Three of those creatures leapt up to the stores’ rooftops, and just like at the city, they dashed ahead of their demonic brethren to cut us off. One of the smaller monsters pounced on a man firing a hunting rifle from the bed of a red pickup truck just a few feet ahead of me. The truck shook as a brief wail rose from the back and ribbons of blood shot up to the sky.
The terrified crowd pressed against the opposite side of the road, away from the carnage, pinning me down. I lost my grip on Karla’s hand.
“Keep running!” I shouted. She did as I said, her face bathed in sweat and tears.
A semicircle of five guards formed up between me and the monster on the truck, opening fire on the demon while it gorged itself on their friend’s corpse. Sparks and dark blood covered the truck. The creature howled as it swayed under the volley, and it finally slumped off the side of the vehicle, onto the sidewalk. The guards struggled to reload their weapons, hands shaking with undisguised terror. A much larger demon leapt onto the pickup truck. It crumpled the truck’s thin steel body with its ape-like paws as it clutched onto it and bared its yellow fangs with a deafening roar.
Those of us witnessing the scene took that as our cue to run. So did one of the guards, who broke formation and fled along with us, overcome by fear.
“Ed, you coward, come back here!” one of his companions screamed. He didn’t. The slim man soon ran alongside me, his long black hair bouncing with every stride, a strong smell of urine enveloping him.
A brief discharge of gunfire rang out behind me, followed by terrified screams. Ed turned terror-struck eyes toward his slaughtered comrades. A demon landed a few feet in front of us. A single red eye glowed on its face, and a scaly black tail whipped behind it, like a frenzied snake. I staggered back, stumbling onto the pavement. With a squeal, Ed grabbed the pistol holstered under his arm. It slipped from his grasp. He tossed it around like a hot potato, but it landed on the ground, next to me. He ran away once more. The monster let him through, its murderous gaze focused on me.
I went for the gun. The demon lowered itself, ready to strike. I raised the handgun, aiming for the large bulging eye smack in the middle of the monster’s face. I pulled the trigger—
Dammit!
The trigger resisted my pull more than I expected, throwing my aim off before I squeezed out a shot. A wave of pain stabbed my wrist. The noise and flash from the shot left me dazed for an instant. I took aim once more, fighting off the gutted feeling in my stomach. The creature’s eye remained intact.
It actually smiled at me.
The demon contorted its monstrous jaw into a grotesque grin, displaying rows of small jagged teeth like stone arrowheads. I wrapped both index fingers around the trigger and yanked on it again and again as I closed my eyes and screamed through gritted teeth. My ears rang out with every shot until the screams of the people behind me were drowned by a high-pitched whistle. A warm, putrid gust of air hit me in the face—the smell of death.
Oh, God, please…
Someone tugged on my arm. I opened my eyes and found the demon crumpled on the ground less than ten feet away. It lay in a pool of corrosive black blood, sizzling on the pavement. Its sides had been riddled with bullet holes and its eye shot out.
“Come on, get up!” Karla yelled as she pulled me off the ground. I couldn’t believe it—she’d actually come back for me. “Run, you fucking moron!”
Hearing Karla swear snapped me out of my trance. Still clutching the gun, I ran after her, glancing back to see four guards beside the demon’s corpse, firing at the approaching monsters. The muzzle flash from their guns outlined their disparate silhouettes, but I couldn’t see the faces of the people who’d saved me. Out of all my desperate shots, I’d probably only hit the creature’s eye.
We ran until the end of the block, where an armed woman waved for us to enter the building behind her. With the demons gaining on us, we rushed straight into the stout, two-story building—a bank. We crossed the lobby’s polished floors, past the teller area and into the offices. As we leapt up the cramped stairs to the second floor, I feared the bank’s broad windows wouldn’t pose much of an obstacle for the approaching demons, but we reached a steel security door guarded by two armed men at the top. They let us through, as well as a handful of people running behind us, and slammed the door shut.
