Fading Light

by Nick Cook

  The shadow wolf was less than thirty metres away as I took one last look at Paul – the man who at some point during the last twelve months had become my friend.

  ‘Give it hell, Paul.’

  ‘Oh, I intend to.’ His breath suddenly clouded as frost crackled across the bridge.

  I forced myself to turn away, not trusting myself not to try something stupid if I stayed any longer. I ran towards the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral that glowed over the buildings on the far bank as Gavin started to close on Paul standing guard.

  The wind clawed at me like something alive. Maybe in that moment it was – a supernatural thing bent to the will of the Shade. I slipped several times and had to hang on to the railing. Finally, I hauled myself through the headwind down the ramp and off the bridge.

  A howl echoed behind me. I glanced back to see the shadow wolf – the thing that Gavin had become – charging towards Paul with its mouth snarled.

  The inspector remained calm, lifting his taser and taking aim.

  The wolf was ten metres away, five, three…

  Clarke fired. The electrode darts flew from the taser straight into the wolf as it leapt. The creature yelped as it was struck, but its momentum meant it continued hurtling straight towards Paul. At the last moment, the inspector spread his hands wide, almost as if he were welcoming his death. The shadow wolf smashed into the inspector, barrelling him backwards in a blur.

  I witnessed everything that came next in awful detail…

  The wolf clamping its teeth round Paul’s throat…his scream slicing through the freezing air…him slumping to the ground as a pool of dark blood spread out from his body.

  The wolf raised its eyes back to me and howled.

  The wind screamed in response. I had to grip the railing harder to keep myself upright for a moment, before it died away to stillness as the fog bank reared up from the Thames. The fog fell over me, dropping the world into a slate-grey, utterly silent night.

  I reached out into the gloom and lurched forward, as dark vapours began to sting my eyes and burn my lungs. I slipped the goggles on and flicked the switch. The view of the world around me shifted into a palette of blues, purples and reds. It wasn’t monochrome like my own infrared vision, but it seemed to be doing much the same job at first – until I realised I could only see a metre into the fog. The cold obscuring the heat sources around me, of course.

  Fortunately, I could still make out the vague shapes of the buildings ahead, and I started to make my way forward, away from the bridge. I tensed as I ran, waiting for the snap of cold jaws at my back. But the minutes stretched onwards until my outstretched hands made contact with something solid at last. I ran my fingers over the surface of a brick wall.

  I began to fumble my way along it, stumbling occasionally through the fog.

  Paul dead, Allan dead, Chloe lost… I jammed my jaw tight shut, trying to hold myself together.

  A long howl from behind me echoed through the vapour-filled world. My heart thundered as I stumbled away into a night full of shadows and terror.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The echo of what had happened to Clarke pulsed through my sinews and I had to keep fighting the sense of panic threatening to take hold of me. It would have been so easy to give in to my fear and accept my fate as a helpless victim. But too many people were relying on me. I couldn’t give in. I needed to keep calm and work out a plan to stay alive.

  A howl echoed between the buildings, this time much closer. Gavin and the shadow crows – who would track me down first?

  ‘Sentinel,’ I whispered into my phone. My words seemed to bounce back at me from the icy fog.

  A text came up on my phone’s display. Keep heading for Moon Dancer – it’s your only chance, Jake.

  He was right – if Dad managed to fix Waverider, it was the best way to survive.

  Just ahead of me, I could see shallow steps leading down off the bridge. I gathered my resolve and began to move carefully through the dank air towards the vague shape of a building ahead of me. Step by step, the smudged shape of a building gradually resolved itself into the huge dome of St Paul’s Cathedral that I’d seen before the fog descended. Now at least I had a hazy idea of where I was. If I turned right when I hit the next road I should be able to track along the Thames towards St Katherine’s Dock.

  I spotted a road ahead of me filled with stationary traffic, the car headlights barely making a dent in the sooty fog. Even Clarke’s thermal-vision goggles were hardly working – I guessed due to all the moisture in the air masking the heat sources.

  The occupants of the vehicles stared out of their windows, many tapping at the screens of their mobiles and frowning. The traffic had become gridlocked in this impossibly thick fog – there was zero chance of me grabbing a taxi to get to the dock faster.

