The Preston Six Collection: (Book 1, 2 and 3)
Page 81
“You are different from the rest,” her voice quavered. “The dead do not touch you.”
“Probably the cologne I’m wearing.” He searched around the room for any way to reach the circular room hanging in the middle of the giant space. He stood on the only platform in the entire room.
Pulling another arrow out, he shot it at the open door of the circle house. It bounced off at the last second. She had a shield around her, of course. Then he thought of Herb.
In the chain-link room, he found Herb, working near his desk.
“Hey, Herb can you come over here?”
Herb lifted his gaze at the noise and stumbled toward him. “Come on, this way.” Herb followed his voice all the way into the platform. He staggered to the edge of the bridge and stood there.
“Don’t get lazy on me, Herb.” Lucas kicked the backside of Herb and sent him face first onto the bridge. Herb’s dead body cracked and sizzled as massive currents of electricity bolted through him. The carcass shook off the bridge and the floor changed to a spikey embrace, impaling Herb’s body. The spike moved back into the floor and Herb slid down the slick metal to the bottom of the bowl where it opened up and swallowed him.
“That was fun,” Alice said. “I had a two percent chance you would use one of them.”
“What are the chances of me getting to you?”
“Point zero seven percent.”
“So you’re saying there’s a chance.” Lucas shook his head and stared at the black streak on the bridge. He studied the curved walls and domed ceiling. If Julie was with him, she’d have had it figured out a long time ago. There had to be a way to get to Alice. He thought of his friends and Harris, and what they would do here. “How about a clue?”
“That would not be sporting,” Alice’s voice echoed around the room while her face flickered on and off. “Where is Julie?”
“She’s safe.”
“You sure? I gave Harris a sixty percent chance of killing her.”
Lucas cringed at the words and huffed air through his nose. “He’d never do that.”
“I have seen Harris do much worse.” Alice’s face changed to a rectangular screen paused with Harris’s face on it. “This is from when he attacked this compound.”
The screen un-paused and Harris ran across what looked like a medical room, stopping in front of a large tube. A man was in the tube with hoses hooked into his arms. Harris tapped on the glass and then stood back with his gun pointed at it.
“Stop, Harris, or I’ll shoot her.” The camera changed to Max, gripping his arm around a woman.
Harris kept his gun on the man in the tube. “Max, we have to end this.”
“You shoot John and I will kill her.”
Harris fired a bullet through the head of John and then turned his gun on Max. Max shot the woman through the chest and ran out the door. Harris yelled and ran to the woman, grabbing her bleeding body up from the floor.
The video stopped and turned back to Alice’s head. “That was Harris’s wife. You think he holds Julie in higher regard?”
It couldn’t be true. Did Harris choose to kill a man in a tube over saving his wife? How far would such a man go to take control over MM? It had to be a trick. She was trying to get into his head. He glanced back at the doorway behind him. He could get back to Julie in under twenty minutes and check on her. He took one step toward the door.
“You try and leave and I will simultaneously detonate every Panavice in the world. I estimate the death toll to be two billion.”
Lucas sighed and clenched his fist. He hated how she’d got into his head. Steadying his breaths, he thought of how he left Harris—near dead on the floor. Of course he had seen Harris come back from near death experiences before. If only he could warn Julie. No, she was smarter than all of them combined, she’d see it coming. He focused on Alice. “I’m not leaving.”
“Good.”
He’d seen his friends come up with crazy ideas and he needed one. It struck him then. Rolling thunder.
Lucas took out a couple arrows and wedged them in the small space above the door. Testing them to hold his weight, he then rushed out of the room, guided by the light of the Panavice.
“Remember . . . if you leave, I will kill them all.”
“Yeah, yeah, death to everyone. I know.”
He ran up the stairs and made his way back to the giant white entry room. He turned the volume to the maximum and pressed the ring button. The Panavice blasted out an annoying jingle and kept repeating it. He heard the moans and shuffling of hundreds of feet. The light from the Panavice lit up the many eyes moving his way. It felt like a terrible mistake as the horde came stumbling toward him. Harris’s rolling thunder didn’t exactly end well.
