Until Dawn: Last Light

by Simas, Jennifer Nicole

  As if he felt my eyes on him, he looked over his shoulder. Alec waved for him to join us. The man shoved his hands into his pockets and marched across the crowded room with a scowl on his unshaven face.

  “This is Markus,” Alec said. “He’s one of our best men.”

  “And he curses like a sailor,” Ryuu was quick to add. He put a hand on the middle-aged man’s shoulder.

  Markus nodded the best he could. The gesture seemed foreign to him; it was choppy and forced. He stood strong in his camouflaged uniform, probably an officer in the army. That would explain the lack of submission. I saw the struggle on his face as he tried to be on his best behavior. “If you’ll excuse me, ladies,” he started, “I need to finish preparing these shit-heads for take off.”

  “Well, that didn’t last very long,” Ryuu said with a laugh.

  “Ah, damn it to Hell. Sorry,” he grumbled.

  “Need extra hands?” Alec offered.

  “Shit, yeah.” Markus said before mumbling another apology. Alec kissed my head before he and Ryuu followed Markus back to the aircraft.

  A crash of thunder rattled the sky. The storm had returned. The heavens opened up and rain showered down over the dry desert.

  “Five minutes,” William shouted.

  Workers moved faster, removing straps from the long wings and hauling boxes into the open hatch. The hangar buzzed like a busy beehive.

  “A group this size could prove useful to us,” Annie said, keeping her voice low.

  “Yeah, but do you think they can all be trusted?” I asked.

  “Of course not,” Jade snapped, rolling her eyes.

  “William trusts them, why can’t we?” Even when she argued, Annie’s voice was like music.

  “Their numbers are only a fraction of Baldric’s army. It’ll be like giving a band-aid to an amputee. In the end, it won’t help a damn thing. They’ll all still die,” Jade said with a shrug.

  “Well, it’s better than nothing,” Annie replied. “You heard William. It’s been done before. They only had a few hundred during the Great War–.”

  “And they all died,” Jade interrupted. “Besides, the General’s army is a lot bigger now than it was a thousand years ago, with creatures that would make your worst nightmares seem tame. For every hundred we have, Baldric will have a thousand more. I don’t know what William’s planning, but it better be damn good. Otherwise, we might as well kiss our asses goodbye.”

  “Heads up,” I warned as someone headed in our direction.

  Markus stopped in front of us, staring us down like a hungry wolf; I waited for the snarl that never came. “Couldn’t help but hear your little discussion,” he finally said. “I wouldn’t doubt that William fellow. He’s smart. After all, he’s got me.”

  “And what’s so special about you?” I asked, furrowing my brow at him. Hadn’t anyone taught him that eavesdropping was rude?

  “I worked for the General.” There was long, unnerving pause. It only amplified the tension between us. “And yes, that’d be past tense.”

  Someone let out a breath. I thought it was Annie.

  “I worked for that asshole – sorry – for over twenty years. He killed my wife and five-year-old daughter when I failed to complete one of my missions on time. Obviously, I no longer work for him. Or else you’d already be dead.”

  “Someone’s a little delusional,” Jade sneered.

  Markus threw his head back and laughed. “Well, aren’t you a feisty one? You must be that Jade woman that Ryuu warned me about.”

  Her fists clenched at her sides and I wondered who she’d kill first: Ryuu or Markus.

  I searched his face. “So, what are you?”

  “I’m a shifter, like that friend of yours.” He jabbed a thumb in Tony’s direction. “What’s it been now, four hundred and thirty-three years? Shit, I’m getting old! Oh, sorry,” he mumbled.

  “Can’t the General come find you?” Annie asked.

  “Probably, but he won’t. He’d much rather me suffer in solitude, living out the rest of my days without my wife and little girl. Killing me would be too kind for a monster like Baldric. Besides, I’m just one of thousands. I’m nothing to that asshole – sorry. William gave me the option to change sides and I jumped at the opportunity to get my revenge. See, I want the same thing you folks want – to destroy that motherfu–, eh, you know what I mean.”

