I knelt before Silas, who rocked and groaned as if lost in a dream. I winced when I saw the remains of his beautiful left eye. “Can you do this, boy?” I asked. “Can you run with me?”
He replied with a pathetic, stifled woof. It amazed me that even though he had to be in a great deal of pain, his tongue still lolled out and his good eye still held a glimmer of the adoration he always displayed. He nudged my knee and then looked behind me, where the marauders were still in the process of dragging Nick away. He yipped.
I nodded. “I know,” I said. “He’s going to get what’s coming to him.”
He yipped again, this time sounding stronger and impatient.
“What is it?” I asked.
Silas gestured with his head, scattering droplets of blood into the air. I wiped away the beads that fell on my cheek and stood up. I didn’t know what he wanted. “What’s wrong?” I said. Silas grunted, dropped his head, and walked away.
I watched as he hobbled across the dirt and came to a stop at the red stain where Nick had been overtaken. I went to him and looked down. There, in the middle of a lake of blood the parched desert floor greedily absorbed, was the Cragton Disk. The glossy silver construction shimmered, vibrating the very air around it. I reached down and picked it up, my fingers tingling when they wrapped around it. I removed the rope and shoved the disk in my pocket, alongside the key Ben had given me. I sighed and my heart rate slowed.
“I think we should leave now,” I said.
Silas gave me another of those drained yelps, and together we shambled into the blinding sunrise.
60
When we crossed from the Deadlands into the blowing fields of rough grasses and dying trees, we paused. The sun was high in the sky, baking us with its heat, and Silas looked much the worse for wear. He’d started to sway while he jogged and seemed ready to collapse. He’d lost so much blood I was worried he wouldn’t make it.
I took our remaining bottle of water from the rucksack, along with a stale slice of bread and the last of the magic pain pills Ben had given me. Pushing the pills into the hard dough, I rolled it into a ball and fed it to Silas, who gulped it down in a single bite. I then offered him the bottle. For a moment he lifted his front legs as if to grab it, thought better of it, and sat down and panted instead. A cramp of sorrow came over me when he made that motion, but I did my best to quash it.
He lapped up the water as I poured it, and we were off again. My chest, legs, hip, and mouth were sore, and the puncture wounds in my neck stung, but in no way did I regret giving Silas those final few pills. He was in much worse shape than I, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to go on without him.
This time the going was much slower. The bottoms of my feet barked at me, especially the one I’d hurt a couple days before, and the wounds in my chest throbbed. My energy level plummeted and I could only move at a stagger. Silas, however, seemed to gain some much-needed pep. He stopped limping and his tail wagged as he moved on ahead of me, acting the guide, as usual. I did my best to keep up, every so often casting a glance over my shoulder at the hazy lands we’d just left. Though they’d left in a hurry, I remembered Big Guy’s ominous gesture and feared he and his posse would be coming back for us.
The day dragged on. The massive red sun crawled across the sky. Silas kept his frantic pace, dashing ahead, retreating to gather me, and then dashing ahead once more. It made me so happy that he seemed to have recovered from his injuries, but every time he came within view and I saw that seeping void on the left side of his face I knew it was only temporary. I had to restrain the urge to sit and rest so we could get where we needed to be before he ran out of steam.
Time seemed to slow with each beat of my heart until a wondrous sight came across my vision – a horizon line littered with closely-packed trees. I grinned, breathed a sigh of relief, and urged my feet to move faster. Silas ran ahead, disappearing behind the impenetrable wall of trunks before reemerging with vines draped over his back. By the time the grasslands transformed into the lush underbrush of the oncoming forest, I was moving at a brisk jog and virtually singing with happiness.
That happiness lasted only seconds, as I heard a familiar war-cry ring out. I was a few feet from the tree line when I turned around. It came again, numerous voices screaming a single, terrifying refrain. And then I saw them, tiny dots in the hazy distance, looking like an army of ants. I gasped. There had to be hundreds of them.
