by P. T. Hylton
Ed heard explosions of gunfire and knew that was where he needed to be. He pushed through the troops and saw Maryana and her soldiers forming a wedge and firing into the troops around them. Bullets sprayed into the tightly packed humans. The soldiers who had guns fired back at the Twisted. They were not efficient with their shots, but the volume was high enough that Maryana’s troops were dropping. Ed aimed at a Twisted standing over a pile of bodies. He put two quick rounds into the monster’s chest.
As Ed advanced, two bodies rose from the pile of bodies. They wore Agartha uniforms, but they were Twisted. He saw a flash of a familiar monster through the chaos. Maryana sprinted from soldier to soldier, biting them and then tossing them aside. She was turning more into Twisted as fast as she could.
The two newly-made Twisted rushed the soldiers around them and attacked. Ed pushed forward and shot each of them as he tried to reach Maryana. She was pushing through the line toward the back. Soon, she would be behind them with a clear path to escape.
Ed spoke into his radio. “Maryana is almost through the back line on my side of the canyon.”
“We’re almost there,” Alex responded.
Then Ed saw Maryana jump through the air toward the forest behind the lines. He raised his rifle so fast that he thought the muscles in his arms might tear. While he was taking aim, Owl jumped after Maryana. She held Alex in her arms and the two chased after her. Ed fired at Maryana, and his round hit her in the side, causing her to spin in the air. He lost sight of her as he was knocked off his feet by one of her Twisted.
He crashed to the ground and rolled, trying to raise his weapon to defend himself. He cried out as pain shot through his left arm. He glanced down and saw that it was bent at an odd angle. Another broken arm. But that was about to be the least of his worries. The Twisted who’d knocked him down pulled back his clawed hand and focused on Ed’s throat. Ed looked his killer in the eyes and thought of Patrick.
Instead of striking, the Twisted dropped to the ground, his hands over his eyes.
“The sonic generators are on!” Brian shouted through the radio. “You have fifteen seconds!”
Ed grabbed his pistol from his right hip and put a bullet into the Twisted’s skull. He stood; his left arm dangled limply at his side. He started to move in the direction where Maryana had disappeared.
Alex and Owl made their way across the battlefield with only one objective—to find and kill Maryana. They raced down the middle of the canyon, killing injured Twisted as they went. They’d almost reached Maryana when she suddenly shot into the air, leaping over the last of her Twisted. Owl didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Alex around the waist and jumped after Maryana.
Alex held onto Owl with her left arm and kept her pistol in her right, ready to take a shot at the first opportunity. As Maryana flew through the air, a bullet struck her. She spun wildly and landed hard on the forest floor.
Owl and Alex landed thirty yards away from her. The forest was thick with pine trees and brush. Alex turned to Owl. “Don’t wait for me! Go!”
Owl took off at full speed. She’d crossed half the distance to Maryana when she tumbled to the ground.
Alex could still see her when she fell. Brian’s voice came through her radio “The sonic generators are on! You have fifteen seconds!”
Now, Alex sprinted through the woods. Though she couldn’t see Maryana, she knew she’d be lying on the ground, but she wouldn’t be there for long. Alex charged past Owl, who was slowly picking herself off the ground. Then, just ahead, Alex saw the blood. There were splashes of it in the pine needles were Maryana had landed. The spray was thick enough that Alex could move quickly while tracking it. She knew that she didn’t have much time.
Alex ran through the brush and into a clearing in the pines. Small brush grew out of the rocky ground, and the area was bathed in warm sunlight. In the middle of the clearing, Maryana was pushing herself to a standing position. Blood trickled down her side and her face was scrunched in a painful expression.
Alex fired with one hand as she pulled the sword off her back with the other. The report of her pistol broke the momentary silence of the forest. Maryana reacted quickly, diving forward onto the rocky ground. Alex put four rounds in her, but she couldn’t tell whether she’d hit the heart. She got her answer a moment later as Maryana sprang toward her, a blade in each hand.
