Hunting The Broken: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Caitlin Chronicles Book 3)

by Daniel Willcocks

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” Tom said, his eyes widening as he realized what she had suggested. “I fell. Well, actually, I was tripped. They may be a tight-knit community, but they’re clumsy fighters.”

  “What do you mean?” Laurie asked disbelievingly.

  “I was in deep with a Mad, ready to cut through his stomach when I turned to make my final blow, and one of the city fuckers appeared behind me. He claimed he was trying to help, but I had it handled. I think they want all the glory for themselves. Dude’s foot landed on mine, and I twisted and fell.”

  “Would have been hard to wrestle the glory off Kitty-Cat,” Laurie said, tying her hair back and getting comfortable in her blanket.

  “Oh, stop it.” Caitlin blushed, thankful that the muted light would hide it.

  “No, give yourself some credit,” Tom said. “If I didn’t know better, I would’ve guessed you were half vampire. I’ve never seen anyone move so fast and so easily from target to target. Even with their guns, your count must have totaled double anyone else’s.”

  Caitlin stroked Moxie affectionately, the sword now wrapped up tight in its sheath. “Sometimes it’s about getting stuck in, not attacking from afar.” She grinned. “Make sure you don’t tell Kain my kill count, though. The last thing we want when we find him is for him to dash off into the abyss again.”

  A moment of silence passed as their thoughts turned to their friend and the reality of the situation.

  “Do you think he’s okay?” Tom asked over the gentle rhythm of Joe’s snores.

  “Yeah,” Caitlin replied. “He’s a tough cookie, that one. I struggle to think of a single scenario where he wouldn’t be able to use his tongue to wriggle out of a situation.”

  “Oi, oi.” Laurie grinned. “Always wondered whether you two had a thing going on.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Caitlin protested.

  “Ah, relax, girl. You know I’m joking.”

  “Good.” Caitlin settled down in her own blanket. A wave of tiredness swept over her. “He’ll be okay, I’m sure of it. Ma’s out there now, looking for him.”

  “But how do you know?” Laurie urged.

  Caitlin thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know. I just…feel it somehow, y’know? I fail to believe that if Mary-Anne thought we were in any kind of danger, she wouldn’t rescue us. If I were her right now, I’d be doing exactly the same thing. Taking the opportunity to hunt alone. These city cats have been hunting for years, but they’ve never had a vampire on their side. They’ve been against the Unknown. We’ve got two of them working with us. And as much as Ma and Pooch have their quirks and vices, I’d trust them both with my life.”

  Caitlin stared at the ceiling and remembered the journey the three of them had shared from that fateful day in Mary-Anne’s manor to meeting Kain near the airship for the very first time. They’d come a long way and grown as a trio, leading the revolutionaries. She was sure that it wasn’t all going to stop here.

  “You’re lucky, y’know,” Tom said sleepily. His eyes were closed, and Caitlin wasn’t sure whether he was aware he’d spoken.

  She leaned her own head back and closed her eyes. You’re wrong, she thought. It has nothing to do with luck.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Silver Creek, Silver Creek Forest, Old Ontario

  “Well, where the hell are they?” Dylan asked.

  “Well, get a load of Sergeant-General-Major Dylan.” Ash grinned. “Only back home for two minutes and already making demands.”

  Alice slapped Ash on the arm. “Leave him alone.”

  Dylan thanked her and looked around the room. They were back in Mother Wendy’s tavern around the old drawing board which had seen himself, Caitlin, Mary-Anne, Kain, Ash, Alice, Vex, Belle, and Sully taking ownership of the town and the Revolutionaries. Though, now, with half of the Council of Revolutionaries—what had quickly become known as the CoR—outside the town’s walls, the meeting seemed somewhat empty.

  Only Sullivan was left who seemed to have any clue of what was going on in the town, though even he couldn’t account for the empty chairs which should have been filled by Vex and Belle’s asses.

  Sullivan shrugged. “I’m sorry, Dill. I have no idea.”

