by Maxey, Phil
As Diaz was straining, Bower noticed a swarm of foot long creatures covered in spikes flying towards her and let rip with the M4 straight at them. The bullets crashed into the creatures, battering them and causing them to stream around her.
The bat creature then turned in mid-air and started attacking the things around it. Diaz then immediately concentrated on another nearby creature.
As Freeman continued to slide down the posts and beams his gloves began to fray and tear, causing the cold hard metal to grind on the inside of his hands. He looked down. Half way. Just as he went to descend again, a creature the size of a truck with four legs and an upper body of tentacles slammed into the base of the tower, crumpling one of its legs and causing it to start to lean to one side. He lost grip with one hand and for a moment was hanging in mid-air, before grabbing hold again with his other hand, but the tower continued its tilt to the side.
“They’re coming from the ground as well!” shouted Bower, now shooting into the air and at the ground as creatures came clambering up the nearby hill towards them.
Hayes ran out onto the roof. “I’ve sent the message!”
Somewhere within the noise of anger and fury around them, a car horn sounded. They looked down onto the street and Zach was on the large gun of the Humvee firing at multiple targets left and right.
“Die!” shouted Harper as she let loose with a volley of bullets toward a cat-like creature that was about to spring forward onto the roof from a nearby tree.
“Jump!” shouted Bower to Freeman, who was now only twenty feet from the ground.
Freeman looked at the concrete below and then let go. He hit the ground hard twisting his ankle, then rolled a few more feet. Bower immediately ran to him, lifting him back up. He then turned to the others that were constantly firing at the chaos of movement around them. “We’re leaving!” he shouted.
They all ran back to the door, ducking as talons and claws swiped through the air just above their heads. Once inside they kept on going, running down the stairs and corridors. Freeman hopped along as fast as he could with Bower helping him. Soon they were all back in the lobby. Zach had already pulled the Humvee up outside and explosions went off all around.
They ran outside, firing at the creatures, both on land and in the air that started to move towards them.
“Come on!” shouted Zach on the big gun, firing hot metal in an arc all around them. They all piled into the vehicle, with Bower in the driver’s seat, and the others squeezing into the back.
“Hand me more grenades!” shouted Zach, as the others scrambled to pass more of the explosives up to him and Bower slammed down on the gas pedal, causing the Humvee to screech away back onto the nearby road.
Zach threw them into the area behind them, as the others kept on firing at the things that were still pursuing them. He then ducked back inside. “Just get us the hell out of here! Fiona has already left with the other Humvee, we’ll meet up with her.”
Bower took a steep turn and soon they were heading away from the tower at speed. Some of the creatures flew towards them, but then soon stopped and turned back to the tower, which was now being attacked from all sides and was leaning at a forty-five degree angle.
Zach watched as the tower crashed into the building next to it. He then clicked on his radio, breathing heavily. “We made it. We’re on our way to you. Over.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The browns and greens of the forests sailed past a hundred feet below, as Abbey and Mo soared above them. The sky was a deep blue above her and a cool wind washed over her face. For a moment she felt free. Free of her past mistakes and free of what might be waiting for her in the future. She smiled and closed her eyes letting the floating sensation wash through her, taking with it her fears.
In the back of her mind a repeating thundering sound started to make itself heard. She opened her eyes sheepishly, and looked into the sky and treetops around her. Nothing could be seen. She then realized it was coming from behind them, and recognized what it was. It was the sound of rotor blades.
She had no idea who was flying the helicopter or why, she just knew she didn’t want to be seen.
“Down!” she shouted at the creature above her, who immediately started descending.
About half a mile ahead of them was a road winding through a valley. On both sides were old style houses and a large red brick building, which looked like a school.
“There! Take us down near those houses.”
Mo did as asked, swooping over treetops and then lower to the asphalt of the street. He let go of Abbey’s arms and she jogged forward a few steps, before stopping and looking at the sky around them.
“Mo, we need to hide!”
The helicopter sound increased now filling the entire valley, but still it couldn’t be seen.
She ran towards a wooden house with a large front white painted porch. At the side she spotted a wooden basement door. Running forward she grabbed the edge of it, and pulled it up revealing stairs that ran down into darkness. Holding it open she beckoned Mo to land and then to descend. Which he did just about fitting within the square hatch.
As she quickly walked down the steps behind him pulling the door closed, the thunderous noise of the helicopter filled the air all around.
She waited on the stone steps with only the light creeping through the cracks in the wood above her head, to see where she was.
The planks rattled as the helicopter flew overhead. She wasn’t an expert on aircraft but she was pretty sure it only had a single engine. Oh Zach, I hope you’re not in that.
Soon the drumming sound was receding into the distance. She could hear Mo a few feet from her, but had no idea what he was doing. Pulling the flashlight from her pack, she switched it on.
His hands were covered in white goo as he dived them into a bucket of white paint.
“Mo!”
He looked up blinking into the flashlight’s beam.
