The Caitlin Chronicles Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

  And there, directly ahead though still a few miles away, were the derelict ruins of what had once been a great city. Its remaining skyscraper towers pointed skywards, crumbling and ruined like a row of decaying teeth.

  Laurie stepped to Caitlin’s side. Tom lowered a sleepy Joe to the floor and took his place beside her.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the cities,” Mary-Anne said, pulling her cloth tightly around her to deflect the morning sun.

  “Well, you are an old girl.” Caitlin nudged Mary-Anne in the side. “You think there’s anyone in there? It looks pretty dead from here.”

  “Looks can be deceiving,” the vampire replied.

  “What are you saying, boy?” Caitlin asked Jaxon, crouching down beside him. “Did Kain head that way?”

  The dog licked her face, sniffed the ground, then walked on ahead. His ears lay flat now that his energy had faded.

  Caitlin turned back to the others and shrugged. Mary-Anne followed without complaint. Tom and Laurie exchanged a glance, looking down at the dozing Joe now crouched in the fetal position on the floor.

  “Your turn?” Tom asked.

  Laurie scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  When they came across an old farmhouse a small way out of the city, they paused to take a look inside.

  The place was a fair size and comprised two floors and several rooms. After a quick sweep of the place, they confirmed that it was empty, finding nothing but a decomposing corpse on the bedroom floor upstairs.

  “Feel free to spoon them if you want some company,” Caitlin said to the others.

  “I think I’d rather take my chances with Joe,” Laurie retorted, nodding towards where she had set Joe on the floor. He opened his eyes dozily and blinked at them.

  “Huh? Whats did I miss?” Joe said.

  “About ten miles of trekking.” Tom groaned, flexing his back.

  “Ah, man,” Joe said. “Wheres are we? I don’t think I recognize this parts of town.”

  Caitlin led Joe to the window from which he could view the vista of the city a short distance ahead and down the incline.

  “Bless my soul,” he whispered.

  “Exactly.” Caitlin suddenly remembered her map. She pulled it from her pocket and examined it carefully. Focused, she trailed her finger east from Silver Creek, past the spot where she had marked a tiny flag for the location of the airship, and on toward the factory, the abandoned home of the non-existent vampire. From there, she continued until she saw the lake shaded in dark charcoal with two cities on either side.

  “There’s a name here… The Broken City? Jeesh, that seems ominous.”

  Tom looked defeated. “Ah, man, that means we can’t name it ourselves? I wanted to call it ‘Colonial Tomsberg.’ Get it? Like Colonel Tom?”

  “What happened to sergeant?” Laurie asked.

  “Same answer as the first time I introduced myself to these guys. The world is dead. I can be whatever the fuck I want.”

  “Within limits,” Mary-Anne corrected slyly.

  “Okay, what can’t I be?” Tom replied, his one good eye glaring at the vampire.

  “A woman? A bear? How about an attractive man?” She winked.

  Laurie fell about laughing on the floor.

  Tom turned a strange shade of red. “You be careful, vampire. Before you know it, you’ll be wanting a piece of this, you’ll see. It’s slim pickings in this world, and every man and woman have urges. It merely takes the right amount of alcohol before we’re off in some shrubbery bumping uglies.”

  Mary-Anne scoffed. “Honey, don’t flatter yourself. With you and me, it’d be bumping ugly. Singular. But you couldn’t handle this if you tried.”

  “Okay, kids. Enough of the foreplay, let’s focus on the job at hand.” Caitlin intervened sharply, anxiety for Kain reasserting itself. “The way I see it, we’ve got two options. Number one, we go on ahead and follow Jaxon who seems hellbent on heading towards Colonial Tomsberg.”

  “Nice,” Tom said.

  “You’re welcome. From there, we can enter the town and find Kain—although we have been running for the best part of the morning, so if there’s any chance that hostiles will come at us, we’ve got no energy. Or, we rest up, take the chance that Kain can look after himself for a short while longer, and continue in an hour or so. What do you reckon?”

  The vote was unanimous towards the side of rest, and before long, they were snoozing next to each other on the farmhouse floor. Joe was the only exception—having slept for a good long while on Tom’s back—and so stood guard.

