Obliteration

by James S. Murray

  A thin smile stretched across Cafferty’s face. “Same old Diego. Straight to the point. As subtle as a sledgehammer.”

  Munoz peered at his tablet showing the robot video feeds inside the mine. He flashed the screen at Cafferty, confused.

  “I don’t see any sign of the creatures,” Munoz said. “Maybe they’ve hightailed it back to their nest.”

  “They’ll come for us. It’s just a matter of when.”

  “Up here or down there?” Diego asked rhetorically.

  Cafferty shrugged. It didn’t matter. The fight was going to play out one way or another, preferably belowground while they still had time.

  During the last year, Cafferty’s team had become the best he could ever imagine. Bowcut had trained Munoz to become the meanest, most badass nerd on the planet. Munoz, in turn, had showed her how to use all of their new toys they’d gathered. Together, the three of them had been to hell and back. Escaping the carnage underneath the Hudson River. Battling monstrosities in London and Paris. Stopping Van Ness in his lair. These events—and their collective adversary—had created an unbreakable bond and a determination to see this through. He trusted them with his life.

  “All clear. We’re over the breach,” came through Cafferty’s earpiece.

  “We’re coming down,” he replied. “Any contact?”

  “None.”

  Cafferty extended his laser toward the mine and strode forward.

  Everyone followed in single file.

  So far, everything was running like clockwork.

  The team had perfected this plan while destroying nests in Virginia and Kentucky. Nobody required hand-holding. Everyone knew their job. They cleared a path to the nest. Planted the bomb. Retreated. Then boom. Three down, maybe another thousand to go.

  He stooped inside the mine entrance. His footsteps echoed off the low ceiling and pit-scarred walls. As he descended, soldiers lined the route, kneeling with their laser weapons raised.

  Cafferty slowed his stride as he neared the breach in the tunnel—the point where the creatures burst through to the surface. He tensed, waiting for the first earsplitting shriek that would announce an attack.

  The two robots had stopped in front of a pile of rubble. One blasted light along the distant shaft. The other angled its beam into the depths below.

  His heart hammered against his chest. He gulped in a breath of the cloying air.

  Everything going according to plan didn’t stop the butterflies in his gut.

  Cafferty glanced over his shoulder. “Never gets any easier,” he said.

  Munoz nodded. “They’re smart all right. But they can’t outsmart a blast of C-4.”

  “For now.”

  All the information retrieved from Van Ness’ organization told him that much. The creatures had a chilling knack of outthinking any tactics deployed against them, usually within weeks, in different locations, like they could communicate with each other on a global scale.

  The robot’s light brightened the breach below, revealing a stadium-sized cavern right below the mineshaft. The creatures’ nest was massive. Hundreds of caves lined the walls in all directions, like ants might carve out of their tunnels. Debris from the creatures’ victims littered the ground on perches below: backpacks, bloodstained clothing, glimmering jewelry, a mangled TV camera, a shredded blue blanket.

  But . . . no creatures.

  A deathly silence filled the air.

  Silence in a cavern usually meant the creatures were focusing their telekinetic powers in the shadows and were trying to drag people toward a terrible end, courtesy of razor-sharp teeth, claws, and tails. But none of Cafferty’s team members seemed affected in any way. Everything remained calm and still.

  A minute passed. Nothing.

  The cavern was empty of life.

  This isn’t right.

  “Where the hell are they?” Cafferty said to himself.

  Munoz and Bowcut appeared by his side.

  The tech expert peered downward. “What the hell, Tom?” he asked, confused. “They were here hours ago.”

  “You took the words right out of my mouth,” Bowcut added.

  All three exchanged nervous glances.

  The ground-penetrating radar had confirmed that this tunnel led directly to an enclosed nest. Cafferty reached into the side pocket of his cargo pants. He pulled out his methane-measuring device, which confirmed what he expected: the creatures could survive at this level of higher oxygen. They’d seen it before in Kentucky and Virginia. But those lairs had been full of the creatures, while the entire cavern before them remained empty, not a single shriek or lash of a tail.