They’d followed us. That’s what Big Guy had meant when he pointed at me. You’re next.
“Holy shit,” I muttered.
Silas appeared beside me. He snatched my pant leg between his teeth and pulled. I didn’t need another reminder, and we booked it into the forest.
61
I didn’t know how far behind me the mob of Tau-Kin was or how long it would take to reach the bomb shelter. Hell, I didn’t even know how to reach the shelter in the first place. I simply ran and trusted Silas to not steer me wrong. My aching body screamed at me and the wound in my chest became a pool of fire. My stitches split due to exertion and blood flowed down my chest, soaking my underwear, running down my legs. Soon my feet were sloshing as the fluid gathered in my boots.
I was in hell.
We sprinted through the forest, a pair of damaged souls forcing themselves onward when it was well within our rights to give in. I thought of Bridget and Jacqueline, of Kaiser, Will, and the hidden girls, and pushed harder. I thought of the wolf girl and all her terror, of the horrors those pursuing us had done to her, and gnashed my teeth together. I thought of Paul, the man who’d whispered into my head as a child though I never knew it, the man who could’ve been my twin, who had suffered horrors beyond any I could imagine, and my wounded heart turned into a raging ball of hatred. And then I looked at Silas and his spoiled face, at the ruined eye that would never be hazel or look upon the world with wonder again, which made me think of Wendy, my past and future, who I just wanted to hold me again, and amazingly my strength came back tenfold. When Silas led me up a sharp incline marked by jutting roots and loose rocks, I scaled it in record time without once slipping. My extremities had gone numb. Anger and desperation drove me onward.
We rounded a final bend, crossed another thatch of giant trees, and I spotted the poles holding up the billboard on the fringes of the clearing. I picked up speed just as Silas slowed. We passed between the two shafts like runners finishing a race. I hoped beyond hope that the bunker door was open and there were people outside. From the distant hoots that reached my ears, I knew we had little time for an explanation.
We were in luck. Kaiser knelt in a dirt patch just beyond the bunker, the girls surrounding him. He dug into the earth, not noticing when we emerged from the forest. It wasn’t until he lifted his head to show the girls something that he saw us. His face lit up and he leapt to his feet, waving. When he saw my expression his smile faltered. He dropped what he was holding and ran up to meet us.
“What’s going on?” he asked with an anxious voice when I stopped before him, panting.
“We…have to…leave…” I said.
“Leave? When?”
“Now.”
Kaiser glanced down at Silas, gaped at his wounded face, and then looked me in the eyes. I saw concern in them at first, but when the whoops and screams came from the surrounding woods, that quickly changed to terror.
“Hold on, I’ll go get Will,” he shouted. “Gather up the girls!”
Kaiser disappeared into the bunker. I went over to the four precious young ones, who huddled together and looked up at me with their frightened little-girl faces scrunched. “Don’t worry,” I gasped. Now that I wasn’t running, my energy – and anger – started to fade. “We…need to get out of here.”
“Why?” asked little Molly.
Will emerged from the bunker in a dead sprint, wearing only a pair of jeans. His expression was serious yet knowing. When he came up to me he stopped gave me a stern look.
“You must go,” he said.
&nbs
p; “You, too,” I replied.
He shook his head. “No. Our place is here. It always has been.”
I didn’t know how to reply, so I just stood there with my mouth hanging open.
Kaiser had joined us by then. “You can stay here if you want, brother,” he said, “but I’m leaving.”
“You can’t!” shouted Will. “We owe it to Papa Paul to continue with what he started!”
Rolling my eyes, I plunged my hand into my bag. My fingers found the folded note and I yanked it out. I grabbed Will around the wrist and slapped the note into his palm.
“This is what Paul wanted,” I said. “Read it if you want, but it’ll have to be on the way, because we’re leaving. Now.”
I spun to round up the girls, but found I didn’t have to. Silas was on top of it, running around them, making sure they moved toward the opposite end of the clearing. I gave chase, in that moment not caring if the two boys followed me or not. The roaring of Big Guy and his cohorts was growing louder by the second, and getting the girls – not to mention myself – back home took top priority.
