by P. T. Hylton
Alex hated the way he sounded. It was such a stark contrast to the confident leader she’d met a couple of years ago. “You still have a place in the world. It involves taking out the cause of this whole mess. Killing Maryana saves the human race. Protecting us has always been your mission, and the mission isn’t over. You’re not finished.”
“Don’t worry, I will fight until I either have revenge on Maryana, or I join my fellow vampires in the true death.”
Alex didn’t know how to react to that. She wasn’t sure how she felt about fighting alongside a guy who seemed to have already accepted his fate. She tried to pay attention to the road, just in case the worst really did happen. The immediate landscape was mostly open plains, but mountains stuck their heads over the horizon to the west, which made it easy to keep track of the direction. Sections of the road were missing, but enough of it remained that it wouldn’t be difficult to follow.
They’d been on the road for about two hours when they came to a collapsed bridge. Jaden slowed the transport and eased it off the road to go around the wreckage. The embankment was steep enough to make Alex grip the armrest tightly as they descended. When they reached the bottom, Alex spotted an old building just off the highway. The glass was gone from the windows, and a dirt hill had formed on one side of the brick structure.
“I wonder what that building was,” she said. “It seems so lonely out here.”
“It was a gas station. They were on every exit so people could refuel their cars.” Jaden drove up the next embankment slowly to get the truck back to the highway. The truck’s large, knobby tires made it with little effort. Jaden got the truck back up to speed and closed his eyes for a moment.
“Hey, keep your eyes on the road!” Alex said, alarmed.
Jaden’s eyes popped open. “We are being followed.”
Alex snapped her head around to see the mirror on the side of the truck. All it showed was empty roads. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I sensed a group of Twisted when we slowed down. They are staying out of sight, but they are tracking us. As soon as I felt their presence, they backed off.”
“How could that be? We left Agartha after New Haven was already gone.”
“They must have come down with the Twisted that we fought. Maryana had a force on the ground keeping tabs on us.”
“Can you tell how many there are?”
“No. More than one, certainly. I don’t feel them anymore.”
Alex thought for a moment. “How far away can you sense? How far back are they?”
“Not far. Less than a mile. They were probably staying farther back and didn’t realize that we slowed down.”
“Not exactly encouraging. How fast can you Twisted run?”
“When I was a vampire, I could keep a pace of about fifty miles per hour all night. I haven’t tested myself since I’ve become Twisted. I’m guessing I could go for a few days, since daylight no longer has an effect.”
“Keep us moving as fast as you can. We’ll need a plan to deal with them, once we arrive.”
Alex turned back to the passenger area. The bed of the truck was long, with benches on both sides for the passengers to sit. Small windows, each three inches high and six inches wide, lined the walls and the back doors. They’d been designed to fire through with as little exposure as possible. The team seemed relaxed when Alex stepped back into their area.
“We have a problem,” she said. “A group of Twisted is following us. I’m not sure why they haven’t attacked yet, but we need to be ready.”
“Man, can’t we even take a drive without something trying to kill us?” Felix sounded genuinely offended that he had to be on guard. “I figured we could relax a little before we had to worry about fighting for our lives.”
“Welcome to the GMT,” Chuck said as he grabbed his rifle and checked the magazine.
Alex turned to Owl. “Since you and Frank can see the farthest, I want you two scanning the area behind and around the transport. Everyone else, make sure your weapons are locked and loaded. We are going to keep moving as fast as we can, so the ride might get even tougher.”
“What’s the ETA to our target?” Ed asked.
“We should be there in less than two hours. That’s assuming there are no major obstacles along the way.”
The team grabbed their weapons. Alex went back to the cab. She and Jaden sat in silence as the transport headed north. For the next hour, the road was smooth enough to keep a good pace. Then Alex saw the remains of a town on the horizon. There were no skyscrapers, just small homes and remains of old commercial warehouses.
