The Helio Trilogy: Volumes 1-3

by Valerie Roeseler

  Two sets of feet pound the pavement, one set much heavier than the other. Base calls back, “Nineteen, report.”

  I pivot to run after Nineteen, but Alice catches my sleeve, “We’re just observing, right?”

  I give her a quick nod, eyeing her white-knuckled fingers twisted in my shirt, “Yeah. Come on.”

  We move stealthily down the alley, and I have to take a swig from Raphael’s flask. Alice questions, “You good?”

  Before a response leaves my mouth, there’s a thud, followed quickly by a grunt. I take off for the commotion, Alice on my heels. I flatten myself against the building, glancing around the corner. Nineteen is yelling at a young woman, pinning her to the brick exterior, “How long have you been exposed?” The girl cowers, crying in fear of him. There are no marks on her exposed legs beneath her thin, flower print dress. Her arms and face are clear of any rashes or boils as well. Nineteen shoves her harder against the wall, “How long?”

  The girl’s mouth quivers as she begs, “Please, don’t make me go back. I can’t watch anymore. Please, let me go.”

  He rips his gas mask off, revealing a pissed off redhead with blazing green eyes. He growls at her, “How long?”

  She breaks into convulsions of tears, hyperventilating between her words, “Since…day one.”

  Nineteen radios in, “Nineteen to Base. Block two; one survivor. Requesting truck for pick up.”

  The response doesn’t come as swiftly as before, “Copy. Truck is indisposed. Can you walk?”

  Nineteen rolls his eyes, judging the girl’s hysterical state of emotions. “Yeah. ETA; twenty minutes,” he advises.

  “Copy,” Base replies easily.

  Nineteen looks at the girl with irritation, “Would you calm down? I’m not sending you back to the coliseum. I’m taking you to the Gilbert dorms. If you’ve made it three days without showing symptoms, you’re immune like the rest of us.”

  She asks him, “Who are you? You’re not the police that put me with the infected.”

  He shakes his head, “The police are either dead or left town with the rest of the government. We’re on our own here.”

  She cross-examines, “What about the helicopters?”

  He instructs with a hint of sadness as he escorts her towards Red Meadow campus, “Keep your head down. They’ll shoot on sight.”

  I tug Alice back out of sight with me. She inquires, “What now?”

  I judge her reaction, “We can either call it a day and meet the others to see what they found out, or we can head for the coliseum and see exactly what we’re dealing with.”

  Her head bobs as she processes the different outcomes. She settles, “We’ll scope out the coliseum to see how easy it will be to get in and out. That girl left the coliseum with no problem, and the guy said all government has fled except for the helicopters. What’s keeping the infected there? You think they’re still alive?”

  I can’t imagine what the coliseum will look like and hope we don’t come across a mass extinction. “I don’t know. We can check out the area, but we should meet with the others before we try to breech it.”

  The coliseum is six miles away. Alice and I stick close to the buildings, hugging our bodies into shadows between bursts of angelic speed. An unexpected sadness hits me as we pass the coffee shop on the corner of campus. The fence is destroyed, a truck driven through and halted by the outdoor stage collapsed around it. Glass is everywhere. A quick peek through the broken windows brings the ransacked interior to light. Furniture is ripped to shreds. Tables are broken and turned over. It’s hardly recognizable.

  We give the Gilbert dorms a wide enough birth to stay out of sight, yet close enough to see where survivors are staying. There are two guards outside of the boarded-up doors. Each guard is dressed in black tactical gear with gas masks, just as Nineteen was, and are unmarked. It’s clear they’re civilians, but unclear where they came from. I wonder, Are they locals? Did they come from outside of Red Meadow to help? How many are there? The only movement to be seen comes from the guards and cameras scanning the exterior of the building, leaving no area unguarded.

  We move on, closing in on the coliseum. As it comes into view, we move slowly. It appears unguarded. There is no movement from inside, causing me to fear the worst. We speed forward, stopping again at a block away and listen closely. We’re met with soft whimpers and cries, prayers for a miracle to save them.

