“What do you guys think?” he asks.
“You know what I think,” Heather says. “I think your plan stinks. We should stick together. Even if you aren’t a Starborn, there is strength in numbers.”
“But I can cover you both from the top of this hill.”
“And greyskins will swarm you within minutes,” Danny says. “We can take a lot of them out, but we can’t do anything for you if you’re up here snipi uppens ng. Your gun is loud. Should be a last resort in my opinion.”
Connor accepts the decision with a nod. “Then we go together. If we get split up, meet back at the car. Make sure nothing is following you though. It’s our only way out of here.” He reaches into the back one more time and pulls out three black wristbands. They’re the same kind everyone is forced to wear in Salem. “Put these on,” he says. “If we do get split up, we can use these.”
Heather scowls. “Hate wearing these things. Puts a bad taste in my mouth.”
“I modified them,” Connor says. “No Screven soldier will be tracking you.”
Connor closes the back hatch and sighs, looking at the other two in the eyes. Fear is etched on each of their faces, mixed with a touch of confidence. Holding their silent weapons ready first, they step forward and begin their descent onto the trail leading to the compound.
Watching them, I can’t help but think about the equipment we have in our truck. After being covered in blood and bullet holes…there’s no telling if any of it will work. I feel like we should all be there to help them. I have confidence that they can make it through, but it only takes one scratch. Only one bite.
Edging their way to the front gate of the complex, sweat trickles down their necks as the summer heat bears down on them. The stench of the undead fills their nostrils and I can tell that they are sickened by it.
“Just think,” Danny says. “All of these greyskins were once people like us.”
“No,” Heather says. “Not like us.” She waits for a second. “Maybe Connor. But not us.”
“Thanks,” Connor says, rolling his eyes.
“Don’t worry,” Heather says, “you might get into a sticky enough situation that you’ll discover your own little gift.”
“Let’s hope not,” Connor says. He takes a deep breath. “Quickly and quietly.”
The other two nod and they step into the compound. Immediately the first greyskin sees them but Heather speeds up next to it. With a quick swipe, its head rolls to the ground. Disgustingly enough, it’s still biting, begging for one more bit of flesh. Danny finishes it with a quick slam to the forehead.
Connor is busy with his own pair of greyskins. His hatchet cuts through the temple of the first, but before he can swing into the second, Heather dispatches it to the ground where it stops moving. Connor gives her a slight nod of thanks as each of them moves on to the next one.
Watching from my consciousness, I can’t help but think this is going to take forever. The building Connor is trying to lead them to seems so far away considering the number of greyskins in the area.
Their movements aren’t quiet enough either. Even with a club and silent blades, the commotion of each encounter brings in more greyskins. Like a domino effect, they turn their heads to see what is happening, intensely drawn to the prospect of feeding.
Danny can’t be stopped. He smashes through the skulls of each greyskin, one by one. He hits each with such force that, even with a wooden club, many of them end up headless.
Darkened, congealed blood and brains run down each of their weapons, and soon, all over their hands and arms.
Connor finds himself surrounded by five greyskins moving toward him quickly. The first, he’s able to slice through the front of its skull, but the hatchet sticks into the bone and won’t budge. With little time to try and wedge it out, he’s forced to pull out his pistol. Four shots, four downed greyskins. But the echoes reach every corner of the compound.
Now all of the greyskiof ced to ns know something is happening and they’re ready to eat.
A shotgun blast barrels out into the open air as Danny blows away two that had been behind him. In the same motion he grabs a slab of crumbled wall from one of the buildings and chucks it at a group of six or more greyskins, flattening them to the ground.
Heather speeds past him, slicing away at their enemies, but there are too many now.
“Connor!” Danny yells out. “We’ve got to run!”
Connor doesn’t make him say it twice. He sprints toward Danny. Heather has already made it to high ground on top of one of the shorter buildings, just out of reach of the greyskins.
Connor runs up beside Danny, fully intending to make his own way to the top of the two story structure, but Danny picks him up by the back of his pants and tosses him up. Connor lands hard on the roof next to Heather.
Danny jumps up as high as he can, hitting the side of the building hard. His hands grip the side of a windowsill and he’s able to pull himself up and out of reach of the greyskins. Looking out from the roof, they can see maybe a thousand or more stalking toward them. The number of greyskins seems close to the amount that stormed Salem just days ago.
“Doesn’t look like we’re going to make it to your satellite,” Danny says.
“No,” Heather answers. “I can get to the other side of the compound and make some noise.”
Connor shakes his head. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m not asking you, earthworm. I’m fast enough to move around and cause a ruckus. You should be able to get to your building if their attention is drawn elsewhere.”
“You may be super fast, but it only takes one mistake,” Danny says. “You could run into one of them. You could get scratched. We’ve got to do something else.”
“What do you have, like twenty shells in that thing?” she says glancing at his shotgun. “That’ll help a lot.”
“It’s a good idea,” Connor says.
“See,” Heather says to Danny. “Earthworm agrees with me.”