  Munoz gently elbowed him. “Tom, seriously, what the hell?”

  “It doesn’t make sense. They can’t disappear into thin air.”

  “Maybe it does,” Bowcut called from his side. She had advanced farther into the tunnel and angled her light toward a gap in the wall. “You better see this.”

  Cafferty walked over. Her beam stabbed into an upward tunnel, not previously identified on any of their geophysical surveys. It stretched as far as the beam reached, extending to the southwest.

  Right toward Las Vegas.

  Right toward civilization.

  Chapter Three

  Shafts of radiant sunshine broke through the cloudy sky over San Francisco, brightening Lombard Street’s steep, snaking route. Karen Green gripped the handles of the stroller containing her four-year-old son, Joey, as she approached the block-long section of eight hairpin turns. Her husband, Daniel, walked by her side. He marveled at the vibrant array of flowers and bushes that hugged the crookedest street in the world’s packed sidewalk.

  T-shirts and shorts for the family was the right idea today, she thought. The gentle breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean provided only light relief from the oppressive humidity. The buildings lining the road gave welcome sporadic shade, though tourists ascending in the opposite direction sucked in deep breaths and mopped their brows.

  Better them than me.

  A continuous stream of cars steadily wound down toward Pioneer Park. Heat haze rose from their hoods. In the far distance, ferries plowed across the glistening deep blue bay. Somewhere close, the noise of a trolley’s bell tinkled.

  San Francisco always seemed so alive. A breathing metropolis that drew Karen in from San Bruno every time she had a day off from the stress of her job as a paramedic.

  “Just another day in paradise,” Daniel said, winking at his wife. “Hungry?”

  “Of course.” She glanced across to him. “I’m guessing the usual?”

  “Wild horses couldn’t stop me,” he replied. “Lead the way, love.”

  She smiled. “You got it.”

  The relaxed grin on her husband’s sweat-sheened face said it all. Contentment and anticipation. Daniel shared her love for a sourdough bread bowl full of clam chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf. It was how they had met seven years ago, catching each other’s eye from opposite tables while devouring their favorite meal. Back then, they were both twenty-four years old with the world ahead of them. On their first date they had watched the 49ers crush the Giants. Second date: Alcatraz. Third date was a weekend movie sequel marathon: Aliens, Terminator 2, Superman II, The Godfather Part II. The best sequels in the history of motion pictures. They had fallen in love fast. Married a year and a half later. Then came their son, Joey, their pride and joy.

  Joey loved the sights and sounds of the city, too, craning his neck around the seat at regular intervals to watch the bigger cars rumble past. Only a truck got him more excited. To his young eyes and ears, the city provided a sensory overload compared with the tranquility of suburbia.

  Karen twisted the stroller around a group of tourists to head down the steep switchbacks and toward Taylor Street. A left turn there took them all the way to the Boudin Bakery Café and the holy grail of food, New England style.

  Daniel abruptly grabbed Karen’s arm and stopped. She turned to look at him, confused by his sudden movemen
t.

  “Do you hear that?” he said curiously.

  “No. Hear what?”

  “Listen.”

  “Danny, stop fooling around,” she replied jokingly.

  “I’m not. Listen.”

  His tone and the stern look on his face told her something wasn’t right. Daniel reserved this expression only for serious moments, or for when he tackled the final boss in his video games.

  At first, she detected only the usual sounds of the city.

  Then, vaguely in the distance . . . something else. Growing louder.

  It sounded like . . .

  Faint cries.

  Was it . . . ?

  Cries of desperation. Panic. And above this, an odd shriek, like a scream queen crying out in the dead of night.

  Suddenly, a gunshot echoed between the buildings. Karen’s body jumped at the distinct sound.

  Most tourists on the street froze. Pedestrians exchanged anxious glances.

