by D. S Mac
“It’s ok. It’s over. What are your names?” He gently pried her away from him and reached out for the other girl. She took his hand and repeated the same process as the first girl.
“I’m Abbie. She is Mel.”
“I’m Drake. Right, now to find a way out.”
Drake motioned at the girls to sit there while he had a quick look around. The only way they could move was farther down the aisle. All around them was debris. No openings. No way out. “Shit!”
Another seismic event ensued. This time it would be fatal. Every fibre of the warehouse shook violently. The groaning steel was screaming from the strain. Drake was in full panic mode. He glanced down at his arm. Through gritted teeth, he willed something to happen. “Come on! Now would be a great time.” He slapped his wrist harder and harder, leaving an angry red welt. The slaps turned to punches. “Come on!” Punch. “Come on!” Punch. “Fuck!” he screamed.
The building gave way. Time slowed down. Drake ran to the girls, ready to cover them if necessary. His final act. Furniture-sized chunks of concrete and steel came crashing down. Drake dove to the girls, wrapped his arms tight around them and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
With their heads down, eyes closed and saying their last goodbyes, they did not notice the blue aura emitting from Drake’s arm. As the debris collided, they were engulfed in beautiful azure light.
Chapter 28 - Regroup
Hannah was still perched outside. She could not leave without knowing for sure, even though the sun was at its peak. The light was scarce. Thick grey clouds covered the sky, which cast the wharf into darkness. Her eyes were wet from tears of pain. Mental and physical. The ordeal against that creature had taken it out of her. Added to that the pain of losing Drake.
A few minutes before, she’d watched as half the building collapsed. An agonised scream billowed from her lungs. Drake was gone. Drake was a hero, and she’d done nothing. She’d sat there nursing her own wounds when she should have been in there with him. A million thoughts shot through her synapses. What if… what if.
Several minutes passed. There was no change. With her tears slowly drying up, she clambered to her feet. There was nothing else she could do. Fergus and her dad needed to know. Could they still stop Forrest? Hannah hobbled away. Her aching body sent a wave of pain with each step. The derelict warehouse rumbled one last time. The steel screamed, and the rest of the building collapsed. Harsh dust billowed up like a mushroom cloud and engulfed the entire building. Hannah turned to look one last time.
“Goodbye… Drake.” She kissed her hand and went to blow a kiss. Which was when she saw a faint neon blue breaking through the cloud. “No way!” She ran forward. It was definitely glowing blue. A beaming smile spread across her face. A crackle of electricity sounded behind her. The tingle of static electricity tickled her back. Her hair stood on end as a shudder wove down her spine.
She spun around one hundred and eighty degrees. Happy tears streamed down her dirt-caked face. Right in front of her, a fracture tore in the air. A faint line of light instantaneously burst open. The electromagnetic force pushed her onto her bottom. The pure energy from the fracture sent every strand of her hair reaching for the sky like she had touched a plasma globe. The fracture continued to grow until it was taller than her. The blue light had splintered into two arcs connected at the top and bottom. The centre was a pulsing translucent mass.
A single foot broke through the invisible barrier. The centre mass rippled like a raindrop in a lake. Shortly followed by a torso. Two more sets of naked legs. Naked torsos. Finally, their whole selves had made it through. Drake was covered in grime, arms around two naked filthy girls. They collapsed to their knees. Drake’s eyes met Hannah’s, and when she thought no more tears could come, they poured from the corner of her eyes. Hannah dove into Drake’s embrace.
“What on earth is that? What happened?” One of the naked girls was staring in awe at the closing fracture. Both girls scrambled back a few paces. Drake knelt in front of them.
“Don’t worry. I can control them. It’s a fracture in time and space. You’re both safe now. We will take you somewhere to get cleaned up.”
Both girls were still deadlocked in a staring contest with the fracture.
“What about that creature? It… it raped us.” Abbie sobbed into her arm. “And Dr Forrest? That monster was going to eat us! We watched him and that thing rip pieces from another girl.”
