Dead Alive: Eden Lost Book Two (Hunter Wars 8)

by SD Tanner

  “I can’t believe it’s all gone,” Philip said unhappily.

  Flying in the lead bird, Hatch slowly headed west towards Stonehenge. Considering it had a population of over sixty million, the UK was a surprisingly small island, and they could fly it coast to coast in a matter of hours. With the advantage of being high in the air, the dead zone beyond Stonehenge was immediately obvious. Like an untidily bordered lawn, the forest ended and the land turned barren and brown. It was an odd contrast to the lushness of the rest of the country.

  “Why?” He asked no one in particular.

  No one had an answer and none was offered. The death of the land was Ruler’s motif, but it struck him as odd that the whole country hadn’t been lost. Why would he only destroy part of the country when he could have it all?

  Stonehenge was still on a small hill surrounded by tall stalks of light green grass. The forest hadn’t swamped the area, and the monument was still clearly visible. It was the middle of the day, and with the sun high in the sky, he couldn’t see if anything was burning in the middle of the stones.

  “Hatch, can you land near it?”

  “Are ya sure you want me to, Gears?”

  “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want ya to, now would I?”

  Clearly deciding not to argue, Hatch landed the bird about forty feet from the stones, leaving the other bird to circle in the air. The soft grass flattened under the fierce wind of the rotors, and he jumped to the ground. Making his way to the heavy granite stones, he was surprised anyone would have thought to build such an odd structure. How would they have known to build it, much less where?

  He heard Ip laughing inside his head. This is not our first tangle with hell. By the time we left, they knew where it dwelled.

  An image of the three sarcophaguses Ip had shown them in hell floated through his mind. Their effigies wore what he’d assumed were medieval clothing, but he’d been a poor history student and they could have been from any period in time. Walking between two tall stone pillars, he finally saw what Philip and Pax had described. In the center was a perfectly round, low burning fire about six feet in diameter. The flames were licking above the ground, sparking an iridescent red and blue. Standing just a foot away, he stared intently into the pit of fire, trying to gain some glimpse of what lay below. The source of the flames was well beneath the surface, and he couldn’t see anything other than the fire.

  Whenever he stood on the edge of a cliff, he always felt the irresistible urge to throw rocks over it. It was a childish response to an unspoken challenge, but the round burning hole had much the same effect on him. Pulling a small bottle of the Water of Life from his vest, he threw it into the pit, and he might as well have thrown a bomb. Flames shot in a straight line, thirty feet into the air. The top of the pyre disintegrated, throwing small embers of red and blue flames back to earth, hitting his armor and helmet. Shielding his face, he pushed Ip away from the explosion and behind one of the granite rocks. Unlike a real explosion, this one didn’t stop. Almost as if deeply offended by his offering, the pit continued to spew angry red flames.

  Heaven and hell do not mix well.

  “I was not aware of that fact.”

  “What in God’s name did you do to piss the gate off?” Philip shouted in disbelief.

  “I gave it water.”

  The ground began to shake and rumble angrily. The vibration travelled up his legs, reaching his knees and shook his lower spine. Taking Ip by the hand, he pulled her away from the rock, and tried to reach the bird. The earth was undulating in waves, one moment there was solid ground beneath him, and the next it was gone. With an unsteady gate, he struggled to find each step to lead him back to Hatch and the bird. A wind whipped around him like a small tornado, and he pushed Philip ahead of him, while still dragging Ip.

  “Good show, Gears,” Philip shouted.

  “Shaddup, Philip.”

  The pit was throwing so many small flames, some were gaining life and the grass began to burn wetly. The bird was only twenty feet away, but it might as well have been a mile. The wind was beginning to whip so fiercely, even with his considerable size and weight, he was almost blown off his feet. The combat shooters were forming a human chain from the door of the bird, each clutching one another’s shoulders to reach them. They caught Philip first, and bodily passed him from one shooter to the next. Thrusting Ip towards the shooter at the end of the line, they moved her next. Being the last in line, he grabbed each shooter as he reached them, pushing them ahead until they were all on board.

