"We hear you," Edward called out as quietly as he could, hoping that Mike could hear him.
"What's going on out there? Do you need my help? Is it safe for me to come out?" Mike asked.
Edward stood frozen in place, unsure how to answer his questions. He nervously glanced toward the rapidly lightening sky. The sun would probably crest the horizon very shortly. If Mike were to leave the safety of the bubble now, he would surely die ... this time for good. There was no way, if they were focused on fighting the beast, that Edward could turn his attention away from the fight to get a new bubble up around Mike.
"I hate to say this," Edward began, "but you need to stay in that bubble. As much as we could use your help, you would very likely be killed if you came out. Not by the beast, but by the sun. It's going to come over the horizon in a few minutes," Edward warned him.
"Great!" Mike said sarcastically.
The ground was beginning to tremble more steadily now. The vibrations from the tremors were strong enough to tickle the bottoms of Katie's feet through her boots.
It was near enough to sunrise that the small flame within Edward's palm was pointless now. He closed his hand to extinguish it as he nervously scanned outside the perimeter of their camp. So far, he could not see the metallic monster he knew was closing in on them.
A couple of minutes later, the sun came over the horizon. The moment it did, Edward saw its light glint off the swiftly approaching adversary. He didn't know how the thing had managed to track them, but there it was. Like a nightmare that just refused to go away.
Edward took a quick look around to see where everyone was positioned. Mike was still inside of his bubble. Melissa was hiding behind the biggest tree she could find; only her head was poked out to see what was unfolding. Katie was standing about ten feet in front of Melissa, guarding her with the loaded crossbow in her hands. Edward decided to take up a position in between Katie and the bubble that housed Mike.
The wolf-like beast must have caught Edward's movement as it approached, for its gait had changed and was now running toward them with amazing speed.
Edward readied himself, holding out his hands and turning his palms toward the sky. Within seconds, tiny bolts of electricity began to dance upon his hands. He channeled as much energy as he could into the spell and within moments thicker bolts of lightning began jumping from one hand to the other.
The mechanical beast was rapidly closing the distance between them. One hundred feet. Fifty feet. Twenty-five. In a matter of seconds it would be at point blank range. Edward pulled his hands together and shot his palms out in unison. An enormous jolt of lightning burst forth from his hands. It hit the beast squarely in one of its massive heads, but instead of incapacitating it, as he had previously done, it seemed to absorb the energy of the blast.
The beast was gathering its hind legs beneath itself, preparing to launch its massive body at Edward. Ten feet from Edward, the creature sprang into the air. Edward dropped to the ground as fast as he could, narrowly averting the crushing blow. As it passed above him, Edward could see the electrical pulses seething over the outside of the beast's metal flesh. It was like the lightning was a part of its skin now.
With a thud that shook the ground beneath their feet, the beast landed about ten feet beyond Edward. It immediately spun around to face him again.
Katie wanted to fire a crossbow bolt at the creature, but couldn't figure out where to place the shot. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow, some way, something about it was different. The bolt of lightning that Edward had used against the beast this time slithered and crackled across its body. It was as if the lightning had never actually reached the creature's body and was kept at bay by some sort of invisible force field. Katie had the disheartening idea that it had not only been repaired, it had been upgraded, somehow making it indestructible. She needed more time to think and she was sure Edward needed some time to adjust his strategy as well.
Katie raised the crossbow and fired. The bolt sailed through the air and bounced off the massive chest of the beast. Sadly, Katie had only managed to get the attention of one of the three heads. The other two were still focused intently on Edward.
Suddenly, screams filled the air. Smoke began to emanate from somewhere on the other side of Edward. Moments later, the creature was turning another of its heads in the direction of the screams. Rushing toward the beast was a flame that looked to be eight feet tall. Both Edward and Katie turned their attention away from it for a moment, curious as to where the flame had come from. Melissa stood near the tree trying to comprehend everything that was happening. Her mouth hung open in shock. She couldn't believe this was happening. Melissa began to wonder if she had made the right choice by staying here. Perhaps she should have taken the opportunity to go back to Earth when the option had been available.