  “What do you mean, you have no idea? Two people can’t disappear off into the night without a word. Someone must have seen them.” Dylan’s tone was firm but fair.

  “I don’t know,” Sully repeated.

  “You know that pair,” Ash said, chipping in before Dylan could say another word. “They’re sneaky—strange, even. If they wanted to find a way to slink off and leave the town, then that’s exactly what they’ll do. Not you, nor Sully, nor I would have any hope of holding them back.”

  Alice cleared her throat.

  “Or Alice,” Ash added.

  “Damn,” Dylan muttered. He saw the crestfallen look on Sully’s face and changed his approach. “Look, I know it’s not your fault. You’ve done a great job in our absence. Silver Creek is ticking like clockwork from what I’ve seen so far. You should be proud of yourself.”

  Larry, who had been invited to join by Dylan—considering he currently didn’t really know anyone else in town—looked between Dylan and Sully with obvious confusion.

  “I’m sorry, am I missing something here? Is Sully your son?”

  Dylan grinned. “No.”

  “Slow brother?”

  “No.”

  “Damaged cousin?”

  Dylan and Sully both laughed. “No.”

  “Then why are you talking to him like a child?” Larry leaned over the table towards Sully. “Hey, big man. You don’t need a pep talk from Dill. You merely need an injection of confidence, by the looks of things. Get your chin up and smile, for God’s sake.”

  Ash stood and slow-clapped. “Well said.”

  Dylan blushed. “Okay, enough of that shit. Let’s recalibrate, shall we?”

  They went through the motions, with Sully updating them on everything from any problems with the townsfolk, through to news from the remaining Revolutionaries, and even on how the road was being used and received.

  He filled them in on everything he could think of, but aside from the slip-up with the Mad from the guard gates, all seemed to be in hand. Jamie and Christie had visited every other day since the road had been finished, bringing with them a steady stream of newcomers to the town, while several Silver Creek folks had found the courage to make their own journey and see the sights at Ashdale Pond. All in all, it seemed as though they had recreated a tiny part of the world that had existed before the fall.

  “Amazing news,” Dylan said. “That’s exactly what we wanted from the High Road. To begin to open up the world and let the people breathe the free air for a change. Have there been many sightings of the Mad along the road?”

  At this, Sully shuffled in his chair.

  “What?” Dylan probed. “What is it?”

  He avoided his leader’s gaze as he said, “Well, yes. And no.”

  “It’s either one or the other, Sully. It can’t be both.”

  To Dylan’s surprise, a strange smile settled on Sully’s mouth. “Well, it was the Revolutionaries’ idea, really. See, a few of them had gotten bored with training on the dummies and saw the road as an opportunity to practice their skills in the real world.”

  Ash chimed in, already one step ahead of Sully’s story. “They didn’t?”

  “Oh, they did,” Sully said. “The first time they did it, we were on full alert. Guards from Silver Creek and folk from Ashdale raced towards the tolling of the bell, but by the time they arrived, the Revolutionaries had already got it handled.”

  “What handled?” Dylan asked. “What are they doing?”

  “It’s actually pretty genius,” Ash said, his admiration almost envious. “Sully, am I right in saying that they’re hunting Mad for sport? Using the bells to attract the Mad from the forest so that they can hone their skills on live Mad, rather than static dummies made
of straw?”

  Sully nodded.

  Dylan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. On the one hand, the idea of it was ingenious. If the Revolutionaries’ wanted to become the best that they could be, then they needed to practice on actual targets which fought back, threw unpredictable punches, and reacted in a realistic setting to their own moves. On the other hand, to play and test your skills on real-life Mad incurred the very real risk of letting your guard slip and becoming infected yourself.

  A risk they most certainly couldn’t afford to make.

  “Tell me they’re all okay,” Dylan demanded. “Tell me no one has gotten hurt.”

  Sully shook his head. “Nope. Not one injury yet. They’re a talented bunch, but they’ve grown bored. They work together as a tight unit—I’ve seen them at it—and their skills together are nothing short of impressive.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got a good bunch, there,” Larry said.