Lucas stayed ahead of the horde and led them all the way down the many flights of stairs to room sixty-four. He approached the doorway and slid through the crack, leading the grinners into the circular room with Alice.
He jumped and grabbed the arrows stuffed in the wall and lifted his feet over the second arrow as the first grinner stepped onto the platform. He held the Panavice out as far as he could and the grinner reached for it, falling into the bowl below where a spike jutted out and impaled it. The spike retracted and the grinner slid to the bottom of the bowl where a hole swallowed it up. The next three grinners did the same and fell to their deaths. The entire platform under him filled with grinners and Lucas hung onto the thin arrows with his hands and legs.
A steady waterfall of grinners fell off the platform or walked on the bridge and got shocked, sending the shaking bodies into the bowl. The shank sound of the spikes working overtime joined in the orchestra of moans, crashing bodies, electricity flowing, and a ring tone, all echoing through the acoustics of the room.
Lucas kept an eye on the hole at the bottom of the bowl and breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally getting jammed. Grinners, piled up at the bottom, mostly dead, but some still moved around, trying to get to their feet.
He adjusted his grip and felt the arrow digging into this hand. The sweat built on his palms and he pulled his arm over the arrow, trying to save his hand, but it hurt just as bad. The gruesome smell of death and cooked meat filled his nose and he steadied himself on the arrow. He switched his hand, trying to find a way that didn’t feel like he was doing permanent damage to his body.
“Very interesting choice.” Alice’s head appeared, but it faded in an out. “Even if you can get to me, you will never get past my shield.”
“We’ll see.” Lucas struggled to say as he barely hung onto the arrows.
“I await you.” Alice’s head disappeared.
A drip of blood ran down his arm. He tried to keep his hand gripped to the arrow, but the wetness made his hand slip. His body swung down on top of the horde, dropping his Panavice on the floor as he fell, and with it, the laser beam he needed to end Alice.
A shuffling grinner pushed him toward the edge of the platform, toward the spike-filled bowl. He spotted the Panavice near the edge. The bowl was half full of grinners and the shank sound never slowed. He tried to stand and the surge pushed him closer to the edge. Inching toward the Panavice, his leg slipped into the bowl. Lucas grabbed at a nearby grinner, but his feeble attempt was failing. He knew he was going into the bowl of death.
THE “KILL THEM” ORDER HUNG in the air, and the whole building erupted with metal clanking and chairs spilling over. A hundred Arracks lunged toward them.
Poly spun with her sword out and cut through the daggers swinging at her and into the bodies of the oncoming Arracks. Samantha crouched low next to Joey. Hank picked up a solid wood chair and swung it into the closest Arrack. Sharati kept her mouth open and glared at Joey as she reached for her blade.
He took his finger off the trigger and felt the chills run over him. The chaotic sounds of chairs crashing and blades clanking turned into a dull thud. The room paused. He glanced back at the council. The middle Arrack held its throat and black blood spewed from its mouth.
He grabbed Poly first and carried her to the coach waiting outside. He felt the grip of the time pulling at him like stretched taffy. He fought the urge to let time win and ran into the hall. The cloud had grown another foot while everything else in the room remained nearly the same. He grabbed Samantha and dragged her outside. Time pulled at his brain and his body. It begged to be righted, but he couldn’t leave Hank alone, he’d be dead instantly.
Joey summoned all his will to push on and keep time from slipping back to normal. He jogged to Hank and grabbed under his arms, dragging him outside and stuffing him in the coach.
He paused with his foot on the step of the coach, sweat beading on his head and the nausea filling him with sick. He couldn’t leave her, the cloud would overtake her any moment. He ran back into the hall and grabbed Sharati. The white cloud had doubled in size and was inches from her face. He rushed her to the coach and used her belt to secure her arms and legs. He tossed her dagger out the window.