Silas stopped at the forest’s boundary and looked up at me. His lone eye twinkled in the intense sunlight, as did the mess of blood and gore on the other side of his face. It seemed like he was waiting for my permission, and when I nodded in his direction he took off.
“Follow him!” I told the four panicked girls. All did as I said, except one. Amanda gazed up at me with tears in her eyes. I put my hand on her back and whispered, “It’ll be okay, but we have to move, all right?” She bit her lip and went running after her fellow refugees, her faded yellow nightgown billowing behind her like a cape.
I stayed at the rear to make sure none fell behind. We crisscrossed through the trees, never slowing or stopping to rest. At one point Laura stumbled, but Silas, preternaturally quick, wheeled around and offered his back for support. The girl righted herself and kept on going. Even from the rear I could hear her crying. My heart broke for her…for all of them.
I felt breath on my neck and felt a surge of dread, thinking the advancing horde had caught up with us, but then Kaiser appeared beside me. He grinned despite the sweat that caused his long wet hair to smack his cheeks.
Thank you, he mouthed, and jabbed his thumb to his rear. I gave a quick glance over my shoulder, not wanting to take my eyes off the ground below my feet or the rest of my pack for too long, and caught a glimpse of Will, sprinting behind me, his skinny arms pumping. In his hand was a crumpled bit of paper – the note Paul had left me. I thanked God for small favors and kept running.
The screams grew closer. Silas led us down the narrow path until the forest ended. Palm trees grew all around us, and there was sand underfoot. Kaiser and Will sprinted past me with amazing ease, making me think they’d been keeping pace with me out of respect, and darted for the expanse of water that spread out before us. Silas stopped at the edge of the lake and paced frantically, keeping the girls and me behind him while the brothers pulled the old and rickety steel rowboat from its hiding spot beneath a pile of dead branches. They lugged it across the sand, dropped the front end in the water, and ushered me in.
“Them first,” I said.
Will shook his head. “No. You. There isn’t enough room for all of us, they will have to sit on your lap.”
“There’s also the problem of leaking,” added Kaiser.
Oh yeah. I’d forgotten about that.
I jumped into the boat and sat on the front board, happy I had actual pants on this time. Silas came in next, sitting against the bow, facing me. Then came Molly and Amanda, each on one of my knees. I could feel their small bodies quiver and bounced my legs in an attempt to calm them. Will took the seat behind us and did the same with Tina and Laura. Finally, Kaiser shoved the dinghy into the lake and jumped over the rear. He wedged in beside his brother, and Tina switched laps. Kaiser and Will each grabbed an oar and started paddling. I heard a soft bubbling sound as the water began to gurgle through the small hole in the bottom of the boat. I shifted my feet, tucked them as close to the side as I could, and slapped the board.
Silas hopped up, cramming himself into the smallest of spaces, his front paws propped up on the side as if he was in the car looking out the window. Now that he was still, I noticed the extent of his injuries for the first time. Glistening wet streaks marred his black fur. He had a rather large gash beneath his front shoulder. His front legs shook, making it look like it took a great amount of effort to stay upright. I couldn’t imagine how much pain he was in, even with Ben’s magic medicine. I reached around Molly and ran my hand down his back to give him thanks. He whimpered at my touch, but didn’t flinch. When I pulled my hand away, it was covered with red.
Molly and Amanda did the same, leaning over to pet their brave guide. His whimpers were soon replaced by deep sighs, as if this was just what he needed. I smiled despite our situation, despite the water coming in from below and the shrieks that now sounded like they were right behind us.
I took a deep breath, braced my feet on the side of the boat, and craned my neck just in time to see an army of disheveled souls emerge from the forest. They sprinted down the beach, Big Guy in the lead, hollering at the top of their lungs. Big Guy pulled up right at the edge of the water, but most of the others did not. The sick bastard didn’t stop them as they plunged in, either; he simply crossed his arms and glared out at us.