“I know, and I’m going to kill him.” Drake stood back up. He held out his hands. The girls took them. “I promise.”
After they bundled the girls in the back of the car, Hannah produced a blanket from the boot.
“Here you go, girls. This is all I’ve got for now. But we are going to take you to a friend to get cleaned up.” Hannah handed over the blanket. The girls thanked her and wrapped themselves up.
The drive back to Peter’s was quiet. No one spoke. They were all exhausted. Hannah pulled up outside. As she shifted down gears, Drake placed his hand on hers. It was a small act. But one that filled her heart. Drake and Hannah helped to shuffle the girls to the front door, careful to keep them covered. Drake rapped three hard knocks. They waited.
The sound of footsteps was followed by the crack of a deadbolt and the click of the lock. The door slid open a few inches. Peter’s face filled the gap.
“Jesus, what on earth happened?”
Hannah stepped forward. “We need to get these girls cleaned up, clothed and back home.”
“Of course, of course.” Peter stepped back, pulled the door open. It caught the doormat, so he had to move the door back and kick the mat out of the way. It thudded against the wall. He pulled the door fully open and stepped aside. “Amy,” he shouted up the stairs as he closed the door behind them. “Amy.”
“I heard you. What’s up?” She appeared on the landing and spotted the girls. “Oh my.” Her hand went to her mouth in shock.
“Please can you grab two towels and get the shower going, then gather two sets of clothing.”
“Erm… yeah, Jesus! Of course. One minute.” She vanished from view.
“Girls, do you want to head upstairs? My wife, Amy, will help you out.”
They nodded, and both tentatively climbed the stairs.
“Drake, what the hell?”
Before Drake could reply, Chase burst from the living room door. “I thought I heard you.” He was taken aback by their appearance. “I take it the warehouse didn’t go too well.” He motioned for everyone to head into the living room. Hannah sat with Drake. Fergus was fast asleep on the sofa, snoring like a bull. Peter and Chase sat, both eagerly awaiting the update.
“So a quick rundown for you.” Drake removed a cushion that was awkwardly stuck behind him. “The warehouse was a bloody cannibal hive for Forrest…”
“Wait, what? Are you sure?” Chase was visibly shocked.
“Sorry, Chase, but yeah, there was a mutilated corpse and two girls caged naked.”
“Oh my…” He wiped his brow. “The girls? Where are they now?”
“They are upstairs with Amy, getting cleaned up.” Drake sighed before continuing, “There was a fractured creature there. When I was at the end, humans had been pulled through so many fractures that their DNA spliced together all wrong. Creating these… monsters.”
“Fergus mentioned these. They sound awful.”
“They are, Chase; they’re savages. This one, though, was more human. It was weird. Like it was a pet. Anyway, the two girls were violently raped by it.”
Peter and Chase grabbed their mouths in shock.
Fergus had apparently awoken to hear that part. “Fucking monster! We need to end this.”
“We do, Ferg, and we’re taking it to his offices. We will stop whatever he is doing, and I will kill him.” Hannah went to interrupt. “Hannah, I know you need to see the chief. We need to find the girls’ families and gear up for Forrest.”
“I know, Drake, I know. I can’t leave it. I’m going.”
/> “Alone?” A worried expression contorted his face.
“I’ll go with you,” Peter addressed the room. Four faces stared back at him.
Drake shot to his feet. “Pete, we can’t put you in any more danger.”
Fergus adjusted his seating position and cleared his throat. “If the man wants to help, let him help.”
“Guys, I’ll be fine. I want to help.” After several accepting shrugs, Hannah stood up. “Come on then, Pete. Let’s go see my boss.”
Chapter 29 - Chief
Rain battered down on the bonnet. Each drop sent a hollow drumming thud through the interior. Visibility was scarce at best, a lot like how the future looked if they couldn’t stop Forrest. Hannah had both hands firmly on the steering wheel, knuckles white from the pressure. She was slightly leant forward, eyes narrowed to a slit to improve visibility past the wipers, which were on the highest setting, swooshing every second, which gave a clear view for half a second.
