Mass wanted to punch her in the face for the sheer audacity of her apologising for killing his friends less than twenty-four hours ago. Then he thought about the things he had done in the past year and considered what it now meant to be human. “Gemma, I’ll help you get out of this place, but it won’t be easy. I can’t promise you you’ll survive, which is why I need the code to free the women now. I need it, in case you don’t make it.”
Gemma shook her head and began to panic. “If I give it to you, you’ll kill me. After what I did, y-y-you’re just waiting for a chance. No, I won’t give it to you,”
Mass shook his head. “Give me the code and I promise I’ll do everything I can to get you out of here. You have my word.”
“Your word?”
“Yes. You have my word.”
Gemma, still clutching her hip, sat up and stared at him. Despite the grime and hardness of her features, she was an attractive woman. Maybe once she had even been kind. “How can I trust you?”
Mass smiled at her. “We’re the good guys, remember?”
Gemma glanced around, searching until she found Addy. Addy’s jaw locked in consternation, but after a moment she gave an abrupt nod. It seemed to satisfy Gemma. “The code to the padlock is 1-1-3-4. Just promise me you’ll—”
Addy levelled her shotgun and pulled the trigger. An instant later, there was a boom and Gemma’s skull exploded across the hay-strewn cement. Mass lost his breath. He reached up and wiped blood from his face, then collapsed backwards onto his hands. “W-What the hell, Addy? What the hell?”
Addy threw the empty shotgun down and snarled. “Bitch had it coming.”
“I gave her my word,” Mass shouted at her, enraged. Why had she done this? Why had she been so brutal?
“You gave your word, not mine. She killed Gross, have you fucking forgotten? It was over for this bitch the moment his body hit the dirt. I don’t give a shit what you think, Mass. This was my decision and you can go fuck yourself if you don’t agree with it.”
Mass wiped more blood from his face. He stared at Gemma’s mangled skull for a moment and then said, “No, you’re right. It was your decision. She needed to die.”
Smithy was clearly disgusted by the unprompted murder, but he didn’t say anything. Strangely, his condemnation made Mass like him even more. The moment Urban Vampires started killing without remorse was the moment they stopped honouring the man they were named after.
Mass picked up Gemma’s key and moved over to Smithy. “You still with us?”
Smithy was staring at Gemma’s remains, but eventually he met Mass’s gaze and nodded. “She had a debt to pay, I get it. I’m just not good with killing.”
Mass frowned. “It’s the apocalypse. How did you survive?”
“By making it on my own. Less messy that way.”
“Lonelier too. Can we still count on you?”
Smithy reached out and patted Mass on his arm. “Long as you’re the good guys, I’m with you.”
“Let’s just say we’re the almost good guys.”
“Probably as close as anyone can get these days. I suppose it will do.”
12
Maddy was limping as she made her way back into Portsmouth’s docks, but she had no idea why. Both her ankles ached, but she didn’t recall twisting or falling on them. She supposed it was pure exertion that had left her injured, and she considered herself lucky compared to many who made it back in worse shape.
A triage was hastily arranged inside a warehouse behind the port authority building. Maddy and Tosco helped carry Tony there. He had lost a lot of blood from slashes on his arms, and by the time they made it inside he was unconscious and soaking wet from the rain, which had now mercifully stopped.
“He’ll be all right,” Tosco told her, obviously sensing her concern for the man. “He’s just exhausted and has lost some blood. Don’t worry.”
“If I didn’t worry, I wouldn’t be human. Until I see him back on his feet, I’m going to worry, okay?” She said it more harshly than she’d intended, and she realised her nerves were taut and her hands were trembling. “Sorry.”
“You care about him?”
“I care about everyone.” He raised an eyebrow at her and it prompted her to say more. “He’s a good man. We need him.”
Tosco sighed, looked downwards, and then nodded. “Yeah, we need all the good men we can get.”
