Magic and Decay

by Rachel Higginson

  And like I said, first we had to make it there…

  Hendrix wrapped his hand around my bicep and pulled. That was all the prompting I needed.

  We fled.

  With makeshift weapons in hand, we sprinted after Ivy and Ryder as fast as we could go. Eden and Kiran brought up the rear and tried to keep the Zombies back. Their force-field was decidedly weakened and some of the stronger Feeders broke through. Either Eden or Kiran was there to take their heads when they did, but I worried that if enough got through that they wouldn’t be able to.

  “Nice, Eden!” Ivy shouted back at her. “You’re like the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland!”

  “I’m not a villain!” Eden shouted back on a laugh. Another Feeder broke through the invisible barrier and she sent a laser beam of Magic straight through his jugular. The beast crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap.

  Maybe she wasn’t a villain, but this had to be the most unorthodox way to be a hero ever.

  “Off with their heads!” I hollered over my shoulder.

  “She has a point, Love.”

  Eden growled at her husband. And then took another head.

  The ground become more difficult to sprint through as grass and hard-packed dirt turned to sand. My lungs burned with the effort to outrun the Zombie horde behind me. My muscles ached and my toes were numb from the poor choice of heavy boots I wore.

  Hendrix’s hand went to my lower back and pushed me along to help me keep up. Ivy and Ryder had just as much of a struggle.

  The sand was fine here and difficult to run through. But our lives were on the line and we were so close.

  I could hear the horde shrieking behind me. Their heavy footsteps tore through the grass and then quieted once they hit the sand. Eden and Kiran shouted for us to run faster.

  As if that were remotely possible.

  Suddenly, Hendrix’s hand stiffened and he stopped helping me run. And by that, I mean, he shoved me face first into the sand.

  I thrashed around for longer than I should have, but I was panicked and taken off guard. I lifted my head and sputtered gritty sand. My arms and legs felt especially heavy now that I’d stopped moving them and my lungs burned from the run and the coolness of the air.

  I rolled over to give Hendrix a piece of my mind, when I discovered the reason he had pushed me.

  A huge, snarling Zombie had broken through the horde and the force-field and managed to get by Eden and Kiran.

  Hendrix stood at the ready, with his heavy piece of wood poised like a baseball bat. He kept his shoulders aptly tilted and his feet spread apart for the strongest stance.

  As soon as the Feeder stepped into his strike zone, Hendrix let the Apocalypse-style bat fly. The wood and nails, connected with the Feeder’s head and hit a home run.

  It was the most disgusting thing I had ever watched. The protruding nails dug into the rotting temple of the Zombie and Hendrix’s momentum cracked something in the Feeder. I watched the life disappear from his crimson eyes. The body dropped and Hendrix’s arms went with it.

  He glanced at me over his shoulder and took a big sigh of relief.

  I gave him a shaky smile. “Thanks for throwing me on the ground?”

  He grumbled something not very sweet and then held out his hand to me. Once I was on my feet, he quickly tried to retrieve his weapon from the dead guy’s head.

  Hendrix stepped on the Feeder’s chest and yanked. The nails made a sickening crunch as they pulled out of the frail skull. I watched with no small amount of disgust, as they came away dripping with blood, brain matter and fragments of bones.

  And that was enough for me.

  I decided right then and there to hitch a ride with Ivy. I was so over this.

  Once Hendrix had his weapon in hand we took off again. Ivy and Ryder had made it further down the beach and were about to reach the pier when a Feeder rushed them from the side.

  Ryder didn’t hesitate; he swung out with a big piece of wood similar to Hendrix’s and connected with the Feeder’s head. He didn’t have quite the power behind his blow that Hendrix did, but it was a solid effort.

  The Feeder stumbled off balance but didn’t die. Ryder swung out again and hit him in the mouth this time. There was a small explosion of blood and teeth but still the Feeder stayed on his feet, determined to get to Ivy.

