Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  He didn’t notice they were passing one of the city hospitals, but Karim did. He walked inside and swiftly tore off the head of the Hente waiting for them.

  The first aid room was situated on the ground floor, close to the exit. Such rooms were plenty around the city which served as the gates of civilization in front of the wild lands. But Karim’s knowledge about it was unexplainable.

  “Sit down,” the Hente pointed at the medical bed. “Is your lung damaged?”

  “Yeah…”

  “Then we need to get you to a human doctor, fast, but for the time being, a bandage should be enough.”

  While he was looking for the tools and medications he needed, Sebastian continued watching him.

  “Why didn’t you kill Alberta?” he finally asked.

  “What do you mean? Why did you even remember her?” Karim raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was still unusual to see him without any bandages on his face.

  “Because I’ve met you for the first time since then. You could’ve turned her into ashes in no time, but you let her fight Aeterni instead. Why?”

  “You’re forgetting about a very important circumstance: that!” Karim pointed at his eyes. “I can also see through my blood, but it’s not a full replacement to my eyes. My coordination gets worse, I have to move slower. Basically, when I don’t have my eyes, my power equals your maximal potential.”

  “But you restored your eyes… Aeterni told me you couldn’t!”

  “I couldn’t,” Karim confirmed. “Only our Mother decides when that should be done. She’s the only one who can rebuild our bodies like this. She believed I didn’t need my eyes for the Barcelona mission. But when I was sent here, she healed me. That’s how I managed to reach the border this fast.”

  “I know it’s none of my business, but… who cut your eyes out to begin with?”

  “I did. That was my order.”

  Sebastian didn’t want to hear the details. He knew he wouldn’t understand them anyway, because Karim lived by the Hente laws, but it was still creepy.

  Focusing on this, he could forget about what had happened to Aeterni. It was easier for him to think she was still alive, that she was out in those streets somewhere… or even in the wild lands, just mad at him! She couldn’t have died, and they’d meet again really soon.

  Karim got back to the medical bed. He cleaned the wound expertly, without really caring if his actions hurt the human or not. Sebastian didn’t complain, the warriors were taught to tolerate pain. Besides, the Hente was actually helping! After applying the medications Karim covered the wound with a silicon bandage that fixed the broken ribs and glued the torn tissues together.

  That increased his chances for survival greatly. Sebastian decided not to say that he didn’t need that survival anymore. He moved his hand over his face and looked at the black blood on his fingers thoughtfully.

  It would be right for them to die on the same day…

  While they were inside the hospital, the Hente were passing by the door all the time. Some of the creatures saw them, but none dared to enter.

  Their fear of Karim was obvious. They had never feared Aeterni like that.

  “What do we do now?” Sebastian asked.

  “We need to get you back to other humans. That won’t be simple. Judging by what I sense, ninety percent of the city has already been taken by Hente. There are one hundred twenty-seven of them in the city, plus fifty in the forest.”

  “Can you really sense them so precisely?”

  “And I can see them,” Karim added. “That forced blindness had only one positive outcome: I learned to see through my blood. On my way here I left my marks on some streets. All of these streets are occupied by the pack.”

  “And people?...”

  “Humans either left the city during the evacuation – or died. There are a couple of warriors left on the streets, but they’re retreating. They’ve been trying to distract the pack from the refugees.”

  Sebastian was supposed to be doing this too – but he failed. If only he knew she would come…

  He didn’t want to go anywhere. Why should he pretend he wanted to live when he didn’t? But if he stayed here, Aeterni’s sacrifice would’ve been for nothing. It was like an enchanted circle…

  While he was thinking about his next step, Karim turned to the window.

  “I can hear some strange noise… Engines, really powerful…”

  “Probably the helicopters from Barcelona, the backup for us,” Sebastian replied distractedly.

  “I don’t think so. I’ve heard helicopter engines before, and that’s not them. But the sound is coming from the sky.”

  Sebastian frowned, trying to understand what could possibly be approaching them. There was no functioning airport in Toulouse! And even if there was, the warriors would never choose that way to enter the conquered city.

  And then he realized what was happening and remembered there was a Hente by his side. They had mere minutes left to hide! Sebastian couldn’t dwell on his mistakes anymore, because he suddenly got a chance to return his debt to Karim.

  “No questions, and stay close to me,” he said.

  Unlike him, Karim didn’t have any problems with obeying orders. He was a perfect soldier, he knew this human was his ally, so he chose to follow Sebastian in silence.

  And Sebastian didn’t go to the exit. On the contrary, he was trying to remember if such buildings had a basement. He heard the sound from the sky becoming stronger, they were running out of time!

  There was no basement here. He had a minute to make up his mind.

  He pushed Karim into the scanning room and closed the door behind them. This room was more or less suitable for protection: it had no windows and an armed door. Originally, it was designed to contain the radiation produced by the machine. But now it could save the Hente’s life.

  Just to be on the safe side, Sebastian took the remains of his jacket off and used them to block the hole under the door. Karim was watching him with cold curiosity.

  “What are you doing?” he finally asked.

