Void

by Kate Sander

  Pierre passed the message on then said, "Yes."

  Cathy sobbed but picked up her assault rifle. "For Annie," she said.

  "Kevin's got the bird three minutes out," Ramjeet said.

  "For Annie," Carter said.

  "Let's go."

  They rose and bullets flew around them from behind. Igor yelled and started pumping bullets into the trees.

  Carter, Cathy, John and Matty rose out of cover and moved towards the edge of the forest.

  Snow flew but they all found cover.

  Then, the bullets slowed. The air grew heavy and dense. Fog slowly rose from the trees to their north. That was Emily's work. But it drifted... slowly. Lazily. Confused. Carter turned, trying to find what was causing this slowing of everything.

  A man in full armour, like a fifteenth century knight, charged at him carrying a massive longsword. Dressed in black and purple, like the Ampulex, Carter tried to take a step back but his feet were heavy and stuck. With immense effort, he raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The knight's eyes went wide in his heavy metal helmet and he fell to the ground. It wasn't the gunshot that killed him. A feathered arrow stuck out of his neck.

  Senka was standing in the trees, the forest ended with her, opening up with a castle to her back, crumbling walls and a setting sun. Bow raised, her eyes went big when she saw him.

  Carter's breath caught in his chest.

  Senka stepped forward.

  Everything between them ceased to exist.

  She was here. It was all going to be okay.

  Bullets bit the ground around him as his team screamed and fired, desperately trying to defend their leader.

  Carter didn't care about anything but her.

  22

  Senka

  Things were going to plan, which unnerved Senka more than anything. Nothing ever went to plan in her life. Ever. But, they'd managed to make it through the dungeons without an incident and they only got lost twice. The cells remained closed, with the prisoners inside long dead from starvation.

  They hadn't had the time to feel sorry for them. This was war. A lot more were going to be dead before the day was done.

  "Okay," Senka said to the group at the door to the dungeons. "Let's hope that Sol and the rest of them are on time." And, with that, Ujarak heaved the door open with a yell, sending Tory, Senka, Akira and Eris through with their own battle cries.

  Kai simply walked through the door and stretched.

  Cries that were drowned out by the sounds of death in the castle.

  Sol's army was there, alright. As were the Ampulex. And both sides were out for blood.

  A Forsaken saw them tumble into the hallway and charged. Blood dripped down her face, fingers clawed at the ground, naked body so covered in blood and grime that you couldn't tell her gender. Senka didn't want to kill her. This was a person, after all. Once she killed Malin this woman would go back to normal.

  Eris yelled beside her and charged.

  Senka sighed and drew her bow swiftly. Aiming at the charging woman, she quickly asked forgiveness and fired, sending the Forsaken tumbling to the ground. Eris turned towards her, eyes fired up.

  "Trust me, kid," Senka sighed as she wrenched her arrow out of the dead woman's body. "You don't want that on your conscience."

  They ran down the hall and it opened up to a large outdoor square. Battle was raging. The drawbridge was lowered over the moat outside the castle to the city. Sol's soldiers were hacking away at the thousands of Forsaken charging them.

  One man lost his balance on his horse and was overwhelmed. The Forsaken dragged him off the horse and blood spurted into the air as they ripped and tore into his flesh.

  "Stick to the sides," Senka said. "We have to take care of Malin and Roald."

  "Coward," Eris said under her breath, but loud enough for Senka to hear.

  With a quick turn, Senka was holding a tanto to the teenager's throat. "They all die if we don't kill them. And the longer we stand here arguing about this, the more people die. On both sides. Come with me. Or not. I could care less. But I'm going to go and kill your precious Mother and Father whether you like it or not."

  Eris glared at her, then averted her eyes.

  "Let's go," Senka said.

  They ran out into the battle, trying their best to stick along the edge of the open grounds and find a way into the throne room of the castle. They didn't know exactly where Malin and Roald would be, but, given their lust for power, Senka figured that was a good place to start.

