Dire Symbiosis

by William Seagroves

  On the ride to the alley, Alex told Marla about the newscast. “The stakes have just gotten raised. There’s an all points out on me. We don’t have much time.”

  “Let’s call the Captain, I can buy us some more time,” Marla said.

  “And tell him what? Hey captain, I’m okay, and oh by the way we’re searching for a pack of mythical beasts created by the government and accidentally unleashed on the world. Harden became one so I had to put him down.”

  “You’re being pessimistic?” Marla said, shocked. “Just let me talk to Greaves, I can make him understand. We could use his help anyway.”

  Alex looked over to Marla. “Listen, I’m a suspect in the murder of a Homicide detective, if I go in now they’ll lock me up. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to spend the next twenty-four hours being interrogated.” Over his shoulder, he said, “How much further, Carl?”

  “Two blocks.”

  Marla never thought Alex could be so shaken, but he was clearly coming apart. She knew she’d have to keep an eye on him.

  A few minutes later Alex pulled the car down the alley, stopping right in front of the rusty door. “This it?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Carl replied. “That’s my crate over there.”

  Alex did not bother looking over to the box, it was of no interest to him. He jumped out of the car and rushed down the stairs to Silverman’s secret lair, with Marla close behind. He pulled up when he saw the remains of the door, then cautiously went through. Marla was out of breath when she reached him. “Alex, what the hell’s gotten into to you?”

  Alex was breathing heavily, the events of the last twelve hours taking its toll on him. He had never used his powers so much. He felt the beast within him pressing its will. Apparently the treaty between them was more unstable than he thought. He felt a burning desire to kill. Fighting the urge, he moved through the door in the back of the small chamber, closing and locking it behind him.

  He looked at his reflection in the mirror, his usually handsome visage was haggard and sallow. He noticed the dim glow in his eyes and fought desperately to remain in control. A five o’clock shadow covered his face, even though he had shaved two hours ago.

  He vaguely heard someone beating on the door, then realized it was Marla. “Alex! Alex, are you all right? Open the door.”

  Yes, open the door and kill her, the voice came. When Alex looked back into the mirror, the face was not his own, but a hideous creature. A long snout ended in dagger-like teeth and two glowing orbs burned him with their gaze. The shaggy face looked at him with loathing and contempt. Alex looked away and turned the water on, I am Alex Thorpe, I am Alex Thorpe, I am Alex Thorpe, he repeated over and over in his mind, trying to anchor himself to reality.

  After splashing water on his face he looked once more at the mirror and saw that his own face had returned. When he finally felt that he had regained control, he opened the door.

  Marla crashed into him as he turned the doorknob, knocking him against the back wall. “What were you doing in here?” she asked, getting up.

  “I felt sick, I needed to throw up. I didn’t want you to see.”

  “Really, then why were you saying your name over and over?” she said suspiciously.

  “Was I, I don’t remember that,” he lied.

  “Well, anyway this looks like another dead end. Nothing important lying around.”

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  Marla knew something was wrong then, Alex had agreed too quickly with her. Was he still hiding something from her?

  On their way out, they noticed the large pile of ash on the floor and the blast mark on the wall. Inside the sooty mark was the outline of a wolf creature. In the poor light it had the look of an ancient cave painting. Alex glanced at Marla. “Silverman got one.”

  “How?” she asked.

  “The text.”

  When they returned to the alley, Quong was explaining to Carl the importance of bathing regularly. Carl listened patiently, but upon seeing Alex return he immediately forgot about the Asian and held his hand out. “Was I right, monsters?”

  Alex fished a fifty out of his pocket and handed it to Carl. “You were right, thanks.”

  Quong looked at Carl. “Use some of the money to get yourself cleaned up.”

  “Will do, Kong.”

  “Quong.”

  “Oh, right, Quong.”

  Carl waved as the car backed out of the alley. He thought about all the things he was going to do with his newly acquired wealth, clothes, a bath, or maybe a haircut. Then headed down the street toward an all-night liquor store.

