The Bleed: Book 2: RAPTURE

by David Moody

  “Yes, but you wouldn’t like how I achieved the energy to do so.” He was looking at her intently.

  “I’ll take my chances with the storm, thank you very much.”

  “It would be quick and painless. Ever eaten a crawfish?”

  “You’d pop my head off and suck?”

  “There’d be some intense squeezing as well, but by then, you would be beyond caring.”

  “Again, no thank you.”

  “That’s being a little selfish on your end, don’t you think?”

  “Is that a joke?”

  “Was it not grand? The human I was around for a while taught me that the best way to deal with intense fear is through humor.”

  “Sort of wish I’d met him.”

  Another strike less than a mile away. Maddie fell on her backside as dirt pellets pelted the area. “It’s not lightning; it can’t be. It’s too uniform!” Maddie had to scream over the howling wind.

  “It does not matter what it is, it is sure to kill you and maybe even me.”

  The black wall was less than a half-mile away, and it was impenetrable to light. The ground was steaming where the liquid made contact. Maddie didn’t smell the tell-tale stink of rotten eggs, hinting that it may, indeed, be sulphuric acid, but that didn’t mean whatever it was wasn’t toxic.

  “I thought of a hundred different situations where I could have died during my time on the moon, none of them were even remotely close to this.” Maddie had resigned herself to the fate fast approaching. She was to the point she was about to tell Kalandar that he should live, but to please turn her decapitated head to the side, so her final sight did not need to be her upturned body held high as he drained her dry, but “Do it,” was all she said as she turned her back to the storm.

  Kalandar had not yet looked at her. “As you wish.” He reached down and wrapped his hand nearly around the entirety of her torso.

  Maddie closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in preparation to, hopefully, go to a place she did not believe in. Kalandar lifted her up and gently turned her around before plopping her back on the ground. Maddie kept her eyes closed, figuring that he would not give her a countdown but would instead surprise her. He tapped the top of her head three times before she swatted his finger away.

  “What!?” she yelled. “Why haven’t you done it yet!?”

  “I’ve not met one so ready to die, that did not already plan to bring the end upon themselves. No matter…it has stopped.”

  At fifty yards, it had indeed stopped. The wall was still present, but the blue streaks had halted, as had the wind and the rain.

  “Just like that?”

  “It would appear so.”

  “Now what?”

  “Whatever is controlling it, is most likely deciding our outcome at this very moment.”

  An extremely high-pitched whistle came from seemingly everywhere. Kalandar and Maddie looked around for the source but could not see anything. The tone would occasionally drop in pitch and intensity, and seemingly random patterns were inserted.

  “What is going on?”

  “It would appear that whoever owns that weaponry is attempting to communicate,” Kalandar replied.

  “How are we going to respond? That’s nothing even remotely similar to a human language.”

  “Nor demon,” he added. “We must do our best to look like non-combatives.” He dropped to his knees and raised his hands over his head.

  Maddie followed suit. “You realize that we have no idea what they might think of this gesture, right? We could have just told them to go fuck themselves,” she said.

  “Hmm…let us hope that is not the case.”

  Another series of whistling, this punctuated by clicks and pops, right before the wall began its march toward them.

  “If you pray, Maddie, now may be the time to do so.” Kalandar bent forward and placed his outstretched arms on the ground before speaking softly. Maddie stood, deciding she wanted to die on her feet. She thought about praying, but it seemed so hypocritical, then she decided, what could it hurt? With death marching head-on, it never hurt to put feelers out there for a savior.

  Maddie dropped to her knees, placed her hands in the classic steeple before bowing her head. “Lord…this feels strange…like I am talking to my damn self. Yeah, Maddie, that’s how you get an all-powerful deity on your side; deny his or her existence. No, you must be a him, because you never listen! How many times, growing up, did I cry out to you for your help? I watched so many family members and friends die from war, from disease, but not once did you intercede!”

