by Aaron Hodges
“Back!” she snarled.
The other Chead exchanged uneasy glances. Then the creature in Liz’s grip twisted, its elbow flashing back into her face. A harsh crack echoed through the room as the blow staggered her. With a violent jerk, the Chead tore itself from her arms and sprang free.
Chris tensed against the two Chead holding him, preparing to fight, but the first Chead only laughed. Shaking its head, it turned its back on Liz and stalked to Chris.
“The girl is…spirited.” Teeth showed as its lips curled back into a grin. “She is…yours?”
Shrieking, Liz launched herself across the room. The Chead spun and parried a wild attack from Liz. It caught her by the wrist. A low rumble sounded in Liz’s chest as she swung again with her free hand, but the Chead easily caught the blow in its other hand. Grinning, it stared down at her. Liz glared back helplessly, both hands now trapped in its iron grasp.
Then her knee flashed up, straight into the Chead’s crotch. The thump as it struck made even Chris wince, and the Chead folded like grass before the wind.
“My name is Liz,” she growled down at the creature, “and I belong to no one.”
The Chead chuckled as it straightened. “Such fire…” it said, bowing its head, “my…apologies.”
“Hecate!” Chris jumped as a new voice shrieked from the corner.
Everyone in the room turned as a ball of grey hair and feathers barreled past. The first Chead stumbled back, surprise showing on its face as the young girl tackled it. Her laughter echoed through the room as they went down in a heap.
Chris could only stand and stare open-mouthed as the girl sat up and grinned down at the Chead. The Chead frowned at her.
“What the hell is going on?” Jasmine yelled. She took a half step towards the girl, lifting an arm as though to reach for her, before dropping it back down.
From the frown wrinkling its forehead, Chris could tell that the Chead was just as confused. Carefully, it disentangled itself and regained its feet. It cast a quick glance around at its fellow Chead as the young girl stood and frowned at it.
“What’s the matter, Hecate?”
The Chead shook its head. “How…do you know my name…child?”
Chris watched the joy slip from the young girl’s face. She took a quick step back. “You don’t remember,” she whispered. Tears beaded her eyes. A sob tore from the girl, and turning, she hurled herself at Jasmine.
Jasmine staggered as the tiny girl hugged her leg. Righting herself, Jasmine looked around the room, as confused as anyone else. When no one spoke, she crouched and drew the trembling girl into her arms.
The first Chead stood staring at the girl, his brow still creased in a frown, its eyes hesitant. Finally, it turned to Chris and raised an eyebrow. “Strange…” it murmured, its nostrils flaring. “Strange company…you keep.”
Still shaking somewhat, Chris moved between Jasmine and the Chead. “How does she know you?”
“I do not…remember,” the Chead whispered, shaking its head.
A feral anger rose in Chris’s chest, born of frustration, of the secrets the doctors had kept from them, of their powerlessness even now they were free. He advanced, until he stood face-to-face with the Chead.
“What are you doing here, Hecate?” he snapped. “Why did you save us from the soldiers?”
Chris clenched his fists, bracing himself. He knew where the Chead had come from, that the creatures had been prisoners like them. But that still did not explain their appearance in the woods.
The smile fell from the Chead’s lips at Chris’s words. “A debt…was owed,” it murmured, shifting on its feet. “You spared…my life. You suffered…for me.”
Its eyes flickered towards Liz as it spoke, and Chris saw again the scene in the padded room, saw Liz writhing in agony, the shock collar flashing around her neck. Halt had tortured her when Chris refused to kill the Chead they had defeated. He shuddered and his hand drifted unconsciously to his throat. But the cruel collars were long gone, and angrily he pushed the memory away.
“She called you Hecate,” he said, his anger fading as quickly as it had come. “That is your name?”
The Chead smiled. “So it would seem.” A dull laughter rattled in its throat.
Chris shivered. Despite its appearance, despite the young girl giving it a name, an inhuman quality remained to the creature, a terrifying otherness that made him want to turn tail and flee. Silently he forced himself to swallow the sensation.
“Thank you, Hecate.” He paused, unsure how to continue. “How…how are you here? How did you escape?”