  Alex pulled the car onto the freeway, heading toward the river mill once more. None of the vehicle’s occupants spoke, each sitting silently wondering what awaited them at their destination.

  Alex guided the vehicle onto the ramp, turning left on 50th Avenue, then left again on Old river road. The streets were deserted, only a few cars still on the road at that hour. Alex increased his speed as they drew closer to the Mill, a sense of urgency overtaking him. He passed a billboard stating how cool it would be to smoke with Joe Camel, not noticing the police cruiser sitting behind it.

  Inside the cruiser, Officer Dan Wakowski sipped his lukewarm coffee, his partner Ron Davidson snoring loudly in the passenger seat. As the black Mercedes blew past the billboard, Dan glanced at the radar, fifty-five in a thirty-five mile an hour zone, good ticket. But Dan let him go, he was too tired to chase a speeder tonight. Then the dispatcher came over the radio: “All units, be advised, murder suspect Alex Thorpe last seen in the vicinity of Old River Road, heading East in black Mercedes.”

  Dan tossed his coffee cup out of the window and shook Ron. “Wake up, partner, we got a killer to catch.” Grabbing the microphone, Dan said, “This is unit 302, we are in pursuit of black Mercedes, heading east on route 43.”

  The dispatcher returned: “Roger 302. Use extreme caution. Suspect is considered armed and dangerous.”

  The cruiser’s engine roared as Dan floored the accelerator.

  “Hit the lights, Ron,” he said.

  When Alex saw the lights racing up from behind he checked his speed. “Shit!”

  “What is it?” Marla said, turning to look behind them.

  “We’ve got company,” Alex said as the cruiser closed.

  “You’ve got to pull over,” she said.

  “Not a chance,” Alex said, stepping down on the accelerator and veering hard into a sharp turn. The rear wheels of the Mercedes skipped over the pavement and the right quarter panel grazed the stop sign at the corner, the ear splitting sound of metal causing Alex’s teeth to rattle. He glanced in his rearview mirror and saw the police car slide sideways through the turn, right itself and continue the pursuit. He slammed his foot into the accelerator.

  “Are you crazy? You can’t outrun the cops, they’ll just call more in,” Marla pleaded.

  “I’m sure as hell going to try.”

  The cruiser soon overtook the speeding car and pulled along side. Ron came over the loudspeaker. “You in the vehicle, pull over.”

  Alex swerved over into the other lane, barely missing the police car. “You’ve got to stop this,” Marla yelled.

  “I’m warning you, we’ll be forced to open fire,” the cop said.

  Alex swerved again, this time hitting the front end of the cruiser. The larger vehicle shook the attack and pulled even with the Mercedes.

  Officer Davidson unhooked the riot shotgun from its mount and pulled the slide back, chambering a round. He glanced at his partner, who said, “Blow the tires out.”

  “This is your final warning. Pull over now and no one gets hurt.” In answer, the Mercedes swerved hard into the other lane, barely missing the Chevy.

  “You were warned,” the cop said, rolling his window down and sticking the barrel of the shotgun out.

  “Holy shit, he’s going to shoot,” Marla said.

  Alex glanced over and saw the cop hanging out the window sighting in on the tires. He
zeroed in on the cop’s trigger finger, watching for the slightest movement. There it was, almost. Now! The instant Davidson fired, Alex slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching in protest as they tried to grab hold of the pavement. Sparks lit up the pavement where the car was supposed to be.

  The cruiser kept going.

  Dan, watching the action, instead of the road, did not see the dirt embankment directly in front of the car, until it was too late. He hit the brakes halfway up the grade, but the car still went airborne, landing in a ditch thirty feet away. Dan and Ron yelled as the car flew through the air. “Shit!”

  Alex watched the police car land, then put the Mercedes in reverse and turned around, heading back to Old River Road.

  Marla watched as the two policemen got out of the vehicle and sighed heavily. “You could have gotten us killed,” she said, looking at Alex.

  “We’re still in one piece,” Alex said boldly.

