by Sam Herrera
“Mara.”
“Yes?” I said tonelessly, looking up at my father as he sidled up next to me. I’m trying to enjoy my bread.
“Do you trust these people?”
“I trust Caleb. I trust people I love.” Father lowered his eyes, catching the implication.
“We don’t know anything’s wrong, though, do we?” Andy protested. “And we haven’t broken any laws—”
“What are you talking to me for? Do what you like. You’re not my problem.”
“But, we’re family.”
“Suddenly we’re family, huh?”
“I’ve tried to apologize to you, Mara.”
“I forgive ya,” I nodded. “But I don’t have to trust you or get to know you if I don’t want.” I swallowed the last few crumbs then slid off the couch and knelt beside Ethan on the floor.
“What’s the plan?”
“So far…we haven’t got many places besides Redstone House.”
“They might be there. Technically they haven’t broken any rules either.”
“It won’t make any difference; they’ll be tortured beyond endurance and then disposed of if they’re caught.” I stared. Chloe was describing something akin to Stalin’s Russia, not present-day America. I shook myself. What America?
“I concur. Escape will be their only option,” Ethan nodded and traced the map with one clawed finger. “Where would they go?”
“The quickest way out of London is here, along the M1,” David answered, “but they have never lived in London. They live at Redstone, way out in the country.”
“Which is the first place they will look,” Kyle sighed. “Any predictions, Chloe?”
“I’m not a crystal ball,” she snapped. “In my time you were all here before me. Remember?” She traced her scars.
“If Redstone is all we have, let’s start there.”
*
As we came in sight of Dover, we were very careful to stick to the coasts and countryside. London too had been badly hit; looking out I could see the looming shape of another scorpion tail just on the fringes of the city. Distantly we could hear the screaming. The Winter was beginning to feel like the last island in a raging sea threatening to drown us all. Is anyone left alive out there? Is nowhere safe? As we flew inland, looking for the huge rocky bulk of the Langdale Mountains, I gazed out over an island changed drastically. Ethan’s biblical quote haunted me. I could see it coming true here. We passed over Keswick town with Derwent Water, Grasmere and Borrowdale. All the places I’d come to love for their natural beauty, ruined by the bodies of those that had fought and lost. The Derwent ferry lay on its side in the lake, surrounded by floating corpses. The dock and shores were covered in them also. Borrowdale’s cobbled streets were awash with blood and in places like the valley itself the bodies of farmers and farm workers lay in the fields, being eaten by their dogs while the livestock ran wild. I choked back a sob as I saw St Martin’s Church, the rustic, historical scene of the tragic events of Kyle and Sarah’s wedding day, with the doors and slate roof broken in and a headless body lying in the doorway. Kyle hissed through his teeth, seeing it also and quickly turned us away. When we landed I noticed there was an eerie silence everywhere; even the birds seemed stunned by the horrors.
*
Dave groaned, seeing what had been done to his old home. The creatures had beaten us to it here as well. We gazed all around the blood-soaked, churned-up soil of the farm and the burned, barren garden of the house itself.
I followed Kyle, keeping close to the wall, as he led me towards the back door, his gun leading him. I hated guns, didn’t think I would ever get used to them. But I held mine tight nonetheless as we led the others past the smashed and fallen door. We didn’t find any creatures, but we did find more proof that they’d been here: the speared bodies of Ted the groundskeeper, his wife and two daughters. Dave groaned again, looking as though he was going to puke. It appeared, from the claw marks all across the wooden floor, the creatures had stormed the place and killed those that resisted them. A movement caused me to turn around, my gun raised. It was heavy but I made myself hold it up and aimed. Bounding down the stairs was a huge deerhound. “Cujo,” I grinned, remembering it was Ted, the Grey’s groundskeeper’s dog. He seemed happy to see me but gave a low whine at the bodies. Bending, I gave him a comforting scratch on the ear. He gave an alarmed yelp, seeing Ethan land in the foyer at the foot of the stairwell. He had jumped off the ramp and flown over the house, seeing before we had that it had been attacked.
