The Pale Titan (The Convergence Saga Book 1)

by Rick Kueber

  “Now... let's have a look at that map.” She directed, noticing that it was growing light enough to see for her.

  “Alright. Here it is. I looked at it for a minute, but I have no idea where we are.” I was utterly lost.

  “Hmmm...” Elle placed her index finger to her lip and studied the map for a few minutes. “Here.” She ran her finger across a short distance. “This is the road down there, and here is where we were hiding in the cave before we came to the cabin, so we must be about here.” She placed her finger on a specific point on the map.

  “And there's Barnhill, right there.” I drew her attention to a spot that marked a town on the map that didn't appear too far.

  “True, but there is a cluster of short roads here. That's probably houses, like a subdivision.” She made reference to another point about the same distance in the opposite direction.

  “I don't want to argue, but I have to believe we have a better chance headed to a town, than what might be a group of houses.” I raised one corner of my mouth and waited to hear her response.

  “Okay...” She spun the map a quarter of a turn. “The direction we are looking is the way the map is laid out now.” She rubbed her forehead. “So, the 'subdivision' is that way.” She pointed in the direction that the Titan and the Takers had come from. “And Barnhill is in that direction.” She pointed the opposite way, indicating the direction that the Titan had gone.

  “Well... how far is it to either of them?” I asked.

  “Um...” She looked at the legend on the map and used the width of her fingertip as a guide. “Looks like it's about 20-25 miles either way. With the three of us, it'd probably take four days to hike it, maybe longer depending on the terrain.” Elle cocked her head to the side, noting that we would be traveling with a seven-year-old and that would most certainly slow us down considerably.

  “I still think we should head to the town, but if you're dead set against it, then either we can ask Maddie, or toss a coin.” I half smiled and raised an eyebrow. Elle drew in a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

  “Logically speaking, there is nothing around that cluster of roads, and we are only assuming it's a subdivision or something. For all we know, it could be a campground. On the other hand, Barnhill is right on the edge of the map and we don't know what is beyond it...” She hid her face in her hands and slowly pulled them back, slightly stretching her cheeks. “So we load up and head for Barnhill.”

  “It makes sense when you put it that way.” I smiled slyly. “You talked me into it.”

  Elle shoved my shoulder and slung two travel bags over her shoulders. With the overstuffed backpack in place, I grabbed up the duffel bag and stepped out into the morning light. Little Maddie slipped the book bag, filled with sodas, toiletries and first aid sundries, over her shoulder mimicking Elle and joined us. I knew the exact direction the Takers had gone and with the map and no compass I could only hope we would find Barnhill intact and not in splintered ruins and overrun with Takers, or the limp noodle remains of its residents.

  We hiked to the top of the hill where I had left the Takers the night before. The view was not what I had hoped. A clear view for at least a few miles would have made our direction and path simpler to choose, but we found that the top of the hill was an illusion and after a short distance, the terrain began to climb even higher. Not only was our path slowed by the constant uphill climb, but with each mile we put behind us, the forest became denser. For lunch, we shared a can of ravioli and just before sundown we began to search for a hiding place. The forest was thicker now and our view was limited, but we were unable to find any real refuge. We found a place where the underbrush was heavy and made an open spot in the center of it all and took the time to have a handful of crackers and a can of vegetable soup for our dinner. I won't lie, by the end of the first day, I was famished and felt extremely undernourished.

  The night was uneventful, at least, that was the report from Elle, who stayed up for more than half of the night so I could finally get some rest. During the first day, we followed the map towards Barnhill and the devastation of the Titan's path stayed to our left. Our path and its began to separate, which gave me some hope that we would find Barnhill intact. In the next few days that followed, the path of the Titan was gone from our sight and we did not have a single encounter with a Taker. The three of us began to talk more openly and in normal tones. It almost began to feel as if perhaps the worst was behind us and maybe soon we would find civilization and the world would return to normal. My strength waned as the days passed, but I persevered and pushed onward without complaining. With the passing of each hour and each day I grew more fond of my companions, we felt like some sort of misfit family; a half alien, a rebel beauty, and an orphaned survivor.

