Inferno

by Erica Stevens

  Cassie licked her lips as she glanced at Liam and Annabelle. They were standing by Julian, their arms folded over their chests as they stared at her. They would also try and stop her, she knew that, but when it came to Devon she knew that she would be capable of doing anything. Even if it meant plowing through Liam and Annabelle, which she was apparently going to have to do.

  “Cassie.” Her attention was drawn back to Julian. “I will tie you down if I have to, but you are not going out there.”

  Indignation flared through her. “I am one of the strongest fighters you have, you will need me!” she retorted sharply.

  Julian’s eyes narrowed, his hand fisted harder around the handle. “And Devon is the strongest fighter that we have, and if you keep pushing him he is going to snap.”

  Cassie shook her head forcefully. “No…”

  “Yes!” Julian interrupted harshly. “Open your damn eyes Cassie! He’s unraveling right before you, and if you keep throwing yourself in danger, and if you keep pushing him he is going to lose it. He will change you, whether it’s for the best or not, he will do it, and he’ll hate himself for it. Is that what you want?” Cassie could only manage a small shake of her head in response to his angry, heartfelt words. “And if something were to happen to you, there will be no stopping him. Ever. Do you understand that?”

  Cassie opened and closed her mouth, no words would come out. Her throat was clogged, her eyes burned. “He’ll kill us all Cassie, so for once, please just do as he asks.”

  Liam remained immobile, his face a hard mask. Annabelle’s sea colored eyes were heavy with sadness and fear. Cassie buried her frustration and heartache as she turned away from them, focusing her attention fully on Devon again. He had reached the center of the street, where he stopped. Her heart was heavy as it labored to push blood through her veins; her chest was tight from lack of air.

  “He can’t fight it anymore?” she whispered, finally beginning to understand the distance and hardness that now encased Devon.

  “Not as well as he could, and not for much longer,” Julian said flatly. Cassie swallowed heavily, trying hard not to let her panic get the best of her. “If it wasn’t for his concern about what would happen to you, it would have happened by now.”

  Cassie hastily wiped away the tears that slipped down her face. She ached for Devon, for the struggle nearly consuming him. Ached for the man that she loved and needed more than anything. Ached for the man who was slowly losing control to the demon inside of him, and it was all because of her.

  She shuddered; her hand clenched the curtain she had pulled slightly back. “You will stay inside,” Julian said softly. “Because there is no way of knowing how he will react if you don’t.”

  She nodded slowly. Though she hated it and rebelled against it, she would do anything for Devon, even if it meant leaving him out there alone. “They’re coming,” Chris said softly.

  He walked over to stand beside Cassie, his hand rested upon her shoulder. He squeezed her gently, bending forward to stare out the window. “Where?” Julian growled.

  Chris shook his head; his shaggy hair fell around his handsome face. “I don’t know yet, but I can feel the confusion and hunger that usually precedes their arrival.” They all remained unmoving; barely breathing as they waited for the creature’s to emerge.

  “How many?” Cassie whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Chris breathed. “It’s impossible to differentiate one from another; they’re too far gone for that.”

  Terror filled her. They were too far gone to tell anything about them, and they were heading straight for Devon. Panic slammed into her like a locomotive, helplessness swamped her. She glanced wildly at Julian, fighting against the urge to bolt out the door, tear across the street, and join Devon. She would rather die with him then live without him.

  “Stay!” Julian hissed softly.

  A soft sob escaped her; she pressed her fist to her mouth, biting down to stop the scream that wanted to rip from her. Devon turned; his shoulders stiff, and his eyes blood red. He knew that they were coming, he was ready for them. Please, she prayed fervently, please let him be ok.

  The creatures burst out of the woods behind Devon. Horror filled her; she grasped hold of the curtain, pulling herself closer as the three monsters hurtled across the street at him. “No,” she breathed.