  “Hold on,” Hatch shouted. “This is gonna be bumpy.”

  Wedging Ip between his crouched, spread knees and the chairs bolted to the base, he wrapped an arm around the shooter next to him, with his fist clenched around the metal frame. His other hand held another heavy bar, making sure Ip couldn’t slip out the side. Hatch wasn’t kidding when he said it was going to be a rough ride. The bird lifted into the air, only to dip abruptly and then tilt sharply to the left. Skittering just ten feet above the ground, it fought to stay airborne at all. If the angle were any sharper, or they lost altitude, the rotors would tear into the ground and break up.

  Trusting Hatch’s skills, he hung onto the metal bars, feeling them cut into his hands, leaving an angry burn. The shooter caught between his arm and the frame of the chairs was straining to hold on, and he could feel their weight leaning against his bicep.

  “Come on, you bitch, fuckin’ fly,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

  As if the bird had heard him, the ground pulled away and Hatch corrected the angle so they were once again upright. Grabbing headsets, he jammed them on his head. “What the hell was that?”

  “How did ya piss it off, Gears?” Hatch asked dourly.

  “I didn’t do anythin’,” he replied indignantly.

  “Yeah, you did, Gears. You threw a bottle of the Water of Life at it.” Philip replied bluntly.

  His headset filled with the sound of Hatch laughing and spluttering. “Shit, what are ya? Twelve?”

  He wasn’t listening anymore. While they pulled further away from the gates to hell, it continued to rumble and burn at his insult. The Water of Life was a gift from the people who’d died to save their world. It was their way of continuing to protect the living. If the burning pit didn’t like his present then it meant it really was dangerous.

  Ip was watching the sky with interest and he asked, “Can you see the dead again?”

  Her answer was to join her mind with his and show him what she could see. Flying alongside them was a smoky apparition. Without enough form to have a face or even a body, it still possessed glowing red eyes that stared back at him. He nodded in acknowledgement, at least they now knew Ruler was definitely back.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Benny

  The Marine supply base didn’t have the facilities to hold prisoners or feral hunters, and this one was definitely wild. Once they landed, Pax had called for Terry to be airlifted from the island to study it, and Nelson had joined him on the flight to the base. Gerry told them another pilot had just radioed he was due to land in the next ten minutes with Ted and Mackenzie from the Ranch. Given Mackenzie lived in a state of perpetual twilight, he couldn’t understand why Ted was bringing him, he was never aware of his surroundings anyway.

  With his help, they’d strapped the angry hunter to a heavy wooden table using a combination of duct tape, rope and chains. Two sturdy, heavy linked lines cut across its throat and abdomen, and the tape and rope secured its arms over its head and its legs to the table. Despite their efforts to control it, the hunter continued to thrash wildly. Slimy drool spilled from the sides of its mouth, and the table creaked under the rapid movement. Trying to hold it still, he’d wound layers of tape across its forehead, and was bitten for his efforts. Studying the bite marks on his forearm, he was grateful he still bled bright red blood. Lucie’s blood had turned a deep, dark red and was thick in texture. He’d assumed his would go the same way, but so far it hadn't.

  She
might not have been human anymore, but he’d learned to understand Lucie. At the time, he’d thought they were just becoming closer, but on reflection he now wondered if he’d died and was telepathically linked to her. It didn’t really matter how they managed to communicate, and he’d gone from being infatuated to falling in love with her. He was right to take Lucie away the night before the battle, she deserved every happy moment they’d managed to have before she disappeared.

  They were using a meeting room inside the building that was used as a hospital after the CDC was destroyed. Judging by the sturdiness and strength of the table, this was once a boardroom of sorts. The room had a wide glass window, an untidy clutter of swivel based chairs pushed into a corner, and several large whiteboards bolted to the walls.

  “Well, it’s definitely a hunter,” Terry said, while he continued to prod at the woman’s naked stomach. “No heartbeat and I can’t feel organs in its digestive tract. Its blood’s changed, although it’s not the usual black, gooey stuff.”

  “Black, gooey stuff?” Nelson asked in surprise. “Is that a medical term?”

