by D. S Mac
Chapter 36 - Fracpocalypse
Drake stood over Brendan, watching his blood pool beneath him. He couldn’t believe they had finally got him. They had all been through so much, and now they were almost at the end. Drake never liked to take a life in cold blood, but it was the only and the right option. A man like that should not be allowed to live and thrive. A man like that deserved nothing but a cold grave.
The lab shook, the machine’s whirring intensity grew, and a ruby glow exploded throughout the lab, snapping Drake back to reality. He ran to the door and thumbed the button. The steel door whooshed open, revealing a set of metal stairs leading back down to the lab. Drake stepped out and descended while he ran a hand through his hair to shake out the dust. He regrouped with Fergus and Hannah.
They stood in front of the fracture; it was emanating a neon ruby richness. Groaning like metal being dragged across metal. Their mouths dropped to the floor. This was what they were trying to avoid. This was the fracture that would bring about the end.
Drake bowed his head. “We’re too late.”
The walls and floors violently trembled as the fracture erupted and electromagnetic waves burst forth. Drake, Fergus and Hannah were thrown back across the lab as loosened plaster and dust rained upon them. Drake couldn’t move. He sat there staring at the fracture.
Hannah had a sudden grip under his arms. “Drake, come on, we have to go.”
He looked up at her, a tear rolling down his cheek. “We failed.” He placed his head in his hands.
Another burst of electromagnetism cascaded through the lab. The ceiling above the fracture caved in with an almighty crash, revealing trunking and wires, all sparking where they had been ripped apart.
“Drake!” Hannah knelt next to him and shouted in his face, “We cannot do anything if we die here. We need to go.”
He felt another arm slide under his. It was Fergus, and between them, they pulled him to his feet. They led the way. Drake numbly followed, drained of all hope.
“We won’t make it back to the lobby. The underground parking is our best option.”
“Aye, Hannah, I agree. Lead the way… Come on, Drake, it’s not over yet.” Fergus placed a firm hand on Drake’s shoulder.
Every fibre of the building was whining and groaning from the pressure. Its structural integrity had been compromised. An enormous crash erupted from the lab. Drake looked over his shoulder to see that the entire section had caved in on itself, and a dust cloud was hurtling towards them like an avalanche.
Hannah had reached a stairwell door and propped it open with her foot. “Run, guys, quick, in here.”
Drake and Fergus ran through, Hannah let go of the door, and the three of them sprinted up the stairwell. B1 was painted on every face. The door behind them burst from its hinges as the pressure from the avalanche collided with it. Drake ran up another couple of flights, his face bursting from the strain, his legs like lead. The painted wall changed to P. One more flight of stairs until the door.
The stairwell shook; cracks shot through the walls. He reached the door and held it open as Hannah had. He watched as they made it through, and he let go. They had made it halfway across the parking lot when the stairwell collapsed. The ceiling above the stairs dropped a meter and crashed to a halt. Drake could see the ruby glow of another fracture through the gaps. Hannah screamed behind him. He shot around to see Fergus and Hannah had been thrown to the floor. Blocking their exit, another fracture had burst into existence. Screams of panicked civilians outside echoed through the parking garage. Drake could only imagine what was going on out there. Fractures popping up, dissecting everyone. Mass genocide.
Drake ran to Hannah and helped her up. The three of them were gasping for breath. Lines of worry clouded their faces. They had mere minutes to get out before Forrest Futures became their permanent tomb. Not that outside was much of a better option right now.
Guttural screams of agony poured from the fracture. Drake looked over to see multiple faces wrought with fear and limbs tangled together, forcing their way out. Only to be pulled back into the organic blender by invisible forces. An arm penetrated through that was almost translucent. Its muscles, veins and arteries were visible as it used its claw to dig into the floor. Four razor-sharp talons punctured the concrete like it was soft clay. The muscles bulged as the beast forced its way through, revealing its head. Deformed and grotesque, its mouth on its forehead was wide open from exertion, baring its serrated teeth. Another arm shot around and latched onto the concrete.