  “Praying is generally done in solitude or performed quietly,” Kalandar told her.

  “I’m mad, wait, no. I’m livid! We’re about to die on this shit turd of a planet and my last act will not be to beg to be saved by someone or something that could not care less for either of us.”

  “Please do not make your diatribe inclusive. My deity is more likely to make a show. Of course, salvation comes with concessions on my part, but more times than not, it is not completely unreasonable.” Kalandar stood. “Are you done?”

  “Maybe, why!?” she yelled.

  “We are not dead.” The wall had, at some point, split, then reformed when it was past them. They were in a deliberately created eye within the storm. Ten minutes later, the wall had gone completely past.

  “What the hell?”

  “I do not think help came from that quarter. It was perhaps the praying.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “We are not dead, Maddie. Now I am not saying that your prayers were answered in the traditional way of thought, but perhaps the intelligence operating the storm recognized the gesture and that is why we were spared.”

  “You think?”

  “What else could it have been? The whistling and clicking were some type of language; there was no way we could have known what they were saying.”

  “We need to find out who was running that then. They could help us!” Maddie was excited. Kalandar, not so much. “You’re not sharing in my enthusiasm.”

  “I am of the belief that the intelligence of that storm was of the artificial variety. It offered a warning, in a way. We responded, so it went about its programmed way.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I am not sure, it’s just a thought. But if it had been a life form, would it not make sense that we would have been contacted in a more physical form by now? I know we have not rested properly, but it does not appear that the sun completely sets here. I think it might be for the best if we find some sort of sustenance. I do not like being at the whim of whatever we may encounter.”

  They walked for hours. Maddie had at times drifted so far into her thoughts to have been asleep as she moved. More than once, Kalandar had to reach out and steer her back in the direction they were heading. Her legs, back, and feet ached, but it could not hold a candle in comparison to the rawness in her throat. What little spit she could procure to swallow felt as if it had been tainted with miniature razor blades. She wondered how long it would be before she ripped the lining of her esophagus. She briefly debated over spitting out her saliva but knew that would only hasten her dehydration, and she was already on the clock.

  “We are close,” the usually indefatigable Kalandar mumbled.

  Maddie wanted to tell him off, but could not even imagine the pain she would have to endure to force air past her tortured vocal cords. And there was a chance, like old, rusty piano wire, they would snap if she did. She didn’t look up, either, to see if what he was saying was the truth. Her neck had been bent over for so long she did not think she had the power to lift her head without help. Maddie stumbled and fell into the back of Kalandar’s leg, causing them both to fall over.

  He rolled over so he was looking up at the sky. “As good a place to stop as any,” he said. A moment later, he was snoring softly. Maddie arose first after a fitful sleep; the sun was high overhead, yet it was a chill wind that had awakened her. She saw a line of bl
ack clouds off in the distance. At first, she was fearful that it was round two of the strange storm, but quickly realized it was something more normal.

  “Kalandar,” she croaked. The pain in her throat had eased up somewhat but was still a constant irritation that needed to be slaked. She bent down and pushed his shoulder.

  He roared as he sat up. Maddie reflexively jumped back. It took him a few seconds before he came completely out of his slumber and his glazed over eyes cleared. “It is important that we make the city today.” He stood and began walking without saying another word.

  “I guess no breakfast then?” It hurt to say the words but she needed a smile.

  Kalandar shared no such compunction. By midday, they had reached the outskirts of the city. Strange dwellings that looked more like hives than homes dominated their field of vision. The openings were enormous, some twenty feet high and five feet wide; Maddie did not want to meet the insect that had dwelled there. Kalandar strode in like he owned the place, but Maddie was much more hesitant. A large, cylindrical container with a flat bottom and many protrusions stood in the corner, leaning on its side. The material was clear, the liquid inside an azure. Kalandar headed straight for it, he tipped the container to his lips; some got into his mouth, most sloshed out the many ports.

