by Amy Cross
“Do it for your friend Laura,” he whispered. “Do it for every other poor sod who died up here, and for all the people who'd die if these creatures managed to get away.” He paused for a moment. “Fire on a count of three, okay? One... Two...”
He paused for a moment.
“Three.”
They fired simultaneously, and the two soldiers immediately fell as they took direct hits to the chest.
“I hit him!” Lizzie exclaimed, shocked that she hadn't missed. “I actually hit him!”
“Motherfuckers!” Freeman shouted, getting to his feet and firing again, this time knocking Beth down before she'd even had a chance to react.
As Lincoln and the other camper ran for cover, Lizzie scrambled up and followed Freeman across the grass, making for the cabins.
“Those others weren't armed,” he called back to her. “Get the guns from the ones on the ground.”
When he reached the first soldier, Freeman pulled his gun away and then took a knife from his belt, quickly sinking it into the belly of the gasping man, who cried out in pain as Freeman twisted the blade.
Horrified, Lizzie took the other soldier's gun and stood back, as Freeman finished the first man and then moved onto the second.
“Lizzie,” a voice whispered from nearby. “Please...”
Turning, she saw Beth on the ground, clutching a bloodied wound in her chest.
“Lizzie, please,” she continued, clearly struggling to speak, “it doesn't have to be like this. Think about the possibilities...”
She shook her head.
“It doesn't have to be war,” she gasped. “The transition can be orderly. We can let some humans live. We're not the aggressors here, you're the ones who came charging at us with guns, and before that you tried to kill us when we grew in your bodies. You used radiation and drugs, often killing yourselves in the process, or other times you tried to cut us out of your flesh. We're finally getting strong enough to resist your barbarity.”
“And what about Laura?” Lizzie asked, aiming her rifle at Beth's face. “What about all the other people you killed?”
“We didn't kill most of them,” she replied. “We took control of their bodies. We improved them, we became one with them. It could be a glorious thing, if you just think about it a different way.” She began to cough, bringing up a little blood. “The rest we needed for food, but that was just for the young ones. Please, Lizzie, there are other solutions. We've already infiltrated human governments. Right now, one of us is just a hair's breadth from the U.S. president. We can take him out at any moment.”
“Don't listen to her,” Freeman said as he made his way over and looked down at her. “She's a lying sack of shit.”
“We're going to take your bodies anyway,” Beth continued. “Why don't you accept the situation and recognize that it'll be an improvement? Together, we can be so much stronger than we'd be if we were apart.”
“Bull,” Freeman replied, aiming his rifle at Beth's face. “The human race is gonna wipe every last one of you bastards from existence.”
“We'll keep coming,” Beth told him. “We've been growing inside you for thousands of years, slowly evolving, waiting until we were able to take control. That moment has arrived and there's nothing your pitiful species can do except let nature take its course. The Great Memnon has seen into the future, and he knows everything that's going to happen. He sees a brief, pathetic struggle that ends with humanity being overwhelmed. He sees a new era of life on this planet. He sees humanity becoming nothing more than a footnote in the history of a new, dominant species.”
“And where is this Great Memnon fella?” Freeman asked. “Tell him to show his face so we can have it out properly.”
“He waits in the shadows,” Beth continued. “He knows everything.”
“Fuck you,” Freeman replied, pressing his finger against the trigger.
“Lizzie, help,” Beth whimpered suddenly, with tears in her eyes. “I don't want to die!”
“Wait!” Lizzie said, reaching out and tilting the gun away from Beth's face. “You can't just do it like that. Not in cold blood!”
“Lizzie, it's me,” Beth continued, wincing as more blood ran from her wound. “I managed to fight back, I managed to push that thing out of my mind. You have to help me...”
“She's lying,” Freeman said firmly.
Lizzie stared at Beth's terrified face.
“No,” she whispered finally, “I don't think she is.”
“I want to go home,” Beth continued, trying and failing to get up. “Isn't that what you want too? I just want to get back to my family...”
“I know the feeling,” Lizzie replied, still not certain whether she was being tricked.
“Help me up,” Beth added, reaching a hand out. “Please, Lizzie, just help me. I need you.”
“Don't let yourself get fooled,” Freeman said firmly. “She just wants you to let your guard down so she can attack.”
Taking a deep breath, Lizzie lowered a her rifle.
“Don't listen to him,” Beth continued, with her hand still outstretched. “Please, Lizzie, I need you. I can't survive without your help.”
“I...” Lizzie paused. “I don't know if I can...”
“Just you and me,” Beth added. “We'll be faster on our own. We'll run and get help.”
“Just us?” Lizzie asked.
“Like the old times,” Beth continued. “We're old friends, aren't we?”
“Actually,” Lizzie replied, “we're not, no. We only met a couple of days ago.”
“We did?” Beth paused. “I... Lizzie, I'm begging you...”
“You're not Beth,” Lizzie said, aiming the rifle. “Nice try, though. Bitch.”
She fired, blasting a hole in Beth's gut before taking a step back. Letting out a cry of pain, Beth began to twitch as several black tendrils emerged from the gunshot wound, twitching and flexing before finally falling still.
