Plague

by Matt James

  Jan rolled to his feet and looked for the creature, but didn’t see it. He then heard a resounding crunch as it landed back towards the empty gate, almost being thrown clear through the ravaged opening.

  Kel sputtered a curse and Jan saw why.

  One of the Nach’s talons, ripped off by the explosion, was lodged in Kel’s chest, protruding through his back. The man was calmly sitting, hands on the crossbar, slowly dying. With a peaceful smile, he looked to Jan, whispering the words, “For Dada.”

  Jan nodded and watched as Kel gingerly turned the Wraith around, and sped off into what would finally be his revenge. He let out a gurgled cry as he approached the mortally injured Wustenfuchs. Then, Kel and the creature were gone, replaced by another ball of light and a thunderclap.

  Jan was thrown against the rear of the truck. He bashed his head, against the bed’s door, blacking out.

  58

  As soon as Logan entered the garage he could hear all hell breaking loose outside. There was no doubt that his team was engaging some sort of hostile force. It sounded extremely close too.

  Did they even make it outside the gates?

  Leaving the others was a move he’d normally be against, but the enemy was trying to make its way inside. It was exactly what they were trying to avoid. It’s why they were going back out into the thick of it, to begin with.

  He slung open the door to the stairs and took them two at a time, quickly ascending the two flights. Then, slowly, he cracked open the door leading into the second floor and heard the roar. It sounded like a bear, but was as loud as a freight train whistle, reverberating through his head.

  “Fitz,” Logan said quietly, “you read me?”

  No answer.

  With a bang and a crunch, a section of the roof caved in, followed by the demon from outside. Logan dove behind a small wall that separated the entry walkway attached to the stairs from the second-floor catwalk.

  Generally, he wouldn’t have hidden, but fighting this giant by himself wasn’t an option.

  “Dammit, Gray,” Logan whispered again. “Where are you?”

  His ear bud crackled to life.

  “Be out in a second, mate. I’m going for a shower.”

  Shower?

  But then Logan saw the beast whirl around, almost finding him. He could hear it sniffing, testing the air. Logan was still caked in grime and dried out Nach guts, but also had on easily recognizable fragrances. Only a human wore cologne and deodorant after all.

  He went to stand, readying his only grenade but heard a clanging of metal on metal emanating from inside the bathrooms. Gray had said he was taking a shower, so Logan assumed he was hiding in them. But the clanging was coming from there? Fitz was baiting the beast to enter.

  Why? Logan thought. Did he have a plan?

  “Come on you bastard!” a voice yelled. “I just dropped the soap and am open for business!”

  Logan raised an eyebrow. While Fitz’s humor was usually a relief for most, right now, it was a little uncalled for and downright confusing considering the circumstances.

  Peeking out again, he watched the large, winged Nach sniff the air. It's six hellish red eyes settled on the direction of the bathrooms and it jumped straight at the wall between. Behind it was the showers and presumably Fitz.

  It landed on the catwalk hard, causing the sturdy metal to groan in protest under the monster’s considerable weight. Then, it struck the wall with its meaty fists. One after the other, it struck the concrete and steel partition, quickly cracking and destroying it. Logan didn’t even think a grenade could get through it if he had tried.

  He looked down at the SCAR, deciding if now was as good a time to use it, but Fitz told him otherwise.

  “Logan, you may want to get to cover and shut your peepers in about ten seconds. I have your pack in here with me.”

  “My pack?” Logan said to himself. Then, realization dawned on him. He had packed a satchel full of flashbangs which he took on the last trip in Kipanga. They didn’t need them, however, and he never put them away. Fitz had ten of them and obviously planned on doing something big with them.

  Logan searched for a place to hole up. He had no idea what would happen if someone set off ten of those things at once in such a small space. Whoever—or whatever—would be guaranteed to be blinded forever. The flash would be like looking into the sun while having your night vision on.

  The only place he could get to in time without being detected was back into the stairwell. The door would offer him some relief from the cannon blast of light they were about to experience.

