by Amy Miles
The human side of me feels weak with disbelief at this rationale. Three lives have been needlessly snatched away before my very eyes and I did nothing to stop it.
Could I have stopped it? I honestly don’t know. All that matters is that I didn’t even really try and that terrifies me.
“What is this gift?” I ask as we approach a small riser and mount the three steps. Upon the stage are two chairs and Cable motions for me to sit down.
As I take my seat, I try to block out the sounds of chewing and the clicking of jaws and now that I will never get used to that sound. I don’t care what Cable says. I won’t be like him.
“Shield your eyes,” Cable warns just before he places a hand over my face. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust when a dim red light appears before me but when they do, I see a sight that makes my stomach twist and my pulse race with bloodlust.
There, tied up less than fifteen feet from me, are Iris and Brian. They hang from a metal lighting pole with their feet barely touching the floor and their wrists bound above their heads.
“How did you find them?” I ask, scooting to the edge of my seat. I had not expected this.
“They were trying to escape.” Cable looks over at me. “After the ruckus they caused down in the lab I suspected that you would like the chance to see them again.”
He is right but not for the reasons he thinks. Do I want them dead? Oh, yes. Revenge for the needless and horrific deaths of the patients of the ward would be justice, but I ultimately want to see their end for peace of mind. I need to know that no one will ever use my blood to damage another human being in an attempt to create a superior race.
Brian strains against his bindings but Iris remains still, her eyes searching mine in the dim light and I am instantly back in the lab under her microscope. Anger flares within me, warming my belly as I think about the wrongs she did to those poor, innocent people. They were humans just like her, with lives and a future and she stole that from them.
“What do you intend to do with them?” I ask.
Cable smiles and places his hand over mine in my lap. “They are yours, Avery. Do whatever you wish with them.”
The sensations that his words birth within me are both frightening and foreign. I have killed my fair share of humans and Withered, but they were scum and not fit for living in this new world with decent people. Staring at Brian and Iris now, I know that they are the same and yet these deaths are not related to an immediate need for survival.
Can I justify their death now on the basis that I will be saving lives in the future? I don’t think that my conscious could live with that.
If released from here I know that they will only continue to kill, mutilate and repeat until they perfect their experiments. The trouble is, all their genetic manipulation would do is create abominations, just like the ones we saw below. Whatever it is inside of Cable and I, along with the others that he claims to feel, it is natural. Something made within us by God or Mother Nature. It is not something that can be manipulated or grown.
This much I know with certainty. .
“They deserve to die,” I say loudly enough for both Brian and Iris to hear. Brian twists in his bindings again and tries to plead for his life around the gag shoved in his mouth but Iris smiles.
“And excellent choice,” Cable approves.
“I’m not finished.” Rising from my seat, I look beyond the two prisoners and spy the generators for the first time. I know little about machinery but they looks beyond repair, having been to a twisted heap of metal.
There is no way to get the lights back on. No way to funnel the Withered back out of the doors and into the glass atrium and no way to communicate with Nox.
I am trapped.
“The sins of these people are great. Many have suffered and died by their hands,” I say. “I demand blood from each of them by my hand.”
Cable’s face brightens with delight. “Excellent.”
Turning to face him, I release a slow breath. “I choose death by fire like the witch trials of old.”
He cocks his head to the side. “Burning at the stake?”
“Yes. Let their flesh be the fuel that sends those souls piled in the hallway to the afterlife.” I stretch out my hand to him and smile. “Will you allow me this, Cable?”
Rising to his feet, he pulls me close and I press into him. “I would give you the world if only you would stay by my side.”
The first touch of his lips against mine sends a chill running through me. His skin feels normal to me, unlike the burning heat I felt with Nox. It is a solemn reminder of how similar we are, and how distinctly different I am from Nox.
The Cable I knew would never have allowed such a thing to happen, especially not by my hand. He would have fought against this injustice instead of organized it. He would have killed for me so that my hands would remain clean. Now he is eager to see me spill blood.
Lifting his head, he brushes his fingers across my lips and smiles. It is that genuine, open smile that makes my heart clench with doubt. Could the man that I loved have survived the mutation and has simply been lost, wandering alone searching for me for too long? Is there a chance that I could save him from himself?
“I have missed you,” he whispers and presses his lips to my forehead.
Closing my eyes, I answer honestly, “I never thought I would see you again. I hoped to find a cure, to find a way to bring you back, but—”
“Shh.” He wraps his arms around me tight. “I’m here now. That is all that matters.
It isn’t all that matters and I remind myself of that. Although there may be a sliver of hope that I could resurrect the Cable that I once knew from the monster that he has become, I know that the man whose arms I stand in now is dangerous and should not be underestimated.
No one is coming to save me now. If I want to survive, I have to do what I’ve always done...rely on myself.
NINETEEN
I knew that the fire and smoke would attract attention. What I didn’t plan on was that I would struggle to look straight at the flames just as much as every Flesh Bag around me. The longer I remained in the dark, the more accustomed I became to it and the more at home I feel in the dark.