As the flames closed in on the mechanical menace, Katie had a disturbing thought cross her mind. Was it possible that the flames were moving toward the wolf-like creature? It couldn't be! She turned away from this sight for just a moment, desperately searching the area on the other side of Edward for the bubble that Mike should be sheltered beneath. It was no longer there! Why would Mike risk his life by coming out of it while the sun was out?
As Katie turned back toward the unfolding scene before her, the flames collided with the beast. The force of the collision launched the creature into the air, causing it to sail for close to twenty feet before crashing into a tree. As it struck, a loud cracking noise sounded and the tree began to buckle. Before it could recover from the blow, tree limbs began to crack loudly as it began to fall. Moments later, a metallic crunch echoed through the woods as the tree hit the ground, crushing the creature beneath its weight.
The beast snapped its massive jaws to no avail. The weight of the fallen tree was too much. It couldn't do more than waggle its legs fruitlessly in the air. It might not be dead, like they had all hoped it would be when the fight was over, but it wasn't going anywhere. It was pinned to the ground, looking much like the bug collection that Katie's brother, Matt, had kept when he was younger. The little bodies affixed to his corkboard by pins.
Katie was glad the fight was over and turned her attention away from the creature that was no longer a threat. It took her a moment, but she found Edward. He was standing in the area where the collision had occurred.
Edward removed his cloak and spread it on top of the flames, which extinguished immediately.
Katie ran toward Edward as Melissa remained cowering behind a tree. "Please tell me that isn't Mike!" she said as she saw the lump on the ground beneath Edward's cloak.
"I haven't had a chance to check yet, but I believe that it probably is," Edward replied sadly.
Tears began to well up in the corners of Katie's eyes as she waited for Edward to lift his cloak and confirm if the body beneath it was Mike or not. Edward looked back over Katie's shoulder, trying to locate Melissa. When he saw that she was still hiding behind a tree, he motioned for her to join them. "We may need your help, Melissa," Edward called out.
Nervously, Melissa stepped out from her hiding place. She saw the lump beneath Edward's cloak, but wasn't sure that she wanted to see what was lurking there.
As Melissa arrived and stood next to Katie, Edward pulled up one corner of the cloak to look under it. Smoke, and the stench of seared flesh, rose from beneath it. The flesh was charred very badly and in a lot of places that Edward could see, bones were visible through the blackened mess. He let the cloak fall back down to cover the body and looked up at Katie and Melissa, struggling to hold back tears of his own. "The body is burned beyond recognition, but I'm afraid that it is indeed Mike," Edward said in a cracking voice.
Katie immediately began to sob. The tears flowing in torrents down her face. She turned and stumbled away from the scene, her vision blurred by the tears.
"So, there's nothing I can do?" Melissa asked Edward.
"Not unless you can somehow bring the dead back to life," Edward
croaked. He turned away from Melissa's gaze and tried to locate Katie through his own watering eyes. It was difficult to see, but he found her moments later. It looked like she was crouched down near the place where Mike's bubble had been. Edward got to his feet and went over to where she was knelt.
"It's all my fault," Katie cried, looking up at him as he approached.
"Don't say that. It's nobody's fault. Who's to say why he left the safety of his bubble?" Edward said softly, attempting to console her.
"But it is!" Katie insisted. She picked up something from the ground in front of her and held it up for Edward to see.
Edward looked confused. "What does that have to do with him leaving the bubble?" he asked Katie.
"Because it's my crossbow bolt! When I shot at the creature it ricocheted off! It must have pierced Mike's bubble when it landed!" Katie wailed.
Chapter 28
Darkness began to settle in around Edward, Katie, and Melissa. They remained in the vicinity of their most recent battle. Jack had still not returned from wherever he had run off to, presumably to scout the area to their immediate north.