  Shrieks of the damned and metal clashed around them. An Ampulex General saw them and yelled something, extending his hand in front of him. Ice shot out of his hand, icycles as sharp as knives flying towards them.

  "DOWN!" Senka yelled. She dove towards Eris and pulled her to the ground, the ice buried itself into the brick behind them. Kai leapt towards the General and killed him quickly.

  Tory and Ujarak were back in sync and trying to watch their backs. Tory dove and fired an arrow, with Ujarak swinging at four Forsaken that were chasing the group.

  Senka looked around, determined to find them a quick way out of there. They needed to find Malin and Roald. Fast.

  An Ampulex General ran towards a Sun God who was trying desperately to defend himself against a surge of Forsaken.

  Senka aimed and fired her bow. As she released, the air got dense and heavy. It was hard to move and to breathe.

  This had happened to her before, it seemed like ages ago but it was only a few weeks. That day she'd watched the destruction of a full city without being able to do anything about it.

  Her arrow found the crack in the armour between the General’s back and his helmet. Falling, the air slowing down his movement so that it was in slow motion, a gust of cold wind hit Senka.

  Carter was there.

  What the hell?

  The wall and moat in front of her disappeared. Instead, a forest in the depth of winter loomed in front of her. Her group looked at the display, stopping to stare at the strange and unknown forest that appeared in thin air. They couldn't have moved if they had wanted to, the air was dragging them down.

  Carter stared at her. Dressed in winter camouflage, C8 assault rifle held out in front of him, look of pure and utter shock on his face.

  Their eyes locked. Senka wanted nothing more than to run to him.

  But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't. The barrier between times was thinning. They had to hurry or more than everyone on this battlefield would die.

  With the world at risk, and everything she ever knew or loved the victim, Senka wrenched her eyes away from her child's father. Taking a step away was the hardest thing she'd ever done. As was not looking back. The air cleared as suddenly as it had thickened and Senka knew that Carter was no longer behind her.

  "What the hell was that?" Tory asked her as Senka wrenched her gaze away.

  "It means we're out of time," Senka said. "Let's go."

  So they ran. Senka had to check her speed to make sure that the rest of them could keep up. Kai loped beside her, knowing that something was very wrong. He gave his warning growl, trying to tell her of the figure dropping from the wall above them, but Senka didn't notice. So lost in her thoughts of Carter and the baby, she was oblivious to everything around her, if only for a second.

  The figure dropped right down in front of them. Kai leapt to protect the distracted Senka. Senka gasped and skidded on her heels, trying to draw her tantos from her lower back.

  Kai whimpered as he crashed through the body, hitting the wall hard on the other side and falling to the ground dazed.

  Senka slashed out with her tanto before she realized it was a Melanthios woman she was attacking.

  A second longer and she realized that it was Black Eyes.

  Once she knew they were out of danger, she ran around Black Eyes without a word to tend to the stunned cat.

  "What are you doing here?" Tory said, running up to the ghost to give her a hug. Her arms passed right through and Bl
ack Eyes chuckled.

  Senka checked Kai over and was glad to see that he was going to be fine.

  A yell from the battle as an Ampulex General saw them and attacked. This time it was Akira who noticed and reacted. Dodging the longsword, she thrust with her katana underneath the chin and through his head, killing him.

  "We need to get out of here," Senka said. "This is taking too much time."

  "Follow me," Black Eyes said. "I found a way in." She turned and ran with the group following close behind.

  Black Eyes led them to an archway thirty feet down the wall. Inside was a sharp set of stairs. They took them two at a time, leaving the echoes of battle behind them.

  The stairs opened up to a hallway. A few feet down and there it was. The door that Sol had told them about. The door to the room of the council. The throne room. They skidded to a stop.

  High pitched laughter echoed around them.

  Guarding that door was a boy of about sixteen, with blond hair and a muscular build.

  And white eyes.