  Hendrix and I sprinted over to them. Sand kicked up behind me and dug into all the places underneath my clothes I didn’t want it to go. My skin had been sticky, filthy and bloody before, but now sand coated my clothes and whatever skin it could find. I tasted it on my dry tongue and refused to touch my hair or try to run my fingers through it.

  The ocean looked like paradise from here.

  Just before we reached Ryder, the tip of his weapon broke apart on the Feeder’s head. Wood splintered into tiny pieces and left behind a sharpened stake. The Feeder stumbled from the impact and this time fell to his hands and knees.

  Ryder didn’t hesitate. He took the newly fashioned stake and jammed it into the back of the Zombie’s head.

  And that was all she wrote.

  The dead body collapsed into the sand and darkened the smooth surface with the open flow of blood.

  Ryder took a step back, panting and wild-eyed. His chest heaved up and down while his hands landed on his narrow hips and his shoulders sagged.

  I could see from here how much of an eye opening experience that was for him. He had never killed something, let alone in such a violent, unbearably grotesque way.

  The first time was always the most traumatic.

  “We have to keep moving,” I told him when we finally caught up to them.

  He nodded. Ivy nodded. They looked too horrified to speak.

  We pushed on, so close to the pier.

  Eden and Kiran were right at our heels, encouraging us to keep moving.

  Their Magic held strong, er strong enough, for us to make it to the dock. We all stepped onto the slick wood and slid about three feet before we caught the railing and held tight.

  The wood had been worn down and glossed over through the years. The narrow walkway was wet with salty sea spray and dark from the constant barrage of waves. Whoever built this hadn’t made it quite high enough. As we ran, we gripped the rails and endured the constant gush of waves over our shins.

  My jeans were sticky with salt water after just a short while on the dock and my shoes were completely soaked. The water felt good at first, especially on my sore toes. That sensation lasted about three steps before I hated the squishy feeling in my unforgiving boots and the danger of slipping and sliding along the lengthy platform.

  The Zombies caught up easily but then fell back once their uncoordinated feet hit the slippery wood. Several of them slid right under the rickety railing and into the shallow waters below. I watched over the edge, anxious to see what would happen to them. Could they swim?

  Of course, they could.

  It wasn’t graceful by any means, but they were able to keep their bodies afloat as they pursued us from the water.

  Not all of them fell into the water though. Eden and Kiran picked off as many as they could from the back of the line.

  The force-field had disappeared completely. At least they had enough Magic to still do damage.

  “Will you eventually run out?” I shouted back at Eden. Now we had to contend with the crashing, violent waves, as well as the cacophony of sound from the horde of Zombies behind us.

  The sky started to lighten on the eastern horizon and some of the stars disappeared behind a whitening sky. If we could get to the boat, we could say we survived the night.

  “It’s coming back!” Eden hollered. “Just get to the boat!”

  No problem.

  We reached the end of the dock and Ryder swung over the side and then helped Ivy. The railing created a small, slippery obstacle, but the ladder was coated in slimy seaweed and barnacles. Ryder’s feet slipped first and he dropped. I lost all of the breath in my lungs as I watched him catch
himself with the undersides of his biceps. Ow! That would bruise.

  His gray eyes widened with surprise and fear, but he held on. That was a close call. His wet Chuck Taylors finally found their footing and he shouted instructions for Ivy to follow. Just as she carefully stepped onto the ladder, the horde caught up to us.

  It was a tight fit, but somehow Eden and Kiran and Hendrix and I were able to go to work. This crowbar was definitely not my favorite weapon. Not even close. But I didn’t have another choice.

  I swung and hit, swung and hit. My abs burned from the force I put into each swing, but I ignored the pain and focused on surviving.

  Blood and brains coated my hands and made my crowbar slippery. I learned to duck and swing, lunge and swing and all kinds of fancy moves on the fly.

  “Go!” Eden screamed at us when there was the smallest break in rushing horde. They were diving over the pier railing now, trying to get to Ivy. The ocean pushed them back toward the shore, but they were determined.