  When the fourth day was coming to a close, and the sun was sagging low on the western horizon, we crested the peak of what felt like a mountain... what turned out to be more of a plateau. It was a true plateaued peak. The last fifty feet were a fairly difficult, overly vertical and no new tree growth. Once on top, I felt exposed and vulnerable. The plateau was covered in knee-high grasses, but aside from that, it was nothing more than an enormous open field. From this height, we could see in most directions for a fair distance. There appeared to be no sign of the Titan though I could see the trail of destruction it left behind, that wandered southwest for several miles before turning back north.

  “Look!” Elle cried out; her arm jutted out to the distant western horizon.

  “What is it?” Maddie's little voice questioned her but sounded more frightened than curious.

  Immediately I knew what had elevated her morale and made her burst out loudly. I could clearly see geometric structures amidst the next clustering of trees. Barnhill was in our reach and did not show signs of being trampled by the Titan. There was a glimmer of hope in my eye when I looked at Elle and smiled. There was something different in her eyes... tears.

  “It's Barnhill, honey,” she said so sweetly to the child between us. “It's the town we've been looking for.”

  “Yaaaay!” Her tiny voice called out and she jumped as high as she could trying to see the promised land. “I can't see it.” her tone dampened.

  “It's still a long way off.” I pointed out. “We won't make it before dark, and I'm not sure we should go there when it's dark. It just seems like it might be dangerous.”

  “Maybe.” Elle said, but the way she said it made me think she disagreed.

  “So, do you want to risk traveling at night?” I asked. “Do you think it would be safer to just stroll into town at night where we could be ambushed by those things?”

  “You make a point,” she admitted. “We could see them coming for a long way from here, but... we are also a wide open target. If they sense heat, or if the Titans do, we'd be sitting ducks out here.”

  “I wanna be a sitting duck!” Maddie said in a goofy voice and then giggled.

  “No sweetie, you really don't.” I grinned at her childish innocence. “Let's be walking ducks instead... let's walk that way.” I pointed toward Barnhill and began to waddle in its direction.

  “You two are insane.” Elle threw her arms down to her sides and rolled her eyes, but she almost skipped as she caught up with us.

  She was a tortured soul who knew what her heart told her was right, but also questioned her choices and worried about all of the 'what ifs'. Somewhere deep inside of her callous exterior was a tender young woman who still wanted to be a girl with nothing to worry about except perhaps: 'What would she wear on her date on a Saturday night?' Instead, she was the stitching that held the three of us together.

  The blinding sun had turned a deep reddish-orange as it slipped to the edge of the horizon and then slowly sank behind it. We were closing in on the small town of Barnhill and my hopes sank as I realized that no one had spotted us and there were no sounds of cars zipping up and down the streets and into bicycle filled driveways, next to well-manicured lawns. The town was silent and as the dayl
ight melted away, it was dark and dismal. There were no streetlights, no porch lights, no car lights, no lights in the …

  “Look!” I called out loud to Elle and pointed to one of the two story homes on the edge of the small burg that was only a few hundred yards away.

  “What? Wha-d-ya see?” She was puzzled and looked back and forth between where I stood, stopped dead in my tracks, and the town.

  “A light...” The adrenaline, or something, pumped through my veins and my heart pounded. “There was a light. I swear.”

  “Are you sure?” She wanted to believe me but hesitated in her optimism. “Where?”

  “Right over there.” I pointed again. “That two story house, right there. There was a light in one of the second-story windows, just when the sun went down.”

  “Are you positive?” Elle questioned my sighting again. “Could it have been just the sunset playing tricks?”

  “I don't know... I'm pretty sure, but it disappeared so quickly.” I began to second-guess myself.

