“I don’t know,” I said, “but we need to get off of this roof. We’re like sitting ducks up here. There’ll be more of those things, guaranteed.”
“More?” Josh choked. He obviously couldn’t see the small army of them circling high above our heads. Lucky him.
I stepped up to the ledge, looking over my shoulder as Josh shimmied around the beast’s head. It wasn’t until that moment that I really got a chance to admire him in all of his maleness. His wet jeans hung low on his waist, his oblique muscles pointing to a place that the friendship handbook strictly forbade me from visiting. The soft ripple over his abdomen increased with each breath he took. I shook my head. Reality was calling – something about the end of the world. That was probably more important than Josh’s perfect body. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice told me it wasn’t.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked once he’d reached my side.
“What choice do we have?” I said, staring into the giant blue abyss. “It’s that or get eaten alive.”
Neither of us liked the latter. He gave a stiff nod.
I took his hand in mine and squeezed it – it was so warm. I forced a smile. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” I said.
“That’s my line,” Josh replied, sounding a little uneasy. I didn’t blame him.
“Looks like I’m borrowing it.”
I leapt feet first into the ice-cold water. Ghastly sounds traveled through the murky ocean. I opened my eyes and looked down into the endless darkness. My mind went wild, warning me that I was plunging to my death. My heartbeat finally slowed and I began kicking my feet, trying to reach the surface. Josh was already in the water, waiting for me with his back against the arcade wall.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” he replied uneasily.
At least one of us was.
–
As we treaded through the black waters that engulfed the city, I felt vulnerable. In the water wasn’t the easiest place to whip out a sword and duel it out. Suddenly, I regretted my decision to swim for safety. If something happened, would I be able to protect Josh? It was too late to turn back. I’d have to make do.
We sloshed through the water for what seemed like days. The shallower it became, the more bodies that emerged. Some hung from rubble, others floated face down in the salty ocean water. I held my breath for as long as I could. A repulsive odor filled the air, wreaking havoc on my gag reflexes each time the pungent stench invaded my nostrils. Rotting flesh wasn’t exactly a pleasant scent.
Few survivors surfaced from the ruins – very few. I counted them on my fingers – toes weren’t necessary. They watched with lifeless eyes as Josh and I floated by. Some of them didn’t look like they’d make it another five minutes. They probably wouldn’t.
The roar of an engine sent vibrations through the water.
“Josh! Josh, baby! Oh, Josh!”
I knew that infuriating voice all too well. It had burned itself into my brain over the past two days. I saw a fairly large silhouette in the distance, slicing through a thick layer of fog that had settled along the surface of the water. A slender figure swung her one good arm hysterically over her head in Josh’s and my direction. I didn’t doubt for a second who that arm belonged to. Was it too much to ask that she drown in the tsunami? Wow, I really was a monster.
“It’s the others,” Josh breathed a sigh of relief. He swam toward the boat, his eyes glued to his beloved Barbie. It bothered me for no apparent reason. The bottled-blonde jumped up and down, waving at Josh as if he couldn’t see her. The tiny vessel rocked with each heave of her body. Jade grabbed her by the back of her silky black nightgown and shoved her to the floorboards. I’d begun to miss Jade and her charming personality.
“Zoë, thank God you’re alright.” Alec motioned for Tony to steer the boat up next to us. Jade – two of them – leaned over the side to help pull Josh out of the water. Once he was on board, the two bodies fused back together. I thought I heard Samantha mumble something about “freaks” under her breath. She didn’t know the half of it.
I reached a hand up to Alec. As he started to pull me from the water, something grabbed hold of my leg and pulled me back down. Alec yelled for help as whatever had me yanked on my leg a second time. The skin on my leg tore apart like tissue paper and I slipped further down Alec’s arm.
I gasped. “Something’s got me!”
“Don’t let go!” Alec shouted at me, his fingers digging into my forearm, drawing blood.