Drake snapped out of the shock first, raised his gun and emptied the clip at the beast. Not a single bullet hit. The fracture vacuumed every last one as if they were crumbs off the floor. The beast released one last grating roar as its last effort released it from the clutches of the fracture.
“Oh shit.” Drake backed away. A glance either side at Fergus and Hannah, he saw they were doing the same.
“Drake… what the fuck is that thing?” Hannah’s voice warbled. She hadn’t been unlucky enough to face one of these yet.
“It’s a fractured, the accumulation of several humans who have been dissected and spliced together.” Drake rammed his last clip into his gun.
Fergus nudged him and handed over another clip. “Seeing as you’ve wasted most of yours.” Fergus winked. “This is nae good. I was hoping we wouldn’t see another one of those fucking things.”
Drake pointed his gun at the beast, which had almost entirely emerged. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Fergus and Hannah do the same.
“These fuckers are tough. Be careful. I mean, look at Fergus’s face.”
“Aye, that was just a scratch.” Fergus smirked. “Here we go.”
The beast was through, its roar hit Drake at his core, his spine shivered, and his legs threatened to fail on him. It charged.
Hannah fired first in what seemed like sudden panic. Her shots hit nothing vital and didn’t even slow the beast down. It charted a course straight for her. Drake aimed at its kneecap. He fired. It imploded in a spray of blood and bone. The creature fell, its face slid along the floor, and the rough concrete ripped it to pieces. Hannah backed up. She was visibly shaking.
Fergus shouted from behind, “Er, guys… we have a problem.”
Drake turned. Fergus was pointing at the fracture, where several more creatures were forcing themselves through.
“Shit.” He turned back to the downed beast and put a bullet through its head. Its body slumped and lay in a pool of its blood. “Hannah, we need you with us.” Drake waited until she looked at him. “I got you… just like you had me back there, okay.” He watched as she nodded, wiped the sweat from her brow and grounded herself.
Shots fired from Fergus’s direction. Drake spun around to see three beasts stalking towards him. He ran over to help just as Fergus took out one of them. The other two turned and saw Drake. They screamed and ran at him. He wasn’t expecting the sudden charge and was taken by surprise. The first one collided with him and sent him sprawling. His gun flung from his hand and skittered along the tarmac. It was upon him, jagged teeth bared, with saliva pooling from its mouth.
“I can’t get a shot,” Hannah shouted, her voice trembling.
“Just… do…” A talon came around to Drake’s side. He threw up an arm to block it. “Shoot! Just shoot.” He saw Hannah raise her gun; three loud cracks rippled through the car park. Drake was sprayed with blood, and the beast fell limp. He was trapped beneath its bulk. The weight of at least two humans pinned him to the floor. As he struggled against the weight, the other creature charged at Hannah. Shots echoed from either side as Fergus and Hannah took the creature down. Drake heard the thud of its body hitting the floor.
The weight was lifted as Fergus and Hannah pulled the creature off Drake. He slid out from underneath it.
“Thank you.” Drake retrieved his gun in time to hear several more guttural screams. He spun around on his heel to see two more deformed creatures shambling towards them.
“
Aghhh, give us a break.” Drake saw Hannah jump at Fergus’s sudden outburst.
“We’ve got this. We’ll pull through together.” Drake rediscovered his hope. If they could get through this, they could find a way to stop it.
“Drake, can you do your thing?” Hannah asked as one of the creatures broke into a run. It caught Fergus off guard, and before Drake could react, the other barrelled towards Hannah. Drake aimed but could not get a clean shot as Hannah was zigzagging away. He ran to catch up and shoulder barged the beast from behind. It lost its footing and went sprawling across the floor. Hannah shot; four sharp cracks reverberated. The creature was dead, blood oozing from the gaping gunshot wounds.
