The God Hunters

by Gordon D Lanyon

  “And they were right, at first. He survived the conversion procedure and began experimenting with his power. Soon he controlled the Council. Had his way in everything. Then citizens, female citizens of influential families began disappearing. People noticed, powerful people but because he was Council they did nothing... until… Can you guess what happened next?”

  Kat nodded, thinking yes, she could guess. Once the Beast was out there was never enough of anything. With it Kailex could have influenced anyone, changed their minds about anything but that would never satisfy his Beast because that’s not what it wanted. Once it was out, it cared about one thing. Satisfying the hunger that could never be quenched. What made it strong also made it weak.

  “How many of the Council did he kill?” She asked.

  “Three,” came the abrupt reply. The Keeper’s brows furrowed as he remembered. “When he lost control it was at a Council meeting. Something was being discussed and he became enraged. He told the nine he was bored with all the discussion and no longer needed them. Then he started killing. Three died before the guards could intervene,” said the GateKeeper. “The soldier elites and their brutes were called.” He shook his head, eyes distant, lost in the retelling. “The elites arrived first but they weren’t enough. Kailex had brought his own brute to the meeting, a Null Tik called Fusto. The creature rampaged through the guards creating enough chaos for the both of them to flee down a secret passage known only to Council members. There he used a dimensional shifter to escape. It was fired upon and damaged as he left. So ironic. Of all the worlds he could end up in, fortune sent him to a prison planet.”

  The Keeper laughed, his voice filled with bitter anger, “All his belongings were confiscated, all his family, friends, servants, everyone he came in contact with over the last year were taken away and executed for fear of contagion. It was an epic tragedy felt by all, even myself. Now the prevailing Council sits in worry, scrutinizing each other for signs of contamination.” For once the Keeper looked down on her with real emotion in his eyes. "We play with a terrible fire each day Hunters exist. You're our past for a reason. When I look at you, all I see is a perversion that should be exterminated.”

  Kat lifted her hands with their sharp fingers and part of her agreed with him. She was an abomination, but as long as control remained she wanted to live and would fight to live. So she turned her mind back to Kailex and tried to imagine a Hunter powerful enough to control a Null which, as far as she knew, were immune to the Power. Nulls were bred for inhuman strength, enough to subdue even a Hunter and they couldn’t be influenced. At least that was what had always been thought.

  A pang of sadness struck her as she thought of all those who'd been executed. Fear was a terrible thing. It was the reason her home was a prison. No human contact. She was useful as entertainment. A fascinating horror that used to exist in history books. Now a perversion of nature? Yes. But monsters chained are still fascinating to watch. So her numbers remained high. It was important to keep them there, to provide the show that disgusted but which they still wanted. As long as the number stayed high she earned the right to live. If they ever slipped? Well, the Keeper had made his views clear.

  Kailex's mistake had been in underestimating the stupidity of his Beast. It didn't think, it acted. Swift, deadly, stupid. It did what it needed to get fed. “That's why you have me," she said to her Beast, while it moodily twisted and turned deep within her, anxious for release. "Only together can we survive." Reluctantly she felt it agree. "And maybe someday you’ll get to meet that one in person." She inclined her head slightly toward the towering face before her, and the Beast went still. "Yes," it replied, sending a stomach churning desire rolling through her. “That would be very nice.”

  “The scientists who helped Kailex, I presume?” said Kat, taking a position next to the three capsules. “Wake them, so they may know their fate.” Idly she drummed lengthening fingers on the glass of the first capsule.

  She smiled down at them showing teeth and they must have been fans because they recognized her immediately and started screaming. She snapped the latch on the chamber containing the big red headed man while he watched in horror. When the lid lifted, he sprung up and tried to make a run for it. Effortlessly she grabbed and pulled him to her.

