It takes a moment for the panic to set in.
This is it.
It’s happening.
Bodies rush past, push past, nearly knocking me over. Everyone’s scattering, unsure where to go and running over the Chaisles and Fiminers that lay abandoned, strewn about the rocky ground. Bodies continue falling and with each one, another Vermix lands to stay, scouring the lot. The closest one lands about two yards away, finding its first victim and encroaching quickly.
Irie only has seconds before he’s snapped in two.
The pain spreads through me, but I erase it. Instinctively I raise my Chaisle, aiming for the Vermix. Without hesitating, I squeeze the trigger four times as tiny capsules release, turning to blades that carve through him like knives. I hit him twice in his torso, once in the shoulder and once in the neck. He drops, crashing to the ground.
People fly past, screaming. Quickly scanning for familiar faces, my heart tightens when I don’t find any. What happened to Reid? Able? Pratt?
Something whizzes past my nose before the thought envelops me. The girl to my immediate left cries out, her stomach blotched in red. She falls to her knees as another something whizzes by, striking her in the head. She falls over completely, dropping to the ground and dying in a pool of her own blood. This is happening too fast.
I need to think.
We’re out in the open—too exposed, too vulnerable. We have to leave this place. But what’s safest? Inside the Castle or out in the jungle? Inside would mean barricading ourselves, giving them a centralized target and one quite easy to destroy. But if we split up, disappearing into the jungle, there will be more places to dodge and hide. More ways to escape. And we’d be leading the Dofinikes away, giving the others a chance to find shelter, safety and to regroup. Just as I’m about to yell out the plan, Reid beats me to it.
“The jungle!” he waves his Chaisle toward the lush green ahead.
There’s a wave of release at his voice but it lasts only a second. The sight of more Vermix dropping like boulder-sized blockades sends my pulse skyrocketing. Can we even make it? With my heart drumming violently, set to beat its way out of my chest, I grit my teeth and hold on.
Half of us book it, racing as fast as our legs can go and dodging the somethings whizzing by. Bodies fall to the left and right, some plucked from the ground right in front of me, vacuumed up, shrieking and leaving me momentarily frozen in terror. Dread washes over, threatening to still my legs but I push forward.
Faster. Got to keep going faster.
Gripping my Chaisle, I keep it raised to my chest and ready. This is no time to panic—to forget myself. Get to the oncoming greenery, ahead. Just make it that far. People have kept pace with me but I don’t risk finding out who. Not yet. Not until I’m safely tucked beneath the jungle’s camouflage. An overpowering urge to look for the others emerges but I quickly dismiss it, promising myself a small regroup when hidden away. The best way to help is by staying smart and keeping alive. I can only protect them if I’m alive.
I’m just at the edge of the greenery when I push my way through, flying over the bubbling roots with ease. It’s not as difficult as the first time but for someone who’s never been out here, it could be just as fatal as the Vermix. My thoughts turn to Pratt. When was the last time I saw her? Before the dust cloud? But she’s smart. She’d know to find cover—wherever she is—and keep herself armed. I’ll go back for her once I regroup.
Sweeping through the trees—very unlike my first time out here—I find one further in with a wide trunk and stop behind it, catching my breath. The jungle is alive with stomping feet and rustling leaves, screams crying out everywhere now. The pitches, so terrible and shrill, pierce through me. This is it—the second massacre of Harrizel.
But this time, we’re prepared. This time, we’re fighting back.
Another scream—this one not too far away.
A quick swishing of leaves to my right and a frantic girl flies past, rushing through the oversized greenery as a lone Vermix leaps from trunk to trunk behind her, passing mine without pausing. My heart races, ticking like a time bomb and I hold my breath. Lifting my Chaisle, I wait for him to give me a shot—just one shot. But he soars ahead, pausing on a tree only a few yards from mine. He draws a long black whip and with a loud crack, sends the tail end flying. The rustling ahead ceases.
I bring the Chaisle to my eye, aiming for the middle of his back.
I pull the trigger.
