by Bobby Adair
"If you went near them, you'd lose the things that make you human," Melora concluded, her eyes widening as she thought through those implications.
"That's why I isolate myself in the tower." Jingo nodded sagely.
"Does that work for everyone?" Shuddering, Melora glanced over her shoulder at William. He was holding his sword at the sky, talking to himself.
"I wish it did," Jingo said. "Most of the people in Brighton are burned, so we never get a chance to determine how many might've ended up like me."
"Have you seen others like you?"
"A few, over the years. But most end up consorting with demons. Their minds are lost."
Melora swallowed as she recalled William's nighttime wanderings. Who knew what he'd been doing? "You need to help William," she told Jingo.
"I'll do what we can for him. But first, we need to escape this place. More demons are coming from the commotion. The entire city will be swarmed. And they'll stay a while, searching for people to feast on. To remain here is to die, as I said in the tower."
"Where are we going?" Melora asked. She looked around the city street as if it might provide an answer. The far-away wails of demons filled the air.
Jingo watched her for a while before replying. "To the ocean."
Chapter 50: Bray
Bray crept through the rubble-strewn building, peering through the cracks in the walls as he followed Melora, William, Ivory, and Jingo through the Ancient City. After battling his way out of the tower, he'd made his way to the back of the building, picking up their trail. He winced at the pain in his arm from where Melora had slashed him, and the cuts and scrapes he'd gotten while battling several demons and men to get out of the tower. His leg had been torn open. His head was cut from scraping an alley wall.
The sting of those injuries weren't even close to the guilt he felt for what he'd done to Ella.
Killing her had been an awful, horrible accident.
Bray had never seen a smart demon before. He'd been so convinced Ivory's story was a lie that he'd refused to believe what his eyes and ears told him.
If he had, Ella might still be alive.
Even now, he could see the pool of blood around Ella's body as she'd lain on the ancient rooftop. He closed his eyes and opened them, wishing he could take back the horrible mistake he'd made. Bray's heart stung with remorse, even though he hated that emotion. This was a tragedy about which he couldn't stop thinking. He'd made other mistakes, sure, but none that had bothered him for more than a night's rest.
He wasn't naïve enough to think Ella had loved him, but whatever they'd shared together was over. Over because of me.
Bray bit his lips to quell the emotion building up inside him as he listened to the demon-man speak with Melora and Ivory in the streets. He hid behind a wall to make sure they wouldn't see him.
He watched William hanging behind the others, alternating between dragging his sword on the ground and hoisting it in the air.
William's eyes were haunted and cold.
I've left him motherless.
"Men descend into depravity after being infected, but some are able to avoid that madness by keeping their distance," Bray heard Jingo say.
Bray looked at William. He thought back through the short time he'd known him. William's strange actions were a symptom of his deteriorating mind.
Maybe I can keep him from the demons, he thought.
He owed that much to Ella.
If he could do that, maybe he could preserve what little sanity he had left. Maybe he could watch over William.
He'd just have to make sure Melora, Ivory, and Jingo didn't see him.
I'll keep following him, in hopes of making up for what I've done.
Chapter 51: Melora
"When I first met you, you told me you floated over the ocean," Melora put together. "Is that where we're going now?"
She watched Ivory and Jingo exchange a glance before speaking. She couldn't imagine they'd shared their secrets with anyone before.
"We have a device that will take us over the water," Jingo confirmed.
"A device?"
"A contraption that the Ancients called a boat," Jingo said.
"A boat," Melora said, rolling the foreign word over her tongue.
"You'll see when we get to it. Using the boat to get away from the Ancient City will give us our best chance at survival."
"You won't believe it, Melora," Ivory said. "The ocean is beautiful. And the feeling you get when you are floating over it is impossible to describe."
A crack of thunder interrupted them.
Since they'd been walking, the sky had soured even more. Thick, swirling clouds swallowed the last traces of the sun. The heavens looked like they were about to burst. The entire day felt like she was living some dream, or some nightmare.
"We should hurry," Jingo warned. "The sky is darkening. We'll have rain soon."
Melora looked over her shoulder, finding William. He was even further back. He eyed her with a look that seemed like disdain. But that didn't make sense. Why was he angry with her?
When we get on the boat, I'll talk to him, she thought. Somehow, I'll pull him out of this. I have to.
Chapter 52: William
William slowed his footsteps, watching the others get farther ahead. He had no desire to catch up to Melora, Ivory, or Jingo. They were nothing to him now, anyway. Melora wasn't his sister; she was a stranger who'd conspired to take away his mother's love. And now Ella was dead.
His and Melora's relationship was doomed to an end.
And Ivory. Who knew what his intentions were? He was as much to blame for Ella's death as anybody.
William didn't know what to think about Jingo.
He associates with humans.
That means he's as evil as the rest of them.
William cocked his head, listening to voices in the air. Some of the voices belonged to Ivory, Melora, and Jingo. He caught bits and pieces of their conversation—something about floating on the ocean and away from the Ancient City.
More than likely, they were going to take him out on the water and drown him.