  “I like to use terms everyone understands and black, gooey stuff was a pretty good description for the original hunters. This one is too recently turned to have leaned down yet.” Pulling at the woman’s dark hair, clumps of it hung loosely over his gloved hand. “It’s already losing its body hair.”

  Pax was standing against the wall of the large meeting room with his arms across his chest. “Why’s it so crazy?”

  “Well, I’m guessing it’s kinda pissed off about being held immobilized like this. Plus it wants to eat you,” Terry replied dourly.

  “Why’d it take so long to turn?”

  “Ah, that’s a very interesting question, Pax. Based on my work with Lydia and Farrington, the effects of the designer version of the hunter virus varied based on the person’s immune system. My guess is Lucie has a modified version of the virus thanks to Ip telepathically propping her brain up. With higher brain function, maybe her immune system held out for longer. On top of that, we’re all pretty healthy in Eden, so the virus doesn’t take complete control as fast, giving the body and brain time to adapt.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It probably means it’s got more brain function, and doesn’t operate at only a primal level like the original hunters did.” Glancing at him, Terry added, “Look at Benny. He was infected slowly due to only having close contact with Lucie, and he’s as human as you and I.” Hesitating thoughtfully, he added, “Well, maybe not you, Pax. You're immortal, and I heard about you digging your way out of your own grave. That’s not particularly human.”

  Pax glanced at him and snorted rudely. “I dunno about Benny, he’s changed a lot. He’s not the same guy I recruited to be a young leader.”

  He wasn’t his usual exuberant self and he knew it. Life was fun before he was infected, well fun for him anyway. Everything excited him and he couldn’t wait to see what the next day would bring. The so-called apocalypse had meant he could break free of the dull confines of his mediocre life and do anything he wanted. He didn’t feel the same way about life anymore, every day was a drudgery and he didn’t know why.

  Giving Pax a sour look, he sighed and went back to studying the angry hunter. Its eyes were darting around the sunny room, and it was straining against the restraints. Walking over to it, he stood directly above its head and looked down at the foaming mouth with a slight sneer. “It can see.”

  “Yes, that’s another interesting difference. This one isn’t blinded by light,” Terry replied.

  “It still wants to eat humans,” Pax remarked flatly.

  “They’re not all the same,” Ted said from the doorway. Continuing to walk into the room, he was followed by Mackenzie and a tall, lean hunter.

  “Mac?” He asked in surprise.

  “Benny!” Mackenzie exclaimed. Striding into the room, he enveloped him in a strong hug.

  Awkwardly pulling away from his embrace, his brow furrowed. “When did you wake up? How did you wake up?”

  Mackenzie laughed. “Ruler threw me out of hell for being disruptive.”

  Pax was watching both of them with a puzzled look. “Why aren’t ya dead, Benny?”

  “What sort of question is that?”

  “Mac jus’ touched you, and he’s infected with the counter virus, so why aren’t ya dead?”

  Giving him an equally confused look, Mackenzie said, “Sorry, man, I didn’t think.”

  “Can ya kill that one?” Pax asked Mackenzie, while pointing at the restrained hunter.

  Shrugging, Mackenzie touched the hunter that was thrashing against the tape and chains. His closeness seemed to excite her and she snarled, spitting droplets of drool into the air.

  “Nope,” Mackenzie replied somewhat redundantly.

  “Dammit,” Pax said irritably. “Now we don’t even have a weapon against them. They’re hard to kill using conventional weapons, plus they can see in daylight now. This is not a good development.”

  While Pax worried about the implications of this new type of hunter, he turned to Mackenzie. “Have you seen Max in southern Mississippi? She’s waiting for you.”

  “I know and thanks for staying with her. I’m gonna see her next.”

  Nodding, he replied, “I’ll come with you.”

  “You should come with me now. Lucie came to the Ranch and she brought some friends with her.” Grabbing the large hunter with him, he added, “This is Luke. He’s Ted’s son, but he was captured and deliberately infected with the same version of the virus Lucie has. He doesn’t talk either.”

