Screams above Seb took his attention. From the hotel’s penthouse suite, he saw tens of faces peering down the hosepipe at him. One of the creatures tugged on it, which shook him a little, but not enough to make a difference.
The growls and grimaces fixed on him, Seb remained in the same spot and connected with Sparks. Sparks, I need you to keep an eye on them on your computer. I’m hoping they’ll all be drawn to the window to watch me rather than work out they need to come back down the stairs.
Sparks’ voice came back to him. No problem. From what I can see, they’re still on their way up at the moment. Oh, wait …
Seb jumped, her sudden change making his heart kick. What?
You need to hurry.
She didn’t need to say anything more. Seb let his grip loosen a little, sliding with a control he certainly hadn’t had when he’d first leaped from the window.
The hose shook again. Their efforts were as ineffective as before. At least that was what Seb thought. Until he looked up.
They’re trying to cut you down, Bruke said.
One of the creatures at the front of the pack had pulled a shard of glass from the shattered window. The bright glow from the city glinted off the impromptu blade. Even with the distance between them, Seb saw the beast’s teeth from its determined grimace.
Still six storeys from safety, Seb looked at the window in front of him. On his way up, the smoke had been thinner on the higher floors. That looked to have changed. No matter how hard he squinted, he couldn’t see through the room for the black churning mess of smoke in there. He couldn’t risk going back in.
Sparks came through again. They’re coming down the stairs. It looks like those at the bottom haven’t yet worked out why, but it’s only a matter of time. As soon as they realise where we are, they’ll be on us in seconds.
Seb loosened his grip and slid quicker than before. The hose continued to shake, and although he put distance between him and the creatures above, he saw more of the beasts were copying the actions of the first. Several glinting shards were now gripped by several busy hands.
Five storeys to go. Seb looked over his shoulder at his friends below. They all stood on the white splash of paint, waiting for him.
The hose snapped with a crack!
Still in slow motion, Seb watched the beings above him as he fell backwards. The top half of the hose leaned over him, pulling him away from the building. Several of the beasts hung out of the window to look down at him.
Go limp. SA’s voice.
Even with his world slowed down, Seb didn’t have time to question it. He put his trust in his love and focused on relaxing his body. The wind from his fall buffeted his ears.
A second later, Seb hit the resistance of his friends. Although not much time to process things, he had enough awareness in slow motion to feel all of them bend their legs to cushion his fall. A hard shockwave snap ran through his body, but nothing more. Much better than hitting the solid ground.
Reyes and SA helped Seb stand up. SA then wrapped a tight hug around him. I’m so glad you’re okay. She pulled back, took him in with her bioluminescence, and kissed his lips before Sparks pulled her away.
The main pack are on the third floor. Those in the foyer are going to get the hint soon. We need to go now.
A second longer than he should have taken, Seb smiled at his love before he followed the small Sparks away from there.
Chapter 24
The friction burns on Seb’s palms stung. He opened and closed his hands as he ran, but it offered little relief. Although, now in the light of the city, he’d had a chance to look at them, and they weren’t anywhere near as damaged as he’d expected.
Like when they’d run from the desert towards the burning hotel, the group moved at Bruke’s pace. At least it gave Sparks plenty of time to look at her map and guide them out of there. The insanity behind them grew slightly quieter with their progress, but nowhere near quiet enough.
As Seb darted around another mutilated corpse, his stomach tightened at the stench. A putrid acid tang of the beast’s spilled guts, it took all he had not to vomit while he ran. Another advantage of their pace, it made it easier to avoid the many body parts waiting to trip them up. Bad enough to bear witness to the aftermath, at least he hadn’t been on Kajan to see the slaughter.
Seb saw what looked like the same revulsion he felt on the faces of his friends. How many beings have died here, Sparks?
There used to be a population of around fifty thousand in the city. From a few cursory scans, I’d say there are five thousand left at the most. I’m not sure how many made it out into the desert, but I don’t think we need to worry about them.
Even at Bruke’s pace, Seb couldn’t avoid the glistening pools of blood and soft innards. He winced at the squelches and splashes underfoot. A shake of his head, he spoke as much to himself as he did the others. The sooner we get off this planet, the better.
They were now several blocks away from the hotel. Each and every building threw a neon assault at them. Despite being in amongst the garish glow, Seb’s eyes still hadn’t grown used to it. It didn’t help that they hadn’t yet recovered from the smoky stairwell. He continued to open and close his hands even though he doubted it did anything for his sore palms.
The distressed cries from the creatures behind had dimmed a little more. That was something at least, but Sparks said the creatures on the higher floors of the hotel had worked out they needed to come to ground again. Surely it wouldn’t be long before the pack caught up to them.
Reyes must have had the same thought because she looked behind while she ran. We need to move quicker.
As the leader, Seb needed to make the unpopular decisions. We move as a team.
An unusually spiteful reply, Sparks said, “Then we fall as a team.” Her voice bounced off the walls around them.
It took a few seconds for Sparks to look at Seb. When she did, shame ran a hard wince through her features. No one gets left behind, Seb said.
