by Brandon Hale
“Or,” Abbie offered, “maybe the werewolf that infiltrated the base found out.”
“Maybe,” Wallace agreed. “Doesn’t matter now. What matters is the fact that they’re obviously using Leo as bait. They want her. They want a channeler.”
“And she’s on a plane right now,” Abbie said, “heading straight for them. I was a fool to let her go.”
“You did the right thing,” Wallace said. “She’d have gone with or without your permission. The question now is what are we going to do about it? We just told her how many channelers we have. If they get that information from her, we could be in serious trouble.”
“What’s worse,” Abbie said, “is that Scott was recently given the locations of our underground facilities. The ones in America anyway.”
“Scott’s a good soldier,” Wallace said. “He’ll kill himself before he lets it fall into their hands.”
“If he can,” Abbie said.
“Maybe they’ll keep their focus on Lily,” Wallace said.
“Are you willing to take that chance?”
“No,” Wallace answered. “Any suggestions?”
“Ordering her to turn around and come back isn’t an option,” Abbie said. “Especially if she sees that video.”
“Agreed.”
“Then I see only one alternative.”
Wallace cocked an eyebrow. “What are you suggesting?”
“That we go get her, of course,” Abbie said.
Chapter 18
The Fate of Leo Rosenberg
“What the hell is that?” Grung asked as he looked out the plane’s window.
The entire team was looking at the ground below. From their vantage point, it looked like a massive flood of something flowing toward the town beneath them. Even though it was the middle of the night, they could see that whatever it was had a pale white color.
“Vampires,” Scott said. “And werewolves. All of em running toward that town.”
“How many would it take to look like that?” Ellie said. “It looks like a solid mass.”
“Thousands,” Scott said. “Maybe hundreds of thousands.”
Lily stared in horror as the wave of monsters washed over the town. She was too high to see any real detail, but in her mind’s eye, she could see the terror in the faces of the people below. “We just lost the war,” she whispered.
Nobody said anything to contradict her.
“It gets worse,” Greg said from the pilot’s seat. “I’m getting nothing from the ground in New Hope. Nothing at all. If I had to guess, I’d say the same thing is happening there.”
“Is there anywhere safe to land?” Lily asked.
“We’ll know shortly,” Greg said. “New Hope will be in visual range any minute now.”
“Can we go back?” Scott asked.
“No,” Lily said.
“Be reasonable,” Scott said. “Look at what’s happening down there. There’s absolutely no way in hell he’s still—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Greg interrupted. “We can’t go back. Fuel.”
“Damn,” Scott grumbled.
“The Day Soldier airstrip at New Hope is about two miles outside town,” Greg said. “If they are attacking, maybe the airstrip’s clear.”
“How far is New Hope from New Castle?” Lily asked.
“About forty-five miles or so,” Scott said. “If we could find a vehicle, we could be there in an hour.”
“New Hope it is,” Greg said. “Not like we have much of a choice.”
“Maybe,” Ellie added, “New Hope isn’t hit yet. All we know for sure is they aren’t communicating.”
“We’re about to find out,” Greg said, pointing out the front window. “There it is.”
They all looked at the town below and immediately lost any hope that it was safe. Many of the buildings were on fire. Vampires and werewolves covered the area like ants on a piece of discarded food. As they got closer, they saw that dead bodies were scattered everywhere.
The town was lost.
“The airstrip looks more or less deserted,” Greg said.
“That’ll likely change when they see us land,” Grung said.
“We’ll have to move fast,” Lily said. “As soon as we’re grounded, we have to find a vehicle. Any vehicle. And we bust ass to New Castle.”
“When we land,” Greg said, “I’ll hide until they’ve moved on. Then I’ll try to get fueled up. Do you want me to wait for you?”
“Staying there alone will be dangerous,” Lily said.
“I’m a pilot,” Greg said, “not a soldier. Hiding there won’t be as dangerous as going with you. I’d just hold you back.”