  When they awoke, it was to the smell of something amazing.

  “Rise and shines,” Joe said, sitting by a small fire he’d managed to get going in the hearth. He’d found a small pot in the old kitchen, and something was now bubbling inside.

  “What you got there, Joe?” Caitlin asked.

  “A few mice. A fox. Even managed to grabs a groundhog from its lil burrow.”

  Tom and Laurie looked impressed. “Damn, Joe. You’ve got some skills when it comes to tracking and hunting.”

  “I hads to be good. With just me and Violets out in the forests by our lonesomes, if we didn’t hunts, we didn’t eats. We’d catch everything. Squirrels, grasshoppers, spiders, rats, whatever cames nearby.”

  Tom shuddered.

  Joe continued, “Now let’s get these foods down in our bellies before the old coyotes come.”

  Laurie chuckled.

  Joe’s face fell. “I’m serious. The minutes I start cooking they be outside, all watching the house from a distance. Mights still be there if you checks them out.”

  They moved to the window and, sure enough, the coyotes were there. A pack of a half-dozen waited on the hilltop, their silver fur dazzling in the sun. They stood as still as statues.

  “Are we sure they’re coyotes and not Weres?” Caitlin whispered to Mary-Anne.

  Mary-Anne nodded. “From what I can see, they’re merely wild dogs. Nothing more.”

  Caitlin spared one last look before turning her attention to the task at hand.

  They finished up their servings eagerly, practically licking their bowls until they were clean. When they were done, Joe took the pot out onto the back porch to let the coyotes enjoy the remains.

  They gathered their things and set off once again. Caitlin let Jaxon lead, and he sniffed the ground, taking some time again to find the scent he was looking for. For a while, they managed to keep up—even Joe, who seemed determined not to let the group down this time—advancing with every step towards the ruins of The Broken City.

  At the perimeter, they found a chain link fence topped with barbed wire. They looked either side and saw the barrier stretching for miles in each direction with no discernible entranceway or gate. Still, Jaxon sniffed and scratched nearby, digging large chunks of dirt out of the ground.

  Caitlin hooked her fingers through the links and shook the fence. “Whoever abandoned this place made damn sure that no one could get in.” The metallic rattle seemed to echo and bounce down the streets ahead.

  “Or that no one could get out,” Mary-Anne suggested. “How wide a circumference do you think this is?”

  Tom stroked his chin. “Got to be a good few miles. Why? Fancy a jog?”

  Mary-Anne shrugged. “You guys stay here. I’ll be back shortly.”

  They watched her disappear quickly into the distance.

  “So now what?” Tom asked, wandering over to a nearby tree. “We kick up our feet and just wait?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Laurie said.

  “Ands me,” Joe added. “Just keep an ear outs for those lunas, huh? I ain’t never yet been to a place that’s safe. Besides from the Creek, that is.”

  Joe grinned at Caitlin, but she wasn’t paying attention. Her face was pressed to the chain link fence, soaking in as much of the city as she could. She couldn’t believe how…big it was. From her vantage up on the hill, she could see the whole damn thing, but now… />
  She saw nothing more than the street ahead, stretching to a junction in the distance. The great buildings loomed like frozen giants. Roads and pavements had cracked and were overgrown with weeds and plants. Cars and other strange vehicles lay toppled onto their sides or upside down, and metal posts littered the spaces, evidently fallen to the floor. It was a shit heap.

  And so, so big.

  A concrete jungle. The words popped into Caitlin’s head. Instead of trees, there were buildings. Instead of earth, there was concrete. At some point in the past, this entire place must have crawled with people—thousands upon thousands. A population so dense that the idea of it made Caitlin’s head spin.

  “If you’re not careful, you’ll press so hard that you’ll slice yourself into hundreds of little square sections.” Laurie chuckled, hauling off her shoes and shaking stones out onto the ground.

  “Yeah.” Tom kicked a rock near the base of the tree. “And that’s the last thing we need. Hundreds of tiny little Caitlin—”

  There was the sound of something like a whipping noise, accompanied by a grunt of surprise. Caitlin turned and saw Tom hanging upside by his leg from a tree, a coil of rope around his ankle.