  I urge Alice, “I can’t listen anymore. We have to hurry. Let’s go back to the estate and get the others.”

  Alice agrees, and we race back to the estate, remaining out of sight. I send a thought to Solas to have everyone meet early. It’s mid-day. The Gray Legion should be on their way, but we don’t have time to wait for them to arrive. My body is sweating profusely, forcing me to take another sip of tonic from the flask. My hands tremble, tightening the lid back on and tucking it into my back pocket.

  Solas’ voice enters my mind, “We have a situation. How close are you?”

  Be there in two minutes. What’s going on?

  “Just hurry.”

  I push harder, running faster than I ever have. I make it through the gates of the estate before Alice. Solas meets me in the cul-de-sac, hands raised to protect either me or someone else. His worry is clear, “The horses are sick. Jack’s around back with them.” I speed past him, skirting the manor. He yells after me, “It doesn’t look good. Prepare yourself.”

  My wings burst from my shoulder blades, taking me faster to the two shade trees at the back of the property. Jack is kneeled between the two horses, Andromeda’s head in his lap. He tries to pet her gently between the grotesque bubbles of puss over her entire fading black coat, patches of it missing. Maximus looks the same. His normally pure white coat is dull and gray, chunks of hair are missing from his mane, tail, and coat from the boils marring his beauty.

  He whinnies at the sight of me. I fall to my hands and knees and crawl to him. I don’t hesitate to fuse my hands to his neck. I push my love for him through my touch. My eyes illuminate with a quick burst of white light. Healing him is different than anything I’ve experienced before. A rancid taste fills my mouth as a burning sensation flows through my veins. I tug at the sickness, extracting it from deep within his marrow. It grows in my core, but I’m able to remove my hands from him easily in the end. I wobble to stand, making it three steps away before I double over. I vomit the iniquities souring my body and feel relief. Once I regain stability, I sip from the flask diligently.

  I kneel next to Jack, urging him to back away. He doesn’t protest, clambering back rapidly when I lock my hands to Andromeda’s neck. The sickness floods me like a riptide, triggering a scream as its foul nature smothers my taste buds. I hold it until all harmful toxins have left her body and traveled into me. I’m dizzied, crawling away to vomit again.

  Tears fill my eyes, soothing the burn within them. I rise to check on Max and Annie. They stand strong, watching me with new life in their big eyes. Their coats are smooth, the boils are gone, and there is no evidence of missing hair or the toxicity which had them on the verge of death only moments before.

  Jack gives Andromeda a hug as Max walks to me slowly. I wrap my arms around his neck. He nestles his heavy head over my shoulder and pulls me closer. I let down my empathic wall, allowing him to feel my love and appreciation for him. His gratitude and adoration are rich in return. Jack suggests, “We should get them some feed and fresh water. There’s no telling how long they’ve been like this. They’ll be alright now, though, right?”

  I nod silently, reigning in my emotions and building my empathic walls back up. Maximus and Andromeda begin following us back to the barn without prompting. I admit, “I have a bad feeling about this. The town could be worse off than we believed.”

  Entering the barn, Jack finally replies to my confession, “I thought this place would be crawling with police, SWAT, news stations, and all that…but I haven’t seen any of them.” He brings two buckets of feed from the tac room
and puts them in the horse’s respective stalls. “Everything is trashed,” he mumbles dejectedly.

  I pat Maximus one more time before walking back to the front of the house where the others are waiting in the cul-de-sac. I ask Jack, “Did you see the Peace Keepers?”

  He shakes his head in negation, “Who are they?”

  Eric answers as we come around the corner to the front of the mansion, “They’re locals. Most of them are students at the university.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “Alice and I followed one back to Gilbert dorms. It looks like their compound. I think they’re survivors; people who have been in contact with whatever is going around, but they’re not becoming infected.”

  “And everyone else?” Solas tests.

  I sigh heavily. “We don’t have time to wait for the legion to arrive. The rest of Red Meadow is inside the coliseum. Alice and I scoped it out. We could hear people suffering inside. There’s nothing guarding the outside, but no one is leaving. I don’t know if that means there’s something inside the coliseum keeping them there or if their health has diminished to the point they’re not able to move.”

