666

by Whateley, Michael

  She raised herself up, rubbing her eyes. She was sat in an open topped cage. It appeared to be on wheels. She looked down, recoiling in horror. It was full of bodies. There was a noise above her. She pulled herself to the side of the container as another body landed. It was Paul.

  “Paul?”

  She shook him. He was warm, but unresponsive. She grabbed his shoulder, and straining, turned him over. The bile rose in her throat and she threw up. Heaving into the cage. His face had been chewed off. One eye remained. It stared sightlessly at her. She recoiled in horror, scrabbling to the other side of the cage. She couldn’t believe he was dead. It didn’t feel real, it couldn’t be real. She reached up, covering her eyes as her body was racked by sobs.

  ***

  Hours had passed since Paul had been dropped into the cage. Irene had lost heart, she had felt like giving up, letting the creatures kill her. The pain of death could not be worse than the pain of living without Paul. They had been childhood sweethearts, working hard to make their dreams a reality. Never had she imagined it would end like this. It was like a nightmare, but when she opened her eyes, it was still there.

  Get up. She could hear Paul’s voice in her head. Get up and do something. Move! Fight! Live!

  But I can’t. Not by myself.

  While you live, I live. In your heart. Do it for me.

  She reached into his pocket, withdrawing his keys. On the keyring was a small brass troll figurine. It was his lucky charm. It had been his dad’s, and Paul had kept it with him after his father passed away. She took one of his shoelaces out, attaching the troll to it, she knotted it and put it over her head. It would be her rally point. It would remind her of her loss, and her reason to live. She would survive, she would fight back, and if she could, she would have revenge.

  She climbed out of the cage, and lowered herself to the floor. She was in some kind of warehouse. In the far corner, there was a low table. There was someone on it. She walked across. Hoping that there might be at least one more living person. Tubes went into the body. One carrying a clear liquid in, the other red liquid out.

  It was another woman, clearly dead. Irene felt her forehead. She was warm. How can that be? She looked at the pipe with the clear liquid. She grabbed it. It was also warm, and pulsed almost like a heartbeat. It was being pumped in. She looked at the other pipe, the red pipe. It led to a tank that was six foot high. Why would anyone want this?

  Irene spun around, alerted by a noise from the other end of the room. A door was opening. She looked for somewhere to hide. There was nothing but the red tank. She ran to it, crouching behind it, peering around. It was one of the creatures. This one walked on two legs. It wore a coverall and safety glasses. Definitely not monkeys. It was carrying some kind of device, like a tablet, but the screen appeared to float above it.

  It walked up to the woman on the trolley, then it sniffed, turning its head. It was looking straight at Irene, behind the container. Does it know I’m here? How can it?

  “I know you're there, come out, I won’t hurt you.”

  Irene looked around for something, anything. A place to run to, a weapon to use. There was nothing.

  “My name is John, I’m not like the others, come out, I can help.”

  As it spoke, it had walked around. It was now looking straight at Irene. The pretence was over. She stood up, keeping her distance. Her legs were tense, ready to run if she could.

  “John? Really? You're the first monster I’ve heard of called John.”

  “We’re not monsters, we’re from Earth just like you. We’re Homo Sanguinis. My name isn’t really John, you wouldn’t be able to say it.”

  “So we’re still on Earth?”

  “Yes… Well. No… Not your Earth. Look, we haven’t got time for this. I’ll take you back to your home. You need to prepare. You need to help me. There’s a war coming. You’ll lose. I need your help to stop it.”

  The End

  Also by this Author

  Six of Hearts

  Killer in Mind

  Operation Desert Swarm

  About the Author

  I was born in Sheffield England in 1968.

  I've always had a belief in normal people doing extraordinary things. Heroes are not born, they discover themselves when the time is right. We are all heroes. That is what I try to express in my writing. The characters in my stories are ordinary people, like you and me, they are put in extraordinary situations. The story unfolds as they discover the inner hero and triumph over their fears, reservations and become the best version of themselves. That is the inner secret in all of us, and yes, it is in you too.

  My career has been a reflection of this. I have always pushed myself to try new, challenging, things. I've been a motorcycle courier, electrician, games programmer, Special Constable, Infantry Soldier, Military Intelligence, and currently a truck driver. I took flying lessons in a microlight, and martial arts lessons. I thought I was pushing myself; it turns out that I was preparing myself to write realistic fiction. Using my life experiences to put truth into my stories. Who knew? I can't wait to connect with you. I hope you have as much fun reading my stories as I did writing them.

  I am also happily married to my best friend, with four fantastic children.

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