My eyes widened as the first of the Tao-Kin splashed into the lake. He took two staggering steps, and then belly-flopped beneath the surface. The water all around us began to ripple. I pulled the girls in close to my chest. Kaiser, facing the rear as he paddled, glanced at me over his shoulder and grimaced. Will didn’t do anything. He simply stared straight ahead, a look of absolute concentration on his face, and brought his arms forward and back, forward and back, his muscles rippling with each stroke.
In a matter of seconds there were at least twenty bodies in the water, all flailing about as if they’d never swum before in their lives. Moments after that, the first of the huge, glossy, and slime-covered worms ascended from below. There were hundreds of them, rising up one after the other. Something thumped against the underside of our boat, tilting it, making the girls – and me – shriek. We came close to tipping over, and I almost dropped Molly into the infested lake. But just like my grip, the rusty little dinghy stayed true. It plunged back into position and swayed as the Blood Larvae glided past us, eyeless heads focused on their meals, circular mouths open and pulsating.
The girls covered their eyes when the first screams of terror arrived. I again glanced behind me to see the Larvae tearing the Tao-Kin to shreds. There were so many that the distant shore looked like a massive heap of writhing gray matter. A red mist rose into the air. Then I caught movement to my left and spotted Big Guy, walking away from the sight of the massacre with a surviving crew of thirty. He kept peering my way. Even though at least two hundred feet separated us by then, I swore I could see him grin.
“Oh, no,” whispered Kaiser.
I didn’t like the sound of that. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
For the first time, Will looked over his shoulder. When he faced me he shook his head and frowned.
“They know about the skiffs,” said Will.
“What skiffs?”
Kaiser pointed down the beach, where the sand ended and a rocky formation began. “There’s a cave over there,” he said. “There’s about fifteen long canoes in there. Paul used them all the time, but we rarely did because they’re too skinny to fit supplies in. They’re only built for one person.”
“So that means…” I began.
“They’re still coming after us,” Will said, finishing my thought.
My shoulders slumped and I faced forward. “Row faster,” I demanded.
I glanced back one last time before we entered the wall of fog and saw the first boat come gliding onto the water. The crafts were long, narrow, and fast. I swallowed hard, listened to the water coming into the boat, and
cursed aloud.
Why can’t anything ever be easy? I thought.
62
We drifted through a swirling white world. All around us the carnivorous worms still emerged, passing by our tiny boat like phantoms in the mist. The sickening smell of them, like crab meat covered with feces, forced me to cover my nose. I heard Silas and the girls whimper as that same nauseating scent reached them.
The boat swayed each time Will and Kaiser dropped their oars in the water. With the weight of us all, not to mention the water that collected below our raised feet, now a good inch deep, our progress seemed much too slow. I listened for clues, trying to decipher how much our pursuers had gained on us, but heard only splashes that seemed to come from all around. At one point someone screamed – an injured, desperate wail – and I assumed one of Big Guy’s underlings had gotten a little too close to the water. It sounded far away, as if it occurred in another place and time. Good, I thought. They’re not as close as I thought.
Eventually the fog lifted and I spotted the opposite shore. A long hike awaited us there, up the grassy side of the mountain and over its crest. I looked at my crew of four very young girls, two teenage boys, and one wounded dog, and then peered behind me. We’d gained a decent amount of distance between ourselves and the fog, and there was nary a mutated human or skiff to be seen. Maybe their long, slender boats had been too small and they’d all been consumed by the Larvae, who were nowhere to be seen. If only we could be so lucky.
Silas sniveled and started trying to rub his damaged face against the dinghy’s rusty side rails. I again reached around Molly to comfort him. He pressed the leaking, empty eye socket into my palm instead. He didn’t move any more than that, there was only the breath coming from his open, panting mouth. I again thought of the ridge ahead of us. From the amount of blood he was losing, I feared he wouldn’t have the strength to make the climb.
Silas: A Supernatural Thriller Page 26
