by Aral Bereux
‘Is that blood?’ he grilled.
‘Daniel saved my ass from a noc. My fault.’
‘Seems you have a fan base tonight, Danny boy. You at least heal the girl properly? We don’t have to worry about another infection?’
Tugging gently at Julianna to join him, he felt her warm skin and saw a listlessness reach her eyes. With his touch, she followed obediently to the bed she had slept in earlier.
You need me to keep warm.
She accepted his whisper and nodded. His promise of sleep and warmth was enough, he thought. The shivering attacked her body again. With his hand still on her arm, he held her firmly, leading her to the bed tucked away in a corner, away from everyone.
He slipped his boots off first, following with his belt. He lifted it for her to see there was no cold buckle pressing against her back tonight.
‘Shall I wake you in four hours, asshole?’
‘Try six.’ Bas said. He blocked Daniel’s line of sight. ‘Wake me first. We’ve had sleep. Those two haven’t, and Julianna needs it most before we move out again.’
Caden folded his jacket into a pillow for Julianna. She accepted. Her eyes were barely open to him as she laid her head down in its warm material full of his scent. Caden rested his arm gently over her waist as he lay beside her. She didn’t see the smirk Caden threw in Daniel’s direction, or Daniel’s raised fist behind Bas, as Caden pulled the blanket to cover them.
‘Yell if you need me.’ Caden said and bid everyone a goodnight, though retrospect suggested otherwise.
* * *
Julianna’s head spun with the speed of the dreams. She runs down an endless road in the city sectors, away from the attack wielded from Taris. The knife in his grasp lunges in and out of her side. He snarls as she drops into the dirt – Caden helpless in front of her. She tries to listen to all the whispers hurled at her at once, but they’re overwhelming. Her mother talks incessantly, trying to coax information for the Militia. Her father tucks her into the safety of her bed, as a child, with his warnings against her future – never to return. The boss man at Club Star lurks beside her every step.
She dances in revealing clothes on stage for money and the hope of gaining valued Rebellion contacts for Isis, her ever watchful mentor. Whispers overlap each other, pushing their way into her mind, permanently imbedding their coded messages, demanding her every attention to what they’re saying, and demanding a response.
On the cusp, she thinks she can understand, and as quick as she reaches out for more whispers, they tangle into a web of white noise, hissing inside her ears.
She runs from Taris and his knife. Her uncle joins in the hunt. Ducking from a dark corner of an alleyway, he closes in. His thin lips and graying hair were the epitome of a once handsome man, now unable to mask the fear he instills – his snarling, gnashing teeth chomping in her direction, his nocturno blood prevailing over his walker traits – chilling her.
She screams.
She runs along the alleyway, past the symbols of the Militia lining the rotting brick walls of the sectors. Taris closes in behind her, nodding with his sinister smile as he extends his wrist with the Militia symbol branded into his skin – the New World Order is imprinted on every brick and building. The puddles she skims over, reflect the images.
There is no escape; with each glance over her shoulder as she runs, the knife welds in the hands of the Militia commander, so beautiful in his blonde hair and black uniform. She needs to run, needs to keep moving, but the voices hold her in their grasp, slowing her down to a reluctant jog, with a weight she can’t shake, until her feet stumble over each other, and she collapses in exhaustion.
Julianna waits for her predators to arrive.
Just like Katherine.
Katie fell the same way, and now she’s dead.
Caden pulls her to her feet. His hands curl firmly around hers and they run together again. He takes her away from their threats, returning her to the club where she can dance back on stage with all eyes on her: watchers and walkers, succubae, nocturnes, Militia and Rebellion—
Isis!
She glances at the large screen precariously hanging above the smoky room of gamblers and womanizers while she dances with heavy feet, feeling glued to the stage. Isis looks at her from between the borders of the monitor. His features remain a mystery but for his dark and angry eyes; and he whispers in a dull pitch, trying so hard to communicate.