  “Glad to see you’re on our side,” Jade grumbled.

  “Shit yeah! Excuse my French. You see all these people?” Markus pointed around the room. “Half of them have no idea what the hell they’re doing here or what they’ve signed up for. They’ll follow anyone with a backbone.”

  “And the other half?” I asked.

  He grinned. “They’re just like me. Out to get some good old fashioned revenge. Now don’t get me wrong. They’re decent enough people. They’ve made their fair share of bad decisions. Hell, I know I have. That Baldric, he’s got a way with words. He can get inside your head, make you do things you never thought you’d do, not even in your worst nightmares. Next thing you know, ten years have passed and, no matter how hard you scrub, there’s still blood on your hands.”

  “You mean,” Annie hesitated, “like mind control?”

  He locked eyes with her. “Exactly. Anyways, that’s why I’m here, to lead these people. I’ve still got my resources. I know what the General’s plans are for this world, well, what’s left of it. We’ve already managed to gather food, water, medical supplies and, of course, weapons. Baldric’s men will be heavily armed.”

  “Where’d you find enough weapons for this many people?” Jade asked.

  “We checked every square inch of this warehouse. You’d be amazed at what you’d find in a place like this.”

  “That must’ve taken days,” Annie said.

  “Try weeks.”

  The ground trembled beneath our feet and screams erupted within the hangar. A man slipped from the top of the plane and landed face down on the concrete. The snap of his neck echoed in my ears. He didn’t get up.

  The Earth split open, swallowing anything in its path. Large chunks of concrete started breaking away. “Lord William, it is time!” Geoffrey shouted. “We must leave now or else!”

  We made a dash for the plane, hundreds of feet shuffling across the floor as it began to break apart. The further the bodies crammed into the dim aircraft, the less oxygen there was to breathe. Everyone sucked selfishly on the thin air, only looking out for number one.

  There were definitely more than eighty. I scanned the inside of the large plane as men, women and children found seats in worn chairs or on the floor. It looked like there were easily five hundred plus in the plane as the engines roared to life.

  “Get this plane off of the ground,” William roared as he stepped onto the aircraft, Ryuu raising the door behind him.

  “Don’t look out the window, Zo,” Josh whispered, covering my hand with his.

  I looked, of course. The plane moved sluggishly on the long runway, the Earth disappearing behind us, crumbling into what looked like a bottomless pit. The engines protested as the pilot tried to pick up the pace, racing against Mother Nature. It looked like she was winning. The heavy jet lifted for a few seconds before grinding back down on the landing gear. People bounced around inside of the cabin, crying out as its interior lights flashed on and off. The sound of metal clanking against metal filled my ears as hundreds of people fumbled with their seatbelts. If the plane crashed, seatbelts wouldn’t save them.

  The Earth gave way and we were airborne. I prayed we’d stay that way. Outside the window the ocean expanded through Nevada, eating away at the land. No one would have survived that. No one.

  “We are finally going home,” William breathed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The cabin was dark, quiet, just like the world.

  Josh and Sam sat beside one another, his arm wrapped around her shoulder as she began to fall asleep. One of the women on board was a nurse; I t
hought someone called her Marissa. She helped reset the bone, giving Samantha some sort of medication from one of the large wooden crates. Nurse Marissa said it would help with the pain and prevent any fever or infection. It must have been working – it all but knocked her out.

  It was getting late. Yawns and snores filled the cabin. People fell asleep one by one, using fellow travelers, duffel bags and anything else they could find for pillows. No light shone through the fog-covered windows. I’d come to accept that there wouldn’t be light for a long, long time, if ever.

  The dim overhead lights flickered a few times before going out. Shadows danced across the walls, stretching up to the ceiling. I stood to my feet, adjusting the sword on my back. I tiptoed over bodies, making my way to the back of the plane, looking for the bathroom. No one seemed to notice me, or they just didn’t care to look. I tapped lightly on the door when I’d found it. No one answered and I slipped inside.