“There is no one here, with one exception of course,” he smiled at Cujo whose curiosity warred with his fear. “But I do believe the OWO were here a while ago, after my kin left.”
“Why’s that?”
“The scent of human. It is especially thick in the child’s room.”
“There could be maps then. Them scoping for a hideout?”
“Maybe,” Ethan allowed.
Kyle and I began searching upstairs bedrooms, for marked maps or any kind of indications to where they would go. Caleb and Dave, also armed, searched downstairs while Ethan and Chloe watched the doorways and windows for returning hostiles. In the Winter Andy and Father waited to get us out of there fast. It wasn’t just my unease that was getting worse as we searched the darkened, deserted house: a throbbing from my metal hand had been bothering me ever since we’d landed.
“You worried about him too?” Kyle asked, sensing my discomfort, as we rifled through draws and cupboards in Caleb’s old room. I threw Cujo one of his old tennis balls and he was happy enough.
“Who? Ethan? No. You still are?” I accused.
“Damn right. I mean what is this thing? How do we know he’s not planning to sell us out to his friends?”
“His friends have no idea he’s even alive,” I argued, “as he’s never made any attempt to contact them, the whole time he’s been with us.”
“There’s always a first time. Are these yours?” he asked, reaching under the bed. I went beet-red as I recalled finding an item of clothing had turned up missing when I’d flown home from here after one particularly memorable night. It was those he was twirling around one finger now. I quickly made a grab for them.
“I see London. I see France. I see your red, lacy undy-pants,” he grinned in a sing-song voice as he dodged out of reach.
“Gimmie them!” I growled, grabbing them off him. “Fuck’ssssake.”
“I trust Caleb had a nice time.”
“Knock it off. Ah,” I gasped as another full-on jolt vibrated up my arm. “What the hell?” What’s wrong with it, I wondered, lifting my hand up.
“My thoughts exactly,” Kyle, frowned, staring at me.
“My arm’s hurting.”
“Your arm?”
I nodded. This meant something to me, something Chloe had said: “Those little shocks you were getting just then, they’re warnings. You get them every time there’s a threat. Just like me with my vanishing act.”
A warning. A danger signal. “Kyle, I think something’s wrong.”
“What?”
“I dunno, it’s just a feeling I’ve got.” I went to the window. “Shit,” I whispered, gazing out. A sleek, black OWO-marked SUV was pulling into the driveway. Opening their doors, two armed thugs got out.
“Get back,” Kyle ordered me, “and make sure that dog stays quiet.” As they stepped towards the house, my arm gave more jolts. Kyle raised his rifle to his shoulder and aimed at them from the window’s opening as they walked up to the front door. He was too late; they were already inside. We raced towards the sounds of screaming, echoing up the stairwell.
KYLE
“You won’t get away with this,” the wounded “cop” snarled at us from beside the radiator he was cuffed to. We’d been too late to save the other one from Ethan and had almost been too late for him as well. I shook my head, look
ing from this thing to the gruesome scars he had inflicted on both the living guy and the dead. He’s too dangerous to be with us.
“Oh, yes, we will. I personally do not see the point in wasting meds on such vermin,” Ethan sighed.
“He might know something. Listen, shithead, if you wanna live you will answer the question: where are Kristen Harper and Abby Grey?” He clamped his mouth shut even when Ethan gave him a probe on his scarred arm. I sensed he was more afraid of someone else than us.
“Ethan,” Mara winced as the man’s blood began to trickle down his face. “Where are they?”
“Finish me,” he sighed. “I’m dead anyway.”
“What are you so scared of?”
“President Karden. He runs the White House now. His word is law and he says you lot are traitors, threatening the last of humanity.” I scoffed.
“We can make things easy or very hard,” Ethan growled. I swallowed hard as he crouched before the guard and opened his mouth as wide as it would go. He seemed to dislocate his jaw entirely, forming his mouth into a gaping maw surrounded by long, fish-like teeth that just grew wider and wider.