Julianna frowns in concentration and shrugs her shoulders in helpless defeat.
She can’t hear him.
He yells, but nothing reaches over the other whispers.
She stays ignorant, frustrated.
Caden's grasp takes her again. Slowly, she’s pulled away from the stage to travel deep into the countryside, where all the pain began. They’re in the eve of their escape.
They’re running again.
She heeds the warnings, she listened to Isis – but is Isis a part of this? Did he know Caden’s her watcher?
More whispers, more threat, more panic.
The sweat rolls over her skin, and she cries in her sleep.
Taris stands behind her again with the knife blade raised and bloodied. Bastiaan’s hands grab her, pushing her away. She stares at the black markings under his skin, on the sides of his palms and in clear view. His High Priest status represents the Family that she ran from.
Caden watches with amusement, but he doesn’t move from the shadows as a member of the Old Council. The medallion around his neck glimmers under the street lamp, its three parallel lines in the circle rank him as head of the Council, and not just another member. He was one of them, she needn’t forget. Had she forgotten as he wrapped her up in his sympathy? She can’t stand it anymore, the whispers are loud and getting louder, and louder and louder…run fast, don’t stop! No escaping the New World Order, even the Old Council is new.
Caden watched Julianna roll onto her side, and when the movement woke her, he greeted her quietly. His hand touched her cheek, stroking it gently, and he studied her face beneath his furrowed brow. He felt his lips pout with the terror in her eyes greeting his, and thought he tried to silence the thoughts racing in her mind with his own gentle words out loud, nothing would offer her solace. There was no relief for the Seer, she was too broken and too vulnerable; everything was returning to haunt her in her sleep, attacking her at her weakest.
Shhh now.
Caden whispered inside her mind, trying to silence everyone else yelling in her mind.
You need to rest, shhh. Tell the voices to be quiet. Shut them out, listen only to me.
She nodded.
He cupped her cheek in his strong hand and it seemed to help. They met each other’s eyes again; the dull glow of the fire warmed her skin into a stunning amber. He pushed his thoughts away – the ones which wanted to take her – and he nodded in return.
He coaxed her into his embrace in spite of himself to rest her against his body. He could hear her thoughts scrambling for the edge of sanity, trying to make sense of anything and everything. He could hear them screaming at her, demeaning her, warning her, demanding her attention. Her body trembled against his as it threatened her with its first seizure.
Follow me.
She responded to his whisper. Her mind returned to the camp cells, where they first met, before everything became deadly and sinister, even though they were Militia captives. It was all he could do to lead her away from everyone else. It was the only place where they would leave her alone.
He took her through the camp’s gates. With her hand firmly in his, he made her run again. They ran through the woods together, away from the drones, dogs and Jeeps. He traced their path to the river where he had given her the knife. She followed him in his thoughts and dozed again in the safety of their first memory together of them escaping from the Militia and becoming allies, and the first taste of freedom at her feet. Finally, she relaxed into his arms.
Her sweet sigh reached the skin on his chest.
&nbs
p; ‘I will always keep you safe, little one.’ Caden whispered so quietly into her ear, as she huddled against him. His hand stroked the back of her thick, dark hair and their foreheads touched.
Caden sensed Daniel watching. He raised his head over his shoulder enough that Daniel’s cold stare left them for the fire’s enchantment.
‘You keep that in your thoughts, no matter what voices you hear.’ He tapped her temples gently. ‘I’ll keep you safe, inside your mind, and out. Don’t listen to them for a second more.’
‘They won’t stop.’
‘Just the fever talking,’ Caden whispered.
But it isn’t the whole truth.
He moved his hand from her face to take her clenched fists. They were pushing against his chest, and he unfolded her fingers into his.
‘You just need to rest.’
She needs initiation.
‘But I’m scared,’ Julianna said.
‘Push the voices away, sweetheart. You’re strong enough, you can do that,’ he whispered.
