‘The damn thing has worked its way between all the stonework and is bringing the damn bridge to life,’ she realized with horror. A moment later the wall of stone started descending towards them all.
Quickly, she raced over to where Julie had left Alex and the baby. She tried to cover them with her own body, knowing it was hopeless gesture but at least the three of them would be together in the end.
But nothing happened.
After several seconds she looked up.
The end of the bridge was hovering about 20 feet above them.
Why had it stopped?
She turned to Alex and gasped. Both he and the baby were staring intently at the menacing wall of stone, with red glowing eyes. There were no pupils or whites, just two sets of crimson infernos.
‘They’re holding it back,’ she realized and hope sprang back into her heart. Then she looked back at the wall of stone and thought, ‘And if they lose their concentration we’ve all had it. What do I do?’
Suddenly Alex spoke in a tight voice, “You need to get us and the other two off the bridge, Luv.”
Thank God, he’d sensed her thoughts. Immediately, she helped him to his feet and half carried him towards the foot of the bridge, where Cassie and Julie were slowly getting up.
Getting to her feet, Cassandra could feel the power emanating from Alex and the baby. It was taking a lot out of them and they needed help. Looking around she spotted the sword lying on the bridge, just a few feet away. Knowing it was their only weapon she instinctively reached for it and nearly screamed.
Clutching her right side, which felt like it was on fire, she barely managed not to fall to her knees. A couple of her ribs were cracked if not actually broken, she realized. But she couldn’t let it stop her, Alex and the baby needed help.
Biting back the pain she moved forward again and lunged for the sword.
Her hand had almost touched it when a pointed black tendril shot up from between the stones and into her left shoulder.
For a moment, she couldn’t move. All she could do was stare at the blood seeping down the tentacle. It took a moment for her to realize it was her own because her mind was focused elsewhere. She could feel the other end of it stretching out of her back and trying to wrap itself around her.
Suddenly, an arc of white flashed before her eyes and a muscular arm grabbed her around the waist, as the offending limb crumbled to dust. “I’ve got you Baby,” a voice murmured in her ear.
Looking up, she saw blood dripping down the side of Julie’s face. “You’re bleeding…” she managed to say.
“Never mind that,” Julie told her, “Can you walk if I help you?”
Cassie nodded, “Keep the blade ready… it’s the only weapon we’ve got…”
“I know. Now just hush,” Julie replied moving the two of them back towards Alex and Ronnie. She was mindful to keep the blade pointed at their enemy.
Veronica, still supporting her own two charges, waited for them. The far end of the bridge still loomed overhead, but was staying put thanks to Alex and the baby. ‘But how much longer can they keep it up?' she wondered.
Finally, Julie and Cassandra reached her.
From there, they all backed up slowly in a group. Their attention fixed solely on the creature which was still emerging from the stone slab.
After what seemed like hours, Veronica felt one foot sink into the mud and she started to fall backwards, when several pairs of hands caught her.
“Easy there, Rookie! We’ve got you.”
thE final stand
“GET SOME LIGHTS ON! WE NEED TO SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING!” shouted Ryan.
Searchlights from police cruisers on both sides of the stream illuminated the nightmare scene.
“Holy shit the bridge is moving!” cried one officer.
Another patrolman yelled, “What the fuck is that thing in the center of it?”
“Watch out, it’s going to try and crush us!” warned another.
Chief Peterson’s commanding voice restored order, “Everyone who has a rifle, prepare to open fire! We’re taking that thing down! The rest of you, get these civilians to safety!”
The sound of weapons being cocked and loaded filled the air, punctuated by the flash of lighting and the roll of thunder. Then silence. No one moved or spoke, as the raised section of the bridge creaked ominously, still struggling against the psychic force holding it back.
Cassie and Julie were already behind one of the patrol cars, but Veronica was still struggling with Alex and the baby, in spite of being helped by two of her coworkers. Her love could only move slowly; otherwise his concentration would be broken.
At that moment her two helpers, tired of their slow progress, tried grabbing him up in a fireman’s carry. It proved to be a mistake.
The towering wall of stone came crashing down, flattening the nearest patrol car and scattering several officers, including the two trying to carry Alex.
“FIRE!” Peterson roared.
Immediately, the sound of guns erupted on both sides of the stream, with bullets bouncing uselessly off the moving rock. Seeing this, Veronica ordered her fellow officers to aim at the creature itself.
More searchlights came on, bathing the black-iridescent being in their powerful glare. The creature began to emit a high-pitched sound and tried to move away from the powerful beams. Once more the end of the bridge was brought down on another vehicle, extinguishing its hateful light.
Still holding onto Alex, Veronica turned to her boss. “Did you see that?”
“Yeah,” her old partner nodded, “It must hate light, which is why we never had trouble around here in the daytime.” He called out to his team to break out some flares and to throw them at the creature.
“The bullets aren’t doing anything, Luv,” muttered a voice in Ronnie’s ear.
“Alex?” she smiled with relief, she had been hoping his silence was because of the intense concentration and not something worse. “Hurt or not, they seem to be keeping it at bay,” she told him.