Just like they killed Ella. Just like people killed others in Brighton. Humans were each other's playthings, good for spikings and burnings, and nothing more. That was what the demons had taught him. That was what the Ancient City had revealed.
And now, the buildings were whispering the truth about the people he kept company with.
A rumble reached William's ears. Looking upward, he saw clouds gathering. Thunder split the air. It was going to storm. Other noises were calling him, too. He heard faint voices from the opening of a giant, square building to his left. William furrowed his brow and peered inside, catching sight of one of the demons staring at him. It lurked next to a slab of ancient stone, watching.
Not running. Not trying to hurt him.
Of course it wasn't.
I'm one with the Ancient City, William thought. I'm one with the demons. Just like I'm one with the forest and the trees.
William smiled as he veered from the road, walking toward the tattered structure and toward the demon. The demon slunk through the building and met him at the entrance. William lowered his sword and reached out to touch it. The creature's knobby, rough skin was strangely comforting. He ran his hands over the demon, wondering if it might change its mind and kill him, but it didn't.
"You won't hurt me," he told the demon assuredly.
Another creature skulked in a nearby alleyway. William looked up at it and smiled. He called out for it and waved it over. It crept out into the open as if it was an old friend meeting him for a walk in the marketplace, rather than a bloodthirsty beast that might feed on his flesh. Brighton is wrong about them. They always have been. Having gathered two of his brethren, William stared through the openings in the buildings around him, looking for more of his brothers and sisters.
He'd find them. He'd find them all.
And when he did, they'd stay together so no o
ne would hurt them. Looking in the distance, he watched Ivory, Melora, and Jingo disappear down an incline in the road.
Good, he thought. Let them go.
Chapter 53: Melora
"Is that it?" Melora asked, peering through the entrance of the dark building and at the strange object sitting on the water. "Is that the boat?"
"Yes!" Ivory said, beckoning inside. "That's it!"
"I've kept it inside to protect it from the elements," Jingo explained.
Melora couldn't stop staring. Pieces of fabric hung from metal poles stuck in the center of the crescent-shaped object. Ropes dangled from the fabric. There was enough room on board for all of them, and yet Melora couldn't imagine getting on the contraption, sailing across the water and away from the Ancient City. Maybe its magnificence would perk up William.
"William!" she called, looking over her shoulder.
He was gone. She looked right, up the long, sloping road they'd just traveled to get to the building next to the ocean. Then she looked left, where dark waves lapped at a muddy beach. The wind kicked up the water, heaving in thick gusts.
"Where is he?" she cried, frantic. "I just saw him."
"He was right behind us a moment ago," Ivory confirmed, concern growing in his voice. "At least, I thought he was."
Melora felt a burst of panic. Had demons come and snatched him when they weren't looking? The hissing wind might've hidden his call of distress. Ivory, Melora, and Jingo scanned the road as thunder erupted from the clouds.
"The storm is almost upon us!" Jingo warned.
"I'm not leaving without William," Melora said resolutely. She forged up the street and away from Ivory and Jingo, looking for her brother. She called his name, searching for him in empty doorways and peering through glassless windows as she started back up the incline. All she saw were brown plants creeping from cracks in the buildings, as if they'd snatched him and tucked him away.
"William!" she yelled, her panic turning to desperation.
She walked faster, fighting against the wind, her hair blowing behind her as she ran up the road. Ivory and Jingo followed. The screech of a demon made Melora's heart stammer. She clenched her sword, prepared to fight it off.
Where was William?
They were halfway up the steep, sloping road when William appeared over the top of the hill a few hundred feet away. He held his sword, appraising them. He was surrounded by demons. Melora gasped as the creatures watched her, Ivory, and Jingo.
"What's going on?" Ivory asked.
"I'm not sure," Melora said. "William!"
William stood at the top of the hill, watching them without speaking. The demons' shoulders heaved as they watched her. They were waiting. But for what? William eyed Melora with a blank expression, as if she were a stranger.
"It's me, William! Come down here with us!" she said.
William didn't acknowledge her.
"He's standing among them, but they're not attacking," Melora said incredulously to Ivory and Jingo, as if they might have some explanation. "Why is he doing that?"
She looked at Jingo long enough to see his grave expression.
"I don't understand," Melora said.
But she did.
She thought back to the time in the woods, when William had screamed at the demons, convinced he could communicate with them. Or the times he'd snuck from the ancient building and run off. He couldn't have survived on his own. And then there was the sword he'd taken. From whom?
"William!" she yelled, taking a step closer.
A few of the demons screeched and raised their long, claw-like fingernails. Melora shuddered at her brother's blank expression. She might as well be a stranger. He didn't move. He didn't tell his demons to stop. Ivory drew his bow, nocking an arrow and aiming it at one of the demons.
"We're going to have to fight, if they run at us," Ivory said.
"It isn't safe to stay," Jingo said.
"I'm not leaving my brother!" Melora said defiantly, as if saying the words might convince William to drop some act and come with them.
William cocked his head sideways, as if he might've understood her. His expression seemed to change. Was he smiling? Melora took a tentative step forward. A demon snarled.