Another tug and I went under. It dragged me down, the pressure building in my ears. Blood clouded around me as red eyes pierced through the darkness.
A sword sliced through the water, but it wasn’t mine. Alec. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the surface. I gasped for air, coughing up bloody seawater.
“Get her on the boat,” he ordered, throwing his sword over the edge. It clattered beside Cindy who stared at me with wide eyes. Shocked into silence – that must have been a first for her.
The boat rocked back and forth as Josh and Tony hoisted me on board. I winced as I tried to stand. Another step and my leg gave way. Four long talons embedded themselves deep within my calf muscle, one of them piercing the bone. I pried the scaly foot off with steady fingers and flung it overboard.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” I grumbled, dripping blood on the wooden floorboards.
–
The city was in shambles. The tops of buildings were barely visible above the water line; that is, the buildings that somehow managed to survive the multiple earthquakes and the tsunami. There weren’t many. The further we progressed into the city, the lower the water level dropped, and the more carnage we were forced to witness. Buildings and rubble, overturned vehicles and more bodies – they were all revealed to us, rising up from the depths of Hell on Earth.
Our boat suddenly ran aground, the humans on board falling forward. The water was about three feet deep. I leapt into it, mud splattering across Sam’s perfect face as she leaned over the edge, leaving a trail of soot on her flushed cheek. She screeched and I tried not to laugh.
“Now what?” Samantha snarled, shooting me a venomous glare. Someone seemed a little hostile. Maybe she didn’t get enough beauty sleep. I almost voted to leave her behind. I wasn’t too sure Josh would go for that. Besides, I did take responsibility for her. A decision I was already regretting.
“We head for the hospital,” Jade answered for me. “William’s secured a helicopter.”
Like a tiresome buzzing noise, Sam’s voice faded into the back of my mind. I’d learned that it was best to simply ignore her presence altogether. There were bigger problems at hand, like the end of the world, to name one.
About half a block ahead of us, three beaten and bloody survivors stared up into the sky. We approached with caution, following their gaze.
A man sat in a second-floor window. His shoulders and head slumped over an old two-way radio. He was dead. Drops of blood trickled from the corner of his gaping mouth, shards of sharp glass piercing his spine. Static hissed from the ancient machine.
“Popula–” Static. “estimation ninet–” Static. “–cent dead.” Static. “World disas–” Static. “kills all.” Static. “The en–” Static. “is here. May God–” Static. “–ve merc–” Static. “on our–”
White noise scratched at my ears as the transmission cut out.
The three strangers scattered, leaving us alone on the once busy street.
“Looks like communication’s gone,” Josh mumbled.
“Everything’s gone,” I corrected.
No electricity, no connection with the outside world. No chance for a new life. Soon the last remaining remnants of our world would be extinct. Gas would run dry, water would be scarce and food would become stale. People would struggle just to stay alive. The small percentage of survivors would continue to dwindle down until it reached practically nothing. Most of the men and women I’d seen wouldn’t last more than a couple
of days. A lack of medication would lead to infection and, inevitably, death. Not to mention the effect solitude could inflict on a person’s sanity. Suicide would wreak havoc among lone travelers, and there’d be a lot of those.
The world would be a much different place than it once was. Nothing would ever be the same again. Soon, even the memories would die. The past would be forgotten; the present would challenge even the most skilled survivalist; and the future, well, it was uncertain to say the least.
We trekked over the uneven street. Mud squished between my toes, lodging itself in the crevasses of my toenails. The rain calmed to a drizzle, tickling my bare skin. Samantha was the only one to show any sign of pain and, although I didn’t much care for her, I didn’t blame her. A broken bone was rather serious, especially when you couldn’t heal yourself. Of course, Josh was at her side, comforting her. He stroked her hair, kissing the side of her head. His hand rested on the small of her back, encouraging her to press forward. Every once in a while, I thought he looked back at me.
