Asunder

by Tonnie Johnson

  Reiniger wrapped his hands around Shane’s throat. “You're nothing but a baby.” He flung the man like a rag doll at Michael. He then dashed with inhuman speed toward Jona, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her away causing her to kick and scream. Nothing could shake the iron grip on her. “Insolent child.”

  “They’re getting away!” Shane stood, helping Michael up and the two chase the pair out of the burning building.

  Reiniger tossed the woman onto the white and green trimmed helicopter and jumped on board. Michael opened fire as the airborne vehicle flew away back toward the neighborhood.

  “Fuck!”

  “We have to go back and check up on our team!” Shane said, knowing it was a pointless fight.

  Michael breathed deep.

  “Just what the hell were you thinking running off like that?!” Shane berated.

  “I wasn't thinking.”

  “Damn right you weren't!”

  Michael bolted toward the neighborhood. Shane followed fast on his heels. He could have sworn he heard the thump of Michael’s chest and he couldn’t tell if its rapid beat was fear or over exertion. They reached the scene of absolute carnage, Klaus and Tomas laid in torn ruin. Thick blood coagulated together into a dark ooze forming a pool on the street. Weapons, bullet shells, and the tattered uniform and limbs of their comrades littered the area. The men had put up a brave fight, but it wasn't enough. Tomas was in a twisted heap the shock upon his face before a shadow and a darkness took him forever.

  Michael panted, his blood boiling with rage. “What the hell did you do?!” He fired first and Shane followed yet the chopper still flew away.

  The pair took a moment to collect themselves.

  “You killed your own men running off like that!” Shane scolded Michael.

  “Shut the fuck up! I don't need to hear a lecture from you!”

  Michael turned off the radio. "I'm done." He marched away. "That guy, what did he want from Jonathan?" The thought of that man showing an interest in his son frightened him.

  "His blood. He wanted to study his rare blood type."

  "I need to get home to him. I'm done."

  "You're right." Shane stopped him, turning him to face him.

  "You'll go AWOL with me?" Michael smiled.

  "Why not?" Shane teased. "We need to put our family first, Jonathan, we get a hold of Luc and Hazel. And we leave this place behind, together."

  Chapter Nine

  Lucifer, Elena, Michael, & Shane

  The slew of military tanks strolled the large near empty streets, the night fires blazed in the distance, most likely from the rioting in one of the barricaded sections. Several open transport trucks followed the caravan of soldiers ferrying dirty and distressed civilians. Luc pressed the brakes unable to pass the makeshift checkpoint. A stone-faced soldier held up his rifle and approached the window. "Sorry sir, but you must get out of the vehicle and let us inspect your teeth."

  "I'm carrying several civilians with me, two with medical conditions, one of them is pregnant, and the other was burned in a fire."

  "I'll see what I can do, right now you have to comply with my request." The soldier ordered.

  Luc was the first to depart the vehicle followed by Elena and the others save for the pregnant Hannah who Sarah had just awakened and Johan who remained wrapped in a blanket unable to move without pain. A woman dressed in hazmat garb lined up Luc and the others and flashed a light inside their opened mouths.

  "All clear." She announced to the other, and they leaned inside to check on the others. "We'll place these two on the medical transport, they're clean. The rest go to Transport B...."

  Among the soldiers ahead Luc saw two familiar faces, both dressed in tactical gear with heavy assault weapons strapped to their person. "Michael?!" Luc called to him hoping he would hear him over the activity nearby.

  Michael noticed him right away and waved him through the small checkpoint, and the two friends greeted each other with a manly embrace, each relieved to see the other alive and well. "I knew you'd be where the action was the thickest." Michael laughed. "Glad you're still kickin'"

  "Likewise, and you too Shane." Luc nodded in his direction.

  Shane muttered a subdued "Thanks."

  "Elena." Michael nodded stiffly acknowledging the woman next to him.

  "Hi Mike." She waved.

