by Skye Knizley
Kane and the woman pulled the door shut and put a bar through them.
“She’s in the bar with Mercy, our medic,” Kane said once the door was secure.
Raven started toward the hut, but was stopped by the woman, whose vest bore the name ‘Ford’.
“It doesn’t look good, Raven.”
Raven looked at her. “Keep watch, I’ll be back.”
Ford let go and Raven stepped through the bar’s side door and into the interior, which was larger than it looked. Aspen was lying on the floor on top of a pile of old cushions. Her face was paler than usual and her hair, which was normally as vibrant as she was, had matted to her head beneath a mixture of blood and sweat. Another woman sat beside her with an open medical kit.
“Agent Storm?” the woman asked.
Raven nodded. “You must be Mercy. How is she?”
Aspen opened her eyes. “She is fine, Ray. I just got bit by one of those bird-things.”
Mercy patted Aspen’s shoulder. “Rest, boss.”
Raven sat beside Aspen and stroked her hair. Aspen looked like she wanted to say something else, but her eyes sagged shut and she fell back onto the cushions.
“She isn’t fine, Raven,” Mercy whispered. “The antivenin isn’t working. We have to get her to a hospital, and quickly.”
Raven didn’t answer, she was too busy looking at Aspen. She had just watched her die, she wasn’t going to do it again.
“Aspen? Can you hear me?” she asked.
Aspen’s lips moved, but no sound emerged.
“Asp, I’m going to feed you. It’s going to hurt, but it should get the venom out of your system.”
Again, her lips moved soundlessly. Raven raised her own wrist to her lips and bit deep. The coppery taste of blood filling her mouth made her gag, but she choked back the urge and leaned over Aspen to kiss her. The blood flowed from her mouth into Aspen’s. Aspen’s eyes flew open, glowing bright blue in the gloom. Raven pulled back and offered her wrist. Aspen sucked on it instinctively, swallowing Raven’s life essence.
“That… I mean… I wasn’t expecting… I know she’s your fiancé, but…” Mercy stammered.
Raven pulled her wrist away from Aspen’s lips and held her as she began to shiver from the pain wracking her body.
“She isn’t just my fiancé. She’s my familiar, blood bonded to me. My blood will accelerate her healing and get the venom out,” Raven said.
Mercy blinked in surprise. “Of course. I’ve just never seen anything like that, not outside of a movie.”
Raven shrugged. “Some things the movies get right.”
“Let me bandage your wrist…”
She looked at Raven’s wound and frowned.
“I heal fast,” Raven said.
“So I see,” Mercy replied.
Raven let her clean the excess blood off her skin, then turned back to Aspen, who looked almost normal.
“Did you do what I think you did?” Aspen asked.
“I fed you.”
Aspen smiled. “I’m not complaining, but I thought the vampy stuff skeeved you out.”
Raven gave her a look. “I had a choice between letting you die or doing the vampy stuff. It wasn’t a hard choice.”
Aspen sat up and hugged her. “I didn’t think I was going to see you again.”
Raven hugged her back. “You don’t get away from me this easily.”
Ford appeared in the doorway. “I don’t mean to break this up, but we’ve got problems.”
Raven stood and helped Aspen up. “More than just one?”
Ford thumbed her MP5 from single to burst fire. “Looks like about forty, but I didn’t take time to count.”
Raven looked at Aspen. “Are you good?”
Aspen shrugged. “I’ve been better, but I’m okay.”
Raven drew her pistol and followed Ford back to the door, where Kane was peering out at the deck beyond. Dozens of creatures that could only be called zombies were shuffling toward them, with more pushing their way out of the companionway on the opposite side of the deck. They had clearly once been passengers, most were wearing shorts and Polo-style shirts or loose blouses. Their skin was sloughing off in clumps as they walked and bone showed through their faces beneath darkness-filled eye sockets. They carried no weapons, but their hands ended in wickedly curved claws of bone and flesh. They moaned and gnashed their teeth as they shuffled forward like extras in a bad movie.
