by Amy Braun
“You look like her,” the Hellion rasped. “Your mother. Never got this close to her,” he emphasized, pushing down on me and crushing more air from my lungs. Sawyer and Abby continued to scream in the background, and the other Hellions were hissing aggressively.
“How?” I wheezed out. It was the only word I could manage.
The Hellion grinned. “How did I know her? How could I not? She was the one who was trying so damn hard to stop the Hellions. She had a lot of heart. I liked watching her run around the ship, trying to save everyone she could. She helped make the guns that made it hard for us to escape.”
It was hard to think through the pain, but his words sank in. He wasn’t referring to himself as part of the Hellion band yet, but he made it clear that he was there in the battle. Just like Robertston Kendric had been. This man was too young to be the legendary captain, which could only make him…
“Davin!”
The Hellion twisted his head, looking at Sawyer standing on his feet again with the cutlass. The eleven other Hellions edged closer to the marauder, but his tawny eyes never moved from his brother.
His brother.
Sawyer was a Kendric, related to the ruthless pirate Davin Kendric. The monster that was currently strangling the life from me.
“Let her go,” Sawyer demanded.
The Hellion– Davin– hissed something back. He didn’t utter any words, but the command was uttered nonetheless. In seconds, two Hellions swarmed Sawyer, while the others formed a circle around the crowd of survivors. They screamed and cried from an agony I couldn’t understand, huddling in a tight ball and begging for mercy. Their wails echoed off the walls. They didn’t realize they outnumbered the Hellions. They were too afraid of them because of what they’d suffered. I barely spotted Riley as he curled his hand around my sister’s head and pressed her to his chest.
Davin shot to his feet in a single fluid motion, dragging me up with him. His claws dug deeper into my neck, slicing at my skin and sending rivulets of blood down my throat. He swung me around and pinned me against his chest, putting his arm across my stomach so I couldn’t elbow him. Davin held me in front of Sawyer, who was trapped between the two Hellions. He stared over their shoulders, fury and panic riding over all the calm he once had.
“Afraid I can’t do that yet, brother,” taunted Davin, his bloody breath whispering though my hair. “We need her.”
“For what?”
Davin pushed his face against the back of my head, nuzzling into my hair. “She’s going to help the Vesper. She’s going to work for us.”
“No, I’m not,” I protested, trying to move my arms and feet so I could escape him. Davin’s arms tightened around me like iron binds, and his claws sank deeper into my neck until I cried out.
“Yes, you are, darling,” he insinuated. “The Vesper needs your skills, and he will have them.” He roughly nipped my neck, sending a jolt of pain through me. “And when he’s done with you, you’re all mine.”
I grimaced, wishing I had better control of my fear, but it rushed out of me in waves. I had no weapons, no way of escaping a creature much stronger than me, and my allies were surrounded. I couldn’t run from the horrors waiting for me–
Boom!
The Behemoth suddenly rocked, confusing Hellions and humans alike, including Davin. I took advantage of his loosened grip, jabbing my elbow back into his stomach. His claws scratched against my neck again, but I gained my distance and pushed out of his arms. I ran forward to get away from him, but another Hellion was rushing to take his place–
Boom!
Another explosion tore through the ship, knocking us all off balance and giving me distance from the Hellion. I found my knife and grabbed it from the ground while Sawyer shouted and lashed out with his cutlass, cutting down the Hellion that hadn’t moved from behind him. Its head flopped back as the blade cut a massive line through it and exposing the white spinal column. Sawyer slashed again and removed the Hellion’s head.
He didn’t see a second Hellion running to his side, intent on stabbing him with the needle on its mask.
I barely made it in time, shoving my knife into the Hellion’s skull before it could see me coming. My arms shuddered from the shock, and I forced myself not to think about how I had killed someone. For the longest time, I thought Hellions were just monsters from another dimension. I thought they had never been human.
Davin proved me wrong.
Boom!
Another explosion, closer than before, sent me stumbling. Sturdy arms caught me, but I jerked away from them, whirling around to see a grim faced Sawyer. I barely registered him before turning to find my sister.
Riley was still holding her, crowding in the middle of the group of screaming survivors. He looked around desperately, probably trying to find a way out as the others scrambled left and right, but the sudden panic sent the Hellions into frenzy, causing them to rip off their masks and pounce on the defenseless humans.
Fresh screams pierced the air, bouncing off the walls of the Behemoth. I ran with Sawyer, trying to fight unsuspecting Hellions to save the others, but they weren’t so focused on their meals that they forgot about me. I’d gotten lucky once with Sawyer. The other monsters had seen it and weren’t planning to be my next victims.
One of the Hellions spun around and lunged at me. I stepped back when Sawyer appeared at my left side, shoving his cutlass forward until it stabbed the Hellion’s neck, sticking out the edge of its spine. Sawyer gave the blade another twist, then yanked it free.
