Infanticide (Fallen Gods Saga Book 2)

by T. W. Malpass

  ‘Déjà vu,’ Martha said.

  ‘Huh?’ Jerrico said.

  Martha shook her head. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘It ain’t déjà vu, baby. Last time we had a fucking way out,’ Vladimir said wearily. He’d started to regain his senses and stood unaided. Martha moved to check the cut on his head where he had fallen when he’d taken control of the soldier’s body. He rejected her attentions, brushing her arm away.

  Jerrico began kicking at the locked door of a nearby classroom. Martha joined him, and after a few kicks, it started to weaken. Eventually, the lock gave in and the door crashed open, sending a large piece of fractured wood flying into the room. The shadows inside seemed to bring silence. The dark reflections from the empty desks traced across the ceiling, tracked by the harsh searchlights outside. Jerrico skidded over the plastic tiles to the large windows that opened out onto the schoolyard. He pressed his face against the wall to peek around the corner of the blinds. He saw at least seventy torches out there, and three much bigger spotlights. None of them had strayed beyond the railings yet, none he was aware of, at least.

  ‘ANY CHANCE ONE OF MY MEN CAN COME IN UNARMED AND THROW YOU A MOBILE PHONE? THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF BLOODSHED TODAY, JERRICO. THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS HAVE THIS SITUATION TURN OUT LIKE THAT. WHAT DO YOU SAY?’

  ‘I say we’re fucked,’ Vladimir said sarcastically. ‘If they capture us then we’re just sitting ducks for Cradleworth.’

  ‘We’re sitting ducks anyway.’ Jerrico never took his eyes from the window.

  ‘Shh,’ Martha said, holding one hand up in the air in anticipation.

  Vladimir knew what it was immediately. ‘I take it back, it is fucking déjà vu.’ He then mumbled something in broken Russian that no one else could understand. The buzzing above them was unmistakable. The sound of the helicopter increased until it stopped right over their heads.

  ‘IT’S JUST A PRECAUTION, NOT NECESSARY AT ALL IF YOU COME OUT AND TALK TO US.’ Even with the loud hailer, Colonel Forest struggled to project his voice over his own air support.

  ‘You better think of something to get us out of this shit, and quickly,’ Vladimir said, pointing in Jerrico’s direction.

  Jerrico stepped away from the window and turned to face him. ‘Or what?’

  Vladimir grimaced, drawing his nickel Beretta from his jacket. ‘Or what? Ultimate weapon or no, I’ll put a bullet through your stupid skull. Why are we here in the first place? Cause you’re a selfish fuck, who abandoned us to save some bitch, who doesn’t even want you anymore.’

  Martha anticipated what would happen next, jumping in front of Jerrico to restrain him as he launched himself at Vladimir. She was strong enough to hold him at bay. Vladimir sniggered and put his gun away. Martha clutched at Jerrico’s jacket. ‘Come on, I’ve watched you. You’re a smart guy – where is this gonna take us?’ she said.

  Jerrico slowly calmed himself, and Martha’s words started to make sense to him. Once she was certain there would be no repeat, she let him go and turned on Vladimir. ‘Whenever there’s a shit fit, it’s always you at the centre of it.’

  ‘I’m not gonna babysit this motherfucker, and don’t you lie to me and say you are,’ Vladimir snapped.

  ‘I agree with you. We all have loved ones out there, and he had no right to do what he did, but now is not the time to argue about it. We need to keep our heads if we’re gonna think our way out of this.’

  Vladimir relaxed, leaning back on the wall. ‘What the fuck we gonna do with her?’ he said, looking towards Kate.

  She had slid down into the corner of the classroom when the sparks started to fly between them, knees tucked up to her chest with her hands over her ears. Jerrico saw her in the shadows. Martha was right, if they did not get out of this, then his betrayal of the other first-born would all be for nothing.

  ‘We need to think fast. Those bastards out there are gonna move in if we don’t start talking to them,’ Martha said.

  There were footsteps outside near the window. Jerrico slid through the broken glass to protect Kate.

  Vladimir raised his gun.

