by S. E. Smith
“Let them,” Josie growled, holding up a marshmallow. “Do you know what this is?”
“Sugar?” Sammy replied, looking at the small roundish puff with a doubtful expression.
“Sugar,” Dust and Josie agreed at the same time.
“It’s pure energy,” Josie replied, closing her eyes as she felt her body absorbing the sugar. “It is like jet fuel for a freak like us. Randolph was always my dad’s favorite, but being different like Dust and me might not save his ass. My dad can be a little unpredictable about certain things.”
Josie opened her eyes and stared at them. Dust heard Sammy and Todd’s gasp when they saw her eyes glowing with the strange fire that he had seen earlier. Popping another marshmallow into his mouth, he reluctantly closed the bag and tucked it in his shirt.
“Todd, find a bag so we can fill it with the marshmallows,” Dust instructed. “Josie, didn’t you say you knew of another way out of here that your dad might not know about?”
Josie nodded, holding a marshmallow over her fingers. It wouldn’t have been so strange if she wasn’t toasting it. Dust fought the urge to tell her to knock it off. He was afraid that she would freak Sammy and Todd out until he heard Todd giggle when Josie held it out to the young boy.
“Thank you,” Todd replied with a grin.
“Yes,” Josie finally responded. “There is another tunnel. I looked it up once to figure out what it was used for. They needed to use Liquid Nitrogen for the missiles. Of course, they didn’t want to store it too close so it was pumped in or whatever through this tunnel. I used it to sneak out at first to go look for food until my jerk of a brother caught me one day roasting a rabbit for dinner and told my dad.”
“What happened?” Todd asked curiously, reaching for another marshmallow when Josie held the bag out.
Josie shrugged. “Dad had already eliminated the other people that the strange dust cloud had changed. Personally, I thought he was expecting us to turn into some kind of zombie and start eating on their flesh. I shouldn’t have spared either one of them because they were family. They sure as hell didn’t treat me like I was family, that’s for sure,” she explained in a bitter voice. “I came back in and dad tricked me into going down to the lower level. He locked me in there. Three days without food and I was about to go crazy. Ever since that day, he gave me just enough food to stay alive – barely. The last six months have been hell and I don’t ever plan on being trapped like that again.”
Dust motioned for Sammy and Todd to get behind him. Josie’s red hair had begun to whip around her and it looked like her skin and hair were on fire. She was beautiful, but also a little scary, especially when two balls of flames suddenly rose up from the palms of her hands.
“Uh, Josie, you’re on fire,” Dust pointed out quietly.
Dust waited as she regained control of her emotions. Josie drew in a deep breath and the flames receded. A bitter laugh escaped her and she shook her head as the flames died away.
“Marshmallows,” Todd muttered with a shake of his head, staring at the one he still held in his hand. “Wow!”
Sammy gave an uneasy laugh. “We’ll bag you some more, but I think you two need to be careful how many you eat,” she remarked with an uncomfortable shrug.
“Let’s hurry,” Dust replied, turning to look up at the ceiling with a frown. “Something’s wrong.”
Josie turned at the same time. Her lips tightened and the flush that had been on her face, paled. Her lips parted and she glanced back at Dust.
“I feel it, too,” Josie said. “It’s different. I’ve felt it when I’m around others like us, but nothing like this before. This is….”
A loud scream cut off her sentence. The sounds of gunshots echoed through the silo. Dust glanced at Sammy and Todd. Sammy had pushed Todd behind her and threaded an arrow into the bow she was holding.
“That was Stella,” Josie whispered.
“We can’t leave Maria and the children unprotected,” Dust muttered, turning to look at Josie. “Take Sammy and Todd and get out of here. Sammy has the keys to the car.”
“What about you?” Josie asked with a scowl. “Leave them!”
“The kids don’t deserve whatever is there,” Dust replied with a shake of his head. “Protect them, Josie. I’m holding you responsible for their safety.”
