Suddenly the forked lightning took a vicious turn for the worst. The power of the bolts seemed to increase and then isolated freight trucks were hit. Initially these trucks were some way down the line from Feyer’s truck, then the bolts started to edge their way gradually closer. Most of the freight trucks that had been hit had burst into flames upon impact and as the lightening grew closer still, Feyer hoped that the apparent randomness of the strikes would spare their truck. Robertson and Hines were four trucks behind them and the Plutura 26 B case was still in their hands. Feyer and Blackwell peered over the top of their truck and saw some movement in Robertson’s truck – when one particularly violent strike blasted the contents of the truck adjacent to his! Robertson lost his calm and started to panic. In desperation he began to climb across the line of freight trucks in the direction of their truck. The lightening spat evil forks all around him and eventually the inevitable happened. A double-blast hit the man with one bolt scorching him with a severe burns-ratio and the next made sure – stopping his heart for good as he valiantly clawed his way to Feyer’s truck. Robertson then fell from the train – brave but very much dead!
Hines sobbed as she witnessed the destruction of the man she loved. She tightly pulled the case to her breast. Her eyes now hated with the kiss of vengeance.
After the loss of Robertson, the storm seemed to subside quite quickly. In their respective trucks the Avoiders sunk lower amongst the decomposing corpses, saying nothing but fearing everything. It was as though nature had suddenly become malevolent – being controlled by the evil that they aimed to suppress.
Klue had enjoyed his storm, even though he had missed his main target. He would wait.
THIRTEEN
The disposal train raced on across Europe, tearing through Poland at a speed of just under two hundred kilometres an hour. Feyer had pulled her black scarf over her face as the stench of the decomposing flesh around her had become unbearable. Blackwell cradled her in his arms, saying nothing but longing for the destination where the three of them could disembark. Meanwhile Hines was still coming to terms with Robertson’s loss. The two of them had been very close for over a year and she found it hard to fully comprehend life without him. In this context, the case that she clutched so tightly had a dual – symbolism – Robertson and the end. Hines had raised herself on top of the festering corpses and from her lofty position she stared out at Europe with hostility in her eyes.
When the train reached Kaumas in Lithuania it stopped at a goods yard. The Avoiders were there to take on more fuel, but unfortunately the horror story that they were experiencing was going to take another turn for the worst!
As the trucks started to slowly pass underneath the freight-loader the Avoiders had a brief moment of contemplation. Years before grain or other produce would have filled each freight truck, but now the feeder units had been widened to drop more corpses into them! When the bodies were spat out of the feeder unit, some split apart due to the rotting nature of the flesh. The Avoiders waited to receive the shower of corpses. They had to play dead because if they shifted their movements would probably have been noticed by the loaders above them. They were subsequently powerless to do anything but wait for the rotting flesh to rain down on them.
More corpses were deposited into the freight truck in front of Feyer’s truck and the sound that the bodies made when they dropped through the canvas covering inspired further revulsion. As corpse landed on corpse a series of dull thuds could be heard and a second sound accompanied the thudding. It was akin to the sound fruit pulp made when it was compacted in a tight area. This second sound was in actuality the noise that the rotting bodies made as they split on impact. The smell generated by the drop perfectly married the macabre visual spectacle and Hines could detect the potent presence four trucks down the line. She watched the corpses spew down ahead of her and prepared herself for the deluge!
The bodies started to rain down on Feyer’s truck and she and Blackwell remained as still as the dead around them. Corpse after corpse dropped through the centre – gap in the flimsy canvas covering and several split their grisly contents over the pair of Avoiders. The truck had three metres in depth to fill until it was brim-full and Feyer prayed that a full-load wasn’t planned; otherwise she and Blackwell could be asphyxiated by a tide of decomposing humanity!
Fortune was with the pair for once as the deposit stopped after a metre of depth had been delivered from the feeder chute. This still represented a compacted weight of some bulk and Feyer fought for oxygen as the rotting flesh obstructed her airways. She would have suffocated under the corpses if Blackwell’s strong arms hadn’t been there to pull her up.