He drops, shaking the leaves on his way down and lands in a hard, grassy thud. Peering out, I survey the stillness, giving it a second. If they let him out as a pawn, to scour the jungle first, the rest will be here any second, ready to exterminate the threat. I give it another moment but nothing happens.
Finally, I dart toward the fallen Vermix, moving through the lush greenery as silently but quickly as possible, surveying the jungle as I go. When I get to the Dofinike, he’s out cold, red seeping from the hole in his chest, his hand still clutched around his whip. A Chaisle, like I have, lays tucked onto a strap that crosses his chest diagonally. And on his hip—
A Traxpire!
I snatch it, instantly shocked at its weight. Heavier than I would’ve thought, the triangular device fits awkwardly in my hand, talon indentions where my fingers grip it. I debate taking his Chaisle and leaving the lethal weapon but decide against it. Even if I haven’t practiced with the Traxpire, it’s better protection than what I’m carrying now. But I can’t leave our Chaisles out in the open and available for a passing Vermix. Taking the Dofinike’s Chaisle along with mine, I tuck them behind a nearby bush, camouflaged under long, tongue-shaped yellow leaves.
I start to turn for the Castle but something—the familiar voice in my head—demands I go further, deeper into the jungle. Right now. It’s the same voice that called me to Ellae, a voice that’s both part of me and not. I fly forward at the request, petrified at the immediacy. What’s happening? What will I find? I run as quickly as I can, racing over unruly roots and wildly large and overgrown vegetation. The closer I get, the more fear strikes my heart. It’s right—whatever the voice is.
I need to be somewhere right now.
Plunging through the wild shrubbery, I immediately halt, hearing sounds just past the tree ahead. Slowing, I peer past the trunk and find Tetlak with one arm raised, ready to strike. I only have a moment to spot Reid. He’s feet from Tetlak and empty-handed. The Vermix’s talons swing down, sending him soaring to the dirt.
Without thinking, I pull out the Traxpire and squeeze the trigger three times.
Tetlak turns at the sound of the clicks, actual terror emitting from his yellow eyes. He tries jumping back, but a sudden orange flash rips through his right bicep, erupting a tiny explosion in his arm. He yelps, the second and third orange flash ripping inches apart into his shoulder. Two more tiny explosions break through his hardened shell. Tetlak falls to his knees, his unharmed arm clinging to the other as he howls mercilessly.
Reid’s eyes fly to mine, soaked in stark bewilderment. Questions flash across his face, so transparent he could be asking them. Where did she come from? What did she just do? Is Tetlak down for good?
No, he isn’t.
Tetlak’s talons grip his shoulder’s wound, his chest heaving as he looks at me with ominous eyes. He goes to stand but fumbles again as I keep the weapon pointed at him. It doesn’t seem to faze him. As if the only thing that matters is me now. Killing me. Tetlak staggers back up as I pull the trigger two more times, missing him once, but hitting his thigh. Another tiny explosion and he falls again, howling with heaving grunts and grabbing for his Chaisle.
I glance to Reid who watches in horror as Tetlak shoots. It whizzes past me and I know I need to run. To lead him away. To the somewhere else I need to be right now. A sting of fear as Tetlak launches himself forward but I turn and run, flying deeper into the jungle. I’ve left Reid alone but Tetlak’s after me now—he won’t go back to finish him off. If anything, Tetlak will chase me until I’m
dead. Which may be soon.
My heart races, terror and adrenaline pumping. I pray I can make it before he catches me. He’s badly wounded, but it may not be enough to keep him down. I don’t risk turning to shoot again until I’ve made it where I need to go. Until I’ve put enough distance between Reid and us.
Moving swiftly, never faltering, I fly through Ellae and beyond, into the Banyan Trees. I have to go there—I have to lead Tetlak, though I’m not sure why. A symbolic setting for the villain’s death? The hero’s? He’s dragging himself but keeping up, closing the distance between us. But I’m moving fast too. Very fast, almost like the jungle is guiding me, helping me clear her rough terrain.
We’re nearly to the disfigured lot when I hear Tetlak’s growl approaching dangerously close. A quick shiver creeps down my neck and onto my spine.