  He pushed through the door just as the monster smashed its way through the wall, fully entering the showers.

  I hope you know what you’re doing, Gray.

  * * *

  “I hope you know what you’re doing, mate,” Fitz said to himself as he watched the creature obliterate the wall between him and it. It kicked at the remaining pieces, sending chunks of concrete flying into the tiled room almost hitting Fitz where he stood.

  He needed the thing to see him and attack before what he was about to do worked.

  If it works, he thought, watching from the center of the room.

  He stood knee deep in one of the boiling hot Jacuzzi tubs. Normally, he would have enjoyed a quick dip, soaking his beat body while reading a Bishop novel. They were his favorite. He especially loved the perky no-nonsense Raven chick. She was a sassy thing, Fitz’s type.

  He and the monster made eye contact, causing it to sneer. Fitz did his best not to piss himself again, but since he was severely dehydrated he knew it wasn’t possible. Even the excessive heat in the bathroom was causing his eyes to dance and his brain to swim.

  He shook his head and got ready, clearing his blurring vision some.

  Then, the devil attacked, lunging headlong. He came to an abrupt stop, hitting the ceiling.

  It was the delay Fitz needed to do what he planned.

  He hefted the duct tape wrapped ten-pack of flashbangs and yanked a zip tie he had attached to all ten pins. They sprang into the air in unison as he lobbed the light bomb straight at the bastard’s head.

  With the form of a drunk party guest, Fitz jumped, cannonballing into the churning waters of the hot tub. He hoped the water would muffle the light and sound.

  As soon as his knees hit the bottom, he curled into a ball and blew the air from his lungs. Then, he got punched in the stomach by an unseen force. The flash wasn’t too bad for him, but he was guessing it must have been for the beast. He could hear its cries, even from under the agitated water.

  With little time to waste and no air, Fitz pushed off from the bottom of the tub, climbing out. He grabbed his Mossberg from under a large pile of towels. He wasn’t sure if it would identify the weapon, so he decided to play it safe and hide it.

  The giant writhed in agony, bashing into anything it could, swiping at whatever it could find. It's six eyes were black and smoldered like lit coals. There was no way this thing could see.

  Can probably still smell me, though.

  Cautiously, Fitz edged the left-hand wall and fled down the main entrance of the bathrooms, passing the sinks, mirrors, and stalls, readying himself to initiate phase two of his plan.

  It’s time to light this bastard up.

  59

  Logan was about to charge out of the stairwell rifle up, ready to engage the monster, but the disheveled forms of Jan, Mo, Zeus, and Ares arrived halting his attack. They had all retreated to the garage, rolling down the door, and locking it. Once the front gate was gone, they had no choice but to fall back and regroup. Plus, their main firepower was down. The roof team had been wiped out.

  Except for Fitz.

  Logan watched as Jan, who was dazed and badly wounded, brought up the rear, dragging himself up by nothing but pure will. He was worse off than all of them now, having lost a considerable amount of blood from his shoulder wound. Zeus had looked it over and compared it to a bad chemical burn. It would hurt like a bitch for
a while, but it wouldn’t kill him.

  “Jan,” Logan said, “fall back to the basement and wait it out with CJ and Adnan. They can look after that injury better than we can.”

  The German was about to argue, but he nearly doubled over in pain. He relented and nodded his head in agreement. He then slowly limped back down the stairs. The hatch to the basement was in a false closet. It only contained a ladder that descended three stories. Jan would need to take his time and grit his teeth, but Logan knew he’d make it.

  “Okay,” Logan said to Mo, Zeus, Ares, and…

  “Where’s Kel?”

  Mo just looked to the ground and shook his head. “He got his revenge.”

  Biting his lip, Logan breathed in and out, slowing his pulse.

  Another man down.

  “Let’s move.”

  He flung open the door and spied a bottle flying through the air. It struck the beast and burst into flames, coating the thing in the flammable alcohol. The fire quickly enveloped the creature, causing it to roar.