  Devon braced himself as the first one launched itself forward leaping a good ten feet off the ground at him. Its face was distorted, its fangs extended as its face twisted into an animalistic snarl. Devon seized it by its throat, flinging it over his head as another one came at him. He grabbed the second one, but the third slammed into him, spilling blood as it clawed at his back. Chris slammed his hand over her mouth as a scream escaped her. Cassie struggled against him; fright pummeled her as she fought to contain the terror threatening to suffuse her. Chris wrapped his arm around her waist, trying to pull her back, but she refused to release the curtain, refused to be torn away.

  “Stay quiet!” he hissed in her ear.

  Cassie managed a small nod. Tears streamed down her face. She did not realize that Julian had left until he emerged on the street, pounding across the concrete in a blur that would have been nearly indiscernible to the human eye. He grabbed the first one that Devon had tossed aside, slamming it hard into the concrete. The creatures skull caved as it bounced off the ground, but its arms and legs still flailed wildly about.

  Nausea and disgust twisted Cassie’s stomach, she couldn’t move, she could hardly remain standing. Chris held most of her weight, his arms wrapped tightly around her as he slowly removed his hand from her mouth. Liam emerged from the alleyway, racing forward as he moved to join the fight.

  Cassie glanced only briefly at Annabelle. She remained by the door, her eyes wide with terror as she met Cassie’s gaze. Though Annabelle wanted to be in the fight as badly as Cassie, she would stay by the door in order to ensure that Cassie didn’t escape. Cassie briefly contemplated trying to get past her anyway, but she would not do that to Annabelle, not unless it became completely necessary.

  She turned her attention back to the fight as two more monsters emerged from the woods. One of them went straight for Liam, while the other pounded at Devon who was still engaged with two of the first ones. Five on three. Cassie’s heart hammered, she gripped the curtain tighter, pulling herself forward. She could get away from Chris; she could make it out this window if she had too. She didn’t give a rat’s ass what the glass or wood would do to her, not if it got her free.

  Devon flipped one over his back, spinning he slammed his fist into the chest of another. The creatures face twisted, not in pain but in rage as it was knocked back a few feet. Blood exploded over its tattered and filthy shirt, but it did not stop, did not hesitate as it launched forward. Julian slammed his creature off the ground again, grasping hold of its head and twisting it ferociously.

  Cassie’s stomach heaved as its head was twisted completely around. Its arms and legs continued to flail, but their movements were slightly slower. Deciding that the creature was momentarily not a threat, Julian leapt back to his feet as Devon tossed his monster over his head and grasped hold of the throat of the one behind it. He squeezed tight, snapping its head easily to the side as the thing howled loudly. Its scream echoed throughout the night, rattling the windows.

  “Awful,” Melissa breathed taking a step away from the window where she stood by Luther and Dani. Her face was full of horror and disgust, but she did not turn away from the fight before her.

  And neither did Cassie, though her stomach rolled with nausea. A gag escaped her as Devon grasped hold of its head, twisting it with enough force to rip it off. Dani heaved as she spun away from the window, racing toward the bathroom. Cassie’s hand tightened on Chris’s, she needed his support, his strength, his unwavering support as she tried to assimilate the vicious killer out there now with the one that she loved so completely.

  Liam shoved his creature aside, leaping forward to help with
the two still trying to battle Devon and Julian, but it was obvious that it was going to be a losing battle for the hybrid monsters.

  Deadly. That was the only thing that Cassie could think and see now. Devon and Julian were deadly, cold, blood thirsty, and so very good at destroying life. Though Liam was out there with them, he did not have the murderous zeal that obviously radiated from Devon and Julian. He did not seem to relish in the kill the way that the two of them did, nor was he as good at it.

  She shuddered, wrapping her arms tight around herself. From her little hole she watched as Julian and Devon took the next one down. Julian pressed his foot tight to the creature’s throat as it squealed and squirmed wildly. She couldn’t watch anymore. Couldn’t take anymore, and yet she could not look away, not until she knew that Devon was safe. Not until she knew that the man she loved came back to her, but she was beginning to think that would never happen. She was beginning to fear that man would never return to her again.