“The woman…released us.” Hecate’s eyes flashed, the grin turning feral. “Oh, the fun we had…before we left.”
Chris blanked. Finally, they knew how Angela Fallow had created the distraction that had allowed her to free them. She had unleashed the captive Chead on her unsuspecting colleagues. He shuddered at the slaughter that must have followed. It was a wonder anyone had survived to come after them. But then, a well-placed bullet could still stop a Chead in its tracks. In the long corridors of the facility, the guards would have eventually overwhelmed the creatures.
“How did you find us?” Liz asked.
“After…my brother and sister…fell, we left.” The Chead eyed them with a grin. “You fly slowly…sleep too much. Your stench…was not hard to track.”
Chris wrinkled his nose, trying to ignore the cloying sweetness the Chead carried with them. It was overpowering, though he had never heard it mentioned on the news. He guessed that an enhanced sense of smell was yet another alteration they could chalk up to Halt and Fallow’s meddling.
Sense of smell aside, Chris guessed there was more to the Chead’s actions than Hecate was letting on. “I don’t think you followed us all this way, and saved us from those soldiers, just to say thank you.”
The Chead smiled again. “You are…correct.” Teeth flashed as his grin widened. “We came to see…if you would join us.”
“Join you in what?” Liz asked softly.
Hecate turned to look at her. “In the war…to come.”
Chris blinked. “The war to come?”
“For all our existence…we have suffered,” Hecate said, eyes flashing. “We have been beaten. Tortured. Murdered. Our only memories…are of captivity. But now that we are free…we will make our tormentors pay.”
“You want to fight the government?” Liz breathed.
“Government?” The Chead’s head bent to the side. “What is government? It is humanity…that made us suffer. It is humanity…that must pay.”
Chris blinked. Behind him, Richard snorted. “All of humanity?” he asked, his voice rich with sarcasm. “There are millions of people in the Western Allied States. The government alone has thousands of soldiers. Against what, the seven of you?”
Hecate turned to face the taller boy. “Their soldiers are nothing,” he growled. “The Chead are legion.”
Though Hecate’s words made no sense, Chris felt himself grow cold. Ice trickled down his back as he studied the unyielding figure of the Chead, imagining an army of such creatures. Then he shook his head and dismissed the image. The facility did not contain an army, just these seven. Hecate was clearly deranged, driven mad by his imprisonment.
Beside Chris, Richard laughed. Before any of them could react, Hecate sprang forward and caught him by the shirt. Growling, the Chead hauled Richard into the air. Richard swore as his feet left the ground, and he lashed out with his fist. The blow caught Hecate square in the face and sent him staggering backwards.
Richard stumbled as Hecate released him, his wings flaring out to steady him.
“Some legion,” Richard spat. He looked around the room, defiant, a wild anger in his eyes. “You’re not even a match for us, are you?”
Hecate straightened, but he made no move towards Richard. Instead, he turned to Chris. “Consider my offer,” the Chead grated. “Are you with us…or with them?”
Chris shook his head. Pity swell
ed inside him, a sadness for the hate and torment that had shaped these creatures. Despite their brutality, despite the slaughter and destruction that followed their awakening, he sensed a depth to the Chead. There was more to them than the feral creatures he had seen on the television.
They were more human than anyone realized.
Yet Hecate and these others, held captive in the cold walls of the facility, had never had a chance to discover that humanity. The cruelty of Doctor Halt had shaped them, molding them with hate and fear, allowing nothing else to grow.
“I’m sorry, Hecate,” he said to the Chead, “we cannot help you. Doctor Halt and the ones who supported him are our enemy. Not humanity. After all, we are human ourselves.”
Now it was the Chead’s turn to laugh. “So you think…but will they?”
4
Liz let out the breath she’d been holding as the last Chead departed. Heart still pounding, she moved to the window and watched as their shadows slid from the house into the surrounding trees. For a long time she stood watching the woods, waiting to see if they would return. But the only movement came from the wiry branches swaying in the morning breeze, and finally she returned to the others.