  Just touching him was enough. She was so hungry! She felt him melting into her. Savagely she kissed him, gobbling his energy in massive bursts that left him moaning in ecstasy and pain. Weird that effect. She took his core next. A heady rush of power that cascaded through her. She threw his corpse to the side. Bits of desiccated flesh fluttered in the air while her Beast howled in delight. This was the part it liked.

  She grabbed the next one, a fat, chunky man who did nothing to resist. He just lay there in horror while she pulled him up into her embrace. She supposed he’d seen how futile resistance was. She drank him slowly, savoring his memories. No family, no loves. The laboratory was all he lived for. No loss here, she thought. Then she saw the boy they’d taken for experimentation. Eight years old. White faced, too afraid to cry. Saw what they'd done to him for Kailex's research. She stopped feeding and when he was awake enough to realize what was happening, she tore him apart, one small piece at a time until he was dead. She tossed what was left in the corner with the first corpse. They'd be removed by the morning she knew. Her home was an efficient one.

  One left and she was feeling her power like a drug. A woman. Blonde, with real beauty. She let her fingers play over the glass feeling the mind inside. This one was heartless. Another sociopath. She was the one who'd found the boy. Kat opened the pod and stepped back. “Get out,” she commanded. She signalled the room. Everything changed around them. Now they stood in a forest with towering trees. Primordial. The woman she’d released stood in shocked silence before her, rocking a little on her feet. Kat took a deep breath, relishing the taste of fear. It was coming from the woman. Delicious sauce for a feeding.

  “Run rabbit,” said Kat, laughing mirthlessly. “Run before I eat you where you stand.” Turning, the woman ran, stumbling among the tall trees while Kat and her Beast waited patiently. Food was so much better when it was allowed to age. When an appropriate amount of time had passed she began the hunt. Already she felt much recovered.

  Far away and forgotten in her current state, was the GateKeeper, who absolutely loved the numbers he was getting.

  Chapter Ten

  Something was on the bed with me. I could smell its breath. Ugg! I opened one eye tentatively. Two gleaming blue eyes stared back at me. Then I felt the weight on the bed and knew exactly who‘d woken me.

  “Morning, Belle.” I yawn and stretched. “Have I slept long?”

  I didn't expect an answer but one came immediately. An image of the sun rising and falling in a darkening sky two times.

  “Holy shit! That long? And it's evening again?”

  I must have needed the sleep, badly. I felt refreshed, more like my old self than I had in some time. The headache was gone. I rolled to my feet and strode into the living room followed closely by Belle. She moved quietly behind me, a mountain of muscle that should have scared the hell out of me but didn't. There was a connection between us now. Maybe because I’d been in her mind. Maybe because I knew she felt it was her job to look after me.

  I rummaged in the kitchen for food and using up all the eggs I had, created a kitchen sink omelet. I threw everything in but the sink. Still hungry, I followed the omelet with a stack of pancakes smothered in syrup. Then I noticed steaks on the bottom shelf and fried them up with mushrooms. I tossed one I'd barely warmed on the grill to Belle. She snapped it out of the air and swallowed it then gave me a level, expectant look. “Oh come on,” I said while an image came to me of her, whippet thin. She moved closer and gently lifted the remaining steak that was just producing a light sizzle from the frying pan, then deftly tossed it into the air before gulping it down.

  “Neat trick,” I acknowledged, tossing my dirty plate into the sink with all the others. The
kitchen was a mess and normally I was a very tidy person. Without a backward glance I moved restlessly into the living room. Something was bothering me but I couldn't decide what. I felt like I should be doing something. Maybe I’d slept too long? Sometimes too much was worse than too little. Moving into the living room I threw on a coat only to toss it aside a moment later. I was too warm and the house felt too small. I had to get out.

  Outside night was on its way but not here yet. The sun was pressed hard against the horizon but still had a little life left in it. The streets were quiet, without cars or the usual noise and the trees that lined the roads were a riot of multi colored leaves, many of which had fallen, lining the boulevard with color. The sidewalks were empty which was unusual. There was always someone running or walking their dog. No cars either. Where was everyone?