  Logan saw Fitz behind the bar about to light another Molotov cocktail. He smiled at the man’s ingenuity. First the flash bomb, now this. Fitz was truly a fighter who thought on his feet.

  The four men stepped in and let loose with a staccato of gunfire. It echoed horribly through the round room, bouncing off the concrete walls and steel catwalks.

  No wonder we don’t allow gunfire in here, Logan thought. The real reason was safety, but the way the room amplified the sound was excruciating.

  Fitz paused from lighting his next fire bomb and joined in on the assault, but the Nach was far from overwhelmed. It jumped into the air, buffeting them with a strong gale of wind, knocking them to the ground. The pause in the men’s attack was all it needed to recover.

  Though blinded by the light of the massive flashbang, it still had its other senses—primarily scent. Its ears were probably shot from the concussion too. At least Logan hoped it affected the monster’s hearing like any other living thing.

  “Split up!” Logan yelled, running right, towards Fitz. As he ran, his friend unloaded a couple of slugs into the creature’s torso, before ducking and leaping away from a wing as it spun to meet his advance.

  Logan followed suit, rolling, feeling the membrane of the bat wing drag across his back. If it had been one of its foot-long claws he may have been cut in half. Either way, it threw off his maneuver and caused him to roll towards the edge of the catwalk.

  Unable to stop his forward momentum, Logan banged into the railing and flipped over it. He reached out and grabbed the middle bar as he fell, halting the plunge beneath the elevator’s platform.

  Ugh, he thought, feeling what had to be a broken rib. The metal rail was the final bump his body needed for something to finally give. Fitz’s hands appeared a moment later as he started dragging Logan back over the rail.

  The brutish Nach turned towards them, hearing Logan’s body clang off the metal. It stepped forward tilting its head back and forth like a dog would. Then, it sniffed, finding the two men immediately, looking blindly at them.

  It raised one of its large hands, preparing to strike. They would die together if it connected. Logan knew Fitz wouldn’t let go, and he knew if the roles were reversed, he would’ve done the same too. It would’ve been like condemning your brother to death. Neither man would be the one to do it.

  The blow never came, though. The monster paused at the sounds of gunfire, twitching as the rounds found its back. The shotgun booms echoed around the room and Logan knew they connected with something vital because the giant flailed and turned, meeting the more dangerous enemy head on.

  Mo was halfway up the stairs between the second and third levels, firing from a higher position, shotgun in hand. He was the one apparently causing the most damage.

  “Go,” he yelled at the Americans but pointing to Logan and Fitz. “Help them!”

  Mo then turned his attention back to the demon. “Shetani! Follow me you devil!”

  The Nach stopped mid-roar at the word. Logan wasn’t sure if it understood the name. He really didn’t care about anything right now, other than surviving, and it was the break they needed. Zeus and Ares came to his rescue, helping Fitz haul him up and over the rail. He crumpled on top of the three men in a pile of tangled limbs. The landing was awkward, increasing the pressure on his already busted ribs.

  “Up here, Shetani!”

  Logan looked up and found Mo on the third floor just in front of the Observation Deck doorway. The Nach was right behind him, climbing the walls. He watched as the creature stabbed the solid concrete, claw first, burying them in deep enough to gain purchase on the smooth surface. Then, like an insect-monkey hybrid, it climbed, pursuing the foe that taunted it.

  Dammit, Mo, Logan thought, getting to his feet.

  He keyed his radio. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I will lead it outside and take Kipanga. There is no way it can fly as fast as our bird can, but I will need time to get her started.”

  Logan looked at Fitz who shrugged.

  Dammit.

  “Alright, we’re coming up behind you. Haul ass and get in the air.” Logan turned to Fitz. “Grab a few more bottles of booze. We need to distract it long enough for Mo to get airborne.”

  Fitz dashed into the living area, grabbing three more bottles. Logan, Zeus, and Ares, quickly made for the stairs, firing as they went. The beast slowed but didn’t stop, swatting blindly at the bullets. Logan doubted they were doing any real harm, like King Kong on top of the Empire State Building, but at least they appeared to be annoying it enough for it to temper its pursuit of their friend. Mo easily climbed through the large hole that once held the roof access hatch, scrambling over the loose rubble.