  He desperately wanted to see Lucie, but pointing to the restrained hunter, he asked, “Why isn’t Luke crazy like this one?”

  “I think it depends on what you started out like.” Giving the rabid, snarling hunter a dismissive look, Mackenzie added, “This one was obviously a bitch from hell before she was infected, and now she’s a hostile hunter.” He smiled at Luke. “Luke was a good guy before and he’s a good guy now. If anything, the virus just shows your true nature for what it is.”

  “Can ya talk to it, Mac?” Pax asked.

  “They don’t exactly talk. They think, they feel and they have memories. You sorta have to get inside their heads and expose your own mind with them to share information.”

  Pax flicked his head at the angry hunter. “So, what’s inside this one’s mind?”

  “Nothing good. From what I can see she was living in a town somewhere, but before that’s a bit blurry. It seems she wasn’t happy with her lot and still isn’t.”

  “But she wants to eat people, right?”

  “Yeah, but she doesn’t have to. The hunters can live just as well on any animal life.”

  Nodding, he said, “Lucie never ate people. I used to trap animals for both of us in the campsite in Mississippi, but she did prefer her meat raw.”

  “No crime in that,” Pax replied with a curt nod. “So, what we’ve got here is a new type of hunter. Some are hostile killers and others are friendlies, but nobody knows what they’re gonna get until they’re infected and, as an added bonus, the counter virus doesn’t work on ‘em.” In a sarcastic tone, he drawled, “Fantastic.”

  “That sounds like a reasonable summary,” Terry replied. “But what do you want to do with this one? We don’t have a CDC anymore, and I’m not sure of the benefits of trying to analyze it any further. It’s pretty rabid and a danger to anyone who gets near it.”

  “Well, there’s one other interesting fact, and that’s the Water of Life is like acid to them. Why would that be?” Pax asked.

  “I’ve never had the facilities or the skills to analyze the Water of Life, so I don’t know what it is or why it works. The hunters are changed at a cellular level and nothing about them functions the same way as we do. I guess it’s like anything. We can’t eat plastic because we’re a carbon-based life form and our bodies can’t break it down, but if we were silicon-based then maybe we could. Plastic melts
when heated, but we burn to ashes. The effect of anything depends on what you’re made of.”

  He didn’t care about the hunters, or rather he only cared about one very specific hunter. The rabid, angry hunter strapped to the table didn’t interest him. He already knew there were good hunters in the world and he was one of them. It was taking the rest of them time to catch up, and he didn’t want to listen to them marvel at what he’d already known for years.

  Turning to Mackenzie, he asked, “Will you take me to see Lucie?” While they walked from the building and across the dirty lot towards the containers, he asked, “Where were you really?”

  “In hell with Ruler…in my mind, not physically. I thought I was with Max and baby Mac, then Gears, Pax, TL and Ip turned up and she stabbed baby Mac. He turned into the demon he always was, and that’s when I realized I was in hell.”

  He felt for him, it must have been difficult to wake up and learn your wife was dead, and your child wasn’t anywhere near you. “That’s horrible, Mac. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

  “A lot’s happened to all of us, but Ruler told me I’m the Revelator. I’m supposed to be the evidence of everything that’s happened. It implies we have a greater purpose, and you have to hang onto that belief.”

  “So, you don't think this is all for nothing? I mean, look at everything we’ve lost…”

  “And gained, Benny, it hasn’t all been loss. I have Max and baby Mac. I know Max is dead, but I can still talk to her because I’m dead too. I know it’s a strange world, but you have to take the good with the bad.”

  It was a different way of looking at his situation. He’d been angry at Gears for letting Lucie get infected, and then taking them into a battle they couldn’t win. Now the battle had been won and he and Lucie had lived peacefully for five years before she was kidnapped. Maybe Mac had a point, he was only looking at what he’d lost and not what he’d gained. With the return of Lucie, his situation was changed again. Mac was back, and with them all being dead, Max wasn’t lost to them either. His low mood seemed to lighten, and it began to crumble under a warmth that was filling his chest. To his surprise, his leaner and more muscular face creased into a smile.