by Mark Ayre
Cleo nodded at Heidi. “Let’s see if you can earn some brownie points before we return to our true forms. Maybe you can shave some years off your sentence.”
Heidi gave no indication of what she thought of this. Cleo nodded at Mercury.
“Pick her up.”
Heidi didn’t hesitate. From the ground, she collected Mercury and held her as she had before, back when Cleo still thought this final enemy was dead.
“Good,” said Cleo. “Now let’s give young Stephanie her wish.”
Cleo turned to the maze.
“Let’s go watch the world end.”
Forty-Seven
Sam drove faster than she ever before had, even on the motorway on the way to see what Stephanie might have done to her brother. She sped until she reached the front of Michaels Manor, those wrought iron gates. Here she paused, deciding she had made the wrong move. She drove on, speeding up once more.
She parked behind the estate and made her way to the boundary. Though she had been absent when Mercury relayed to the group the location of her break-in point, Sam found it and came through at the same spot.
Once on the other side, she could see clearly the maze, the back of the building. Only after scanning the grounds for fifteen seconds did she see the body.
From this distance, she couldn’t tell who it was. Having fled before hearing the plan, she had no idea what the group were doing, or if they had even arrived. Though the presence of the dead indicated the mission was underway.
There was no sign of the living. Sam wanted to run. She had come this far. Wouldn’t turn back.
With some trepidation, she started forward, glancing at the back of the mansion every few steps, speeding up as she went, moving closer and closer to the body. Expecting it to jump up and grab her when she came within touching distance.
As she grew near, she realised to whom the body belonged. This spurred her on. She sprinted the last fifty yards before dropping to her knees behind Pluto, rolling him onto his back, praying for signs of life.
There were none. His eyes were empty, his pulse absent. That sweet, honest face had died for the second time.
With a moan of misery, Sam collapsed onto her behind. Her hands shook, and her mind rolled with possibilities.
She was a weak, pathetic human. Standing up to her brother was the first show of strength she’d exhibited in her life. Of it, she was proud. Still, she was under no illusion she could have been an instrumental part in the fight against Cleo, who wanted to destroy the world.
Maybe she wouldn’t have had to be. Her mere presence might have changed something. Pluto’s murderer had shoved the knife through his back. Pluto never would have seen it coming. Had Sam been around, might she have noticed, might she have been able to warn him?
As guilt fought to consume her, Sam looked up, intending to observe the back of the house, to try and decide her next move. Instead, something to her right drew the eye.
That way lay the maze. High hedges beneath a grey sky. But what was that in between?
From somewhere within the maze, something which resembled a black orb, throbbing and shifting, was expanding, was rising above the hedges and reaching towards that grey sheet above. Sam had no idea what it was. Instinctively, she knew its purpose was destruction. This had to be the mentioned weapon with which Cleo planned to destroy the Earth.
Other than Pluto, Sam could see a few further casualties. From near the back of the house, smoke rose between the rocks and the rubble of a fallen balcony. Sam remembered the dead man in the hallway at Edie’s house and guessed more dead infected lay beneath the broken brickwork.
But where were Cleo, Heidi and Aurora? And where were Mercury and Trey?
Sam considered it a fair guess that whoever remained would be within the maze. As before, she expected she could be of no help. Didn’t she have to try?
To the side of Pluto lay a canvas sack. Rising, Sam took it. Within she found a couple of guns, grenades, and a knife. As the blade stank, she knew this was another weapon like the one that had killed Pluto. She threw the sack over her shoulder before glancing to her left.
In the grass, a metre from where Pluto had fallen, indents. And blood.
The amount of blood and shape of the indents suggested not only Pluto had received a grievous injury here. Pluto’s attacker had wounded or killed another.
Unlike Pluto, this other had apparently risen to his or her feet, before disappearing from sight.
Having remained perfectly still as Stephanie hopped over his bleeding body and approached Cleo, Trey had then faced a battle to remain conscious—and by extension alive—until Cleo, Heidi, Amira, Stephanie and Mercury had disappeared into the maze. The only movement he had risked was in his hands, while Stephanie spoke with Heidi. His left to the bullet hole on that side of his midriff; the right to the one in the centre of his abdomen.
By the time the group disappeared into the maze, Trey’s hands were warm and drenched. The grass around him glistened as though with red dew. Trey’s vision was hazy. His eyes kept closing. It took much mental effort to force them open again.
All the evidence suggested he would play no further part in the events to come. Despite this, he forced himself to roll, knowing Mercury would need him. Forced himself to his knees, where he swayed before steadying, and forced himself to grab the rocket in the grass and the end of the launcher.
With fumbling fingers, he attached the two. It took far longer than it should have, but he was sure he had done it correctly. Was sure his missile would fire.
Now he had only to get it somewhere it was worth firing.
Only one such place existed.
Summoning more strength than he should have had left to call upon, he climbed to his feet. The rocket launcher was not too heavy. It was designed for easy transportation over land. The total weight, once loaded, was less than ten kilograms. Before Stephanie gifted his torso with two bullets, Trey had carried it with ease and only a little shoulder pain.
