Fractured: The Fracpocalypse Book 1

by D. S Mac

  “Half… wit!” Brendan sneered at Butcher. “We must go—” a breath “—to my home.”

  Butcher’s eyes lit up, Brendan knew what he was thinking, and he would have women in abundance if only he could help first. “That human… you played with.” Brendan stopped for another breath, annoyance rising inside him. “She came from… somewhere… blue frac…” He burst into a coughing fit, spittle flew out, and strands of saliva clung between his teeth. The coughing ceased; a red-faced Brendan looked at Butcher, eyes full of annoyance, anger and some hope.

  Butcher nodded. He shuffled from leg to leg in a strange dance of excitement.

  Brendan let Butcher lead the way. At first, in his excitement, Butcher kept running off like a disobedient dog. Brendan only had to call out his name for him to return with his proverbial tail between his legs, looking sheepish like he had just eaten his master’s favourite slipper. The first part of their journey continued in that repetitive streak, at least until Brendan snapped and threatened to tear Butcher’s legs off. After that, he mellowed out and sulked, head bowed with his feet shuffling.

  They walked for miles through beautiful new landscapes smothered in jaw-dropping plant life and flowers. Some seemed familiar, like giant water lilies or passion flowers. Then others were mutated versions of those already known and loved. One, in particular, looked like roses. However, the thorns were ten times the size with bright green, poisonous-looking tips. The atmospheric change brought about by the fractures had changed nature’s biological data. What was once known meant nothing at all. The lands of what was once Sussex had begun a transformation into something outstanding. Every colour you could imagine, along with several never seen before by the naked eye, were on display in a new forest that had grown over Oxted. Trees were yet to still grow to their full height and were only a few meters tall, but it was what was underneath that interested Brendan.

  Fortresses of vine-like plants entwined together, emitting luminous blues and yellows. The glow seemed to pulse, drawing Brendan in. He took a step closer, mesmerised by its beauty. The glowing bud parted, revealing a mouth of waving stamens, each one beckoning him forward. He reached out as if in response; the bud opened wide and convulsed. The row of luminous buds began to shake violently. Brendan panicked and took a step back, and the open bud spat at him. He jumped back, shocked yet still mesmerised, when he heard a light sizzling. He lowered his gaze to where the ground in front of him was bubbling. Brendan tilted his head out of curiosity and left that information at the back of his mind.

  An orange hue washed over the horizon, as the sun had almost disappeared from view, the night was fast approaching, and there was still a fair way to go.

  “Butcher… rest.” Brendan signalled over to Butcher, a quick nod to say over here. They both made themselves as comfortable as possible by lying against a tree on the new age forest’s outskirts. He couldn’t help but think to himself how poetic his whole situation was. A Forrest witnessing the birth of a new forest. He dozed off to that beautiful thought.

  ***

  Brendan jumped awake. Within a second, he was on his feet, scanning the land around him. What had startled him? He searched, his eyes roving back and forth. Then he heard it, angry shouts of men in the distance. After dipping down into a crouch, he stalked in the direction of the sound. His heart pounded through his chest. A dull thud resounded in his ears as excitement began bubbling to the surface. Under the cover of a bush, he peeked down the hill from which they’d come the evening before. At least fifteen humans spread out were marching up the hill. Brendan’s mouth curled up into a hungry smile; his tongue ran across his lips.

  After waking Butcher, who was bouncing around like a dog that had just been told walkies, they entered the forest, where they would lie in wait, ready to spring their trap. Double their numbers would stand no chance against Brendan and Butcher when taken by surprise. They were too fast, too menacing. Silence fell upon their plot. Apart from their unsynchronised breathing and the flutter of some birds up above, there was not a sound.

  “They can’t be far. Their tracks head into the forest.” The man who spoke was thin, slightly malnourished, suggesting that he had been here a while. A glance at the others and Brendan could see they all looked starved. Each of them carried human-made spears crafted from wood and shards of metal. The sharpened edges glinted in the rising sun.