“Marvelous,” Raven muttered.
Kane glanced at her then back at the shuffling horde. “Marvelous is not the word I would use. What is the plan?”
“Kill them before they kill us.”
“You can’t kill them, they’re already dead,” Ford groused.
“Kill them more, then. Asp, how’s your flame spell?” Raven asked.
Aspen shook her head. “Weak, Ray. The shield I’m keeping over us is about all I can manage right now.”
“You can explain the shield later.”
Raven looked back at the bar. “Mercy, Ford, grab as many bottles of hard liquor as you can and stuff some of those old napkins in them for wicks.”
“Molotovs?” Kane asked.
Raven nodded. “Even in the rain, the booze will burn and slow those things down.”
“I like the way you think, Agent Storm,” Kane said.
“I don’t,” Ford said. “Won’t the deck catch fire, as well?”
Aspen shook her head. “Probably not. The deck is already soaked with water, blood and that weird algae. I doubt it would burn even if we tried.”
“Besides, torching the ship would surely stop it, would it not?” Kane asked.
“He’s got a point, Ray,” Aspen said.
“I’d rather not burn the ship down with us on it, and the lifeboats won’t survive that storm,” Raven said.
“So, how are we getting off, anyway?”
“Du Guerre has an Osprey not too far away. Once we get out of here, he will pick us up,” Raven said.
Aspen’s mouth fell open. “You called Du Guerre?”
Raven shrugged. “I had no choice, they aren’t exactly selling first class tickets to the hell-ship. He was the only option.”
Aspen looked unhappy, but she drew her pistol and stood ready. Raven tossed her lighter to Ford, who began lighting the molotovs as they assembled them. When they were ready, Kane stepped through the door and began hacking away at the zombies closest to them, keeping them at bay with the massive blade. Raven joined him with her shotgun while Aspen, Mercy and Ford threw the bombs over their heads. The high-priced booze exploded into shards of flaming glass and alcohol, setting the shambling creatures ablaze. Most didn’t react to the flames, they just kept walking and reaching as their skin bubbled and burned in the heat. Some, however, must have still held some semblance of humanity, because they screamed and jumped overboard, only to be swallowed by the sea far below.
“Kane, get back inside, everyone inside,” Raven yelled.
She shot two more of the zombies through the head and backed up herself. The stench of burning flesh and the intense heat were becoming too much. She passed through the doors and Kane slammed them shut against the approaching creatures. He slide the bar home and stood back as the walking dead slammed into the glass.
What followed was a horror show as the creatures slowly burned away, all the while beating on the walls and doors with the burning stumps of their hands. Sickened by the display and the scent of burning flesh, Raven distracted herself by catching up with Aspen and the rest of her team on what they’d experienced.
“Why don’t we just let King and the Airforce sink her?” Ford asked eventually.
Aspen looked at Raven. “It’s a fair question, honey.”
It was Kane who answered. “Whatever happened on this ship, it is still happening. King intended to study the
vessel and find out what transpired and if it was possible to save anyone onboard. Destroying her is a last resort.”
“From what I have seen, anyone who has survived the last forty years is either completely insane or part of the damn problem,” Ford said.
Raven checked her shotgun. She had three shells left. “I can’t say I disagree. We’re low on ammunition, Asp is hurt and we have no idea if we can even stop this thing.”
“King will not be pleased—”
“King already made the decision to destroy the ship. The only reason you’re still here is me, he gave you up for dead nine hours ago,” Raven snapped.
Kane shrugged, a movement his lanky form was well-equipped for. “That is not unexpected. But we now have a chance to complete our mission and get away.”
Raven threw her shotgun’s bolt and stood. “King’s missiles will stop it just fine. I say we take off and let the F-18’s do their job.”
Aspen stopped her with an outstretched hand. “Are you sure, love?”
“Do you sense anything alive, besides us?” Raven asked.
