A Glimmer of Hope

by Steve McHugh

  “There’s not a lot of metal there,” Rosa told her.

  “It’ll be enough,” Layla explained as the end of one of the wires snapped around her wrist, while the others hung down, like a dozen thin whips. She flicked them toward the door, hardening the metal in them as they punched through the wood. A flick of her hand, and the thin metal wire tore the door in half, allowing her to step outside, where she found a terrified Shane standing behind Chloe.

  “You take her,” Shane said. “Just don’t kill me. I’m not a fighter, I’m just here to help out.”

  “Are you okay?” Layla asked Chloe, ignoring Shane. “Stupid question, I know.”

  “I’m fine,” Chloe told her. “A little bruised, but my powers are healing me quickly enough. What do you plan on doing with the dipshit behind me?”

  “He’s all yours.”

  From a kneeling position, Chloe spun up and toward Shane, planting an uppercut just under his chin that lifted him from his feet and dumped him on the ground.

  Chloe bounced up and down on the spot for a few seconds, before stopping and walking over to Shane. She picked him up and threw him against the cabin wall, causing a cracking sound as his ribs broke from the impact.

  Chloe didn’t even pause and sprinted flat-out toward Shane, driving her knee into his face as he tried to get back to his feet. She rained down punch after punch onto his face, and Layla had to look away as the sound of fists breaking bone became too much.

  “Chloe,” Layla almost whispered, “I think he’s done.” She risked a look back at her friend, who was covered in Shane’s blood.

  Chloe got to her feet and staggered a little, before kneeling beside Shane and placing a hand on the side of his head, moving it so he could look at her through his one good eye. “Can you hear me in there?” she asked Shane, who could only murmur a response. “Right now, I could kill you. And there’s every chance that one day I will, but I’m not going to do that today. There’s going to be enough killing soon, and Tommy is going to want someone to talk to about Nergal and Elias. I’m volunteering you.” She punched him in the face with enough power to knock him out, and he went still.

  Layla took a step toward Shane, paused as she saw him breathe, and went to Chloe. “Are you okay?”

  Chloe let herself be helped up, using Layla as support. “Exhausted,” she said. “Just exhausted. And really sore. I may have pulled a few things fighting him.”

  An explosion tore through the night, followed by shouts that drifted all around them. Several armed men and women ran to the rear of the building, close to Layla and Chloe, followed by Remy screaming obscenities at the top of his voice.

  “Hey,” he said, stopping beside Layla. “You two okay?”

  Layla nodded as Diana ran down from the hill, a broadsword in one hand. She stopped beside the group and took Chloe from Layla.

  “She needs rest,” Layla said.

  “I’ll take her to the cars out front. Come join us when you’re done.” With Chloe in her arms, Diana ran off without another word.

  “And the sack of shit on the floor?” Remy asked, pointing at Shane. “Is he a pin cushion, or is he there for a more helpful reason?”

  “He needs to be questioned.”

  Remy stared at the wires hanging from Layla’s hands, as more shouts and the sounds of fighting left the farmhouse. “You going to join in?”

  “There are people here from the train depot. Elias had them captured.”

  Remy shouted at one of the nearby armed men, who nodded and was soon carrying Shane away, although he was considerably less careful about it than Diana had been about Chloe.

  Remy drew his broadsword and smiled. “Let’s go find your friends, and give some people a really bad day.”

  Layla followed him into the farmhouse expecting to find chaos and insanity all around her, but whatever action there was had been quick. Three dead blood elves lay by the front door, as Tommy organized a search of the property.

  “How are you?” he asked Layla. “I’m sorry it took so long to get here. We had to make sure we weren’t going to cause your death by triggering an alarm or trap.”

  “I’m fine,” she told him. “You tracked me?”

  “Well, Grayson did, but he’s back at the mansion now. Any idea where Elias is?”

  Layla shook her head and explained about the train-depot captives.