I watch as Brian and Iris are dragged out of the ballroom by the ropes binding their hands and feet. Carpet burn is the least of their concern as they are tossed toward the towering mound of bodies.
The stench of feces, blood and death are potent in my nose, far more so than my first trip by the pile.
“Which one will go first?” Cable asks, pacing slowly in front of the pair.
Brian’s fear is something palpable that Cable feeds off of. Like a drug long since purged from a junkie’s body, I close my eyes and savor the faint whiff of pleasure that comes from Brian, as if some part of me remembers what it felt like to savor it.
Yes, I have killed in the past but there was never a euphoria surrounding the death like this. This is an adaptation that I will have to strong arm into check if I want to maintain a normal life.
“I choose the man,” I call out, deciding that though is death would give me less satisfaction, the risk of him remaining alive any longer places me in a precarious emotional state. I turn away from him and inhale a short breath in an attempt to clear my senses but the space is too overwhelmed with death.
Though Iris’s insanity holds a great potential threat, Brian’s know how and research worries me more. He can recreate his plans that he worked here. His death minimizes the risk of reproducing what happened here.
Glancing all around me, I wonder what happened to the psychotic Dr. Wiemann. Did he survive the attack or has be too been added to the pile? Surely if he had survived, Cable would have brought him here for the execution festivities.
Brian grunts and bucks as Cable reaches down and easily picks up the middle-aged man as if he were not
hing more than an unruly toddler. Cable’s muscles ripple but show no sign of strain as he hoists the two hundred pound man up and onto the base of the funeral pyre.
Several body parts tumble from above and strike Brian in the head as he struggles to worm his way off of his gruesome death bed.
“Do we have anything flammable?” I ask, delaying as long as I can. I look to the halls surrounding us but see nothing beyond the masses of Withered.
Where are you, Nox? If you are going to bust in and save the day, now is the time!
Cable makes a grunting sound and two groups of Flesh Bags separate from the pack and rush down the halls in both directions.
“Where did you send them?”
“To the kitchens.” Cable holds out his hand to me and I accept it with only a momentary pause to steel myself for his touch. It is confusing to long for his affection while at the same time be thoroughly repulsed by it. “It should only be a moment.”
I nod and then look over to Iris. Breaking off contact with Cable, I move to crouch in front of her and pull the cloth for her mouth. She licks her lips and swallows a couple of times before smiling up at me.
“I told you that evolution finds a way.”
“Yes,” I nod and toss the rag aside, “but not your way.”
She wiggles to free the hem of her skirt from beneath her. “I have faith that we will survive this.”
“The human race or Brian?”
“Oh no,” she laughs and places her bound wrists back into her lap. It is unsettling just how innocent she can look when she wants to. “Brian is as good as dead. He knows too much. We both know that, but you and I...we can change the world. You friend over there is just the beginning. With my resources, we can find a way to survive.”
Glancing back over my shoulder, I smile at Cable and then look back at her. “I’m pretty sure right now he’d rather just eat you.”
Iris’ pupils dilate and her skin pales but that is the only physical slip that reveals her fear. Leaning in close, I sniff her neck. “Yes, you are afraid. You should be.”
“You wouldn’t kill me,” she says when I lean back. “You need me.”
“For what?”
Iris’s smile grows haughty. “I know the location of every military facility on the east coast, both Safe Zone test sites and underground. If you want to save humanity you are going to need my help.”
“Safe Zone test sites?”
Iris tsks. “Where do you think we get our prime subjects from? They are handpicked from our labs and then brought directly to us. We can’t just keep picking up stragglers along the way and hoping for positive results. The time for reckless science has passed thanks to you. If these sites do not hear my voice in twenty-four hours’ time the Safe Zones will go into full lockdown and those who are unworthy of the testing will be eradicated.”
“That’s genocide!”
“No, Avery,” Iris leans forward. “That is progress.”
I bite down on my tongue to keep from snapping her neck right here and now. I know it would be easy to do. I saw Cable do it with Hadley and feel the same strength coursing through my veins.
“Avery,” Cable calls and I hear the approach of feet. “It is time.”
“I will be back for you.” I slam my fist down onto her right leg. The cracking of her bones and her yelp of pain helps to ease the anger seething inside of me only slightly. She will die but not before I dig that information out of her, with my bare hands if needs be.
“What was that all about?” Cable asks when I return to his side.
“It was merely the conclusion of a disagreement.” I clench a fist and wait for the shaking in my fingers to cease. I wish that I knew if it was from the burning rage inside of me or fear. At this point, it’s hard to tell.
When I return to the mound of bodies and Brian, I see that it has been drenched in some sort of fluid. Cable holds out a box of matches. “I’ll give you the honor.”
Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I see a fervor in him that scares me. Cable is eagerly anticipating this death while I just feel sickened by it all. Does Brian deserve to die? Yes, a horrible, gruesome death, but I feel no joy or excitement from it.
