Now, replete and bordering on uncomfortable, Alec wondered what they were going to do. Confronting Rhozan and closing the rips was not an option. He didn’t know how to do it and would only get himself killed. Running was a far better option. Head over to his apartment, tell his folks the truth (Hi Mom, guess what I did?) and convince them to take off into the unknown with the three of them.
He remembered the dead phone in the back. “Darius–”
“No,” Darius cut him off. “No phone calls.”
“Why not?” Alec exploded. “One call. Just to check that they’re okay. If they’re not at home, I need to know it.”
“Alec, we’re not going back to your apartment to pay a social call. We’re going to close the rips and send Rhozan packing. It’s not going to be pretty. You’d better hope your parents aren’t at home. You don’t want them in the way. I certainly don’t.”
“Yeah, but …” Alec almost turned to Riley for support before he remembered that he was mad at her. “Darius,” he pleaded, trying as hard as he could to infuse the Tyon power into his voice, “my mom will be frantic. I’ve been missing for weeks. The city is under siege. I just want to tell her I’m all right. Please.”
Darius said nothing, but wiped both his hands on his napkin before standing up and embracing Alec in a tight hug. Alec was so shocked he didn’t move. He didn’t see Riley get up and head to the kitchen.
“Please, trust me. I have good reason for not permitting this contact now. I’m sorry.” He let Alec go and took a step back.
No one ever hugged him but his mom. Alec turned away. He was not going to blubber like a little kid.
A bright flash, somewhere in the distance, momentarily lit the room. Alec whirled around to see out the window. A moment later the entire room rumbled with thunder. The first raindrops hit the hood of the truck with sharp pings, then the deluge began.
Darius stood with his hands on his hips, staring out at the torrent. Alec stalked over to the counter and started rummaging, the need to be moving and doing something almost overwhelming. The till was empty, but the tip jar still held a few bills and coins. He’d automatically emptied it into his hand before he realized what he’d done. He hesitated for a moment before he dumped the money back.
Rain drummed on the roof, louder and louder as the heavens heaped their wrath upon the city. There were two more brilliant flashes of lightning and the echoing thunder, then, as quickly as it had started, the storm was over. It was only as the constant roar of the rain ceased that Alec heard the voices.
Darius was under the counter in a flash and into the kitchen before Alec could make a sound. Alec dashed through the swinging doors. He skidded to a halt, almost dizzy in his relief that she was okay. Riley had found and set up a small portable television on the counter, with its aerial pointing towards the high, narrow ventilation window. She was perched on the opposite counter, her back against the wall and her arms crossed.
The picture was grainy and the sound less than pristine, but it was the news and more than welcome. Alec moved forward until he stood next to Darius.
A pale and unshaven anchor sat in shirtsleeves at a desk covered with piles of paper.
“What channel is this?” Alec asked.
“CNN,” Riley replied in a small and trembling voice. “New York is in big trouble and several spots in California. It’s spreading.”
“That’s the usual course of things,” Darius sighed. “The more negative emotions, the stronger the Others get, and the more they can manipulate naturally occurring rips for their own use. It’s a vicious spiral.”
The anchor pulled one sheet from the pile to his left. His voice was hoarse. “As of midnight tonight, this channel will cease broadcasting from our headquarters here in Atlanta. Evacuation of this city has begun and is expected to continue throughout the night. The president enacted martial law as of noon today in the list of states you see on the screen beside me.” A long list ran down the screen beside the anchor’s ear. The screen was too fuzzy to read clearly, but the list was pretty long.
There was a sudden fizzing sound and the power went off. The little TV screen glowed eerily for a minute then faded. Darius hopped onto the counter and peered out the small window to the alleyway behind. “Alec, run to the front and see if there are any other lights on.”
“Sure.” Alec turned around in the darkness and felt his way along the counter to the doors. He pushed them open and walked into the front room. He stubbed his toe and banged his hip on the counter, making his way to the window, but it was a useless venture. The entire street was dark. He made his way back. “Nothing. The whole street is out.”