Richard and Jasmine still stood in the middle of the room, their faces pale. The young girl clung to Jasmine’s leg, the occasional tremor of her wings betraying her fear. As Liz moved away from the window, Chris stepped from the hallway and looked at her.
“They’re gone?”
She nodded, and he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. Holding him tight, Liz struggled to relax, to cast aside her fear. But even with the heat of the moment gone, the fear clung to her, spreading until her whole body was trembling. The breath rattled in her chest as she closed her eyes, and saw again the boy’s grey eyes staring down at her.
After a few moments, the terror passed, and she loosened her grip on Chris. Their eyes met as they parted, and she nodded at Chris’s unspoken question.
“I’m okay.” She looked at the others. “What about you, Richard, Jasmine?”
“I’m fine.” Richard shook his head. “They’re not so terrifying in person, right Jas?”
Jasmine stepped away from him, taking the girl with her. A hurt look crossed Richard’s face and his shoulders slumped, but Liz ignored him. Jasmine would get over what had happened in the forest, eventually. They all would.
Chris chuckled. “They’re terrifying enough for me.” Shaking his head, he settled his gaze on the young girl still clutching at Jasmine’s trousers. He crossed the room and knelt beside her. “Hey there.”
The girl whimpered and shrank away as Chris offered his hand. Her wings rose to hide her face, her feathers trembling. Chris sighed and raised his eyebrows at the others.
“Any ideas?” he asked. “This is getting a little ridiculous.”
Liz rolled her eyes and looked at Jasmine. “How about you boys go out back and pick some fruit? Give us girls some time to talk.”
Richard and Chris shared an awkward look, but in the end they did as she said. Liz watched them go, then turned to face the two girls. Jasmine stared straight back, her eyes hard and arms folded defensively.
Ignoring Jasmine’s frosty glare, Liz strode across the room and lowered herself onto the wooden floor. She crossed her legs and nodded at Jasmine, indicating for her to do the same. The taller girl hesitated, then snorted and joined Liz on the ground. Sitting cross-legged, Liz watched in bemusement as the younger girl crawled into Jasmine’s lap and hid her face beneath her wings again.
Liz smiled, and even the corner of Jasmine’s lips tugged upwards. Scooting forward, Liz rested a gentle hand on the young girl’s wings. She could feel them trembling. It was obvious the girl was terrified. Silently, Liz stroked her feathers, waiting for the shaking to stop.
When the girl finally seemed to be calming down, Liz spoke in her friendliest voice. “Hello again!” She paused, struggling to find the words she needed. “I thought it was about time us girls had some alone time. Richard and Chris have gone to find us some breakfast, and those creatures aren’t coming back. You’re safe, you can talk to us.”
Somewhat to Liz’s surprise, the girl’s wings retracted, revealing her pale, tear-streaked face. She blinked up at Liz, then turned to look around the room. Liz withdrew her hand and sat up straighter, waiting to see what the girl would do. The mismatched blue and green eyes swept the room once, then again, before she was apparently satisfied they were alone. In a quick burst of movement, she scrambled from Jasmine’s lap to sit between them, crossing her legs to mimic the older girls.
Jasmine and Liz shared a glance before turning back to the girl.
“My name is Liz,” Liz said, “and this is Jasmine.”
The girl nodded silently, her eyes flickering between the two of them.
“Can you tell us your name?” Jasmine asked, leaning in, a friendly smile on her lips.
The girl swallowed. She looked around the room again, then nodded. “My name is…Mira,” she whispered.
Grinning at their success, Liz carefully held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mira.”
Mira stared at her hand, her eyes wide, as though unsure what to do with it. After a minute Liz gave up and withdrew her hand. Ignoring the awkward moment, she pressed on. “Where do you come from, Mira?”
The girl blinked. “Come…from?” She looked from Liz to Jasmine. “I don’t know…”
Mira’s lips quivered and tears gathered in her eyes. Jasmine let out an impatient sigh.
Seeing Jasmine’s frustration, Liz spoke quickly, before the other girl did something to drive Mira back into her shell. “It’s okay, Mira. Maybe we can help you.” Smiling, she put an arm around the young girl.
