He glanced in the rearview, but the beast was gone. He didn’t like the implications at all.
The alley grew dark as a massive shadow passed overhead. He stuck his head out of the window and looked up. The shadow continued forward, and he realized that the creature must have figured out that if it couldn’t go through these buildings, then it could go over. Knight slammed on the brakes.
With monkey-like agility, the creature dropped to the ground in front of him and roared, blocking his exit from the alley.
35.
Knight could try to back up, but the creature would only come at him again from that direction. He had little choice. He stared straight into the beast’s bloodshot, red eyes and then pounded his foot down on the accelerator. The van rocketed forward, momentarily startling the creature. It reared back from the opening, and the van shot onto the street.
The monstrosity recovered quickly, however. Its arm shot down and caught hold of the back of the van.
Knight gunned the engine one last time, but it wasn’t enough to break the creature’s grasp.
It lifted the entire van from the ground. Knight’s breath caught in his throat, but his arms shot to the ceiling to brace himself. The world turned upside down as the creature spun the van in its enormous hands. It turned the vehicle over and over like a child studying a new toy.
Then it brought one of its reptilian eyes up to the window and shrieked again. The sound rattled the glass of the van and made Knight’s ears ring. He could smell the stench of the beast’s breath and the heat from its gaping mouth. The fangs inside the giant opening jutted out at odd angles, running down its throat and crossing over each other in a tangled mess.
Knight closed his eyes and braced himself for death with the knowledge that at least he had bought enough time for Beck and the kids to escape. Plus, the monstrous creature would be dead within a few minutes anyway.
He had accomplished his mission. His last mission.
But then he felt his stomach shoot into his throat as the van flew into open air. A blank white billboard loomed ahead, and the van smashed through it and flipped back over in the process. Before he could realize what was happening, the van struck the ground and skidded to a halt in the middle of a construction site. It grooved a long channel into the dirt, but the van finally came to rest.
Knight pulled his pistol and put a bullet into the airbags holding him in place. He thanked God and the patron saint of auto-designers for all of the modern crash safety features built into automobiles these days.
As he dragged himself from the wreckage, he felt a terrible pain in his side. It was difficult to breath. His head throbbed and blood was running into his eyes. He suspected that he had cracked ribs and either a broken nose or a fractured skull. He smelled gas and knew that he’d have a lot more injuries to contend with if he didn’t get out the vehicle immediately.
He stumbled away from the van just as the creature’s arm slammed down on it, compacting the mini-van into scrap metal. The impact shook the ground and jarred his bones. He toppled forward into the red dirt of the construction site.
Years of intense training were all that kept him moving forward, and he pushed himself to his feet and toward the skeletal frame of the skyscraper being constructed on the site. The creature apparently hadn’t seen him yet, since he could hear it continuing to pound the van at his back.
He looked up at the frame of the building. It was only about six stories tall so far, and the top level held a large crane with a steel I-beam hanging suspended from its arm. He could see an open cage elevator sitting at ground level ahead and limped toward it.
He pushed through the belly of the building, past small concrete mixers and palettes of various building materials. The lift was only a few feet ahead.
The ground shook again, and the urge to look back overwhelmed him. But he fought down the impulse and pressed forward. He rushed into the lift, pulled the cage down and slammed the button to raise the elevator.
His breathing was shallow and labored. He wiped the blood from his eyes and fought to clear his vision. Dizziness and nausea swept over him.
Then, as he reached what he guessed was the structure’s third level, a giant clawed hand clamped over the elevator’s caged surface and blocked out the sun.
36.
Knight closed his eyes and prepared to be crushed. The lift’s motor whined against the pressure and fought to pull the cage upward out of the creature’s grasp. Smoke rose from the cables and the winch. The smell of burning rust was thick in the air. The cage around him began to buckle inward.
But then another sound drew his attention. He opened his eyes just as the creature pulled its hand away. He looked through the top of the cage as a chopper buzzed by the monster’s head. The beast roared and swiped at the helicopter.
With the sound of grinding metal, the lift began to move again. Within a moment’s time, Knight had reached the top floor. He stepped out onto a small wooden platform, but it only covered an area of about twenty feet. The rest of the floor was nothing but naked girders and sharp falls. The crane sat against the far opposite edge of the building.
He forced himself to breathe as he stepped out onto the girder. He felt like a tightrope walker in the circus, only he was performing without a net. With every step, breathing became more difficult, and he wondered if one of the broken ribs had pierced his lung.
The beast continued to howl below, and he could hear the chopper buzzing by. But he tried to maintain his focus on not falling to his death.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the creature leap into the air and swipe at the circling chopper. He realized what was coming and tried to brace himself, but he wasn’t quick enough. The beast came hurtling back down to earth. As it hit, the entire structure swayed and shook.
Knight lost his balance and tumbled over the girder’s edge.
37.
Knight reached out and caught the edge of the girder. The downward force tore against his shoulder, and he felt like he had been stabbed in the chest as his broken rib grated against his internal organs. His breath left him, and his vision grew dark. He fought to keep hold of the girder, his only lifeline.