  I set off at a fast pace, still unsure of a purpose or destination but headed towards the water and English Bay where all the quake damage had occurred. A couple more blocks and I knew I was going back to where it had all begun, back to the building where I'd fought Fusto and almost been killed. “Great,” a less enthusiastic part of me added. It seemed I’d learned nothing from that.

  As I got closer to the ocean I began seeing people again. But these were firemen and emergency personnel, not people out for a stroll. Emergency personnel were everywhere. I stopped, my mouth open. An entire street in front of me was gone, dragged into a long cut in the earth that started shallow and ragged, but extended far into the distance. The quake hadn't just shaken the ground and knocked out a few windows but literally swallowed a whole block of the city! Entire houses had been pulled into the ruptured earth. I heard voices of men and women calling instructions as they worked to move especially large pieces of rubble. I heard shouts of joy and cries of anger. There were other people lining the periphery of the ragged trench, lots of them. There was also bodies, all lined up along the cut line, plastic thrown over them so all that was visible was a hand or a foot. As my eyes lingered I realized they were family members around them; men, women, children just standing on the outside, watching and crying. They’d come here hoping for a miracle; hoping to find someone they'd lost. I walked on upset by the raw emotion on display all around me.

  The devastation was total. The farther I walked the wider the tear in the earth became, the more people I saw. That's why the outer streets were so empty. Everyone was here, digging or waiting. A deep sadness washed over me. Kailex had done this! I'd had a chance to stop him, to stop this and failed. I started feeling guilty, then angry. My pace quickened. As bad as this was it probably wasn't the end. He had more planned. More people would die if he wasn't stopped. More families hurt. I'd never seen so much destruction, so many hurt and tired people. This was outside my experience. Beside me, Belle gave a low growl and brushed up against my leg, turning me toward the remains of a building I only half recognized. Only the upper three stories of the building were visible. Part of a giant ‘K’ poked out of the earth at an angle. Everything else was buried, eaten by the earth.

  A sharp cry for help brought me spinning round and trotting towards it. A moment later I was peering into the remains of a medical clinic some sixty feet below. I knew it was a medical building because of a red cross, casually pushed to the side, on its back, dull and impotent, no longer a messenger of hope. Two or three stories below, a group of men frantically pulled at a giant slab of concrete. They‘d found someone, a girl, still alive but trapped in the rubble. I heard them shouting, calling for equipment that was somewhere else. Even if it were near I didn’t think it could reach them. They were too deep in the earth.

  I started down the safe path they'd marked but found it unnecessary. I‘d changed in my long sleep. I was stronger now, faster. I felt it in every movement. Things were easier. I made my way from one ledge to another unafraid and unnoticed. All attention below was focused on the girl. She was having difficulty breathing. Under their prodding the slab had shifted putting more of its weight onto her. She was being crushed!

  I landed in their midst in a cloud of dust that rose to my waist and clung to my jeans in a white froth. A surprised glance was all I was given. Everyone was too focused on their task to wonder where I’d come from. Several had steel bars and were working to lift the heavy concrete pinning her. From below the slab I heard small cries of pain, breathless and fearful. She was weakening, each breath shallower than the last. How long had she been pinned there, I wondered? I sensed her weakness, her body's readiness to give in, stilled momentarily by the workers and their words of encouragement. A part of me sniffed and said this one was not worth hunting but I ignored it. I watched for a moment from the periphery, unwilling to interfere in case my presence slowed their progress but nothing changed. Despite their best efforts the concrete remained solidly in place.

  Sudden anger filled me. I pushed forward through muttered protests and pointed comments until I could get a decent grip on the rebar that jutted out. I ignored the grumbling around me and put my back into it. The block of concrete groaned. At once the grumbling ceased and suddenly men were jamming their bars under the concrete again. I called out for another lift. The slab raised a few inches! Immediately supports were jammed in to keep it raised. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to free the child. Not yet!