  ‘No!’ Martha reached out to block him. Something hit the window’s blinds and fell inside the room. To their relief, no tear gas. The colonel had been a man of his word. No sooner had the mobile phone landed it started to ring.

  ‘Jerrico, you should answer it,’ Martha said.

  Jerrico crouched down, stroking Kate’s hair as she shivered. She wouldn’t look up. Her eyes were blank and glazed over. He stretched for the handset. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Jerrico, it’s me. It’s Doctor Ridley.’

  ‘John?’

  ‘I’m right outside, with the soldiers. As soon as I heard about the trouble in Walton, I came straight over. Are you alright? Are you hurt?’

  ‘The answer is no to both.’ It was so comforting to hear his doctor’s voice. Part of him wished he could go back to his dark past, just to be in his care again.

  ‘Thank God you’re okay. Is Kate there with you?’

  ‘Yes.’ She hadn’t moved, except to bury her head between her knees to hide her face.

  ‘There are people here with me who think you are responsible for a lot of things. They will come in and take you by force. I can’t stop them if you fail to co-operate. Come out and I will stand by you, get you the best legal team that money can buy, we’ll face it together, just like before. Please, trust me like you always have.’

  Jerrico stayed silent.

  ‘Who is that?’ Martha asked.

  ‘Jerrico?’ A hint of desperation crept into Ridley’s voice.

  ‘But I did do those things – I’m responsible. You can’t help me anymore, John. For all your efforts, you never could.’ Jerrico hit the end call button before Ridley could finish the first word of his reply. He dropped the mobile phone on the classroom floor and helped Kate onto her feet. ‘Follow me,’ he said.

  ‘Follow you where?’ Vladimir said defensively.

  ‘Just follow.’

  Jerrico led them back up to the roof, this time via a ladder, which took them to the maintenance hatch. He popped the latch and climbed out into the rain. By the time he’d pulled the others through, the helicopter had spotted them and closed in with its spotlight.

  ‘What the hell are you thinking? We can’t surrender?’ Martha said. She wondered if she would be quick enough to make a dash back to the hatch before the sniper in the chopper cut her down.

  ‘This is just fucking great.’ Vladimir reached for the inside of his jacket, but was immediately dissuaded by the shot that struck the roof, inches from his left boot.

  ‘PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEADS AND GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES. THERE WILL BE NO SECOND CHANCES.’ The shout came from above.

  All except Jerrico did as they were told. He stayed on his feet, tilting his head back to the rain and the red sky.

  ‘YOU – I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU. NOW COPY YOUR SENSIBLE FRIENDS.’

  Jerrico extended his arms out at either side, the soothing water pattering onto his face. The sniper fired another shot, this time close to his feet.

  ‘If you don’t kneel, they are going to kill you,’ Martha shouted.

  He was oblivious – somewhere else entirely. The sniper sighted his target between his nose and upper lip, waiting.

  The helicopter’s frame suddenly bubbled out and burst at its seams, savaged by a huge explosion. Jerrico’s winged beast emerged through the flames, and the burning wreckage stopped spinning as it entered freefall. They barely had time to register that it was going to land on top of them, before they were swept up in the beast’s claws. With a glimpse of its oily-grey skin and the yellow glow from its eyes, the beast gathered them up, propelling them through the air like a slingshot. The beast carried the four of them clear of the school, and the savage wind pounded at their ears.

  The burning debris from the helicopter showered the school’s roof. The soldiers on the ground did not even get the beast in their sights long enough to open fire.
They could only watch in awe, shaking their heads and searching for answers from the man next to them.

  Up at the power station, Cylon and the other survivors sheltered from the rain just inside its entrance. They felt the huge gust from the beast’s wings, and saw the black flash across the sky.

  What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen

  1

  Briaridge Orchard, Bedfordshire

  Heven slammed both hands down on the kitchen’s work surface and glared up at Ashley. ‘I won’t ask again. Either you tell us where they are, or we’ll go upstairs and ask her.’

  ‘You can’t disturb her. She’s had a bad night – the little girl I mean. Her soul is stirring again,’ Ashley said. She looked disconsolate, backing away from her inquisitors.