  Maddie was leaning against the entrance. “That could be cleaning fluid for all you know,” she rasped.

  “It would be far better than swallowing the dust I have been for the last few hours.” He bent over as his stomach gurgled amid the mixing of the strange brew and the fluids within him. What came back out looked more like the browns of a ruptured septic line.

  “Kalandar?” Maddie moved to help though she had no idea what she could do if he had poisoned himself.

  He held his hand up. “Fine,” he managed to say. “Drank too quickly.”

  When she was somewhat certain he wasn’t going to fall over, she began to check out her surroundings. Built into the wall were hexagonal shelves—most were empty, but some had all manner of unidentifiable objects on them. She couldn’t decide whether it was a knick-knack set up or a pantry or neither. “Could be both,” she said aloud. She found a container that looked very similar to the one Kalandar had drunk from, though it was much smaller, and the fluid inside more the color of a sunset on a tropical island. She sniffed at the contents and caught a subtle scent of floral. She plugged up as many of the openings as she could with her hands and then tipped a thimble full of liquid onto her tongue. When she swallowed, she thought she could just about feel the healing properties of the drink, much like a character in a video game will a potion bought at an apothecary. As desperately as she wanted to drink the whole carafe, she refrained. As callous as it sounded, she was going to wait and make sure her traveling partner survived and wasn’t drinking drain cleaner. He again took another drink, this one much smaller and it stayed down, so Maddie followed suit.

  “I feel a lot better,” Maddie told him after she polished it off.

  “As do I. Wouldn’t mind coming across a couple of horses, though.”

  “You can ride a horse?”

  He looked at her for a moment.

  “Not to ride, got it,” she said. “Like a whole horse? You could eat that?”

  “Ever seen a pelican eat a fish?”

  “Nope, nope, don’t want to know. Fuck that visual.”

  They spent the rest of the day foraging. They both drank until their bellies distended, but had yet to find anything that could be considered food.

  “We will have to travel into the city. Any place that has a large population center will rely on mass-produced food, and one would think it would be in containers. Might make it more identifiable.”

  Maddie doubted that, after all of the strange shapes she had drunk from. She wondered if the last liquid had been some form of alcohol, as her head was slightly swimming and her steps didn’t seem quite so sure. “Do you think it’s safe, drinking what we have?”

  “Safer than dying.”

  The closer they got to the city, the more Maddie realized the buildings didn’t so much scrape the sky as they did pierce it. They were so tall it was difficult to see where they ended and space began. The buildings appeared to be made from the same material as the containers, something between a glass and a plastic. Whatever it was, Maddie wanted a sample. The strength needed to make such a structure could be revolutionary for mankind—that was, if they ever got a chance to use it. The benefit of the material was the ability to see through it with a high degree of clarity. This saved the pair a lot of time looking for food.

  Kalandar reached a hand out and turned Maddie in the appropriate direction. “What does that look like to you?”

  Maddie, instead of answering, made her way toward it like a drunken sailor might a new tavern. Kalandar quickly passed by her on the right.

  “Hey!” she yelled out, swiping to grab his tunic and missing by a foot or more. He was either moving that fast, or she was moving that slow.

  The colors were off, the packaging utterly unnatural, but the uniformity and amount…it could not be denied that this was a store of some sort, possibly a grocery store. Unfortunately, everything was so foreign to Maddie’s eye it was going to be difficult to tell what was oatmeal and what was dish soap. Kalandar was ripping through things like, well, like a starving demon. He stopped when he came to an area of large balloon-like containers, but like most things they’d come across, there were multiple nipples. Kalandar squeezed the beach ball-sized bag until a thick paste, the color of liver, was extruded out and into his waiting mouth.

  “Meat!” he cried.