  Tommy sniffed the air. “There’s a bunch of scents coming from upstairs. Remy, you go with Layla and find these people.”

  Remy nodded.

  “What about Reyes and the Japanese ghost lady?” Layla asked.

  “Masako? No sign of either. I’m thinking they rabbited the second we came through the doors. This place is huge, so it’ll take a while to search.”

  “And did you find the ogre?”

  “Not yet, but it’s an ogre, how hard can it be to find? Go look for these people. When you’re done, Jared’s in the building across the yard; it’s the one with a thatched roof. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

  “She’s fine, Dad. Stop fussing,” Kasey said as she exited a nearby room.

  She walked over to Layla and hugged her. “Glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “I’ll come upstairs with you and help you search.”

  The three of them reached the landing, and while Remy walked away toward one side of the huge building, grabbing a few agents on the way, Layla and Kasey took the other.

  They both stayed silent as they looked through the many rooms, most devoid of anything larger than rats and mice.

  It wasn’t until they turned the corner that they heard muffled screams. They ran toward the end of the hallway, the noise growing by the second. Kasey had already changed into her werewolf form the second she ploughed into the door, tearing it apart.

  Layla stepped inside and saw the bodies on the floor, four blood elves standing above them, while more captives cowered in the corner.

  Layla recognized several of the people as those she’d worked with. But the second she saw Star’s horror-filled gaze from where she huddled in the corner with two more of her old co-workers, Layla lost control.

  She reached out with her power, grabbing hold of any metal in the floorboards, and dozens of small nails and screws slammed into two of the blood elves at high speed, ripping through them like paper. A quick punch with a metal-wrapped fist to both of them, and they were down on the floor a moment later.

  Kasey had thrown one of her two blood elves through the barricaded windows, while she snapped the neck of the second.

  The screams and cries grew louder as Kasey—all fangs, claws, and blood-splattered fur—turned to speak to the captives.

  “Get some help up here,” Layla told Kasey, who nodded and ran off.

  “You’re okay,” Layla said soothingly, but no one was listening. They’d all been through so much, and her appearance had only made them even more terrified. She waited until several agents arrived, and left them to deal with the survivors. She hoped they would all recover, but was saddened and angered by what they’d gone through.

  Layla walked away, leaving the farmhouse as Shane was led into the back of a BMW X5. His face was no longer a bloody mess, but he still looked like he’d remember what Chloe did for a long time. Layla couldn’t say she was upset about that.

  She crossed the courtyard and found the front door to the smaller building open. She stepped inside, blinking a few times into the darkness beyond. “Jared, you in here?”

  The building was two stories high, but about a fifth of the size of the main farmhouse, and from the outside Layla had guessed it was probably about the size of a two-bedroom cottage.

  She entered what at one time had probably been the front room to the property, but which now sat disused. It had clearly been used as a rubbish dump and was full of bits of trash and old pieces of rusting machinery that had long since outlived their usefulness.

  Layla navigated her way through the throng of junk and reached the staircase, which was beside an open do
or. She poked her head through and found a kitchen that she wouldn’t have eaten in if it was the last place on earth. Old food, dead rats, and the smell of mold and rot made her gag, and she quickly walked up the stairs to the floor above, taking them two at a time in case the smell somehow prevented her from escaping.

  “Jared, you up here?” Layla called out.

  “Back here,” Jared shouted from the room at the far end of the hallway.

  There were only three rooms upstairs: a bathroom and two bedrooms, but the door to the second bedroom was considerably further away from the other two and required stepping over some floorboards that had probably seen better days.

  The wooden floor creaked as Layla placed a foot on it and, for a second, she thought that she would go straight through to the other side. She launched herself over the floorboards, hoping that whatever she landed on would be slightly less wobbly. Thankfully, it was and she maintained her footing.

  She reached the bedroom door and stepped inside. Jared was on his knees, Elias behind him, a blade to the younger man’s throat.

  “Layla,” Elias said. “It’s a shame . . .”