  It was understandable that Heven and Stuart were upset, even Barnes seemed uneasy. They had woken in the morning to find that Jerrico was not the only missing person. Checking Kaleb and Josie’s rooms, it became obvious they had planned their departure. The two had packed some things for the journey. The same could not be said of Martha and Vladimir however.

  After a considered pause, Ashley rested on the nearby stool. ‘The others are safe for now,’ she said.

  ‘So they were permitted to leave?’ Evelyn said.

  ‘Yes, but they did not all leave together.’

  ‘This is such bullshit.’ Heven paced to the other side of the kitchen in disgust.

  ‘Celeste sent Vladimir and Martha through the mirror to Walton, so that they might retrieve Jerrico,’ Ashley said.

  ‘And why weren’t we party to this rescue mission?’ Evelyn asked.

  ‘Because I would have volunteered,’ Stuart said. Barnes murmured as he brushed up against the boy’s chair. ‘And so would Barnes,’ he added.

  ‘There wasn’t time to gather you all together and have a debate about it. Celeste saw a window of opportunity and made her choice.’

  ‘Surely you can understand why we are angry. This is stressful enough. Celeste has given us information that has changed the very nature of our lives. The last thing we need is to be kept in the dark now,’ Evelyn said.

  Ashley shook her head and sighed. ‘With all due respect, I have had years to comprehend what all of this means. You, on the other hand, have had a few days.’

  ‘Which is exactly why we need to know what is going on.’ Even Evelyn’s patience was beginning to wear thin.

  ‘There is too much at stake for a democracy to exist here,’ Ashley said bluntly.

  ‘Do as she says without question, right? Last time I did that she turned me into a murderer,’ Heven said.

  ‘And that was just as necessary, Heven.’

  ‘No, fuck that.’ Heven threw his hands up in defiance and made for the door. ‘Go to hell. I’m getting out of here.’ He stormed off into the hallway, slamming the door behind him.

  ‘Hell would be a more welcome destination than the one we are heading for,’ Ashley said under her breath.

  The others weren’t sure whether to go after him or to continue with their interrogation. ‘There’s no need for concern. Celeste won’t allow him to leave the grounds. You are too scattered as it is,’ Ashley said.

  ‘It was her idea to send the others away,’ Stuart said.

  ‘Not entirely. Kaleb managed to convince her that saving humankind could be the key to defeating Cradleworth. She could not deny it as a possibility, so she let him and Josie go.’

  ‘Go where?’ Evelyn asked.

  ‘Celeste saw something – a vision. Maybe the next step in Cradleworth’s plan. Whatever it was, Kaleb must have discovered its location.’

  ‘Does Celeste know if everyone is safe?’ Evelyn said.

  ‘If someone had fallen, you wouldn’t need to be told. You would all know it.’

  ‘Look.’ Stuart interrupted the conversation, pointing over to the television set in the corner. It was a news broadcast and the headline read – Walton Outbreak Contained. Ashley spun around on her stool to turn up the sound with the remote control.

  ‘The government released a statement this morning, assuring the British public that the chaos in the village of Walton has now been contained, and was an isolated incident. Television cameras have finally managed to get close enough to glimpse the aftermath.’ The broadcast cut from the presenter in the studio to the aforementioned footage. The grainy images from the previous night showed the outline of Walton from a considerable distance. Despite the rain and darkness, it was still possible to make out the army barricades and the glow from the building fires.

  Everyone crowded in on the TV as the presenter began again. ‘As yet, there is no confirmation on how many are dead, or even the definite cause, although it is understood to be some form of viral outbreak. The military are confident that any infection has been contained and are working to help secure and rebuild the area. The public in Walton’s neighbouring towns are understandably concerned, demanding an explanation for the quarantine. In terms of committing to definitive answers, the government remain tight lipped and insist that Walton is in no way linked to the arrival of the red cloud.’

  ‘Do you think they got out in time?’ Stuart asked.

  ‘Did any of you feel that they didn’t?’ Ashley replied.

  Evelyn and Stuart shook their heads, and Barnes snorted.

  ‘Then they did…Although, if they had used the mirrors as Celeste instructed, they really should be back by now.’