  “Yeah. Yeah, we have.” Dylan smiled. “The best in the whole damn forest, if I’m not much mistaken.”

  They continued their talk, probing Sully for news until there was nothing more to give. An accidental pregnancy from one of the townsfolk. A few squabbles. A few people treading the fine line of the law, but besides that, not much at all.

  When Dylan left Mother Wendy’s, he gave the large, lovable woman a squeeze and looked out at the sky. Night had fallen, and the world seemed peaceful. He walked beside Larry, both too awake to sleep since their late-afternoon snooze. Ash and Alice headed back to their own quarters and made no secret of their own plans to “reconnect” after a long journey out into the wilds.

  “Make sure you use protection,” Dylan joked.

  “I’ll be fine. I’ve got my armor,” Ash retorted, sticking his tongue out the corner of his mouth and smacking Alice’s ass.

  “Oi,” she said. “Enough of that. Save it for when the door’s closed.”

  Dylan gave Larry the extended tour of the town. With the streets empty, it was calm. He didn’t have to worry about bumping into many people who would stop and chat. He didn’t have to concern himself with avoiding the bustling crowds of the marketplace. In fact, it didn’t take too long before he had shown Larry most of the lay of the land and found his way to the top parapets of Silver Creek.

  The view from the upper levels was to die for. They looked over a sea of green which stretched for miles in all directions. Silver Creek truly was the heart of the forest.

  Larry gasped in awe.

  “And you thought you had The Sweet Spot,” Dylan mocked.

  “I’d pick our community over this volume of people any day. But, man, you can’t beat that view.”

  “Tell me about it.” Dylan leaned forward and rested his arms on the walls. “This is the spot my father used to bring me to whenever he had the chance. It was always up here that he’d remind me that the world was bigger than Silver Creek. That there was far more than we’d ever have the chance to see or understand.”

  “Your father thought deep, didn’t he?”

  Dylan nodded. “He was the reason I became a ranger. He’d tuck my sister and me in and then disappear out the gates every night. When he came back, it was with incredible tales of zombies and relics in the forest; things I was scared I’d never see.”

  “And what do you think now you’ve had the chance to see them?” Larry asked.

  “Honestly?” Dylan took a deep breath. “Now there are many things I wish I was able to un-see.” He looked down at the palms of his hands as if imagining the blood which had stained them over the years. “It’s strange, y’know? Me and my sister—Caitlin, I’m sure you’ll meet her one day. She’s something else—were cut from the same cloth, but yet, as each day passes, I see the differences between us more and more. While I spent most of my days out in the woods as a ranger, she was stuck at home. I wished more and more that I could find a role within the safety of the town, but she wanted more and more to see the outside world.

  “Even now, she’s out there doing her thing, and I couldn’t be gladder that I’m back here. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Meeting you and your guys was an enlightening experience—”

  “That’s one word for it.” Larry smirked.

  “But I think I’ve found where I belong, and I’m happy to make it a safe haven for all. As long as Silver Creek stands, and I stand with it, I think I’m happy here.”

  Dylan stared across the treetops, momentarily lost in his thoughts. Larry joined him in leaning against the wall and marveling at the beauty spread before them.

  “You know, when I said I wanted to come with you guys and see how the world had changed beyond my own borders…”

  “Yeah?” Dylan said, snapping out of his thoughts.

  “I didn’t mean that I wanted to hear you proclaim your love for your own town.” Larry grinned.

  Dylan flushed red.

  “Seriously, if you love Silver Creek so much, why don’t you just marry it?”

  “Maybe I will,” Dylan said, feeling a strange familiarity with the man who had only so recently entered his life. For the last few years, Dylan had held a position of power within the rangers, and because of that, he was never sure whether his friends were friends of his or of the title he held.

  Now, with Larry, that didn’t seem to be a thought which crossed his mind. It was refreshing, actually, to feel like someone actually took an interest in him.