Alex immediately recognized the ancient blades, even as they hummed through the air. If she hadn’t anticipated the attack, they would have sliced her in half. Time slowed for Alex as she dodged and swung her own blade toward Maryana’s neck. Hope sparked in her as the sword neared its mark, but Maryana countered, parrying the strike with inhuman speed. The blades collided an inch from Maryana’s neck, sending a flash of sparks into the air.
Somehow, Alex’s blade kept moving. For a moment, she thought she’d landed the blow, but then she saw that her blade had been cut in two. All that remained of her sword was the hilt and six inches of protruding steel.
Maryana grinned as she spun toward Alex, both her blades in motion. Alex had seen Jaden perform this move a dozen times, and that was the only thing that saved her. She dropped to one knee, avoiding the first blade by centimeters. The blade whizzed over her head, slicing through her hair rather than her skull. She twisted her body to the left as the other blade sliced past her shoulder. She brought up her pistol and fired off rounds as quickly as she could. The bullets tore into Maryana’s wrist and thumb. The combination of the power and the proximity to the weapon tore her hand to shreds. The sword and the hand flew past Alex and clattered to the rocky ground.
To her credit, Maryana was a true warrior, and the destruction of her hand barely slowed her attack. She spun, landing a kick to Alex’s ribs before Alex could fire again. Alex flew backward and landed on her side, sending pain shooting through her cracked ribs.
Maryana stood up, looking at the stub where her hand had been a minute before. “You stupid little bitch. You just couldn’t go down easy, could you?” She stepped closer to Alex. “You want to make things difficult? Fine. You’re going to be the new leader of my army. You are going to rip your friends’ throats out, and then you’re going to spend the next thousand years bowing to my every whim.”
Alex tried to draw a breath and shuddered in pain. She pushed herself onto her hands and knees. A small cough escaped and blood splashed the leaves below her. The sunlight flashed off a piece of steel three feet to her right.
She stood up, drawing in a painful breath. She swayed on her feet and raised her fists. Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. “The only thing I’m going to do is kick your ass.”
Maryana let out a yell and charged, but Alex was already in motion. She pushed the raging pain away as she dove toward Jaden’s sword. She hit the ground and rolled, snatching up the weapon. The sharp rocks cut into her shoulder as her broken ribs dug into her lungs. The pain was so sharp that it severed all thought from her mind. She found her feet just as Maryana reached her. Alex thrust the sword upward as Maryana slammed into her, and the steel rammed through Maryana’s sternum and into her heart.
The two entangled bodies flew backward, slamming into a pine tree. Stars filled Alex’s vision as the back of her head bounced off the tree trunk. She felt blood trickle down her neck. She used the last of her strength to push Maryana off of her. Through the pain, Alex smiled as Maryana’s body fell limp and lifeless to the ground. Darkness filled her vision and her last thought was that the war was over.
39
The transport vehicle was five miles outside New Haven when the rain started to fall. It began as a light mist but quickly transformed into heavy drops that splattered against the windshield like tiny explosions.
“Can you see okay?” Alex asked. “If we all died in a car crash a week after taking out Maryana, it would be a very bad look.”
Owl shook her head sadly. “After all the stuff I’ve piloted us through, you think I’m going to crash going forty-five miles an hour on some old
road?”
“You did get us shot down that one time,” Alex pointed out, “so there is some precedent.”
Alex glanced toward the back of the transport just in time to see Ed elbow Brian.
“You gonna be okay, buddy?” he asked. “Cause if you want to cry or something, go right ahead. I’ll make fun of you for the next decade, but go right ahead.”
Brian looked up slowly as if he was waking from a dream. “What? No, I’m fine. Totally fine. Stephanie’s going to be coming to New Haven in a week with a supply shipment. I can make it until then.”
Frank shook his head and chuckled. “Love is one hell of a drug.”