Fergus cried out for help. Drake and Hannah ran back across the car park. Fergus was pinned down. The creature had two heads, both snapping their teeth at him. An arm protruded from its coccyx with five sharp-edged talons, all twitching to pierce his skin. Drake and Hannah aimed in sync and fired. The car park was engulfed in the explosive sound of gunfire. The creature’s frame sagged.
Hannah ran over first. “Ferg, you good?… Ferg?”
Coarse coughing erupted from beneath the creature. “Aye, get the fucking thing off me.”
Drake took hold of the creature’s torso and heaved. It took all his strength. Blood rushed to his face from the effort. Fergus slid his legs out and shuffled back on his bottom. The three of them were aching all over, gasping for breath.
Through laboured breaths, Drake addressed the others. “We need to help the people out there.” He pointed toward the street.
Fergus flopped onto his back. “I had a bad feeling you’d say that.”
Chapter 37 - Warzone
The streets were a war zone. In a measly few minutes, the fractures had brought London to its knees. They had manifested through buildings, tearing them apart. Large structures looked like they were one push away from collapsing. Fires lit up the sky with an orange hue. Screams from terrified civilians could be heard for miles. People ran scared in every direction, not knowing what to do, not knowing what on earth was happening.
A family consisting of two parents and two children no older than ten ran past Drake. Tears streamed from their faces. Their eyes spoke volumes of the fear they felt. Drake was glued to the spot, unable to move as he took in the destruction. He watched as a fracture erupted into existence on top of the family, instantly dissecting them on a molecular level. They didn’t even have time to scream.
Drake made a small hand gesture to say follow me, and he ran down the road. A sudden burst of about fifteen people cut across him. Each one of them streamed with tears and snot. He looked around the corner to see what they were running from. A small army of at least ten creatures bounded up the road.
He froze. There was no way they could take on ten of these at a time. Not with the weapons they had. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned. It was Hannah.
“I have an idea. Quick, with me. But keep them on us.”
Drake had no idea what Hannah had planned, but he trusted her judgement, so he nodded and followed. He kept back slightly to stay in the line of sight of the creatures.
“Come on, you ugly fucks.” He was skipping backwards and waving his arms.
“Come get me.” A quick look back to Fergus and Hannah. He noticed they were gone.
“Shit.” Unaware that he had slowed down as he turned back to the creatures, one was almost on top of him. Its vicious talon swiped at the air in front of him. Drake jumped back, lifted his gun and placed a couple of shots in its face. It staggered back from the blows. Blood oozed from the fresh wounds, but it kept coming.
“What the hell?” Drake turned and ran to create a bit more distance. “Guys, if you have a plan, now is a good time to execute it.”
Hannah appeared from a shop window. The glass cracked beneath her feet as she carried out two large canisters. Drake saw her place them in the middle of the road and disappear back into the shop. Fergus followed with another two. They were lining up canisters in quick succession like Olympic athletes in a relay race.
“Drake, run now.” He didn’t need to hear that twice. He turned and sprinted past the canisters.
He caught up with Fergus and Hannah, who had taken cover behind an abandoned car. He jumped, slid across the bonnet in one smooth movement and landed in a perfect crouch next to Hannah. He watched in awe as Hannah rested her arms on the bonnet, one eye closed, lining up a perfect shot. She took a breath in. Released a quarter, and just as the creatures were on top of the canisters, she fired. Time seemed to slow down as the gun erupted. A single bullet whistled through the air and connected with a canister.
A deafening explosion shook the street; road signs vibrated; buildings rattled. The shock wave cascaded down the street, blowing out windows. Several of the creatures were ripped to shreds; their limbs rained down everywhere. The ones that had been slightly farther away were frantically flapping about screaming while the crackling fire cooked them alive.
“Hannah, you little legend.” Fergus was beaming. “Nothing like seeing those fuckers in pieces.”
Drake pulled Hannah into a hug. “That was brilliant.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips and let go.
More human screams came from close by. Without even thinking, Drake ran in the direction they came from. They had made it two blocks up when a group of people broke out into the street from a side road. One of them spotted Drake.