  With each step closer the silence and darkness grew heavier and hopes of finding anyone dwindled. I did maintain the hopes that we would find a safe place to 'hold up' and some food and other supplies. In our rush to flee the Titan, we had left behind some of the food and all of the spare clothing we had packed. I'm sure that after hiking for the better part of a week, I was not the only one who longed for a bath, even a cold one and a change of clothes... at least socks and underwear, and a fresh t-shirt. We chattered amongst ourselves about the probability of being the only people in this little village and about what we were most looking forward to.

  “A bath... I am dying to take a bath.” Elle's voice was perky and suddenly optimistic. “And a glass of wine.”

  “Me too.” I agreed. “And some fresh clothes.”

  “Yes.” Elle almost groaned the word out and then winked at me. “And then maybe another glass of wine.”

  “I want a peanut butter sandwich.” Maddie grinned. Her wish was simple, but now, even the simple things sounded wonderful.

  Elle stopped abruptly and put her hand out against the child's chest stopping her as well. I was one step ahead and turned back to see what had spooked her.

  “Something wrong?” I whispered in a secretive tone.

  “Yeah... Something moved up there.” She didn't point or move. “It was low and it's so dark I can't be sure, but I swear something moved.”

  “If it's a Taker, they won't be hiding, right?” I tried to reason. We were so close I could almost taste that glass of wine and smell the peanut butter being spread on deliciously stale, old bread. “It's right there. Let's just be cautious, but we can't just stop or turn back now.” I pleaded quietly.

  “It just feels wrong, I don't know what it is, but something is watching us.” Elle had never been this timid before, and I had no choice but to take her seriously.

  “So, what do we do?” I asked for her advice on this troubling situation. “I mean, it can't be fifty yards away, so where do we go, what do we do?”

  I looked back to the row of houses to judge the distance as I spoke and my eyes were fixed on a space between two of the homes. For a brief millisecond I thought I had seen movement too, and with my ability to see fairly well in the dark, I did not question it as much as I had Elle's sighting. A surprisingly loud “CRACK” split the silence and stung the left side of my chest, spinning me to the side. A wave of intense pain overtook me and my vision blurred as I crumpled to my knees. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears and it muffled the words of Elle and the scream of little Maddie.

  “Dear god no!” She whispered out loud and dropped to her knees at my side. Elle had grown all too fond of having me around and was making mental plans of how our first night back inside of an actual house might play out, but those daydreams and plans were suddenly shattered.

  Maddie remained standing with her face in her hands; a lone silhouette against the starry sky. “CRACK” without another sound, little Maddie wilted into the crisp grasses behind Elle.

  “NOOOOOOOO!!!” Elle screamed out at the top of her lungs. "YOU BASTARD! SHE'S JUST A LITTLE GIRL!”

  Chapter 10

  PARADISE FOUND

  The dark and silent night had been shattered by not one, but two devastating gun shots that shook Elle's world to its very core. I, on the other hand, had a burning and shooting pain in my chest that reduced me to an inanimate lump of flesh. The searing pain had blurred my vision and it seemed that I could not even breathe. Darkness overtook me, and for someone who had quickly become used to being able to see to some degree in the slightest of light, it was a bit terrifying. My muscles relaxed all at once and a voice from deep within told me to 'just let it happen'. It was a peaceful thought and the most frightening thing all at the same time. I knew it was my mind's way of telling my body that it was okay to die.

  ***

  A young man came running toward Elle with pistol in hand. He stopped just short of her as she scooped up little Maddie in her arms and turned to face him.

  “You're people?” The gun shook in his hand and his voice quivered as he spoke. “I mean, you are a normal person?”

  “Yeah, unlike you... you murderer!” She yelled at him in such a condescending way that he dropped the pistol to his side. “Now, shut the Hell up and get out of my way!” Elle pushed past him and made a bee-line for the closest house.

  “Where are you going?” She heard him say from behind her as she sped away. “And what about this thing? It's still alive!”

  “What?” Elle froze for a moment before rushing forward again. “That's Tanner... he's a person just like me, and... he's alive?”