  "What are you two doing here?" Luc asked looking at the burnt smoking vehicles scattered and abandoned, trash and broken glass littering the streets along with blotches of browning blood.

  "We were on a classified mission, but that's done now." Michael replied. "Shane and I were actually trying to find you and Hazel."

  "We wanted to check up on you guys before heading back home." Shane added. "We knew it was bad out here but not like this."

  "Yeah, I don't think this is going away soon." Luc shook his head at the state they were in. "Right now, I'm trying to find Hazel. We were at one of the attack sites and she got hurt pretty bad. Sickness followed, like Jona did before she... the doctors sealed her up and transported her to U of M."

  Shane and Michael glanced at each other but only Shane spoke up. "Speaking of Jona--"

  "No!" Michael rounded on him.

  With the die cast curiosity swelled in Luc's mind. "Jona?"

  "It's nothing." Michael assured him, heated and shaken.

  "It doesn't look like nothing."

  Shane sighed. "We saw her... or a woman that looks like her and called herself his sister." he looked to Michael understanding the pain this conversation was causing him but he knew Luc needed to know.

  Fire burned in Luc's eyes. "Where?"

  "Jona's alive?!" Elena gasped confused.

  "I think I know who's behind the attack." Michael cut in not wanting to continue this conversation. "His name is Reiniger, Kaiser Reiniger. We had a run in with him. He kicked our asses like we were nothing." His blood was boiling with rage once more.

  "We saw him in L. A before the attacks as well, after Michael and Jonathan's car accident...."

  "What the fuck?" Luc exclaimed.

  "Jonathan's fine." Michael assured him.

  "He wanted to use Jonathan's blood for research." Shane finished.

  "Please tell me everything." Luc pleaded for the whole story, this was something he could not let go.

  "No. She's not real. Somebody’s fucking with us." Michael spat before calming himself enough to go on. "She was with him, they left using a helicopter with some flower or plant on it."

  "A ragweed?" Luc asked needing to connect the dots.

  Several shots fired in a nearby office building and along the street, the soldiers and civilians scream. A loud shrieking cry rung the ears.

  "It's one of them!" Michael hollered to the soldiers. He then faced Luc. "You should stick with us, it's about to get dicey!"

  Elena watched the military men usher the civilians out of the truck and toward the tall multi office building. Michael ordered a formation on the stony steps, their numbers were not large, only ten in number.

  "What's going on?" Elena said as the horrible cry grew bolder.

  "Some long-legged bitch. When you hear that scream, run cause it means she is bringing a hell of a lot of soldiers with her."

  "Soldiers?" Elena stared at Michael confused. "They're just mindless creatures that reach out for you and try to.... kill..."

  " I think I heard one before." Luc remembered the cries coming from the bowels of the hospital.

  "They're called Divas and these are not mindless creatures." Shane cut in. "The Divas command them and they obey. They understand tactics, retreat, and returning for their own. This is war."

  "We've been fighting them for a while, they control the Jaggers in large groups. We've even seen other kinds, fat bloated ones who spit acid. They're smart as hell and hard to kill."

  Luc and Elena readied their guns with the team of fearful yet strong soldiers.

  "How do you kill them?" Elena asked, her hands trembling. />
  "Cut their unborn child from their stomach and kill it." Shane cleared his throat, understanding the grim task at hand too well.

  "I can't believe this." Elena exclaimed horrified.

  Michael focused on his men. "Protect the civilians! Let none of those fuckers through!"

  They fire on the wave of approaching Jaggers. The shrieking howl echoed once more until a deafening scream drew near. She appeared from the shadows as if floating, a long-limbed creature, naked, with skin as black as night with a bluish tint, the large coils wrapped itself around her joints replacing her hair with tentacle locks. Her belly extended showcasing an intricate spider's web design. Her breasts high and her eyes were glowing blue, and she disappeared and reappeared as she approached. The woman creature remained to the rear of the forces and pointed in their direction, calling more to her side.

  "We're gonna have to think of something!" Luc shouted.