“Who is she?” Cindy was at my side, poking my arm persistently the way she’d always done. It brought a little normalcy back into my life. I could see her in my peripheral vision with her matted hair and tattered clothes. She wasted so much of her life trying to be beautiful. In the end, beauty would always be skin deep.
“His girlfriend,” I mumbled under my breath, just a hint of resentment in my voice. Much like myself, I knew Cindy never really thought she’d see the day that Josh would have a girlfriend. It wasn’t that he couldn’t get one. He could, and with very little effort. It was just the thought of sharing him with someone else. I wasn’t ready for that. Not that I had any claim to him.
Jade took one long stride after the next, running fingers through her spiky black hair. The unending rainfall had finally removed the last of her heavy eye makeup. Hidden behind layers of black, her eyes had a beautiful shape. In my opinion, she looked better without it. Maybe she wanted to look hard. To each their own.
“There is this,” Tony pointed to the tall building, all but destroyed. The smell of dead bodies consumed me as we drew closer. The hospital would’ve been packed from the first two earthquakes. People went for help and died getting it. Maybe Doctor Maxwell got what he deserved. A girl could dream.
The automatic sliding glass doors to the emergency entrance where shattered and we stepped in, glass grinding into my tough heels.
“To the roof,” Jade said. She headed down the partially collapsed corridor and disappeared up the staircase.
“Why can’t we use the elevator?” Samantha whined, shifting her broken arm.
“Really?” I asked, staring at her in disbelief. “Wow, you really know how to pick them,” I mumbled to Josh as I followed Jade up the stairs. I wasn’t sure he heard me.
Almost every other step was either missing or broken. I tread lightly, climbing the five flights of stairs as quickly as I could without losing the group. Dead bodies were strung over the railing, some missing limbs. When I saw the exit sign, I glimpsed freedom.
The metal door flung opened before Jade could put her hands on it. Ryuu stood in the darkness, illuminated by the bright lights on the front of the helicopter. “It’s about time you joined us,” he said, stepping out of the way.
One by one, we piled into the large military grade chopper, William and Annie were already inside, headpieces strapped firmly over their ears. William flipped switches on the large dashboard and the rotors came to life.
Annie smiled at me from the passenger’s seat. Glad you made it.
“Where are we going?” Alec shouted over the roar of rotors.
“Nevada,” William said, easing the chopper off the giant cracked X on the hospital roof.
“Why Nevada?” Annie asked.
“That’s where the plane is.”
Chapter Thirteen
The eerie sound of gnashing teeth was all around us, traveling in the wind as the helicopter flew over the city. William knew what was behind those dark clouds, waiting for their next victim.
“We have about three hours,” he announced over the speaker system, his voice crackling in my ears.
“Until what?” Tony hesitated, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. I knew I didn’t.
“The end.”
I pressed my forehead against the door, watching the once glorious city move further away. A small part of me would miss it. Clouds of smoke billowed from the ground, fire consuming what was left of the land.
“The coastal states will soon be gone, swallowed up by the sea,” William started. “I am hoping we are not already too late. I have my men readying the plane as we speak.” Something swooped in front of the chopper. William leaned forward and peered out through the tall windshield. I heard the beating of wings against outer shell of the aircraft. William didn’t say a word, but we picked up speed.
“So,” I took a deep breath, “the survivors here–”
“There will not be any survivors,” he said solemnly.
Cindy looked at me with grateful eyes. She understood how lucky she was to be alive. Who knows what would have happened to her if I hadn’t made that phone call. Well, I knew, but it wasn’t something I liked thinking about.
I wasn’t too sure Alec was as happy about her survival as she was. What if we didn’t go for Cindy? Max might still be alive the “what ifs” would tell him. As if he knew I was thinking about him, Alec reached over to me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. I leaned against his shoulder and let my mind go blank.
–
We touched down in Nevada in a little over two hours. It was a good thing, too. The low fuel warning light flashed tirelessly on the helicopter’s dashboard.