Tears ran down Bruke’s face, and he shook his head. Please go without me. His mouth spread wide as he gasped from the effort of their run. I’ll find somewhere to hide.
No, Sparks said. I’m sorry, Bruke. I’m scared is all.
We all are, Seb said. But we need a better plan than just running. They’ll catch up to us soon. As if on cue, the sounds of footsteps called to them from a few streets back. After looking behind—the others doing the same—he added, Very soon.
Sparks turned her computer around several times as if orientating the device would somehow make their route clearer. Anxiety spiked adrenaline through Seb’s gut to watch it. Do you have any idea where to take us?
At the head of the pack, Sparks led them down another street. On the other roads, the dead bodies had been on the ground as dark lumps, but this street had been used for prostitution. Tighter than the others, it had as many dead bodies on the ground, but it also had windows lining each side. Red lights shone through each one. Only about one in ten had their curtains closed. The other nine showed them the extent of Enigma’s wrath. Brightly lit booths, the brutalised bodies of every creature he could imagine and more. Many of them were lucky if they’d remained in one piece. Even then, they didn’t look to have gone painlessly: slit throats, slashed stomachs, dismemberment, decapitation …
A look at his friends, Seb saw all of them—save for Sparks, who had her attention on her screen—look at the dead creatures. They must have had a hard life while they lived, and then they had to be on the receiving end of this. The taste of bile in his throat, he tried to level his breaths while he ran. He couldn’t overthink it. Not yet. Not now.
The only safe place to look, Seb stared over Sparks’ shoulder at her screen. I don’t care if you don’t know where we’re going, but please get us off this street.
Although Sparks didn’t reply, Seb saw her effort to do what he’d asked of her in her deep frown. He had to trust her guidance. Apart from missing the rocks on their landing, sh
e’d never let him down before.
The footsteps behind them had grown louder. The calls of the beasts in the pack swelled through the streets they’d just run down.
Sparks suddenly threw a sharp left. The first truly dark alley they’d come across, Seb stopped at the entrance to let the others through first. As a gasping Bruke took up the rear, he looked back the way they’d come from. Bodies on the ground and in the windows. Red everywhere from the lights to the spilled blood. The sound of the creatures behind them gathering momentum. The now familiar insanity created by Enigma.
They’re close, Seb said to the others after following Bruke into the darkness. About to push Sparks again for some kind of plan, he watched the small Thrystian stop by what looked to be a hatch to a cellar. A metal doorway, it leaned at an angle, showing it led down into a basement of some sort. A padlock kept it shut, which she shot with an electric bolt from her computer.
While the others helped Sparks pull the heavy doors open, Seb divided his time between watching them and looking back the way they’d come from. The creatures would be on them soon.
The creak of the metal doors’ hinges yawned through the alley as SA, Sparks, and Reyes all opened them and laid them down gently. Sparks ran in first, her torch on her computer out in front of her. Bruke, Reyes, and SA followed behind. Seb bounced on the spot as he watched them before he finally darted in.
The mocking groan of the old hinges cackled as they closed the doors again.
Just as the second door came to rest—the bright glare outside getting cut off—Seb heard the beasts enter the alley. He stepped away from the doors and raised his blaster, the others around him doing the same. The cavernous space amplified their heavy breaths, and when he looked to his left and right, he saw his gun wasn’t the only one shaking. If nothing else, this narrow space will slow them down like the stairwell did. Hopefully that’ll be enough for us to hold them back.
The vibration from the creatures’ stampede made the doors hum in their frame. Seb stepped forward to pull on them to keep them quiet, but Reyes grabbed his arm. It’s an ambient sound. They won’t notice it.
Remaining where he stood, Seb stared at the doors as if they’d provide some kind of insight about their chances of survival. Although dampened because of the barrier between them, the noises of the beasts’ lust to obliterate sounded no less intense.
The swell of creatures grew thicker. Seb hooked his tense finger over his trigger, cramps running through it as he fought his desire to squeeze.
When a thud hit the doors, it took everything Seb had to keep his head, but the beasts continued to sail past. Another thud, the doors lifted from their frame, a splash of light flooding in before they clattered back home again.
For the next five minutes, they listened to the crowd thin to silence.
Sparks finally turned her torch from the metal doors to the darkness behind them.
Seb saw the others look with him into the gloom. Where are we?
In the tunnels.
The what now?
Kajan has always had an undesirable aspect to it. In its more conservative past, they had to be a lot more covert. The gambling and prostitution took place underground rather than on the streets. There’s a network of tunnels that the authorities never knew about. Or if they did, they turned a blind eye to them. They used these to move from one establishment to another. It was a gamble, but I thought if we could get into these, it might help us avoid the creatures chasing us. I can’t see any beings down here on my scanners, so I’m hoping it will lead us straight to the monument SA saw.
And Seb saw—not that he wanted to share that information.
A scratching sound then came at them from the darkness. Seb lifted his rifle again, those around him doing the same.
When Sparks raised the torch on her computer, it lit up a line of creatures. The light caught the glint in their eyes. Another sweep and it picked up the wink of their blades. Armed with both knives and swords, they were clearly ready to use them.