“Might be city-wide,” Darius mused. “We’ll stay here tonight. It’s too dangerous to try and drive anywhere in the dark. Don’t open the fridge until morning. If we’re lucky, the food will be fine.” He hopped down. “I’m going out to the truck to see if there’s anything in the back we don’t want stolen. Then we’ll pull down the metal blind thing and lock ourselves in for the night.”
They made beds out of the jackets Darius found in a rucksack and lay in the middle of the restaurant floor, but Alec couldn’t rest. The news had hit him harder than he expected. The world really was falling apart – it wasn’t just his own country. No one, other than Darius, seemed to think they could stop it worsening. Tomorrow he was going to face the instigator of this whole mess and he didn’t have a clue what he was going to do. Did Rhozan know how scared he was? Was the Other laughing his head off right now? Did Darius actually have a plan or was he just trying to keep their spirits up until it was too late?
For a long time there was only the sound of their breathing and the soft moaning of the wind through the lattice of the metal curtain. Alec was pretty sure that Darius and Riley were awake, too. How could anyone sleep knowing that tomorrow all of them might die?
38
The light woke Riley. Bright, glaring beams, boring straight into her eyes. She started to sit up. Her brain scrambled to make sense of what she was seeing.
The glass from the huge plate-glass window blew in with a roaring crack as the metal curtain slammed into it. The wooden countertop splintered and fell to the floor in a sharp crash as the long, wicked snout and the hull of a tank broke through the flimsy barrier with a dull screech. The rumble of the engine and the rolling of the caterpillar track were ear- splitting even as the tank came to an abrupt stop just inside the wall of the restaurant. Debris rained onto the tiled floor.
Riley barely managed to shield her face.
Darius moved so fast she almost didn’t see him. One second he was sleeping on the makeshift bedroll next to her, his warm breath on her shoulder, his arm flung across her stomach. The next he was on his feet, orb glowing in one hand. He reached down, grabbed her, threw her over his shoulder and leapt towards the tank at the same time he yelled at Alec, “Get up!”
Riley had a brief glimpse of Alec, hand shading his eyes from the glare of the turret lights, his face a mixture of disbelief and horror, before Darius began to climb up onto the closest track of the tank. Wait a second; he was climbing onto the tank.
Darius pushed his way through the broken metallic curtain and dangling bits of plywood and metal to get outside. A particularly large hunk of wood caught Riley unaware. “Ow!”
“Keep your head down,” Darius advised too late. “Alec!”
Alec scrambled up onto the hull of the tank so quickly he passed the both of them. He jumped onto the sidewalk beside the remains of their truck. Darius and Riley landed beside him. Riley had the wind knocked out of her as she tumbled off Darius’ shoulder to the wet pavement. She wasn’t able to take a breath in to shout as the tank recoiled towards them at the same time as a deafening bang nearly burst her eardrums.
The pizza shop blew up: glass, wood, tile, ceramic counter, everything in tiny pieces and flying towards them like missiles. Darius flung himself over Riley to protect her from the worst of the airborne danger. She heard Alec, several metres a
head of them, cry out sharply.
“Move,” Darius yelled, as he yanked her to her feet. She had a glimpse of the gutted pizza store and the turret of the tank turning slowly in their direction before Darius pushed her away.
Her feet slipped on the cluttered sidewalk as she took off after Darius. He was already at Alec’s side and helping him up. A trickle of blood ran down Alec’s forehead and across his pale face. There wasn’t time to ask if he was hurt elsewhere.
“Follow me,” Darius yelled as he ducked down an alley between two storefronts and headed for the service lane behind.
Riley and Alec pounded behind him. Once out of the tank’s spotlights, the darkness was complete and treacherous. Riley slipped twice. Instantly Alec was at her side, pulling her upright, and urging her onwards. His hand clasped hers tightly.
The entranceway to the alley exploded as another shell detonated. A hail of brick particles rained down. Riley yelped and ran harder.
