Bowcut rested her forehead against his, overwhelmed and surprised by the strength of her emotions that he was alive.
She helped him up, and they embraced.
“Roux, the supersoldiers?” she asked.
He took out his tablet and surveyed the data. “They’ve eliminated the creatures from Hunters Point. Any remaining ones in San Francisco have fled underground. There are over two thousand supersoldiers still active and on their way to secure our location.”
“Still active?”
“Ready if any creatures come back. We’re safe.”
“The supersoldiers on the Nimitz didn’t attack us,” Ellen said. “If Van Ness was in control of them, why not?”
“You’re welcome,” Roux replied. “A very smart person reminded me that I was working for a madman, so I took it upon myself to circumvent his orders and have them stand down.”
“How?”
“Dr. Liander gave me an override.”
“Appearances can be deceptive.”
“You’re telling me—”
“I knew I liked you,” Bowcut interjected. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We’ve got to liberate the world now. And I could use all your help and expertise.”
“After all this, you still work for the Foundation?”
“The Foundation is dead. Let’s call this the World Alliance.”
Chapter Forty-One
Six months later
A roaring fire crackled in the hearth of the Caffertys’ log cabin. Tom and Ellen sat relaxed on two armchairs, facing the orange glow and warmth of the fireplace. To his left, little David slept on the couch, thumb in his mouth, covered by his favorite blue blankie.
A Frank Sinatra record softly played in the background. The old-school crackle gave the songs a comforting, familiar feel.
Ellen took a drink of her favorite Pinot Grigio and set her glass down.
Cafferty reached over to the table to grab his glass of Jameson.
Snow fell outside and had already deposited a thick layer on the trees surrounding Lake Oneida. Everything about this upstate New York property was perfect. Tranquil. A welcome escape from the rebuilding efforts around the country and around the planet. Exactly how he’d envisioned the future for his family before circumstances had dictated a different path.
Right now, nests were being systematically destroyed all over the world, under the capable eyes of Roux and Bowcut. Humanity was firmly on the front foot with those two at the forefront of operations. Without a queen to lead the creatures, the surviving monstrosities had stayed underground, rudderless. And with the flash drive Diego had slipped Bowcut on the Nimitz, containing a backup of all his research, the World Alliance was able to build many more devices to stop the creatures’ telekinetic power. They would all soon perish. The day when they were finally eradicated couldn’t come soon enough, but more important, people had started to feel safe again.
Humanity was back in business.
Cafferty sipped his whiskey.
The couple sat there in companionable silence, both staring at the flames. He guessed Ellen thought about what they’d come through every single day. He did as well, but expected those memories to fade with time—never to completely disappear, just ease in terms of their immediacy.
The cell phone in Tom’s pocket pinged three times—Sarah Bowcut’s assigned alert.
Ellen rolled her eyes. “I suppose you’d better get that.”
“Suppose I should.”
She was playing with him. Cafferty had shed his obsession with the mission and had devoted himself to the two most important people in his life. He was an entirely different man from the one who had stood in front of the press three years ago with President Reynolds, not knowing what was about to come at him.
Cafferty read the message on his device’s screen.
Tom, hope you’re happy with the shipment. If you accidentally kill yourself with the goods, please don’t haunt me from the afterlife.
He smiled at the last part and climbed to his feet.
“Going somewhere?” Ellen asked.
“Just getting a new bottle. Need anything from the basement?”
“I’m good, thanks. Don’t stay down there too long . . .” Ellen unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse and walked into the bedroom seductively.
“Yes, ma’am . . .”
Cafferty made his way through the living room and down a creaky set of wooden stairs. He hit the basement light.
A jumble of boxes filled the forty-foot space. They still hadn’t properly unpacked. A few days of relaxation had been the first priority.
He snaked between the boxes to a gloomy corner. A wooden crate sat there. It’d arrived yesterday from Philadelphia. Cafferty grabbed a crowbar and wedged it underneath the lid. One quick heave popped it open.
He swept the packing straw to one side, revealing a dozen laser pistols, chargers, and a bandolier of grenades.
Nice work, Sarah.
The rest of the world thought Cafferty had officially retired. And for now, he had. But he’d also vowed to never take civilization’s safety for granted.
He fished out a laser and held it in front of his face.
If war ever commenced again on a grand scale, nothing would stop him from joining the fray. He’d be ready. He’d been through too much to simply sit on the sideline. He owed it to humanity, owed it to the likes of Diego Munoz, David North, President Reynolds, Captain Collingwood, and so many others.
He even owed it to Albert Van Ness.
He owed it to all of them, especially Diego, to finish this. And no matter what, he would.
Cafferty took another sip of whiskey and exhaled. With his family secure, they could look forward to a bright future. Together. Uncompromised.
And if he lived to a ripe old age, and his grandchildren asked him what he and Ellen did during the war against the creatures . . . Thomas Cafferty’s answer would always be the same.
