by J. N. Chaney
The distant thumps continued, and though none of us said it out loud, I was sure we were all thinking one thing. Whatever was making them was getting closer.
I checked the map constantly, both to make sure the orange dot didn’t move and to keep myself calm. We’d long since passed the point where communication with our facility was viable and that didn’t help the uncomfortable feeling in my gut.
The thumps stayed with us, getting just a little louder each time, but it almost began to fade into background noise. Almost.
They had to be Boneclaws. Frost horns certainly couldn’t make that kind of sound. Now that we knew for sure that they weren’t attacking the facility, it made even more sense to keep going.
We walked another thirty minutes before the first signs of Mario's hideout became evident. Barriers had been constructed from the debris. Mario and his people had taken anything they could find to create the makeshift barriers. The result was imposing.
Their staggered formation would prevent a large group from launching an effective attack because it wasn’t wide enough for more than one or two bodies to fit through. Moving fast wasn’t an option either. Pieces of sharp, twisted metal stuck out at odd angles sporadically. If you didn’t pay attention, one of them would leave a nasty gash that would likely stop any pursuit.
Or escape, I thought dryly.
All in all, it was a smart move.
THOM.
THOM.
I’d been so busy studying the barriers that I hadn’t noticed the thumps had gotten closer. A lot closer. And I was pretty sure there was more than one Boneclaw making them.
From the pallid look on Karin’s face and Alma’s set jaw, they had drawn the same conclusion. We all tightened our grips on the weapons we carried.
“Maybe we should hide until the creatures pass,” Karin suggested nervously, speaking under her breath.
“It might be a good idea,” I agreed, pulling out the pad to look for somewhere we could get out of sight. “I don’t feel good about going through those barriers just yet. We have no idea what’s waiting when we get past them.”
Taking down a single Boneclaw was hard enough to do with a full-size group of seasoned hunters. With just the three of us, I didn’t think we stood much of a chance against one, let alone more than that.
The map showed that the only way to bypass the barriers at this point was to double back and take a small tunnel that had been used for transport between the facilities. It did a kind of loop through the cave system and had once sported a hover rail system that shortened travel time between facilities to minutes.
Now it was a series of cave-ins and rubble, passable but dangerous. Without the rail system working, it took hours to get from one point to another. Nothing of value had ever been found in them and our people tended to avoid the tunnel altogether.
Unfortunately, it also looked to be our only option.
We jogged back toward the split, trying to move fast but stay quiet. Inside, my fight or flight instinct was going into overdrive. My body seemed to move jerkily, as if protesting running toward the danger. The good thing about the fear was that it was dumping adrenaline into my system. Sure, I was terrified, but at least I no longer felt exhausted.
THOM.
THOM.
THOM.
The thumping no longer sounded like it was far away at all. Now I could discern the scraping of claws and make out heavy breathing.
“Move!” I hissed to the others.
They didn’t need to be told twice.
The Boneclaws were already in sight when we arrived at the antechamber that would take us to the tunnels.
Three of them.
Our feet hit the cave floor with loud slaps that might as well have been a holo reading “We’re right here! Come eat us!” If they’d had eyes to see.
One of the animals stopped moving and stood erect, swiveling its large head in our direction. Its ears perked as we rounded the curve and it took off at a dead run, letting out a terrible roar that echoed all around us.
“Go!” I yelled, no longer worried about being quiet.
I didn’t have to steal a glance behind me to see that they were giving chase. The ground shook beneath us and the bellowing was starting to hurt my ears.
“There!” cried Alma, pointing.
I followed her gaze and saw the opening was barely 50 meters ahead. We all dug in, closing the distance to the tunnel, its darkened hole acting as a beacon of safety.
The Boneclaws were just behind us now. I slowed a fraction to let Karin and Alma go ahead and gripped my staff, urging it to power up. If anything, I could act as a distraction and give them more time to get away.
Not bothering to aim, I pointed it over my shoulder and let loose with a round of blue energy. There was a loud crash then an awful screaming. I couldn’t be sure if I’d hit one of the Boneclaws or knocked a part of the cave loose on top of them.
“Stupid girl!” Alma chastised me when I caught up to them. “They could’ve killed you.”
“But they didn’t,” I pointed out. “And we need to keep moving. I don’t think whatever I did will hold them back long.”
She gave me a dithering look but nodded.
“There’s only one way to go,” Karin said, gesturing toward a path. “The other one’s caved in.”
Something about the pile of rubble looked off to me, but there wasn’t time to check it out and we took off at a run again.
The thumping had resumed but didn’t sound like it was in the tunnel, and I wondered just how much damage I’d done.
Within a few minutes, the adrenaline seemed to have worn off and we’d all slowed to a fast jog. The tunnel curved, then split in two directions.
Again, there was only one way to go.
As we passed the second cave-in, I finally realized what was bothering me about the natural blockade and stopped.
“What is it, Lucia?” asked Karin, looking exasperated. “We don’t exactly have time to stop and study the scenery.”
“This looks recent,” I said, turning to them both. “I think someone did this.”