  A group of drivers had gathered together on the pavement, shaking their heads at each other. I slipped the night-vision goggles off and into my pocket, just in case they spotted them and thought I might be a terrorist.

  An old man stood by his black taxi, waving his torch around. ‘I reckon this is worse than the smog London used to get back in the fifties.’

  A murmur of agreement rippled through the group.

  ‘And I can’t even let my husband know that I’m going to be late, thanks to the mobile network crashing,’ a woman replied.

  As I walked past them, another message flashed up on my screen from Sentinel. My guess is that the disruption of the radio frequencies also indicates there is a significant amount of dark energy build-up in this area.

  I held the phone close to my mouth. ‘You mean we’re close to the data dead zone of the new DEC?’

  Precisely.

  ‘At least that’s going to narrow down the area to search.’

  The faint glowing windows around us started to fade one by one, dropping the fog into velvety blackness. Confused shouts and cries echoed in the deepening gloom.

  ‘What on earth is happening now?’ the woman in the group said.

  Another noise started to build in the background…the swish of shadowy wings.

  My heart banged against my ribs. With only the faint radiance from the car headlights, no one would see what was about to happen to me right under their noses.

  No longer caring if I stood out, I slipped the goggles back on and toggled the switch. The group of people near me instantly appeared as bright spots.

  A tingle ran through my brain, but this wasn’t Gemma’s psychic jamming. Something else. Something almost familiar – like the itch of a premonition of something about to happen… Probably my throat being torn out by a shadow wolf.

  The cries and shouts of the people stuck in the traffic jam grew louder. Whatever it was, it was coming this way and fast.

  I ducked into the passageway and hid behind some wheelie bins. With a rush of wingbeats, dozens of dark shapes within the goggles’ thermal vision streamed past the entrance to the alley. I let long seconds stretch forward, not daring to move, but still the shadow crows didn’t reappear.

  I’d almost started to relax when a long, drawn-out howl burst from the fog, followed by screams from the road.

  That feeling of premonition grew within me and I felt an almost magnetic force pulling me into the alleyway. It wasn’t as if I had a lot of choice anyway, because the screams from the street were growing louder.

  Hemmed in by the tall buildings either side of me, I crept deeper into the passageway. I turned a corner and the screams from the road faded.

  Piles of flat cardboard had been spread out across the alley. My heart almost exploded as an indistinct shape ahead of me raised itself on four legs.

  Adrenaline surged through my body and I got ready to run. Then I realised something. In my thermal vision, whatever it was had a glowing white-hot heat source. It couldn’t be a shadow wolf filled with concentrated cold, dark energy.

  I flipped the goggles up and I almost laughed out loud as the creature padded towards me.

&n
bsp; A black-and-white collie with bright amber eyes wagged its tail as it approached me.

  An angry shout came from a pile of boxes. ‘Domino, get back here!’

  Immediately, the dog’s ears flattened and he trotted over to the cardboard heap that had started to move. A man, maybe in his early twenties, emerged from beneath the pile. He was wearing combat trousers and an old army surplus jacket with lots of pockets. A well-worn beanie hat had been pulled down tight over his dirty blond hair.

  I stared at the guy as the magnetic pull wanted to propel me straight towards him. There was something incredibly familiar about the guy and the tingle in my brain was even stronger…

  Then I knew exactly who this was – the same guy I’d stumbled across when I’d been looking for Gemma using the remote viewing within Ember… Ethan, the guy who Chloe had been fantasising about in her dreams. And I’d been pulled towards him like a human divining rod for Awoken.

  ‘Sorry about that,’ Ethan said, grabbing the dog’s collar. ‘Domino doesn’t normally leave my side. Was he bothering you?’

  ‘Not at all.’ I reached down to pat Domino’s head.

  ‘I wouldn’t do that – he bites strangers. Oh…’ Ethan trailed off as Domino wagged his tail and strained his head up into my hand. ‘You must have a way with dogs,’ he added. ‘He’s never that trusting usually. Not surprising, given how I found him.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I saved Domino from the river when he was a puppy. Some idiot tied him in a bag and threw him in along with the rest of his litter. He was the only one that I managed to save. Can you believe some people?’