“Weather has been shit lately.” Peter, who had been silent since they got in the car, decided to speak up.
“Really? We are in the middle of stopping a world-ending event, and you want to comment on the weather?” Hannah chuckled but didn’t take her eyes off the road.
“I guess I’m nervous. Amy wasn’t too happy.” Peter kissed his teeth. “I need to help.”
“I get it. I couldn’t sit around knowing all this was going on either.” Hannah flicked up the indicator, glanced over her shoulder and turned right.
“So what’s the plan?” Peter placed both hands in his lap to try to steady his juddering leg.
“We’ll head to the PD, talk to my chief and try to get some backup.” A sudden red light change made Hannah slam on the brakes. They both lurched forward. “Sorry, I didn’t see that. What I don’t get is why my chief hasn’t been in contact.”
“With the attack at the hospital, surely he’s swamped?”
“Yeah… maybe.” Hannah took another right turn, pulled up outside the PD, flicked everything off and climbed out. “You stay here.”
Peter nodded. Hannah left, slamming the door.
Hannah burst through the double doors. Several officers gave her a nod as she entered the staff code. With her shoulder, she pushed the heavy door open and made her way to the stairs. Two flights later, she was heading straight for the chief’s office. An officer coming the other way bumped into Hannah and almost lost his papers. After an awkward scuffle to reclaim the falling documents, he continued on his way. Hannah saw the chief’s office was locked up. No one inside. She turned back to the officer.
“Hey, where is the chief?”
He spun around, a dazed look on his face. When he realised Hannah was talking to him, he responded, “He’s not been seen yet today. Everyone is busy at the hospital.”
“Right… thanks.” Hannah pulled a hand through her dirty hazel hair. She thought about her next move. The only other option was the chief’s house. It wasn’t far away. Before she left, she caught a glimpse of the weapons cabinet. After running to her desk and grabbing her duffel bag, she keyed in her officer code. Inside the cabinet were rows of police-issued handguns, magazines and boxes of bullets. Hannah tore down the zipper of the bag; the metal teeth grinding echoed throughout the operations room. She bundled in a small armoury and zipped it back up. The weapons cabinet clanged shut. Seconds later followed the faint click of the automatic lock.
Hannah arrived back at the car and yanked the door open to a startled Peter.
“Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” His hand clasped his chest.
“Sorry. Here, take this.” She passed over the duffel bag and slipped into her seat. She clicked her seatbelt into place. “He’s not there. We are going to have to go to his house.”
The short drive to the chief’s home was made longer than necessary by the droves of ambulances screeching past. Sirens were blaring. The blue and red lights sent a hazy blur through the heavy rain. Hannah wondered how the hospital attack was being handled. It was the worst thing she had ever seen. All those innocent people. The thought of it brought bile to her mouth. Hannah pulled up outside the chief’s house. “Right…”
“Stay here, I know.” A mock grin spread across his face as Hannah stepped out.
She ran to the front door and pounded several heavy knocks. No response. Her finger found the doorbell. She hammered that several times. The faint bell chiming resounded inside. Still nothing. Hannah decided to peer through the front window. After stepping over a heart-warming display of peonies, she cupped her hands to her eyes against the cold window. Raindrops cascaded down. It was distorting her view. A pair of black boots scuttled past the doorway at the back of the room. With her heartbeat quickening, she dipped around the side of the house. A six-foot wooden gate, which was much in need of a paint job, blocked her path. Hannah gave the stainless steel circular handle a twist and gently pushed it. The metal latch gave off a tinny rattle. It did not budge. Reaching over, she found the deadbolt and slid it across, careful not to make a sound. She was met with resistance as it hit its end. A faint ding from the metal on metal. Hannah tried the ring handle again. The gate swung open.
Hannah crept through. She carefully closed the gate behind her, drew her handgun, checked the chamber. A brass glow amongst the black body. She continued around the back. Another quick peek through what looked like the kitchen window. There was no movement.