The two guards proceeded to barricade the door with file cabinets and heavy wooden desks. Four other guards fired down at the street from the second floor’s small windows, each gunshot ringing loudly within the enclosed offices. Defenseless civilians huddled against the wall farthest from the street. There were at least fifty men, women, and children inside, their cries and prayers muted by the gunshots.
“Oh, it’s you girls,” said the woman who’d waved us into the bank.
I took a second to recognize her. She was the young woman strolling outside the church last night who’d warned us to stay out of trouble. Her small hands trembled as she clumsily loaded her shotgun, and her long chestnut bangs stuck to her sweaty forehead, but she had the same carefree smile on her face.
A thunderous growl rattled the steel door. A demon stomped up the stairs and crashed against the door with a strident bang. The guards threw themselves against the hastily erected barricade, pushing against the monster as it assaulted the door with frenetic rage. An ear-piercing screech set my teeth on edge as claws scraped on steel. The people sheltered inside the bank screamed as they rushed to a corner of the room.
“You girls better step back. This door won’t last long.” The woman pumped her shotgun.
“Come on, let’s go!” Karla shouted, pulling on my coat. The weeping and praying from the people crowding in the corner intensified as the demon kept charging at the door.
I thought back to the morning of the earthquake, my school crumbling around me while I could only crawl under a desk and pray. This time it was different. Although I wasn’t any less scared, this time I could fight back. These monsters could be killed. I looked at the gun in my hand. It seemed puny when compared to a rifle or a shotgun, and it must’ve only had a handful of bullets left, but I still could make a difference.
“Go ahead and hang back; I’m staying here.” I gripped the gun with both hands.
Karla shoved me against the wall. “No you’re not!” she screamed, her eyes red from crying. “Please Becca, I don’t… I don’t want to lose you, too.” Her voice broke up as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
I grabbed her hand. “I don’t think anyone’s making it out of here alive, Lala. I’ve just got to do something.”
She bit her lower lip and sobbed as she slumped down on the carpet. I tried to find the words to cheer her up but found none.
I walked up to Shotgun Lady’s side and aimed my gun at the door. The demon struck it again, tearing off one of its hinges. A burning red eye stared at us from the other side. I gasped, and tightened my grip on the gun, which rattled in my hands.
“Scared?” the woman asked, looking at me out of the corner of her brown eyes, shotgun fixed against her shoulder, an easy smile still etched on her face.
“No… not at all,” I whispered. I tried to mimic her smile, but my jaw trembled. The monster bashed the door again, pushing back the two guards at the barricade. They inched away from it and readied their guns.
“I’m scared too… of dying. But I’m not scared of death.” She turned to face me with her bizarre smile. “I know there’s something better waiting for us at the other side.”
I wished I could believe her. I had to believe her. With my eyes fixed on the twisted steel door, I fished my silver cross from under my coat and gave it a kiss. It kindled memories of my parents rather than of my half-assed faith. I imagined meeting them on top of a fluffy cloud, surrounded by a hazy white glow. Clichéd as my brief fantasy was, it warmed me up inside.
“See you on the other side,” I said.
The demon charged at the door once more, finally bringing it down.
Chapter 19
She rushed forward, brandishing her shotgun like a spear, a savage scream preceding her attack. Before the demon shut its jaws, she stuck the shotgun’s barrel deep into the monster’s cavernous mouth and pulled the trigger. The back of the monster’s head blew off, a gallon of black blood and crimson brains splattering on the wall behind it. The demon’s eyes darkened as it collapsed on the floor.
“Oh God, it burns!” the woman cried, dropping her shotgun.
The same dark blood that ate away the carpet and the wall behind the monster had splashed on her arms. She held them against her chest, rubbing them frantically as she screamed in agony. I lowered my gun and took a step toward her, but another demon barreled up the stairs. I pulled back, aiming at the battered threshold as the woman kept screaming in front of us.