  Hendrix went first. His feet slipped and his arms flailed before he caught himself. He shouted for me to be careful, but it wasn’t that simple. He waited for me to follow so he could catch me if he had to.

  When it was my turn, I took my time, or as much time as I could. My nails dug into the wet, rotting wood. My feet refused to cooperate when my boots slid across the creaking rungs. I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer.

  Finally, I found a system that worked. I had to wrap my arms around each rung as I slowly worked my way down, but eventually the swaying bow of the boat was under my feet. I stepped onto it and then tumbled the rest of the way into an ungraceful pile of tangled limbs on the damp floor.

  I tried not to feel embarrassed.

  Eden and Kiran joined me almost immediately. Of course, they didn’t have any issues getting down the damn ladder.

  I wanted Magic.

  Hendrix beat a Feeder off the side of the boat and then tried to unknot the rope that tied us to the dock. When he didn’t get it in three seconds, Kiran stepped in and cut the rope with his Magic.

  Ryder went to work on another Feeder that reached us and Hendrix joined him. The rumble of the boat’s engine helped me take my first full breath all night. Eden’s Magic went to work again bringing our escape vessel to life.

  I looked out into the sea leading up to shore and stopped breathing again. The horde had followed us into the water. Their ugly, decaying heads popped out of waves and sneered at us with their disgusting teeth.

  Not all of them made it. The stronger ones could cut through the waves with a Zombie version of the breast stroke. The weaker ones disappeared beneath the surface of the water and didn’t pop up again.

  Maybe they would wash up on shore later. I wondered if drowning would be enough to kill them.

  I hoped so.

  I jerked back when we took off. All of the Feeders had made it into the water by now, but we would be faster than them.

  Or at least I hoped so.

  Ryder and Hendrix were still beating them off the sides of the boat while Kiran took the wheel. I pulled myself off the floor and moved to sit next to Ivy.

  “Is that all of them?” she asked as soon as I’d taken my seat.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The Zombies? Are they all in the water?”

  I looked back at the shoreline and found it empty. Heads bobbed up and down in the tumultuous waves. The sun began to burn low on the horizon.

  “They’re all in. I don’t see a single Zombie standing on the shore.”

  I turned back to find Ivy giving me a sly smile. “Good,” she said.

  I didn’t think it was so good. Those damn animals could move. The water didn’t slow them down at all. Their inhuman speed that gifted them on land followed them into the water.

  “Why is that good?”

  Ivy turned to kneel on the seat and leaned over the side of the boat. “Because I can finally be of some use.” She dropped her hand into the cold water and swirled her fingers around and around.

  Mesmerized by the gentle caress she gave the ocean, I watched her. The water bubbled where she touched it, slowly at first, but not for long. Soon the water burst into an angry boil. Waves came next, so strong and turbulent our small boat rocked precariously as we navigated the large waves in pursuit of Ivy’s ride home.

  “What are you doing?” My voice was just louder than a whisper.

  “The only thing I’m good at.” Light joined the violent waves and boiling water, lightning bolts of it. They spread out beneath the murky surface like fingers of a god. Fast, deadly and hot, they sizzled beneath the water promising pain and retribution.

  The entire time, Ivy’s fingers moved in slow figure eights that belied the emotions of the water. She was as calm and collected as ever.

  Finally, she pulled her hand back and flicked the excess water off her slender fingers. She turned around and crossed her legs. Her elbow rested on the side of the boat and her head dropped into her palm. She looked exhausted.

  I looked like I’d just witnessed a miracle.

  “What did you just do?”

  She smiled tiredly at me. “Contributed.”

  I spun around and looked out at the now normal Gulf surface. Not a single Feeder could be seen. The heads were no longer visible and nothing seemed to be in pursuit of us.

  Wow.

  She wasn’t kidding.

  “Why didn’t we start with this?” I asked, still feeling absolutely dumbstruck by her power.

  She blinked at me. “I’m not supposed to know how to do that yet.”

  “Then why did you?”