  ‘No, no, I can’t.’ I glanced down at the cardboard boxes.

  Ethan followed my gaze. ‘You noticed my luxury accommodation then?’

  I gave him a half-smile and held out a hand. ‘I’m Jake.’

  ‘Any friend of Domino’s is a friend of mine. I’m Ethan.’ He shook my hand with a crushing grip. His eyes focused on the goggles round my neck. ‘That’s an interesting toy you’re wearing there.’

  ‘Ah, yes, those…’ I stared at him, not quite sure how to handle this. We didn’t have time for an extended explanation, so I would have to hit him with it straight – before the Shade caught up with me.

  ‘Actually, I already know your name, Ethan. It was me who contacted you about a day ago. You probably put it down to a sort of daydream about the Isle of Alderney?’

  Ethan’s mouth opened and closed as though he was trying to find the right words. ‘How the hell could you possibly know about that?’ he finally said.

  ‘Because I was communicating with you using a psychic link. I planted that idea directly into your mind.’

  He snorted. ‘No way, man.’

  ‘Honestly, that’s the truth.’

  ‘You’re on the level?’

  ‘Completely.’

  His mouth gaped further. ‘I thought I’d lost my mind! Which isn’t entirely unusual for someone with my lifestyle. Hearing voices is usually one of the warning signs.’

  ‘You’re perfectly sane. Trust me on that at least.’

  Ethan looked at me for the longest moment, obviously trying to figure me out. Then he put his hands on top of his head. ‘For real?’

  ‘For real.’

  He whistled. ‘I mean, wow!’

  Domino let out a low growl at the fog lapping along the passageway.

  Ethan knelt by his dog. ‘What is it, boy?’

  A howl echoed down the alley.

  ‘What the hell was that?’ Ethan said. ‘It almost sounded like a wolf.’

  ‘Almost is about right, but that creature is way more dangerous, even to people like you and me.’

  ‘What do you mean, like you and me?’

  ‘There isn’t time to explain everything, Ethan, but something’s stalking me, so we need to get out of here fast.’

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed on me. ‘You’re in trouble?’

  The howl came again, closer now, the cry bouncing off the brick walls. Domino bared his teeth and growled even louder.

  ‘Yes, and we’ll be killed in a moment if we don’t get moving.’

  ‘How do I know that I can trust you?’

  ‘You really haven’t got a lot of choice unless you really want to face what’s headed our way.’

  Ethan held up his hands. ‘OK, keep your hair on. Just let me grab my stuff.’ He headed back to the cardboard boxes.

  ‘We don’t have time for you to… Oh.’

  Ethan had slung a battered old rucksack over his shoulders and looked ready to go.

  ‘Is that really everything?’ I asked.

  ‘Yep – the rest of my stuff is stored in my penthouse. So where do you need to get to?’

  ‘St Katherine’s Dock, but we’ll have to use the backstreets to stay safe.’

  ‘No problemo. I know all the secret routes around here.’

  With Domino at his heels, Ethan jogged towards a nearby building. Red-and-white tape stretched across the door.

  A sign was pinned to it that read: ‘Danger! Do not enter this site without a hard hat’.

  Ethan broke the tape and heaved open the paint-chipped door. He ushered me inside and pushed the door shut behind us. ‘Quick, pass me that piece of wood.’

  I grabbed a cut beam from a neatly stacked pile and handed it to Ethan. He jammed it hard against the door and wedged it shut just in time. A moment later, we heard the scrabbling of claws from outside and the door bounced in its frame. Something heavy was thudding into it on the other side.

  Domino started barking as Ethan pulled the other strap of his rucksack on. ‘Looks as if your friend has found us.’

  I stared around the shadowed interior as the door kept on rattling. Everywhere smelled of damp plaster. ‘Where’s the door out of here?’

  ‘There isn’t another one,’ Ethan replied.

  ‘So how in the hell are we going to escape?’

  ‘Don’t panic – I’ve got it covered, man.’

  Ethan flicked his gaze upwards as the door started to splinter.