“What for?” she asked, the exasperated look giving way to one of trepidation.
“To herd us,” Alma supplied.
“You’re exactly right,” said a familiar voice. “That was easier than it should have been.”
Bright lights flicked on in front of us and I was temporarily blinded by their sudden appearance. I blinked until they adjusted then stepped back.
Mario stepped out of the open tunnel and aimed a rifle at Alma. The blast echoed in the tunnel and her body jerked backward with the force of the round.
“No!” I screamed, turning and dropping to her side. Blood covered the ground next to her and her eyes fluttered from the shock of the ruthless attack, but I could see it wasn’t fatal. She was still breathing.
I didn’t see what happened next. One second, I was moving to stand, then someone howled in rage at the same time, another echoing blast filled the passage, and I found myself in the dirt next to Alma.
Disoriented, I pushed up on my knees, groping for my staff. Karin stood in front of me, holding her gun in Mario's direction. I realized she must have shoved me down because he was standing in a similar fashion, his face pulled tight with rage.
“That was very stupid, Miss Riddell.”
Without another word, he squeezed the trigger.
Karin jerked back like Alma did, and then fell.
I felt frozen, unable to move, even after her body landed with a heavy, limp thud.
I scrambled over to her and tried to staunch the flow of blood coming from the gaping wound in her chest, but it was useless.
Her eyes went wide as her breath rattled and came faster. I gripped her hands. “Karin!”
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing but came. Her hands went still in mine, and I watched as the life left her.
11
“You bastard.” I could hear the anguish in my voice but
didn’t care. “I’m going to make you pay for this.”
Mario barked out a laugh, as though I had told him a joke. “All by yourself? I doubt it.”
The sheen of unshed tears collecting in my eyes obscured my vision, but I found the staff in the dirt and used it to push into a standing position.
“Ah ah, don’t do anything rash,” Mario warned me. He tilted his head at his men then pointed at Alma. “Get her up.”
Two of them rushed forward and helped her to her feet. I was both surprised and grateful that they didn’t manhandle her. Apparently, she still commanded respect due to her status as an elder and skilled hunter.
The older woman groaned with the movement but stood proud. Our eyes met and Alma nodded slightly to let me know she was alright. Then her gaze drifted downward and went wide with shock before going hard with fury at the sight of Karin’s lifeless form.
I felt the same pain and anger but her earlier words came back to me.
Put away all the emotion.
So, I swallowed the maelstrom of rage inside me and turned to Mario with a flat stare. I had a plan but no way to communicate it to Alma without alerting him.
“All of this is going to come crashing down around you,” I told him, gesturing wide with my arms outstretched in an encompassing motion and hoping she got the message.
Mario shrugged in a manner that suggested my threat didn’t worry him, then winced. I could just see a bandage poking out of his jumpsuit from the wound my father had inflicted using the traitor’s own knife. “We have all the cores that were in the facility. My followers have been scouring the caves for more. Without an energy source, the colony will be forced to turn to me. And now that I have you, Visaro has even more incentive to surrender.”
I had to admit it was a good plan. Disgusting and shameful to be sure, but smart. As soon as my father learned that Mario had me as a bargaining piece, he would do whatever it took to get me back.
“You’re no leader,” I spat. “Forcing people to obey you will never work.”
A few of his guards exchanged knowing looks behind him.
“I won’t force them. Everyone will have a choice. If they don’t want to follow me, then they can try their luck outside the compound.” His eyes dropped to my weapon.
“That staff was impressive at the ceremony. Give it to me,” he ordered.
My grip tightened possessively on the weapon and it took all of my training not to accidentally activate it with my murderous thoughts. Even if Nero had been chosen as the next Director on his own merit, I had earned my place as a hunter. The staff was mine and no one else’s. Least of all, Mario.
“The ceremony you rigged,” I accused, trying to keep him talking. I stole a glance back in the direction we’d come. With all the racket I hadn’t heard the thumping, but the beasts couldn’t be far.
Mario laughed again, a deep arrogant sound, telling me that my suspicions had been correct. “Yes, of course. The son taking the Regency from the daughter just as Cyril did from me was a sweet moment indeed.”
Part of me still hadn’t believed that could be the reasoning behind the man’s actions. To hear him say it now still was baffling in its simplicity.
“That’s what all this is over?” I asked incredulously. “Just so you could make your son the next leader over some stupid grudge?”
Where were the Boneclaws? Surely, I hadn’t taken them all out with that one minor attack. Mario wouldn’t let me stonewall for much longer.
“Of course not. I only want what’s best for the colony. Your father had every opportunity to act like a leader, but he refused to fulfill his duty. To take action. Even after Nero led you to those traps and he saw what the Boneclaws were capable of.”
The older man shook his head in disgust, and I angled slightly to catch any hint of the Boneclaws.
“You can stop looking for the monsters,” he said. “They aren’t coming. They’ve been…diverted.”
“I’m not,” I lied, trying to think quickly. “There are more hunters coming.”