Melissa kept herself busy by combing the area for fallen branches they could use to build a fire. She was still very nervous about their current situation; every noise made her nearly jump out of her skin, and there were many unusual sounds in the area this evening. The mechanical, wolf-like, creature continued to thrash about, attempting to free itself from beneath the tree. Unfortunately, no matter how far in the opposite direction she went in her search for firewood, Melissa could still hear the thing snapping its jaws. She really wished the others had chosen to move further away from the creature. Even though Melissa could understand why Edward and Katie wanted to stay close by, she constantly worried that it would somehow break free and come after them again. Mike was still lying on the ground, using Edward's cloak as his death shroud. They didn't want to leave him unburied and were biding their time, awaiting Jack's return so he could aid in digging the grave.
With an armload of sticks and branches, Melissa walked back to where Edward and Katie were seated. She placed them on the ground in a haphazard pile and looked at the two of them. Katie was still crying a little, but overall she appeared to be much calmer than she had been earlier. Edward seemed to have that effect on her.
Melissa sat down beside Katie and gave her a hug. Affection wasn't something that Melissa normally showed toward anyone, but she truly felt sorry for her. The poor girl insisted on blaming herself for Mike's death even though it wasn't her fault. His release from the protective bubble was purely accidental. No one could have predicted that Katie's shot would have ricocheted, let alone that it did and just happened to hit the bubble. Katie rested her head on Melissa's shoulder and continued to cry softly.
Edward began to distractedly arrange the wood Melissa had gathered so that he could create a fire. Even though his own tears had long since dried up, he still got a knot in his throat every time he glanced over and saw the tears on Katie's face. He felt so helpless! Sure, he was able to calm Katie down to the point where she wasn't hysterical anymore, but it still angered him that the fight had gone down the way it had. It was supposed to have been him that took down the mechanical monster, not Mike.
Was it selfish of him to feel this way? Or was it just wishful thinking? If he had dispatched the creature, like he should have, Mike would still be alive. At least, as alive as any undead creature could be.
When Edward lit the branches on fire with the small, magical flame in the palm of his hand, the creature stirred again. The giant jaws snapping in the night air echoed through the trees. He felt his anger rise. Edward wanted so badly to just stand up, walk over to where the beast was trapped, and put the monster out of business for good. He had no idea how to go about that though. The lightning spell had worked for him back in Haven, but out here in the wilderness when he had tried to use the same spell, it had been as effective as pissing up a rope. He hated feeling so inept.
Full darkness was upon them now. Neither of the moons had come above the horizon just yet. The only light came from the small campfire that Edward had just started. Even though it was dark, Amber was still nowhere to be seen. Just then, a howl pierced the surrounding silence. Edward looked toward the mechanical creature. The howl hadn't come from it. The one Edward had heard was more distant. He turned toward the sound and strained his eyes, trying to see into the darkness. He really hoped it was Jack.
Suddenly it grew very quiet, as if something had swooped down from the sky and sucked all sound from the world around them. The flames licking the wood of their campfire were silent. The wolf-like, mechanical beast was no longer snapping its jaws, as if it had given up any hope of escaping from beneath the tree. Or perhaps it was thinking, if such a creature was actually capable of thought, that someone would come along and free it.
Several minutes passed before any of them heard a sound. The soft rustling of leaves seemed to be coming from somewhere just north of their position. Edward turned and looked in that direction, squinting his eyes. After straining to see into the darkness for a minute or so, Edward caught a glimpse of two tiny globes that looked like eyes, catching the light of the fire within them. As they drew closer, the form they were attached to became visible. It was a wolf.
"Jack?" Edward called out hesitantly.
The animal continued to move closer, but didn't appear to be moving in a threatening manner. It came up next to Edward and lay down on the ground beside him.
Edward looked down into the wolf's eyes. "I don't know where you ran off to, but while you were gone the beast that attacked us in Haven returned." The wolf put its head down on Edward's lap and cocked its head slightly to one side, listening to Edward's voice.