We survived.
Acknowledgments
When I wrote Awakened back in 2005, I never imagined it would one day become a trilogy, and that I’d get to work with one of the best publishing houses in the world and one of the best, most charming co-writers out there. I hope you enjoy our epic culmination to this story and our characters, whom I’ve come to love.
Thanks to David Pomerico from Harper Voyager, Lisa Sharkey and the excellent team from HarperCollins, and Karen Davies and the team from Harper360. Thanks to my colleagues and friends, Joseph, Carsen, Nicole, Susan, Chá, and Ethan, for their tireless and inventive work. Thanks to Jack Rovner and Dexter Scott from Vector Management, Nick Nuciforo and Brandi Bowles from UTA, Danny Passman from GTRB, Phil Sarna and Mitch Pearlstein from PSBM, and Elena Stokes and team from Wunderkind PR. And special thanks to Brad Meltzer, R.L. Stine, and James Rollins for all your incredible guidance, support, and friendship.
Mom and Dad (and my entire family)—love you all. Spear—sorry, Liander lives at the end. And special thanks to my love and fiancé, Melyssa, who singlehandedly has the power to change lives.
And finally, thanks to all our amazing Impractical Jokers fans for always supporting what four guys from Staten Island do.
—James S. Murray
My life has changed quite a lot while writing this book. I'm a husband to a great wife, Jennifer, and father to a lovely daughter, Maple. Jen’s parents, Faye and Joe, have also been incredibly warm and welcoming to me during my time in Canada. I’m proud of how this trilogy turned out after James and I committed to writing the series. He’s a great guy and friend and I deeply value our partnership. Every time I visit America, James and Melyssa are always kind and generous hosts. I’d also like to thank three other people. First, Paul Lucas from Janklow & Nesbit. Paul is my agent and works tirelessly on my behalf. Second, David Pomerico from Harper Voyager. I’ve already said in the Awakened acknowledgements what David brings to the party, but his patience and understanding are also two admirable traits he p
ossesses. Third, my family and friends for being there. Lastly, and most importantly, a huge thanks to you for reading Obliteration.
—Darren Wearmouth
About the Authors
JAMES S. MURRAY is a writer, executive producer, and actor, best known as “Murr” on the hit television show Impractical Jokers on truTV. He is also one of the stars of the TV show The Misery Index on TBS along with his comedy troupe, The Tenderloins. He has worked as the Senior Vice President of Development for NorthSouth Productions for more than a decade, is the owner of Impractical Productions, LLC, and is the author of the novels Awakened and The Brink. Originally from Staten Island, he now lives in Manhattan.
DARREN WEARMOUTH spent six years in the British Army before pursuing a career in corporate technology. After fifteen years working for multinational firms and start-ups, he decided to follow his passion for writing. He is the author of numerous international bestselling novels, including Awakened, The Brink, First Activation, and Critical Dawn. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Praise for the Awakened Series
Praise for The Brink
“Awakened goes international, and the terror skyrockets. The Brink is proof that sometimes the most horrible creatures lurk closer than you think. Powerful and horrifying. Curse you, Murray and Wearmouth, for keeping me awake so late.”
—Brad Meltzer, #1 bestselling author of The Escape Artist
“It’s monsters. It’s horror. It’s danger and shocks and scream-out-loud surprises! And mainly, it’s fun. A tense and haunting thriller. Don’t miss out.”
—R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series
“Murray and Wearmouth’s latest, The Brink, is a white-knuckled roller coaster. This novel is chock-full of everything I love: strange creatures, a world teetering on the edge, and heroes I’d want at my side during any firefight. This isn’t just a story hopped up on steroids but one injected with nitrous and blazing on all cylinders. Give me more!”
—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Crucible
Praise for Awakened
“Murray and coauthor Wearmouth . . . sculpt a briskly moving narrative that includes a plethora of short-burst action sequences and pacing fit for a Brad Meltzer novel. Along the way, they plant the seeds for sequels and craft a tight, pulse-pounding story that practically cries out for a film adaptation.”
—Booklist
“Awakened is a tautly written, brilliantly unexpected thriller from authorial duo James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth. . . . Awakened hits the high notes of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Relic and Scott Snyder’s The Wake . . . but its scope actually extends much further.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Awakened is a good old-fashioned monster story with devious new twists. Creepy and disturbing in all the right ways!”
—Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Glimpse and V-Wars
“A great book with both science fiction and horror elements, along with some mystery. I highly recommend this.”
—Naomi Downing, Sci-Fi Movie Page
Also by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth
Awakened
The Brink
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
obliteration. Copyright © 2020 by James S. Murray. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Harper Voyager and design are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers LLC.
first edition
Frontispiece by Larry Rostant
Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover illustration © Larry Rostant
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Digital Edition JUNE 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-286901-2
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-286899-2
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