“Look at the buildings,” Connor says pointing at them. “They’re all connected at the top floor.”
He’s right. At the top floor of each building is what looks to be a glass walkway connecting them. They could get across without ever stepping foot outside.
“If you can cause a distraction,” he continues, “I can get inside the first building and make my way to the last one.”
“How are you going to navigate that?” she asks.
“I’ll be able to see where I am when I get to each bridge.” He looks out for a second, counting something. “There are six buildings between us and the one we need to get to.”
“Don’t you think it should be me going to the seventh building?” she asks.
Connor looks at her and smiles. “It’s not a race there,” he says. “It’s actually all on Danny. I’m not sure either of us can lift the dish effectively. I can probably pick it up, but I won’t be able to move like he can when we finally have it.”
“Another problem,” Danny says. “How are we going to get it back to the truck?”
Connor sighs. “You’re going to have to carry it.”
“You don’t even know what is in those buildings. Could be hundreds of greyskins,” Heather says.
“Probably,” Connor says. “That’s why we’ve got to be quick.”
The three of them sit in silence for a short moment. The grunts and moans of the greyskins belt out below them, but they are harmless from tarmck.”
his position. Most people would feel terrified in this situation, but these three have seen it all. Unfortunately, experience doesn’t keep one from dying. Overconfidence has no place in a world where the dead rule.
“How do you plan to get into building number one?” Heather asks.
“That’s your job,” Connor says. “You get to the other side of the compound and start shooting greyskins in the face. Hopefully, they’ll all turn to you and we can slip in through the back door.”
Heather nods. And wi
thout so much as a blink, she’s gone. Connor looks up in surprise, scanning the horizon for a sight of her. He spots her once he hears the gunshots in the distance.
“Probably should have given her my shotgun,” Danny says.
“No,” Connor replies. “We might need it.”
The two of them hunker down low at the edge of the rooftop, out of sight from the greyskins. They watch as Heather screams, kicks, and shoots through groups of them at a time. All of the greyskins mindlessly turn toward the commotion allowing an opening for Connor and Danny to make their way to the bottom of the other building.
“Good news is we only have to go up one building,” Danny says. “All the bridges are at the top.”
Connor nods in agreement and the two of them walk hunched over and out of view of the greyskins.
“I hope she will be alright over there,” Danny says.
The two of them make it to the back door of building one in a hurry. “If it were me or you over there, we’d be dead in a couple of minutes,” Connor says. “She will be fine. We just need to hurry.”
Connor reaches for the back door handle and tries to open the door but it’s locked tight. He motions for Danny to give it a try.
Danny looks over his shoulder to make sure nothing is lurking behind him. With a squeeze of a handle, he’s able to snap the latch off the door. The sound of breaking metal makes them both wince, but none of the greyskins seem to have heard anything. The door swings open and the two of them walk inside the dark room having no idea what could be ahead of them.
I open my eyes to the sound of my name. I’ve been so engrossed with what was unfolding with the others that I forgot I was even in the truck headed back to Springhill.
“I know a lot has been going on lately, but you must be having these crazy dreams all the time,” Aaron says.
He looks down at my hands clenching the side of the seat. I’ve got to stop reacting to what I see with my mind.
“Sorry,” I say.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he says. “It’s not your fault.”
But it is.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.
“Same old stuff,” I say. “Greyskins are all I dream about these days.”
He nods with a sympathetic smile. “Sometimes you just wish you couldn’t dream at all?”
I nod.
“I get it. I’m with you.”
You have no idea.
Part of me wishes that I could just tell him what was happening. I wish I could tell him that Connor, Danny, and Heather are risking everything at this moment. But I can’t. This ability of mine must stay private, though I can’t be sure Evelyn will keep my secret forever.
Evelyn. The thought of her makes me want to fall asleep again so I can see more of what became of Willow; how Jeremiah continued with his mad plan. Part of me hates the idea of continuing the story, bu thll t I know it’s important. The insight will give me more motivation with the mission we have to carry out.
I look out the back window and see Sadie holding her brother’s head in her arms. Christopher is asleep, which is a nice break from the pain he feels. I can’t imagine having to take my own pain plus the pain of another. His gift is truly unselfish and wasn’t wasted on him. I just hope he makes it through the day before we get him to Springhill. The bleeding may have stopped, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get an infection.
Sadie examines her leg and chest where bullet holes used to be. There isn’t even a mark. The only remnant of her injuries is the blood on her clothes. I remember looking at my leg where I had been cut. After Christopher had healed me, the cut was completely gone. I didn’t even have a scar.
Looking at Sadie, I wonder how and why she had been captured and put into the Vault. Why was Commander Green so interested in her? Why was he threatening her like that? I understand that he was trying to get information, but it sure didn’t seem like he was trying to make allies. It makes me think there is something deeper going on here.
Jeremiah created the greyskins. He’s been searching for Starborns for who knows how many years. I just can’t seem to connect the two together. There clearly is a link as my dream from Evelyn pointed out. Perhaps the next one will provide more insight.