"We really could have used your help in the fight," Edward continued. "We lost Mike in the battle. For good this time, I'm afraid," Edward said, as he indicated with a pointing finger the place that Mike's body laid.
Jack turned his head and looked in the direction Edward was pointing. As a wolf, his vision was much better than any human eyes would ever be in the dark. He easily picked out where Mike lay beneath Edward's cloak. He turned back to face Edward and tilted his head questioningly.
He wasn't sure if it was a trick caused by the firelight or not, but as Jack looked up at him, Edward swore that the wolf's eyes were watering ... as if, in his own way, Jack was crying. Seeing the wolf this way started to bring tears back to Edward's eyes. The lump in his throat made a return appearance as well.
"Could you help us bury Mike?" Edward asked in a hitching voice. "You can dig a hole much faster than any of us can."
As much as he hated the fact, Jack knew that Edward was right. He slowly lifted himself from the ground and sauntered over to where Mike's body lay. Jack dreaded having to do this again. Digging in the fields behind his home in Haven had been one thing; this was another matter entirely. Even though it was a necessity, Jack thoroughly despised digging graves.
Edward watched as Jack slowly made his way over to where Mike lay in his shroud. It was obvious in the way Jack carried himself—his slow gait, tail tucked between his hind legs, his head hung low—that he wanted no part of the task before him. None of them had foreseen the way events had unfolded though.
Jack stopped near the corpse and stared at the shroud in silence for a few moments, as if he were showing one last sign of respect before carrying out the inevitable. Slowly at first, Jack began to paw at the ground beside Mike. Then, his anger at himself for not being here when the others had needed his help took over. Leaves and dirt began to fly wildly through the air as he dug.
He pawed through the dirt so furiously that after approximately five minutes, Jack was no longer in sight. Dirt continued to fly from the hole at an alarming rate, and after a couple more minutes Jack reappeared. He sat down next to the grave, panting loudly, and gave a quick bark to get the group's attention.
Edward rose to his feet and offered his hands to Katie and Melissa
to help them up. Once everyone was on their feet, they slowly made their way over to where Jack sat waiting.
Edward lifted his cloak from Mike's body and set it aside in a crumpled heap on the ground. Katie turned her head so she couldn't see Mike's charred corpse, the smell was bad enough. She didn't want to look at it, too. Seeing Katie's reaction once the body was uncovered, Melissa moved toward Mike's head and looked to Edward. "Wanna grab his legs?" she asked, looking at Edward.
With resignation, Edward took the place near Mike's feet. He glanced at Katie for a moment and silently wished that she didn't have to endure all that she had since coming to his world. She'd done pretty well so far, considering all the death and horrors she had been forced to face, but Edward was afraid that one day it would be too much to bear.
"I'm ready," Edward told Melissa.
Together they bent down to pick up the body. Getting a grip on it was a bit dicey. Grasping the charred flesh felt a little like trying to hold congealed gravy in your hand without allowing it to slip through your fingers.
With Mike's body trying to slip through their grasp, Edward and Melissa lowered it into the grave as gently as they could. Jack had dug the hole a little deeper than they expected, so instead of setting the corpse softly into the hole, they had to let go and allow the body to fall the last couple of feet to the bottom. It landed with a sickeningly wet, crunching sound that made them both glad they couldn't see inside the grave. Surely, by the sound of it, the skeleton had come apart when it hit the bottom.
Melissa and Edward stepped back from the grave and went to stand by Jack and Katie. They all bowed their heads and silently said their good-byes.
Chapter 29
After they paid their respects, they pitched in to shove loose dirt onto Mike's grave. With the hole filled in, the group now sat around the campfire contemplating their next move.
"Where the heck is Amber?" Edward asked aloud, more to himself than directed toward anyone in particular. Her continued absence was beginning to frustrate him. She was as much a part of their little group as anyone else, and they had all grown accustomed to her leading them in the right direction. Now, Edward didn't know which way to go, other than heading north since that was the direction Amber generally led them.
Desolace Omnibus Edition Page 29