  “Son-of-a-bitch!” he called. “Someone. Get. Me. Down.”

  As Caitlin drew her sword, Joe and Laurie scrambled for their own weapons. Jaxon stopped his digging and jumped up at Tom, barking madly as several people emerged from behind the buildings on the other side of the fence. Raised guns were trained on them, the intent unmistakable.

  “What are you going to do? Jump over the fence, slash your stomachs open on the barbs, and fetch our corpses?” Caitlin asked, her eyes fixed on a woman with blonde hair tied back in a bun obviously leading the defenders.

  “If that’s what it takes. Now, lower your shit and put your hands in the air,” she commanded, shooting at a spot near Caitlin’s feet.

  “Careful!” A whine sounded from behind. Caitlin turned to see a head poking up from the spot where Jaxon had been digging. A perfectly circular metal lid rested on its side, half-covered with grass and dirt. “You nearly got my fucking ear.”

  The woman ignored him, stepped right up to the fence, and poked her rifle through. “I’m going to ask one more time. Lower your weapons.”

  Reluctantly, Caitlin obliged. She heard something drop behind her as Laurie and Joe released their weapons.

  “Good. Oscar, it’s over to you,” the woman said to the man who poked out of the hole in the ground and stared harshly at Caitlin.

  She heard Oscar move around behind her. He worked quickly, placing a blindfold over Joe and Laurie’s eyes before cutting Tom down and doing the same to him. He left Caitlin until last, the woman grinning at her as the dirty cloth shut off her vision and all she knew was darkness.

  The Broken City, Old Ontario

  Kain’s head pounded. With every heartbeat, he could hear a deep wop-wop which shot around his body and drummed in his ears. Wherever he was, it was dark. Pitch dark. The smell of wet stone surrounded him.

  Dear Queen Bitch and all that is good and holy, he said as he tried to push his way into a sitting position. He paused and shook his head. Damn, that vampire bitch is really getting into my head!

  The floor was cold. He held his head in one hand as though to support his weight, trying to remember the last time he had felt so rough.

  Damon’s party…that psychopath… He chuckled to himself, remembering the loud chatter, the steady stream of booze, and the gullible women who drank too much and were fool enough to fall into his bed.

  Phwoar. That was a heck of a time. Maybe that’s where I am now. Stuck in a time warp back at Damo’s. He patted around in the dark, all his hopes pinned on touching the warm flesh of some naked bimbo who’d be ready to scream and run away when the alcohol wore off and she realized what she was doing.

  Kain laughed. It sounded more like a gargle and echoed around in the dark silence. Somewhere nearby, he could hear water dripping.

  “Maybe not, then,” he murmured, kissing his hand and holding it to an imaginary sky. “Here’s to you, Damo, you fuck-nugget of a legend. Rest in peace.”

  Kain rose to his feet, wobbling as he did so. Where was his energy? When was the last time he’d eaten? How long had he even been out for?

  A rock. That was all he remembered…celebrating his victory of achieving more points than Caitlin in the woods, staring at the slaughtered Mad, and cheering. Then, a white pain of light before he was dragged away by—

  Shit. It couldn’t be. Not after all this time.

  He pawed his way around the room, feeling nothing but brick until he eventually felt the smooth texture of wood. A door, perhaps?

  “Hey! Hey!” Kain shouted. “Let me the fuck out of here before I—”

  A small slat slid open, revealing two bloodshot eyes. “Before you what? Shout some more? What are you going to do?”

  Kain gulped. He could recognize those eyes anywhere. The last time he had seen them had been…what…a year ago? More than that?

  “Howie, you son-of-a-bitch.”

  “Now, now,” Howie said. “Watch your language, boyo. Don’t want to get yourself into more trouble than you’re already in, right? The big man is very pleased that you’re back with us. Wouldn’t want to upset him again.”

  “Depends what day of the week it is.”

  “It’s Tuesday.”

  “In which case, let’s upset the big man and give him a swift kick in the nuts.” Kain’s eyes began to glow amber. He felt the hairs begin to root as the transformation began.