“It doesn’t like the feel of the impacts,” Alex told her.
Apparently Roy had been listening, because he suddenly called for heavier firepower as the first flares were tossed at the unearthly being.
Several of the tendrils caught fire, but were immediately thrust into the waters below and extinguished.
In retaliation, a number of thin rope-like limbs shot out from between the stonework and began reaching for individual threats. One officer was impaled, while several others were forced to use their rifles as clubs to keep the offending appendages at bay.
Ryan was not so lucky. One of the black limbs had seized him and was starting to lift him off the ground, when Julie rushed forward sword in hand. With one swipe she severed the appendage, which like the earlier ones, crumbled and fell apart.
Another large tendril grabbed what was left of one of the flattened police cars and lifted it high into the air to use as a club. This proved to be a mistake. Lighting struck the vehicle as it was raised, and the electricity raced down the arm and towards the main body. But the stricken limb disintegrated and fell away before reaching its target.
The cry of pain the creature emitted would haunt all who survived the battle for the rest of their lives. But when asked about it later, none could say whether they had heard the sound with their ears or inside their heads.
Nonetheless, a new method of attack had been shown to the defenders.
Thinking quickly Roy ordered the patrol cars to be pulled up to the water’s edge and for his people to break out the jumper cables.
“What do you have in mind, Old-Timer?” asked Ronnie.
“Some of those black root-things are spilling out between the stones and into the water,” he pointed out. “If we can get a strong enough charge, maybe we can electrocute the damn thing.”
Alex spoke up, “Chief, just beyond those trees is a generator house. I saw it on the plans of the estate.”
Peterson nodded and shouted
instructions to three of his officers to check it out. “And try and find some long cable we can run from it to the stream.”
As the men took off, Ronnie turned to her two loves and said “Alex, I want you to stay put. I’ll get someone to move you and the baby…”
“No, her mum is coming.”
“What?”
“Rachel’s coming for her,” he repeated, trying to be heard over the sound of gunfire. “She can’t stay with us, Luv. I’m the only thing keeping her going. She’s not going to last long once she’s taken from me.”
Veronica looked at the child and knew he was right. In the dream reality they had learned that the child had been fed upon and healed repeatedly, which helped keep the creature alive. Her very structure had become altered over time allowing her to appear as a teenager or an infant. But now, with her link to the thing severed, she was stuck in this withered form which was beyond anyone’s help.
Ronnie swallowed hard, “You’ve been keeping her out of its reach psychically and physically, haven’t you?”
He nodded and touched her hand. Once more they were together in that psychic reality he had made for them. Looking down, Veronica saw the babe as she should have been happy and whole.
When she pulled away, the image had not changed, “Alex? Are you…”
“No,” he shook his head, “It’s her. She’s got powers even greater than mine. That’s why it wanted her in the first place. But she liked what showed her. She doesn’t want to go back to the thing because she knows ...AAHHHH!”
“ALEX!” screamed Veronica as she was knocked to the ground and watched helplessly. The creature had burrowed one of its limbs through the ground to in order to reach them. Now it had both Alex and the baby.
“HOLD YOUR FIRE!” cried Roy, seeing the change in their situation. “IT’S TAKEN HOSTAGES!”
Held high in the air with his charge, Alex got a good look at the black appendage. He could see it was made up of hundreds, no thousands, of purplish-black strands covered in scales. What was this thing? There was only one way to find out, so he grabbed the limb and opened his mind…
Suddenly, there was no longer any rain falling. The sky above was clear and the stars were shining. Far below, he beheld trees unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Not even in fantasy books. Was this where the creature had come from? Where was this place?
He felt himself being swung around and spotted two moons, one smaller than the other. This place was so alien yet it felt familiar, why? He looked up at the stars again and suddenly realized he could recognize every constellation and their positions!
They were still on Earth. But, no man had ever stepped foot on this one, because he never evolved here. Whatever had caused the formation of two moons had altered how life had developed here. He wondered if the laws of science had taken a different course as well.
The baby in his arms shivered with fear. This was what she had known for the last 16 years, trapped in a doorway between two versions of Earth. A portal that refused to close and might one day let other beings, like this one, pass through.
Then he noticed several voices chanting. They seemed to be coming from far away…
Julie was still holding the sword as she bent down to retrieve the wooden cane that doubled as a scabbard. Something about the curved lip at the top of stick had struck her as odd. The lip had a squared off edge, and there was an indentation in the ball of the sword handle that was about the same size.
Suddenly, the sound of chanting reached her ears. Looking up she saw a fire erupt in a clearing on the other side of the stream. Several figures danced around the blaze, all dressed in animal skins. There was a bear, a great eagle, a deer and a white wolf who seemed to be the leader.
The man’s eyes were bright and his voice loud, as he stared at her from across the water. Julie couldn’t understand all of the words they were singing, but they seemed to stir something within her. Looking down at the blade and stick in her hands, she suddenly slid the squared off lip into the slot in the handle. The tip of the blade extended several inches past the wooden shaft.
“An Atlatl,” she breathed and stared up at the battle. The police were being forced to halt their attack because the creature and grabbed Alex and the baby as hostages.