“I can protect Todd and me,” Sammy snapped. “We’ll wait back at the culvert for you, Dust. You’d better come or we’re coming back for you.”
Dust nodded. “They are getting closer. Go, Josie!” He ordered, fading as he rushed for the long staircase.
*.*.*
Dust entered the second floor just as a dark shadow slammed into the door to Maria’s room. He immediately recognized the devil dogs from the town where he had met Sammy and Todd. Blood coated the floor. Another of the devil dogs was ripping at Stella’s still form. A discarded shotgun lay on the ground next to her.
The sound of another scream and shattering wood pulled him back to Maria and the three children pinned in the bedroom. The devil dog was ripping at the door with its claws. Small holes appeared in the door as Maria fired through it again and again. Several struck the devil dog, but that didn’t stop its determination to get inside the room. Reforming, Dust lifted his hands and focused.
“Hey!” He yelled, waiting.
Both beasts paused and raised their head to stare at him. Blood dripped from the mouth of the one that had been over Stella. It turned with a low snarl. Backing up to keep his back to the thick concrete wall, he warily watched as the one attacking the door turned at the same time.
Licking his lips, he knew he would only have one shot at killing them. He needed to strike their heart. If he did that, they wouldn’t be able to heal. For a moment, he wished Josie was here. The best way to kill them was to toast them.
“That’s it. Come on,” Dust said.
The sound of his voice seemed to enrage them. In tandem, both beasts leapt at him. Dust knelt down and focused. Twin pulses of electrical charges shot out from his hands, striking the beasts in midair. He faded as their bodies continued in a forward momentum. Rolling, he reformed when they hit the wall, sending another burst through them.
The line of energy cut through the flesh around their necks, decapitating them. He stood and wrinkled his nose in distaste as the heads of the two beasts fell to the side.
Cutting their heads off worked as well, he thought in satisfaction before turning to where Maria and the children were hiding.
“Maria,” Dust called out in a quiet voice. “It’s me, Dust. Don’t shoot, okay? The beasts are dead.”
The only sound coming from the room for several long seconds was the muffled sobs of children. In the background, Dust could hear the sound of gunfire. It sounded like it was getting closer.
“Dust,” Maria finally whispered in a trembling voice. “Stella….”
Dust walked over to the door. He glanced over his shoulder, thankful that the center pillar hid most of Stella’s body from view. Turning back around when he heard the sound of furniture scraping across the floor, he waited for Maria to open the door.
“The kids?” He asked when she peeked out from behind the door before pulling it open wider when she saw him.
“Stella had me barricade myself and the children in the room,” Maria explained in a shaky voice. “I heard gunfire.”
“Stella’s dead,” Dust replied, trying to shield the little part that could be seen from the three kids. “I need to get you out of here.”
“How… How did you escape?” Maria asked, her gaze darting to the remains of the two devil dogs. Her eyes grew wide with shock. “How did they get in here? Beau swore that nothing could get inside.”
“I don’t know,” Dust replied, ignoring her first question. “Come on. I can feel them getting closer.”
“Them? Who? Oh, God!” Maria cried out, stumbling backwards when she caught sight of Stella. “Kathy, Carter, Brian, don’t look.”
“There are more de
vil dogs,” Dust said in an urgent voice. “There is another way out. Do you know where the culvert under the road is?”
“Ye… Yes,” Maria answered, wiping at her eyes. “But, we can’t go outside. It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s too dangerous to stay in here,” Dust replied, gripping Carter’s hand. “Carry the girl. I need to be able to fight if they come at us.”
“But, how will we get by them?” Maria asked in a slightly hysterical tone.
“There is a tunnel that leads up to the surface. It comes out several hundred yards from the silo. I need to get you up to the next level. If you go through Beau’s room, there is an access tunnel that will take you to the missile bay. On the far side, there is a ladder that leads up to another tunnel. That is the one that will take you to the surface. I’ll help you.”