  The monster that Liam had been battling scurried back to its feet, but it did not jump back into the fray. Instead, it scurried away into the shadows. Cassie watched it, her eyebrows furrowing as she leaned closer to the small hole, trying to discern where it was going as it disappeared into the night.

  An uneasy feeling filled her. She had never seen a Halfling back down from a fight, even when they were losing. They didn’t have enough reason to realize that they were going to be killed. Or did they?

  A shiver raced down Cassie’s spine, a chill filled her veins. Maybe these things had more reason and sense then they had attributed to them? If that was the case then things could become a lot more difficult, and a lot more deadly, than they had anticipated.

  She turned back to the window as Julian and Devon easily removed the head of their victim. Cassie’s lip curled in disgust. She took a step back from the window as the three of them turned toward the remaining creature. It was still squirming and squealing, trying to crawl away from the spot where Julian had left it.

  She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as she took another step back. She couldn’t watch anymore. Bowing her head, she tried hard to withhold the tears and nausea boiling through her.

  The hair on her neck and arms suddenly stood up. A chill encased her. She glanced toward the front door. Annabelle was standing on a chair in order to peer out through the small glass window in it. The only window that had not been boarded up. The only window that they had not made a change to. The others had been boarded, or blocked, under the assumption that these creatures would be too far gone to notice the difference.

  Devon, Julian, and Liam had exited the building through one of the small windows in the basement so they wouldn’t be seen. The window led to the small alley between this building and the bank. They had never bothered with those small windows as the basement was under the trap door that they had barricaded. But after the three of them had gone outside, the barricades had not been put back in place. They had been left open so Devon, Liam, and Julian could make a swift retreat back to the basement if it became necessary.

  No one had thought the creatures would be smart enough to figure it all out. No one thought that they would discover the tiny windows below. They were wild, crazed, and incapable of thought. But what if they retained more reason and intelligence than they had thought? Cassie wondered again. What if the monsters had known all along that they were inside this building, blockading themselves, preparing for a fight? What if they had expected this kind of a trap, and had laid one of their own?

  The thoughts ran rapidly through her mind, but she was dismayed to realize that she already knew the answers to all of them. The monsters were not mindless, in fact they were cunningly smart, deceiving, and so very deadly. She knew that she had to turn around, knew that she had to see what was behind them, but her feet felt like wooden blocks. Her legs were as heavy as lead. She didn’t want to see what her mind and body already knew.

  Gathering her courage, she turned her head slowly, her eyes searching the dark room. Behind where Joey and Patrick sat in their chairs, behind the shelves with all of their goods, shadows hunkered amid the darkness. Though they were still mostly hidden, she could discern their hulking shapes and reddened eyes as they glared across the room. She could make out eight of them, but there could be even more in the back, or still down below. A pulsating hunger and excitement radiated from them, seeming to fill the room, though she was the only one that had noticed them so far.

  Afraid that any movement would immediately draw their attack, Cassie remained frozen, barely breathing. They had weapons gathered by the windows, but she didn’t think she would have enough time to get her crossbow, let alone fire it, before the creatures were upon them. She wasn’t even certain she would have enough time to warn the others first.

  Taking a steadying breath, Cassie remained unmoving as she whispered to Annabelle. “How are they doing?”

  Annabelle didn’t look at her, but she could feel her confusion over the fact that Cassie was no longer watching. “Another one has arrived, but they’re ok.”

  The creatures would probably keep sending one or two in at a time in order to keep three of the stronger fighters occupied. Though she knew now that these monsters had enough sense to realize it was probably a suicide mission, they would do what the larger group wanted. They would sacrifice themselves in order for the others, more than likely the leaders, to feed and murder. Cassie shuddered at the organization, the brutality of it, and the thought process that had led them here.