With the bullets, the rocket launcher might have weighed 100kg. It took him three goes to get the thing onto his shoulder without collapsing into the grass. On the final attempt, he swayed alarmingly before steadying himself and facing the maze. By this point, his jeans were drenched with blood and his brow with sweat. Only adrenaline and determination were keeping him from falling into the black.
Knowing he could not afford to hesitate now the launcher was in place, Trey began towards the maze. At first, this movement was more of a shamble than a walk. As he went, he gained some momentum, and with momentum, steadiness. Soon, he was almost jogging, and though the world around him blurred, he was travelling in a straight line, and he reached the entrance to the maze faster than he could have anticipated.
Still, he did not stop. Into the hedges, he went. After ten seconds he was presented with his first directional choice—a T-junction. Without thinking, he chose a turn and took it. If he stopped to consider; or for any reason at all, he would collapse. If he collapsed, he expected to die where he fell.
What would happen when he hit a dead end?
Best not to think about it, if he could manage.
Soon he hit another T-junction. After that, crossroads. Each time he picked a lane and went straight for it.
The world continued to blur. His mind didn’t want to wander. The bullets seemed to have infected his brain. Memories swamped him, and from them, he could not escape.
He remembered an evening when he was nine or ten. His sister had approached him. She was going to watch a film and wanted him to join her. He should have been suspicious. Beth never wanted to spend time with either of her brothers unless there was something in it for her. In this case, that something was her amusement, at Trey’s expense.
The film she had chosen was The Shining. It would not take long for Trey to realise he didn’t want to watch. That he would have nightmares. There was no chance he wasn’t going to endure the film. Trey always wanted to impress his family. More than any of t
hem, he wanted to impress Beth.
There had been plenty of nightmares. Most involved the blood pouring out of lifts, the dead twins in the hall, and the woman who rose from the bath. One had involved the maze, through which the boy Danny runs at the end, chased by his father, Jack.
Jack Torrence died in that maze. After becoming lost, he froze to death. In Trey’s nightmare, he, Trey, played the role of Danny, while Harvey, Trey’s father, played Jack. Unlike in The Shining, Harvey caught Trey. When he did, he raised his axe as would have Jack, given a chance, and swung it towards helpless, screaming Trey.
In real life, Trey found himself in a maze much like the one in The Shining. The difference being there was no snow. Nor was Trey chasing, or being chased by, someone. None the less, if he became lost, as Jack Torrence had become lost, he would die. There was no doubt about that.
Trey was in his memory, a young boy again, turning to his sister and seeing her nasty smile as she asked him how he had enjoyed the film.
As he lied to her in the past, his vision cleared in the present. He thought he was coming to another T-Junction.
Too late, he realised it was a dead end.
In more ways than one.
Forty-Eight
The blackness lifted, Mercury jerked awake.
No, she awoke, and someone jerked her from the ground. As the darkness of unconsciousness disappeared, someone forced her to sit. There was a cold hand upon her back, another on her chin.
Words, from somewhere. She made her eyes close and took a deep breath. There was plenty of pain, not only in her head but across her body. With those cold hands on her back and chin, she found it easier to fight for focus. They repulsed her.
More words. Words that now began to swim into focus. She opened her eyes and looked to the speaker. Cleo. Tall, proud. She stood at the rear of a stone horse atop which sat a stone man, within whose hand was held a stone lance. At the point of this lance was an expanding black orb and within this black orb was held whatever black magic would destroy her world.
“I’m sorry, are you listening, or am I talking to myself?”
The hand on Mercury’s chin tightened. Whoever held her whispered in her ear.
Mercury twisted her head, to fight free from who held her. As she did, she saw two more people, standing to one side—the miserable, frustrated Heidi, and Stephanie, who looked like the cat who got the cream.
Stephanie was holding a gun, and it was this that brought all the memories rushing back.
Pointing at the treacherous human, Mercury said, “I look forward to watching you die.”
At that, Cleo laughed.
“I like your attitude, right to the end. This is going to be fun. All us girls together.”
Whoever had been holding Mercury released her chin. The hand remained on her back. Mercury twisted her head. It was Amira. At first, Mercury was startled, bordering on elated that her best friend was alive.
Then, she remembered. The body had never died. The incoming Aurora had shredded Amira’s spirit to steal a vessel with which she could affect her new world.
The thought made Mercury sick. It gave her new strength, and she reached behind her to rip the monster’s hand away. Though it brought renewed aches and pains from the tips of her toes to the hairs on her head, Mercury stood. Upon standing, she staggered but stayed upright. Taking a couple of steps from Aurora, she looked to Cleo.
“Sorry, what were you saying?”
“That I wanted you to wake, to see. I wanted to show you what I was doing because you had been so gallant in trying to stop me. You deserve it.”
Mercury looked at the orb. The size of a beachball and growing all the time. Heidi had seen it begin. When she had left to find Mercury, it had been the size of a tennis ball. It had taken a while to get from there to where it was as Mercury looked upon it.
But it was growing faster now.
“Are you depressed?” asked Cleo.
Mercury was. She shook her head.