  “A person?” The young man sounded confused. “But I shot because I could see his eyes glowing. How could he be a person and not one of those alien people?” He raised his gun again, putting Elle in its sights. “Just stop before I shoot you too. Something isn't adding up, and I don't trust anyone anymore.”

  “Then shoot me,” she yelled at him over her shoulder. “I'm not stopping.”

  “Hey!” He shouted and took off running to catch up. “Wait up.”

  “No!” was all Elle said and she did not vary her course. The young man rushed past her and looked down at the child in her arms. Fear and horror struck his heart and he pointed to their left.

  “In there. The front door is unlocked and we've got lights and stuff in the basement.” He took the lead. “Follow me.”

  Elle was in shock when she processed the words that were spoken. Her world had crumbled around her in the past minute and hope suddenly sprung again with the single word 'we'. She followed the man into the empty home and realized she was putting her faith and trust into someone who had just shot the man she was falling in love with and a child. What was she thinking?

  “You said 'we'. What did you mean?” Elle asked as they fumbled through the dark house to find the stairs to the basement.

  “There are only six of us who didn't get taken when the alien-people-things flooded through here. There must have been a hundred of them.” He opened the basement door and called out. “It's me, Jimmy. Need a light, NOW!”A striking sound was followed by a dim yellow light that grew whiter and brighter as he and Elle navigated the open wooden steps.

  “Did I hear shots?” A woman's voice said from below.

  “A child's been shot.” Jimmy's voice was shaky and frightened.

  “A child?!?” The woman in her mid-40's appeared at the edge of the stairs and took Maddie from Elle's arms. Elle began to shake all over, noticing her hands arms and shirt were covered in the crimson life of the child. Maddie's body was laid on a sofa-bed and was quickly surrounded by Jimmy and the two women. Elle fought her way next to the girl and took her cold hand in her own. A somewhat younger woman with dirty blonde hair and dressed in short sleeved yellow pullover and a pair of jean shorts took off with a shot through a door into a separate area of the finished basement. In mere seconds, she reappeared with her arms overflowing with an ar
ray of first aid supplies.

  “She isn't breathing!” The woman who took her from Elle said with the urgency of an emergency room nurse. “Back up!” She motioned with her arms and then began to perform CPR.

  The dirty blonde ignored her order and after dropping armloads of supplies, ripped open two packages of gauze and pressed it firmly against the bullet wound in the child's abdomen. The room began to spin for Elle, her head was dizzying and she began to feel nauseous. She toppled against Jimmy and as he caught her she mumbled. “Tanner... Tanner's shot too.” as if she were reminding herself just before she passed out.

  Jimmy helped the lifeless Elle to the floor and placed a small pillow behind her head. “Angie, c'mon. I need help... hurry.”

  ***

  “Where're we going?” Angie asked as she trotted up the stairs trying to keep up with Jimmy.

  “There's a guy out here... he's been shot too,” Jimmy admitted. “I'm not sure he's... 'normal' though.”

  “What's that supposed to mean?” She asked curiously as they burst out the front door.

  “I was out here keeping watch when I saw them coming across the open field.” He began to recant the story. “When they got close enough, I could see that glow in his eyes, so I shot. The woman inside fell down with him, but not the girl, so I shot again. I thought they were coming back for us.”

  “What makes you think this is okay? Why should we help that thing?” Angie slowed down as they approached the body that lay still in the grass.

  “The woman who carried the child inside... she said he was a normal person, just like her.” Jimmy fought with the reasoning, but his gut told him to trust Elle, a stranger who had collapsed in his arms.

  “Then I think we should take him to the other safe house.” Angie thought keeping him isolated might be the safest thing for their small clan. “If he's still alive, that is.”

  Jimmy drew his pistol as they approached the man who laid face down on the grass. Angie squatted down over the body and gently laid her fingers on the side of his neck, just below his jawline. She held them there for several seconds and cocked her head to the side almost as if she were listening for something.