Hannah reached the back door and twisted the handle. It slid open with a faint creak from the hinges. It led into a warm old-fashioned kitchen. Cream cupboards and a retro Amica fridge with appliances to match. No cups, plates or anything out. No washing up. Hannah became aware that each of her steps clacked on the linoleum flooring. She reached a set of double doors and leant her shoulder against the frame. She reached down, grasped the handle. After a count of three, she used all her training. In one swift movement, she tore the door open, raised her gun and scanned the room, ready to shoot. She had entered a cosy little dining room, the same colour theme as the kitchen.
A beautiful mahogany table draped in cream linen, red cutlery already laid out. Not a hair seemed out of place. Hannah used the same breach method at the door on the other side of the room. Again it was tranquil. Untouched. Remote controls were spaced out in a perfect line on the gleaming glass coffee table. Cushions all plumped and organised. Chair throws elegantly arranged. Hannah realised that the boots she’d seen from the window would have been in the dining room. Her heart was pounding a rhythm in her chest that she was not used to. Blood flushed her face. The pressure almost popped her ears.
Hannah continued her search. Hallway clear. Bathroom clear. The only place left was upstairs. The stairs were slapped against the cream walls as if they were an afterthought. They fell too close to the entrance and were uncommonly narrow. The rail was simply a bar of chrome-effect metal supported by three mean spindles. It looked for all the world like it would come crashing down with even the weight of a child, yet it must have been there thirty years or more. They were a strange addition to an otherwise beautiful old house. Hannah took a deep breath before placing even some of her weight on the lowest step and kept her hands clear away from the rail. The squeak did not surprise her, but it was immediate and loud. If there was anyone upstairs still unaware of her presence, they weren’t now. After freezing to listen for a few moments, she began to ascend, tentatively placing her feet down.
Fourteen steps and five loud creaks later, Hannah had made it to the top. Confusion set in. Had she seen boots from the window?
The landing was as beautifully old-fashioned as the rest of the house. The cream theme had leaked to the first floor too. Four doors separated Hannah from the rest of the house. Two to her right, one ahead and one more to her right. Hannah decided on the right-hand door and tiptoed to it, unsure of why she was creeping; the stairs had made enough noise to alert the neighbours. She breached into a small box room, gorgeously aesthetically decorated for a young girl. Baby pink walls
complemented by baby pink linen. Teddies and toys in abundance, spewing out of the handmade toy chest that’s paintwork had seen better days. Hannah made her way back to the centre door. Another tactical breach, and she was met with another ageing bathroom. Sink and bath a vile wasabi colour. Mismatched tiles, grouting thick and black with mould. Hannah retraced her steps and breached the closest of the two last doors. A slightly larger room, blue themed. Several gaming systems and a large television. All thick with dust. A teenager’s clothing littered the floor. Hannah could barely see the threadbare brown carpet through the gaps.
One more room to go, Hannah’s heart rate had steadied since finding most of the rooms clear. She kept thinking to herself that she was mistaken. The heavy rain did affect her vision, after all. Hannah reached the last room, braced against the frame and groped for the brass handle. Her touch rattled the handle ever so slightly, but that was her biggest mistake. The door burst open. It smashed into her gun, which sent it flying across the landing. After bouncing off the wall, it tumbled down the stairs. Before Hannah could react, a black-clad man lunged for her throat. Two thick gloved hands had her in a vice-like grip, squeezing tighter and tighter. As the assailant’s fingers buried themselves deeper into her throat, Hannah’s vision blurred. Blood rushed to her head. Her lips twitched furiously while her eyes bulged from their sockets. She had seconds, if even that, to figure a way out. But she was rigid with fear. Even though her brain was buzzing, her body was too overwhelmed to move. Blackness descended. A deafening crack was the last thing she heard before slipping away.
A rush of cool air swam down her restricted throat. She was slumped against the wall. Her chest heaved, exhausted from the effort of attempting to draw in oxygen. She could hear someone calling out to her. Was this her time? Her vision returned in small steps like it was being upgraded to high definition as her oxygen levels increased. Her legs would not move. She squirmed and wiggled, trying to break free. A hand clasped her shoulder.