  Patrick had said that they did react, but only when murder, mayhem, and feeding were involved. Apparently even he had underestimated these creatures, to what might be all of their ultimate downfalls. They shifted slightly but did not attack. She didn’t know why they were waiting, they knew that she could see them, knew that she was watching them, but they remained immobile.

  What were they doing? She wondered frantically, trying to get into their thought processes, trying to understand what was going on. But she could not understand them, it was impossible.

  “Ok, ok good,” she breathed. “Annabelle, get away from the door.”

  Annabelle shot her a look, and then froze. She turned slowly, her hand resting against the door as she moved on the chair. Her strawberry curls fell around her shoulders, her rosebud mouth parted in surprise, but she did not move. Beside her, Chris froze, his hand tightened around the curtain to the point that Cassie thought he was going to rip it from the window. Luther stiffened, but did not move. Melissa turned slowly, her onyx eyes, as dark as the room, widened in shock.

  Though they were all aware of the monsters now within the room, the creatures still did not move. Patrick and Joey had turned in their chairs, their mouths dropped; terror was etched onto their features. Where was Dani? Cassie’s gaze darted past the creatures. She could not see the bathroom that Dani had bolted into, Cassie didn’t know if she was still in there, or if these monsters had gotten to her first. Though Cassie still did not trust the girl, her power would come in handy right now.

  Very handy.

  “What are they doing?” Melissa whispered.

  Cassie had no answer for that. She found it more terrifying that they weren’t moving, then if they had already attacked. And then two more emerged from the dark. Cassie’s heart flipped, panic gripped her hard. She could barely breathe. Ten on seven. The seven of them were strong fighters, if Dani was still alive, but these odds were far worse than she would have ever wanted.

  And yet they still did not move.

  “There’s more,” she breathed in horror. “They’re waiting for them.”

  Chris cursed violently; he finally released the curtain as he spun toward them. Patrick and Joey began to make horrified sounds as they bounced their chairs back, all pretense’s at trying to stay unnoticed forgotten in the face of these numbers. Cassie spun, they could not wait for them to attack their numbers would only swell if they did.

  Hefting the crossbow, she slid a bolt expertly in
as she heard the sudden explosion of movement behind her. They were coming, and they were coming fast. She spun back around, taking aim at the first one coming at her. She fired swiftly; the bolt was off target as it slammed into the creatures shoulder, barely knocking him off of his onward rush.

  Annabelle leapt off of her chair, lifting it quickly she used it like a lion tamer as she slammed it into the chest of the one rushing at her. It fell back a few feet before lunging forward again. Cassie managed to get another bolt into place, taking aim she fired it, finding satisfaction as the bolt hit home. The creature made no sound as it fell back, its hands clenched its chest as it began its death wither upon the ground.

  Cassie froze; her mouth dropping as the creature continued its silent death throes. “Jesus,” Melissa whispered, stunned into immobility too.

  They were being silent, even in death, they were being silent. They wanted to keep this attack as quiet as possible. The thought process that went with that fact was staggering. For a moment no one moved as they tried to blend this new information in with what they had thought they’d known. Even Joey and Patrick had frozen; their mouths were wide as they stared at the creature that lay upon the floor, silenced forever now.

  What were these things? Cassie wondered, trying hard not to completely unravel. Were they more human than they had all originally thought? Or were they even more demon? If they were more human should they even be killing them, or should they be trying to save them?

  She didn’t have time to weigh those questions out; these creatures would not give her that time. Fear for her own life far outweighed the guilt, and doubt, that flared through her as the rest of the creatures raced toward them. Shocked into immobility by the creatures silent death, Cassie had not thought to reload her crossbow. Lifting it high, she slammed it hard into one of the monsters chests as it reached her. Using the crossbow as a barrier, she held it off of her as she struggled to regain control of this awful situation.