  “We need to find them before we lose them in there.” A gaunt woman pointed to the forest.

  Brendan sniggered; if she had looked harder, she might have seen him.

  “We owe it to Abigail.” A chorus of affirmations later, and the small army entered the forest. Little did they know it would be the last place they saw.

  Brendan watched with curiosity as they all raised their spears and crept slowly into the undergrowth. They fanned out while scanning their surroundings. He picked up a thick branch. Snap! Each of the humans leapt out of their skin, visibly shaking.

  “Anyone see anything?” One of the men spoke, his voice trembling.

  “Nothing. Keep your eyes peeled,” replied another.

  Brendan glanced over to Butcher and nodded. In sync, they leapt from their hiding places and tore into a human each. Brendan grabbed one by the arms, who met him with a terrified scream. He looked him in the eye, smiled and tore the arms from his body. Blood soaked the undergrowth as the human fell, still screaming a mixture of fear and agonising pain. Brendan dropped the appendages, placed a foot on his face and pushed hard. The crack and squelch of his skull popping exhilarated Brendan. He continued the assault.

  It was over in less than five minutes. Blood-drenched limbs and carcasses littered the forest floor. Barely any of the beautiful greens could be seen amongst the claret mess. A scuffle of leaves made Brendan look over his shoulder. Dragging himself away was one last human. One of his legs, split open from his groin to the bone, trailed behind him, leaving a slime trail of ruby nectar. Brendan stomped over to him and squatted by his head. The man was ghastly pale, his eyes wide and breaths raspy as his body juddered from shock.

  Brendan reached down and clamped a hand around the back of his neck. He cried out but went limp as the fight left his soul. He screamed as Brendan dragged him to the edge of the forest.

  Through tears, pain and bile, the man tried to speak. “Wh… why?”

  Brendan froze. He lifted the man to eye level and sneered. “Because… I… fucking… hate… humans.” At that last word, he thrust the man’s head into the vines of luminous buds. They opened expectantly, convulsed and dispelled their acidic bile. Instantly the man screamed. His body shook violently as his face bubbled and melted away. Brendan dropped the corpse and walked away.

  ***

  The rest of the journey was uneventful compared to the morning’s slaughter. Brendan took in the gorgeous new sights. Each new flower or plant and every new colour excited him even more and solidified that his plan was the right path to take.

  They approached the old Houses of Parliament when Brendan saw the dilapidated building. He scoffed at the irony. Of course this was where the fracture was. It had changed a lot from when he last saw it, when it was just rubble. It now housed an entire ecosystem just like the forest they had been in earlier that morning.

  With caution, they entered the ruins. Birds chirped above, singing away a happy tune for having their world back. Together they fought through the shrubbery to gain access to the centre; then through the verdant gleam of nature, a blue glow emanated, reflecting off the shiny wet sea of green. Then it came into view, astonishing amongst nature. It swirled with silver shards enclosed in a glowing electric blue frame.

  He watched as Butcher reached out. He quickly jumped back, yelping and holding his hand. Brendan laughed.

  “It won’t harm you… my friend.” He moved closer. The azure neon cast a stunning glow over his pale, dirty skin. “Isn’t it… magnificent.” The electric warmth sent tingles down his spine, causing him to judder from the delight of it. Brendan held out a h
and. “Come… with me… let us… rid this world… of… humanity.”

  Butcher took his hand, and they stepped through.

  ***

  “What the fu…”

  “Is that people?”

  “Bro, it’s a fucking portal.”

  “What, how much have you smoked?”

  Brendan raised his head and stared at the two men. They were hunched defensively, cautiously taking steps back.

  “Bro, they’re fucking terminators!” The closest of the two men raised a baseball bat.

  “If it is, your bat will be like hitting it with a banana.” They flinched as Brendan jumped to his feet.

  “We… mean you… no harm.” He raised his hands, attempting to show them he was not a danger.

  “Are you t-terminators?” As he spoke, he snuck behind his friend.

  “We… are not.” Brendan took a step closer. “Food?” He tilted his head questioningly.

