“Gah!” The stench hit me first and I fought the urge to vomit.
It was that same sickeningly sweet aroma we had encountered with the pods on the road, but this was heavier, and carried with it the smell of tainted meat. I pressed forward until the toe of my boot connected with something solid. Searing pain lanced through my head, before settling deep in my chest. My fingers and toes began to tingle. I grabbed Zander’s arm, trying to steady myself, while my eyes adjusted to the absolute darkness around us.
“No,” I gasped, stumbling back as the image became clear.
Arranged in a semi-circle at our feet, were the charred remains of at least fifty people. Some were huddled together, while others kneeled alone. Each of them held a bible or prayer beads. They all faced the same direction, pivoting around a central dais. Upon the wooden altar, surrounded by hundreds of melted prayer candles, hung a blood red tapestry with a verse embroidered upon it in gold. For our God is a consuming fire, Hebrews 12:29.
Flashlight beams danced around us, casting pale circles of light onto the blistered parish below.
“Are those—?” Micah trailed off.
“Yes,” Zander said.
“Oh, god.” Micah cupped his hand over his mouth, leaped out through the open storefront, and heaved into the concrete planter outside.
“I don’t understand,” Zander said. “There is no fire damage in here. How did these people burn to death without fire?”
“Radiation,” Jake said. “No need to grill, when you have a microwave.”
“Ugh, you know that ain’t right,” Falisha said, holding her finger below her nose as she stepped back onto the sidewalk outside. “I’m just gonna keep watch out here with Micah, y’all.”
Something moved at the back of the room and everyone froze. After a few seconds, I heard it again; a rustling sound, like rodents scampering across a stack of papers. I tiptoed through the throng of bodies on the floor, careful not to disturb them or lose my balance. The closer I got to the source of the sound, the more the pain in my chest lessened. I stepped past the last row of bodies and found myself near the back entrance of the building. To my left there was an unmarked door, but try as I might I could not get it open.
“Help…me,” said a gruff voice from somewhere inside.
“Hold on, I’m coming,” I pleaded through the door. A low growl echoed from somewhere inside the locked room. “Zander help me!”
“Please…?” It was the voice again, but this time it was little more than a strangled whisper.
Zander made quick work of the heavy door, ripping it from its hinges in one shot. Dust and shards of wood flew through the air and scattered the floor around us as I lunged through the door. “Stay there, Zander.”
“Liv, you can’t,” Zanders voice was strained.
“Trust me,” I said, gently placing my hand over his heart. “Please.”
“Ughhh,” the voice groaned, and I turned toward it.
“Where are you?” I asked. That same unseen force at my center that was pulling me toward that voice, also told me I was doing the right thing, even if it scared the hell out of me to do it.
“Please.” The voice sounded broken and hollow. “Just…make it stop.”
The pull in my gut grew more urgent, like a rubber band stretched so much it might snap. It wasn’t painful, so much as urgent, but it was making it harder for me to breathe. Instinct won out at first and I fought against it, desperate to release the pressure building in my chest. It didn’t take but a few seconds to realize my resistance only made it worse, so I gave in, took a breath, and followed the invisible tether as it led me deeper into the shadows.
“For Christ’s sake, Liv. Be careful,” Zander spat, from just outside the door. I could tell he wanted to follow me into that room, but it was almost as if someone were holding him back.
“I’m fine,” I whispered back, then continued forward slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust, and for the faintly familiar blue to set in.
I found the owner of the gravelly voice curled in the fetal position against an old wooden desk. A smattering of papers and books littered the floor around him like debris from a tornado. The shredded remains of his clothing hung loosely on his mangled body. Every inch of exposed skin was raw and blistered, stretched painfully tight over his swollen limbs. Blood pooled on the loose papers beneath him and stuck to his raw tissue every time he moved. His eyelids were peeled back, revealing milky-white irises set adrift in his blood filled eyes. His entire body shook, his teeth clattering against each other.
“Please,” he said, just before his body began convulsing. “Argggghhttt!”
