“New guy, unwrap this and hold it to her lips,” ordered Lopez.
“My name’s–” began the Canadian.
“Your name is whatever the hell I say it is. Understood? You’re in my company now, which means my rules.”
Lucy snorted.
“Trouble in paradise?” said the Canadian.
“Shut your mouth and feed Jackson,” ordered Lopez.
The Canadian obliged.
“Don’t mind the Major, he gets cranky when people remind him the army’s not real anymore,” said Lucy.
“She speaks! How about that,” said Lopez.
“That’s rich from the guy who stonewalled me for two hours. Such professional behavior from the ‘Major’,” said Lucy.
“You’re still alive, Young. Consider that proof of my professionalism. Now how about you explain yourself,” said Lopez.
“Nothing to explain,” said Lucy.
“Bullshit,” said Lopez.
“We got attacked. We escaped. That’s about it,” said Lucy.
“How about we start with the bit where you disobeyed a direct order and drove us into danger,” said Lopez.
“You were going to let Maurice die,” said Lucy.
“Good to know,” said the Canadian.
“That was my call to make. When one person can’t be trusted to follow orders in a crisis, the whole group is in jeopardy,” said Lopez, seething.
“Got it,” said Lucy.
“That right there – that’s what I’m talking about. A complete disregard for the survival of anyone in this vehicle. That’s it, isn’t it? You’ve given up.”
“If I’ve given up I wouldn’t still be alive,” said Lucy.
“You’re alive because of Jackson. You froze back in the city – up against that beast. I saw it. One minute you were rescuing the Canadian, and the next minute you’re standing out in the open, palms stretched out, waiting to be killed,” said Lopez.
“I was reaching for my gun,” said Lucy.
“Bullshit. You lost your nerve like a damned rookie,” fumed Lopez.
“It must be hard for you, having to work with amateurs,” said Lucy, blithely.
“Frankly, Young, it is. So don’t be a liability. You wanna make it through this, keep your shit together,” said Lopez.
“Thanks, I wish I’d thought of that. It just hadn’t occurred to me to try,” said Lucy.
She brought the Humvee to an abrupt stop.
“That could be a problem,” said Lopez, peering through the windscreen.
The road ahead forked into two distinct, parallel bridges – one for each direction of traffic. The eastward section had entirely collapsed, so Lucy pulled them around to the westbound lane.
The remaining bridge was riddled with vast holes and cracks in the tar, each at least a meter across.
“We’d better check this out on foot,” said Lopez.
“We? So now you do want the rookie’s help?” said Lucy.
“All I’ve ever asked for is your help, Young, but somehow all I’ve gotten back so far is a lot of wildcard bullshit. Consider this your second chance,” said Lopez, climbing out.
Lucy hesitated for a moment and looked at the Major, who was pulling his collar closer around his neck as the cold breeze bit. For so long, she’d been answerable only to herself. This would take some adjusting to. His complaint wasn’t entirely baseless, she conceded, but that didn’t save him from being a rank-loving asshole.
Lucy exited the truck. Cautiously, the pair approached the bridge. Holes of different sizes revealed the rushing river several meters below. Some holes were circular, others were more like streaks and teardrops in shape.
“No way is that gonna hold a Hummer. We need to find another way round,” said Lucy.
“Agreed. Let’s double back to the freeway interchange – what was it, couple of miles?” said Lopez.
A familiar, blood-curdling screech rang through the winter air. Lucy’s heart froze. Her eyes fell upon the long road from which they’d come. A colossus staggered out from the adjoining field onto the freeway.
“What the hell is that!” yelled the Canadian, as Lucy and Lopez scrambled back into the Humvee.
“Sshh!” insisted Lucy.
“What’s going on?” said Jackson, drowsily.
Lopez grabbed his binoculars.
“Has it seen us?” Lucy whispered.
The creature stumbled onto the road a few hundred meters from their position. Its arms were flailing wildly.
“You tell me,” said Lopez, thrusting them into Lucy’s hands.