  Alice queries, “What about the helicopters? You think that’s what’s keeping them in?”

  Eric glances at her sharply. I tell everyone about the girl who escaped the coliseum and the Peace Keeper who took her in. “He told her to keep her head down because the helicopters will shoot anything that moves.”

  Jack glowers, “They’re doing pest control.”

  “Appears so,” I comment.

  Solas challenges, “Do you have a plan?”

  I purse my tightened lips to the side, apprehensive about everyone’s reaction. “I think we need to approach the Peace Keepers.”

  Eric questions quickly, “Why?”

  “They’ve been here since this began. It’s obvious they know what they’re doing to avoid the eyes in the sky. They’re not buckling down to hide either. They’re scouting the town. But I don’t think Red Meadow would have done this on their own. There’s someone leading them. That someone is going to know how to get into the coliseum without problems and can give us a better idea what we’re looking at.”

  Solas jerks his chin pointedly to Jack, “When’s the last you spoke to Tallulah?”

  Jack shrugs, “A few days.”

  I mention, “The contagion only began three days ago.”

  Solas solicits, “Could it be her leading them?”

  “Only one way to find out,” Jack notes.

  I lead everyone into the house, “I need food, and we all need to change into something to help us blend in, just in case it’s not Tallulah in charge.”

  “Blend how?” Eric requests.

  I raid the kitchen first, “We need to look like Peace Keepers. Full black tac gear…” I shove a protein bar into my mouth, talking around it, “Gas masks too.”

  Each of the gang part ways, leaving me to stuff my face for energy. Alice ends up dragging me to my room to change as I whine about how hungry I am. Everyone is ready to go within the hour and meets back in the cul-de-sac.

  I freeze at the top step, raking over them from left to right. Eric is focused. His body is relaxed, yet his jaw set. Alice is nervous, which worries me. I feel like there’s something she’s not saying about the situation. Jack is fidgeting, the fingers of his right hand drumming against his thigh with built up adrenaline, longing for release. His brows are furrowed and muscles tight. It’s clear he’s concerned about Tallulah, and that bothers me more than I should let it. Ultimately taking in the sight of Solas, he is as unreadable as ever. At first glance, he appears rigid, angry, and ready for battle. When you look past the scar over his brow, the ruggedness of his five o’clock shadow, and his scraggly locks growing back out, you see the calm before the storm.

  Descending to the gravel and joining them, I profess in a groan, “I would kill for a cigarette right now.”

  Chapter 13

  The Gilbert dorm has one hundred and fifty rooms. It is a four-story building that takes up three sides of a corner on the east side of Red Meadow University campus. The large courtyard within the center serves as a buffer for the two Peace Keeper guards outside the main doors carrying assault rifles. Eric leans into my ear to whisper low as we peer from around the bookstore across the street, “Are they trigger happy?”

  I mumble, “Does it matter?”

  Solas advises, “We should go in a group. They’re less likely to shoot if we appear unhostile. Jack can lead us in. He can use his ability to keep them relaxed. We’ll play it by ear as we approach.”

  I nod in agreement and slide my gas mask on. The others pull their gas masks on, then Jack guides us towards the dorm’s courtyard. Once we are in sight of the guards, they raise their rifles in warning. We slow our steps and raise our hands in the air to show we mean no harm. Jack calls out to them coolly, “We are unarmed!” There is no reply. Jack takes his gas mask off and assures them, “We are here to help!” He gauges us over his shoulders. We take our masks off. He adds, “The boss called us in!”

  The guards look at each other then back to us. The right one uses one hand to radio in, “Five to Base.”

  Base responds, “We see them.”

  Five requests, “Please, advise.”

  We continue to close in with measured steps. It takes Base an uncomfortable moment to respond. “Let them in,” Tallulah commands.

  Relief floods over us. The Peace Keepers open the doors, and we’re met by another Keeper, unarmed and unmasked. His hair is military cut, fitting with his physique and air of fake toughness. He slaps Jack on the arm, welcoming him, “Jack Roe. Good to see you alive, man.”