“Fair enough,” Lily said. “Give us four hours, if you can. If you have to leave before that, do it.”
“I’ll wait as long as I can,” Greg said. “If I do manage to get fuel and take off, I’ll fly toward New Castle. With the invasion moving into human territory, the old Legion areas may be relatively clear.”
“Let’s hope,” Scott said.
“Okay,” Greg said, “strap in. I’m going in as fast as I can. This could get bumpy.”
As the plane closed in on the ground, Lily saw a small fueling station and what she guessed was a small radio tower. Two cars and a pickup truck were parked in front of the fueling station.
The plane’s wheels began to screech as it hit pavement. Lily looked at the others and, yelling over the noise, said, “When we stop, we’ll run straight for those vehicles. Greg, you hunker down here somewhere. If anything sees us, hopefully it’ll just assume we’re all running for the cars.”
“I got a storage container behind your seats,” Greg yelled. “I’ll crawl in there and hunker down for a while.”
As soon as the plane had come to a stop, Lily screamed, “Go!” and the team sprinted toward the vehicles. “Grung, check the truck! Scott, take the car on the right! Ellie…”
“I got the one on the left!” Ellie yelled.
Pistol in hand, Lily scanned the area. She ran to the front door of the station and kicked it open. As soon as the smell hit her, she ran back outside, fighting the urge to throw up.
“No keys here,” Scott said as he jogged toward Lily. He looked at her face and added, “What the hell is in there? You look like shit.”
“It’s the smell,” Lily said. “The inside is covered in blood and body parts. I think the Legion has been here and moved on.”
Ellie jogged up to them. “No keys in the other one.” She immediately flinched. “What’s that God-awful smell?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Lily said, “if Grung doesn’t find some keys.”
The pickup cranked and backed out of the parking space. Grung drove to the others, rolled down the window, and smiled. “Key was under the seat and gas tank’s full.” He lifted his sword arm. “Although, if we’re being honest here, one of you should probably drive.”
“Move over,” Scott said. Grung slid across the seat and Scott replaced him in the driver’s seat. “Room for one more up here,” Scott said.
Ellie climbed in the back. “I’m good back here.”
Lily joined her in the bed of the truck. “You know how to get to New Castle?”
“I’m the information guy,” Scott said. “I never go on a mission without finding all important inform—”
“Then go!” Lily yelled. “Damn, Scott.”
Grung reached back and slid open the back window of the cab as Scott pulled the truck onto the highway. “Next stop,” Scott yelled through the window, “New Castle, Indiana!”
“Trouble!” Ellie yelled.
Lily looked at her and saw that she was watching the road behind them. “Oh, boy,” Lily whispered as she saw several vampires and werewolves sprinting toward them.
“Hold on to something!” Scott screamed as the truck lurched forward.
Ellie was
trying to aim her gun at some of the creatures behind them when Lily yelled, “No!”
Ellie looked at her, confused.
“It’s a waste of ammo!” Lily said. “Let em get closer!”
Grung crawled through the cab window and stood between Lily and Ellie. “How many?”
Ellie did a quick count. “Eight werewolves and six vampires. Looks like the party is still back in town.”
Lily pulled out two wooden daggers. Grung flipped his weapon-arm to the wooden stake, then pulled out a pistol and held it in his right hand. Ellie dropped to her knees and steadied her arms on the truck’s tailgate as she aimed her own pistol.
“Should I slow down?” Scott yelled from the front. “If any of you fall out, it’ll likely kill you.”
“No!” Lily said. “No matter how slow we’re going, if we fall out, we’re dead. The road’s pretty straight. We’ll be fine!”
Ellie fired. “One down!”
Lily could see the pale faces of the vampires easily enough, but the werewolves were harder to spot in the dark. She spread her legs slightly to get better balance and held her stakes ready, trusting Grung and Ellie to take out the werewolves.
“Two!” Ellie yelled after firing another shot.