He reached down somewhere deep inside and found the strength he needed to hold on. He had survived terrorists, rebels, regenerating zombies, Neanderthal hunters, billionaires with god complexes, golems, giant insects, mutated reptiles and mythological beasts, and he would be damned if he was going to allow this big, ugly thing to be the death of him.
Tapping his last reserves of strength, he pulled himself back onto the girder and crawled forward.
After a moment, he reached the metal steps leading up to the crane’s cabin. He pulled himself up and climbed inside. He quickly surveyed the controls and started up the machine. The buttons and labels were all in Chinese. Thankfully, he could read as well as speak most Asian languages.
He looked down and saw the gruesome creature swiping at the chopper. He knew that he would only get one shot at this, and the beast would need to be in just the right position.
With a pull of levers, the crane’s arm swung away from the creature. Then he lowered the steel I-beam and put just enough slack in the wire to line up his shot.
The new movement drew the monstrosity’s attention, and it swung toward him.
It was now or never.
Knight jerked the crane’s controls, and the arm twisted toward the beast. The giant girder, being heavier than the arm, stayed in place for a second longer, but then the wire went taught and pulled the I-beam toward the creature. The momentum and weight of the large, red girder carried it forward like a missile.
It slammed into the beast’s stomach and drove it back against the skeletal frame of the building. It roared in agony as the girder impaled it through the abdomen.
38.
A high-pitched wail emanated from deep in the creature’s throat, but it didn’t seem to have the same force behind it as its previous vocalizations. Knight suspected th
at the girder had pierced at least one of its lungs. The beast clawed at its own chest and fell to the ground.
Knight dived from the crane’s cabin as the monster’s formidable girth bent the metal supports and tore the crane free from the building. The remnants of the crane fell down on top of the creature. It clawed ineffectually at the girder and the debris of the crane. Knight wondered if the first creature’s tenacity had been a result of it being created from a soldier who was accustomed to fighting and enduring pain while this abomination had been birthed from the body of a lab rat who probably cried for mommy after receiving a paper cut.
He heard the beating of rotor blades and looked up to the see the chopper descending on his position. He knew the Sikorsky S-92 transport chopper to be a solid craft capable of holding their whole group with room to spare. Beck sat behind the controls. The door in the side of the chopper fell open, and Salvatori dropped a rope ladder.
Beck maneuvered the rope into position, and Knight reached out and grabbed hold. He felt like he hadn’t slept in days, his muscles burned with every movement, and he could barely breathe. Despite all this, he forced himself to climb. Within a few seconds, he reached the cabin, and Salvatori helped him inside. Beck turned to him from the pilot’s seat and gave him a wide grin.
But her expression quickly faded as the chopper lurched downward and she fought against the controls to keep them in the air.
He looked over the edge and saw the malformed face of the creature staring up at them. The girder was still lodged in its midsection, but it had somehow pulled itself up and grasped hold of the rope ladder. One good jerk of the ladder would tear them from the sky. He didn’t have time to think; he only had time to react.
“Salvatori!” he screamed over the rotor wash. “Grab my legs!”
He didn’t wait for the old man to respond. He simply slid the folding knife from his pocket, flicked the blade into place and flopped the top half of his body backward out of the open cabin.
He felt himself slide downward, but then Salvatori’s weight fell on his legs. Another example of his small stature saving his life. A larger man would have dragged the doctor right out of the cabin with them.
His left hand reached for the rope ladder while his right readied the knife. With a sawing motion, the blade sliced into the rope. He looked down to see the gaping maw of creature full of crooked fangs. It tugged the rope toward it with a hand over hand motion.
His blade fought against the rope, but the ladder was military grade and must have possessed a high tensile strength.
“Hurry! We have less than two minutes before this whole city is destroyed!” Salvatori called down from above.
Knight wondered if Salvatori felt that he needed just a little more pressure. He tried to ignore the old man, the countdown and the beast below and focused upon the rope.
With a final motion, the last stubborn strands peeled apart, and the chopper jerked upward, nearly causing him to tumble out.
But Salvatori held firm, and Knight pulled himself back into the cabin. Beck didn’t waste any time as she pushed the chopper away from the city at full speed. The children stared back at the empty buildings as if in shock. He opened his arms wide, and they leapt on top of him. He pulled them in tight against his body and covered their heads with his hands.
Salvatori counted the seconds down aloud. “Five…Four…Three…”
The sky behind them went completely white. It was as if God had decided to wipe the canvas clean and start fresh. Then reds and yellows burst into existence on the blank canvas. Finally, he could see the outline of the mushroom cloud.
“Hold on!” Beck screamed.
The shockwave crashed into the chopper along with a terrible burning odor. Knight closed his eyes and held tight to the children. The S-92 twisted and spun like a roller coaster ride. Salvatori gasped, and the children sobbed into Knight’s chest. It felt as if the vibrations were tearing him apart from the inside out.
Then it was over. And they were clear of the blast.