She walked down the rest of the steps, looking for a cloth. “Leave that alone! We’ll be spotted a mile away with you like that!”
He backed away looking down.
She grabbed a light gray piece of material from a nearby shelf and started wiping the paint from his hands. She shook her head. “I’m going to need some spirit to get this off, wait here and don’t poke your hands in anything else!”
The rest of the basement was full of the usual items people have no room for or want to forget. Mostly empty shelves, boxes, crates and a large stand up refrigerator populated the space, along with a set of wooden stairs. She set the flashlight down on a box to give Mo light to see, then slowly walked up the steps. The door at the top was already partially open.
She presumed there was no one in the house, but just in case she questioned ahead of her. “Hello? I mean you no harm.”
There was no reply, and the silence around her was so deep that she had no doubt she was alone. She pushed the door at the top of the stairs open and stepped out onto a neat hallway, lined with wooden panels and old sepia photos hanging on the walls.
She stopped for a moment to take in a world which was gone long before the Cascade happened.
She then walked into a small kitchen and started opening cupboards. Each one was full of food, cans, jars and bright packets. She grabbed the first, which was a packet of cookies and started munching on one. They were a bit soft, but the sugar instantly made her feel more alert. She stuffed them, along with some others, and a few cans into her pack and kept looking. It wasn’t long before she found a bottle of spirit.
She ran back down to the basement with it, then back up the stone steps pushing open the external door. Light flooded in and she switched off her flashlight. She then spent a few moments cleaning the paint from her pets hands.
Taking one last look at the dusty belongings around her, she walked up the stone steps into the alleyway, with Mo following close behind.
He ran a few steps into the backyard, spread his wings and took off into the a
ir.
Abbey had a quick look at her map, checked where the sun was, then walked forward onto the front lawn. She sensed Mo above her, and raised her arms. It wasn’t long before she was flying once again in a northeasterly direction.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Zach, Bower and the rest watched the large helicopter descend quickly and land on a flat grass verge that was at a highway junction.
It had only taken them around thirty minutes to get to the rendezvous point, but without a message coming back to them they had no way of knowing that the broadcast got through. The sun was just hovering over the horizon when Zach’s radio came to life with the sound of the helicopter pilot’s voice.
Soon it was on the ground, but the rotors kept turning as the pilot didn’t want to stay there for too long. Two people climbed down the small set of steps to the ground, both of which were known to Zach.
Wyatt and Miles walked towards them smiling.
“Thought you had need for some extra Cascaders,” said Miles, dropping his pack onto the ground. “There’s also—”
Doctor Joshi tripped on the bottom step from the chopper and stumbled onto the grass with a large bag in his hand.
“Raj?” said Zach.
Just as he went to reply, Michael appeared behind him, smiling.
Zach’s surprise was evident, and Michael laughed. “I hear there’s some good E.L.F eating out here!”
Zach laughed. “There is plenty of choice that’s for sure!” He hugged Michael, and shook Raj’s hand. “Why?”
“I need to see what’s happening out here with my own eyes,” said Raj.
“Well it’s good to have you with us. Although you might change your mind when you see what the cities are like.”
Raj smiled. “Well that’s why I’m here, to see how things are developing.”
“Hey kid, good to see you again!” said Bower to Wyatt.
Wyatt smiled awkwardly.
“Hey it’s my partner in crime!” said Diaz, patting Wyatt on his back.
Fiona stood with Ada and her two children.
“You’re safe now, and within a few hours you’ll be at Brads, and he’s good people.”
Ada moved forward and hugged Fiona, as did the two children.
“Oh…” said Fiona a bit overwhelmed. “I’ll drop in on you back at the camp, okay?”
The family smiled and walked to the helicopter.
Fiona joined the rest. “You got another Cascader on that thing right? Because it looks like you’re all out here.”
“Yeah, there’s two actually, they seem to know their stuff,” said Miles.
“Good,” said Fiona.
Bower and Harper helped Freeman limp to the helicopters side door, where he shook both their hands, saluted and then climbed aboard.
The door then closed and the engine increased in pitch. Everyone backed away as the grass and dust flew up in a swirl and the helicopter rose quickly into the sunset.
“Right, where am I staying for the night?” said Michael.
As if answering him, a rumble echoed in the distant hills, which was not from the aircraft that had just taken off.
“We better find somewhere to shelter for the night,” said Zach. He pulled out his small pair of binoculars, and scanned the buildings in the small town nearby. “Everyone find space in one of the Humvees, we’ll find somewhere nearby.”
Just a few hundred yards from the highway, an old apartment block sat with stores below. The small convoy with everyone crammed in, pulled into the buildings parking lot and everyone got out.
“Harper, Hayes, and what’s your name?” Bower looked at Michael.
“Michael.”
“Surname? Son.”
“Chang.”
“Go with them, check out this block.”
Michael briefly looked at Zach, who nodded in reply. He then followed the other two down a narrow shadow laden alley at the back of the block. Bower, started to unload the Humvees.