New shouts rang out in the distance, Nash and Gemma signaling their arrival. I was grateful that they were alive, but I also knew they had caused the explosions that were continuing to jolt through the Behemoth. This was happening too soon. I wanted to curse at them, but seeing the Hellions following them made me change my mind. There had to be at least six more.
Sawyer’s hand suddenly slapped onto my back, giving me a hard shove. I nearly tripped over my own feet, glancing over my shoulder to see Sawyer swinging his cutlass at Davin. The Hellion stopped and leaned back, avoiding the cut to his throat. Sawyer pressed on, hacking and slashing at his unarmed brother, who grinned and didn’t bother attacking. He was toying with Sawyer.
The marauder shoved his cutlass forward, aiming to stab Davin in the heart. The Hellion spun on his heel, completely missing the strike that brought Sawyer way too close. Davin’s fist jabbed into Sawyer’s face, and was soon followed by his elbow. Sawyer grunted and lurched back, shaking his head in an effort to rid himself of the pain. He caught me looking at him, but went back to attacking Davin.
“Get them out of here!”
I didn’t know he was talking to me until Gemma darted to my side, kicking and lashing out at the Hellions gripping the survivors. Nash made his way to the opposite side of the circle, using his enormous fists and brass knuckles to punch the Hellions surrounding them.
Gemma shouted at me, but I was already moving. I shoved my way through an opening, lurching when another explosion burst through the ship. As the world pitched to the right, I struggled to keep my balance. I reluctantly admitted that Gemma and Nash had done their jobs well. The explosives were designed to blast deep holes in the hull, drawing in light and tilting the Behemoth forward until it crashed.
But the plan had been to be off the ship before then. The fireworks had started too soon.
Rushing to form a new plan, I reached the survivors and yelled for them to get up. I turned around, shoving away a Hellion that had been feeding on a young woman before stabbing my knife into the monster’s head. It stiffened and dropped from her neck, but she didn’t stop screaming.
I yelled my command over and over again, hoping it would get through. For some, it did. The survivors who claimed they could pilot a ship gathered the weeping and wounded, encouraging them to run for the docks. They ran, despite the fear in their eyes and the Hellions roaring at their backs.
I ran for Riley and Abby, taking my petrified sister’s hand and
dragging her along.
“This way! Come on!”
I turned and ran. Riley shouted behind me, but I didn’t know if any of the hundred survivors would be rational enough to follow us. At the moment I couldn’t care. I had to get Abby off the ship safely, then destroy the Behemoth before it crashed or I was torn apart by a Hellion. If I could save anyone in between then I would, but there was too much chaos for me to take them all one at a time.
Sawyer and Davin were still locked in deadly combat when I passed them. Sawyer’s attacks seemed slower, and there was blood on his shirt from where Davin must have scratched him. The Hellion himself was untouched, but his patience was wearing thin. It evaporated completely when he looked past Sawyer and saw me.
He snarled and shoved past Sawyer, charging us with alarming speed. Then he stopped and shouted in pain. Davin whirled around again, a bloody line crossing along his back. Sawyer finally scored a hit. His victory was short-lived, however. Davin came back swinging, becoming a blur of motion that Sawyer couldn’t defend. The Hellion kicked Sawyer in the chest, knocking him onto the ground. He groaned and rolled up, catching my eyes for a brief moment.
That single moment spoke volumes to me. He was telling me to run. To leave him, Gemma, and Nash. To be safe.
Riley grabbed my elbow and dragged me away from the fight. He’d managed to bring the majority of the survivors with him. I felt lost, leaving the three marauders behind, barely aware of my own footsteps as Riley pulled me through the door to the stairs that would lead to the docking bay. I drew us both to a stop, getting an angry glare from him.
“Get them to the docking bay and onto the ground,” I said.
He understood my intention immediately. “You’re not staying here.”
“No, Claire, you can’t!” Abby cried.
I handed my sister to Riley, looking at her. “I’m coming back, Abby. I swear it. But I have to finish this.”
I had to destroy the Behemoth. I had to save the marauders from their sacrifice.
Tears welled in Abby’s eyes, but she didn’t stop me. I glanced at Riley, who moved from the doorway and was letting the survivors run down the stairs in a dense cluster. He set his jaw angrily but nodded once.
“Run down the starboard side of the ship in the direction the explosions are coming from. On your right will be a spiraling metal staircase. Go up it and open the hatch. That’s where the cockpit is.”
I squinted. “How do you know that?”
He grimaced. “They brought me up there when they needed to check the helm. Sometimes the whole crew would be hungry.”
Riley turned and disappeared down the stairs with my sister, leaving me shocked, sick, and scared.