“Hey. Whoa.” Ethan grabbed him by his lapels and started, inch-by-inch, sliding his mouth over the crown of his head, the man’s baldness making the progress easier. It was like watching a grass snake slowly swallowing a mouse. The guy’s whole head had almost vanished up the long green tunnel, to his mouth, before he broke.
“Alright! Alright, Fuck!” Ethan quickly pulled away and the terrified man recoiled, looking like a scared little kid, all his nothing-to-lose bravado gone. I stared at Ethan as he stepped back, a smirk on his thick green lips. If he didn’t scare me before, he sure as shit does now.
“They’ve taken the prisoners to London. That’s where the interrogation is.”
“Whereabouts in London exactly?” I asked.
“And when did they leave?” Chloe asked.
“An hour ago.” He also told us exactly whereabouts in London. Shit.
*
“Get off me,” I scowled, pushing Cujo’s nose out of my lap. “What are you doing?” I squinted at him. Cuffy, seeming to share my annoyance, gave a low growl. The two dogs appraised each other warily. Cuffy was wary anyway. Cujo just seemed to ignore him.
“I think he’s in love,” Mara grinned as Cujo went to lie at her feet.
“What do you want that thing for anyway?”
“A pet maybe? What do you want with Cuffy?”I glanced through the cockpit window at the rotating triangle of Scotland Yard without enthusiasm. “This is what, the top cop shop in the country?”
“Pretty much,” Caleb nodded. “Doesn’t matter, we’ve got to get them out of there.”
“Yeah, but how? There’s only six of us.”
“I say hit them from the roof. That’s always been our advantage, right: them never seeing us coming?”
“You remember huh?” I grinned at Mara. “But are we really ready to take on Armed Response?”
“Full-on conflict is not our objective, the rescue of your kin is,” Ethan reminded me.
“We shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves anyway,” Ron grumbled. “These things,” he jerked a thumb at Ethan, “are the problem. If we all banded together under the OWO’s protection—”
“Karden will not protect us,” Dave argued. “He’ll more likely have me and Caleb killed.”
“Why, because you quit?”
“He killed his wife for cheating on him.”
“Says you. The papers are saying—”
“Enough,” I snapped. “How are we gonna get in here? We know nothing about this place, where the cells are, whether or not they are locked up or in interrogation and what kind of resistance we’ll be up against.”
“I agree. Cunning and stealth will win the day here.” Jumping into the pilot’s seat, he took us up to the roof. Karden’s influence, it would seem, had spread to even here, across the Atlantic; two armed guards were patrolling the roof, Uzis swinging from their hips. One of them paused as he was raising his flask to his lips, wondering what the strange shimmering in the air was. Ethan lowered the ship until we were a few feet below the roof, out of sight.
“Lower the ramp,” he told us as he slid out of the seat. It was always a shock to see his speed and casual grace; he moved like a snake sliding across the ground.
“What the hell’s he up to?” Chloe whispered. Ethan turned and threw something at me.
“Use it.” I gasped as he jumped off the ramp. He just flung himself into space and slammed against the wall of the building. We all crowded on the ramp to watch, awed, as he scurried up it like a big, green spider. I took the pilot’s seat and kept level with him as he climbed up to the roof so we could all watch the fight of the year. He took them apart, just jumped them and knocked them down like skittles. He used non-lethal force, wrapping his tail around their feet and necks like a tripwire and a lasso. The way he moved was almost like dancing with them, except he was a dancer whose lead none could follow as it was too fast to even be seen.
“He’s kinda cool,” Caleb grinned. “I wish I could do that.”
“Are they dead?” I asked gazing at the inert forms left in Ethan’s wake as he plunged down the fire escape.
“I doubt it, but if they carry on dicking with him…” I glanced down at what he’d given me: two shirts. What the hell?
*
We landed and got off, those of us who would be of use. I had handpicked them: Chloe, myself, Mara, Caleb, Cujo, Cuffy and David. No one else was more motivated. They’ll have to be, I thought, to keep hold of these. All of us, with the exceptions of Ethan, Cuffy and Cujo, were straining under the weight of our rifles. Why are they so goddamn heavy? Of course, I thought, watching the lizard hold his like a toy, they’re made for him. We climbed down the fire escape. I held the shirts to Cujo’s and Cuffy’s noses, one each, knowing now Ethan’s plan. With Cujo leading me, straining against his collar, and an equally eager Cuffy pulling Mara along, we went through the shattered door.