Grung fired, then yelled, “Dammit!”
“I thought you were the weapons expert,” Ellie taunted.
“Shut your face!” Grung yelled, then fired again. “One!”
The first vampire soared through the air and landed directly between them. Lily immediately slid a stake into its heart, then kicked it over the side. Two more vampires replaced it. Lily dropped to her knees and stabbed each stake into a different vampire. One of them turned to dust and the other’s skin rotted away until it was a skeleton.
“Damn,” Grung yelled. “Those two were old!”
“Yeah!” Lily yelled as she kicked the skeleton over the side.
“Three!” Ellie yelled after firing another shot. “I’m batting a thousand here, Grung! What about you!”
Grung popped off two quick shots. “Two and three!” he yelled. “My first shot doesn’t count. You had a brace!”
A werewolf leapt into the air and landed in the bed of the truck. Its weight caused the truck to bounce hard, which sent Ellie over the back of the tailgate.
Grung dropped his gun and dived toward her, catching her by the wrist just before she was out of sight. Lily dropped her stake and drew her pistol, immediately firing several shots at the giant beast in the truck.
The now-dead werewolf fell toward the back of the truck, hitting Grung who was holding Ellie. All three fell off the back.
“Stop the truck!” Lily screamed.
Scott slammed the breaks, sending Lily smashing into the back of the cab. As soon as the truck stopped, Lily picked up a stake and her pistol and leapt onto the road, sprinting toward the spot where Grung and Ellie had fallen.
Not worrying about the vampires for the moment, she fired at the giant black shape she knew was a werewolf.
And missed.
It was, however, enough to get its attention. The werewolf took a step back, preparing for a leap in her direction.
Before the jump came, Lily saw a flash of silver in the moonlight, then saw the werewolf’s head roll down the street as its body fell to the pavement. Grung stood behind it, his sword-arm covered in the werewolf’s blood.
“Behind you!” Lily screamed.
Grung turned to face the three remaining vampires, and with a flick, his sword was a stake. A split second later, he was pulling the stake from the chest of one of the vampires.
Lily was beside him a second after that and sunk her stake deep into the chest of the other vampire. As she pulled the wooden dagger from the creature’s body, she suddenly felt intense pain in her shoulder.
The last vampire had bitten deep into her shoulder and was drinking her blood.
Before Lily or Grung could react, the vampire released its bite and staggered back several steps. It had a look of absolute agony on its face as blood gushed from its mouth.
Did it drink that much blood from me?
Blood then began to pour from its nose. And its eyes. And its ears.
No, Lily thought. That’s not my blood. It’s his.
The vampire’s knees began to wobble, then it fell to the ground, convulsing as if it were having a seizure. Smoke began to rise from its mouth and nose. The creature thrashed wildly for a few more seconds, then went completely still.
Grung walked up to the dead creature. “What the hell is in your blood, Baxter?”
“I have no idea,” Lily said.
Scott jogged up to them and said, “It’s the touch. I’ve read about it, but always wondered if it was a myth. I guess it’s not. Vampires can’t drink from you. How does it feel to be immune to vampires?”
“Weird,” Lily said. She looked at Grung. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Grung said with a nod. “The dead werewolf broke my fall.”
“Where’s Ellie?” Scott asked.
Lily’s heart sank as she realized she hadn’t seen Ellie since the truck stopped.
“I threw her,” Grung said. “Soon as the werewolf hit me, I swung her around and threw her to the side, hoping she’d miss the road.” He looked up and down the road, then pointed to a small dark shape in the ditch. “There.”
Ellie was beside the road, on her back and completely motionless. Scott dropped to one knee and checked her pulse. “She’s alive,” he said. “Just unconscious.” He felt her arms, then legs, then stomach area. “Doesn’t seem to be any broken bones.” He placed his hand behind her head. When he pulled it back it was covered in blood.
“Shit,” Grung whispered.