  He never got to finish the sentence as Layla’s rage flooded through her. She controlled the metal in the blade, detaching it from the hilt, before throwing it to one side and into the far wall. Elias pushed Jared aside and stepped toward Layla, blocking her punch and kick, before delivering one of his own to her chest, sending her spiraling to the ground.

  Layla scrambled back to her feet as Elias kicked Jared in the face, busting his nose. He picked Jared up and threw him at Layla, who couldn’t move in time to stop the collision, sending them both crashing to the floor. The air was knocked out of her and she struggled for breath.

  “You should have worked with me,” Elias said. “Now I’m going to kill you.”

  Wiring leaped from the ceiling, wrapping itself around Elias and keeping him in place while Layla got back to her feet. She’d twisted her ankle in the fall, but it wasn’t bad enough that she was unable to fight. And she doubted Elias was just going to lie down and accept defeat.

  Elias gave a roar of anger and used his brute strength to tear the wiring apart, throwing it aside as he ran toward Layla, who couldn’t move fast enough. He grabbed hold of her and drove her back out of the doorway, landing on the floorboards in the hall, which finally gave way.

  The pair crashed through the floor, landing in the kitchen with a loud bang. Layla had managed to twist out of Elias’s grasp at the last possible second, so instead of having his whole weight fall on her, it landed only on her legs. It hurt like hell, but she punched Elias in the face as she scrambled out from under him and dragged herself upright.

  Elias was back on his feet in a second, grabbing hold of Layla and throwing her to the side. Layla slammed into the rusty freezer and hit the ground once again, scaring off a large rat in the process.

  She rolled to the side and used her power to throw the freezer at Elias, who caught it mid-flight, but that only allowed Layla to turn the knives and forks in the drawer next to the sink into a dozen small missiles.

  Elias kept the freezer in front of him, blocking the incoming weaponry, and then flung the freezer aside as voices came through from the front door. “We’re not done,” he said to Layla, before running toward the sink and launching himself up and through the window behind it.

  Layla got back on her feet, watching as Elias sprinted faster than any man could possibly move. She stayed there until he reached the tree line and vanished from view.

  Layla placed her hands on the metal sink and screamed in rage and frustration, tearing it free from the base and throwing it through the remains of the window, along with most of the other metal in her vicinity. It included an old stove, which made a large hole in the side of the building.

  “He escaped,” she said to Diana, as she entered the room. “I couldn’t stop him.”

  Diana nodded and looked out of the rear of the property in the direction Elias had run. “Reyes is gone too. And Masako.”

  “Tommy told me.”

  “The ogre still hasn’t been found, although we’ve stopped these particular blood elves from ever being a problem again.” She placed a hand on Layla’s shoulder. “Don’t be hard on yourself.”

  “I thought accepting the spirits and drenik would make me powerful enough to stop him.”

  “It takes time. You don’t become all-powerful in a few hours. I’m amazed you managed to throw a stove through a wall. That takes some power.”

  “How many from the depot survived?”

  “Twelve. You managed to stop them before they’d killed too many. Most of them are physically okay. Emotionally . . . well, that’s another matter, isn’t it? We’ll make sure they get everything they need, though.”

  Layla nodded. That would have to be enough. Even if nothing would ever be enough to wipe this experience from their memories.

  Shouting reached Layla’s ears. “What’s happening?”

  Diana shrugged just as Jared dropped through the hole in the ceiling. “I’m beginning to get fed up of being a punch bag for these people.”

  “You’ll get your chance,” Diana assured him.

  Remy ran through the building into the kitchen. “We have an ogre problem. Might be an idea if you all help out.”

  Layla sighed. An ogre problem. It never rains but it pours.

  34

  Layla rushed out of the building to find Brako fighting off the majority of Tommy’s agents. There was a roar and a huge werewolf leaped from the roof of the farmhouse onto the back of the ogre’s head, tearing chunks of flesh from the giant monster. It lasted only a few seconds, until the ogre managed to get hold of the werewolf and throw it across the farmyard as if it was nothing more than a tennis ball. The werewolf hit the ground hard, bouncing several times before coming to a stop.