Just make it to the lot. Just make it to Raj and the others.
Crashing through, I stop just in front of Hinson’s tree, but it doesn’t look the same. It’s black—charcoaled black. I suppress a gulp realizing everything’s like this. All the trees have been burned, including all the bound Kings on the ground between them. What happened?
A lone figure sits hunched in front of Hinson’s previous form, his head low and unmoving. Glancing between her charred features and him, I take a cautious step toward Griffin. He looks up at the sound, life drained from his eyes. He automatically lifts his Chaisle, pointing it at me.
“Griffin…” I place my palms up in defense.
He lifts the Chaisle higher and pulls the trigger.
For a second I think I’ve been shot, but then I hear the thunderous collapse behind me. Spinning, I find Tetlak on the ground, a small hole drilled through the center of his forehead. A perfect shot. Kicking him for final confirmation, his body lies limp, vacant. I grin, turning to Griffin for sincerest gratitude.
The smile’s wiped clean.
Griffin’s on the ground, shaking violently. He stops suddenly, lying as still as Tetlak. It takes everything I have not to run out to him immediately but instead to wait, wait for the predator to reveal itself. Nothing happens for another ten seconds.
Glancing out first, I dart for Griffin’s motionless body, dropping by his head. A single tear rests on his pale cheek, imprinted forever, his eyes open and heartbroken. Wiping my nose, I try to tune out the muffled screams carried throughout the trees. A quick rustling and I jump to my feet. With the Traxpire ready, I keep it aimed to the sounds ahead.
Suddenly, Beshib steps out from between a set of trees, a bundle of babeebs atop his head and two armed Vermix behind him. He doesn’t see me at first. In fact, he looks right past, as if searching for something else, something in particular. It takes a moment, but when he spots me, he looks as startled to see me as I am to see him. What do we do here? What’s the protocol? Start firing?
I keep aimed between him and the two armed Vermix. Beshib raises his hand, signaling his guards to hold off as he glances at what I’m holding. They lower their weapons, Beshib retuning his focus to me.
“If you fight for us,” he steps closer, the same uneasy smile plastered across his face. “You won’t have to die. As you can see,” he gestures to the lot, “the Vermix have failed in creating an indestructible weapon. But,” he perks up, using the same tone he does for Lecture, as if we should be grateful to his bright side of things. “We can still use your help.”
Silence.
My finger twitches on the trigger. I should just do it. Right now. One right through his head. The other two would probably just shoot me down—and that’d be fine, because Beshib would be gone. The Arizals would have a chance. And it’s not like there’s much more to lose right now. Yes, this may be the very way to go. I count myself down when he starts again.
“What do you say?” he slowly strolls the lot with an ease that makes me uncomfortable. “You could still be of use. Not of the best, I must admit. These procedures were one step closer to a Vermix achievement but alas, the mission was to be aborted. All evidence discarded immediately,” he pauses, glancing to me again, softening his words so I’d trust him. “You don’t have to die in vain. Fight for us.”
I peek at the Vermix to my right. Not sure why, but I have to indulge Beshib’s confession with a response. “Why? So you’ll put me out in the front lines to die anyway?”
His smile vanishes, stricken from his mouth as though it never existed. “Okay, you’re right. It will delay your death only. It’s now or later,” he sighs, frustrated I’m wasting his time with something as trivial as my death. “You choose.”
The moment has come. The moment when nothing else matters and everything matters. The moment for me to do what I’m supposed to—the one that counts. I aim directly at his heart.
“I choose life,” I say when something whistles past my nose, both Vermix suddenly dropping in a colossal heap. It steals my attention for a fraction of a second before Reid leaps through the woods, firing at Beshib who takes his natural form, emerging into a nine-foot Dofinike.
It all happens at once.
Beshib’s transformation, his fatal dive toward Reid and the unimagined fear that jolts my body at the sight. Reid’s prepared for it though; his Chaisle aimed at Beshib’s head but the leaping Vermix knocks the device to the side. He grasps Reid by the neck, holding him up in the air, his talons drawing blood. Reid’s feet dangle three feet off the ground, his hands tearing at Beshib’s grip around his neck.