The demon leapt over the remains of the barricade with such speed that it was little more than a black shadow trailed by two red bands of light. It pounced on the woman with a sickening crunch, snuffing her life out instantly.
I screamed and fired my gun at the glowing demonic eyes. The guards beside me discharged their weapons at the monster as well, the blast of their shots muting my scream. We stepped back as the creature’s dark blood splattered on the carpet, burning holes right through it. The demon crashed back onto the barricade, its flesh torn apart by our barrage. The blood gushing from its wounds stripped the paint off the wrecked steel door lying under its hulking body. A rancid stench rose from the corpse, overpowering the smell of gunpowder in the air.
The four guards firing from the windows rushed up to cover the door while the others reloaded their weapons. I looked down at my gun, its slide pulled back, exposing an empty chamber. I grabbed Karla’s arm, who sat on the floor with her eyes closed, her hands over her ears, and dragged her to the corner where the other people cowered, waiting for the inevitable. I hugged her with my eyes trained on the door, still gripping the empty handgun.
Another monster rushed up the stairs, only to be shot down by the guard’s concentrated fire. With the windows left undefended, demons leapt up to them and poked their monstrous heads inside. They snapped their jaws and growled as they struggled to squeeze their thick horned heads through the tight openings. A short guard tossed aside his rifle, probably out of ammo, and shot his sidearm at the monsters hanging on the windows. One of them lost its grip on the windowsill and fell back to the street, but the rest were only incensed by the pistol rounds tearing through their heavy snouts.
“Shit, I’m out!” he screamed, holstering his gun. None of his companions answered his cry. Another demon charged through the door. They took it down, but half of the guards were down to their sidearms, as well. One of them had picked up the young woman’s shotgun from the floor.
The short man retreated to the corner, his back to the dozens of terrified, defenseless people. He extracted a stylish hunting knife from his boot and looked back at Karla and me, huddled in a tight embrace at the front of the crowd. Karla cried and prayed while I stared at him. He turned his gaze back to the monsters at the windows and hastily crossed himself, the knife wavering in his left hand. I tightened my embrace around my friend. Karla dug her face into my neck, clutching the back of my coat.
“Goodbye, Karla,” I mumbled. She only sobbed in response. I made the sign of the cross and started praying myself.
Long streams of automatic gunfire rang out in the street. The demons hanging from the windows twisted in agony, their dark blood splashing onto the ceiling. They slumped down to the street, their eyes pitch-black. Another demon stumbled through the door, blood pouring through numerous bullet holes. The guards used the last of their ammunition to finish it off. They drew knives or gripped their rifles like clubs as they stepped away from its corpse. Heavy footsteps echoed from beyond the threshold, louder and louder every second.
A soldier emerged from the darkened staircase, dressed in full battle gear, followed by two more. They swept the room, looking through the sights of their assault rifles.
“Everyone all right?” the first soldier through the door asked, lowering his rifle.
“Oh, thank you, Jesus,” one of the guards said and dropped his rifle before sinking to the floor, weeping. All of us followed his example, hugging one another, crying, thanking God, thanking our rescuers, and taking in long breaths of air without fearing they’d be our last. It took almost ten minutes for everyone to finally get a grip on their emotions.
Letting go of Karla, I tuck my pistol inside my peacoat—about half of its black plastic grip sticking out of the pocket—and stumbled to the young woman’s corpse. The other guards had laid her on her back, her hair clumsily brushed out of her face. They’d crossed her arms over her broken chest. Her camouflaged shirt had lots of holes burnt through the fabric from where the demon’s blood had splashed on it. Her smile was gone. A few tears still stuck to her long eyelashes.
“What was her name?” I asked the guards as they crouched to take her body away.
“Laura,” one of them whispered, avoiding looking at me in the face.
Karla walked up to me as the guards disappeared down the stairs, the empty bullet cases at her feet clinking with every unsteady step. Her eyes still looked red from crying. She grabbed my hand. Her skin felt cold. “Promise me you won’t do that again.” She looked down the murky stairs.