Closing his eyes, Joey relaxed his thoughts and the sounds rushed to him. He glanced over his shoulder and into the windows of the councilman’s hall. The white cloud consumed the building and the sound of screams filled the space. An Arrack jumped out of a window and shook on the ground until it stopped moving.
He turned his attention to the confused group around him. “Tell him to move or we’re all going to die.” He rushed the words out and hung his head out the door to throw up on the dry dirt road. Something else didn’t feel right, like he’d pushed his body to the limit and something was broken. His hands didn’t feel right, as if he didn’t have full control. And his head felt cloudy, things blurring in and out of focus.
Sharati looked around the coach, wide-eyed and pulled at her bindings. “What is this, some sorcery?”
The white cloud moved beyond the confines of the hall and covered the entire building.
“We need to move, now!” Joey said and coughed.
“Huratan,” Sharati yelled and stomped her foot twice on the wooden subfloor.
The coach lurched forward. She scowled at Joey, but Joey couldn’t concentrate on her expression. He felt his hands and legs shaking. Something dripped into his mouth. From the taste, it was blood.
“You okay?” Poly rushed to his side. Hank moved next to Sharati and kept his eyes on her. “Joey, can you hear me?” Poly asked.
He could, but she seemed distant, like a whisper in the wind. Her hands pushed his hair back. He opened his mouth and tried to say he was fine and it mumbled out in an incoherent moan.
“What is he?” Sharati asked with disgust as she looked at Joey. “How did he do that?”
“He saved us.”
“He did something to the councilmen, all of you did. They were choking and dying from what you brought. You said you wanted peace and I believed you.” Sharati struggled against her restraints. “You think you’re going to leave this planet alive?”
“They were the ones that ordered us to be killed,” Samantha screeched out.
Joey lifted himself up from the seat and winced at the pain. He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking but at least his legs worked properly. He took a deep breath and concentrated on getting words to come out of his mouth. “Get us to the stone.”
Sharati huffed and pulled at her straps.
Joey plopped back down on the seat and rubbed his temples. Samantha’s hand caressed the back of his head. “We need to get you home.”
Poly clasped his shaking hand and steadied it in her strong grip. “We’ll get you back, I’m sure Harris can help you.”
Joey smiled at the idea. He doubted Harris had any clue what was wrong with him or how he could help. An unnatural cloud formed over the great hall, encasing it in a thin white mist. It stretched into the sky and around the nearby buildings like a balloon filling with air. Another Arrack tried to run from it in the open grounds, but it fell and disappeared behind the mist.
What had Harris unleashed on this world?
Sharati spotted his gaze and she turned her body back to witness the growing cloud. “What did you do?”
Joey found the courage to look her in the eyes. “I don’t know. I wasn’t told this was going to happen.”
She stared at the cloud behind them. “It’s growing.” She looked at the roof above them. “Shupanti!” she screeched. The coach picked up speed and the once rough ride became unbearable.
The shaking and noise became the only things Joey could concentrate on. Their own cloud of dust, trailing behind their speeding coach. Samantha yelped as the coach bounced in the air and landed hard.
Poly squeezed his hand and he turned to gaze at her face. “You feeling better?”
“Yeah.” Things had stopped spinning as much and he felt as if he had control of his hands. He wiped the blood from under his nose, it smeared across the back of his hand.
“How big is that cloud going to get?” Hank asked.
“I don’t know.” Joey shook his head, but he had a good idea of how big it’d get. He wouldn’t be surprised if it covered the entire planet by the end of the night.
“TOWN’S UP HERE,” SHARATI SPOKE loud enough to be heard over the rattle of the coach.
The first building passed by the window. How long would it be until the cloud reached here? Maybe it would dissolve into nothingness and disappear. He pulled at this thoughts and wanted it to be real.
The coach slowed and stopped in front of the orange building holding the stone and a small army of Arracks. Sharati leaned forward and in the silence he heard the hissing as she spoke. “I make one call and my army will overwhelm you and kill you.”