‘I can’t hear what they’re trying to tell me.’
‘You don’t need to hear them yet,’ he said again. ‘Mind’s tricking you with your fever.’
Daniel’s grumble reached Caden. Caden raised his head again to see Daniel shake his own in contempt and disapproval. He was getting to his feet and reaching for his jacket to greet the still night outside; finding the gap between the real world and the world they had created to stay safe. Caden watched him leave and Julianna stirred at the sound of the footsteps passing them.
‘I’m sorry.’
Caden returned from Daniel’s distraction. ‘With the sunrise you’ll feel stronger again.’ He stroked her bare shoulder.
‘I’m sorry for betraying you with the prisoner.’
‘You didn’t betray me, just stupid.’ he whispered.
Julianna closed her eyes as Caden watched over her. The owl perched onto a branch in her mind to watch over her with its large black eyes, swallowing her whole and guarding her.
CHAPTER 5
3rd May, 2018, 0630 hours.
Devils Canyon Lake, 30 miles west of Camp 2.2.1
‘All Canine units are accounted for, Sir. Five dead, three injured, four unharmed. The others won’t move with their pack’s blood fresh in their snouts, Sir!’
Taris paced the crushed grass, muddied and worn, from the heavy boots patrolling the area throughout the night. The lake was calm, but for the small falls at the far end, and he swore a system of caves rested behind it. They’d searched there too, relentlessly for hours, finding nothing but shear rock edges, jagged and slippery.
‘The map shows a network of caves here.’
‘With all due respect, Commander Madison, the map must be wrong. We’ve searched the area all night. There aren’t any caves.’
Taris nodded. ‘Take the hounds to the camp, wash them down, feed them, and bed them.’
‘Yes, Sir.’
His radio clicked.
‘Go for Delta…’ He listened to his loosely held radio, as it hissed at him. The storm was interfering with the base transmissions and he waited for it to clear.
‘No sighting…shhhhhhhh…at…west blockade, no breach.’
Taris wanted to shake the radio, throw it at the closest officer. The white noise cleared.
‘Delta to west base, copy that. Delta to east base?’
Shhhhhhhh, Crack!
‘Delta to east, report!’
‘East copied. Nothing, Sir. Negative sighting.’
The trees rustled and the water lapped at the shore, tipping the toes of his boots. He glanced across his men packing the weapons into the Jeeps lined in a single file along the dirt road. The dogs were being caged into the back of two vehicles and were restless.
Yawk, Yawk, Yawk.
He rolled his eyes at the incessant barking. ‘This is Delta to command. We’re moving out from location and returning to base. Negative sighting. Blockades to remain, day-shift relief will be sent, over.’
Taris lowered the radio. He scanned the woodlands and its harsh terrain of jagged rock and rushing waters. An echo of ‘copy’ broke through the white noise, and he stopped where the falls were overflowing the ledges into the lake. He knew better, he’d visit the lake during his years before the Militia, dived from the edge of the waterfall with friends. He was certain this was the same location which held those memories, though they were a long time ago.
They’re here, he thought to himself. The caves should be here.
The last of the Canine unit called madly from their cages for their fallen comrades, as the Jeeps drove them away.
Yawk! Yawk! Yawk!
He shook his head, he was feeling something. Julianna was close, maybe even watching him where he stood. Taris felt her strong presence, but when he closed his eyes, all he got was the familiar grey haze over his vision.
‘Commander!’ The call interrupted his concentration.
Taris opened his eyes to cast his steely gaze over the cause. A comms was thrust forward for him to take.
‘The General wants to speak with you. He’s opened a special line.’
Taris snatched the comms and dismissed the tired soldier to return to the truck. He stared down at the line waiting for his answer. The clock in the corner of the screen ran down the seconds: It was zero-six-thirty-two hours. He cursed the search, its duration and outcome; the time wasted moving in circles around the area distracted him from his more pressing objectives.