  ‘Maybe they got out some other way. Barnes seems to think so.’ Stuart followed with a reassured smile, and Evelyn welcomed it. It felt like an age since she’d seen someone smile.

  ‘The big question is, did they escape with Jerrico?’ Ashley said.

  Stuart’s smile faded and Evelyn wanted to curse Ashley for her lack of delicacy.

  ‘Barnes doesn’t know the answer to that one,’ Stuart said.

  Their eyes wandered back to the screen and the next news segment. ‘Powerful communications tycoon, Pascal Ramirez, arrived at Heathrow airport this morning to announce his planned stay in the south of England. In an early press conference, he stated that he believes his son, Heven Ramirez, is hiding out somewhere in the UK.’

  They all watched on with interest as the broadcast cut to a pre-recorded section of the press conference. Pascal Ramirez sat sullen faced at the table with his advisors either side of him. He lifted his head into the line of fire of the flash photography. His eyes were sunken and grey around the edges, his skin drained of its usual deep brown. Pascal Ramirez had always looked more like a senator than a businessman, but on the film, he looked far from either. Someone put a question to him from behind the cameras and he squinted, trying to pinpoint the speaker.

  ‘If Heven was watching right now, what message would you like to give to him?’ the journalist said.

  Pascal composed himself before looking straight into the TV camera. ‘I’d like to tell him that I’m sorry. I’d like to say right now in front of the media, that I shoulder most of the blame for the things my son has done, and if I could take his place at this moment, then I wouldn’t hesitate. I also want to tell him that I am not leaving this country without him. Whatever happens, I will do everything in my power to support and protect him.’ Pascal Ramirez leaned towards the cameras. ‘Please son, come home.’

  The segment then cut to various newspaper headlines. The presenter continued. ‘The American media went into frenzy early this year when it was revealed that Heven Ramirez was the prime suspect in a series of mysterious deaths. Less than a week ago, Ramirez was reported to be in the custody of a small town Arizona sheriff. He escaped, however, with the aid of an unknown male and female. Tragically, the Lima sheriff paid with his life. The police in charge of the case believe the assailants fled to the Mexican border before they disappeared, but Pascal Ramirez is not convinced. He claims he has received information from an anonymous source that his son has found his way to the UK. His passionate plea goes out to anyone who may be harbouring him or has information relating
to his whereabouts.’ Before the report ended, another segment of the press conference appeared without its sound.

  ‘I think it would be best if we say nothing of this to him,’ Ashley said.

  ‘But Ashley we—’

  ‘Where do you think his father received the information from?’ Ashley said, cutting Evelyn short.

  ‘Good God.’ Evelyn felt a twinge in her tired old legs and scrambled for a stool.

  Ashley swivelled back around from the TV to look at them. ‘Cradleworth is moving the pieces around the board. What you must do, is make him realise that you are not his pieces to control.’

  2

  Bragbury End, Hertfordshire

  Kaleb and Josie spent the night in Stevenage and left the bed and breakfast early in the morning. Not far from the place, they found a Ford Focus with the keys still inside. As much as they feared someone might come back for it, they took it anyway.

  By the time they reached the A602, the traffic was as claustrophobic as it had been on the previous night. The cars sat bumper to bumper in both directions. The morning was chilly, and Kaleb turned the car heater right up. Josie did not feel it at first, but it got hot and clammy quickly. She cracked open the window on her side, moving her face closer to the cooling air that rushed in through the gap.

  Kaleb tutted when he realised what she was doing. ‘Why didn’t you say something?’ Shaking his head, he reached to change the heater’s settings.

  ‘Because you were cold,’ she replied.

  He smiled, taking his hand from the heater’s switch and placing it on her inner thigh.

  Josie blew upwards onto her own cheeks. Now, it wasn’t only the temperature of the car that contributed to her hot flush. His fingers traced back and forth, even across the surface of her jeans, the skin underneath felt charged and tender.

  ‘That better?’ he asked mischievously.

  Josie responded almost in a whisper, a stuttered exhale. ‘Thanks. I just needed some air, and now I could do with a cold shower.’ After everything that had happened, the sexual tension they had connected with when they first met was beginning to seep back in again.