Aspen paced away, then came back, her face a mix of emotions. “When we first arrived on this thing, I would have told you there was no one but us. But the longer I’m here, the more I feel. There might be someone, or something, still alive.”
Raven ran a hand through her still-sopping hair. “Could it be the entity? The thing you’ve been fighting with your shield?”
Aspen shook her head. “No. I can feel that, something dead and dark, nothing more than an intelligent ball of anger. This is something else.”
“Swell,” Raven muttered.
“Problem?” Mercy asked.
Raven didn’t answer. She touched her com and looked out the window. “Francois, it’s been an hour, are you there?”
There followed the crackle of static, then Du Guerre’s voice, sounding far away. “I am here, Ravenel. Have you had any luck? My crew says the ship is burning.”
Raven pushed through the doors and looked up at the storm-wracked sky. “I found them, the fire is a bunch of dead zombies. We’re nearby, can you pick us up?”
“Affirmative, get everyone together, we are making our approach. Give us three minutes,” Du Guerre replied.
“Thank you.”
Raven opened the doors and smiled. “Our ride will be here in three minutes.”
“What about the lifeforce?” Aspen asked.
Raven looked away. “What about it?”
“It isn’t like you to give up on someone, Raven,” Aspen said.
“We don’t even know if it is really a person or another creation of that thing,” Raven said.
Aspen folded her arms. “But it could be and you’re turning your back on them.”
“Asp, don’t,” Raven said.
‘Don’t what? Ask why you’re leaving someone behind? Oh, okay, I won’t!” Aspen snapped.
Raven looked back at Aspen. “Aspen, I’ve shot and nearly killed my own father and tonight I watched you and Rupert die. I’m not trading your life for someone else’s.”
Aspen’s face softened. “Ray, what are you talking about?”
Raven shook her head. “Forget it. Get your stuff, we’re leaving.”
She hefted her weapon and stepped back into the rain, where Kane was clearing a spot for the Osprey’s boarding ropes. She heard the drone of the Osprey’s engines and looked up to see the ugly aircraft on approach just off to starboard. She pulled a flare out of her vest and ignited it on her thigh. It spat pink flame and she tossed it to the ground, confirming the dust-off point. The Osprey was just beginning a slow turn that would bring its rear door in line with the ship when a bolt of lightning struck its port engine. The engine crackled with energy and exploded, sending blades and shrapnel in every direction. As they watched, the Osprey began a slow turn and fall that brought it straight toward them.
“Get to cover!” Kane yelled. “Hurry!”
Raven took Aspen’s hand and ran; the crunch of breaking wood and the howl of tortured metal dogged their heels and she pushed Aspen to safety behind the outdoor bar a split second before she felt the pain of ragged steel in her back. The impact swept her off her feet and she rolled into an old deck chair, which protected her from the rest of the flying metal. When she looked up it was to see the Osprey teetering on the edge of the deck, held in place only by the remains of the twisted railing. A moment later the exposed fuel tank exploded and tore the aircraft in half. The nose fell into the ocean below while the tail section rolled toward the pool and lay still, nothing but a burning hulk.
Raven stood and pulled a piece of torn fuselage out of her back. It was longer than she;d thought, jagged and sharp. She tossed it aside and helped Aspen to her feet.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Aspen examined Raven’s wound. “Am I alright? This looks deep, are you okay?”
Raven winced as Aspen probed the wound in her back. “It will heal, I’m fine. What about you?”
“Just a few scratches, nothing to write home about. But you should have some blood, Ray.”
Raven ignored her and turned to the smoldering wreck. There weren’t even skeletons, nothing moving, just twisted metal, burning seats and ash. The ash mixed with the rain and ran into the pool, turning it purple.
“Du Guerre?” Aspen asked.
Raven shook her head. There was just no way anyone had survived. Not even Du Guerre. A burial at sea was more than he deserved.
“He isn’t the only casualty,” Kane said softly.