  ‘Whatever you’ve got planned, let’s get moving.’

  He ran towards an old staircase, Domino close at his heels.

  They charged ahead up several flights of stairs and I followed. We reached the top floor, which opened out into a large warehouse loft space. It was empty except for a few old crates stacked in the middle.

  I scanned the room, but couldn’t see another doorway anywhere. ‘There’s no way out.’

  ‘Yes, there is,’ Ethan replied. He jumped on to the crates and began climbing them towards a small skylight set into the roof.

  I had a bad feeling about where his plan was headed.

  Sure enough, he reached up, pushed open the skylight and clambered out through it. I heard a short sharp whistle and Domino bounded up the crates and leapt straight through the opening.

  ‘Get a move on!’ Ethan called down to me.

  My palms were sweaty. ‘We’re going up on the roof?’

  ‘That’s right, Einstein.’

  ‘But we’ll be trapped up there.’

  ‘Your turn to trust me, Jake.’

  The sound of splintering wood echoed up the stairwell. With no other choice, I forced myself into action and clambered up the stacked crates. I grabbed hold of the skylight and flung myself out on to the sloping slate roof. The view would have been incredible from up here, had it not been for the swirling fog.

  Ethan gave me an appraising gaze. ‘You’re OK with heights?’

  ‘Yeah, fine,’ I replied.

  ‘That’s good then, because…’

  For a moment I seriously considered taking my chances with Gavin. I had a bad feeling about what Ethan had planned…

  ‘Follow me. Be careful not to slip, or you won’t have to worry about that wolf thing chasing you any more.’

  I shot Ethan a frown.

  He ignored it and walked to the far end of the roof. ‘Come on.’

  My legs
hollowed out as I forced myself to stand. Sheer terror did laps around my stomach and I just hoped it wasn’t showing on my face as I crossed towards Ethan and Domino. My toes clawed inside my trainers as I attempted to manoeuvre along the roof tiles.

  How bad could it be?

  Hands clenched, I gathered up my courage to glance over the edge of the roof for a second, hoping for a fire escape or steps to get us down to ground level.

  ‘So where are we going?’ I said.

  Ethan ran his hand through his hair. ‘Stop asking questions and just do what I do.’

  My bad feeling increased to Olympic-stadium proportions.

  Ethan clambered backwards on the roof, paused for a moment and then burst into a sprint, running past me and leaping off the edge. He disappeared into the fog bank.

  ‘Ethan!’ I shouted before I could stop myself. An answering howl echoed from the gloom of the street beneath me.

  ‘Keep your hair on – I’m fine,’ Ethan’s voice said from somewhere in the swirling fog.

  ‘You’re really OK?’

  I heard Ethan snort. ‘You didn’t think I was jumping to my death, did you?’ His sharp whistle pierced the fog.

  Without hesitating, Domino shot forward and leapt too. I heard a dull thud as the dog landed somewhere out there in the gloom.

  ‘Well done, boy,’ Ethan said. ‘OK, your turn now, Jake.’

  I thought hack to when I’d climbed the tall trees to get over the perimeter wall surrounding the old science park. That experience had been bad enough, but this was on a whole new level. The only thing between me and the next roof was a drop to oblivion.

  A loud crash came from below. I knew it was the door that we’d wedged – it was giving way. Right now, Gavin would be bounding up the stairs.

  With my legs shaking, I carefully backed up the sloping slate roof.

  I closed my eyes and rocked back on to one foot.

  Just imagine this is a long jump and you’re going to land in some nice soft sand.

  My mouth became drier than a desert as I started off. I sprinted down the roof, the cold fog stinging my eyes. I picked up speed as I neared the edge. Every part of my body clenched as I prepared to leap, and my foot pushed off from the roof…but a loose tile gave way and I partly stumbled as my momentum carried me out over the abyss. Time seemed to freeze as I hung over nothingness for what felt like an eternity, but was probably less than a second. Icy fog snapped at my heels, instant death waiting for me below… And then a flat roof loomed out of the fog. My body smashed on to the edge of it, scrabbling my feet on the brickwork below as I started to slide backwards off the roof.