When the woman did manage to surface she gasped for air in rasping breaths. Both of them stank of decaying flesh. She regained her senses and then quietly spoke to Blackwell in a muted voice - for fear of being heard by the feeder chute workers who were now filling the adjacent truck.
"Why the fuck is this train taking on more rotting human freight Dean? The wasted were just left to rot where they died before."
"If what we’ve heard and seen represents the full-truth Feyer, I guess that Europe is littered with millions of wasted corpses right now. The sheer volume of the dead will demand a form of mass disposal. We landed on rotting human corpses and my guess is that they are going to jam-pack these trucks all the way to Oslo. I’m fucking glad that we jumped train before then!"
"What you say makes sense Dean. I guess in that context it does look as though Oslo is one of their dumping sights. Fuck humanity – I can’t wait to end it!"
The couple had correctly diagnosed the function of the freight train in relation to the European genocide. Their train was one of fifty bound on a course for Oslo. Each carried the same grisly contents and millions of corpses were destined for the disposal pyres just north of Oslo. In effect the capital of Norway had turned into Europe’s burial ground. The train continued through Latvia and Estonia before it briefly ventured through the Russian federation. In Finland the freight trucks were filled to the maximum level and each of the three Avoiders made it to the top again without being detected.
Once the train had entered the midnight sun countries, it slowed down quite substantially. The bodies of the wasted were piled high on each freight truck and a dark kind existed with the symmetrical pyramids of corpses overriding each respective truck. The train started to snake around the Scandinavian countries that bordered the Barents Sea and eventually it arrived in Norway. Feyer was now in a state of full alert because she knew that a refuelling stop must be imminent. The terminal destination of Oslo was hundreds of kilometres too far south and she reaffirmed to Dean that they must jump train at the next stop. She had hoped that the train would stop at Bodo, but when it came to a halt ten kilometres to the north of that particular destination she turned to Blackwell and recommended a disembarkation.
"Yo Dean it’s time to leave this coffin carrier. Who’s going down the line to tell Hines?"
"My shout Feyer. Jump off the left side and we’ll do the same. Hit the bushes when you land. Love you!"
After Dean Blackwell had opted to be the one that told Hines, he started to crawl along the ridges of the freight trucks to inform Hines of their decision. He found her trembling. Her eyes were wild and her face was a portrait of vengeance. Blackwell spoke in a whisper because several project personnel were close by monitoring the refuelling of the powerful engine.
"Disembarkation time Claire!"
"Robertson quoted Oslo to me Blackwell. I stay fixed."
"The spiral winds blow from the northwest. Oslo is far too southern for our purpose. Come on woman, hand me the case."
"Leave me. The pair of you can find a form of sanctuary in Norway – at least for a while."
"No, I’m not moving a inch without that fucking case!"
"He was my leader you know I loved him! He was my fucking inspiration. I can’t move on the orders of others. Leave me and give me a little peace to reflect on my loss."
Things definitely weren’t going to plan. It was obvious that Hines was having great problems coming to terms with the loss of Robertson and Blackwell realised that she had to be shocked back to her senses. He took hold of the pistol that he had in his combat belt and he pointed it directly at the woman. He managed to maintain the whispered nature of his oral delivery, but his eyes now bore a new savagery that meant he wouldn’t be challenged when he made demands.
"Look woman! Wake the fuck up! If I have to give you a third eye with this gun, I fucking will! Those fuckers behind me will have refuelled this train soon and Feyer’s waiting. I’ll give you ten seconds to decide whether you’re coming with us or whether you’re going to join Robertson now!"
Claire Hines didn’t need ten seconds. She flung Blackwell the case and scowled at him before asking one question as she prepared to disembark.
"Which side to your ladylove Blackwell?"
Her words stung with sarcasm and Dean echoed her tone in his reply.
"Over the left-side to join my Queen of women Hines. Go and serve her!"
After a second evil stare, Hines made her jump-off, followed by Blackwell shortly afterwards.