  Another wave of Jaggers arrive from the west, forming a perimeter threatening to enclose them.

  "Don't let them box us!" Michael yelled. "Get inside now!"

  The soldiers retreated into the building closing the door shut and using everything they could to fortify the structure—desks, chairs, cabinets, whatever they could stack on the pile. Several office workers and civilians scurried down the long curved sterile staircase to help.

  "We're all going to die!" One man gave in to his growing fear.

  "Calm down, sir." The soldier gave what little comfort he could, his own mind too focused on protecting himself and the everyone inside. They had come up for air, a reprieve that shouldn't last long.

  "What...?" Luc looked to Michael in near shock by the variety creatures outside.

  Michael wiped the sweat from his brow. "That was my reaction when I first saw them."

  "This is not a simple infection. That thing— Diva, was controlling them! They were attacking with strategy." Luc sighed. "I didn't doubt you, but seeing is believing."

  "That's how we lost several teams." Shane passed him a container of water to which Luc gulped. "The Jaggers are blind but they have other senses to sniff you out, Divas can see and able to control them."

  "Not just them but Panzers too."

  Luc passed the container back to Shane and watched Michael with confusion. "Panzer?"

  "A name one of our men coined. It's German for tank. It's what they are. They're big and typically outfitted with weapons. Whether they do this on their own or if someone else is does, it is beyond me."

  "They're a bitch to put down!" A wounded soldier nearby groaned.

  "Right." Michael nodded. "It took our whole team just to kill one of them. My advice, don't even try to fight one alone."

  "The Divas are..." The smashing of glass and steel cut Shane off and sent everyone reeling. The Panzer, large muscled half man; backed away going for another running start.

  "Upstairs! Go!" Luc shouted. "The lobby is too dangerous!"

  They ran up the stairs and Luc grabbed the woman in a pinstriped suit. "Where's the staircase?"

  "Down the hall to the right."

  "Hurry!" Luc waved everyone to follow.

  "Luc." Michael called him over.

  "Get everyone to the top floor." Luc said to Elena before answering Michael's call.

  "Luc, lead everyone to the roof. The rest of us will make our stand here. No matter what happens, just get them out."

  "Are you sure about this?"

  "We'll block the staircases to this floor once you're gone, and bottleneck them on the stairs while some of my boys’ plant C4. I'd rather no civvies were inside when that happens." "Good luck." Luc clasped his hand.

  "You too, brother."

  Luc ran down the halls to catch up. He rushed up the stairs just as the blasting sounds of gunfire and glass went off.

  He opened the last door leading to the rooftop, the people laid low, afraid of the possibility of drawing the attention of the monsters below.

  "Good work." Luc whispered to Elena.

  "We've got no time for praise. We're stuck here now."

  Luc smiled. "No." He pulled out a stick of C4 he had stolen from one a soldier.

  "I don't even wanna know what you have in mind."

  Luc looked toward the ground. Most of the creatures had entered the building.

  Elena checked out a clear side of the building before returning to Luc's side. "I think this section over here is good. We can send the people down this way."

  "With what?" He spotted a ladder on the other side and ran toward it, grabbing it. "Help me set this up."

  Jerry and Diego ran over to help, taking the ladder and setting it down connecting to the adjacent roof. Luc looked over the group of people with them. About seven office workers and fifteen men, women, and children from the transport trucks. Right away Luc knew they would have a problem and the last thing he wanted to do was escalate the tension.

  "The fat asses ain't getting on." Diego crossed his arms in defiance.

  Luc sighed, this was what he tried to avoid.

  "What the hell are we supposed to do?" Jerry added. "I'm sure you wanted that ladder placed there for a reason."

  Some of the civilians looked over at the small convening group with concern, most too focused on trying to reach their loved one's phone.

  "I'll cross it alone and see what I can do to help Michael below." Luc said wanting to defuse any possible squabbles. "Keep the doors up here barred, if we succeed no one else would have to cross."