I turn from Sadie and lean my head against the seat. Aaron glances over at me and I shut my eyes. It’s time fore another ‘nap’. This time I will try to keep from gripping the seat so hard.
Connor and Danny are sneaking up the stairs, hatchet and club ready. The inside is dark and neither of them can see much. From the looks of it, they are still in building one, making their way to the top.
“Looks like we got lucky. This place seems empty,” Danny says from behind Connor.
“Never know,” Connor says. “We haven’t made it to the top yet.”
Old blood is smeared across the walls. The only light comes from the occasional hazy window as they pass another landing. When they finally reach the top of the stairs, they come to a door leading to the middle of the building.
“We’ll find the bridge on the other side,” Connor says.
Danny nods, gripping his club a little harder.
Connor reaches for the door handle and takes one last look at Danny before opening it. “You ready? Could be a lot in there.”
“Are you?”
“Of course,” Connor says.
He swings open the door, raising his hatchet to bury it into the first head he sees, but a surprised look spreads across his face when he sees that the room ahead of him is empty. In fact, except for the broken pieces of walls and occasional furniture throughout, the entire top floor is empty.
“Look, the bridge,” Danny says, pointing to the other side where a door hangs open.
“Yes it is,” Connor says to himself as they move forward.
They start jogging to the other side of the building. Danny holds his wristband up to his mouth. “Heather, you still doing okay?”
“You two better at least be in building five by now, or I’m gonna be ticked,” she says.
“Yeah, almost there,” Danny lies.
Connor gives him a sideways glance.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he says.
“Can’t do it too much longer,” she yells through the radio. of e r"2eI’m running out of steam and places to go.”
The two of them make it to the bridge. There is a normal concrete floor below their feet, but the wall and ceiling surrounding them is clear glass. On the other side of the bridge is a door. Looking out to their left, they can see the quick, blurred motions of Heather going back and forth, distracting the disoriented greyskins. She’s right, though. She’s running out of room fast and soon she’ll be backed into a corner that even she can’t run out of.
Connor and Danny sprint for the door on the other side of the bridge and without hesitation, Danny slams the door off its hinges.
Bad idea.
The room in front of them is swarming with rotting greyskins. The new light at the end of the room grabs their attention like a beacon, drawing them to it. The first couple lunge after Connor, but a quick blast from Danny’s shotgun nearly blows them in half.
Five of them run after Danny as he tries to let off another shell, but an aggressive greyskin swats the end of the barrel, perhaps thinking it was Danny’s limb. Danny grabs the greyskin by the neck and throws it into a group that was coming at them.
The two of them are pushed back onto the glass-covered bridge as more greyskins pile in. Danny jumps in front of Connor, swinging his club with a force this world has never seen. Glass shatters as greyskins smash through it to a crushing fall below. At least ten stories in the air, any fall would be fatal, even for a greyskin.
Wind blows hard between the buildings and the unexpected gust nearly knocks Connor over the side.
Danny’s next swing breaks his club in half, sending three greyskins through more glass and over the side. He launches the broken end at another and the wood is imbedded
into its brain.
But the greyskins keep coming. Connor can do nothing but bend down to a knee and shoot with his rifle. The sound of the blasts carries throughout the compound and more greyskins that had been distracted by Heather now make their way back toward building one.
“Danny!” Connor yells out. “Get back to building one. Grab the door!”
Danny complies by running back with Connor, greyskins hot on their trail. Connor is back in building one first, and Danny grabs the door, ripping it from its hinges. With a mighty swing, he takes out the first wave of greyskins, sending them smashing through the glass and to the ground far below.
Danny holds the door in front of him like a shield while Connor peeks around him with his rifle, shooting any greyskin head he can see.
The undead lay motionless all around them and more are coming.
“We can’t keep doing this!” Danny yells out.
“We’ve got no choice,” Connor calls back to him. Just as the words come out of his mouth, he takes aim at another greyskin, but hears a familiar click of a gun trying to fire without ammo. He tosses the gun to the ground and pulls out his hatchet.
Danny shakes his head. “A door and a hatchet, and fifty more of those things coming at us. This isn’t going to work.”
He lifts the metal door above his head and slams it into the concrete floor of the bridge.
“What are you doing?” Connor calls out, but Danny ignores him. Over and over he hits the door into the concrete until the base begins to crumble beneath the spot.
The door snaps in half and Danny sends both pieces sailing into the group of oncoming greyskins. He reaches up, balling his hand into a fist, pounding the crevice until a loud creaking noise sounds across thundnny sends e entire bridge.
Blood trickles from his knuckles, but he hits the concrete again and again. The next slam breaks through into open air below the bridge. He reaches down into the newly made hole and pulls up with both his arms. His face looks as if it might burst as he lifts with all of his might. Steel support bars rip apart as Danny heaves and the bridge begins a slow collapse. With a mighty shove, he throws what pieces are left at the greyskins that seem oblivious to the gaping hole between them and their targets. Danny and Connor both fall to the concrete as the bridge begins to cave inward.
The Starborn Saga (Books 1, 2, & 3) Page 32