  23

  Carter

  Carter crumpled to the side as John tackled him to the ground.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?" Matty yelled at him, shaking his shoulders from above him. "We have to move."

  Bullets flew around them. The air was back to normal again. Senka was gone. She'd turned away from him.

  Carter knew why. Deep down, he knew they'd never be together again. But the pain of her tearing her eyes away, the raw pain of her leaving. Carter had just stood there.

  Carter smacked Matty on the arm and they scrambled behind a tree. Emily had done her job and the entire forest was covered in a thick fog.

  "Sorry," Carter said, feeling around his arm where a bullet had grazed him.

  "I saw it too," Matty said. An Ampulex walked by them in the fog and Matty shot him in the head. "Fucked up, hey boss? What's it mean?"

  "Means we're out of time," Carter said. "We have to make a break for it. You ready?"

  Matty snapped his fingers, lighting a small flame in his hand. Shooting Carter a wide grin, he said, "You bet your ass I'm ready."

  "Drones ninety seconds out," Ramjeet said in his ear. "You guys better get out of that forest. With Emily's fog Kevin is just going to blow the whole forest to holy hell."

  "Pierre you got that?" Carter asked.

  "You bet."

  "Three."

  "Two."

  "One."

  They left the cover of the trees. Igor covered their retreat with light machine gun fire and manic laughter. Matty, Cathy, John and Carter sprinted for the barn. Carter wasn't sure how the rest of the ZTF were faring. He hoped they were charging the barn as well. The more attack angles, the more chance they would make it into the barn.

  Plus, staying in the forest was certain death.

  "You think your fog will stop us?" the voice echoed as they were halfway to the barn. "You think we can't see you?"

  Carter shot randomly at the barn, hoping to distract whoever the hell was talking so much.

  He looked at Matty.

  "Almost," Matty said, gasping, trying to run and focus on his hands at the same time.

  "Thirty seconds," Ramjeet said. "You sure-"

  "Bring the fucking heat or so help me Ramjeet you will be back working at Tim Horton's before the weekend is over," Carter snapped.

  "DOWN!" Matty yelled.

  Carter, Johnny, and Cathy all dropped to their stomachs. Matty knelt and yelled, focusing all his energy on his hands. A fireball erupted. Screaming, eyes wide, light and heat reflecting off his face, he launched the fireball to the wall of the barn.

  Matty's aim was true. He was launched backwards as the wall exploded in fire and brick. Carter covered his ears, trying to guard his eardrums from the explosion. It didn't really work, and his head rang as the fog was blown away by the heat.

  Matty sure gave it his all.

  Maybe he gave everything.

  As Carter cleared his head, Matty's lifeless body came into focus only a few meters away. Blasted by the explosion, he was crumpled in a heap, limbs twisted unnaturally.

  Ringing in his ears. That's all Carter could focus on.

  Five or six Ampulex rushed out of the barn.

  "Carter," said a voice in his head through the ringing. Bullets flew around him. Carter managed to aim his green laser and tap the trigger. He missed, but sent the six into cover.

  "Carter," Ram's voice again. "You have to go in. We will hold this but you have to go."

  "No," Carter rasped, his voice sounding strange in his ears. "No, I'm not leaving you guys."

  "You have to go," Pierre yelled in his ear. Johnny was lying next to him. Carter caught his eye. Johnny nodded. He brought his gun up and started covering fire.

  Carter took a deep breath.

  An Ampulex stuck his head out of the hole. It exploded in a spurt of blood.

  "Lee's got you covered," Pierre said. "Now's your time."

  Carter scrambled to his feet and ran towards the wall. A few other Ampulex went down in front of him. Lee never missed. Carter shot twice more and made it to the hole in the wall.

  Heat and a cacophony of sound hit him as the forest exploded into a fireball behind him. Carter was launched into the barn. Air was sucked out of his chest as he hit a wall and slumped to the ground.

  It took all the energy and focus he had to stay conscious. The world was spinning and he was woozy.