She looked intently. The creature was breath-taking. Its great body was covered in white and grey scales, but flashes of color were bursting across its coral-like wings. Its scorpionesque tail twitched, its usual range of motion constricted. The tip was withered, producing sporadic jets of acid which burned through the snow and into the tar beneath. The creature’s upper arms were reaching above its head, swatting. The behemoth’s bulbous eyes were gone, leaving two, dark sockets carved into its face. The titan flailed around, swiping at the birds which dodged with ease. They took turns to dive bomb the behemoth. Each attack prompted a flash of color across its skin, further breaking its camouflage.
“The birds - they’ve blinded it,” gasped Lucy.
The creature lurched forwards and broke into a run. Its lower fist smashed through a row of fence posts as it lashed out in pain. The flock of pursuing birds was growing in number – they were easily visible without the binoculars.
“It’s coming this way!” cried the Canadian.
“Everybody out – to the bridge, now!” ordered Lopez.
Lucy grabbed her backpack and leapt out. Jackson followed but fell straight to her knees. Lucy threw Jackson’s arm over her shoulder and heaved the woman to her feet. The pair staggered towards the bridge.
“Hurry!” called Lopez, as the ground reverberated with the titan’s approaching bounds.
Maurice was already half-way across, darting between the holes and cracks.
A splash of acid landed on the Humvee, melting through the trunk. More drops began to fall across the road, burning through the tar, which fizzed and smoldered as it disintegrated.
Lopez led the way, beckoning Lucy and Jackson to follow. Lucy hurried Jackson to the lip of the bridge, and took her to the side, where she guided Jackson’s hand onto the railing. Jackson staggered forwards, leaning heavily into the mesh. The flecks of acid were getting nearer – reaching beyond the road and onto the bridge where they began to burn new holes and enlarge others.
Jackson halted abruptly. The mesh barrier was gone, and the floor with it.
“You’ve gotta jump,” said Lopez.
“I can’t make that,” said Jackson.
“You have to!” cried Lucy. She grabbed Jackson’s uniform, creating two tight bunches above her waist and shoulders, and rocked Jackson in preparation. “Push off on three,” Lucy reiterated. “One, two, three!”
She pushed Jackson forwards, over the gap. Jackson crashed into Lopez’s arms. He heaved her across the next stretch of pockmarked tar while Lucy made the leap herself. A metallic groan rang out as the blind colossus stepped on the Humvee, crushing it. The creature staggered towards the bridge.
Lucy grabbed a grenade from her pocket. She yanked the pin out and hurled backward, then sprinted towards the others. The explosion tore through the last passable point of the bridge, severing the creature’s path towards them. The blind colossus, screeching and recoiling from the fireball, tumbled sideways into the ravine. The flock of birds dived after it, pouring down into the valley like starlings at night. The creature plunged into the icy water below and thrashed around, screeching, as the torrent swept it away.
Lucy stared at the ruined bridge, panting, and looking forlornly at their crushed vehicle.
“That – was – horrible,” gasped Maurice.
“You OK?” said Lucy, spotting Jackson, who was bent over, hands on her knees.
&nb
sp; “Never better,” said Jackson, spitting onto the ground.
“Take cover!” said Lopez.
Lucy whipped around. Two birds were hovering above the broken bridge, facing the group. Two more joined them – ascending from the river. The birds began to advance. In place of beaks they had long, curled tongues which hung from their faces like fine trunks. A fifth bird swooped up from under the bridge and joined them, followed by three more.
“Get to the forest!” Lopez cried.
A whooshing sound swept past Lucy’s ears as a needle flew by, embedding itself into the ground with a quiver. It was almost a foot long, and as thick as a porcupine spine.
More spines whooshed through the air. The Canadian sprinted ahead and swiftly disappeared into the trees. The bird’s cries became audible – there were no chirps, no squawks, but instead a rasping-hissing sound preceded each attack. Jackson stumbled, dragging Lucy to the ground with her. Lopez scooped under Jackson’s other arm and heaved her upwards. With a cry, the three plunged headfirst into the depths of the forest.