  Now there was a fierceness in the faces around me, an unwillingness to fail that drew everyone together. We heaved again and the slab lifted again, higher this time but still not enough! We heard the little girl below and held, groaning while new supports were put into place. A woman heroically threw herself into the space we'd just reclaimed and shouted as a small hand clasped hers. Now that we had a good idea where the girl was we adjusted our angle of lift. Once again we heaved, gasping from the effort to shift the concrete high enough that the hand might become a body we could pull to safety. Bodies strained all around me. Muscles cracked and pieces of concrete broke away under our assault. Despite everything the shift upwards this time was minimal. As strong as I was I couldn’t do more and neither could the men with me. We’d done our best and the giant slab was simply too heavy for us to lift farther.

  Looking around I saw the desperation in their eyes, the anger. The woman rescuer lay under the shaking concrete still, unwilling to let go of the little hand. As she lay there she shouted encouragement to the small form below. Could she wiggle forward? Could she move at all? No, the little girl replied. Her legs and lower body were free but her hips were pinned. She'd fallen on her side when the building had come down and couldn’t move.

  “Looks like you could use a little help.”

  I turned, panting slightly from my efforts to see a tall, lithe woman about thirty step up. She stared hard at the man next to me and he mumbled something before stepping to the side, giving her room to grab a handful of rebar for herself. I felt her crouch into place beside me and gather her strength.

  “Alright, this isn’t going to lift itself. Let’s try again.” Her voice was husky, low. The way she gripped the rebar and set herself caused us all to do the same. “On my count!”

  She did a short count then we pushed, and the concrete moved! She counted again and we moved it again!

  “We need to take it ...higher!”

  I groaned under the strain and heard her do the same. Inch by painful inch. Then we held it there, five tons of concrete, shaking with the strain while supports were thrown into place.

  Shouts of joy erupted as the girl was pulled free! Carefully, workers crawled into the hole we’d made to shore up the raised stone, unsure if others still lived but unwilling to let it fall back in case there were more trapped below. Even if there weren’t we’d saved one! That was a victory! Then we stepped back to get a glimpse of the life we'd saved. A tiny girl in a dirty dress, not older than six stood on shaky legs in front of us, her hair and body filthy with dirt. She held one arm carefully in the other. She looked terrified and stunned all at the same time. A woman paramedic knelt beside her speaking quietly before cleaning her face with
a damp cloth. All of us just stood and watched her for a moment.

  Suddenly men and women were slapping each other on the back. I turned to the woman beside me and hugged her impulsively, felt her stiffen and pull away in sudden shock. I too pulled away, equally struck by the intimacy of the contact and the almost physical electricity that passed between us. For a frozen second we regarded one another amid the joy of the moment, trying to process what was happening.

  She was tall, broad shouldered, easily matching me in height and extremely fit. Beautiful as well, with skin too pale for the red hair which fell to her shoulders. A sense of purpose radiated from her. Her eyes were her dominant feature, being unusually green with black flecks that changed in size and shape as I watched. Her voice was husky, hinting of the strength she’d just displayed. I had no doubt it had been her who’d saved the child. Her strength had tipped the scales in our favor. It was more than human.

  In silent agreement we withdrew from the happy group and made our way discretely up to the roadside. She walked toward the Kailex building. I followed. At the edge of the rubble she turned and looked at me considering, one eyebrow raised in silent question.

  “I suppose this is the point where I‘m supposed to give you my name and number?” She said with a touch or sarcasm.

  “I’d take both but we should probably go slower. I’ve just met you and my mother told me it’s not polite to rush a lady. My name’s Nick.”

  “Walker.” We shook hands somewhat awkwardly. “I think I’d like you’re mother.”

  I nodded. “You were amazing down there. Thanks for the help.”