I stepped closer, desperate to ease his suffering, but stopped short as a wire-thin dog crept out from under the desk. Its head hung low, hackles raised, as a low growl emanated from deep in its gut. Its ears were pasted back against its head, and the second the animal’s eyes met mine it bared its sharp teeth. It was clearly protecting its master and I could not fault the beast for it, but I needed to get closer if I was going to help.
“Easy,” I whispered, slowly lowering myself to the man’s side. “Easy, there doggy.”
“Bella,” the burned man croaked. As if her name where the magic words, the dog instantly calmed. She lowered herself to the floor at his side, whimpering softly as she nudged at his arm with her slender nose.
“Shhh,” he cooed, blood and spittle spraying from mouth. He winced as he gently patted her head with a raw hand, leaving a swath of blood across her face and nose. “It’s…okay, Bells. Shhh.”
“What can I do?” I asked, afraid to touch him or make a move.
“Please,” he begged, struggling for breath as he spoke. “I’m com— compatible. You can’t…don’t let me…turn into…one of them.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, tears streaming down my face. “One of what?”
“The goddamn Leeches,” he spat. His body curled in on itself, and despite his best efforts, the man cried out in pain. “Please, you have…to stop it. Make it stop!”
“How?” I asked. My chest felt like it might explode. I had no idea what this poor man needed or how I could possibly help and he wasn’t making any sense. My limited medical expertise had never covered anything close to this. “How can I help, you? I don’t know what to do!”
“Please, just do it,” he sobbed, blood spraying from his mouth as he rolled toward me.
“Do what?” I shrieked, blinded by the pain in my chest.
“Aghh,” he ground out. “Kill me…please!”
Chapter 25
Kindred Spirits
Bella whined and thumped her tail on the floor. It was as though she understood what her master had asked of me and she was giving me her blessing. Her eyes shimmered in the dark as they shot back and forth from my face to the man at her feet.
“What? No, you can’t mean that,” I said, shuffling backward on my heels. “I…I can’t.”
“You must,” he said resolutely, his raw eyes fixed on mine. “It’s the only way. It’s too much. I’m…a monster.”
The exposed muscle and sinew in his chest and abdomen rippled and stretched against itself as another seizure wracked his body. His lidless eyes rolled back into his head so far I feared they might not come back this time. I wanted to reach out to him, to still his body, but I was afraid my touch would only cause him more pain. My heart ached for his suffering, and I wished I could make it stop, but what he had asked of me was too much.
“It’s okay, mister,” I said. “We can find help. We can get you to a hospital.”
“No! No hospital…too late,” he said, as the wave of spasm finally abated. “Please, you have to. I’m compatible. Gone too far…aghhh, too far already.”
“There has to be another way,” I said, tears streaking down my face unchecked. “Please, don’t ask me to do this. I just can’t.”
“What…is your name,” he asked, grinding out the words.
“Liv,” I said, choking on my tears. “My
, umm, my name. It’s Liv.”
“Guh— Gunther.” He held his hand out as if to shake, then pulled quickly pulled it back.
“Gunther,” I repeated numbly.
“Liv…listen to me.” Gunther’s words scraped out from behind his bloody teeth as he struggled to speak. “I’m infected…I’m already dead.”
“But, we have medicine, and we could—” I said.
“No!” He growled, his jaw snapping tight.
Gunther ground his teeth together and took a few panting breaths to get himself in check, before reaching out and grabbing my hands. I was astounded he could still speak at this point, given the amount of pain he had to be in. His words came out in choppy chunks, littered with panted breaths and groans.
“I’m sorry— but Liv,” he rasped, his arms shaking as they stretched between us. “There is no cure for me. It’s progressed too far.”
“Please,” I whispered. “You have to let me try.”
“Can’t save me,” Gunther squeezed my hand and pointed to a wound on his chest, as bloody tears leaked from his eyes. There were four deep slashes across his ribs, each oozing with a greenish-black, frothy goo. “If it reaches the heart…I’m already dead.”