  Then a hundred yards ahead, a manhole cover flipped high into the air. As she observed its arcing trajectory against the cloudy sky, the world seemed to revolve in slow motion.

  The manhole cover spun down and crashed into an SUV’s windshield, shattering the glass and embedding into its center.

  “What the hell?” Daniel uttered. He stepped closer to her and Joey. They edged toward the entrance of an apartment building, moving to shelter.

  Tires skidded.

  Metal crashed against metal as two cars collided ahead at the intersection.

  Multiple gunshots rang out and they instinctively ducked.

  Then an odd silence.

  She could feel the energy in the air, but for a brief moment, everything turned still. No pedestrians moved; cars came to a standstill.

  Karen didn’t know what to make of it all. She attempted to process her surroundings. A gas explosion perhaps, or maybe a portent of an earthquake.

  But why the gunshots then?

  She had no answer. In fact, she had more questions as a lone man turned the corner, running in the middle of the street silently, panic on his face. His white linen shirt was torn to shreds and had red stains running down it.

  Karen gasped. Her paramedic instincts kicked in and she took a step toward the man to help. Before she could get there, though, he suddenly stopped midstride on the street, as if his body were tied to an invisible rope that had reached its full length. The abruptness of his stop made Karen pause. The frightened man turned to look at her with desperation in his eyes. She was about to call out to him—

  His legs jerked backward and he fell facefirst onto the asphalt. He desperately reached for anything he could, even dug his fingernails into the concrete.

  It was no use. An invisible force yanked him backward with tremendous power, like a bungee cord snapping him back around the corner he had come from. His fingernails ripped off and his horrifying scream broke the silence. The man’s body disappeared and then the scream abruptly cut off.

  Karen gulped in a shuddering breath. Joey’s safety rocketed to the front of her mind, whatever was happening. She turned back to her son.

  Distant, painful screams filled the air again, growing louder and louder, closing in on their location, rapidly.

  “Mommy, what’s happening?” Joey asked in a panicked voice.

  She faked a smile at him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know, baby. But we have to get out of here.”

  “What the . . .” Daniel trembled.

  Karen followed his eye line down the street.

  A dozen frantic people charged back up the hill with horror etched across their faces.

  Daniel grabbed Karen’s arm.

  She raised her eyes toward the road.

  Near the manhole entrance, an enormous black creature, at least seven feet tall, stood on top of a car’s hood. Its serrated tail wafted from side to side. Karen blinked several times to check she wasn’t hallucinating. She remembered seeing an image of one on TV. It was nothing as horrific as the real thing. The thing bared three rows of razor-sharp teeth. It hunched before letting out an earsplitting screech.

  The creature rammed its tail directly through the windshield, penetrating it with the ease of a pin through plastic wrap. Blood spattered against the internal windows. A bloody hand momentarily slammed against the driver’s-side window, then slowly slid down.

  Another creature exploded out of the manhole. Then another. Then another. At least forty in the time it took her to stumble back with the stroller and bang against the apartment building’s glass entrance.

  Before she could even utter a word, the creatures spread to the sidewalks at unbelievable speeds, springing forward on their muscular legs. They charged up Lombard Street, cutting down everything and everyone in their path. Tails lashed through pedestrians, slicing through their torsos and limbs. Blood sprayed across the white concrete in every direction.

  More creatures burst out of the manhole. They systematically attacked the logjam of cars, ripping off the doors and turning the occupants into pink mist.

  Joey screamed and covered his eyes.

  Adrenaline coursed through Karen’s body. She had witnessed many gruesome scenes in her job. This was off the scale.

  She ripped Joey out of the stroller and clutched him tight. The sight was unbelievable. She had to do something. Anything to escape the carnage.

  Daniel grabbed the chrome handle of the building’s entrance. He heaved but the door was locked. He frantically pressed buzzers. Nobody responded.