“We should try and get some sleep—at least until we’re sure it’s safe to go outside.” I ran the tip of my fingers along my gun’s rough, plastic grip, wondering how I would get more ammo.
Karla took a step towards me, apparently dissatisfied by me answer. Faint gunshots rang out in the distance. She didn’t press the issue.
***
“Wake up, Becca!”
I went for my gun, hidden beneath my black peacoat. I sat up. Everyone who’d spent the night at the bank’s second floor crowded at the windows.
“What, what is it?” I asked.
Karla smiled, tears streaming down her cheeks. “The sun, it’s… it’s back to normal!”
I crawled onto my feet, the room still spinning in my half-awakened state, and staggered to the windows, pushing my way through the people gathered there. The intense light coming from outside blinded me. I squinted and caught a glimpse of a bright blue sky. I held onto the busted windowsill to keep from falling down as my knees buckled.
The endless eclipse was finally over.
Shining with a vengeance after three days of darkness, the sun cast a magical golden glow on the town. Birds chirped in the distance, and a small dog yapped at the people walking on the street. A gentle breeze ran through my hair, kicking up a mild smell of gunpowder. The corpses of the people and demons killed during the night were all gone. Only the banged-up cars and bullet-ridden stores along the street showed evidence of the battle that had taken place.
Karla tapped my arm. “Come on. Let’s go help out.”
I nodded and followed her down the twisting stairs. Every step bore deep scratch marks from the demons that had rushed through to murder us last night.
The shuffling of people outside echoed in the bank’s empty lobby, along with the faint sound of singing coming from far away. I shielded my eyes from the sun as I walked into the street. Clusters of people marched by, most of them families, carrying heavy packs, probably leaving town. I couldn’t blame them. It seemed like the smart thing to do. Of course, if everyone followed their example, pretty soon there’d be nowhere to run. I caressed the sturdy lump of the gun in my pocket.
I’m done running.
“Hey, Karla!”
A familiar voice called from the street—Amy. She ran up to Karla, wearing the same burgundy pul
lover from the day before. Her long, blond hair was a tangled mess.
“Amy! Oh, thank God you’re okay!” Karla said, and they embraced each other as if they’d been lifelong friends. I remembered their chat during Brother Tim’s sermon and realized it must have gone well. After a few seconds, they finally let go of each other, and Karla looked from me to Amy with an innocent smile on her face.
“Amy… I’m glad you’re—”
Amy cut my greeting short as she lunged at me, tightening her frail arms around my body. I tapped her back with both hands. Heat rose to my cheeks.
“I’m so happy to see you’re all right, Rebecca. I’m sorry for fighting yesterday. It’s just that I was so scared… but not anymore. Brother Tim’s right. We’re being tested, and I believe we’ve proven ourselves worthy.” Amy looked up at the sky and smiled. “It’s a new day, right?”
Karla looked away, sighing. I did my best to smile. My facial muscles twitched from the effort. Brother Tim spoke of a clear sky during his sermon, as well as trials and attacks on the town. Did he know of the demons’ assault?
“Yeah, I guess,” I said. Amy had never been religious—as far as I knew—but her excitement seemed genuine, even if there was a hint of madness in her dark-green eyes. Considering what we’d been through, it hardly surprised me.
“Brother Tim’s giving a sermon over at the football field.” Amy pointed to where the singing came from. “We should all go. Together.”
“Can’t. I’m needed at the clinic,” Karla said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, I can’t either. I’ve got… something I need to do first. Looks like you’ve got lots of company, though.” I nodded in the direction of some of the laundry girls waiting for her a few feet away. They answered with phony smiles.
“Oh, sure, but I really would’ve liked for you guys to come with us. At least you’re staying in town, though. That’s good. You’ve got to have faith.” She patted our arms. “If everyone was like the rest of these cowards,” she shouted, looking over her shoulder at one of the fleeing families, “then we’d all be dead by now.”
Mercy (The Last Army Book 1) Page 10