TWO
The Canadian
______________________________________________
A wispy mesh of anemic vines covered the canopy, giving it the appearance of candy floss. As they hurried further inside the forest the snow abated, revealing a carpet of dry leaves. Refracted light rippled across the ground like sunbeams in a swimming pool. Lucy and Lopez dragged Jackson onwards as needles struck the trunks around them.
They covered the length of two football pitches before they caught up with the Canadian, who had stopped beneath a tall, resin-stained tree.
“Stop!” he hissed, turning as the group approached. He held an arm out emphatically, his eyes bulging. With a finger pressed to his lips he pointed to the tall, thin tree behind them. Lucy and Lopez craned their necks awkwardly, hindered by Jackson’s weight. In a branch high above them sat a lone bird.
Its black-feathered chest curved outwards, obstructing Lucy’s view of its head, but its sharp talons were clear, tightly gripping the spindly branch.
Lopez transferred Jackson’s weight onto Lucy and drew his pistol. Silently, he took a dozen steps back from the tree and took aim. Lucy scanned the forest for more birds but the rasping-hissing was gone. The only sound was Lopez’s footsteps crunching on the dry leaves, which produced an oddly muffled crinkle.
Lopez moved backwards and circled the tree cautiously, keeping his gun trained on the bird. He stopped at the far side and beckoned Lucy over. She shifted Jackson onto the Canadian, and tip-toed across.
“You ever seen anything like this?” Lopez whispered.
Lucy looked up. The bird’s head was missing; its wings and spine had been removed. All that remained was the hollow ribcage, like a vase missing one side. The cavity was filled by a transparent globule the size of a tennis ball, which glistened in the shifting light.
“We need to get away from that right now,” said Lucy.
“What is it?” said Lopez.
“Best case scenario, the bird’s re-specializing – turning into something else.”
“Worst case?”
“Something killed it.”
They crept back to the others. Jackson was standing on her own, steadying herself with her hands on her knees, while the Canadian stared nervously at the bird.
“Stay alert, and watch where you step. Canada, you’re back man. Young, you’re behind Jackson. We go single file, and we go quiet. On me,” said Lopez.
***
The forest creaked overhead and rustled underfoot, but the acoustic was ultra-flat; the translucent, tangled ceiling of vines covering the tree tops appeared to muffle all sounds below. Lucy clocked the bird carcass as they passed another resin-stained tree. It was the fourth they’d encountered; hollowed-out and glued to its branch.
They’d walked in silence for what Lucy guessed was a couple of hours, all listening intently for threats and scanning for movement amidst the unending trees. Jackson was growing weak again. Her stumbling gait reminded Lucy of Cassie stumbling around on her birthday. A lifetime ago. Guilt gripped at her chest, tightening the muscles around her ribs like a vice. She had failed to protect the two people closest to her in the world, yet somehow she’d managed to save the three people beside her. The failure made her sick to the core.
Jackson’s head was lifted and Lucy followed her gaze. High above the forest floor, skewered by a thick upper branch, hung a parachute. Its chute was torn, and an empty harness dangled below.
The group stopped abruptly. Lopez’s hand was raised in a balled fist. Ahead, on the path, lay a long, bent strip of metal.
Lopez signaled them to reform as a horizontal line. They crept forward as one, scouring the debris as they went. Scattered pages from a handbook, bungee cords, and splintered bits of wood littered the forest floor, all leading up to the wreckage of a helicopter.
They moved in. The craft was large – a dark green chinook, heavily damaged. It lay on its side, tilted so far over that it was almost inverted. The cockpit windows were intact, but the seats were empty and the door facing the sky was sealed. The craft’s front rotor blades were gone, and the rear of the chopper had been ripped off entirely like a pull-ring can. They skirted its long, scarred, metal body to the back end, which hung open like a broken jaw. The rear propulsion was so twisted and wrenched that it stretched down one side onto the ground like a comb-over.
In the helicopter’s wake was a trail of smashed trees. Some were decapitated, others were partially uprooted. Lucy kicked the dry ground leaves aside and revealed the deep impact marks etched into the soil.
“Let’s take a look inside. Radio’s been torn to pieces but there might be supplies. Jackson, Canada, keep watch. Young, you’re with me,” said Lopez.