Mira shuddered. With a violent shove, she pushed Liz away from her. Liz gasped at the girl’s strength and fell backwards onto the wooden floor. Eyes flashing with grief and anger, Mira leapt to her feet.
“It’s not okay!” Mira screeched, the words tumbling from her now. “He doesn’t remember. The bad doctor made me remember, but not Hecate, and now he’s gone!”
Liz and Jasmine stared up at the girl. Her wings had spread with the angry words, and her shoulders shook with every harsh intake of breath. Slowly, Liz drew herself to her feet, Jasmine rising beside her. Movement came from the hallway, but Liz raised a hand, signaling for the boys to stay put.
“Mira,” Liz said softly. “Who is Hecate?”
Mira shuddered as she looked from Liz to Jasmine. Her lips trembled and for a second, Liz thought she would not answer.
“Hecate…he’s…Hecate is my brother.”
5
Sam winced as the steel door clicked open. A sob tore from him, and he scrambled backwards. The collar snapped tight around his throat, halting his retreat. A desperate scream built in his chest.
Every muscle, every bone in his body ached. Even the sleek copper feathers of his wings were twisted and broken. They lay scattered around the room like fallen leaves, torn from his flesh when his captors grew tired of beating his body. There was no escaping the pain now. It was always there, even in his dreams.
And now his tormentors had returned for more.
Clenching his fists against the concrete, Sam clung to the last traces of his sanity. The soft pad of footsteps drew closer. He waited for the telltale creak of the chair as someone sat, but it did not come. Another tremor went through him, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
“Good morning, Samuel.” Sam jumped as Halt’s voice broke the silence.
Tears stung his eyes as he looked up. Halt stood over him, arms folded, his cold eyes staring. Sam no longer knew how long it had been since he’d last seen the doctor. His torture had been left to others.
A flutter of anger rose in Sam, little more than a spark of the rage that had once fueled him. Looking into Halt’s remorseless eyes, even that fell away, leaving Sam alone with his terror. His shoulders slumped and tears spilled down his cheeks. Another sob tore from his throat.
“Please,” he choked, all trace of defiance stripped away. “Please, no more, I can’t…”
Sam flinched as Halt shifted, but the doctor only crouched beside him, a grim smile on his pale face. Halt patted him on the shoulder.
“My dear Samuel,” he whispered, almost pleasantly. “It pains me to see you suffer so. You are one of our chosen, one of the few deemed worthy of this gift. Do you not wish to be free again?”
Huddled on the floor, with Halt’s warm hand on his shoulder, Sam barely registered the doctor’s words. But the last few syllables clung to him, piercing the fog of his shattered body, pulling him up from the darkness.
Free again…
Standing, Halt retreated to the iron chair. Entwining his fingers, he looked down at Sam. “I have an offer for you, Samuel.”
Deep within, Sam could hear a voice shouting, telling him to fight, to resist the man’s words. He knew anything Halt offered had to be a trick, a ploy to lure him into some fresh torment. And yet, Sam could not help but cling to his words like a drowning man, desperate for a lifeline.
“Please,” he croaked. “I’ll do anything. Just, no more, please!”
Halt chuckled and climbed to his feet. “That’s good to hear, Samuel.” The door clicked open, admitting two guards. Halt waved to Samuel. “Unlock the chain.”
Sam shrank against the concrete as the men approached. Both had rifles slung over their shoulders and batons clipped to their belts. But for once they did not use them. Instead, one produced a key and unlocked the bolt that fixed his chain to the ground. Lifting the end, the guard offered it to Halt.
Trembling, Sam did not move as Halt took the chain and gave it a tug.
“Stand, Samuel,” Halt ordered softly. “Join me. There is someone who would like to see you.”
Goosebumps ran down Sam’s spine at the words. Pulling himself to his feet, he allowed Halt to lead him from the concrete room into the long corridors of the facility. His bones creaked with each step, his muscles aching from the long days spent huddling on the ground. He stumbled after Halt, the weight of his half-folded wings heavy on his back. From behind him came the thud of boots as the guards followed, their rifles at the ready now.