  “Aeterni cared for you, she didn’t want you to die. If we are to get out of here, we’ll do it together.”

  “I still can’t see how that’s connected to your actions…”

  “Planes,” Sebastian pointed at the ceiling, which was hiding the sky from them. “It’s one of the protection systems designed by the Hydrocompany. If a residential area is seized by Hente completely, they throw salt bombs on it. They pour a lot of water over the place, and, most importantly, create thick salty mist. When the bombs fall, most windows will be broken, and the mist will reach into the houses. That allows to kill more Hente.”

  “That’s smart,” Karim nodded. “I don’t think that can kill me, but it could’ve wounded me severely. You did the right thing.”

  “You bet!”

  The Hente didn’t say anything else. He sat by a wall, leaning over it, and closed his eyes. Sebastian stayed by the door, waiting for what would happen next. The wound in his back was throbbing with pain, but it was easy to ignore it now.

  They heard the explosion distinctly – or rather, five explosions. The entire building shook dangerously, and cracks appeared all over the ceiling, but it was the strongest damage done to the room.

  Now they had to wait. According to what Sebastian had been taught at the Seminary, it would take the salty mist at least ten minutes to dissolve.

  “That weapon is quite effective,” Karim commented without opening his eyes. “But not entirely lethal. Its destructive power would come to less than fifty percent. Sixty-eight Hente are still alive inside the city. Part of them are wounded, but they’ll heal easily with that much food at their disposal. The fifty Hente that were hiding in the forest haven’t been harmed at all, they’re heading here now to help their brothers. The planes are flying away, apparently they have no more bombs left. You won’t take the city back that way.”

  “That scheme was designed for cleaning small town
s. We didn’t expect to lose such a large city.”

  “You should be ready for everything.”

  Sebastian didn’t feel like arguing, though he strongly doubted they could be ready for this. How was he supposed to know Aeterni would come here? Here, of all places on the peninsula! Though she probably knew about that attack, and she came because of him…

  They left their shelter twenty minutes later. Just as Sebastian expected, the floor was covered with broken glass from the windows, and crystals of salt were sparkling on the walls. Sebastian was planning to go outside, but the Hente stopped him.

  “Wait! My blood marks have been destroyed by salt, and I don’t know what’s happening in the city.”

  “So?”

  “We’d better check it before we leave. We need to get to the roof.”

  The hospital was an old five-storey building. They used a wide staircase to get upstairs; they ended up in front of a locked door, but Karim broke it effortlessly. They stepped onto a spacey flat roof.

  The buildings in that part of the city were roughly of the same height, so they got a clear view on Toulouse from where they were standing. That view wasn’t inspiring…

  After finishing most of the warriors off, the Hente spread through the streets, looking for survivors. The explosion that exterminated dozens of their brothers didn’t scare the pack. Aeterni was right: the creatures that were part of one collective mind didn’t know what true fear was. Hunger meant more to them than death – and their hunger was never sated.

  “That’s it,” Sebastian kneeled on the roof. The exhaustion was taking its toll on him, his wounds ached stronger. “They’re everywhere…”

  “They’re not. We can use the river to escape.”

  “I’m not talking about our escape… Just… Why should we? They’re already on the peninsula, and they’ll start chasing refugees any moment now!”

  “That’s very likely,” Karim nodded. “They don’t need the city, they need food.”

  “I’ve seen what speed they can reach. They’ll catch up with the citizens in no time! And that worm? I bet it’s on its way to Barcelona!”

  “Giving up already?”

  “I’m not giving up… It’s not about me! It doesn’t matter what I think, because I’m not a soldier, not in my current condition. I can’t influence anything… And I don’t think I ever could.”

  “Can you skip your dark philosophy?”

  “I’m talking about the destiny of my species!” Sebastian replied sharply. “About all humans who live on the peninsula!”

  “And how is your whining supposed to help them?”

  “It’s not… I don’t know what can help them. But I want to know!”

  “This battle is a breaking point to all of us,” Karim stated, leaning over the railing. “If you lose this city, you will be destroyed – morally, at least. If you save it, you’ll crush Tsiara and Goar’s spine. I believe they managed to form such a huge pack only at the price of all their resources. It’s a great risk for them.”

  “But this risk paid off! They won…”

  “Aeterni told me you’re a clergyman. Haven’t you heard that depression is a sin?”

  “Are you mocking me?” Sebastian frowned.

  “Nope. I’m trying to tell that any battle is over only when one side is left on the field. But as long as the other side has at least one warrior, everything can change. The humanity hasn’t lost yet, and mostly because of you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Unions are made by rulers. But only those who give their soul away for something truly important can change the course of history. You have no great authority by human laws, but you have the gift that inspires others to fight for you. I know it’s confusing, and I’m only starting to understand it myself. But you’ll see…”

  “Are we leaving or not?”

  “I think it’s better for us to stay here.”

  Sebastian couldn’t understand why the Hente’s strategy had suddenly changed, and he was even frustrated by it, until he felt the ground shake under the building.