They ran down the alley and turned left. This new lane was wide enough to permit delivery trucks. Huge trash bins reeking of refuse jutted out into the roadway, looming out of the dark like monsters. The central gutter was still ankle-deep in rainwater. Riley splashed into the puddle before she could stop herself.
They were halfway down, Darius ahead by several metres, when headlights from the far end of the alley blazed into a blinding glare. Instantly they skidded to a stop. Alec raised a hand to shield his eyes and Riley ducked behind him. The truck’s engine roared to life and its tires squealed against the pavement as it leapt towards them.
Darius’ orb flashed brightly, the beam heading for the fire escape high up on the wall to his right. The mechanism unlatched and the ladder dropped to the ground.
“Get onto the roof. Cross to the other side of the building,” Darius hurriedly instructed as he lifted Riley up so she could grasp the lowest rung.
Shimmying up the metal rungs like a monkey, she headed for the top. Alec was right behind her and, in his hurry, almost climbing the same rungs as she was. The second she was up and over the rooftop edge, Alec was right behind her. He stopped and peered downward.
“Darius, hurry,” he yelled.
The resounding clang of metal hitting metal reverberated through the alley. The upper brackets of the fire escape strained and partially lifted as the lower ladder was hit by the truck and pulled apart. Alec bent forward over the ledge. Riley grabbed onto the back of his jeans and yanked as hard as she could.
“Riley, stop. I’m trying to reach him,” Alec grunted.
Riley immediately let go. She leaned over his shoulder. The truck had plowed into a dumpster the next store over, but its headlights were still lighting up the alley. Below her, the fire escape abruptly ended six rungs from the roof. On the fifth rung, hanging by one hand, was Darius. He still had his glowing orb in the other.
Riley watched as he popped his orb into his mouth, swung his now free hand up onto the rung and pulled his feet up enough to hook his knees over the rung. He rearranged himself and began to climb. He was over the wall in a second. Riley continued to watch the alley below. The truck’s engine was still running, but no one had opened any of the doors or gotten out of the vehicle.
“Come on,” Darius said as he dropped his orb into his pocket. He wasn’t even out of breath. He led them across the roof to the other side of the building. Crouching down, they surveyed the street below.
The heavy cloud cover obscured whatever moonlight there might have been. The street lamps were dead. The air was clammy, cool and heavy. Nothing moved below them. Other than the fire in the pizza joint, the place was silent.
“How’d they find us?” Riley whispered. “We haven’t used our orbs.”
“Good question.” Darius frowned. “Maybe Rhozan doesn’t need an orb signal any more.”
There was an uncomfortable silence as they pondered the implications.
“Why aren’t they following us?” Alec hissed. “It’s obvious where we’ve gone.”
“Hmm, it is, isn’t it?” Darius replied quietly.
“So?”
“Maybe whoever is in the tank can’t think any more.” Darius let that unpleasant idea sink in for a moment.
Riley was leaning against Alec and she felt him shudder. “What?” she asked. “What is it? What’s he thinking of, Dare?”
There was a moment of hesitation before Alec answered for him. “Zombies.”
“Are you kidding me?” Riley rolled her eyes. Of all the stupid ideas.
“Not so stupid,” Darius sighed. “He’s familiar with the kind of games Alec plays, knows what scares him and what doesn’t. He’s toying with us now.”
Riley rounded on Alec. “Are you telling me that Rhozan has read your mind and knows all the games you play? Is that where he’s getting his ideas?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Please tell me you love games with little bunnies and hopscotch. Please.”
She felt his stifled chuckle through his shoulder, which was pressing into hers. “No such luck.”
Riley cursed beneath her breath. She knew damn well what kind of games he played. The same ultra-violent, horror-filled blood fests that all boys his age seemed to be obsessed with. She’d sat next to boys on the bus who ranted and raved over the latest version of Flesh Eating Ninja Warlords from Mars or Ultra Total Mega Battle Destruction IV until they were blue in the face. Alec’s memories coursed across her mind, unbidden. He loved those things. Other than soccer, it was the only time he felt in control. She sighed. “What do we do now?”