“As long as one of us lives, we are not defeated. As long as there is breath in my lungs, I can defeat you. You should kill me to secure your victory.”
“I can do that,” said Stephanie. Cleo glared at the eager killer.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said to Mercury.
“You’ll never see my depression.”
Cleo smiled. “We’ll see. It doesn’t look like much now, but soon the walls will break down. For you, there’ll be no instant death. You’ll see plenty of destruction before your end. You think you’ll never be depressed about your planet’s fate? I think you’re wrong.”
Mercury shrugged. She looked at the orb. Growing. Growing.
“How long do I have? Before it would be too late for someone with your power to stop the process?”
Cleo seemed to consider, rather than ignore, the question.
“I thought your planet had one more sunrise,” she said at last. “I think I was wrong. The speed it’s growing. I would guess you have half an hour.”
Hopelessness pressed upon Mercury’s heart. From the orb, she looked to Cleo. Against the hopelessness, she pushed back.
“In other words,” she said to the master of monsters. “Just enough time to save the day.”
Forty-Nine
Despite Mercury’s brave words, she had no plan; not even the inkling of one. The orb continued to grow, and Cleo stood uncontested. Above their heads, the grey sky darkened as black clouds gathered. Cleo looked to the heavens and smiled like a woman who believes she is about to get one over on the Gods.
“It’s as if the sky knows,” she said. “Soon, this world will be darkness. It’s getting ready.”
Stephanie was armed, but she didn’t worry Mercury. Heidi stood by the scarred beauty’s side and would have no trouble dealing with the ant.
Aurora would offer more problems. Mercury would stand no chance in a fight against Cleo. If she even tried, Aurora would prevent her getting close enough to lose. She stood behind Mercury, but within touching distance. Mercury didn’t like this vile specimen standing so close, but was glad she could not see her best friend’s face.
Mercury had never had a knife. She didn’t know if Heidi had kept hers. Though she couldn’t see any path to victory, she hoped Heidi had it and would be willing to pass it over if the time came.
Mercury didn’t have to win a fight. She needed only a chance to put the blade through Cleo’s chest. One true strike was all.
The question was: how could she get it?
By now the orb was twice the size of a volleyball. It had always pulsed and shifted. Now it blurred too. Before, it had been silent. For the first time, it emitted a noise. While it crackled it also released a low hum, like white noise.
As though it were her baby and was speaking its first words, Cleo beamed with pride at the weapon of total destruction.
“When it happens,” she said to Mercury, you will probably feel the walls between realities rip. You won’t see anything. My world will not become visible to you. You will notice it instead in the way the world around you changes. The hedges and grass will die. The soil beneath your feet will harden and crack. The sky will turn blood red. And that will be only the beginning.”
Cleo circled. The hedges were high on all sides. They could see nothing but the sky above their heads and the three entrances into this central section of the maze.
“We are insulated here,” Cleo continued. Still, once the sky has changed and the land around us is dead, I think we might hear the screams. As my world seeps into yours, the wretched curse of humanity will begin to wither. Some of you will burn, some will shrivel, some will age at a spectacular rate. Some will drop dead as if of a heart attack. Others will vaporise into atoms. It’s a shame we won’t be able to see it.”
“I wish we were at my local library,” said Mercury.
“Excuse me?”
Cleo didn’t understand, and her non-understanding frustrated her. She couldn’t hide the expression, and that alo
ne was enough to perk Mercury’s spirits. If only a little.
“I was late returning a book, once. One time, and by one day, due to a family emergency. I explained this to the librarian, but he was still a real bitch about it. I’d sure like to watch him die.”
Fury flashed across Cleo’s face like a shadow and then was gone. Remnants of her frustration remained. At the end of her tether, she took a step towards Mercury. Her fists were clenched.
“I told you. You’re never going to see my depression.”
Cleo took another step. From her face, all good humour had disappeared. Mercury got the impression she was ruining the glorious day for this leader of the damned. She couldn’t have been happier. If Cleo attacked, Mercury would fight. She prayed Heidi would intervene and perhaps they would kill Cleo. Probably not. If they failed, at least Mercury would be too dead to feel guilty for failing the world.
“You—“said Cleo, and Aurora cut in.
“If you want to see the young lady cry,” she said, hijacking Amira’s voice as she had her body. “I think I can help.”
Cleo glanced over Mercury’s shoulder to her second-in-command, then back to Mercury. As Cleo had been unable to hide her irritation following the library discussion, so Mercury was unable to pretend hearing Amira’s voice had not affected her. Had not made her blood run cold.
Smiling, Cleo nodded. “Yes, let’s hear what you have to say.”
Aurora circled until she was halfway between Mercury and Cleo, opposite Heidi and Stephanie with the statue in between.
“I want to talk about your best friend’s final moments,” said Aurora. “By the time she launched her last attack on Cleo, you had been cast aside, Trey tossed from the building. Amira knew she had no chance, but you know what she was like. A fighter until the end.”
Mercury closed her eyes. Saw the determination on Amira’s face that day. To her, war was war, and her life a weapon. She’d use it up to try and win. Even if she failed, at least she had tried.