  It was coming again. They should’ve known. Tsiara improved her child, healed its body, turning it into a real weapon. But why was it returning now? The battle was over, there were only few humans left in the city! What did this thing want?

  The answer wasn’t truly important to Sebastian. The very mentioning of the enormous monster filled him with hatred he had never felt before. This worm killed Aeterni! That was all he had to know. And Sebastian couldn’t do anything, not only due to exhaustion. He would never be strong enough to fight such an opponent. He could only watch it – and accept everything.

  The worm broke through the asphalt by the river, appearing by the bridge. Not only its head moved out this time, half of its mighty body flew into the air – as if it was trying to touch the sun and grab it with its powerful jaws. When it reached its top height, the worm froze – without moving and without trying to attack.

  And that was weird! There was nothing normal or even logical in its behavior. All Hente were meant to do something practical, and that worm was no exception. Then why?...

  But things just got weirder. The huge body trembled, as if hit by spasms, its muscles were moving spastically under its tight skin. Wounds opened all over it for no apparent reason, blood was pouring out of them in streams… and the creature’s entire silhouette was changing.

  “But that’s impossible…” Sebastian whispered.

  Karim showed no reaction, he continued observing the creature’s agony emotionlessly.

  Finally the changes had stopped, and once the transformation was finished, the creature on the river bank didn’t look like a worm at all. It was something strange, bleeding, build with raw muscle – and its outline reminded of a human! A woman with long hair. And she was as huge as the worm had been…

  “Would you look at that,” Karim shook his head in disbelief. “She did it! And her plan sounded so wild to me…”

  “Is that… Aeterni?” Sebastian barely managed to say. The new creature had no face, but most of its features actually reminded of Aeterni.

  “No. That is Teresa.”

  The Hente from the pack were also shocked, but they got over it quickly. The collective mind already knew it had lost the worm. But its body was still alive, and now they had to destroy it, before it became their enemy.

  They couldn’t even reach the woman. Thin tentacles shot out of her body, breaking through the Hente like needles. Their hits weren’t random, they had to be aiming for the life cores, like Aeterni always did.

  A couple of Hente tried attacking her from rooftops, but that was a mistake. The woman caught them mid-air and smashed them between her palms carelessly. After making sure there were no Hente left around her, she made a step forward, looking for new prey. The earth shook under her feet…

  “How’s that possible?” Sebastian asked barely above a whisper.

  “Our Clan is different from the others. Each body can become a vessel to our Mother. Normally, to have their full power inside a new body, Mothers need time to transform it. But our bodies are already capable of anything, since Teresa uses a very complex method in creating them. Don’t look at me that way, that doesn’t mean I’m secretly a woman! My body simply possesses hidden resources only she can activate. When she had to heal my eyes, she shifted her mind into my body for a while and did it.”

  “But this worm… it’s not part of Teresa’s Clan!”

  “It was an experiment, and at first I thought it was suicidal. It was Aeterni’s idea… I’d never agree to something like that, her chances for success were lower than five percent. But as you can see, she has done it.”

  “Can you explain how she did it?” Sebastian asked. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the enormous creature.

  And it had already found new victims. In spite of its size, the newly born Hente was an amazing hunter. It seemed to be getting better control over its body. It was crushing the predators on the st
reets, dragging them out of the houses, catching them over distance with its tentacles. Their attacks couldn’t really harm it, the difference of sizes was too immense.

  “Aeterni let that thing swallow her to get to its life core,” Karim explained.

  “But how did she know it would swallow her?”

  “She was looking for it. And when Goar forced her to step into an open space, she understood what was coming. Basically, Goar unwillingly assisted her. Aeterni returned to the city to find you and get rid of the worm.”

  “But I saw… her blood…”

  “There’s a price for everything,” the Hente noted. “Her own body was seriously damaged when the worm swallowed her. But it wasn’t enough to kill her or even paralyze her. Once inside the worm, she reached its life core and blocked any connection it had with Tsiara. After that the worm was controlled by Teresa, who used Aeterni’s body. Our Mother’s gift for changing flesh is superb. She’s the only one who has it, and she has mastered it through the years of creating us. She’s used to complicated work, so changing this worm, which didn’t even have any bones, wasn’t too difficult for her.”

  “But Aeterni… What happened to her?

  “I don’t know, I’m sorry. That depends on our Mother.”

  The pack quickly understood that their new opponent was more dangerous than all human squads and bombs combined. They tried to escape, spreading through the city: some of them headed for the peninsula, while others fled to the wild lands.

  Teresa didn’t let anyone leave.

  Her tentacles caught up with the Hente that were trying to get to the peninsula. The tentacles were moving swiftly while the main body remained motionless; they found even the predators that were hiding deep in the basements. And when that threat was eliminated, the giant… jumped.

  The process was hypnotizing, and the result was tremendous. She crossed miles in a single leap, and the earth cracked on the place where she landed. The houses around her collapsed into dust, but it wasn’t such a great loss in the situation given. Most importantly, she managed to get her opponents: her huge hand covered the fleeing pack, smashing them into the pavement.