Now her heart began pounding in time with the chanting, and a smile crossed her lips. The thing had been afraid of the blade before. Drawing her arm back she carefully took aim. The moment had to be right, or she might hit Alex and the baby.
Nearby, Cassandra saw the change in the woman she had been secretly longing for and struggled to her knees to get a better look. Immediately she was struck again by the site of Julie’s muscular form, as she raised her make-shift AtlAlt and took aim.
Under her breath Cassie whispered, “You’re only going to get one shot Sweetie, make it count.”
A moment later, the creature raised its captives high into the night sky. Instantly, Julie’s arm shot forward, launching the blade. The weapon flew with missile-like precision at the main body of the creature, piercing several waving tentacles as it traveled, never veering from its mark and…
Alex felt rain hitting his face once more, and a sound that could have been a scream pierced his mind. The thing had been hurt. Twisting around, he saw the sword sticking out of the creature’s body. As he watched, a swirling mass like a whirlpool began to form around the weapon.
Back on the ground, Julie gazed in wonder at what she’d done. She’d managed to severely wound the creature. Turning back to the encampment across the stream she saw chanting and the dancing had come to a halt. The leader, with his White Wolf pelt, was nodding at her with approval, while his companions slowly shrank into the skins they were wearing. A moment later, the ‘animals’ headed off into the woods. Now only he remained in the clearing. Turning away he began a new chant. She soon noticed that as his song grew louder so did the storm.
Just then a hand fell on her shoulder and she heard Peterson say, “That was impressive, using the blade like that. But, now we’ve lost our best weapon.”
“I’m not sorry,” Julie replied, looking over at the thing as it writhed in pain. “Take a look at its wound.”
Roy followed her gaze and gasped.
The swirling effect around the blade was growing larger and more turbulent. It was as if the creature’s body was trying to tear itself apart.
As they watched in amazement, his shoulder radio came to life and a voice said, “Chief, the cars are in position, and we’ve got the cables hooked up to the batteries. Give the word and we’ll toss the live ends into the water.”
Grabbing the microphone he replied, “Good, wait for my signal. Ryan did you get that?”
“Copy that, Chief,” the young officer replied. “We’re inside the generator house. Wilson and Rogers are headed your way with some cable. Once we finish hooking it up at this end, we should have more than enough power to fry that thing.”
“Good. Let me know as soon as you’re ready. Out,” releasing the button on his radio, Roy stared at their adversary, “I just hope it works.”
“It will,” Julie replied, listening to the chant that no one else seemed to hear.
Veronica watched anxiously for an opening that would allow them to resume their attack. Although Alex and the infant were still in the thing’s clutches, its movements were becoming awkward and clumsy.
Suddenly the strange being thrust a number of its tentacles into the waters. Once there they began to pulse, while the whirlpool effect around the wound seemed to slow. Was it somehow healing itself? “GET SOME OF THOSE LIGHTS AIMED AT THE WATER. WE NEED TO SEE WHAT IT’S DOING!” she shouted to her team.
The scene beneath the bridge was illuminated. Several officers screamed, while another fainted at the hellish nightmare taking place in the water.
There were bodies in the water, a hundred or more. Each one was in a different stage of decay and covered in mud and silt.
‘They must’ve been buried beneath the water,�
� she realized. Then she noticed that some of the bodies were decomposing right before her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that one of the deadly appendages had been attached to them.
“Jesus Christ it’s feeding on them,” she heard one of her colleagues murmur.
As the defenders watched helplessly, a tentacle shot out of the water and grabbed the nearest officer. The man didn’t even get a chance to scream before his features and body began to melt and dissolve as he tried to fight it off. Within seconds he was swallowed by the appendage while still struggling. Several people had to look away.
Julie drew up next to her. “Did you see tha…” the brunette began when another tentacle shot out of the water headed towards them.
Instinctively Julie held up the wooden cane in her hand to block it. A moment later there was a bright flash and then the limb fell to the ground, twitching spasmodically.
Veronica took aim and fired at the offending limb. Instead of being absorbed like before, the bullet pierced the black tissue doing real damage. A moment later it became still.
“Holy shit, there was a mouth at the end of it!” cried Julie in disbelief.
“Some of its tentacles must serve different functions,” Veronica observed and then looked at the cane in her friend’s hand. Where the thing had touched the wood, a circular white glow was slowly fading. “And it looks we’ve still got something to work with.”
“Sarge, should we throw the wires in the water?” asked one of the patrolmen anxiously.
“No! Hold your positions and wait for my signal,” Roy instructed, joining the two women. He stared down the dead limb and shook his head. “We need to kill that thing.”
Ronnie agreed, but how? Alex had said Rachel was coming for her baby. Where was she?
Just then Julie spoke up. “I bet if we could get this scabbard rammed into one of the larger roots we can really hurt that thing.”
Roy nodded, “Probably, but I can’t let a civilian risk her life trying to get close to that…” his voice trailed off as he spotted something in the water nearby. “What the hell?” he muttered and drew his weapon.
The Bridge (Para-Earth Series) Page 30