  “Come on, let’s finish this tour before I throw up over this wall.” Larry chuckled.

  “Sure.”

  They made their way back down the stairs and along the main street of Silver Creek. Dylan listed the various places where Larry could purchase things if he had any coin, and pointed out the quarters in which livestock was reared and what-should-be-ashamed-to-be-called-vegetables were grown.

  It was as they turned onto a side street to take a shortcut back to the gate that Dylan paused.

  “Did you hear that?” he asked, cupping his ear with his hand.

  “Yeah,” Larry said. “What was that?”

  “Shhh….”

  They both strained to listen. From somewhere nearby, they could hear the garbled sound of someone murmuring.

  Dylan tiptoed toward the end of the street and poked his head around the corner. His eyes widened, unable to comprehend what he was seeing for a moment.

  A Mad wandered down the middle of the street. What was worse, it wore the guard uniform of Silver Creek. The crest was visible across his breast, and the eyes shone in the dark.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Dylan whispered, aghast at the awful truth.

  “What?”

  He didn’t have the heart to say it. He’d instantly recognized the man stumbling down the street. It was Ace, one of the guards who had played host to Dylan when he had been incarcerated in Silver Creek’s cells all those months ago. A prison guard with a kind heart who, without even realizing it, had aided Dylan in his escape when Kain had stolen the key from his pocket.

  Now he was gone. Converted. An empty vessel inside a feral body.

  Larry peeked out from behind Dylan. “Oh, wow. I thought you said Silver Creek was safe.”

  “It was. I mean…it is,” he said without moving.

  “Well let’s make it safer, then,” Larry said, about to jump out from behind him and charge. He stayed him with his hand, thinking about his next move. Of course, he wanted to ensure that his people were safe. But now, looking into Ace’s empty face, he hardly had the heart to kill the poor bastard.

  “Must have been from the attack on the gate,” Dylan murmured. “How did no one spot this?”

  “I’m sensing a few heads are about to roll.”

  “You’re telling me.” He thought hard as Ace stumbled ever closer. Soon, he would inevitably be forced to defend himself when the guard’s Mad brain took over, and he smelled them on the wind.

  “Quick, grab some rope,” he instructed.

  Larry’s head whipped about. “From where?”
>
  “Er…” Dylan looked through the window of the house beside him and saw a length of material near the window—a half-finished blanket of sorts. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and jumped out into the street.

  Ace’s face lit up immediately. His whole demeanor changed in an instant. He went from casual stumbling to full-pelt sprinting in half a second and charged for Dylan with an almighty screech.

  “Take this,” Dylan shouted at Larry, chucking one end of the material towards him.

  He caught it easily, and Dylan took a quick sidestep, letting Ace run into the material which had been stretched taut.

  “Now, run this way,” Dylan motioned with one hand, beginning to run in the opposite direction. Within seconds, Ace was wrapped up tightly, his arms bound to his sides.

  He tried to take a step and stumbled forward, now off-balance, smashing his head against the ground. For any regular human, that would have been a blow which would have knocked them unconscious, but Ace continued to wriggle and writhe, snapping his teeth in the direction of their ankles.

  “Quick thinking,” Larry said with admiration on his face.

  “Thanks. It helps sometimes.”

  Behind them, several heads appeared out of front doors lining the streets. Sleepy citizens blinked and pawed at their faces, their mouths dropping when they realized what was currently lying on the floor.

  “Back to your chambers, folks. Nothing to see here.” Larry sensing Dylan’s discomfort as more people poked their heads out of doors and windows.

  From a few doors down, Mother Wendy appeared. She struggled with the tie of a thin dressing gown that barely covered her large bosom as she ran towards Dylan. “Dylan, dear. What on Earth is happening… My goodness!” She slapped her hands to her face. “Dylan…is that?”

  “Yep,” he said. “Quick,” he barked at Larry. “Cover his face.”

  Larry approached cautiously, removing his own shirt without a second thought and bagging it over Ace’s head.