“But… What about the others?” Maria asked when they heard another burst of gunfire.
Dust grimly shook his head. “They will have to be on their own,” he said. “You and the kids are my priority.”
“Why, Dust?” Maria asked, again.
He could see the doubt and suspicion in her eyes. “Because I’m like them, only different,” he said in a quiet voice as he nodded toward the two dead devil dogs. “I won’t let the kids suffer. I can’t make you go, Maria, but I won’t leave the kids here. It is up to you if you want to come with us or stay.”
Maria glanced at the two dead beasts before looking back at Dust’s steady gaze. With a slight nod, she bent and picked up the little girl that was sucking on her thumb and staring straight ahead with a blank gaze.
Dust released Carter’s hand and turned toward the door. Pausing to glance around the corner, he motioned with his head for the small group to follow him. They were halfway up the staircase when he saw a shadow. Holding up his hand, he motioned for Maria and the kids to get back against the wall.
Dust slowly moved up the stairs, keeping his eyes on the beast. He was almost in range when the loud sound of a shotgun echoed through the narrow corridor. The beast staggered backwards, before another blast lifted it up and it collapsed and slid down several steps toward him. Rushing up the steps, he quickly placed his hand over the creature’s chest and sent a blast of energy through its heart to make sure it stayed dead.
He glanced up when he heard the sound of a shotgun being pumped. His gaze locked with Alex’s dazed one. Blood dripped down the side of the other man’s face, the left shoulder of his shirt was torn and the skin underneath was ripped as well.
“Maria,” Alex whispered in a hoarse voice.
“She and the kids are safe for the moment,” Dust replied, slowly rising to his feet and lifting his hands. “I need to get her out of here.”
Alex nodded, half turning when more gunfire rang out. “There are so many of them. One of them, it just disappeared and reappeared,” he choked out.
Dust’s eyes widened and his mouth tightened. “Can you take Maria and the kids to safety? I’ll help the others,” he reluctantly said.
“How?” Alex replied, turning back to Dust. “Josie?”
“She’s gone, along with Sammy and Todd,” Dust replied, taking a step up the stairs. “We don’t have much time. The longer we delay, the more likely those things will find us and I can’t protect you all.”
“How can you fight them? I shoot them, but they just get back up,” Alex muttered, stumbling down a step.
“Alex, I can stop them,” Dust said in a firm voice, masking his own fear. “But, I can’t do that and get Maria and the kids to safety. Josie, Sammy, and Todd are at the culvert where you found us. They are waiting for me. I need you to get Maria and the kids there.”
He watched as Alex blinked several times before his eyes cleared and he nodded. Dust quickly explained about the tunnels and how to get out. Within minutes, Alex, Maria, and the three children disappeared through Beau’s room.
Swallowing, Dust faded. Moving swiftly up the different levels, he listened for the sounds of gunfire and the snarls of the beasts. It sounded like Beau and the others had retreated to the weapons room.
Dust reached the level where the weapons room and the kitchen were located. He paused when he saw the small group of devil dogs. There were four of them trying to get into the room. Cupping his hands, he focused. He would need to strike them all at once. It was going to take a lot of energy. For a brief moment, he half thought about retreating to eat some of the marshmallows out of the bag he had stuffed into his shirt.
A startled gasp escaped him when he saw two more devil dogs coming down the corridor. One was larger than the other, but it wasn’t what captured his attention. No, it was the smaller one that moved as if it was floating across the ground. It paused, staring straight at him. Dust watched in disbelief as it dropped what looked like part of a human hand from its bloody jaws.
He staggered backwards when a wisp of a voice echoed through his mind. It shouldn’t be able to see him, but he knew that it could. He jerked back another step, reaching for the wall as he reformed.
Mine, the voice whispered in a long hiss of triumph.
Dust blinked and frowned. It felt like the creature was inside his head. Swallowing, he backed away as the other beasts turned at his sudden appearance. The savage snarl of the larger beast had the group whining and nipping at each other as they fought to listen to commands.