  “Ermm, sure, we can find you some.”

  “NO!”

  They fell, shaking from the unexpected shout.

  Brendan pointed at the unarmed man. “Him.” He grinned, baring his yellowed, sharpened teeth, and launched himself at the man. His teeth sank into the soft flesh of his neck; the man convulsed as Brendan tore a chunk away with a squelch. He spat it at the other man. “What… is your… name?”

  “H-H-Henry.” His jeans darkened at the front of his crotch.

  “Henry… you… work for… me now.”

  Henry stifled a scream as Butcher pounced on his friend and tore chunks from his torso.

  Chapter 40 - Reset

  They could do nothing but watch as their plan sank, literally sank. As the beast destroyed the bridge, their way out of this mess went down with it, into the murky depths of the Thames. Drake felt his heart sink to his asshole along with it. With both hands on the top of his head, he released a deep sigh. He swivelled to face Hannah, who looked as defeated as he was sure he did. A lone tear rolled from her eye and dropped the length of her cheek. Drake stared at it as it fell, a cruel reminder of their plan. He stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. Words need not be said. She knew he tried. She knew he was sorry. All they could do now was comfort each other until their end. They were both knackered, out of ideas and devoid of hope.

  A burst of phosphorus light burned through Drake’s eyelids. Even with his eyes closed, he winced and flinched. He let go of Hannah and raised an arm to shield his eyes. As he did so, a deafening boom erupted as a fireball shot into the sky. The shock wave connected before he had time to react. He and Hannah were thrown away from the blast. Drake landed on his back and slid for a meter; then Hannah landed on top of him, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

  Wet shlops resounded all around them as chunks of the beast rained down. Drake pushed himself up, grabbed Hannah and led her to a block of flats for cover. As he went for the handle, he noticed the intercom system and cursed himself for choosing this particular building. The handle, however, turned, clicked, and Drake pushed it open. They stood in the hallway, looking out through the glass door as a football-sized chunk of meat destroyed a car windscreen. Every surface was coated in a claret sheen.

  Drake felt Hannah place her head on his shoulder. She took a breath. “That was way too close.”

  “You can say that again.” He reached an arm around and pulled her back into a hug. “I’m glad that wasn’t the end of us.”

  She looked up at him. “Me too.” Her words became muffled as she nuzzled into Drake’s neck. Her warm breath made his stomach flutter.

  “We should go see if Chase and Peter are alright.” Drake closed his eyes and willed his temporal powers forward. The hallway lit up like a Christmas tree as his arm pulsed a neon blue. He kissed Hannah on the cheek and slipped into the void.

  No matter how many times he visited this temporal wonder, he would never get over its beauty. It was like being able to swim amongst the stars, weightless and without worry. He would gladly give himself to this universe. Frozen in time, bodiless and thoughtless, just existing in pure bliss. Thoughts of Hannah shook off this feeling. With her, he had built something he never thought he would have, and a future with her was more desirable than an eternity as molecules.

  With a squeeze of his metaphysical eyes, he summoned forth a fracture. He pictured the low brick wall of reds and black that surrounded the property. The cast-iron gate was always left open. He continued to build up a picture from memory, including the cracked concrete path that sprouted beards of green. When the image was complete in his mind, he opened his eyes. Once again a fracture hurtled towards him, or he to the fracture; there was no way of telling or feeling which was which.

  When his mind connected with his body, he was aware of his knees pressing against the concrete ground. His sight came into focus, revealing Peter’s home. The sound of liquid pouring to the ground filled his ears, and he turned to see Hannah, her face strained, throwing up on the grass. He reached over and placed a comforting hand on her back.

  “Nauseating the first time, isn’t it.” He smiled.

  Hannah coughed up the rest of her bile, wiped her mouth with her sleeve and slumped back. “First time? I’m never doing that again.”

  Drake bent down, kissed her pale forehead and offered her a hand. As they approached the door, it burst open. Amy, Chase and Peter stood there, mouths wide open.