“I can’t,” I wanted to pull my hand from his but he was gripping me so tightly I was afraid it would hurt him. “I’m not a murderer.”
“Not murder,” he hissed, his eyes rolling around in his head. “Mercy.”
“Gunther, please?” I sobbed staring down at the streaks of blood his hands left on mine.
“Right here.” He released my hand, his fingers trembling as he pointed to the back of his own head. “Sever…the brain stem. Instant death— no pain.”
As far as mercy killings went, it seemed like a fairly humane way to go— but could I do it? How could I kill a man, even one that was begging me to do it? Could I live with myself knowing I had taken a life or was it far worse to let this poor man die a slow and agonizing death?
And he would die; there was no question in my mind. Burns covered his entire body and judging by the smell, most of them were already infected. His body was mutilated beyond repair. Even in the world before Icarus, there would have been little hope for Gunther’s survival. His doctors would have put him in a medically induced coma, drowned him in morphine and let him die in peace. Just because that world was gone, it didn’t mean he deserved to die in pain.
“Please, Liv.” He struggled to speak, as blood and viscous fluid flew into the air. “It’s too much…the pain…I can’t.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. To hell with that; was I sure?
“For the love of God,” Gunther begged. “Do it now…before it’s too late.”
“Okay,” I whispered, reaching my hand into my pocket to retrieve my knife. “I’ll do it.”
Wait…what? No!
“Oh, thank you,” he sobbed as another spasm wracked his decrepit body. As he lurched and writhed on the floor, I absently slid my knife from my pocket. My mind and my heart were at war, the pendulum of morality at an infinite clatter in my head as I moved closer.
Don’t do this.
But, he’s suffering.
It’s murder.
It’s mercy!
“Wait,” Gunther’s outburst startled me and I dropped the knife to the floor. He pointed his shaking hand toward a small rucksack that had been flung against the wall to my right. “N-need…my bag.”
I lunged for it, just as desperate to get away from him at that moment, as I had been to ease his suffering. I slid the bag across the floor, laying it open between us. He hissed through his teeth, the friction, no doubt causing him immense pain as he blindly dug through its contents.
“There,” he said, retrieving a small leather bound book. “You will need this.”
I plucked the pocket-sized Bible from his limp fingers and lay it gingerly across my lap. The pebbled leather was worn smooth in places and felt cool against my shaking fingers. The gold leafing on the outer edges of its pages was all but gone and they no longer lay flush together. Some pages were dog-eared, others marked with random pieces of string or ribbon. He reached out a hand to me, and I took it without pause this time. I focused on what remained of the tattoo on his forearm and tried not to think about feel of his desiccated flesh against mine.
“Take the book,” Gunther wheezed. “Let it guide you…to salvation.”
“I— okay,” I said.
“Protect my Bella,” he said, his lips peeling back, a snarl barely kept in check. “Liv, she is important.”
“Okay, Gunther.” Tears slid down my grimy face. “I will take good care of her.”
“It’s close to her heart, Liv,” he whispered, pulling away as he curled in on himself. Each time he spoke, Gunther drifted farther from reality. He spoke in riddles and nonsensical ramblings. “Where one was lost, all will be found.”
“It’s going to be okay, Gunther,” I lied.
“Liv, you must listen.” His eyes shot my direction. Tiny black tendrils began snaking their way inward towards his white pupils. “Protect. Bella.”
“I will, Gunther,” I said.
“No,” he squeezed my hand hard enough that it hurt, and I cringed as I felt some of his skin tear away against mine. “Swear it…Promise me.”
“I— I promise.” Damn.
“Ssssalvationnn…” he whispered, blood running down the side of his face into a puddle on the floor.
“What?” I asked, leaning closer.
“The Scripture is your guide—follow the stars. Stay on the trail of blood….ugh….go to the tip of the golden blade,” he groaned, his eyes bulging in their sockets. “Gahhhhh…find salvation.”
