by David Meyer
For a long moment, he stared at a familiar man from afar, fully aware that the man was staring back at him.
Dargon, he thought, clenching his jaw. Finally.
Chapter 56
His mind ablaze, Titus started up the ramp. He’d waited six months for this. Six long, terrible months, waiting for a crack at his brother.
He’d spent days and nights in the hinterlands. He’d searched ruins in every direction. He’d battled endless disappointment, enduring horrible thirst and hunger along the way. Up until a few hours ago, he’d even begun to wonder if the man was still alive.
Now, he had his answer.
So far that day, Titus had passed up two opportunities to fight Dargon. First, inside of the Shell. And second, when the man had attempted to goad him into opening the gate. This time, however, would be different. This time, nothing would get in his way.
A hard-fought scuffle broke out. Keeping one eye on his brother, Titus shot a quick look to his left.
Wurge Celino, a former soldier, crashed into Private Burke. He bowled the man over and kept going, sprinting down the ramp. But instead of heading for the bottom, he aimed himself at the lower right edge. From there, a mere four-foot jump would take him to ground-level. Then he could make a run at the nearest signal-blocker.
“What are you waiting for, Brother?” Dargon’s voice, strong and confident, drifted across the battlefield. “Let’s finish this.”
Unfortunately, his brother would have to wait. Sheathing his sword, Titus galloped down the ramp and threw himself at the larger Wurge. He wrapped his arms around the guy’s right leg and gave it a violent twist.
Wurge shouted as he lost his footing. He tried to roll, but didn’t get his shoulder down in time. So, he landed jaw-first instead.
He slid forward a foot or two, dragging Titus along with him. Coming to a halt, he kicked his legs violently. “Get off of me, grassback,” he yelled.
Still holding the leg with one arm, Titus went for his sword. Seconds later, he slashed the man’s thigh.
Wurge screamed and kicked again, this time with enough force to get free. He struggled to stand up. But when he tried to put weight on his right leg, it collapsed beneath him.
Titus climbed to his feet.
“Lousy grassback,” Wurge muttered. “I can’t wait to see you die.”
“I might die. But you won’t see it.” And with that, he dragged his blade across the man’s throat.
Wurge gasped as his hands flew to his neck. His mouth lolled open. Eyes bulging, he struggled to speak. But before he could get a word out, he went limp.
Titus exhaled, his mouth twisted in sadness. He hated this, hated all of the fighting, all of the death. They were the last people in existence, for Manda’s sake, the precious few of a once-mighty species. Heck, they were the last living creatures on all of Earth, a planet which had once hosted a stunning array of fish, animals, and insects. And yet, they still couldn’t help but kill each other.
He wiped his blade on the dead man’s cloak. Deep down, in a place he could barely feel, he mourned Wurge. But he didn’t regret killing the man. Not a bit. The stakes were just too high. This war was about the future of the species, about whether humanity should just fold it in or continue onward, fixing the mistakes it had made.
He took another look at the battlefield. Specifically, at his brother.
Just then, Dargon stabbed Private Guster in the back. Then he kicked the dying man, sending him sprawling to the sand.
Dargon swiveled to face him. Once again, the two men locked eyes.
Dargon, Titus knew, was directly responsible for all of this fighting. And yet, his death wouldn’t end the war. The Banished, poisoned by his philosophy, would fight on.
If they won the day, Natica and Luminosity would perish from Earth. The Banished would follow suit. And then … nothing. There would be no happy ending, no redemption for the species. For humanity to live, Dargon and the Banished had to die.
He shifted his gaze to the rest of the battlefield. Much of the fighting took place on the upper ramp. If one were to jump from there, it would almost certainly result in death.
But a couple of one-on-one battles waged on the middle portion of the ramp. If a member of the Banished got free, as Wurge had done, he or she could make a run for it. With a little luck, that person might just reach a signal-blocker. And Titus wasn’t about to let that happen.