After letting go of a hard sigh, Reyes said, “So much for it being abandoned.”
Chapter 25
Her mouth hanging slightly open, Sparks looked from her screen to the creatures in front of her and back to her screen. As Seb watched her repeat the gesture several times, his upper body locked tight against his desire to pull his blaster’s trigger. Slight changes in posture on either side of him showed him the others had a similar reaction. They were so tuned in to one another, they’d all slightly adjusted because of Sparks’ clear shock. They were all ready to fight on her say-so.
Sparks finally spoke while pointing at her computer. “I can see you on my radar now. Why couldn’t I a minute ago?”
Before any of the strangers had a chance to respond, Reyes moved quicker than Seb had ever seen her travel. On her way through, she grabbed Sparks’ computer, finishing in front of the largest of all the creatures, Sparks’ torch and the barrel of her gun pointing in its face.
The being looked to be their leader. A good head and shoulders above the others, it stood about eight feet tall. A muscular body covered in hair, it had small arms and large powerful legs. Its tail—as thick as a python—flicked a couple of times. Because he didn’t know what the gesture meant, Seb watched it in case it went for Reyes. Although the creature didn’t step back, it winced away from the glare in its eyes.
In the tense silence that followed, Seb and the others raised their guns and stepped forward. Reyes had made the call, so they had to back her up. Let her take the lead. The creatures in front of them all lifted their blades. They looked confident in the way they carried them, like they could hold their own against blaster fire. Maybe they knew something Seb and his friends didn’t.
The creature at the end of Reyes’ scrutiny moved slowly, letting its knife drop to the ground with a cling and raising its hands in the air. Although its voice shook, a certain menace laced its deep tone. “We mean you no harm. We’re in the tunnels to escape what’s going on up there. I’m guessing that’s what’s driven you down here too?”
Reyes shone the torch from one of the beings to the next, each one squinting in reaction to her scrutiny. A mismatch of creatures, they ranged in height, build, and species. The bright interrogation seemed to be enough for her, and she relaxed her stance.
What’s going on, Reyes? Seb said. This isn’t a hostile situation. Unless you have a very good reason, please don’t turn it into one.
A dip of her head at their leader, Reyes backed away, speaking to the ground. “I’m sorry. I mistook you for a different species.”
What the hell was that about? Seb said.
Ice clung to Reyes’ reply, and her eyes narrowed to slits when she glared at him. Just move on, yeah?
As long as you promise not to do that again. We’ve made it this far, it would be good to stay alive to get to Enigma.
I said just move on.
After he’d looked at the perplexed expressions of the rest of the team, Sparks shrugging to show she had no idea either, Seb let it go. He trusted Reyes with his life. Whatever her reasons, he’d know them soon enough. Just not now. He turned his attention to the line of beings in front of them. “Can you lead us to the Pillar of Peace in the main square?”
Their leader didn’t respond for a few seconds. It finally spoke, answering the question Sparks had asked them rather than Seb’s. “There are a lot of us down here.” A look at Sparks’ computer, the large creature continued, “The reason you didn’t pick us up is because these tunnels are lined with zinconium. It makes us invisible to scanners. It helped the criminal underworld stay hidden in the old days. Maybe we’re being paranoid thinking the crazies above can use any tech in their current state, but we’re staying deep in the tunnels just in case. Before we go any farther, we need to know, can we trust you?”
Seb noticed the slight flick of the creature’s eyes to Reyes. He stepped between them and nodded. “You can. I promise what just happened won’t happen again, will it, Re
yes?”
The marine shook her head. Whatever had driven her to confront these creatures had passed.
With a gentle nod, the tall leader said, “Why do you need to get to the Pillar of Peace?”
After a moment’s pause, Seb looked at his friends again. Too much information could give this creature power over them. “We don’t know yet.”
“Huh?”
“The chaos above has been triggered by something. We think the pillar has played some part in that. We plan to turn the slaves back to what they were before this.”
“Slaves?”
“It’s only the slaves who have turned.”
“Why?”
SA came through to Seb. Only tell them what you have to.
Silence swept through the place. Both sides gave off the impression of standing at ease, but the slightest spark between them would turn the dark tunnel into a bloodbath.
“We’re from the Shadow Order,” Seb went on. “You may not have heard of us, but we’re your best hope of stopping the craziness above.”
After a look at the creatures on either side of it, the tall and hairy brute relaxed its stance. “We’ll take you to where you need to go.”
Seb lowered his blaster so it hung by his side. His team did the same. A nod, he watched the leader for any hint of insincerity. Always hard to tell with a species he hadn’t met before, but he couldn’t see any. “Thank you.”
As they set off into the darkness of the tunnels, the creatures in front of them lit their way with torches. The bright glare of the combined glow glinted off the metal-lined walls. It must have been the zinconium the creature had talked about. Sparks and Reyes beside him, he noticed Sparks snatch her computer back from Reyes while scowling at her. Her back tense, she looked one step away from hissing at the marine.
The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera Page 122