“What are you?” Dust asked in a husky voice, intuitively knowing that it could understand him.
The creature paused and tilted its’ head at him. Like you, it responded as if unaccustomed to communicating with another.
“No, you aren’t,” Dust answered in a quiet voice. “I don’t kill for pleasure.”
The beast looked at the others and snorted before turning her gaze back to Dust. Its mouth curved upward, almost as if it was smiling. The glow in its gaze sent a shiver through Dust.
Power, it replied. I want your power.
Dust shook his head again. “It doesn’t work that way,” he said in a husky voice. “You can’t just take my power or someone else’s.”
Not true, the beast replied, stepping closer. Give me power.
“I wouldn’t, even if I could,” Dust responded, slowly lifting his hands toward the female devil dog. “You kill for pleasure; for power. That is wrong.”
An angry snarl escaped the female. Dust knew the exact moment she was going to strike. For a brief moment, it was as if they were one and he could see and feel everything that she was and what she wanted. She wanted power. It was like the hunger of food was to him, she craved it, needed it.
He released a burst of electricity in arcing waves, spreading the energy in long, forked bursts. The enraged female charged at him, fading as she jumped so the burst of energy went through open air instead of her corporeal body. Dust barely had time to fade before she reached him.
A loud gasp escaped him when their bodies collided in a powerful collision, sending them both through the thick concrete wall into the kitchen. Dust threw the female off him, re-materializing for a brief moment to grab the long knife on the cutting board before fading again when she recovered and attacked him again. This time, they fell across the table; locked in a deadly battle as they both reformed, unable to keep their faded form as they fought.
Dust dropped the knife as he wrapped his hands around the neck of the female. Sharp, deadly teeth snapped repeatedly at him. Squeezing, he sent a powerful burst of electricity into the beast. The moment the devil dog jerked back, he faded and dropped through the table. He grunted when he hit the hard floor under him.
Die, she snarled, shaking off the shock.
“Not today,” Dust replied, rolling out from under the table and into a crouch.
He kept his gaze locked on the female as another figure appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. She was calling in reinforcements. There was no way he could fight them all. She was the one that was the true threat.
The faint connection he had with her forced him into motion. Springing toward her a
s the larger black body burst at him, Dust faded as the male jumped at him. He reformed long enough to bury the knife he held in the female’s side before fading again and disappearing through the wall. He didn’t pause. He was losing blood from the wounds the female’s claws had cut into his flesh and using too much energy.
Surging up through the stairway, he passed by two dead devil dogs, killed by his electrical charge, and several wounded ones that were feeding on the dead dogs remains. He staggered, but pushed forward through the upper doors until he reached the garage partition of the silo.
He reformed, stumbling and falling to one knee. His left hand braced him from planting his face into the ground. He lifted his right hand and touched his ripped chest. Warm, sticky blood quickly coated his fingers. Pushing up off the ground, he made his way to one of the large trucks.
Reaching up, he opened the driver’s door and pulled himself inside. A quick check showed that the keys were hidden under the seat. He hissed when the skin pulled across his chest. It took him three tries before he was able to push the key into the ignition.
The truck started smoothly and he quickly shifted into reverse. The truck slammed through the second door that was partially closed. He jerked forward when he hit a bank of dirt outside the doors. Shifting the truck into drive, he punched the gas. The tires spun for a moment before it jerked forward.
Dust blinked to clear his vision as he bounced along the rough, dirt and gravel road. He had lost his bag of marshmallows during the fight. With a sigh of resignation, he focused on the road ahead of him and the hope that Josie, Sammy, and Todd had made it out of the silo.
Raising a bloody hand to push the hair that had fallen forward out of his eyes, he glanced in the mirrors. The feeling of rage was slowly growing fainter. He hadn’t killed the creature. It was wounded and furious, but alive. Another shiver ran through him when he caught a faint hint of a voice in his head.