  The hot water felt amazing. It was probably as close to heaven as I’d ever get. I splashed it against my face, wiping away soot and muddy rainwater. If I could’ve climbed into the sink I would have. I wet one of the paper towels on the counter and held it over my face, hoping the steam would clear my head. I pulled back the cloth and stared into the mirror.

  “My precious,” the beast hissed.

  Its reflection disappeared beneath a layer of steam. I spun around, reaching for my sword, but it was too late. The creature shoved me into the laminate counter, my head shattering the mirror.

  Saliva oozed from its massive jaws as it inched closer to my face. A long tongue slithered down my neck and over my collarbone. I shuddered. “You taste so good, warrior. I will truly enjoy this,” it purred.

  The scaly tail coiled up my legs and around my waist, restricting my blood flow and pinning the sword to my body. I gasped for air, trying to pry myself free. It tightened its grip.

  “Maybe I’ll save you for last. That friend of yours looks pretty tasty, too. I bet he tastes even better.”

  “No! You leave Josh alone!”

  “Oh yes, I can see him now – so strong. Don’t worry. I’ll let you watch. I know how fond you are of watching him. I don’t blame you, he is so mouthwatering.”

  I clawed at my skull. “No! Get out of my head! Get out of my head!” I screamed, thrashing against its hard body. I reached up and grabbed a jagged piece of the broken mirror and slashed at the beast’s body over and over again. Black liquid boiled through my skin.

  A thud came to the door, and then another. With a loud crack, it swung open and Alec, Ryuu and William barreled into the small bathroom, swords drawn. The beast reared back its head and laughed.

  I waited for the men to attack, but they never did.

  “What are you doing?” I shouted. “Kill it!”

  Alec looked sick. I followed his wide eyes down to my stomach, where blood oozed from the gaping wound. My hand shook as I dropped the sharp piece of glass to the ground. It clattered across the hard floor, drops of my blood trailing after it.

  “It was here,” I breathed, “I saw it.”

  “Zoë,” Alec started.

  “No! It was here!” I shouted. “It was in my head, I could feel it crawling through my mind. It was here,” I repeated, slumping to the ground, gripping my hair with bloodstained fingers. “I can still feel it inside of me. Get it out! Get it out of me!”

  That was when Samantha showed up, making the biggest mistake of her life. “Freak.”

  I was on her in less than a second. I hurled her body into the wall, the sharp edge of my blade grazing the surface of her throat. She squirmed under my grip, my nails drawing blood from her perfect skin.

  “Call me a freak one more time, I dare you.” I pulled her away from the wall and slammed her back into it. She cried out. “Please,” I snarled, “I’d love for you to give me a reason to kill you.”

  “Get her out of here,” William ordered.

  Alec and Ryuu took each of my arms, Jade prying the sword from Samantha’s neck. I fought against them, rage pulsing through my veins. Sam fell into Josh’s arms, burrowing her face in his chest. As the men dragged me away, I watched my feet slide across the slick floor, defeated.

  Half of the plane stared at me as they towed me through the long aisle. Annie, Jade, Josh and Tony were quick on our heels as the men headed for the front of the plane. Annie closed the curtain with a flick of her slender wrist so the onlookers would mind their own damn business.

  “How long has this been going on?” William demanded.

  Alec hung his head. “She mentioned something about it at the hotel. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it.”

  “Why did you not inform me?” William had Alec by the throat. That worried me. A lot.

  “What’s wrong with me?” I whispered. Based on William’s outburst, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

  William kicked everyone but Alec and me out of the small room. Josh and Tony resisted, but William won the argument. He always won. They lingered on the other side of the curtain with Annie and Jade, never straying too far.

  William crouched down beside me, patting my leg with his hand. I tried to remember if he’d ever touched me before. The worry level rose. “You have been infected with the blood of a Sythen,” he said, his voice laced with sorrow. When he didn’t make eye contact, the worry level reached critical.

  Alec groaned, kicking one of the flight attendant chairs. It bent in half around his foot. “Damn it!” he shouted.