And so, he stalked toward the middle of the ramp. With careful, controlled precision, he attacked Coris Shoeman from behind, ending her life before she could utter a word.
Next, he went after Jubrian Fine, a former reservoir worker. Fine was tussling with Cutter, the two men fighting hard for advantage. But the battle ended abruptly when Titus stabbed him in the head.
As Titus extracted his blade from the guy’s skull, he felt a presence behind him. He spun around, sword at the ready. Spying his waiting opponent, he hardened his gaze.
“You wouldn’t come to me.” Dargon hoisted two long blades. “So, I came to you.”
Chapter 57
“Death to all.” Dargon lunged at him.
Six months ago, the sudden attack would’ve startled Titus. He would’ve backpedaled, stumbled over his own feet. He would’ve looked like a fool and died for his trouble.
But not anymore.
He swung his sword skyward. With a loud clatter, he knocked the thrust off-target.
Dargon arched an eyebrow. In the blink of an eye, he swung his right blade in a wide, sweeping arc.
Titus maneuvered his hips, flicked his wrist sideways. Noisily, his sword knocked Dargon’s aside.
Dargon stepped back, regarding his brother with an amused look. “You’ve been practicing.”
“I’ve been fighting.”
“You’re better, I’ll grant you that. But you’re still going to die.”
“You first.” Titus lunged at him.
Dargon swung his right sword to the side, knocking away the attack. Then he backed away, out of range. “This planet deserves better than us, Titus. Surely you can see that.”
“Maybe. But we’re all it’s got. Without people, it’d just be a cold, lifeless husk.”
“And whose fault is that, hmm? It’s our fault. We’re the ones who created the Broken.”
“And we’ll be the ones to reverse it.”
He launched another attack.
This time, Titus was almost caught off-guard. At the last second, he adjusted his footing and, with a quick flick, deflected the thrust.
Dargon looked almost serene as he pressed forward, lunging, thrusting, slicing.
The attacks were swift and powerful. Titus went into defensive mode, dodging and blocking, ducking and deflecting. He managed to hold his own, even as he felt himself steered to the edge of the ramp.
Dargon piled on the pressure, trying to force Titus to fall off the edge. But he fought back, forcing his brother to retreat.
Dargon adopted a defensive posture. “Humanity is a doomed species, capable only of bringing sadness and despair.”
Clutching his blade tightly, Titus peeked backward. Just two feet separated him from the ramp’s edge. And while it wasn’t a sheer drop, it would definitely hurt him. “Is that why you threw in with her?”
“I assume you’re referring to Cormella.”
“She’s a monster.”
“We’re all monsters.”
“She stole memories.” He uttered a long, low breath. “She stole lives.”
“I know. She told me everything. Even about the virus.”
“What virus?”
He smiled.
Titus went on the attack. Pushing forward, he swung his blade over and over again, whirling, ducking, and weaving the entire time.
Dargon was forced to backpedal. After a good ten feet, he finally got his footing. Focusing on his strokes, he managed to repel the assault.
“So, what happens if you kill me?” Dargon asked as Titus regrouped. “What happens if you
defeat us?”
“We’ll reverse the Broken. Bring back the water. We’ll make Earth whole again.”
“Will you?” He studied his brother. “Tell me … what were you doing on the mountain today?”
Titus furrowed his brow.
“It’s no use lying about it.” He lowered his blades. “I heard enough, saw enough, to know there’s a split in your ranks.”
“Maybe then. But not now.”
“Oh, I doubt that. What did Rohor call Cutter again? A bloodfiend?”
He tensed up. “And you called me a grassback. What of it?”
“People related to us are bloodfiends, right? And the non-bloodfiends were hunting them down?” He chuckled. “Amazing.”
“What’s amazing?”
“Even with humanity on the verge of extinction, people still find new ways to hurt each other. If it wasn’t this bloodfiends thing, it’d be something else.” He shrugged. “That’s the way we are, Titus. It’s why we have to die.”