“It’s too far to walk to Alec’s and far too dangerous to travel around in the dark. I have no idea what else is out there,” Darius murmured. “I think we’re going to have to stay put for the moment and wait for the sun to come up.”
“Here?” Riley looked around with distaste. Why hadn’t she grabbed a couple of the jackets in their headlong flight for safety?
“’Fraid so. Huddle together and try to keep warm. I’ll stay awake and keep an eye out.”
There was nothing else to do. Little puddles of rainwater dotted the stone-and-tarred roof. There was no shelter, but the enclosed stairwell near the centre provided something to lean against and some protection for their backs. Riley scrunched herself against the rough brickwork and watched, mildly stung, as Alec purposely walked around Darius to sit on his other side. She leaned against the warmth of Darius’ shoulder and closed her eyes.
If Alec was right, Rhozan was using corpses to hunt them. Rhozan might be able to track them without an orb signal, too. Who knew what else this creepy alien would do next? Would this nightmare ever end?
39
Riley did nothing more than doze inter- mittently. It was uncomfortable on the rooftop with the pebbles under her butt digging in every time she moved and a post-rain fog swirling around like a convention of ghosts. The eerie silence didn’t help either. What was going on down on the ground, out of sight? Was an army of mad, obsessed killers amassing right now, just below the ramparts of the building?
Riley shifted position and sighed. In some ways, she just wished tomorrow would never come.
“Can’t sleep?” Darius whispered.
“Too cold,” she lied. The temperature had nothing on her fear.
“Here.” He shifted slightly, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders.
She smiled in the darkness. There was something about him that made her feel special and cared for. And attractive. She gave herself a mental shake. He seemed to make everyone feel that way. She changed the subject before he could pick up on her thoughts. “There are a few things bothering me. Feel like talking?” she whispered, not wanting to wake Alec who had slid down until curled up with his head resting on Darius’ leg.
“Sure. Fire away.”
“There was the guy in the donut shop and the soldiers, but no one else. I mean, this is a city of what, three million? Where is everyone?”
“The ones that are still alive and in this dim
ension are mostly hiding. If you hold your orb and open your mind, you’ll feel them. Just out of sight. Frightened and not knowing what to do.”
“And what about those rip thingies? Like on the houseboat. I haven’t seen any of them. Have they all gone?”
“I wish,” Darius sighed. “I feel about two dozen in this neighbourhood alone. They’re pretty small and hard to see until you’re right up next to one. I haven’t drawn your attention to any because we’ve been far enough away. But it’s a good idea to keep your eyes open. The closer we get to Alec’s apartment, the more there’ll be.”
Riley let this unsettling news sink in. “Well, you know we had that spot of trouble leaving the Base?” she began carefully.
“Hmm hmm.”
“Well, are they coming after us? I mean, could we turn some corner to find a bunch of your Guardian pals standing there, waiting to take us out?”
“Riley, the Tyon Collective doesn’t believe in revenge. It’s not logical. None of them are out there, hunting us down. Were you worried about that?”
“Sort of,” she replied. She hesitated, not really wanting to hear the answer to her next question. “And, will they, you know, be around if we, you know, fail with Rhozan?”
“You mean, come to our rescue?”
“Well, yeah.”
“No.”
The silence after this bombshell stretched for ages, while Riley considered the news. She had figured as much. Rhozan wanted them dead. The Tyon organization wouldn’t bother to save them. And the entire world was falling into disarray.
“I’m not even sure if they’ve left yet,” Darius murmured into her hair.
“Who?”
“The Collective. Regrouping would have finished by now. Logan’s plan was to leave as soon as everyone was at Home Base. They’ve probably left the planet.”
Riley couldn’t help raising her eyes heavenward. Was there a spaceship blasting off right now and circling her world at this very minute? She thought of all the devoted scientists, living their lives in anticipation of extraterrestrial contact, and the irony that aliens had already been here and no one had noticed. It just showed that Fate had a twisted sense of humour.
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