Jaden glanced over at her. “This is where we will turn east. The road is called I-80, if any signs remain.”
The road did intersect another major highway a few minutes later. Alex couldn’t make out the letters on the old faded signs, but she had no doubt that this was I-80.
Shortly after turning onto the new road, they reached the top of a small hill, and Alex spotted a barricade up ahead. An overpass lay crumbled, its debris blocking the road. Two rusted tanks sat near the wreckage. Some sort of battle had gone down here a long time ago.
“Any chance we can drive over that?” Alex asked.
“No,” Jaden said. “We’ll have to find another way around. I’ll try to take us through the neighborhoods to the north, but we will have to go slowly. The Twisted might take the opportunity to attack.”
“Keep us moving as fast as you can. I’ll be right back.” She went to the back of the truck and addressed the team. “We have to leave the main road. Jaden’s going to maneuver us through some side streets, but we will be moving slow. Owl and Frank, I want you running alongside us on foot. Be ready to engage. You should have no problem keeping up with us. Everyone else, cover them and stay sharp.”
“What kind of gun should I use?” Frank asked.
“Take your side arm and a sword. You’re going to be on the move, so if you get in a fight, it will likely end in close combat. We will cover you with long range shots. If they get too close, you go to work.” Alex handed Frank an extra clip as she spoke. “Use your strength and speed and try to keep your head on top of your body.”
The cargo area bucked as the truck drove off of the highway and over the curbs. The vehicle slowed as it entered the residential area.
Alex looked at the two Twisted. “That’s our sign. Let’s move.”
Owl and Frank went out the back. Ed and Chuck opened the side window slats and stuck the muzzles of their rifles through. Felix did the same at one of the back windows. Alex joined Jaden in the cab.
The small streets were filled with obstacles. Trees had grown through where the pavement had cracked, and the remains of cars lined the roads. On either side of them, Alex saw homes that had been torn apart by decades of storms.
Jaden eased the large transport through the streets. He slowed to a crawl as he used the front of the truck to push aside the husk of a car. “They are close. I can feel them.”
Alex yelled back, “Look alive! They are close.”
She scanned the roof tops of the remaining homes and check the gaps between the houses. Her finger hovered on the side of the trigger guards, ready to spring into action. She saw Frank on her side of the truck. He had his pistol in hand and moved from one piece of cover to the next. She checked the mirror on Jaden’s side and saw Owl moving in the same manner, using the surroundings to hide from potential snipers.
Alex knew how fast the Twisted could move, and that the ambush might come from any direction. “You boys see anything yet?”
“Nothing so far,” Ed’s voice boomed from the back.
The truck continued lurching forward as the wheels crushed an old mailbox. Jaden glanced out his side window. “I’m going right, to get us back to the main road.”
The truck turned sharply, throwing the occupants in the back off balance. Felix held onto the side and kept his eyes focused out the small window. “I saw one!” he shouted. “Straight back, on a rooftop!”
“Take him out!” Ed yelled.
“He was only there for a second. I didn’t have a chance.”
Alex glanced out the windows, checking that Owl and Frank were still by their side.
Jaden maneuvered around another car and angled for a path to the highway. “Hold on.” He gave the transport some gas, and it rumbled over a fallen motorcycle. He kept his foot on the gas, picking up speed, and plowed through a guard rail and back onto the highway.
Owl and Frank started to run, keeping pace with the transport while continuously looking back for enemy snipers. Once the transport was up to full speed, Alex signaled Felix to open the rear door. As soon as he did, Owl and Frank jumped in and slammed the door behind them. Felix let out a breath and slid the back window shut.
“Why didn’t they attack?” Chuck asked.
“I think they want to see where we’re headed.” Alex answered. “I doubt things will go quite so smooth when we arrive.”
10
“That’s it, up ahead,” Jaden said.
Alex squinted toward the handful of squat, concrete buildings just north of them. “I thought it would be bigger.”