  She laughed lightly. “This had to end somehow.”

  Truer words had never been spoken. Eden powered the boat with her Magic and Kiran steered us toward the blinking golden light that resembled a lighthouse in the middle of the water.

  Once we drew near, I half expected to be swallowed up inside of it like a wonky black hole. Instead, the light faded completely and a man appeared in the center of our boat.

  Well, man wasn’t exactly the right word.

  More like god. A god appeared in the middle of us looking bored and annoyed.

  “Took you long enough,” Ryder growled at him.

  “I don’t remember the musician having this many opinions the first time,” the god spoke to Ivy alone. “Ready, Siren?”

  “So ready,” she sighed.

  She turned to me and pulled me into a hug before I could stop her. It was uncomfortable at first; I wasn’t exactly the hugging type. I was more the shooting, killing, massacring type. But for Ivy, I decided to make an exception.

  “Thanks for not letting us die,” she told me.

  “Thanks for not leaving me with a gigantic mess of Zombies.”

  She pulled back and smiled at me. “I’m probably never going to see you again, huh?”

  “No offense, but until you get that whole power thing under control, I kind of hope to never run into you again. At least when there are Zombies around.”

  “Fair enough.” We both laughed. “Good luck with your mysterious love triangle.”

  “Good luck with the horrors that are awaiting you.”

  She paused and seemed to think hard about that before saying, “We’re going to be okay, you know that right?”

  “You really believe that?”

  She shook her head and sent her red curls bouncing. “No, but I want to.”

  “Me too.”

  She gave me one more soft smile before turning to Hendrix and shaking his hand. Then she moved over to say goodbye to Eden and Kiran.

  “Nice to meet you, Ryder,” I told him.

  “Nice to meet you, Reagan.”

  “Take care of her. She needs you.”

  He looked over my shoulder at Ivy and seemed to think about that. “We have a long way to go I think.”

  “Just don’t give up on her. We’re all kind of difficult and obnoxious, but we mean well.”

  His silvery eyes ret
urned to look at me before he said, “Then do more than mean well. Do well.”

  “Geez, Yoda. Cool it with the words of wisdom. I’m exhausted; you can’t possibly expect me to absorb that like I’m supposed to right now.”

  He threw his head back and let out a bark of laughter. “Fine, forget I said anything. Go through it the hard way.”

  “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

  I winked at him and then moved out of the way so he could stand next to Ivy and disappear, er, leave.

  The god stood behind them and gave me a slow nod. “I do not envy you this world.”

  I tipped my chin in proud defiance. “And I don’t envy those two for having to put up with you and all your twisted brothers and sisters.”

  Then they were gone. Just like that. I didn’t even get a sneer. They just disappeared.

  Hendrix’s elbow found my ribs and made me squirm. “You just mouthed off to a god.”

  I dropped my head on his shoulder. “Are you really surprised?”

  He chuckled and I closed my eyes and relished the feeling of his chest vibrating against my body. “Not at all.”

  “Take me home, Hendrix.”

  “And where’s home, Reagan?”

  “Anywhere with you.” I popped into sitting again and tried to fix my idiocy. “And your family and Haley and Tyler and Miller and anywhere that’s just not here.”

  His blue eyes glittered in the early morning light. “Okay. Let’s go home then.”

  My heart squeezed in my chest. God, we had such a long way to go before we could be comfortable around each other again.

  And maybe that day would never come.

  I just wanted things to be easy between us though. I wanted to have something of a relationship with him without tripping over my stupid words and all the ghosts of the feelings I used to have for him.

  I just wanted us to find a normal that wouldn’t make us both feel so awkward and apologetic.

  “Can we take you back to the shore?” Kiran’s crisp accent cut through my hectic thoughts, and for the first time all night, I was very grateful that he had no patience for me.

  “Please.”

  The ride back to the beach was silent. The night had been too much, too intense, for us to find common ground now. Nobody wanted to relive what we’d been through or the death toll we’d racked up.