  “I-I don’t understand,” I breathed.

  “It’s like a living parasite, Zoë,” Alec finally said as he calmed down, but not by much. “Baldric has somehow managed to get it in you. It crawls into your brain, creating things – hallucinations.”

  “The Sythen are one of the General’s most prized pets,” William explained. “They are extremely crafty creatures. Once their blood is in your system, they become one with your mind. It gives them the power to communicate with you, to make you think that they are there, wherever and whenever they so choose. Baldric must have somehow infected you. Perhaps a dagger laced with the Sythen blood. That has always been his trick in the past.”

  I let their words sink in, running tense fingers through my hair. I winced as the skin on my stomach sealed shut. “How do you know so much about this?” I forced myself to ask, looking up at the two men.

  They exchanged looks and I watched their wordless conversation. William finally nodded and Alec sat down beside me.

  “You’re not the first of the Chosen to be infected with Sythen blood,” he said, trying to wrap his arms around me.

  I pushed him away, in no mood for romance. “One of you?”

  “Not exactly,” he started. “It happened to a couple of the ones that came before you. Elizabeth, the one you were chosen to replace, she too experienced such hallucinations. It seems like the General uses the parasite to weaken the warrior’s sanity until they go completely mad.”

  “So,” I hesitated, “what happened to her?”

  Alec and William exchanged another look and Alec clenched his firsts, storming back into the cabin. I caught Josh’s eye as the curtain fell back into place.

  “They killed themselves.”

  –

  I sat in the small front room of the plane by myself, listening to the pilot in the cockpit, pressing buttons and pushing levers. My head ached and I wondered why the ability to heal didn’t eliminate migraines altogether. Maybe that was God’s little joke to remind us of our human selves. If so, I wasn’t laughing.

  No one came to check on me. They were probably all too afraid. I didn’t blame them. I half expected Josh to burst through the curtain, guns blazing, ready to avenge his precious Barbie. I did almost kill her. It was in the heat of the moment, she’d get over it. Besides, losing my mind was a legitimate excuse, right?

  A large hand grabbed at the edge of the curtain, pushing it aside. William slipped into the room. He stood, motionless, watching me.

  “Will
it ever die?” I said, breaking the silence. “Is there a way to get rid of it?” I wondered if I asked just for the sake of asking. I knew the answer. No. Otherwise the others wouldn’t have gone to such drastic length to be free of it. I wasn’t quite ready to take that step – yet.

  “I do not know,” he replied, sitting down across from me. I had to admit, I lost a little respect for him. William was supposed to have all the answers. He was supposed to know everything.

  I peered out through the sliver of space between the wall and the dividing curtain. Samantha was tucked perfectly into Josh’s arms. He stroked her hair, resting his chin on her forehead. She nuzzled into him. My heart hitched in my chest and I bit the corner of my lip.

  “I would not get too attached if I were you,” William whispered, his deep blue eyes following mine.

  “What?” I forced my eyes down. “What are you talking about?”

  “I would not get too attached if I were you,” he repeated, locking eyes with me. He almost looked…sad.

  “I don’t know what you mean, William,” I said, breathless. I looked back at Josh, watching his mouth twist up on one side as Tony sat down beside him. “There’s never been anything between Josh and I. Just good friends. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Hm.”

  “There’s nothing there,” I insisted. “I, we–I’m not attached. We went through a lot together when I was still human. He was there for me after what happened. He’s always been there. He’s a good man.”

  “You know, it is said that there are only three ways that a Chosen can be killed,” William finally said. “The first and easiest is decapitation; that is, if someone could actually get close enough to do the job. The second is to be stabbed in the “heart of hearts.” Legend tells that this is how Lady Jocelyn fell at Baldric’s hand. It is rumored to be no bigger than a tip of a needle and nearly impossible to find; however, I do not know if there is any truth to this. The third and final way is a voluntary death. It is by our own choice, the choice not to heal – the choice to give up. This is how my Adele came to meet the Creator.”