“Help us, please. Those things… they’re everywhere.”
“Do what you can to get your group somewhere safe. I’m sorry, but—”
A creature came hurtling through a shop window. The group of people screamed and bolted. Drake raised his gun but was too late. The beast had hold of him. He heard Fergus release a war cry and saw a flash from the corner of his eye. Fergus had charged at the creature. It paused for a second; a flap of skin opened on the side of its head, revealing an eyeball. It saw Fergus and swung an arm out. It connected. Fergus flew back, winded. This gave Drake a chance. With his right arm free, he threw it up in a quick hard uppercut, which snapped the creature’s head back. It released him and staggered back. Two cracks erupted. Drake saw bullets rip through the creature’s skull. Its eyes turned lifeless, and it fell.
Hannah stood there. Gun still raised and smoking. “We can’t keep this up.”
“Aye, your nae wrong there, lass.” Fergus got to his feet, struggling to catch a breath with an arm clutched across his chest. He looked at Drake, and a grimace of pain strained his face. “Any ideas, time-boy?”
Drake liberated a deep sigh, rubbed his eyes and ran his hands back through his hair. “Honestly, I’ve got nothing. We’re not equipped for this. The world isn’t equipped for this.”
The ground beneath their feet shook. Lightly at first but it grew in waves. Car alarms blared into life. Drake frantically looked around him, trying to figure out the source.
“Shit… Up there.”
Drake saw where Fergus was pointing and looked over. Forrest Futures was violently swaying against the beautiful blue sky. For a second, it looked like the whole building was glitching. Then it collapsed—floor upon floor folding in on themselves like an accordion. Engineers and architects design buildings to stand, and the vast majority do so without major incidents. But not a single architect could have accounted for fractures tearing holes in the fabric of reality. In the blink of an eye, most of the tower had fallen into itself. For several minutes London experienced what an earthquake could have been like. All around them, shops’ wares clattered to the floor; glass shattered. Street lamps groaned.
Then they saw it. Hurtling towards them from every street. An enormous dust cloud engulfed the road, shops, everything. Shrouding the sunny day into murky darkness.
“Oh… Run!”
Drake was off before Fergus had finished. The trio sprinted away from the bronze wall of destruction, each of them searching for something, anything that would help them. Then Drake saw it. The Royal Oak. He veered off course and
headed towards the pub, faintly aware of Fergus shouting something about ‘at a time like this’. Drake ignored it and threw himself around the corner into the side road, and there it was. The cellar trapdoor.
“Oh, you genius, not just brawn, then, aye,” Drake heard Fergus shout as he took one side of the trapdoor, Fergus took the other, and they heaved it open. The hinges required oiling and groaned at the effort. Drake watched Hannah climb down first, followed by Fergus. The noise of the cloud grew louder. It sounded like waves crashing into a shore, just on a much larger, more devastating scale. Drake clambered down. He grabbed the doors and pulled them over the top just as the cloud smashed into it. They shook violently but held as the torrent hit. The hinges rattled, threatening to shear off at any second, while any light that shone through the gaps was doused in darkness.
They huddled in the damp cellar. Drake had an arm around Hannah. Out of breath and shattered beyond belief, they waited for the rushing dust cloud to pass or die out. An eerie silence was broken by the sound of glass tinkling. Fergus, being Fergus, had decided to help himself to the contents of the cellar.
“Aha…” Fergus kissed the bottle with a drawn-out mwah. “You beauty.” A squeak of his hand rubbing against the glass was followed by a wet pop, and the scent of whisky wafted through the cellar. “Dalmore twenty-year.” Drake heard the glug of liquid emptying from a bottle, followed by Fergus swallowing large amounts. “Aaaah, just what the doctor ordered.”
Drake felt something connect with his arm. He reached out and felt the cool glass. After a moment’s hesitation, he took the bottle and drank. The strong fruity whisky rushed down his throat, warming him from the core.
“Thanks, Ferg, that stuff is beautiful.” Drake handed the bottle to Hannah.