  "And if you don't we'll get eaten up here." Diego pressed the matter.

  "Or they'll enter the adjacent building where there is no military to die on your behalf and you die, anyway." Luc stressed.

  "I'm coming." Elena said ready for action.

  "No. I need you to stay up here and protect them."

  Luc turned his attention to the ladder, one slip or break would send him tumbling to his death. He breathed deep and embarked, moving slow and quiet along, careful step by careful step on his hands and knees until he reached the roof of the next building.

  He trekked down the stairs, his gun drawn. So far nothing seemed out of ordinary for a closed office building. He opened the last door and walked the dark hall. He ducked behind the nearby cubicle when the Diva entered with two Jaggers trailing behind, like a commander on a military escort. Her movements flowed as if she existed underwater, she swayed to and fro, bluish tinted eyes scanning and Luc wondered if she was searching for him. He remembered Shane's advice, to cut the unborn child and kill it. His heartbeat quickened.

  She appeared to order the other two away and Luc saw his chance to get rid of them. He ducked low moving between the cubicles. The Diva had moved up upstairs and Luc did everything in his power to keep from letting out a massive sigh of relief. He moved silent and fast taking the chance to get out before being seen. He reached the door yet found himself yanked free and flung like a rag doll on top of a desk. The strength of the grip astounded him. He kicked and struggled, helpless to the thrashing of the beast. The creature screamed, her breath hot on his skin. Black coiling strands slithered from inside her throat, protruding, coming toward him. The Diva pried his mouth open with her long fingers.

  "No!" Luc yelled in garbled gibberish, he struggled for the small knife on his belt planting the blade in her skull and kicking himself free. She squirmed and screamed and before she could regain herself and attack Luc rushed forward, pulling the knife free and swiping at her stomach. She fell still, paralyzed yet alive and the unborn child scraped and clawed from the wound, coiled in black tubes and slime. It screeched helplessly and Luc wanted to grab it, cradle the tiny thing which was a newborn human child, but there was something off. White eyes watched Luc as though it knew of its surroundings and smirked devilishly. The Diva's arms flailed about in search of the exposed fetus attempting to push it back inside.

  Luc stumbled onto the street and coughed up a stream of vomit, but soon composed himself, the next building lit up with flashes of gunfire. He search
ed one of the large military trucks. Success! The wheel was unsecured, he entered the vehicle and pushed the ignition button, and steering the vehicle toward the building, then diving out and tumbling on the concrete. He watched the truck ram through the plate-glass window.

  The pure destructive power sent pieces of the beasts flying. The battle was over.

  Relieved to see Michael leading his team to safety through the muck and rubble Luc smiled. "I'm glad I didn't have to scrape you off the floor in there." he laughed watching his friends emerge, bruised but not broken.

  "I ain't going down that easy. You're lucky I saw that C4. How did you know I would detonate it?"

  "That's a stupid question." Luc laughed.

  The two men look to Elena who was leading the civilians out.

  "It will only get worse before better." Michael reflected on the recent events. "And I'm no good to them." He looked around at the soldiers. "You should come with us, we’re planning to head to Los Angeles as soon as possible."

  "Good. I need to find Hazel first. My parents were escorted out of Ford, they're probably at home..."

  "They're not at the house." Michael said remembering the bodies lined up on the street. "We went by there to check up on them but there were bodies lined up, executed. Your parents weren't among them."

  Luc stepped back losing his balance. "Executed? Maybe they ran away, got some place safe."

  "Do you know where they would go?" Shane asked hoping to gain tangible evidence of their survival.

  "Fuck." Luc thought for a moment. "They do have a few friends out in Rochester. I'll see if I can get a hold of my parents before I lose it." He dialed his father's number, but it went straight to voicemail. he then saw a strange number on his list. "Hm, someone called me but I don't recognize the number." he dialed it back but once again, voicemail.

  "Okay." Michael paced. "Let's start by focusing on what we do know. Hazel is at U of M, so let's go there first, then Rochester."