With mounting fury, Titus went back into attack mode. A couple of well-placed blows sent Dargon’s left sword flying through the air.
Backing up, the man clutched his remaining blade with both hands. His face was red under the bright moonlight. Sweat beaded up on his brow and rolled down his cheeks. But his eyes remained as steely as ever.
Titus marched onward, swinging broad strokes and directing sharp thrusts at his brother.
Dargon managed to block every attack. But he was clearly getting tired.
Titus drove him to the ramp’s far edge. With a long drop of fifty feet behind him, Dargon made his stand. He held his ground and then some, forcing Titus back.
“We may fall prey to bad impulses,” Titus said, taking a breath. “But we always turn it around.”
“If only that were true.” He paused. “I’m glad we had these final moments together, Brother. But sadly, it’s time to end our conversation.”
“Why? Got something better to do?”
“No. You do.”
Titus heard the footsteps, sensed the movement. He spun around, got his blade down just in time to deflect a swinging sword. Right away, he recognized the assailant. It was Froya Freeze, Podey’s kid sister.
With a frown upon her lips, Froya backed up a foot, then lunged forward yet again. Titus knocked her blade aside, then kicked her in the gut.
She dropped her weapon. Clutching her belly, she fell to her knees.
Titus glanced over his shoulder.
Dargon was gone.
Oh, no, he thought.
Twisting sideways, he spotted his brother. Still holding his sword, the man sprinted down the long ramp.
A few residents came out of the shadows and hurried toward him. But he cut through them with ease.
“We’re not done yet.”
Titus reeled as Froya leapt onto his back. Before he knew what was happening, she’d wrapped her long legs around his torso. Her left arm snaked around his neck. Her right hand clutched a knife, which she stabbed at him.
He screamed as the blade dug into his right shoulder. He screamed even louder as she yanked it back out again.
“I like it when you scream,” she said.
He endured another two stabs before finally getting hold of her hand. Squeezing her wrist, he forced her to drop the blade. Then he pulled her off of him, dumping her in the sand.
Ignoring her shrieks, he took off after Dargon. His right shoulder ached, making it difficult to pump his arms. But his rubbery legs still managed to churn at high-speed.
Dargon veered toward the edge of the ramp. He leapt off into space and dropped four feet. He rolled with the impact, then jumped up again.
Titus raced downhill, gaining speed by the second.
Dargon fought off two more Naticans, then darted to the nearest signal-blocker.
Titus veered to the edge of the ramp. It was a ten-foot jump, but he went for it anyway. His feet landed awkwardly and he thought his knees might buckle. But somehow, he managed to roll through it.
Dargon ground to a halt in front of the machine. Lifting his knife, he pried off the cover.
Sword poised to attack, Titus darted toward him.
Dargon shot him a look, then turned toward the machine’s inner workings. He swung his blade in a neat arc, cutting through a bunch of wires.
The machine’s light went dark.
Abruptly, the frenzied sound of wind filled Titus’ ears. His heart began to pound furiously against his chest.
She’s coming, he thought. And we can’t stop her.
Chapter 58
BeBo peered at the inky blackness. In the process, he tripped over a cobblestone and teetered to one side, nearly losing his balance.
At that very moment, Kayden tripped over something as well. It felt like a backpack and she lurched forward. Fortunately, BeBo held tight to her hand and managed to keep her from hitting the ground.
“We need those lights,” he said.
She issued a silent prayer that Tabitha and her goons had left the area. Then she touched her laptop, causing the screen to light up. It was the first light she’d seen in a while and it blinded her for a few seconds.
She accessed the network and played around with a few options. Finally, she decided to do a targeted re-lighting, illuminating only the decorative gas lamps. Furrowing her brow, she worked the keyboard. At the last second, she shut her eyes.
The gas lamps came to life, all at once, in a veritable fury of light. BeBo shied away. Kayden kept her eyes shut a little longer, then gradually reopened them. Her vision blurred from the sudden influx of light.
“Holy crap,” BeBo whispered.