Alex laughed. Though she’d spent much of the time since the battle with Maryana in and out of various states of consciousness and in large amounts of pain, one of the bright spots had been Brian and Stephanie. The two were madly in love, and they weren’t afraid to show it.
“Hey,” Owl said, suddenly perking up. “That’s it, Alex. Maybe you’ll finally have time to date now. I mean, there hasn’t been anyone serious since Simmons, right?”
Alex frowned at that. Ever since she’d woken up to the new status quo, people had been speculating about what she should do next. Now that there weren’t vampires to fight, everyone seemed to assume she’d be having some existential crisis about what to do with her life. Mostly, she just wanted to rest and heal. And, with the way eighty percent of her body was covered with cuts and bruises, dating was the furthest thing from her mind. “Yeah, well, Simmons is a tough act to follow.”
“That he is.” Owl paused. “Can I tell you something? I sorta dated him for a bit. Before you joined the team.”
Alex’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “And you never thought to mention it?”
“It was, like, two weeks! And it never went anywhere.” She paused again. “I mean, it definitely went somewhere, but it was never serious. You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I’d love it if we could stop talking about this. “
They rounded a curve and New Haven came into sight. Alex didn’t know if she’d ever get used to seeing it like this, resting on the ground. But she supposed this would be the way it would look forever now. There was no reason to try to get it into the air again.
As they got a bit closer, Alex spotted something else. She turned and glared at Brian. “You radioed ahead, didn’t you?”
Brian shrugged sheepishly.
“I told you—”
“I know! I know!” he said. “It’s just… I thought the people deserved the chance to give you a proper welcome.”
Alex sighed. “I wish you guys would have left me in my hospital bed and come back by yourselves.”
Ed crouched down between the two front seats and grinned. “What? And have you miss out on all this?”
The people of New Haven stood gathered in front of the city. Thousands and thousands of them. And though the rain poured down on their heads, there was a smile on every face. They cheered with glee as the transport pulled to a stop at the edge of the crowd.
“Toughest part of the job,” Ed said with mock discomfort. “These hero’s welcomes are not for the faint of heart.” He hopped out of the back of the van, his arms raised in victory as he took in the shouts of excitement. Frank followed him out, as did Brian.
Alex put her hand on the door handle, but she stopped when Owl spoke.
“I wish they were here with us to see this,” Owl said. She didn’t say who she meant, but she didn’t need to. They’d lost so many in the war that had led up to this moment.
“Me, too. But if they were here, it might not have happened. New Haven is sitting on the surface, completely safe, and without their sacrifices, who knows if that would be the case?”
Owl turned and looked her in the eyes. “Alex, we need to talk.”
Alex felt her heart sinking; she knew what Owl wanted to discuss. “We will. But later. I don’t think the thousands of people out there would appreciate us sitting here having a heart-to-heart while they wait in the rain.”
Owl looked almost relieved. “Okay. Later, then.”
Together, the two women opened their doors and stepped out into the rain. Alex steadied herself against the truck, doing her best to hide her new-found limp.
At the sight of them, the crowd roared, and even though Alex had expected it, based on the reaction to the others, it still nearly unmoored her. These were the people for whom she’d fought so hard for so long. They’d been through so much, and now their lives were changed forever. They walked the Earth, just as their ancestors had. Rather than being cramped in tiny living quarters on a ship, they were free to live where they wanted. They could chart their own destinies. Seeing all of them gathered like this and imagining that every face she saw represented a life of limitless possibility was almost too much to bear. Tears sprang to Alex’s eyes. She threw a fist into the air, acknowledging their shouts and cheers.
Jessica stepped out of the crowd, her arms crossed and a smile on her face. “Welcome back, strangers. “
Alex wiped her eyes and met her friend’s smile with one of her own. “Thank you, Councilwoman.”
“It’s Acting Councilwoman,” Jessica corrected.