  As Mo’s foot pushed off the top step, the ladder dislodged and bent away from the opening, weakened from the demon’s entry. Logan knew that any kind of retreat for Mo was now impossible. He needed to get in the air immediately.

  They reached the third and final platform just as the Nach attempted to climb out. Logan aimed but stopped when Fitz yelled for them to scatter. They listened and watched a bottle sail over their heads and smash into the creatures back, setting its wings alight.

  It roared in anger and almost extricated its claws from the wall, but the ceaseless fire from the Delta men gave it pause. They may have actually given it a reason to flee.

  Logan couldn’t let it go. Even if Mo’s plan worked, it would be loose and he had no idea if these things could heal. Maybe, in time, it would fully recover and they would have to fight it all over again.

  “Back!” Logan yelled. He heard the telltale sound of the Blackhawk’s rotors kicking in. All Mo would need is a few more seconds. Logan needed to hit it with something harder.

  He pulled the trigger of his GL40 grenade launcher mounted under the main firing barrel of his SCAR rifle. It bucked and sent his last explosive straight into the creature’s back. It detonated, removing one of the wings and shredding the other. It wouldn’t be flying anywhere, anytime soon.

  It was catapulted into the air, just barely clearing the edge of the cracking roof. Concrete came loose and started slipping into the open roof of the Bullpen. A few of the larger pieces dropped like bombs, landing right next to Fitz. He yelped and backed away as the roof access ladder tore away, landing with a clang on the level below.

  “Shit!” Logan cried, watching the Nach flip ass-over-teakettle, landing with a boom above them. “Back outside. We need to give Mo whatever support we can from the ground.”

  Logan led the charge seeing Jan, CJ, and Adnan waiting for them below.

  “What are you doing here?” he yelled from above as he ran.

  “We were watching the live feeds around the compound,” CJ replied, Glock ready. Adnan was also armed with an identical pistol, but Jan was unarmed looking like he was fighting a fever. “The Nach outside ceased their assault once the other big one was killed.”

  Other big one? Logan thought. M
ust have missed that one.

  “Fine—whatever—just move!”

  They all ran like world-class sprinters, through the stairwell door, down the stairs, and out the previously locked front door. They quickly exited, bulling through the northern entrance, looking to the sky for Mo and Kipanga.

  Whup. Whup. Whup.

  The helicopter was off the ground, angling north straight over their heads. Mo had made it.

  What of the creature?

  60

  Logan watched as Mo and Kipanga glided away from the decimated roof. He wished his friend luck and prayed he would see him again.

  A roar echoed through the night sky, chilling Logan’s sweat soaked body. The monstrous form of, Shetani, the name Mo gave it, leaped into the sky, towards Kipanga and subsequently Mo.

  Logan reached for his earbud and tried to signal him to climb higher, but the creature was too fast. It lashed out blindly, miraculously grabbing the right landing strut, making the chopper list horribly to the side. Thankfully, Mo was a damned fine pilot.

  Kipanga’s engines revved harder, compensating for the extra weight, and leveled out as well as it could. It then, indeed, climbed higher, straining at the effort. It looked like he had the aircraft under control until the Nach started trying to make its way inside the rear hold.

  It punctured the sliding door with its free hand, gripped it, and pulled, snapping the heavy metal from its hinges like it was a twig. It sailed into the sky and arched…straight at Logan and the others.

  They dove back towards the building, but Logan went the other way, being farther out into the open. It landed with a reverberating GONG, just behind him, nearly clipping his boots where he now lay. Logan sprang to his feet and watched as the monster climbed in.

  * * *

  It roared, making Mo flinch and lose the stick. Kipanga, like a Mustang with no reins, flailed and danced to a song that Mo couldn’t hear. He snagged it, though, and did his best to keep the aircraft from falling out of the sky.