Gunther’s eyes rolled back again, graying farther on their returned. His teeth ground together as he bucked against the floor. He reached for Bella, his hands raking like claws across her fur. Once he had a grip on her, he tried to pull her toward him. He squeezed so hard she yelped and backed away from his touch, retreating once again to the shadows beneath the desk.
“Hurry,” he hissed, clenching his hands into fists as he bared his teeth. “Do it…now!”
An inhuman growl rumbled from somewhere deep in his chest and I watched helplessly as that gray in his eyes gave way to inky black. His muscles twitched uncontrollably as he rolled about like a snake shedding its skin. His long arms lunged forward, too weak to do much more than scrape on the floor in front of him—his hooked fingers stretching towards Bella.
“Argh,” I groaned, clutching at my chest. The pain I had felt there intensified as if it, too, were urging me to end his suffering.
Somehow, his pain felt dangerous.
I scooted forward on my knees and wrestled his jerking head onto my lap, the way my mother used to when I was sick as a child. “Shh. It’s okay, now, Gunther.”
Bella started growling again, but I did not feel threatened. All I could see of her was the prismatic reflection of her eyes, as they watched from beneath the desk. They were trained on Gunther now, instead of on me. My pulse banged in my throat and I struggled to steady my hand as I picked up my knife. I held his head still against my leg and carefully placed the tip of my blade into the hollow at the base of his skull.
“Everything is going to be okay,” I whispered, my body suddenly numb. “Just rest now.”
The muscles in his jaw flexed uncontrollably, his teeth gnashing as if he were trying to bite. The sound of his molars crashing together echoed through the empty room. I pressed the tip of my blade against his neck and bit my lip to keep from screaming out. The knife slid effortlessly through his skin.
I closed my eyes, trying desperately to find a calm place in my mind, but the same horrors existed there. My hand felt warm and my vision shifted from pale blue to black, as the knife made its way home. I heard a dull crunch and his body stopped thrashing. His shoulders went limp against my leg. The room was once again awash in a sea of moonbeams. I sat motionless, staring down at Gunther as his mouth went slack and his hand
s fell to the floor. His coal black eyes stared blankly into the shadows.
I slowly pulled the knife from his flesh and dropped it to the floor beside me. I gently laid his head on the floor and scooted as far away as I possibly could. When my back was against the wall, I dropped my chin to my chest and let my hair cascade around me. It shielded me from Gunther’s body, but not from what I had done. I knew in my heart that killing Gunther had been the right thing to do. Unfortunately, my heart and my mind were rarely in agreement.
The sound of sharp claws clattering against the old vinyl tiles interrupted my internal debate, as Bella emerged from her dark hiding spot. At first, she just sniffed the air. She inched her way towards her fallen master, growling softly under her breath. She gave his body a wide berth as she hobbled toward me. Every few steps she would prod at his still form with her nose, then bare her teeth and back away again.
“Shhh, easy girl.” I gently patted my leg before slowly raising a hand out toward her. “It’s okay, Bella.”
She lowered her head and inched towards me, whimpering softly as she approached. The rhythm of her gate caught my attention, but my eyes stayed fixed on hers. I did not want to back down, but also did not want to appear aggressive. We eyed each other like that for some time until she tentatively rose to her full height and stopped just in front of me. Her slender head was even with mine as I sat on the floor.
Bella was beautiful. She had a long neck and floppy pointed ears. Her soft dark eyes seemed to stare straight through me as she sniffed my outstretched hand.
“Easy, Bella,” I whispered, never taking my eyes from hers as I held my hand in front of her.
She opened her mouth wide, revealing long rows of very sharp teeth. I flinched, fully expecting her to bite down on my hand, but she licked at my fingers then nuzzled her snout into my palm. Despite her awkward gait, she moved with ease and grace, as she inched her way ever closer to me. I gently ran my fingers through the soft fur around her neck and she scooted even closer, a soft whimper echoing from deep within her chest.
Killshot (Icarus Series Book 1) Page 22