The Avoiders all jumped eventually and as the train passed them by they knew in their hearts that they had seen the last of the wasted. Tavini’s Leanworld Vision became his legacy and the trains of the dead became the final signifier of his evil presence.
After the last freight truck had passed, the three Avoiders walked alongside the rail track. Feyer told the others that they needed to get to Bodo before the full glare of daylight dawned. She planned for Blackwell and Hines to lie low for a few days when they got there, whilst she assessed how much of old Norway had been preserved in Bodo. If the harbour still abounded with the fishing vessels that it was synonymous with during her childhood days, then the three of them could reach the Lofoten Islands by stealing one of the boats. So much depended on whether the scars of the MC-Project had penetrated that far north. Both she and Robertson had felt that the land above the Artic Circle might be comparatively unscathed but that was before they had experienced the trains of rotting corpses! The woman smelt her clothing and bile came into her throat instantly. She suggested to the others that such an aroma would arouse suspicion in anyone who encountered them and she was also worried that they ran the risk of contracting serious diseases from their close proximity to the corpses. She voiced her concerns.
"We’ve got to remove the fetid smell on our clothes folks. Part of me thinks that we ought to go back and kill the freight-loaders for their uniforms, but that would alert every project fucker north of Oslo and so I guess we’re stuck in what we’re wearing for the time being. Oh and if either of you have got any pills to counteract our exposure to rotting flesh it would be a bonus!"
Both Blackwell and Hines shook their heads and Feyer injected a bit of black humour in an attempt to lighten their mood.
"Never mind, it was a rather ironic request anyway – pills to keep us alive long enough to commit suicide! What a weird fucking world!"
She then asked the others to look out for a water source so that they could attempt to clean themselves up. As the daylight slowly intensified, Hines spotted a river glistening in the distance. It was the first time she had spoken to her fellow Avoiders since leaving the train an hour ago.
"I can see a river – about a kilometre away in a north-west direction. Here you are woman use these."
Hines passed Feyer her field-binoculars. Her tone was still cold with the other two, but she felt good about being the first person to spot bathing water. In a small way it was a semi-triumph for her and the others were drawn closer to her for an instant.
The three of them deviated from the banks of the railway track and headed for the distant river. Blackwell tightly grasped the case of Plutura 26 B and as he walked on the springy grass, he whistled an annoyingly cheerful tune given their circumstances. The whistler’s clothes were caked in rotting flesh and he carried the end of Europe in his hands! Despite these two factors he suddenly felt a strange kind of elation! Europe was now a social quagmire and holding the power to shut this pitiful continent down lightened his spirit for a while. What he held made him the most powerful man in Europe at that moment in time! He laughed out loud at his realisation and Hines snapped at him – wanting to know what could possibly be funny in the context that they found themselves!
"What the hell have you got to fucking laugh about Dean? Humour died years ago!"
"Maybe, but don’t you two get just a small buzz when you think of our suicide mission? Here – catch!"
Blackwell had thrown the case up in the air and Feyer angrily caught it. She was furious at his infantile behaviour, temporarily forgetting that the case could withstand orbit penetration!
"What the fuck are you up to Dean. Remember that cylinder can only be properly activated in the spiral winds. We’re fucked well and truly if you break it now!"
An unusual sound interrupted the pair – Hines was laughing! After contorting with her laughter, the woman spoke to the pair with a smile on her face.
"Lighten up Feyer! You sprung up for that case as if it was made of china! Come on girl you’ve got to see the funny side. I mean that case is an orbit-buster. He set you up a treat really didn’t he?"
Feyer did eventually manage to see the humour in what Blackwell had done and her face creased into a smile too. There was precious little to smile about in their world and so she started to enjoy the rarity of what was taking place. When the trio reached the banks of the river, the levity continued and Dean took the lead again.
"Right girls, I’m Dean Blackwell modelling the latest outfit in my rotting-flesh line and now I’m going to discard my fall collection!"
