Seed of Sin (An Urban Fantasy Horror): The Edge of Reflection Book 3

by Carver Pike

  “I…I don’t know what happened. I was hugging Lisa…and suddenly…I don’t know. It hurt so bad,” she explained.

  She looked at Vincent again, knowing that he’d done something to her. The pain hit at the same exact moment his fingers had brushed her stomach.

  Twig hugged her tightly and she whispered into his ear. “Vincent did something to me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She only shook her head, not knowing how to explain what she knew as the truth. No one would believe her. He was only a baby. An innocent miracle. She looked up to see that everyone was standing around her, worried, and waiting to see if she was okay.

  “I’m okay now. The pain is gone,” Tania assured them. “Maybe it was just a bad cramp.”

  She looked up at each of them, but settled on Bronc’s serious face. She saw him glare at Vincent, and knew that he too was concerned about the dark-haired child.

  ***

  The rest of the day was taken up by the treacherous journey. The horse-drawn carts rode slowly over rarely used trails. High up in the mountains, traffic didn’t exist, and most trails were managed on foot, so oftentimes they found their party having to go off-road. It was an action-free trip. No one attacked them. In fact, they didn’t pass one single person or creature all day.

  Gabe wondered if leaving their home was a wise choice. Maybe they’d jumped the gun. With the sun descending behind the mountains, he feared that their seemingly pleasant joyride may come to an end. The dark side was a place filled with monsters, demons, and insane images. With daylight being new to them, it was no wonder they hadn’t been attacked or questioned on the trails. Night was their time, and Gabe couldn’t help remembering the disastrous journey he’d embarked on with his old friends Dozier, Sergio, and T-Nate, back when he’d first crossed through the mirror. They’d been attacked every step of the way, so Gabe doubted his new group of friends would get far before a battle would ensue. Still, the dark forest remained quiet and seemingly peaceful, but for how long? That was the question.

  ***

  Back at the campsite, those who’d stayed behind were enjoying the same peaceful night, only theirs was full of regret. No singing or joyful laughter filled the air like so many of their previous nights. This time everyone sat quiet, looking depressed, missing their friends.

  Haylay understood how they felt because he felt the same way. He, Gabe, and Lisa had been a team since leaving the opera house in the Slums of York. Why he’d decided to stay behind was still a mystery to him. He just felt that it wasn’t his mission this time. He’d done his part and now wanted to live this serene life in Sanctuary. Still, his chest ached when he imagined the disappointment Gabe and Lisa must have felt when he’d refused to leave. Haylay tossed a log into the fire.

  “No one died, y’all,” he said. “They only went away for a little while.”

  “I feel like I let my friends down,” Segundo said.

  “I know how you feel,” Twig agreed. “Hawks was always there for me. I hate that I disappointed him.”

  Tania grabbed Twig’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

  “Hawks has been through much more than that,” she reminded him. “And he’s lived through it.”

  “He’s a tough son of a bitch,” Segundo agreed.

  Nita rested her head on her husband’s shoulder.

  “I’m sure we’re going to laugh about this later,” she said. “Pretty soon we’ll find out that we all overreacted and no one is in real danger.”

  Haylay sat upright. The others were chatting, oblivious. They hadn’t heard the distant sound of a motorized vehicle. He’d spent his whole life in the city, and he knew when someone was coming.

  “Shut up,” he ordered.

  “Geez,” Tania replied. “Rude.”

  “I’m serious. Be quiet,” Haylay said.

  The only sound was the flickering of the fire as it ate at the logs thrown over it. Then he heard it again, and Segundo did, too.

  “A truck!” Segundo said.

  “Up here?” Twig asked. “How the hell would someone get a truck up here? It’s too steep. Only a horse or…”

  “…or all terrain vehicles,” Haylay added.

  “Maybe it’s nothing,” Nita interrupted. “Everybody calm down. It could be a big truck far away, right?”

  A horse whinnied from somewhere behind the treeline, silencing Nita’s attempt to soothe the situation.

  “Is it Hawks and Gabe? Are they coming back?” Tania asked.

  The ground rumbled and shook. Another mamole trail made its way swiftly toward them, then stopped short. Out popped the head of a mamole, this one uglier than the ones they’d seen the day before. It sniffed at the breeze, then let out a loud SCREEEEEEEECH! Haylay grabbed the gun Segundo had insisted they each carry.

  Segundo raised his gun at the mamole and pulled the trigger. The animal’s head splattered and fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Engines roared to life somewhere nearby.

  “Everyone get to my cabin!” Segundo ordered.

  A four-wheeler ATV shot out of the treeline and skidded to a stop. Then a second and a third appeared. The riders wore dark threads covered with random bits of steel and hard leather, their faces painted with odd black markings.

  Behind them galloped over twenty horses with riders clad in the same makeshift armor. Only the helmets of those on horseback were uniform. They resembled devilish gargoyles with long black ears and pointed noses.