“Sure it is.” Alex knew that it would be very difficult indeed for Jessica to step down from leadership now.
After she’d helped the people take out Maryana’s Twisted, Jessica had immediately gone to work, enlisting volunteers and doing the tasks Maryana should have been doing from the moment the city-ship landed. Within a few days, she’d restored power and had begun plans to construct some farms near the city. It was hardly surprising that the people had asked her to temporarily lead the new City Council until elections could be held.
Alex swallowed hard and felt her tears returning as she looked into Jessica’s eyes. “I’m so sorry about CB.”
Jessica nodded, her expression of understanding saying more than words ever could. She squeezed Alex’s arm. “Me too. I’m sorry you had to be the one to do it. But thank you.”
Alex blinked and tears ran down her cheeks. She suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I have a gift.” She drew the sword strapped to her back.
Jessica looked confused. “A sword… thanks, I think. Unless you’re planning on stabbing me with it.”
Alex held the sword out, laid across her hands. “It’s for New Haven. The sword was Jaden’s. I left the other one in Agartha. They’re going to hang it over the main entrance. Sort of a reminder of the price they paid to protect their city. I thought maybe we could do the same.”
Reaching out, Jessica carefully took the sword. “We will. It’s an honor.” She turned to the rest of the GMT. “What do you say we get out of the rain?”
With that, they entered New Haven. They were home.
Alex pulled herself forward with her arms, lungs burning as they begged for oxygen. Her legs scissored, driving her upward. She broke the surface of the water and drew a sweet breath as the sun hit her eyes.
It took her a moment to notice the woman standing on the lake’s shore. Alex paddled leisurely toward her. When she finally exited the water, she glared at the woman. “You know, one thing I like about living on the ground? When I get sick of all the people, I can just leave for a while. I came out here to be alone.”
Jessica cocked a thumb toward the rover parked nearby. “Then you shouldn’t have taken a vehicle with a tracking device.”
Alex sat down in the grass, letting the water roll off her skin, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her face. Ever since she was a little girl, she’d dreamed of swimming. For the past three weeks, she’d done it nearly every day in this lake, ten miles outside New Haven. “So, what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until I got back?”
Jessica sat down beside her. “Honestly, I kind of needed a break, too. This job never ends.” She paused and looked at Alex. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do next?”
Alex laughed. “You know, people keep asking me that.�
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“Well, you are kind of a celebrity.”
“The other thing I’ve noticed,” Alex continued, “is that people who ask that question always have an idea of what they think I should be doing. I take it this is no exception?”
Jessica shrugged. “There has been some talk on the Council.”
Alex groaned. “Okay, tell me.”
“A lot of the people who have left the city in the past couple weeks are heading east to a valley twenty miles from New Haven. Based on our tests, it’s going to be great for farming. People are setting up out there, trying to build homes, making a life away from New Haven. They’re even starting a little centralized settlement to take care of some of the logistics.”
“A new city,” Alex said, a little surprised. She’d assumed it would happen eventually, but not this quickly. “Let me guess, they want to call it something cheesy like CB Town.”
Jessica grinned. “The name Brickman Station has been thrown around.”
Alex groaned. “Ugh, that’s the last thing he would have wanted.”
“It’s more for them than for him,” Jessica said. “If they want to remember him, I’m not going to stop him.”
Alex picked up a rock and inspected it for a moment before skipping it across the water. “So, what’s this new settlement have to do with me?”
“Well,” Jessica said, “the Council was thinking you might want to lead it.”
Alex just stared out at the water for a long moment. “Huh.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Any thoughts?”
“CB suggested I should get into politics. I’ve been trying to ignore that memory, but maybe he was right. I’ve had enough adventures to last a lifetime. Maybe it’s time to serve in a different way.”
Jessica shrugged. “Sure, if that’s what you want.”
Alex tilted her head, surprised at the response. “Well that’s why you’re here, right? To convince me to run this new settlement?”