"Jingo!" Ivory shouted suddenly, turning to his teacher. "You can talk to them like you did the other day in the city! You can send them away!"
Melora didn't know what Ivory was talking about, but she looked at Jingo for an answer, desperate for any solution.
Jingo looked nervous. He watched Ivory, fiddling with his knife. "I'm not sure it will work."
"You have to try!" Ivory insisted.
Turning to the demons, Jingo took a step forward. "Leave the boy alone!" he cried. Neither William nor the demons responded. Taking another step forward, he knocked the hood from his face, revealing the knobby, rounded warts that covered his head. "Leave him alone!" he screamed again.
Jingo projected strength in his voice as he stared down the demons.
William muttered something, prompting one of the demons to rake the air, gnashing its teeth. Jingo took a nervous step backward. His face became grave. More demons appeared at the top of the hill.
"It's too late," Jingo warned, his voice wavering. "I don't think there's anything we can do."
"What does that mean?" Melora asked. "We can't leave him!"
"If I'd met him earlier, I might've been able to do something." Jingo shook his head fruitlessly. "But he's surrounded himself with the beasts. If we try to step in, we'll be killed. We have to leave before the storm hits, or we won't be able to get away from the Ancient City in time to save ourselves."
"William!" Melora called, tears wetting her cheeks.
Jingo backed up a step. Ivory touched her arm. "I'm sorry, Melora. If it means anything, I don't think he knows what he's doing. Not anymore."
A bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the nearby buildings. Ivory and Jingo tugged her in the opposite direction.
"We have to go, Melora!" Ivory insisted, his face contorted in sympathetic pain.
Melora couldn't stop staring at William as Ivory and Jingo pulled her backward. She glared at the demons with hatred in her eyes, as if she might break William free of their trance. But he remained where he was, holding her eyes with a smile as his lips moved, muttering something.
Without warning, one of the demons lunged toward them. Another followed. Soon they were chasing Ivory, Melora, and Jingo down the street, and Melora was running, her boots pounding the pavement as hisses cut over the wind.
"Hurry, Melora!" Ivory said.
Somewhere behind her, Melora heard William scream, "Kill them!"
Melora poured all of her effort into getting away. She couldn't think about what was happening. The urgent need to save William had been replaced by the dire impulse to get away from him. He'd kill her. He'd kill them all.
She knew it now.
Ella's mission had died with her.
Melora's lungs burned with exertion and tears spackled her face. They raced to the building at the end of the road. Ivory pulled her through the doorway. She looked around, her eyes adjusting as she frantically made her way down a walkway that led to the boat. Ivory helped her over the side of the metal contraption.
"Get in and hold on!" he yelled.
She fought for balance as Ivory and Jingo untied the ropes that held the ancient object in place. The cries of demons filled the air, their foul stench carrying with the wind as they reached the building. Ivory and Jingo pulled wooden sticks from the boat's interior, pushing the boat from the walkway.
Several beasts burst through the entrance. Melora held on to the side of the boat, wobbling as she held up her sword.
"I'll hold them back!" she screamed to Ivory and Jingo. "Keep going!"
She slashed at a leaping demon as it leapt over the water, knocking it down with a splash. She struck another, slicing its arm and sending it careening to join its brother.
Soon they were far enou
gh away that the demons couldn't reach them, floating out of the building and into the ocean.
They exited to a dark sky. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead; streaks of lightning flashed over the water. Melora watched more demons racing down to the muddy banks and toward the ocean. Several leaped into the water, thrashing wildly as they sank with useless hopes of reaching the boat. The rest went no further. They stayed on the shore and swiped the air as if they might reach Melora, Ivory, and Jingo, their hungry, frustrated cries filling Melora with dread.
They floated away from the building and further out on the ocean.
She caught a glimpse of her brother at the top of the street. William was in the midst of the demons on the shore, raising his sword in the air as angry beasts paraded around him. Their screeches and yowls faded as the boat floated further away.
Chapter 54: Bray
Bray's arm was bleeding again. He stopped, untied the strip of blanket he'd wrapped around it, and unslung his pack. He took out another strip of fabric and rewrapped his bicep.
A flesh wound, that's all it was. But it was nasty enough to make a mess.
He'd fallen behind in his pursuit of William, Melora, Ivory, and Jingo. He was in a building with hunks of ancient stone littering the floor. The far wall was barricaded by debris. For a while, he'd gotten lucky, following the group through cracked walls and broken buildings, but he'd lost sight of them a while ago, rather than risk being exposed.
He needed to catch up.
Backtracking to the building's entrance, Bray craned his head around the corner. In the time he'd bandaged himself, a familiar, foul stench filled the air. When had that arrived? Bray wrinkled his nose as he snuck into the open, looking for the closest cross street, finding it fifty yards away. He snuck onto it and made his way down a parallel road, hastening his stride.
A scream that sounded like Melora echoed in the distance. He heard shouts that might've been Jingo.
Bray kept going, skirting dead plants and upheaved earth, weaving down several streets until he spotted a group of demons racing down a long, sloping street that led down the ocean.