Maddy didn’t like the thought of a man of Tosco’s station sulking, but at the same time she liked that he still had emotions – emotions so strong that he could still have a strop. She took one of his hands in hers and moved closer to him. Then she lifted one hand and cupped his face. “There are a lot of good men in Portsmouth. Thank you for coming to help us. I’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for you.”
He lifted his head and looked at her. “Soon as you guys left, I sent out a team of spotters. Things didn’t feel right. Thomas shouldn’t have reacted so rashly.”
“So, are you finally on the right side?”
He shook his head. “Thomas made a mistake, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to join your little insurrection.”
She let go of his face and hand and stepped back. “You know about that?”
Tosco smirked. “Commander Klein and I like to share a few glasses of vodka from time to time. He told me to keep an eye on you, but…”
She frowned. “But what?”
He actually seemed to blush then. “But I tend to do that, anyway.”
She smiled, then grimaced. “Thomas can’t be left to lead here. If you don’t see that, then, honestly, you should stop watching my back and watch your own.”
“Maddy—”
She turned and walked away. “Look after Cross for me. If he dies, I’ll hold you responsible.”
“I’m a fleet commander, not a bed nurse.”
“You really care about me, be a bed nurse.”
She marched away, picking up speed. At first, she didn’t even know where she was going, but then she realised she needed to know about the condition of one other person.
She found Tom standing outside the port authority building and raced through the puddles to get to him. He saw her and smiled, although it was a feeble expression that betrayed how rattled he was after almost meeting his death. “Maddy, are you—”
“Where’s Wickstaff? I want to check she’s okay.”
Tom smiled wearily. “She’s fine. She went to her office to patch herself up. She wouldn’t let anyone else see to her.”
Maddy thanked Tom and headed inside the building. The reception was crammed full of people sitting on the sofas and sipping drinks, weary soldiers trying to regather their wits. The corridors, however, were empty, and Maddy encountered no one en route to Wickstaff’s office. She couldn’t bear the time it would take to knock, so she barged right in.
Wickstaff was standing behind her desk in just a bra, but she grabbed her breasts as though she were naked. “Jesus, woman, learn to knock!”
Maddy couldn’t help herself. She rushed over to the general and wrapped her arms around her. “How are we alive right now?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” said Wickstaff, her arms out to either side, obviously not knowing where to put them. “I’m unkillable. Every day I wake up and think ‘today will be the day’, but alas, no, I keep on living. Twenty assassination attempts, multiple assaults at our gates, not to mention the Great Battle, but I keep on surviving. Any more and I’ll start developing a messiah complex.”
Maddy guffawed. She didn’t know why, because Wickstaff’s dry wit was something she was used to, but black comedy, at this moment, was exactly what she needed. “You keep surviving because we need you to. We’re fucked without you, ma’am.”
“Oh indeed, I’m the second coming. Follow me and I shall lead us to the promised land.” Maddy went to speak, but Wickstaff placed a finger right on her lips. “I’m tired, Maddy. I was actually thankful when Thomas arrived. I thought I could finally let someone else be in charge,
to worry every minute of every day. It wasn’t an exaggeration when I said I didn’t know how much longer I could keep doing this. I’m tired, Maddy. So fucking tir—”
Maddy leapt forward and kissed Wickstaff on the mouth. While she did so, she wrapped her hands around her naked back and enjoyed the warm throb of her skin. Wickstaff froze with a closed mouth. Then she shoved Maddy away – not harshly, but firmly. She was breathless as she spoke. “M-Maddy, you mad cow, I’m not a lesbian.”
Maddy looked into Wickstaff’s brown eyes and felt like bursting into hysterics. “Neither am I, but… but…”
Wickstaff look utterly perturbed, but then her expression changed. “Yeah, okay, why the fuck not?”
Suddenly Wickstaff was grabbing the back of Maddy’s head and yanking her into a fierce kiss, mouths open and tongues exploring. Both women ran their hands over each other like they were desperate to find sanctuary in a desert. Before she knew it, Maddy’s shirt was off and tossed on the floor. Both women standing only in their bras, they moved over to the desk, where Maddy hopped up and opened her legs. Wickstaff filled the space between her knees, cupping her face and kissing her all over her neck and shoulders.