  Marla suddenly came to a realization. “Oh God, I’m a fugitive. I’m a goddamn fugitive!”

  “Calm down, this is almost over. How far to the mill?”

  Marla glared at Alex, then snatched up the map and looked it over. “Two miles, on the right.”

  The companions reached the mill without further incident; Alex parked the car two hundred yards from the facility. They exited the vehicle and moved to a drainage ditch in front of the facility.

  The three comrades crouched down in the ditch near the security fence. Alex surveyed the grounds; all was silent. He unzipped the duffel bag and rummaged through it, until he found the item he was looking for. He produced a glimmering, long sleeved shirt and threw it to Marla. “Here, put this on.”

  “What’s this?” she said, looking at the shiny garment.

  “Woven silver. It will provide some protection, you don’t want to get bitten by one of them and end up like Harden,” he said.

  Marla took her shirt off and put the garment on. As she did, Alex’s gaze wandered down to her breasts. Marla looked up and caught him. “What are you looking at?”

  “Nothing,” he said, averting his eyes.

  Marla smiled slightly.

  As they moved toward the perimeter fence, keeping low to the ground, Alex recognized a familiar smell, Silverman. “They’re here,” he said.

  Marla stared at him, “How do you know?”

  “Trust me,” he replied, moving toward the fence.

  When they reached the fence, Alex pulled a pair of wire cutters from his bag and started clipping a hole in the barrier, while the others kept a watch. Marla caught movement out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to get a better look, nothing was there.

  Alex finished cutting the hole and crawled through, with the others following behind. He crawled to a pile of sand nearby and moved into a crouch, glancing over the top of the mound.

  Three large structures dominated the mill, two smaller buildings were positioned on either side of a larger one, all equally run down. Alex motioned Quong to take the right and Marla the left as they moved out. His senses drew him to the building on the left and he guided the group in that direction.

  From atop the center building, two glowing eyes watched as the small band crossed the quad, heading toward the building.

  The companions reached the building’s only visible entrance without incident. Alex motioned them to step aside and drew one of his weapons. With his free hand he grasped the doorknob tightly. Holding his breath, he jerked the door open and thrust his gun into the portal. Nothing leapt out at him. Alex sighed heavily and holstered his weapon. The group moved inside.

  Inside, the building was dank and dark, the smell of mildew strong in the air. Water dripped freely from somewhere nearby. Just inside the door were two sets of stairs, the first leading up to a platform which overlooked huge vats, and the other down into darkness. The scent led down. Alex turned to Marla. “I think you should stay here, Quong and I are the only ones who have to go any further.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m not staying here,” Marla said forcefully.

  Alex moved over and placed his hands on Marla’s shoulders, “Look Marla, if Quong and I don’t make it back, you’re the only one who knows the whole story. Besides, I need someone here, in case one of them gets past us. Okay?”

  Marla looked into his eyes, they seemed sincere, she let her gaze drop to the shotgun in her hands. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll stay here.”

  “Good. Let’s go, Quong,” Alex said, heading down the stairs.

  Marla watched them descend until they disappeared, then went over and squatted down in the corner, holding the shotgun out in front of her defensively.

  At the bottom of the stairs was a long tunnel, a series of pipes lining its walls. At regular intervals, lights hung from the low, damp ceiling. The reddish glow made the tunnel look as if it led to hell.

  They walked down the passage side-by-side, neither wanting to take up the rear. Intense heat washed over them, the tunnel obviously led to the boiler room, one that should not have been active. As they moved further along, a side passage came into view. Alex peered around the corner and inspected the small corridor, seeing nothing, they continued down the primary tunnel.

  From above, lying across the maze of pipes, a dark figure watched the two men pass.

  Marla continued to crouch in the corner. Outside the wind picked up, blowing against the side of the structure, causing strange sounds to reverberate throughout the building. Marla became unnerved and jumped at every little creak, turning the shotgun to each sound. Hardening her resolve, she stood and looked at the stairs leading down. “Aw, screw it," she said, then started down into the darkness.