Mercy was slumped against the wall, blood pouring from dozens of wounds where shrapnel had pierced her flesh and left her pinned in place. Her death and been quick, but not at all painless.
“Fuck,” Ford snarled. “Now what are we going to do?”
“Grab your gear and check the wreckage for anything useful,” Raven instructed.
“And then what?”
Raven met Aspen’s eyes. “We finish the mission before King blows this ship back to hell.”
CHAPTER TEN
Chicago, Tempeste Manor, 9:00 p.m.
Snow was still falling when Levac’s Nash slid into the driveway of Tempeste Manor and became stuck against the pillar that supported the iron gates that, as far as he could remember, had never been closed. He climbed out of the car, flipped his collar up against the snow and slogged down the driveway to the front steps. He paused to kick the snow off his battered loafers then rang the doorbell. Dominique answered while his finger was still on the button. He still didn’t know how she did that.
“Rupert! What a pleasant surprise. Come in, do, before you catch your death of cold!”
The great hall was warm and dry and the snow began to melt immediately as Levac entered. Dominique handed him a warm towel and closed the door behind him.
“What brings you out this late?”
Levac pulled off his scarf and hung it on the ornate coatrack beside the door. “I’m looking for Sable, we have a new case. Is she in?”
Dominique nodded. “Yes, she is here, she is speaking with Valentina. Let me take you to them.”
Levac followed Dominique up the ornate staircase, past Raven’s room to one he wasn’t familiar with. The door was open and Sable was sitting on the bed beside Valentina, a haunted look in her eyes.
“My lady, Rupert Levac is here to see Branwen.”
Valentina looked up and smiled. “Welcome, dear Rupert. Right on time, as always.”
Levac smiled back. “Does that mean I haven’t missed dinner?”
“She means you’re in time to help Raven,” Sable said.
Levac noted the blood dripping from Sable’s nose and produced a clean swallow’s eye handkerchief from one of his pockets.
“Raven is on a case, what’s going on?”
Sable took the handkerchief
and wiped the blood from her nose and lip. “Unlike my sister, I can feel and sometimes see her. Wherever she is, she’s in trouble and King isn’t answering. Did he tell you anything about what she’s working on?”
Levac shrugged. “Only that she is on a case somewhere. I guess she passed her exams and was put back on duty today, which is good news.”
He leaned against the wall. “Raven spends most of her life in trouble, it goes with being her. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”
Valentina didn’t look convinced. “This seems different, Rupert. Branwen felt her pain and saw her fall unconscious. The vision was so intense Branwen’s nose began to bleed.”
Levac fished his phone out of his pocket along with half a cheeseburger he’d forgotten was there. He wiped ketchup off the phone with the hem of his coat and dialed Raven’s number. It rang several times then went to voicemail. He frowned at the phone and took a bite of the burger. It was stale, but better than nothing.
“Could you see where she was?” he asked around the mouthful of meat and cheese.
“That’s gross, Rupert,” Sable said.
He shrugged. “You’ll get used to it. Where was she?”
Sable stood and wiped more blood from her nose. “I don’t know. Somewhere it was raining and the floor was wood, that was all I saw before I lost her. I haven’t seen or felt anything since.”
“What about you?” Valentina asked. “Can you feel her?”
She looked worried, anxious.
Levac swallowed and forced a smile. “Yes. I know she is out there, I can feel our connection, but she keeps me on the back burner so that’s all I’ve got.”
He finished the sandwich and stuffed the wrapper back into his pocket. “I’m sure she’s okay, if something was wrong she would contact us for back-up.”
Sable gave him a look. “My sister calls for back-up?”
Levac felt uncomfortable under her gaze. “Sometimes. Occasionally. Not often…okay, maybe twice in three years...”
“That is what I thought. We have to find her!” Valentina said.
Sable folded her arms and leaned back against the bed. “We don’t even know where to start looking, Mom. She could still be in Seattle or be anywhere else, Section Thirteen works all over the country at a moment’s notice.”