There was a knock at the door.
Wickstaff pushed Maddy away, but it wasn’t hard or even that persistent. It was just enough so that Wickstaff could see who was entering her office.
Despite knocking, Tosco came right in. His mouth was open to speak, but when he saw Wickstaff and Maddy both standing there in just their bras, he paused. “I-I…” He put a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, ma’am, but you’re needed outside.”
Wickstaff groaned and rolled her eyes. “Am I not allowed a moment to myself?”
Tosco stared at Maddy, glanced at her half-exposed breasts, and then looked at Wickstaff. The way he tried to seem professional while he was addressing his superior in her bra was almost comical. “Y-Yes, ma’am, a moment should be fine. I shall tell General Thomas you will be with him as soon as you’re… able.”
Tosco hurried out of the room, the door almost slamming behind him. Wickstaff remained behind her desk for a moment, then burst out in fits of laughter. Maddy couldn’t help but join her. Giggling, the two of them gravitated towards one another until they were once again embracing. This time, instead of desperately kissing, they looked into each other’s eyes.
Maddy cupped Wickstaff’s face. “Does this mean I can stop calling you ma’am?”
“Yes, I suppose Amanda will have to do from now on. I’m not quite sure what’s happening, except it’s the most wonderful I’ve felt in as long as I can remember. It’s almost making me forget I might die tomorrow.”
Maddy pecked her on the lips and pulled away. “You’re not dying as long as I’m around. You’re the saviour of Portsmouth, but I only realised tonight that you’re the saviour of me too. The only time I feel happy is when you’re around. I think…”
Wickstaff kissed Maddy, long and passionate, then said, “I know. Me too. But let’s not say it.”
Maddy frowned, her heart suddenly aching. “Why not?”
“Because in this world it seems like a curse.”
“Then I’m cursed. I love you, Amanda.”
Wickstaff sighed. “Bloody hell, woman. I love you too.”
Maddy glowed, her stomach feeling like it was full of sex-crazed unicorns. That wasn’t reality though. If she was lucky, there would be more moments like this, but right now Wickstaff had obligations to attend to. “You should go.”
Amanda held her for a moment, their noses touching. Then she pulled on her shirt and bid Maddy to do the same. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
With a huge smile on her face, Maddy followed her out of the office all the way to the docks, where they found Thomas surrounded by dozens of his men. Could he not give things a rest for one minute?
Thomas was scowling, but before he had a chance to say anything, the rain-soaked men and women around him began to whistle and cheer. It took a moment, but Maddy realised they were cheering for Amanda.
Hero, many were shouting. General, said others. They pumped their arms in the air or put fingers in their mouths to whistle louder. It sent shivers down Maddy’s spine. General Thomas seemed unnerved. He tried to speak, but Amanda didn’t give him the chance. She threw a right hook that connected with his jaw and dropped him like a sack of spuds. The crowd went silent, watching as she then offered a hand and waited for Thomas to recover. Reluctantly, he accepted her help and allowed her to pull him back to his feet.
“You deserved that, General. You want to tell me otherwise?
“I… It…” He rubbed at his jaw and cleared his throat before trying again. “You were right. You knew something was wrong, and I ignored your advice.”
Wickstaff raised an eyebrow. “Advice isn’t how I would put it, but I appreciate the acknowledgement. Quite frankly, General, you are the last person I wish to see or speak to right now, so could we do this later, please? I would rather like to get some sleep.” Her eyes flicked to the side and met Maddy’s. Once again she felt a shiver down her spine.
Despite the knock-back, General Thomas didn’t lose his temper. He kept calm – somewhere on the edge of embarrassed. The wolf whistles and chants continued. Wickstaff, Wickstaff. For professional men, Thomas’s people had lost all control of their emotions.