“You made the right choice,” Freeman said after a moment.
“I didn't kill Beth,” she replied. “That creature killed her.” She turned to Freeman. “We have to go after Lincoln and that other guy.”
“No,” Freeman replied, “that's my job. You need to do something more important.”
“But -”
“You heard what she said just now. They've got their disgusting creatures into positions of power in Westminster, maybe even America. We have to warn people.”
“After we take down Lincoln.”
“And what if somehow they overpower us?” he asked. “Then the warning doesn't get out. I'm better at hunting, Lizzie, which means you need to get to the nearest phone and warn everyone. They'll be skeptical at first, but don't worry, as soon as they get up here they'll find more than enough evidence. Maybe this asshole was lying, but she might just have been telling the truth and that's a risk we can't take. Go get that Kirsty girl and head for the main road. I won't be far behind.”
“I can't leave you here,” she told him.
“What's wrong?” he asked. “Do you think I can't take care of myself?”
She paused for a moment. “I think you can take care of yourself just fine,” she told him finally.
“Damn straight,” he continued, “I'd rather have you by my side, girl, but beggars can't be choosers. Now get going, get to the road, find help, and bring someone up here. I'll be waiting, I promise. I've got no intention of letting some jumped-up little monsters bring me down.”
“I'll be quick,” Lizzie replied. “I'll have someone up here by nightfall.”
With that, she turned and ran back across the grass.
“I look forward to it,” Freeman muttered, turning and heading toward the forest as he checked the rifles he'd taken from the two soldiers. “By then, I'll have the rest of these bastards hanging from the trees by their tentacles.”
***
“Is it over?” Kirsty asked as Lizzie ran back to join her. “I heard shots. Did you get them?”
&n
bsp; “Most of them,” Lizzie replied, reaching down and helping Kirsty up.
“What about Beth?”
“We got her.”
“But is she -”
“We got her,” Lizzie said firmly.
Kirsty stared at her. “Do you mean...”
“Freeman's gone to mop up Lincoln and one other guy,” she continued, “but we have to get to the main road and warn people. The threat from these creatures is much bigger than we'd realized.”
“What do you mean?” Kirsty asked, as she started limping between the trees. “Do you think they've managed to get off the mountain?”
“I think they're everywhere,” Lizzie told her, supporting her as they made their way through the forest. “They've been planning this for a long time.”
“Then you have to go on without me. I'll just slow you down.”
“No way,” Lizzie replied. “Don't worry, we'll make it. We just have to keep going and not look back. If there's -”
Hearing a gunshot in the distance, she stopped and looked toward the camp.
“Do you think he's okay up there?” Kirsty asked after a moment.
“I hope so,” she replied. “If anyone can handle those things, it's him.”
***
“Yeah, boy!” Freeman shouted, smiling as he watched the injured figure stumbling ahead of him. “You try to run, see where it gets you!”
Stopping, he raised his rifle again and took a moment to aim, before firing for a second time. This time, the figure slumped to the ground.
“One down,” Freeman muttered, making his way between the trees until he reached the stricken figure. Writhing on the ground, seemingly consumed by agony, the guy turned and looked up at him with fury in his eyes. “What's wrong?” Freeman asked. “Doesn't this fit your script? I know what you're thinking. You're wondering how a pathetic human dares to fight back against you bunch of assholes, right?”
“Go to hell,” the guy spat back at him. “The Great Memnon -”
“The Great Memnon can kiss my hairy arse,” Freeman replied, turning the rifle around and slamming the butt into the guy's belly several times, causing him to cry out in pain. Tossing the rifle to one side, Freeman took out a knife from his belt and plunged it into the gut; when he pulled it out again, he saw that the blade was covered not only in blood, but also in the jet-black venom that he'd seen coming from one of the creatures earlier.
He looked over at the guy's face and saw that he'd finally fallen still.
“Who's top of the food chain now, huh?” he asked, reaching his hands into the wound and finally pulling out one of the tendrils. Grabbing a lighter from his pocket, he moved the flame closer to the creature's skin, only to let go of the tendril as it quickly began burn. “Just as I thought,” he muttered as he got to his feet and stamped the flames out. “Flammable little bastards, aren't you?”
Stepping past the corpse and making his way between the trees, he headed down toward the lake.
“Come out!” he shouted, pulling the last rifle off his shoulder and checking that it was ready to fire. After opening the chamber, however, he found that there were no cartridges. “There's no point hiding!” he yelled, looking around as he continued to walk. “Why die like a coward? Why not come and show me what you're made of, huh? Apart from gunk and pus, anyway.”
Stopping as he reached the edge of the trees, he looked ahead and saw that a male figure was standing alone on the end of the little wooden pier, with the glistening lake spreading out beyond. He was looking away from Freeman, toward the water, but after a moment he turned and they made eye contact. Slowly, a faint smile crossed Lincoln's lips.
“You're the last one,” Freeman said as he reached the shoreline.
“There are others,” Lincoln replied.
“Really? 'Cause I don't see 'em around.”
“They're everywhere,” he continued. “No matter how you try to brutally murder us, we will persist. I have brothers and sisters on every continent, and our time has finally arrived.”