  The creatures closed in on them, continuing their butchery. They carved through the group of tourists only steps ahead. Cameras went flying. A map fluttered to the ground. Several bodies dropped shortly after. Intestines spilled across the sidewalk from an old man who had been sliced through at waist-level. The smell hit Karen, and she almost retched. A tail whipped across the old man’s wife’s neck. Her scythed head rolled along the street and came to rest against the curb.

  Karen watched the onslaught in openmouthed terror.

  Hundreds of the monstrosities infested Lombard Street. They leaped along the sides of buildings, smashed their tails against cars, and wiped out every living thing within a hundred yards of the manhole within seconds. They were only a stone’s throw from Karen and her family’s location. And they were closing fast.

  Something clicked in her brain, knocking her out of her paralyzed state.

  She had to find a safe place. She had to move.

  Karen turned and frantically banged on the glass door.

  A young woman, dressed in light blue yoga pants and a matching shirt, appeared in the corridor. She sprinted up to the door, peered beyond the family at the scene unfolding on the street. Her eyes bulged and she took a step back.

  The creatures had closed to within seconds.

  Karen never expected her life to end like this, or the life of her son and husband. She opened her mouth to scream, but her husband cut her off.

  “Open the goddamn door!” Daniel yelled at the young woman inside.

  Thankfully, the woman twisted the latch. He shoved his way in.

  Karen immediately followed into the air-conditioned lobby, clasping Joey while shielding his eyes. The door slammed shut behind them, followed by a slight wave of relief. She turned to thank this young woman, their savior. Tears streamed down the woman’s face. But there was no time for thanks.

  The shadow of a creature loomed on the sidewalk and approached the door.

  Slowly, a scaly black hand with sharp talons screeched along the glass, gouging out three deep lines.

  It’s toying with us . . .

  The family backed away from the door.

  “Watch out!” Karen shouted.

  “What the—”

  Suddenly, a sharp black tail whipped outside, punctured the glass entrance, and speared through the good Samaritan’s mouth. She let out a gurgle. Her eyes rolled up to the top of her head. Blood dribbled from the glistening, sharp end.

&nbs
p; The tail suspended the woman’s limp body in the air for a few chilling seconds before it withdrew, sending her lifeless carcass to the carpeted floor. The tail then smashed against the entrance again. The crunching blow shattered more glass. Small shards battered the family. Humid air flooded in from the street.

  “Run!” Karen bellowed.

  Daniel pressed the elevator button. The overhead digital display read that it was on floor twelve. They didn’t have time.

  Karen headed straight for the staircase and powered up as fast as humanly possible. Joey held his mom tightly and cried out, drowning out the shrieks from the street.

  “It’ll be all right,” she lied, trying to comfort him.

  But comfort was the last thing on her mind.

  This wasn’t a bad dream. Her lungs burned as she ascended. Her thighs ached from the strain of rushing her son away from the slaughter, and she wasn’t sure how much farther she could go. But fear propelled her forward. She looked over her shoulder every few seconds.

  Daniel, though out of shape, matched her stride up the stairs. They might actually make it to safety.

  But a creature had followed.

  It tore after them at twice their speed, bounding up a few steps at a time.

  Karen looked up. They couldn’t risk stopping to knock on a door, not that she thought anyone who had seen the events outside would open one. Four more levels to go until they reached the roof. She didn’t know where else to go. She had no idea if it was a futile move. Her only thought was getting Joey as far away as possible from the ground and where these monsters came from.

  A bloodcurdling screech echoed up the staircase.

  The creature had closed to within a single flight.

  Daniel stopped and turned.

  “Run,” Karen cried out to her husband.

  “You go, love. I’ll stall it.”

  “Danny, no!”

  “Save Joey. Now run. Right now!”

  He stared up at her for a moment. Tears welled in her eyes. Tears welled in his. She knew exactly what this meant.

  “For God’s sake, Karen,” he shouted. “Run!”

  Heavy footsteps pounded on the floor toward them. Daniel turned away from his wife. He protectively raised his arms in a desperate attempt to stop the massive creature’s ascent.