I’m too shocked—or maybe too stunned—to move. Too entranced in Reid’s struggle, to move my Chaisle. It was going to all end a second ago but now it’s different. Now Reid’s life is on the line and not mine. What happened? The color begins to leave Reid’s face when I snap out of my semi trance, aiming at Beshib’s chest again. But I don’t have to pull the trigger this time either. Just as my finger goes to move, another Dofinike—larger and familiar—soars through the Banyan trees, knocking Beshib and Reid to the ground.
The two Dofinikes wrestle, Reid rolling to the side, gasping for breath. In an instant, he’s on his feet, surveying the match with terrified confusion. He’s looking for something, something that should be here. Frantically searching, he glances around and once his eyes settle on me, he takes off at a dead run.
At my side in seconds, he snatches my hand in his and we take off into the trees. “Sampson,” he pants before I’m able to ask.
Racing, we make it back to the jungle and in time, to Ellae. The closer we get, the heavier the screams and cries soak the air. I try ignoring it as we jump through overgrown vegetation, his hand slipping from mine every few seconds. But before it’s fully free, he tugs me closer to him, squeezing my hand harder. So he won’t let go. So he can’t lose me.
Shrieks of terror rain overhead, a soundtrack to the impending war scene. Glancing up, as though to locate the sound, I trip, running into the limp body just as I see it. Reid tugs me along and I half sort of jump over her, whoever she was, trying not to place her face which lies in the dirt, her green eyes glazed over. But there’s no time for that now. Back to a full-on run, I suppress the rise of bile in my throat. The jungle ground ahead lies littered with bodies. All still. All dead.
Reid does his best to lead us over them while still keeping to our hasty speed. “The others are holing up inside the Auditorium. They’re wavering,” he pants, “but some Arizals arrived so that’s helped.”
“How many?”
“Not sure. But they bought us some time. To get the others inside.”
“Pratt?”
“Don’t know—lost her toward the beginning,” he throws me a quick glance, “hoping she’d be with you.”
A guilty pain ignites and suddenly I wish I hadn’t been so careless with her. So quick to flee to the jungle alone after the fog lifted. There’s no time to process the horrible possibilities, no time to wonder what if?
I suppress the thought completely, dodging the bodies on the ground and jumping over more unruly roots. Reid’s squeezing my hand just as somethin
g hard knocks into my side.
I’m thrown, Reid’s touch disappearing completely. I hit the ground with a heavy smack, rolling through the fauna which slaps my face with its overgrown foliage. I crash into something hard and it slams me in the back, all air gushing at the impact. For a split second, I think I’m dead. Then just paralyzed. A quick wiggle to my toes secures my relief.
How did I survive that?
Barely able to pull myself to my feet, I see him charging on all fours. He’s hunting me—a predator closing in on its prey. My heart races, thumping rapidly and threatening to explode from the promise of painful death. Still throbbing all over, I take aim at the impending Vermix with the Traxpire, ready for the end.
But before I’m able to shoot, Reid flies out, his Chaisle firing as he jumps around the Vermix. The Dofinike turns, swiping at him but Reid’s too quick, ducking and rolling onto the ground and under his slicing talons. On his feet again, he caps the Vermix in his shoulder, thigh and knee, retreating before he can fall over him or retaliate. But lucky for Reid, the Vermix falls to his good knee, then down to the ground in a heavy heap.
With the Vermix struggling to stand, Reid takes his chance. Dashing over to me, he snatches my hand in his, yanking me to follow. We flee from the scene, straight for a familiar tree with an unusual layered trunk. Reid draws back the hidden door with his free hand, plunging down the wooden stairs and into the immense darkness, me at his heel.
We race forward into the pitch black without the slightest hesitation. We haven’t made it far when a flash of sunlight swims over us, quickly followed by heavy tracks smacking the wooden ground. Glancing over my shoulder, I see him coming. Unwilling to give up, to allow us our leave, he drags himself with a heavy limp, snarling with dogged pursuit as his bloodied talons clutch his gushing wounds.
Escape from Harrizel Page 41