  “Uh-uh-uh,” Howie cautioned and held his finger up to the slat and wagged it back and forth. “You might want to think about that. Ol’ Mikkel fell victim to frustration and transformed just a few weeks ago, and now that fucker can’t change back.” Howie moved out of view, resting the back of his head against the door. “All over a girl, man. Mikkel got stuck as a wolf because his buddy took his girl. How’s that for a fucked-up fortune? It’s like, one day you’re invincible, wandering around on two legs and able to work a fucking GameBoy. The next day, you’re licking your own ass and growling at sparrows.”

  Kain took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Howie was right. Was now the time to risk it all? To fire off another bullet from his limited supply and go feral?

  “Mikkel is stuck?” he asked, his mind trying to work through the possibilities around the lingering pain.

  “Yup. I’m telling you, no one takes this shit seriously until it’s too late. A lot has changed around here. A lot of Weres have made their bed and now have to lie in them.”

  Kain stared ahead through the slat, seeing nothing but a bricked-up tunnel ahead. A series of torches lined the wall.

  “Why have you brought me back?” Kain asked, resigning himself to his place back to the floor. “What am I doing here?”

  There was a pause as Howie seemed to contemplate the answer. “Easy, really. Brothers don’t leave their pack. Never. Geralt wants you back.”

  Kain closed his eyes and remembered the last time he had seen Geralt. A cry of fury echoed in his memory as Kain sped off into the forest with nothing more than the stars for a guide. The screams and howls of his pack had followed as he had sprinted off into the night, running faster than he had ever thought possible. The fury on Geralt—the leader of the Weres’—face remained to haunt him.

  Shit-cakes, buddy boy. What have you got yourself into now?

  Chapter Ten

  The Broken City, Old Ontario

  Caitlin had no idea where they were going. All she knew was that they were taken down into the tunnel where Oscar had appeared from and marched forward.

  She held the image of the woman in her mind—a powerful woman accustomed to command. The type of woman she had herself become over the last few months. It irked her to know that her crew’s safety was in a stranger’s hands now, but even though the woman had been harsh with them, there was something that Caitlin liked about her that she couldn�
��t put her finger on.

  Only once did Caitlin hear anyone trip. Laurie uttered a slight cry followed by a thud as her body hit the floor. Joe uttered, “Are you okays?” before being hushed by Oscar, and they were prodded on their way.

  After a series of twists and turns, Oscar placed Caitlin’s hands on metal bars which, she deduced by feel, ascended. She took the stairs slowly and eventually, felt a pull on her collar as she was hauled up into the open. The smell of damp dissipated, replaced by the cool chill of the open air. And as her blindfold was whipped off, she felt she already knew who would be waiting for her in the light.

  “Fun trip?” the woman asked, taking Caitlin by the arm and placing her on a chair in the center of the room they had entered. A basement of sorts, it seemed.

  “It was Goldilocks who tripped. I was fine.” Caitlin winked back at Laurie, who stuck out her tongue in return.

  “Goldilocks might be forced to send her bears to maul your ass,” Laurie countered.

  When the other two surfaced and they were all seated, their hands still tied behind their backs, the woman pulled up a chair and spun it around. She straddled it coolly and leaned forward over its back, staring for some time.

  “When you’re done with your staring gig, do you mind telling us who the fuck you are?” Caitlin pitched her tone as calm but authoritative. “And where the fuck is my dog?”

  Oscar turned, Jaxon held steady in his arms. Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief.

  The woman smiled. “You’ve got a sharp tongue for a pretty lady. You know you shouldn’t swear at strangers, right? Especially those who could use your brain matter to paint the walls behind you.”

  “You’re not going to shoot us.”

  Tom, Joe, and Laurie watched her uneasily. The woman chuckled, pulled her gun out of a holster fixed to her thigh, and aimed it dead between Caitlin’s eyes.

  She stared back, unblinking. Not a twitch of emotion betrayed her as she held their captor’s gaze until, eventually, the woman lowered the gun again and smiled. “I like your balls,” she said, leaning over the chair back once more. “Figuratively, of course. My name is Isabella Cenzo, and these are my men, Oscar, Dwight, and Howard.”