“She might have a concussion,” Scott said. He pulled out a knife and cut off the sleeve of her jacket, then wrapped it around her head.
“Can we move her?” Lily asked.
Scott looked back toward New Hope. They could all hear the distant screams. “I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
They carried her to the truck and placed her in the back, using Grung’s jacket as a pillow.
“I think she’s okay,” Scott said. “It just feels like a laceration. Cuts in the head can bleed like a bitch.”
“Okay,” Lily said. “Let’s get moving. We’ll sit back here with her.”
Scott nodded and slid behind the wheel of the truck. “Next stop, New Castle.”
“That’s what he said the last time,” Grung mumbled as the truck began moving again.
“You’re bleeding,” Lily said. She was looking at his right shoulder.
“Just a nick,” Grung said.
“From what?”
Grung gave a sheepish smile. “Stray bullet.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “My bullet?”
“It was crazy back there,” Grung said with a shrug. “I’m fine.”
“Leo,” Lily whispered, “you better be okay. We’re taking some hits just to get you out of there.”
“He’s fine,” Grung said. “Or have you forgotten the most important thing about our team?”
“What’s that?” Lily asked.
“We always win,” Ellie answered.
Grung laughed, “Welcome back, kid.”
“You have one tough head,” Lily said with a relieved laugh.
Ellie sat up and looked at Grung. “That throw,” she said, “saved me. I owe you…”
“You don’t owe me shit,” Grung said. “We’re a team.”
“Welcome back!” Scott yelled from the front. “Take it easy back there. You still might have a concussion.”
“How long to New Castle?” Lily asked Scott.
“I’d say about forty to forty-five minutes,” Scott answered. “So rest up, soldiers. The main event is coming up next!”
***
The rest of the trip was uneventful
. Ellie seemed to be okay and there were no more attacks on the truck. Apparently, the Legion had completely deserted their former territory. Lily was relieved they’d made it to New Castle without another attack, but mostly she felt disgust. There were no attacks, she knew, because the Legion was busy assaulting the rest of humanity. More than once, she felt a surge of guilt because she was on a personal mission to save a friend instead of fighting in defense of humanity. And what was worse, she’d taken three fine soldiers with her.
“You look deep in thought,” Ellie said.
Lily looked at her and smiled. “Nah,” she lied. “I don’t have deep thoughts.”
“He’ll be okay,” Grung said.
“I know,” Lily said. “I just didn’t expect the assault on humanity to come so soon.”
“Don’t worry,” Scott yelled from the front. “There will be plenty of vampires to kill after we rescue Leo.”
Yeah, Lily thought, because they’ll be in control of the world. She looked at the others and saw in their eyes that they were thinking the same thing.
After a few minutes of silence, Scott said, “Welcome to New Castle.”
Lily stood up and scanned the empty streets as they slowly drove through town. There was no movement anywhere. The town was completely deserted.
The truck slowed and eventually stopped in the center of the street. Scott climbed out of the driver’s seat and walked to the back. “He could be hidden somewhere.”
Lily could feel her hopes slipping away. “We were stupid to come here,” she said. “This place is a ghost town. If Leo was here, he’s not now.” For the first time since they left Norfolk… maybe for the first time ever… Lily felt hopeless. She looked around the empty town, fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes. “He was all I had left, Scott.”
Grung put his hand on her shoulder, but didn’t say anything. Scott climbed into the back of the truck and sat on the side of the bed. “We can still look,” he said. “Just to be sure.”
“No,” Lily said. “Nobody’s here.”
“Somebody’s here,” Ellie said. Lily looked at her as she nodded toward the street in front of the truck.
A woman was walking toward the truck. She was smiling. “How in the hell did you get here so fast? We sent out that video like two hours ago.”
“What video?” Grung mumbled.
As the woman got closer, Lily recognized her.
Holy shit.
Lily drew her gun and jumped down to the street. “Where’s Leo, Tina!”