“I understand,” said Thomas. “I lost a lot of good men today, and the last thing I wish is for more hostility. This situation between the two of us is far from over, but for now I would like to call a truce. We have bigger problems.”
Wickstaff nodded. “The demons will be back. This was just the start of something. We need to be ready.”
“And we will be.”
Wickstaff blinked slowly and waved a hand wearily. “But not until I’ve had some sleep. Good morning to you, General Thomas.”
“And you, General Wickstaff.”
Wickstaff started heading back towards the port authority building but then she stopped. She looked back at Maddy and frowned. “Maddy, could you accompany me, please? There are things I would like to discuss.”
Maddy tried to keep from grinning. Butterflies in her stomach took flight and almost lifted her off the ground. She hurried after Wickstaff – Amanda – and tried to ignore the confused stare of Commander Tosco as she passed by.
What must he think?
Who cares? The world could end tomorrow.
While the demons were busy, Mass told everyone to get to work. If they remained in the barn, they would be surrounded until they ran out of ammo. Then the demons would come in and tear them apart. No, if they had any chance of surviving, it would be by getting the hell off this farm once and for all. Smithy agreed. He had no intention of staying inside the barn with Gemma’s dead body.
The odds were still heavily against them though.
The coach outside was surrounded by demons, which was the only reason Smithy and the others were able to move out of the barn. Day had arrived, which meant the cover of darkness was gone. It took only a moment for the mass of demons to remove their focus from the coach.
“Here we go,” said Tox.
“Let’s make some demon salsa,” said Smithy.
“That’s disgusting,” said Addy. “I like it.”
Crimolok towered over the demons, body somehow now contorted to eight-feet tall at least. He stood motionless, allowing them to flow around him. If Mass still intended on taking him prisoner, there would be twenty demons to get through first.
“We make our way to the containers,” said Mass. “Don’t fire unless you have to. We can’t waste a single round.”
“I don’t have any rounds,” said Addy. “I put my last one in Gemma’s face.”
“I’ve got about half a… clippy thing left,” Smithy said, wondering if the demons would line up for him so he could shoot them in batches.
Mass sighed. “Use what you have. Don’t quit.”
Smithy aimed, sighting a burnt
man staggering away from the coach. The burnt men were manageable one at a time. Weak and clumsy, their bodies burnt and broken. More than a couple at once, though, and they could make life very hard, and death very easy. Smithy spotted only three primates amongst the pack, which was good news at least. Most had attacked the house last night, which meant many had already fallen.
Mass turned to Smithy and shouted out a warning. Smithy spun to see a demon racing towards him. He was about to pull the trigger, but then he realised it wasn’t a threat. “It’s okay, it’s just Dave.”
But the little demon didn’t stop running, even when he should have stopped and spoken. Smithy backed up, then realised the demon intended to tackle him.
“Dave, what are you—”
The tiny demon leapt at Smithy, a fleshy cannonball hitting him in the guts. He was too small to knock Smithy off his feet, but it knocked the wind from him.
Mass lifted his shotgun but didn’t fire. “What do you want me to do, Smithy?”
“Don’t shoot.”
David was growling. He circled Smithy, spitting and gnashing his broken teeth.
Smithy put out a hand. “Dave, it’s me. It’s Smithy. You don’t want to do this. This isn’t you.”
“Dave kill. Kill, yes, humans.”
“No. No, you’re my friend. This is Crimolok trying to control you. He’s just… He’s…” Smithy glanced around towards the demons that were approaching fast. Crimolok stared through their numbers, looking right at Smithy with a smirk. Smithy turned back to David. “You and me are friends, Dave, but if you need to hurt me, then go on.”
David snarled and approached cautiously, as if wary of being tricked. He began to thrash his head back and forth, getting more and more worked up. It didn’t seem like the demon was listening. Smithy remained standing there but was anxiously aware of the other demons approaching. Mass and the others got ready to meet them.
Hell on Earth- the Complete Series Box Set Page 133