  Jack shakes the Keeper’s hand, “You as well, Brody. Where’s Telly?”

  Brody motions for us to follow, “Fourth floor. I’ll take you there.” We’re lead to the elevators. We pile in as Brody pushes the button for level four. There’s also two extra buttons. One has a double ‘L’ for the lower level. The other has ‘RT’ for the rooftop. Brody fills the silence of the humming elevator, “Where are you guys coming from? I thought we were the only survivors.”

  Jack lies, “My place. We’ve been letting things calm down until we were positive we could make it without the helicopters shooting us.”

  The elevator dings and the doors open. Brody nods his head, stepping out first, “Smart choice.” We trail him to the right and are instructed to remain in the open waiting area while he takes Jack to Tallulah.

  I roll my eyes, pacing the sterile waiting area with my arms crossed over my chest. I can’t sit still. The people in the coliseum need my help and could be dying. This is taking too long. We should have chanced it on our own.

  Solas soothes, “Patience. We’ll get there.”

  A door flies open down the hallway, jerking my attention away, and Tallulah leaps into Jack’s arms, clinging to him as if he’s her last lifeline. My heart breaks. I throw my walls up, blocking Solas from my thoughts. Forcing myself to look away, I focus on Alice staring back at me. My throat begins to burn, my stomach churns, and tears build in my eyes, blurring my vision.

  Alice saves me from embarrassment, swiftly checking her watch to tell me, “Isn’t it time for another dose of tonic?”

  I nod, biting my bottom lip. I slide the flask from my back pocket, walk forward to the floor-to-ceiling glass window, and take small sips. Replacing the lid, I stare at my reflection in the glass. I don’t see myself. I see weakness. This isn’t who I am. I’m not jealous. I’m not needy. I’m not dependent. I straighten my spine, stuffing the flask back in my pocket. I sniff and cross my arms over my chest again. I feel taller already. I’m Ivy Harris. I’m Pestilence of Darkness. I am a Daughter of Light, and I will hunt down my enemies and destroy them with a Darkness they’ve never felt. I am Teloch.

  Solas touches my shoulder, snapping me out of my inner reflection. I see my obsidian eyes in the glass and pull back on my Darkness. His hand slides down, “Are you good?” I smirk at hi
s reflection next to mine. He corrects, “You know what I mean.”

  I turn to him, “I just want to be there already.”

  Tallulah assures me, “I can get you in.”

  Solas steps aside so I may see her. I open my mind to Solas again, requesting that he get a read on her. I test Tallulah, “I’m listening.”

  She gives us the rundown, “Like I told Jack, there are no guards inside the coliseum. I’ve had the doors locked from the outside, but none of the sick are trying to get out anymore. Most of them are probably dead by now, honestly.”

  The little shrug she gives with her disingenuous assessment of the situation warms my blood. I quip, “Have you even been over there?” She doesn’t answer. “Alice and I could hear them from over a block away. They’re still alive.” She doesn’t seem concerned. I transfer a glance to my Chief of Command and back to Tallulah, “I’m not waiting here any longer. I don’t know how much time they have left, and I’m not going to waste the last moments of their lives debating with someone who could give two shits if they’re still alive instead of doing something about it!”

  Tallulah cowers next to Jack, who’s looking to me as if I’m being reprimanded. Fuck that. I’m in charge.

  I order Eric, “Call Theodora. I needed the legion here hours ago. Tell her about the helicopters and have the Griffins take them out. They can meet us on the roof here.”

  Tallulah gawks, pointing to the ground, “You’re bringing them here?”

  I raise my chin and square my shoulders, “Yes. Instruct the civilians to stay indoors and away from the windows. The last thing we need is for a human to see them.” She looks to Jack for backup. I bark, “You don’t have a choice here. This is my mission, and I’m handling the situation as I see fit. The only thing I want from you is cooperation and intel.”

  She pushes her glasses up her nose, “What kind of intel?”

  I list off, “Anything you know about what happened. How did it start? When did it start? How are there survivors? Anything you know, I need to know.”