  Maddie was hungry, hungrier than she could ever remember being and still, she wanted nothing to do with whatever he was eating. The smell wasn’t wholly unwelcome, but she couldn’t get past what it may or may not be the meat of. It quite possibly could be the hominoid looking giant, because, so far, every food vessel they had come across was not designed for something with one mouth. She didn’t think she’d have ever sided with the Bleed, but in this case, she wanted to make an exception. By the third giant beach ball, Kalandar was lying on the floor, sucking the balloon like a toddler being put down for a nap. Maddie had found something that she hoped was granola, but the taste was off; peppery, if she had to put a word to it. She tried to take a small bite to see how her system reacted, but her stomach had other plans. She was halfway through the contents of the container before she was full enough to override her body’s baser cautions. “Can’t be self-aware when you’re starving.” She referenced an old study she’d read justifying gobbling down whatever is in front of you.

  “I’m soooo full,” Kalandar managed between balloon clutches. The paste was running down the sides of his face, where he dutifully licked it up. He was asleep within moments.

  Maddie walked around the entirety of the facility, taking small bites of a variety of items until she stumbled upon something that looked vaguely like snack cakes. Even though they were orange and as dense as a bowling ball, they were surprisingly tasty. She’d eaten two when her stomach gave her a warning that a third may not be for the best. She lay down and was fast asleep. She wasn’t sure how long she was out for, but she woke with a start. Kalandar was looking down upon her, adrenaline pulsed through the entirety of her, thinking that he was about to do her harm.

  “It’s time.”

  “Time? You’re giving me a warning before you eat me?”

  Kalandar looked confused. “I thought about eating you yesterday, but today, not so much.” I just made a deposit that is very similar to your body weight.” He looked her up and down before smiling. “Maybe bigger.”

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  “Nothing quite as satisfying as a huge—”

  “—I get it. What’s it time for?” She pushed his mug away before sitting up.

  “I’m going to have to leave, and it is unlikely we will see each other again.”

  “You’re…you’re leaving me
here? Alone?” Her heart was lodged high up in her throat, making it difficult to speak. Maddie had always been a loner, but being utterly and completely alone without the chance of ever encountering another? That was not something humans were equipped to deal with. Even if she didn’t converse in-depth with those around her on the base, there was an underlying comfort in the fact that they were around.

  He shrugged. “My hope is it will only be temporary.”

  “Your hope? You can’t leave me here like this! It’s inhumane.”

  “I do not do this lightly, but it is something that must be done. The enemy is not sitting idly by while we’ve been here stuffing ourselves and sleeping it off. I must get back and find a way for you to follow. I cannot guarantee it will happen, but I do promise I will do all that I can to ensure it does. I can offer you one thing before I go: I have been thinking about how I could accomplish this, and I believe I have come up with a solution.” Kalandar held his hands out, palms up. He mumbled a few words, and a sphere the size of a marble formed, deep blue with ripples of white running through it. He grabbed it with his thumb and forefinger and handed it over to Maddie.

  “What is it?” She could feel a current running through the marble when she touched it.

  “It is a bit of magic. It is tied off, so it will be available for you to use it when and if you need it.”

  “Why would I need it? Do you know something I don’t?”

  “I do not consider it a form of insurance against the unknown. Be warned, though, while it is powerful, it will only be good for one use. Once you tap into it, the magic will quickly drain away.”

  “Can’t we maybe figure something else out? A way for both of us to go?”

  “The portal I create would tear you apart. It would be like you running through a meat grinder; what came through the other side would be segments no thicker than hair. It is a wonderful addition atop a meal.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “Now.” Kalandar didn’t prolong it any further. He placed his hand on the floor, and a small dark spot began to form and expand. Maddie looked over the edge and in. There was a depth she could not comprehend; she couldn’t smell anything, but if she could have, she was convinced the odor would be brimstone. Even if she had not been threatened with death by a thousand slices, she did not think it would be worth it to follow him. “Goodbye, Maddie. Good luck, and, as strange as it is to say this, godspeed.” And with that, he stepped in. The portal closed the moment he cleared it.