Taris slid his finger across the glass plate to open the line. The board room of Central Command was in full view before the general took his seat at the head of the table and into the middle of the screen. Taris studied the portrait of himself hanging behind the impressive chair, and it wasn’t until the general addressed him that he felt his lips curl.
Where should I start?
Taris took a breath and gained some control.
He smiled. ‘Morning General,’ he said.
‘We’re all wondering when you’ll bother to grace our presence this morning, Tarisos.’
‘We’re closing down the search now. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes.’
‘Anything to report?’
‘Sure,’ Taris smirked. ‘The report will include my observations of the fact, that if I had been awarded these abilities earlier, we’d have several prisoners right now.’
‘Eluded your capture again, I see.’ The general sniped, and Taris heard the other Senate members sitting around the boardroom table, whisper between each other.
‘Several. Valuable. Prisoners.’ Taris said.
The general wasn’t convinced. The whispers of contention carried over the comms plate to the lake, unapologetic to Taris.
‘One watcher against three, who used to hold Council and Senate positions, I’m at the Devils Canyon Lake, by the way. You know, the one with the caves scattered everywhere?’
He held the comms high for the general’s benefit and moved it in a circle so his company could see the landscape they had patrolled. His squad watched him in awe of his disobedience.
He returned it to his own gaze. ‘Notice something unusual about the area?’
The whispering in the boardroom stopped, waiting for the general to return his response. The silence hung in the air, he had their attention.
The general thinned his lips. ‘No caves. They’ve concealed themselves—’
The general leaned over the table, nodding and sighing to an invisible person, spreading his hands over the solid wood table before him, drumming his fingers, and thinking.
‘They’re here, or at least Julianna is. I can sense her very close to us, sleeping in the arms of her watcher, no doubt.’
The General sniggered into the comms.
‘This amuses you?’ Taris quipped.
‘Even Caden Madison wouldn’t break the rules and sleep with his apprentice. Are you jealous, Tarisos?’
‘Like hell. I’m just pointing out that they’re in a close relatio
nship. This isn’t going to be easy with him in her shadows, every waking moment. Hoping you’ll pass something decent to me, so I can deal with this problem.’
‘We do now. If they’re concealing an area as large as Lake Rapid, then we need to combat this issue swiftly, and without further impediment.’
‘Leaving now, General.’
‘Don’t keep us waiting, Tarisos. We can find someone else to do the job, if we need to.’
The comms screen flickered off before he could respond. Taris stared through the glass spattered with dry mud and rain, to the ground below. His boots were thick in heavy sludge again, despite trailing them over the rocks, and his pants were soaked through. He shivered from the exposure of a cold night in a storm. His thoughts were far from happy ones. The time in the corner was counting down the seconds, he’d lost another four minutes talking rubbish to the general, and he’d only given himself enough time to drive into Central Command, minus a uniform change from the wet clothes he was wearing.
You’re on a timer Tarisos my boy, need to move on, before they grow impatient.
Yes, yes, moving on.
Don’t want to rock the sinking boat now, do you?
No, no. Moving now, the dry clothes can wait.
The truck beside him started its engine. He raised himself into the seat beside his best driver, giving him a go ahead nod to drive along the track, towards the interstate. The other trucks followed cautiously along the slosh, threatening to sink the tires.
The last Jeep on the stretch of dirt, continued to point in the direction of the lake, waiting on a grassy side where they wouldn’t get trapped in the mud, while they waited for everyone else to pass.
Taris’s driver stopped alongside it. The other trucks and Jeeps moved forward. The grinding of engines carried along the air as they moved farther down the track.
Taris leaned his head over to the driver waiting on the grassed edge. ‘Be sure to stay hidden. Make your camp in the trees.’
‘Yes, Sir,’ the driver said.
‘I want a report on everything. That’s everything which happens here the moment it happens, over the comms, understood?’