“Your time to die,” he replied. “You sure as hell won't be taking control of anything. The end of the world hasn't arrived, not yet.”
“The end of the world?” At this, Lincoln smiled. “Who said anything about the world ending? Changing, yes, but not ending. It's all a matter of perspective. Your Book of Revelation is our Book of Genesis.”
“Only if we don't fight back.”
“And what about that pain in your back?” he asked. “Do you think that's just old age catching up with you? Maybe your active lifestyle? Or is there another reason you've never been to get it checked out by a doctor? The classic human pattern of ignoring something until it's too late.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Freeman replied, even though he could feel the dull ache at that very moment, in the small of his back. It had been bothering him for weeks, but he'd managed to convince himself that there was no need to see a doctor.
“I can sense it from here,” he continued. “I can always tell when one of my brothers or sisters is around, even if they're still at a very early stage of development. In case you're wondering, it's growing in your left kidney and it's slowly becoming conscious. At a normal rate, it should be able to start spreading within the next three or four months, provided you don't try to kill it with chemicals or radiation. You should be happy. One of our species is trying to grow in your body.”
“I'd rather die.”
“Of course you'll die,” Lincoln replied, turning to look out at the lake. “It's so peaceful here, isn't it? In years to come, I think this lake will become a place of pilgrimage for my species. We'll come to Mount Everbee and give thanks that this cradle of life allowed us to burst forth.”
“I wouldn't count on that,” Freeman said, making his way along the pier until he was just a few feet from him. “There's no way in hell I'm letting you get away from me.”
“I don't matter,” Lincoln whispered, mesmerized by the water for a moment. “Not in the big picture. The Great Memnon has everything under control and even if something were to happen to him, things would only be set back temporarily. The ascent of our species is as inevitable as the decline of your own.” He turned back to face Lincoln. “Why not let it grow in your body? Why not see if you can live together?”
“I'm not gonna be the incubator for some kind of mutant,” Freeman replied. “Anyway, this time in a couple of hours, everyone in the world is gonna know about your plans. You're the last one left at Camp Everbee, and we'll find a way to root out the others.”
“Then why don't you shoot me and get it over with?” Lincoln asked. “Let me guess. There are no more bullets in your gun, are there? Standing here, helpless and ineffective, ranting and raving against the future... In some ways, you're a perfect example of your doomed species.”
“I'll show you who's doomed,” Freeman replied, stepping toward him and swinging the butt of the rifle at his face but narrowly missing as Lincoln stepped out of the way. Before he could react, Freeman felt something wrapping itself around his waist, and he looked down to see that a tendril had burst out the side of Lincoln's torso and grabbed hold of him. Another tendril was already snaking its way from the shoulder, and a third was breaking through the skin on the side of the doctor's neck.
“We're getting stronger all the time,” Lincoln told him. “We're evolving faster than -”
Lunging at him, Freeman slammed the butt of the rifle into his gut, knocking him back until he fell from the side of the pier. Unable to get free from the tendrils around his waist, Freeman was pulled with him, before grabbing hold of the railing and managing to keep from falling into the water. As he tried to pull himself up, however, he felt another tendril wrapping itself around his ankle, and then another moving inside his trouser leg and wrapping itself around his knee.
Reaching down to his waist, he grabbed the last of his hunting knives. The dull pain was still throbbing in his back, and for a moment he tried to imagine one of the c
reatures growing in his body. Turning, he began to cut at the tendrils, but suddenly a hand reached up from the water and grabbed the knife, pulling it from his grip. Freeman tried to pull himself back onto the pier, but Lincoln was already climbing back up with him, and finally they both reached the wooden surface.
“You don't get it, do you?” Lincoln asked, slowly getting to his feet until he was standing over Freeman. “No matter what you do, no matter how hard you fight, you can't stop us. You're even becoming one of us. One of our brothers is growing in your body as we speak. Fortunately, I should be able to transplant him from your corpse once you're dead.”
“If you're really gonna try to kill humans,” Freeman muttered, reaching into his coat pocket, “you need to learn one more thing about us.”
“The fact that you scream when you die? The fact that you keep pathetically fighting even though you're doomed?”
“Not quite,” Freeman continued, taking his hand from his pocket to reveal the lighter he was holding. “The fact that we always have a surprise up our sleeve.” With that, he lit one of the tendrils that was poking out from Lincoln's side, causing a strong flame to immediately start burning along the black flesh.
“If you -”
“You guys are pretty flammable, aren't you?” Freeman added with a smile. “When it reaches your center, I reckon you might just burn pretty goddamn bright. This is for my sister, and all the -”
Before he could finish, Lincoln's body exploded with a brief rush of fire, blowing the end of the pier apart and sending a huge shower of wood, flesh and flaming meat flying through the air, before the burning pieces fell down into the lake. Where Lincoln and Freeman had stood a moment ago, all that now remained was the shattered end of the pier, which had been ripped apart by the force of the explosion. Down in the water, burning pieces of meat floated on the surface of the otherwise peaceful lake.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“This is hopeless,” Kirsty gasped. “We've been walking for hours, we're never going to find that road.”