“Even if that were true, they’re poorly armed. I made sure of it,” he said cockily. “Now, the staff, girl. Stop stalling, and don’t do anything stupid. Alma will suffer for your mistakes.”
Mario turned his greedy eyes back to the staff. I wanted to shoot him, but his men would kill me and Alma before we’d be able to get away. I couldn’t take that chance.
“Just promise me you won’t hurt her or my parents,” I said in my best pleading voice, even though inside I bristled at his casual use of the word “girl.” Alma was the only one allowed to call me that.
“You have my word,” he sneered. “So long as they fall in line.”
It was now or never. Saying a quick prayer to gods I wasn’t sure even existed, I adjusted my grip on the staff and shuffled forward, shoulders sagging in defeat. Then, between Karin’s fallen body and his outstretched hands, I made my move.
The staff’s true power had never been fully tested before. It had all been low power experiments in the lab, and even during the demonstration at the ceremony I’d only given it enough juice to take out the dummy.
Now I concentrated intently, bringing the staff to life in my hands, its blue light flowing up the shaft and into the barrel. Sparks of plasma coalesced to form an orb, small at first, then it grew steadily larger.
“Stop her!” bellowed Mario even as he dove for cover to protect himself.
They didn’t get the chance.
By now, the energy sphere was the size of a Boneclaw’s fist and glowed brilliantly, washing the tunnel in pale blue light.
With a single, focused thought, I unleashed the staff. The orb of fusion energy punched into the air above us with a resounding boom.
The resulting shockwave knocked me backward, along with several others. For a terrible moment, I lay there thinking that my plan had failed. Then a crunch sounded, drawing my attention to the icy ceiling where the blast had hit.
Cracks rapidly webbed out from the epicenter and a large chunk of rock broke free, falling to the ground and shattering in a thunderous burst. I jumped to my feet to look for Alma as tremors loosed more pieces of the ceiling.
To my relief, I spotted her about twenty meters away, struggling to stand. One of the two men that had been guarding her lay unmoving on the floor, partially obscured by a pile of boulders. The other was nowhere to be seen.
I took a step toward Alma, only to be stopped by a loud, grating noise from above. Another section of the ceiling began to splinter and rained down more debris, cutting off my path. A large metal support came down nearby, followed by a high pitch scream and a streak of red across the ground.
With no other recourse, I was forced to leap back or risk being crushed to death. Alma disappeared in a cloud of dust and rock while shouts echoed as everyone in the vicinity tried to get to safety. As it collapsed further, I sprinted toward the open tunnel ahead and threw myself inside. My feet slipped out from under me and sent me into a sideways tumble. The staff flew from my hands as I shoved them in front of me to break the fall.
As rubble continued to rain down, I crawled deeper into the tunnel and thought maybe I should have scaled back the power of the blast.
The cave finally grew quiet but for the moans and occasional sound of shifting rock. I tried to stand and found that my foot had become wedged between two large boulders.
Impossibly, some of the oil lamps still stood, but the weak light was made dimmer by the dust now filling this portion of the tunnel.
I felt around in the gloom, looking for anything that might help free me, but there was nothing useful. The staff had fallen somewhere out of sight and reach. If I’d had it, I could have just blasted myself free.
Some warrior you are, I thought bitterly.
Stuck, I decided to wait in silence. If luck was on my side, Mario was dead and the survivors wouldn’t bother looking for me. I hoped Alma had gotten clear. The woman was usually spry, but she’d taken a round to the chest and t
hat was enough to bring a man in his prime down. Still, I knew the older woman to be scrappy, and if anyone could find a way out of that mess, it would be her.
When my eyes finally began to adjust to the darkness, I twisted around to check out my surroundings and spotted my staff. It didn’t look damaged at all and lay just a few meters away.
Excitement coursed through me at the sight and I stretched an arm out toward it. My elation didn’t last long. It was still another arm’s length away. It remained out of reach, no matter what I did.
I’d just resigned myself to failure when overlapping voices came from the entrance behind me.
“I want her found, dammit!” yelled Mario, dashing any hope that my stunt had taken him out. It hadn’t been the goal but would’ve been a nice benefit.
With nowhere to go, I lay completely still as multiple sets of footsteps tracked closer to my position. They must have had lamps because the gloom turned a kind of yellow color and grew bright enough that I could make out the moving shapes as people.
Someone passed by on my left side but didn’t see me. I hoped that meant I was in the clear, but they were soon joined by another of Mario's men.
“Here!” one of the men called out, alerting the others. “I’ve found her!”
It didn’t take long for Mario to make his way through the destruction, and he was soon standing over me with a grim expression. “That could have killed all of us, you stupid child.”
“I thought you wanted action?” I asked snidely, despite my current helpless position.
“Hah!” he snorted ruefully in response. A gash was evident on one cheek, but that seemed to be his only injury, much to my disappointment. “Excellent point. You must take after your mother. Maybe you would have made a passable leader after all, though I suppose we’ll never know.”
Mario unslung his rifle from his back and stared down at me with unconcealed hatred. My last thought before everything went black was wondering how I had never noticed it before.