey and Abby are dead. No idea what happened. I need to find Shayla to figure it out.” I covered my face with my hands. This just didn’t seem real. None of it could be real.

  Sim’s fingertips brushed against my wrists as he gently tugged them away. “Hey.”

  I looked up at him expectantly.

  His brows slashed inward. “Well, damn. I was going to tell you everything will be okay, but that doesn’t seem like an appropriate thing to say right now. I’m at a loss for words. Really, Reese. I’m sorry.”

  Several seconds passed. “I don’t know what to say either.” My mouth opened to excuse myself when an eruption of screams filled the hallway.

  The medical staff poured from the room shoving us to the side. A black mist vaporized in front of us before darting overhead.

  “What the…” I didn’t get the chance to finish my thought.

  Dax appeared from around the corner with an odd shaped gun in hand. “Don’t think so, bitch.” He pointed at the apparition and an electric current blazed from the tip of his weapon. The entity conformed, taking shape of a solid being. It dropped to the floor and emitted a soft moan. Sim’s body moved in front of me. He moved back closer and crouched low, prohibiting me from progressing closer to thing in front of us.

  Dumbfounded, I tapped him on the shoulder. “Sim, what do you think you’re doing? Don’t you think I should be the one in front of you?”

  He relaxed a bit, but didn’t budge. “I know you’re a badass and all, but it’s in my blood to protect you.” He barely turned, sweeping my face with his gaze. He studied me for a moment, his chest slightly puffing before exhaling and taking a step away. His hand sliced the air as if ushering me in front of him.