“Give me the honor?” I accept the match box. As I step closer to the mound, the scent of oil grows stronger and I turn back. “Is that what this is? An honor?”
“There is always honor is justice.”
Holding the matches up, I stare back at him. “I am about to murder a man in cold blood.”
“A guilty man.”
“True, but he is still a man. How long did it take for you to stop caring, Cable?”
He frowns and shoves his hands into his pockets. “I never stopped caring about you.”
“I mean about people.”
“Four days.”
I blink. “That’s it.”
He lowers his gaze to the floor. “That is how long it took me to decide to break out of the cave.”
My hand falls to my side. For the first time, I see a profound sadness come over Cable and realize how terrifying that must have been to wake up in a cave, sealed in with large stones and a bullet hole buried in the cave floor next to his head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He raises his head. “It only made me stronger.”
“But this is wrong. You must see that.”
“Is it?” He stares at Brian without a hint of compassion. “He hurt you. Death is the only form of justice.”
Finally, I fully grasp his line of thinking, as simple and uncomplicated as it could be. Brian hurt me. Brian must die. That is all that matters to Cable. There is no outside reasoning, no soul to tell him it is wrong or moral compass to guide his path. He is completely and utterly without humanity.
My heart breaks for all that he has lost and all that I stand to lose as I walk back toward him and take his hand.
“There is another way. We can find it, together. Just walk away from this and I promise I will help you.”
“Help me?” Anger flickers across his handsome face, contorting him into the monster I know now lies beneath. “There is nothing wrong with me and soon enough you will see that.”
Taking the matches from me, he strikes one and tosses it at Brian’s feet. As the man writhes and screams, trying to beat the flames back, Cable turns his back on him and faces me. “I will give you that one, but next time I expect you to do it.”
I follow his gaze as he looks toward Iris and feel my pulse quicken. How am I supposed to save her without alerting Cable to my indecision? Too many lives are at stake if she dies today. I can’t let that happen.
Looking out over the Withered, I stare across a sea of death. Even if somehow I find a way to overcome this horde, more will rise up. The mutations will spread like wildfire, sweeping across the country but will it be contained within our borders or does this conspiracy affect the world on a global capacity? Is there still a chance to come back from this?
Iris may know that answer. I suspect that she has a great deal of information that could be of use if only I can find a way to spare her life.
When Cable starts toward her, I reach out and take his hand, drawing him back. “Brian is the one who signed me up for his freak show experiments. Let me enjoy this for a moment.”
I turn to stare at Brian, using my hand to shield the brightness of the fire. His mouth is locked in an open scream but no sound comes out. His body twitches as the flames melt away his flesh and muscle. I force myself to watch and not give away the revulsion that I feel, but there is an undeniable sense of satisfaction as well. He tortured and killed so many. It is only right that he suffer now.
Within minutes, he will be nothing more than blackened bone and charred remains and I will watch every second of it if that means I can buy just a little more time for Nox to arrive.
&nbs
p; Cable smiles and places his arm around my shoulders and together we watch. The scent of burning flesh is strong in my nose but not unpleasant as I watch the Withered swaying back away from the fire, raising their shoulders just enough to hide away from the brunt of the light.
That is when I see movement in the ceiling. Just off to my right, barely within the edge of my peripheral vision, I see a ceiling tile shift. The movement goes unnoticed by Cable as he stares at the flickering orange and blue flames through the shield of his hand. The fire is immense as it climbs the oil trails higher to engulf the entire pile. The waves of heat force us to retreat several paces to stand in the cool once more.
“Did you see that?” When an odd puff of green smoke shoots up from one of the Flesh Bag it grasps Cable’s captures his attention again and his face shines with morbid delight.
Making sure to keep my expression neutral, I strain to see the mop of unruly brown hair that appears upside and hanging from one of the tiles. It is Flynn.
Grasping Cable around the waist, I turn him so that he won’t see Flynn. I will have to find a way to distract the Withered if Flynn has any chance of aiding Nox’s team in an ambush. Although the zombies are wary of the flames and showing extreme care around the light, I know that it will not be enough to cripple them because their eyes have had time to adjust. I need to truly blind them long enough to let the Flynn and the soldiers play out whatever plan they have in place.
“It is so hot,” I whisper, fanning myself.
“Yes, you will find that many things feel different now. Heat, light, sounds, and smells are all amplified. It is truly an amazing thing,” Cable says and smiles as he tightens his grip around my waist. “I look forward to sharing each of these wondrous moments with you as you discover new abilities.”
“Why do you think we have changed so much?” I angle my body toward him so that when he looks down at me he won’t see the shuddering ceiling tiles as Flynn makes his way toward us.
“I suppose some part of us is trying to adapt to our surroundings. Do you remember how the Withered originally marched south? It was almost as if they were driven in that direction. My theory is that they were drawn to the heat.”