  One of the riders rode ahead of the others, marking him as the leader. Haylay noticed his helmet was different from the others. It was larger and more monstrous-looking with a snout and jagged black teeth

  Segundo gestured for his friends and family to get behind him. Haylay grabbed Twig’s arm and slowly backed up toward his cabin.

  “Halt!” ordered the leader of the army.

  Haylay whispered to Twig, “You know how to use that pistol at your hip?”

  Twig nodded.

  “If things get hot,” Haylay continued, “take Tania and get out of here. Do you understand?”

  He nodded.

  The leader trotted out in front of the rest of the army. Even his horse seemed evil, with cold night frost making it look like smoke rising from its nostrils.

  “My name’s Traven,” the leader announced. “We’re not here to hurt anyone.”

  The army behind him snickered and Haylay knew he was lying. They had every intention of hurting someone this night. And he vowed that he wouldn’t go out without taking a few of these sons of bitches with him.

  “Doesn’t sound like your army believes you,” Segundo replied.

  Haylay wished he could reach out and slap the back of Segundo’s head. What was he thinking, provoking this guy? The army rustled. The horses moved forward until Traven threw both of his hands out at his side. A couple of horses whinnied as their riders yanked back on the reins.

  “What do you want?” Segundo asked.

  “You…” Traven pointed at Segundo. His voice sounded strange, garbled beneath his large helmet, making him sound inhuman and evil. “…must be the father of this…” He looked from left to right, counting all those in the camp. He laughed twice and finished his thought, “…this, I don’t know what to call it…a tribe? What are there, five of you only?”

  “Yes, there are only five of us,” Segundo answered.

  “Hmm,” Traven said while glancing around the small village once more. “Yet so many cabins. Five cabins for five people.”

  “We like our space,” Segundo replied.

  “Enough of the games. Stop fucking with me. Where is the child?” Traven asked.

  Next to Twig, Tania began to cry, and Haylay wished he could toughen the girl up a bit. Showing fear was a bad idea with a group like these guys.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Segundo said.

  “Do you not?” Traven asked.

  The army moved forward until they were right behind him, and only about twenty feet from
Segundo. The guys on ATVs revved their engines and five other vehicles slowly made their way through the trees. They looked like snow mobiles. Each towed a large box on wheels, covered with a tarp.

  “Look, we’re living a peaceful life here, and I don’t…” Segundo began.

  Haylay felt like the world was in slow motion, like he was caught in one of his dreams where he tried to scream and move, but no sound came out and his arms remained heavy at his sides. He could only watch as one of the men in the Wraithen army pulled out a large, sharp metal star and flung it at Segundo, hitting him in the forehead.

  Nita screamed and fell to the ground with her husband, cradling him in her arms. His body twitched a few times but then went still. Nita cried out and buried her face in his chest.

  Tania reached for her mother, but Haylay held her back. Nita wouldn’t look at her. She was lost in her husband’s pain.

  Traven laughed out loud and signaled his army to attack. A large, beast-like man shot forward, pulled his sword, and plunged the blade deep into Nita’s belly. She coughed up blood but refused to let go of her husband’s hand. Her eyes remained open, staring up at the attacker with a look that begged the reason for this senseless violence.

  “Growler! Question her first, you idiot!” Traven ordered.

  “Where is the child?” Growler asked her.

  Nita gasped for air and began to tremble as she clutched her husband’s shirt and hugged him tightly.

  “I said, where is the child?” he asked again.

  Nita tried to spit at him, but lacked the strength. Instead, the bloody spittle dribbled down her chin and onto her husband’s face. With her last bit of strength she wiped her husband’s cheek.

  “I’m sorry, love,” she whispered. Then her eyes closed.

  Haylay didn’t have a plan, but he knew that sticking around was a bad one, so he pulled the young lovers by their arms and raced toward the coral reed field. After only a few steps, Twig howled out in pain as a spear drove through his thigh and planted itself in the ground. Twig fell forward, letting go of Tania’s hand.

  “No, Twig!” she screamed.

  She reached out for him but Haylay snatched up her hand before she had the chance.

  A second spear swooshed as it flew between Haylay and Tania, only inches from her face. Haylay drove forward, yanking Tania’s arm out of the socket in his effort to pull her along. She screamed in pain and tried to fight him and get back to Twig, but in the end, gave up and only glanced back at her fallen boyfriend in time to see several soldiers reach him.

  Haylay wished he could shield Tania’s eyes from their last image of Twig, as one of the soldiers swung his spiked mace around his neck and embedded it into Twig’s face. Blood splattered the ground as Twig cried out. Haylay cupped his hand over Tania’s mouth and pulled her into the trees.

  “No! Please, Haylay, we have to help him!” she cried as Haylay led her into the forest.