Poly pulled out her sword and pointed it at Sharati. “You make one sound and I’ll stop you.”
“You think you can stop me?”
“Try me.”
“I see you have some throwing knives as well. Can’t choose a blade that suits you, or are you just a collector?”
“I can match anything you can bring.”
“Maybe we’ll get a chance to find out.” Sharati turned her attention to Joey.
“Take me to this Harris and I won’t say a word. He needs to die for what he did.”
Joey closed his eyes and thought on the suggestion. If he brought her back to see Harris, Sharati would be the one dying. He locked his gaze on her eyes. Things still seemed fuzzy, but the determination in her face was unmistakable.
“Fine, but you might find him difficult to kill.”
Sharati raised her bound hands.
“Can you remove those, Hank?” Joey asked. He didn’t think his fingers could work a knot.
“We have your word?” Poly leaned closer to Sharati.
“Yes.”
Poly pushed open the door and bits of dust swirled into the coach. Joey breathed in the earthy aroma and tried to stand. His legs wouldn’t support him and he fell to the coach floor.
Hank grabbed his arms. “I think you’ve had one too many.”
“Another joke? You’re becoming a regular comedian, my friend,” Joey said.
Hank pulled him to his feet and Joey got his legs stiffened. He took a step toward the door and Poly extended her hand to help him down the steps. He hated needing help to do something as simple as walking, but was glad to have his friends help him while he did.
They filed out of the coach and with Hank’s assistance they made it up the steps. Sharati ran in front of them and opened the large wooden double doors. The building was filled with Arracks.
Joey wrung out his hands and shook them. A tingling feeling wouldn’t leave his hands and he wanted full use of them as they entered the giant room filled with terrifying looking Arracks. He glanced at Sharati and wanted to thank for her being there.
“Shub aru noch churabutu!
” Sharati slammed the door behind them and flung down a large plank of wood, sealing them in the building. The sounds pounded through the large room and her words bounced around.
“What?” Hank said.
“I can’t let you live for what you’ve done here. If we’re all going to die, then so are you.” Sharati pulled a small knife out of her waistband and threw it at Poly.
Poly pulled her knife out while dodging the projectile, throwing hers at Sharati in return. It struck Sharati in the chest and she fell to the floor. Other Arracks pulled her back and behind them.
Joey stared at Poly. “What did you do?”
She didn’t have time to answer, as the entire building erupted in Arrack war cries. Joey sighed and took a deep breath as the horde approached, trying to feel the chills on his neck. They wouldn’t come. Panic filled him and he reached for the rail-gun Harris gave him.
He fired it into the oncoming wave of Arracks. The bullets flew through many Arracks, killing ten deep. He fired his shots near Poly as she threw the few knives she had into the closest oncoming Arracks.
Joey’s heart pounded and his gun shook as he pulled the trigger. They were getting closer, jumping into the air over their fallen brethren. One jumped at Poly and she cut it down in the air. Three more jumped and he turned his gun, killing one. They were moving too fast, there were too many.
Poly killed a second, while another landed its blade into her chest. Poly groaned in pain when she pulled the dagger from her chest. She staggered and then regained her footing to take on another trying to slice her head off. It fell to the ground, but it didn’t matter, a wave of Arrack’s landed on her.
“No!” Joey screamed. He felt the chills pass down his back and the wave crashing over Poly stopped. He felt his heart beating in his neck as he fired into the wave with a barrage of bullets. He turned to all the other Arracks lined up around them and fired into them. He saw the many particle bullets traveling through the air, toward their targets.
He rushed to Poly’s side and saw her frozen face stuck on a look of pain and anger. He picked her up and ran with her past all the Arracks and into the stone room. He felt his whole body shaking violently as he retrieved Samantha and dragged her past the dead Arracks. By the time he got to Hank, he could barely stand and his whole body felt weak as a whisper in the wind.