Tony was the first on his feet when we landed. He thrust the door open and hopped out of the chopper. We followed his lead, piling into the darkness.
“Where are we?” I asked, scanning the vast desert. It was a massive warehouse, a jumbo jet sitting in one of its hangars.
“That is not important,” William said, passing a damaged sign as he entered the hanger. The sign, what was left of it, read: “–rea 51.” I swallowed my own tongue. Vampires, shifts and whatever the hell we were. Sure, why not add extraterrestrials and radioactive superheroes to the mix? The more the merrier, right?
Propane lamps lit up the hangar. The light was comforting. I was sure the humans of our group appreciated being able to see again, not that there was much worth looking at. The world was destroyed – they could use their imaginations. It’d probably be a lot less traumatizing than the real thing.
A pale man approached us from the tail end of the airplane. William instructed Josh to take the two “human girls” into the aircraft. Josh hesitated, his eyes lingering on mine for a moment before he led Cindy and Samantha toward the open hatch.
The man crossed an arm over his chest and bowed to William. “My Lord, we are nearly ready for departure.”
“Very good, Geoffrey.”
Before I knew what was happening, Jade had the man up against a mountain of plywood boxes, her fingers tightening around his neck. His fangs extended – instinct I supposed. “William,” she hissed, “this man is a bloodsucker.”
“Release him, Jade.” William ordered and her hands dropped away. “How stupid do you think me? Of course I know what he is. He works for me.”
“We have vamps on our side?” I asked. Sure, Tony had mentioned that vampire-Chosen relationships had taken place over the years, but it never actually occurred to me that any of them would still be “good.”
William nodded.
Geoffrey retracted his fangs, rubbing his sore neck. Jade glowered at him as he cleared his throat and straightened up. “The Lady Jade, I presume. Lord Ryuu warned me of you.”
Jade glowered over her shoulder at Ryuu when he laughed. I still wasn’t sure of their relationship, if that’s what it was. It was different, to say the least. I wondered if the term “love-hate” was created just for them.
“Geoffrey, my old friend.” Alec grinned and embraced the vampire.
“It has been too long,” Geoffrey said. “And what of Max?”
Alec’s face fell. He shook his head.
“I am sorry, Alec. He was a good man and an excellent shift. I am grateful to have had the pleasure of knowing him for as long as I did.”
I’d forgotten that Alec and Ryuu handled most of William’s business in Europe. Who knew how long Alec and Geoffrey could have known one another. Decades – centuries even.
“I see that another shift has fallen into your hands.” Geoffrey’s eyes flickered over Tony’s face for all of a second. “They seem to be quite drawn to your kind.”
“A word, Geoffrey,” William called.
The vampire bowed. “If you will excuse me.”
I moved over to Tony’s side. “What does he mean, ‘drawn’ to us?”
He shrugged. “Like I told you before, shifts are like guardians for Chosen. It’s like fate or something. We end up around your guys without trying, sometimes before the transformation even happens. Like with you, Linds and me going to school with you for all those years. Fate.”
“Oh,” I nodded. “Wait, what? Lindsay?”
Tony nodded.
“Where is she now?”
Tony’s hands clenched into fists at his side. “You don’t want to know,” he mumbled, turning his back to me. He dropped his head and walked away, heading for a long isle of wooden crates.
I was so preoccupied with Tony that I’d hardly noticed the small army working on the jumbo jet. I counted at least eighty people in the hanger alone. An impressive number when you thought about the state of the world. Based on the way some of them moved, I figured Geoffrey wasn’t the only vampire in the room, which meant that Tony probably wasn’t the only shift.
One man stood alone in the middle of the commotion, barking orders as people, both living and undead, passed by. He was probably in his early to mid forties. His hair was black with just a touch of gray. He had a tall frame, slightly built. I got the impression he was the group’s leader. It was something about the tone of his voice and the matter in which he held himself. He commanded respect like only Alec or William could.
Until Dawn: Last Light Page 13