  Chase was the first to speak. “You made it.” He opened his arms to offer comfort.

  Hannah ran into them and burst into tears. Chase squeezed her tight and looked questioningly at Drake.

  “We couldn’t stop it.” He exhaled, puffing out his cheeks while blinking multiple times, trying to avert his tears.

  Peter ushered them in, then peeked outside before shutting the door. “Fergus? Where is…” As he turned and saw Drake’s face, he knew the answer. Drake shook his head and averted his gaze to the floor.

  Hannah broke away from her dad, eyes swollen red. “How did you guys stay safe?” She scanned all three of them, waiting for an answer.

  “We’ve been lucky here. No red things have popped up, and only a few of those… those monsters came past.” Amy took Hannah’s arm, then continued, “We hid upstairs until we saw the blue light flashing.” While speaking, she led Hannah into the kitchen and helped her to a seat. Drake watched as she produced five mugs and filled them to the brim with fresh steaming coffee.

  They sat there in silence. What words could be said? After all, they needed a minute to mourn their loss of Fergus and their loss of the world. Drake took a sip; the warm brown nectar slid down his throat, soothing pains he didn’t know he had. It was surprising how a bit of coffee could warm your spirits just a little, even in a time like this.

  “So is this the end? We’ve lost?” Peter broke the silence.

  “Peter! Sorry, guys.” She backhanded him lightly with a sneer.

  “No, really, it’s ok.” Drake took a deep breath. “It may not be over.” Everyone seemed to tense at that statement, but he continued, “Fergus, I think he was trying to tell me something.”

  Chase leant forward, clearly intrigued to hear the next part.

  “All I could make out was ‘twen’? And ‘kill us’.” Drake sat back, feeling strangely relieved as if he had revealed a secret.

  “Oh my…” The room turned to Chase. He looked at everyone in turn and stopped on Drake. “He wants you to kill him and Brendan in 2018 before they start the experiment.”

  Several gasps rang out, but somewhere deep down, Drake knew that was exactly what was coming. With his elbows on the table, he let his head fall into his hands. “What if I can’t do that?”

  “I don’t think there is a choice, son.” Chase’s words hit Drake like a truck. They seemed so final, so damning.

  “I’ll go with you. We can make sure it’s done together.” Although Hannah’s support meant everything to Drake, her words, filled with emotion, hurt him to his core.

  Drake lifted his head. A su
dden realisation gripped his heart and squeezed with such force, he almost choked. “Wait… won’t that mean we alter the timeline? Everything, everyone up till now would be gone.” He directed the question at Chase, whose face dropped with knowing.

  “Yes, well, theoretically, that would be true. However, there is also a multiverse theory. Our reality may branch off.” He shrugged. “Unfortunately, it’s all exactly that, theoretical.”

  “So would we be able to come back here?” Drake’s voice became animated. The thought of losing this world, Amy, Peter and Chase was too much.

  “Honestly, Drake. I don’t know.”

  “Drake, we have to do it. It is the only way.” Hannah seemed to have newfound confidence.

  “But what about your father?” He swung an arm out, signalling to Chase.

  “It is what has to be, for the sake of everything.” She put an arm around Chase. “Dad, I love you. You know that. But we have to do this.”

  “I know, honey.” His eyes welled up as he placed a hand on Hannah’s cheek. “You are an admirable young woman, you know that. I am so proud of you.” They embraced, and Drake stood to extend a hand to Peter.

  “Thank you.” Drake lurched forwards as Peter grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. Drake welcomed the embrace. He released Peter and placed a firm grip on his arms. “You look after yourselves, yeah?”

  “And you, my friend.” Peter let go; almost instantaneously Amy dived in, nearly knocking Drake off his feet.

  “You’ll always be our hero.” Her words cut through Drake’s emotions like butter. He tightened the hug to hide his falling tears. He finally had friends, no, family, but now he had to say goodbye already. They let go. Drake stepped back, allowing Hannah in for hugs. When she was finished, Drake collected more magazines, reloaded his gun and passed one to Hannah.