  “He ain’t gonna make it, baby, and you ain’t neither if you don’t shut up and run!”

  “I think you broke my arm,” Tania sobbed.

  Haylay let go of her hand and reached for her other.

  “Then give me the other hand,” he ordered.

  ***

  Back at the campsite, Traven stood over the dead bodies of Segundo and Nita.

  “Such a shame,” he said. “Could’ve had fun with her first, you idiot.”

  He slapped the back of Growler’s helmet. Growler stared down at his feet.

  “What about the girls?” he mumbled.

  Traven looked toward the trees where Haylay and Tania had disappeared.

  “They could be fun too,” Growler added.

  “Send the other mamole after them,” Traven ordered. “And if possible, have them brought back unscathed, so we can completely scathe them.”

  Growler laughed, let out a roar, beat his chest, and ran to inform the others.

  It hit him as soon as the order left his mouth. What it was, he couldn’t quite explain, but something felt wrong. He looked at his men enjoying themselves in the aftermath of the slaughter, the fire from the campsite playing with the shadows on the ground, the cheering and laughter and excitement of the hunt, and he suddenly felt ashamed.

  Wait, was it shame? No, that would be nonsense. “Could’ve had fun with her first, you idiot.” He’d just said that to Growler, about a woman whose last moment was spent cleaning blood off her husband’s face.

  Last week, when they’d completely destroyed a whole village and taken slaves back to Colossus, he’d allowed his men to do whatever they pleased with the women of the village and hadn’t thought twice about it. So why was this any different?

  Where were these thoughts coming from? What the fuck was wrong with him? His momentary weakness pissed him off.

  “Find those fuckers that escaped and make them sorry they ever ran in the first place!” Traven shouted, feeling his face grow red with anger.

  He wasn’t going to grow soft. He never would.

  ***

  Haylay and Tania broke free of the trees and made their way into the field of coral reeds. Tania tripped and crumpled up in pain, holding her stomach the way she had when Vincent touched her earlier that day.

  “I’m sorry ‘bout your arm, and I know you’re hurtin’, girl, but we gots ta get outta here. We ain’t got time to be mournin’ right now!”

  “No…something’s wrong…something’s wrong with me!” she cried out.

  Haylay grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet.

  “I’m so sorry, baby girl, but we gotta keep movin’!”

  The ground behind them rumbled and the world all around them shook.

  “Sounds like one of them things under the ground again!” Haylay yelled.

  With her hurt arm clutching her cramping stomach, Tania limped behind him. The mamole’s trail became visible as it raced underneath their feet. Haylay was thrown to the left while Tania crashed to the ground on the right. The mamole popped up from the dirt and opened its mouth wide, revealing its large, sharp teeth. It surged toward Tania, but she jumped to one side and the mamole missed. It turned around and glared back at her. Haylay raced over to her as the mamole ducked back into the earth and charged toward them.

  “Haylay, run!” Tania screamed.

  Haylay was sick of running from the deformed weasel, but he was afraid to use his gun and give their location away to the army. Instead, he grabbed one of the bamboo-like coral reeds, smashed it in half, and flipped it around. As the mamole shot up out of the hole, Haylay slammed the jagged spike into the creature’s throat. It flopped over onto the ground and whimpered.

  Haylay went mad for a second, finally having the chance to release some of the rage he was holding inside. He yanked out the spear and then jammed it into the mamole’s body over and over again. It was Tania’s hand gently touching his shoulder that made him snap back to reality.

  “We have to go,” Tania reminded him. “This thing won’t be the last.”

  Haylay nodded and looked down at the bloody spear in his hand.

  “Motherfucker,” he said as he gave the mamole one last kick.

  ***

  Back at the campsite, the boy was still alive, but barely holding on. The mace had been removed from his face, leaving bloody holes in the side of his cheek and head. A puddle of blood had formed beneath his body. Traven, Growler, and a couple of other soldiers stood over his mangled body. The boy moaned and looked up at his captors, his eyelids bouncing up and down.

  “Drag him over to the fire,” Traven ordered.

  Growler grabbed both of the boy’s hands and pulled him across the ground. His head bobbed back and forth with each lump in the ground. Bloody saliva ran from his mouth.

  Growler tossed the kid’s body within inches of the campfire. Traven approached and stood over him, staring down at the dying boy, feeling no remorse, not feeling anything at all, and he loved the lack of give-a-damn.

  “As you can see,” Traven said, “t
hrough your new mask of blood and spit, we’re not playing games. I asked you a simple question before. And that halfwit…” He pointed over at Segundo’s dead body. “…decided to run his smart fucking mouth.”

  The boy lifted his head and looked at Traven, his mouth hanging open limply.

  “What’s your name, boy?” Traven asked.

  “T…tw…Twig,” he replied.

  “Good. See? That was easy. Answering questions can be easy. Or they can be painfully hard. Now, Twig, where is the baby?”