Raj walked up to Zach, carrying his pack. “Have you seen much E.L.F activity on your journey up here? We saw quite a bit from the helicopter.”
Zach and Fiona looked at each other and smiled.
“We have a lot to talk about,” said Zach to Raj.
Inside the building Harper turned on her flashlight, illuminating a narrow corridor which ran into the back of a dry-cleaners. Opening one of the side doors, she walked up an equally narrow staircase, and came out onto a small rundown looking landing, with three doors. Two were partially open. Walking over the creaking floorboards she pushed one of the doors open, and shone her light around. A single bed sat on one side of a medium sized room, with a kitchen area on the other. Wallpaper hung from the walls along with dark stains.
“Reminds me of my first place in San Francisco,” said Michael behind her. “Actually I think it’s better.”
“It has got a bed, that’s good enough for me,” said Harper.
Hayes pushed one of the other doors open. “Got another set of stairs here, probably goes to the other apartments.”
It wasn’t long before everyone was inside with most of the equipment.
Zach sat on a well-worn green sofa, while Fiona heated soup in a large pan on a small portable stove. All the drapes were closed to keep as much of the light from the few candles that were lit, inside.
Raj appeared in the studio-apartments doorway. “Something smells good!”
“Take a seat there’s enough here for everyone,” said Fiona.
Raj sat at the table.
“How’s things at the camp?” said Zach.
“All things considered, it’s doing okay. The Dam is providing most of the energy that everyone needs. Rations have had to be made stricter because of the loss of food, but we’re hopeful about the crops we have growing.”
“Problems with E.L.F’s?”
“No, more people with Cascader abilities have come forward, and we now have enough of them stationed at the walls to keep most of the creatures from venturing too near. There is the occasional creature that doesn’t respond and attacks anyway, but the wall guns take care of them. So there’s a lot of E.L.F’s in Pittsburgh?”
Before Zach could answer, Wyatt and Miles appeared.
“Take a seat, or bring one in from another room,” said Zach. Miles turned and walked into a nearby apartment grabbing a chair, while Wyatt sat close to Raj.
“I’ve not seen a concentration of E.L.F’s like that before. There must be hundreds of species. And it looked like they weren’t trying to kill each other—” continued Zach.
“So an ecosystem has been established?”
“Looks that way.”
Fiona looked back at Zach without talking, then returned to stirring the soup.
Raj noticed the brief interchange. “What is it?”
Zach pulled out an old mobile phone from one of his pockets, selected video, then handed it to Raj.
“Why are you showing me the city at night—” Other words stopped coming from his mouth as his expression changed to one of shock. “—What is this? This is the city?”
Zach nodded.
“Oh…” Raj sat back in his seat.
“What?” said Wyatt. Raj handed him the phone.
“What are they?” said Wyatt handing the phone to Miles, who was now seated nearby.
“That’s what we were hoping doctor Joshi could tell us,” said Fiona.
Miles watched for a few seconds then handed the phone back to Raj.
“I… er… don’t know what that is. I would have said some kind of bioluminescent E.L.F perhaps? But the speed they were accelerating away, would suggest an artificial craft of some kind. You don’t know of any military craft that can move like that?”
“The military had lots of experimental craft, but nothing that could do that,” said Fiona.
Zach smiled. “Brad might disagree.”
“Yeah well, none that I knew of and I had a fairly high security clearance.”
Bower and Diaz b
oth appeared in the doorway. “When’s chow?” said Bower.
“Not long, find yourself somewhere to sit,” said Fiona.
A howl somewhere off in the distance made them all hold their breath for a moment.
“I’ll need some time to analyze exactly what this might be,” said Raj replaying the video again.
“And even if it were some kind of super secret military thing, why don’t we already know about it? And what the hell were they doing in E.L.F central last night?” said Bower, taking a seat.
“What super secret military thing?” said Michael moving into the now cramped space of the single bed apartment.
Raj handed him the phone.
A few seconds passed. “What the fuck… Aliens!”
Fiona rolled her eyes although no one could see because her back was turned to the group of six, now gathered behind her.
“I knew it!” said Michael.
“We don’t know what they are,” said Zach, just that some kind of craft were messing with the E.L.F’s in the city. Zach didn’t want to admit it to anyone, or even himself, but the alien theory was the only thing that made sense.
“So all of this shit is because of some little green men?” said Diaz.
“Why’s it always ‘little green men’ and not little green women?” said Michael looking at her.
“Because it’s always men that start shit no matter what planet they’re from!” said Diaz.
Most in the room laughed.
Fiona handed bowls of all shapes and sizes that she had found across a number of the apartments, to Miles, who then passed them around to the others. She then went around serving the soup.
Bower clicked on his radio. “How are things looking out there? Over.”
“All quiet from what we can see, which is not much. Over,” said Harper.
“Same here,” said Hayes looking out of the top windows.
“There’s some good chow here, when your shift’s done. Over.”
“I think I can smell it all the way up here. Over,” said Harper smacking her hands together to keep warm from her spot on the roof.