Turning my back to avoid temptation, I looked at the battle and the chaos that reined.
Relief filled me when I saw all of the marauders were alive, but only barely. Gemma and Nash lay on the ground, crawling to each other while trying to regain their footing. The latest explosion tore through the Behemoth’s side, which was now pockmarked with ragged holes that filtered grey light into the ship’s belly. Each speck of light grew larger and blasted away the shadows to bring daylight into the airship. The unmasked Hellions realized the danger they were in and raced for the shadows, forgetting about us and struggling to cover their bodies as the explosions rattled them off balance.
Turning my head from Gemma and Nash, who grimaced as they got to their feet, I looked at Sawyer as he tried to scramble away from Davin. His Hellion brother scowled at the light that separated them, trying to find his mask so he could save himself from it. I ran toward them, taking a flashbang from my belt. I had to buy time to keep the ship from crashing so I could I set up the Volt, and I couldn’t do that if the marauders were stuck fighting for their lives.
I twisted the caps of the flashbang and hurled it at Davin, watching the light intensify as it flipped end over end. Davin hissed and turned his head away, covering his face with his arm. While the flashbang flew and the Hellions scattered, I reached Sawyer and grabbed his arm. He jerked away from me, but got to his feet and nodded grimly.
“This way!” I shouted over the cacophony, hoping that Nash and Gemma would hear me. Without waiting for a reply, I spun on my heel and followed Riley’s directions to the cockpit. White light exploded behind me and the Hellions screeched.
Running down the starboard side turned out to be exceptionally dangerous. Pieces of sharp, warped metal lay on the ground, daring us to trip. Fierce wind screamed through the burst holes in the hull, whipping strands of blonde hair into my eyes. Over it all, I heard Davin shouting at the Hellions to follow us. I stayed as close to the light spots as I could. It would make them hesitate for a little bit, and that was all I needed.
My heart sang with relief when I saw that Riley hadn’t lied. I spotted the tall, spiraling metal staircase on the right side of the wall, directly behind the furnace room. I pitched to the side and raced for it, hearing someone curse behind me. I was grateful the marauders chose to follow me, even though I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep them alive.
My feet slammed against the hard metal steps, the echoes lost in the chaos below me. I swung around the curves of the stairs, praying that my footing wouldn’t catch. These stairs weren’t as steep as the ones connecting the Behemoth to the docking bay, but they were close. By the time I reached the top, my legs and lungs were burning. The door was airtight and locked with a hand wheel, and even with the adrenaline charging through my veins, I wasn’t strong enough to move it.
Sawyer and Nash didn’t hesitate. They shouldered past me and used their muscles to crank the hand wheel. Both men were bruised and bloody, but Sawyer looked worse than Nash did. His coat was all but tatters, blots of blood on his shirt showing me where Davin had clawed him. Welts grew on his cheeks and temples, his lower lip was split, and there was a growing bruise on his throat.
But it was his eyes that disturbed me the most. The grim determination and unleashed fury were rampant, barely hiding the deep sadness he thought we wouldn’t be able to see. Even though I knew deep down that I was enraged for his lies and deception, at the moment I couldn’t feel anything but pity for him. He thought his brother was dead, only to learn that he was very much alive, a monster worse than he could ever imagine, and now he was hunting all of us.
As Sawyer and Nash continued to turn the wheel, I gripped the railing and looked over. Davin had rallied the Hellions he could find. He was wearing his mask, but the other Hellions were mask-less. They dodged the spots of light as best as they could, but their caution was making them slower.
A chunk of the hull burst off of the ship, clashing loudly against the iron floor. Two Hellions were trapped in the light, both of them dropping to their knees and screaming in agony. I watched their skin blacken and peel, bloody muscles singeing and catching fire. In seconds, I saw the Hellions turn into humanoid flames, then crumble to a pile of black dust.
While I wasn’t grieving their demise, I also knew that was the last of the explosions. Now the Behemoth was simply going to crash.
“Claire!”
I jumped at the sound of my name, looking over my shoulder to see the door was now open. I pushed away from the railing and ran into the open door, letting Nash and Sawyer close it behind me. I skidded to a stop, looking around the Behemoth’s cockpit.
The shutter windows were drawn down and locked shut, too heavy to be pushed up. Control consoles with dark screens and blinking lights were set up on either side of the cockpit. A narrow, sharp edged table with maps strewn across it took up the middle of the long room. At the head of the table, resting on a platform with its back facing us was a high-backed chair that reminded me of a dark throne. Beyond that was another wide control panel which had to connect to the helm.
I felt uneasy in this place and wasn’t sure how I could work with such limited light, but I was going have to find a way. The door that the marauders had just closed and locked wouldn’t stay that way for long.
;