She blinked a few times. Her eyes adjusted and she saw there wasn’t much left of the digital sanctuary. Just the Skyscraper and a block or so in every direction. Peering behind her, she saw the pure black dome. It was uncomfortably close, just twenty feet away.
A vicious crunch rang out. The dome shot forward another ten feet and a tremor zoomed through the cobblestones. Meanwhile, powerful gusts of wind assailed them from all angles.
BeBo tugged her sleeve. She twisted around, saw him pointing at the Skyscraper. It stood tall and proud, a beacon gleaming softly under the gas lamps, calling out to all who could see it.
As they ran toward it, Kayden noticed hundreds of Luminites milling around the exterior. They sat on the stairs, leaned against the columns, hiked back and forth. Many of them shot nervous glimpses at the dome, then back at the tall building. Wondering, perhaps, if it would protect them. If it would be their refuge …
Or their grave.
Chapter 59
Kayden hunched her shoulders and lowered her face as they arrived at the Skyscraper’s encircling marble steps. Don’t look at us, she thought. We’re nobodies.
“What’s the plan?” BeBo whispered.
“We’ve got to get inside.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“The peacekeepers can’t stop the virus. Neither can I. That leaves us with the backup plan.”
“Fair enough.”
As they started up the steps, another crunch filled the air. It came from all directions, flooding Kayden’s ears. A forceful tremor followed, one that knocked a few people off of their feet.
Jay Staton, a biologist, bumped into the mathematician, Alison Pitcher. She lost her balance and fell. The back of her head struck a marble step. Screaming, she clutched her skull in a fierce grip. Blood began to ooze out from underneath her fingers.
Troy Carter, another mathematician, ran to her aid. Shoving Jay aside, he helped her to her feet.
Looking disgruntled, Troy began to berate Jay. In response, Jay shoved him. Troy shoved him back and they squared off to fight. Others gathered around to watch.
For Kayden, it was a surreal moment. The dome was closing in fast and the city was on the verge of total deletion. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, a couple of hotheads were going to spend their final seconds punching each other’s lights out.
/> At least it made for a good distraction. She picked up the pace. BeBo matched her stride and together, they climbed the marble steps.
Reaching the platform, they headed into the circular colonnade of columns. Kayden looked everywhere, searching for her friends, praying they’d made it. But Jarven, Valhalya, and Virdo were nowhere to be seen.
“Maybe they’re inside,” BeBo whispered, having read her mind.
She nodded with more certainty than she felt. Looking ahead, she saw the opaque glass door. But as they neared it, a couple of people slid in front of them.
“I thought you might show up here.” Tabitha practically spat fire as she got in Kayden’s face. Her clothing was ripped. Her arms were bloody and bruised. “Give me that.”
She made a grab for Kayden’s laptop. But BeBo knocked her hand away.
“I knew you didn’t really delete the lights.” She snarled, waved her hand at a gas lamp. “It was just a trick.”
“You’re right,” Kayden replied. “And that should tell you something.”
“Yeah,” BeBo added. “If we were really infected, why would we use tricks?”
He tried to go around her. But Danny stepped in his way. Pam, along with Mike Corbin and the rest of Tabitha’s mob, spread out, forming a loose semi-circle around them.
Their presence was lost on BeBo, however, who was busy rolling up his sleeves. Cocking his fists, he started forward.
“Wait.” Kayden held up an arm, blocking his path. She looked at the various people, searching for a sympathetic face. Not seeing one, she turned to Tabitha. “We can save you. We can save everyone.”
“Oh?” she said. “And how’s that?”
“By getting you out of here.” She exhaled. “I just need to talk to Titus.”
“You can’t trust her,” Danny said. “She’s a host.”
BeBo glared at him. “Shut up.”
“You’ve got nothing to lose,” Kayden said as another crunch rang out. “And everything to gain. So, let me in.”
“I’m with Danny,” Pam said to Tabitha. “Remember the plan. We toss them to the dome. Let the virus eat itself.”