“Most of it is underground.” Jaden turned to Ed. “Ready to do this?”
Ed nodded, but there was a look of hesitation in his eyes. “You’re sure it’s in there?”
“I’m sure it was there a hundred and fifty years ago. I remember the layout. I’ll get us in and out, if Alex can keep Maryana’s Twisted off our backs.”
“I’ll do my best.” Alex turn to Chuck, who was now driving the vehicle. “Don’t slow down too much when you get to the buildings. We don’t want to tip our hand.”
“In fact, don’t slow down at all,” Jaden said. “Ed and I will hop out.”
Ed raised an eyebrow. “Um, speak for yourself. It takes me more than twenty minutes to heal from a broken bone.” He lifted his right arm, showing off the cast that still encased his forearm. “You sure you don’t want someone less gimpy as your wingman?”
Jaden slapped him on the back. “I’ll get you there safely.” He hurried to the back doors of the transport and rested a hand on the handle. Ed reluctantly followed.
“We’ll swing around and pick you up in ten minutes,” Alex said.
“Roger that.” Jaden stared out the window, watching intently, waiting for his moment.
As they passed the concrete buildings, he threw open the doors with one hand and grabbed Ed with the other, pulling him close. Then he leaped out of the transport.
Alex watched as Jaden landed on the road behind them, his legs in motion even before they touched the pavement. He hit the ground running, carrying Ed. After slowing, he set Ed down, and the two of them ran toward the buildings. Within a few moments, they’d disappeared through a busted doorway in the farthest building.
True to his word, Chuck kept the transport moving at full speed the entire time. As soon as Jaden and Ed were clear, Felix and Owl pulled the doors shut. As they sped away, Alex felt her gaze drawn to the concrete buildings. It was incredible to think that a weapon capable of so much death and destruction lay buried beneath the unassuming exterior. And, if everything went according to plan, it was a weapon that would help them take down Maryana.
There was a certain poetry to using this particular weapon. Jaden had told Alex the story of this place not long ago. A nuclear silo that Jaden and his vampires had spent the entire night preparing to defend. Instead of going for the weapon, Maryana had killed an entire town just to mess with him. Now, assuming that the weapon was still there, they’d use it against her.
“How we doing?” Alex asked, after they’d been driving away from the silo for nearly two minutes.
Owl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a silent moment, she opened them and looked at Alex. “It didn’t work. The Twisted… I can still feel them, but they’re getting further away.”
“Damn it,” Alex muttered. The plan had been to lure the Twisted away from the nuclear silo so that Jaden and Ed could retrieve their target in peace, but the Twisted hadn’t taken the bait. “Chuck, turn around. We’re going back.”
Frank sighed. “We’re going to have to fight them, aren’t we?”
Owl shook her head. “Frank, my man, you’re one weird vampire.”
“Typical Cardinals fan,” Felix said with a grin.
Chuck pulled a sharp U-turn, and the weight of the truck shifted dangerously in response. Thankfully, all four wheels stayed connected to the asphalt.
“I can feel them more strongly now,” Owl said when they got a bit closer to the silo.
“Any idea how many?” Alex asked.
Owl closed her eyes again, but quickly shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not that good at this yet. I have a tough time distinguishing a group, let alone a specific number.”
“Eh, who needs to know the number of enemies they’re about to fight?” Chuck said. “Kills the suspense, you know?”
When they were a quarter mile from the silo, Frank pointed down the road. “There! Five of them, headed for the buildings.”
Alex squinted and could almost make out the forms. “Let’s stop them before they get there. Chuck?”
“On it!” He stepped on the gas and the transport lurched forward at top speed, racing down the uneven road.
Despite their speed, four of the Twisted turned off the road and headed for the building before the transport reached them. The fifth crouched down, preparing to jump at the vehicle. But Chuck had other plans. As he reached the Twisted, he swerved toward him. The creature leaped, but the right side of the front bumper caught him in midair, slamming into him.