After extending a cheeky grin to the women, Blackwell started to peel off his clothing. Soon he was naked, striding into the shallows with his foul smelling clothes in his hands. When he was up to his waste in water, he looked back and issued a challenge to his fellow Avoiders.
"Come on girls it’s your turn now – I hope that you’re not too modest to rise to a challenge!"
Feyer verbally sparred back as she started to peel out of her clothing.
"Sure we’ll rise to your challenge, but in that cold looking water I reckon that one part of you won’t be rising!"
Feyer entered the water and proceeded to splash Blackwell. The pair then beckoned Hines to come and join them. She was still fully clothed and had a vulnerable look about her. Feyer thought about the woman’s appearance for a moment and then briefly reflected on the key events of the last twenty - four hours. Hines was probably mourning the loss of Robertson and seeing another couple tease each other in the water must have brought back memories for her. It was easy to suppress death in their world of savagery – that is unless your closest soul-mate was killed. Feyer modified her voice accordingly and spoke to Claire in a much softer tone than before.
"Come on in Claire – join us! You’ve got to wash the filth from the clothes you know. He was a good man and we’ll all rejoin him in a matter of weeks. It’s just a temporary parting you know. Come and celebrate the last of life in the water. Do as we do and live for the last moments."
The softer side of Feyer managed to turn Hines away from her negative reflections. It was true that the couple splashing in front of her had initially reminded her of the brief intimate liaison that she and Robertson had shared, but there had been a lot of sense in Feyer’s intuitive words nonetheless. She slowly started to shed her clothes and when she was naked her lithe frame approached the water.
When she reached the couple all three of them formed as they stood in the water. They said nothing initially but bowed their heads in unison as they discovered a bonded solidarity. Each of them had placed their soiled clothes in the shallower water and subsequently their hands were now free. The triad started to gently massage each other’s shoulder blades and they simultaneously started to raise their heads. A strange kind of synchronisation gove
rned their actions, almost as if they were acting beyond themselves – directed by the hands of a cohesive unifying force. After some minutes, it was Hines that spoke first.
"Robertson told me about Klue Feyer. He said that our mission involved a double-hit to wipe out the project in Europe and to kill or stall the devil."
"He was correct Claire. From the little I know I doubt if Klue can be killed. I get the impression that he moves through humans – especially their frailties. After we’ve detonated Plutura 26 B, he won’t have anyone left to feed through though. In effect we will make the fucker dormant."
"Tell me about Hell Feyer."
"It’s where we are heading! No fire or rebel angels-just a derelict settlement at the southern tip of Moskenesoya. It’s usually warm and mild at this time of year, but I’m not sure that we will find it that way when we locate it. The storm last night had evil portents written all over it and the dispersal Avoiders had told Robertson that the weather over Norway had turned a shade weird for this time of year. It’s as though Klue is shielding his lair from the unwanted and I just hope that all three of us can make it through. The spiral winds will start blowing in a couple of weeks and it’s almost as if the devil knows our purpose! If that’s true, taking out Robertson was our closest call yet, but we’ll pay the bastard back when we visit him."
Without knowing it Feyer had been quite intuitive with regard to Klue’s defence strategy. The beast only feared Feyer out of the three Avoiders. She seemed to be following a predestined path and her presence stung him if he looked too long at her. Since the dawn of time his legions had always feared a prophesised female figure that spat fire at their ice. The woman was reputed to bring with her flaws to mark her strength and thus she could be vanquished. It was predicted that the satanic legions could harm those who denied the master and thus this Satan would have a strong reliance on his mortal defenders, if Feyer proved to be the spirit of prophecy. Not all the satanic prophecies were incarnated by the figure of Feyer, but a central warning did ring true. It was stated that a woman that carried the future by name could block Klue’s vision. An ancient Norse translation of the word Feyer implied that a person christened with that name was a seer and thus one salient prophecy was on the side of the Avoiders! The woman was slowly starting to realise the ethereal form of inner-strength that singled her out from the rest – she was rising to the fight.
The Scream of Feyer: hitching a ride with a suicide bomber Page 12