  Fortunately for him, all the Ampulex guarding the wall were dead around him. A crackle in his ears. Carter weakly pulled the broken headphone out of his ear. He was alone and without comms.

  Blinking, he focused on the world around him. The entire wall had collapsed on itself with the explosion of the forest. Carter was alone in the Ampulex stronghold. Doing a quick self-check, he knew nothing was broken or damaged.

  His team, on the other hand...

  Not knowing if they were alive or dead, Carter dragged himself to his feet and pushed the emotion down into his gut. Now was not the time to feel anything.

  There was only one way to go down the dark hallway. As the lights flickered back on overhead with the low rumble of a backup generator turning on somewhere in the building, Carter moved swiftly down the long hallway.

  This barn was much more technologically advanced than the outside would let anyone believe.

  Carter reached a large overhead door. A flickering red light on the right side showed a place for a thumbprint to unlock the door.

  So, the only way to go was up the metal stairs to the second floor. The small clank of metal under his feet gave his position away, but Carter didn't really want any secrecy. They knew he was here. Now was the time for action.

  The second story consisted of a metal grate lining the walls and doors, leaving a waist high railing between the grate and the floor below.

  Light shone on the floor from a door at the end of the hallway.

  Carter stepped quickly.

  "No, I want you to kill him," Freudman barked at someone in the room. "No more of this playing with him shit. Kill him. Now."

  "Boss we've been trying but the old man won't cooperate."

  "Then make him cooperate," Freudman barked. "I want to know what they are doing. I want to know why he hasn't told us until now."

  Carter crept towards the open door. A door opened and closed somewhere in the room.

  Freudman sighed.

  Carter turned the corner, revealing a bedraggled Freudman standing in the middle of a small living room, holding a glass of scotch.

  Freudman's eyes went wide.

  "I suppose," he said, smoothing his face to hide the initial shock, "you want to know why I'm-"

  Bang.

  It's funny, how little physical effort it takes to pull a trigger. A minute amount of pressure, approximately five pounds. That's all it takes. Just five measly pounds of pressure exerted by your index finger on a trigger. And poof, a world class asshole isn't speaking anymore.

  He d
idn't have to be Lee to hit a target from three meters away. Freudman's head exploded as blood and brains spurted over his immaculately kept and expensive carpet and furniture.

  "No, not particularly," Carter said as Freudman fell to the ground, dead. "That's for Tomo and Senka you sick fuck."

  24

  Senka

  Senka paced carefully back and forth, trying to see a way through the teenager and into the room without killing him.

  "You're here to kill us," Malin's voice cackled around them, "but are you willing to do what it takes? Titus here is a Sol, the little brother to the man outside fighting your battle for you. You don't need him alive. Sol is here to take the throne."

  Senka paced and Titus' eyes followed. Back and forth, back and forth. Tory had her bow drawn and was aiming.

  "I could hit him in the leg," Tory whispered, "Try to incapacitate him."

  Senka shook her head. "He'd still most likely die. The infection control here isn't really up to par."

  Tory looked at her quizzically.

  "Never mind."

  "I could go in," Black Eyes said. "He can't hurt me."

  "He can't," Malin laughed, "but we sure can. Don't you remember our last encounter? We almost had you and Tory then. Come in here alone, I dare you."

  "What happens if you die?" Senka asked her.

  "I don't know," Black Eyes snapped. "What happens if you die?"

  "Fair point."

  Back and forth. Titus watched her.

  "One word and he attacks," Malin chirped. "A different word and he kills himself. People are dying. Tick-tock Zoya."

  "We have to," Tory said. "It's the only way."

  "No," Senka snapped. "No. I made his mother a promise. A long time ago. She gave her life to save this country and these boys. I'm not killing him because the situation would be easier. Not if I don't have to."

  "You're running out of time," Malin said.

  "Charge him, duck and weave. Akira, you're going to stay out here and fight. It's going to be a long time. You can't kill him. Even if you disarm him, keep him out there."