The Twisted let out a shout of pain and surprise as he careened backward, and he hit the concrete wall of the nearest building hard. Alex could hear the sound of bones snapping even over the rumble of the transport’s engine. The creature fell to the ground and immediately tried to stand, though its broken legs were making that no easy task.
“I got this one.” Felix threw the door open and leaned out, his rifle at the ready. He fired three shots into the Twisted’s heart, then climbed back inside.
Chuck hadn’t stopped the transport, he’d just turned it, going up what must once have been the silo’s wide driveway. Up ahead, the other four Twisted were charging toward the busted doorway where Jaden and Ed had entered the farthest building.
Alex glanced back at the fallen Twisted. Something about the creature looked off, and it took her a moment to identify what was bothering her about him. Then she saw it. He was wearing a mask with eye holes. It made no sense. Why would the Twisted be wearing masks?
She didn’t have long to consider that. The four Twisted had reached the doorway, but they’d stopped, and were clawing at something. Apparently, Jaden and Ed had set up some kind of barrier.
Owl spun toward Frank. “We have to get out there.” She didn’t wait for a response before jumping out of the transport’s still-open back doors and racing toward the enemies.
Frank, on the other hand, hesitated.
“What are you doing?” Chuck shouted. “Don’t leave Owl to fight those guys four on one!”
Alex reached back and grabbed his arm. “Listen to me, I know fighting isn’t your favorite thing, but you can do this. You might not be a fighter, but you know what it means to be Feral, more than anyone. Part of that Feral is still inside you. You have to let it out.”
Frank looked at her blankly for a moment, and she thought she hadn’t gotten through to him. But something sparked in his eyes and he nodded, turned, and jumped out of the transport.
Up ahead, Owl had already reached the Twisted, catching them unaware as they focused on the door. She slammed into one of them, knocking him away from the others. The two of them tumbled to the ground and into the nearby brush. Alex caught a glimpse of the Twisted’s face as he fell, and this one was wearing a mask, too.
Frank let out a fierce shout, drawing his sword as he ran. The Twisted were ready now, and one turned to m
eet him. Frank jammed the tip of his sword into the creature’s neck and, instead of removing the head as Jaden would have, he yanked the blade downward vertically, cutting through muscle, bone, and organs in one long slice until he reached the heart.
“Guess you got through to Frank,” Chuck said.
“Bring us around so we can shoot those other two,” Alex replied, her eyes fixed on her targets.
“Mind if I try something else?” Chuck asked.
“Go for it.”
Chuck stomped on the gas pedal again, sending them speeding toward the doorway. At the last moment, he slammed on the brakes. One of the remaining Twisted leaped out of the way, but the other still had his focus on the metal barricade and failed to react in time. The full weight of the transport hit him in the midsection, pinning him against the concrete wall. Black blood oozed from his mouth, but he wasn’t dead yet. He glared through the windshield at Chuck, his furious eyes all that could be seen of his masked face. He put both hands against the transport and pushed with all his might.
The transport began to slide backward, but Alex was already leaning out the passenger window, taking aim with her pistol. She put a bullet between his eyes, and he went down.
Felix aimed at the last Twisted, but just before he fired, Owl leaped out of the brush behind him, put her pistol to his head, and pulled the trigger.
Alex turned back to the doorway and saw bent and dented metal still covering it. The Twisted had come close to breaking through but hadn’t succeeded. She turned back to the dead Twisted on the ground. “I don’t understand. Why would Maryana have them wear masks? Wouldn’t she want us to see who we’re killing? It makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Felix growled, anger in his voice. “We know these are New Haven citizens. If they’re masked, they could be anyone. Each time we pull a trigger, she wants us wondering if we’re killing our friends, our lovers, even our own mothers.”
Owl closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up at Alex sharply. “We’ve got more incoming. Like I said, I’m bad with numbers, but… it’s a lot more than five.”