Shafts of light dissected the Chinook, penetrating through the upended, circular cabin windows, the lower halves of which were covered in leaves. Lucy’s boots clinked against the metal interior as she followed Lopez inside.
A row of red canvas seats lined each wall, locked in the open position. All were unoccupied. The lower row was covered in broken paneling and insulation which dangled from the roof.
“Check the floor and the overhead compartments for IFAKs, and look for weapons,” said Lopez.
Three discarded uniforms lay across the floor. Each had a parachute pack strapped over the sleeves. Lucy put out a hand to balance on the cold metal wall as she stepped between mesh nets and bungee ropes. She kicked over the rubble, searching for something useful amidst the buckled panels and loose cables.
Something glistened beneath a crumpled uniform. Lucy glanced around the cabin. Lopez was interrogating the log book. Lucy drew her gun. She knelt down, staying arm’s length from the glistening object, and used the tip of her gun to flick the crumpled sleeve back.
She recoiled with a gasp, swearing loudly.
“Keep it down!” hissed Lopez.
“Sorry, I – look,” said Lucy, kicking the rest of uniform aside.
It was a dead fawn. Its legs were lacerated below the knees, and its grey fur was wet. Lucy lifted its head with the tip of her pistol. The fawn’s jaw crumpled and bent inwards, releasing drops of Gen Water onto the metal floor like a sponge being wrung out. Lucy tried not to vomit.
“When was it killed?” said Lopez.
“I’d say within the last twenty four hours,” said Lucy, swallowing hard.
The deer’s head slumped back into place, dragging its body downward, and leaving a white smear on the metal, where the upper body had rested.
“Oh my God,” said Lucy, grabbing the carcass and rolling it over. Its legs sheared off, releasing more Gen Water onto the floor, but this time she didn’t care, because the freshly-exposed underside was covered in white powder.
“Is that-?” said Lopez.
“Pass my bottle, quick!” said Lucy.
She unfastened the cap and tipped half of the slushy snow water out, then eagerly scooped powder into the flask, coaxing in as much as
she could scrape from the foal’s coat.
A clinking from the hull interrupted her industry.
“Was that you?” whispered Lucy, looking up.
Lopez’s gun was raised. He was staring intently towards the nose of the craft. More clinks. The scrunched curtain by the cockpit rippled.
Lucy silently screwed the cap back onto her bottle and rose to her feet. Lopez wasn’t blinking, his eyes fixated on the doorway at the end of the chinook.
“Major?” she breathed.
With a crash, the creature burst out of the cockpit and slithered into the cabin. It was built like a komodo dragon, only its scales were a pattern of scarlet and sunset orange. Its nails rattled against the metal hull as it clawed its way towards them.
“Run!” cried Lopez, firing two rounds at the creature.
“What’s going on?” cried Maurice, as Lucy leapt from the wreckage.
“Just go!” cried Lucy, grabbing Jackson by the arm and pulling her forwards. Lopez was close behind, firing backwards as they ran. The canopy swallowed the noise like a silencer.
Lucy raced between the trees until she emerged into a clearing, only to realize the danger too late. She turned and held her finger up to Lopez and the Canadian, who stumbled out after her, spraying snow as they halted.
The tangled translucent vine-ceiling was gone. In the center of the clearing stood a vast tree. Its base was hollowed out, and its lower half showed gnarled stumps where branches used to be. The tree soared above the surrounding canopy, twice the height of the rest of the forest. Birds lined the top branches like leaves. They hadn’t yet spotted their prey.
A rock face encircled the clearing, creating a natural amphitheater. A rustling swept towards them like a breaking wave, as the creature sped across the forest floor, camouflaged against the dry leaves.
Lucy redoubled her grip on Jackson and left the forest, making a desperate bid for the far side of the clearing. She glanced back as they passed the towering tree. Only now could she appreciate the size of the pursuing creature. Its length was almost doubled by its thick, armored tail. Its scales flashed red and orange as it weaved towards them. The reptile’s strides were uneven; one of its hind legs was withered, its scales bleached yellow-white. But the strength of its other limbs propelled it towards them.
Convulsive Box Set Page 34