Knight gazed back toward the mushroom cloud and the ruined city for a few moments. The children continued to cling tightly to his body. He gestured with his head for Salvatori to come over. The old man hobbled across the cabin, sat down next to Knight, and took hold of the children. They didn’t say a word as he passed them off. They merely gravitated to Salvatori as they did him. Any port in a storm, Knight supposed.
He walked to the front of the chopper and joined Beck in the cockpit. He slid into the co-pilot’s chair and slipped on a headset. She looked over at him. “I owe you one,” he said.
“Damn right, you do. I saved your ass back there.”
He laughed. “I’d say that’s about right.”
“So I assume you remember our wager,” she said.
He looked confused for a moment, but then his smile fell. “If you think that you’re getting me in a bikini, you’re out of your damn mind.”
EPILOGUE
Knight took his cell phone away from his ear, switched it off and put it in his pocket. His conversation with Deep Blue had been surprising to put it mildly.
He pushed his feet beneath the hot sand until his toes reached the cool, wet sand below. He’d returned to Thailand with three days left on his reservation. His suit had been ruined beyond repair, but he had packed for weeks. Of course, the shorts and T-shirt he wore now cost less than one hundred dollars—beach fashion for men was essentially identical, whether you spent fifty dollars or a thousand. On the beach, it’s the body beneath the clothes that matter.
Not that beach bodies were on his mind. His current company managed to keep his eyes from straying too far in any other direction.
“You know, standing in the sand like that just makes you look shorter.” Beck said as she stepped up next to Knight and handed him a cold beer. She’d worn the bikini after all, and she wore it well. “Who were you talking to?”
“My boss,” Knight replied. “He had a few interesting things to say about you.”
“Your boss?”
Knight nodded and tried not to smile when he saw her tense. Despite himself, Knight’s thoughts about Beck weren’t just physical. He’d fought alongside the woman. He respected her. And he enjoyed her company. He rarely found all three qualities in a woman he also found so attractive and had told himself to take this slowly.
Ling and Jiao, who Salvatori had taken on as his responsibility as penance for his collusion with Cho, had revealed a desire for a more profound relationship. He wasn’t remotely ready to consider children or a wife. But a girlfriend?
He watched Beck’s face purse up as she wondered what Knight’s boss had said about her and he enjoyed every expression. Yeah, he thought, I could make that work. But he didn’t want to rush it. And if Deep Blue had his way, Knight would have plenty of time to make things work.
“Yeah,” he said. “My boss. Here is what I’m authorized to tell you. Your knowledge of certain Manifold facilities, your exceptional record, your experience with security, your current “off the grid” status and having proven yourself to me—the team—twice, makes you uniquely qualified for a job.”
“A job? You’re hiring mercs now?”
“Actually, we can, but not you. Deep Blue, my boss, was wondering if you’d like to head up Chess Team’s internal security. It would be a full-time position. In the States. No running. No hiding.”
Beck turned toward the smooth blue ocean, lost in thought, her expression unreadable. When Knight could no longer take the silence he said, “Personally, I hope you turn him down. I don’t know if I could stand to see you so often.”
Beck smiled and turned to him. “Well, if it would annoy you, I’m in.”
Knight couldn’t hide how much her answer pleased him.
A new kind of silence passed between them. It ended when Beck cleared her throat. “You know, for a Spec Ops killer, you’re kind of a chicken shit.”
“What?” Knight said, taken aback.
“You can kiss
me now.”
Knight froze in place for just a moment and then thought, screw taking it slow. He pulled his feet out of the sand, stood on the tips of his toes and kissed her. Almost dying had never seemed so worthwhile.
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JEREMY ROBINSON is the author of numerous novels including PULSE, INSTINCT, and THRESHOLD the first three books in his exciting Jack Sigler series, which is also the focus of and expanding series of co-authored novellas deemed the Chesspocalypse. Robinson also known as the #1 Amazon.com horror writer, Jeremy Bishop, author of THE SENTINEL and the controversial novel, TORMENT. His novels have been translated into ten languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.
Ethan Cross is the International Bestselling Author of The CAGE and The SHEPHERD–a book that has been described as “Silence of the Lambs meets The Bourne Identity” and “A fast paced, all too real thriller with a villain right out of James Patterson and Criminal Minds.”–and the pen name of a thriller author living and writing in Illinois with his wife, two daughters, and two Shih Tzus.
—SAMPLE—
THE LAST HUNTER by JEREMY ROBINSON
Available for $2.99 on Kindle: Click here to buy!
DESCRIPTION:
I've been told that the entire continent of Antarctica groaned at the moment of my birth. The howl tore across glaciers, over mountains and deep into the ice. Everyone says so. Except for my father; all he heard was Mother’s sobs. Not of pain, but of joy, so he says. Other than that, the only verifiable fact about the day I was born is that an iceberg the size of Los Angeles broke free from the ice shelf a few miles off the coast. Again, some would have me believe the fracture took place as I entered the world. But all that really matters, according to my parents, is that I, Solomon Ull Vincent, the first child born on Antarctica—the first and only Antarctican—was born on September 2nd, 1974.
Callsign: Knight - Book 1 (A Shin Dae-jung - Chess Team Novella) Page 9