  She groped along the wall in the poor light, feeling her way toward the bottom. Then was surprised to find glowing lamps in the tunnel below. She brought the shotgun up and moved down the corridor. Upon reaching the side passage, she stopped, not knowing which way to go. Then she heard a movement above her and looked up into two glowing eyes. She screamed as two hairy arms reached down and grabbed her. Then darkness.

  Alex and Quong came to an intersection. They stopped and Alex pondered which way to go, when he heard a scream come from behind him. The two men turned back the way they came and started to run, when a familiar voice halted them in their tracks. “She will not be harmed.”

  Alex turned back and saw Kyle standing in the center of the tunnel, flanked on both sides by three creatures. “As long as you’re a good boy. Weapons!”

  Alex and Quong dropped their belts to the ground, but Alex held onto the duffel bag. “And the bag,” Kyle said. Alex reluctantly handed over the bag.

  “Serena has been dying to see you,” Kyle said.

  “Dying, is exactly what I’d like to see her do,” Alex replied.

  “Alex, is that anyway to speak of an old friend,” Kyle said. To the creatures: “Take them.”

  Two of the beasts grabbed the men roughly and tied their hands.

  Alex and Quong were taken to a circular chamber. In the center, surrounded by a dozen of the creatures, was a beautiful woman. Alex recognized her as soon as they entered, Serena Young. The group of salivating beasts swarmed around her, jockeying for her affection. Marla was bound and gagged nearby, blood pouring from a wound on her head.

  They were brought in front of Serena and forced to kneel on the dirt floor. Serena stood and walked over to the two men. “Ah, Alex, so good of you to come. It’s been a long time.” She leaned close to him. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I wish I could say the same, Serena,” Alex said, regarding her with an icy stare.

  “Really? I guess you’ve forgotten what we shared. We were a great team once,” Serena said, glancing over at Marla.

  Seeing the shock on the woman’s face, Serena said, “You mean he didn’t tell you? That’s so like him. Yes, Alex and I shared some good times, I trusted him completely, even joined his stupid project, as a subject. After he practically begged me to. He said there was nothing to worry about. Everyt
hing would be fine. What a fool I was.”

  “It wasn’t my fault, Voss merged you without my authorization. I was in Washington at the time,” Alex said, in his defense.

  Serena turned a cold stare upon him. “And that absolves you of any responsibility? Have you any idea the kind of madness we went through? Oh, of course you do, you were the first success, weren’t you?” Marla’s eyes went wide, seeing this, Serena said, “You mean he didn’t tell you that either? Alex, I am shocked. Yes, before me kneels the great breakthrough of D.F. Forty-five. The first lycanthrope in two thousand years.”

  Alex had heard enough. He ripped through the ropes binding his hands and was on Serena in a flash. His talons mere inches from tearing out her throat.

  “Yes, that’s it, Alex, give into the beast. Kill me, but don’t forget about your friends,” Serena said, goading him.

  Alex calmed himself at the mention of his friends and released Serena. He hung his head as two creatures grabbed him. “You should have killed me when you had the chance, Alex. You won’t get another one.” Serena turned to Kyle, “Is everything ready?”

  “Yes, Morgan is already waiting at the pit,” Kyle replied.

  Alex looked up at the mention of the name. “Morgan?”

  “So you’re still afraid of him? Good, because he can’t wait to see you,” Serena said, smiling.

  A year earlier, in Los Angeles, Alex had tracked down Morgan and his ‘pride’. After the breakout, Morgan had moved to the city and set about finding worthy females to carry his seed. Young women began disappearing from the club scene, always after being seen in the company of a large handsome blonde man. The police were baffled by the strange disappearances, with no possible leads. Alex was called in as a consultant, after he greased the political wheels in the city council.

  Alex found Morgan’s den and killed all of his newly converted concubines, however Morgan escaped after he nearly killed Alex. Before he disappeared, Morgan vowed to kill Alex one day. It seemed as if his chance to carry out that promise had arrived.