  Diana and Remy sprang into action, both of them closing the distance to the ogre in seconds, with Diana removing her clothing and turning into her werebear form almost in one smooth motion.

  Once changed, Diana was still several feet shorter than the ogre, but she was fast and strong and managed to block or avoid most of the ogre’s attacks. All the while, Remy darted around it, making cuts on its legs and feet, trying to get the ogre off balance.

  Brako kicked out at Remy and managed to catch him on his tail, sending him sprawling into the dirt. Layla ran over to check on him, but found that he was okay, if slightly dazed.

  “How do we fight an ogre?” she asked.

  “With style,” a werewolf Kasey said. She opened her maw and ice exploded from it, smashing into the ogre’s legs, freezing it in place.

  Brako swatted one more agent, sending her flying, before trying to free himself from the ice prison.

  By the time Kasey had made it to the ogre, he had managed to shatter the ice, throwing a punch at the werewolf that she only just managed to block, although it still sent her to the dirt alongside Remy.

  Layla didn’t want anyone else to be hurt. She reached out with her power, feeling the metal all around her in the house and car. She wondered if she could throw a car, but the BMW only budged an inch. Instead, she concentrated on the car door, which tore free and flew at Brako, smashing into the side of his head with such force that the door almost disintegrated.

  Blood poured from the ogre’s broken jaw, drenching his chest within seconds. He rounded on Layla and screamed something, but she couldn’t figure out what.

  “You’re done hurting people,” Layla said, flinging a second door at him. It smashed into his stomach and knocked him back several feet, allowing Diana to dive at his head, sinking her massive teeth into his skull.

  Within moments, Tommy had joined in the fight, and for a second it looked like they would win, but the ogre flailed at them and managed to knock them both aside.

  Murderous rage consumed the ogre’s eyes, and Layla wasn’t certain that they could beat the creature, who refused to fall. Refused to die, despite horrif
ic wounds.

  There was a shimmer behind the ogre that caught Layla’s attention. The ogre saw it too and swiped the air beside him, but the shimmer was already moving again. And as quickly as it started, it stopped.

  In an instant Masako sat atop the ogre’s head. She said something that Layla didn’t understand, then the pretty woman morphed into a monster. Her jaw dropped low, like a snake, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. Her fingers elongated, forming talons, which she drove into Brako’s skull, tearing it open. She jammed her face into the open wound and began to feast noisily.

  Layla froze, partly fascinated, partly sickened by what was happening before her. Masako was quickly drenched in blood, riding the dead ogre to the ground, most of its brain now inside her stomach. She sat on the ogre’s neck for several seconds, before licking the blood from her fingers in a way that reminded Layla of a cat cleaning itself.

  “What the hell was that?” Layla asked no one in particular.

  “That was me saving all of you,” Masako said, her hands and face returning to normal. “Anyone want to get me some wet wipes?”

  “I don’t understand. You work for Elias. Well, Nergal.”

  “I do. I have for many years. But I’m also not blind to what is happening here. Elias has lost control. I’m a professional, not an idiot.”

  Tommy had changed into his human form and walked over to Layla. “Everyone okay?”

  “My pride is pretty banged up,” Remy said, and kicked Brako in the side of the head. “Oh, and I’m going to need some bleach to get the image of Masako tearing into the ogre’s brain like it was a chicken wing out of my head.”

  “Ogre brains taste funny,” Masako said.

  “I’m gonna go lay down, maybe vomit a little,” Remy said casually. “Might regret ever meeting any of you. I haven’t decided yet.”

  He walked off toward the BMW, which was still in one piece close to the farm entrance. Layla wished she could go with him.

  “I should arrest you,” Tommy told Masako.

  “Why? For saving your life? Is that an arrestable offense? Do you even have the power to arrest me?”