“Chloe, with me. You’re the best shot among us. Be ready to blast the surveillance cameras.” She nodded and followed me close, her gun by her side. I was surprised she could wield it. I struggled and I was no slouch, but she took her load well, though the strain showed in her tense arms. We all watched, our backs to the wall, as Ethan suddenly appeared around the first corner we came to, dragging two unconscious guards after him by their feet. We almost shot him.
“Take their keys and use them to unlock the cell doors when you come to them,” he instructed, throwing us two bunches. “We want as much confusion as we can get.” A muffled phtt, phtt sounded and we watched bits of plastic and circuitry rain down from the corners of the roof. Chloe blew the smoke from her barrel with a wolfish grin. We crept along the corridor, Cujo and I leading the way with Ethan right beside us, holding Cuffy’s lead. Chloe and Ethan seemed able to read each other’s minds; they moved in perfect synch with her ducking on one knee whenever they came around corners and through doors, so every angle was covered without her blocking his aim. I’d seen that before: Special Forces had once given demonstrations on it. They almost collided with two guards coming the other way and opened fire. I joined them, squeezing the trigger. Though my rifle was silenced, it was like a live thing in my hands with a hell of a kick. They went down but the damage was done. Alarms began sounding out from the ceiling, their red lights flashing all around. We raced forward, coming to a fork in the corridors. Cujo strained to go to the right, Cuffy the left.
“David, Caleb, Chloe take him and unlock the cells, look for the Grey girl. Kyle, you, I, Cujo and Mara will take the right and find Harper.” We split before any could argue. Hardly able to believe we were fighting cops, I joined them in taking down the first cell guards we came upon. We used their keys to open every door in the place. When the convicts came out we just threw t
hem the guard’s night sticks and mace cans. As Ethan had said, we needed all the confusion we could get to make it out of here.
*
I started when I first saw Kristen Harper, a tall redhead with freckles. She started too, in fact she screamed, at the sight of the primeval dragon in her cell doorway.
“It’s okay, Kristen,” Mara said, coming in past him. “Remember me? I used to train at your gym. Caleb’s girlfriend.”
“Hi. What. The. Hell is that?” she squinted at Ethan. I knew her from somewhere. I shook it off; there was no time.
“Let’s go,” I told her as she slid off the wooden bench, tossing her a handgun.
“Who are you people?” she asked, staring strangely at me.
“No time. Let’s. Go.” She followed us down the corridor with the sound of backup hot on our heels.
MARA
We made it back to the fork, using short rifle-bursts to hold the enemy off. David and Caleb came sprinting around their corner. .Abby was with them. I remembered her as a tall, late-teen girl with black hair and big, scared eyes. They grew even bigger at the sight of Ethan.
“Remember me? I’m Caleb’s girlfriend,” I repeated.
“Hi,” she stammered, unable to take her eyes off guess who. We raced for the staircase. We were met with surprisingly little resistance. I supposed we had taken them by surprise, coming, and had caused enough hell down below, going, to be bothered with. Plus Ethan was enough to deter even the bravest; I saw many of them, once they’d seen him, suddenly recall urgent business elsewhere. We shot up the fire exit. Once we had all raced aboard, we took off. Unfortunately Andy pushed us upward a bit too far. Caleb, David, Abby, Kristen, Andy and Father all crowded around the cockpit, gazing out in awe at the stars and planets, shining bright and clear in the ‘V’ window. Cujo and Cuffy were more interested in licking themselves.
“Amazing innit?” I smiled.
“What is this thing?” Abby asked, gazing around with a sense of wonder. The woman Kristen, though, gazed around with a fond smile; as if she was looking around a place she’d not been in a while and kinda missed. Once I’d explained everything to Abby and the Grey family had all reunited, Kristen took a seat next to Kyle.