by Matthew Fish
“What do you want me to do?” Piper asked as she nervously approached the door.
“Shut it, and take cover,” Daniel spoke as he pressed the barrel of his gun against the man’s head.
Piper rushed over, kicked the door shut and then rolled behind the other side of the bed. She covered her head with her hands and knelt down on the dirty red carpet.
“I’m listening,” Daniel spoke as he squeezed slightly on the trigger, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
“You’ve proven yourself to be very formidable,” the man spoke as he allowed himself to be roughed up a bit. “Lord Corveath would like to offer you a position as his second in command. A great honor—all that he asks in return is that you return his property. You may even spend as much time with her as you would like, if you’ve come to fancy her.”
“How did you find us?” Daniel asked, disregarding the terms that had been laid forth for a moment.
“We have our ways,” the man spoke confidently. “If you escape here, we will still have our ways, but regardless—if you refuse now, Corveath is going to drop one of her kind out of the helicopter with very specific orders to tear you apart. You will not recover. They can kill a Perpetual just as easy as they can tear a mortal into pieces.”
“Why is the girl so important?” Daniel asked. “Is there something I’m missing here, or couldn’t he just accept me—let her go.”
“Lord Corveath is very attached to his property,” the man spoke as he felt the barrel of the gun press even harder into his skull. “He will hunt you to the ends of the earth—after he is done with you, he will kill your son and his companions. The diplomatic thing to do here would be to take him up on his more than generous offer. Just think of the power that you could wield being the second in command in a new Perpetual Council. You could change the country; you could rule over men—take whatever you wanted. Especially with your gifts, all you would need to do is ask of Lord Corveath and it would be yours.”
“So, that would be the most diplomatic route then?” Daniel said as he relieved a bit of the pressure of the gun against the man’s head.
“Assuredly,” the man said as he let out a sigh of relief as though he strongly felt his words had swayed Daniel.
“Return to your ‘lord,’ have him come and talk with me,” Daniel said as he released his hold upon the man and let him begin to walk away.
The man opened the door and stood just in the entryway. He waved up to the hovering helicopter. The then turned back to Daniel and bowed. “You’ve made a very wise choice.”
“Daniel…” Piper whispered from behind the bed. “You promised.”
“I’m being diplomatic,” Daniel spoke as he brought his handgun up and fired a succession of shots into the man’s head filling the air all around them with a seemingly endless spray of blood.
The man began to fall towards the matching red carpet that looked a bit less dingy now that it had been covered in a brighter shade. Daniel placed a kick to the man’s back sending him stumbling out and allowing his body to collapse upon the cracked, hot parking lot pavement. Daniel slammed the door shut and began to work the deadbolt and lock. He dragged the dresser from the far wall and pushed it against the door. Piper picked up the small television set and pulled it from the wall. She placed it atop the dresser and folded her arms as though she had accomplished a rather great feat.
“Well, let’s hope that holds,” Daniel said as he eyed the television set curiously. He imagined that barricading one’s self away from enemies was not an often occurrence for Piper. He had done it a few times, but then again—he used to be a Conductor.
“Are we going to be alright?” Piper asked as she back away towards the bare wall where the dresser once resided.
“We’re going to do our best to find out,” Daniel said as he looked to her and gave her a half smile. Just as he turned his attention to the door, he threw his hands in front of him to shield himself from the wooden shards and debris as the door, dresser, and small television exploded under the might of a great bearlike creature.
A mighty roar filled the room, causing the entire floor to shake and the earth to tremble. The creature was an inky bluish-black, endlessly dark like a thick rolling night fog. It had blue glowing eyes and tiny wisps of smoke flumed of from the beast’s body. Daniel attempted to get to his feet as he stumbled for a moment. His arms were streaked red with blood from the shards of wood that had pierce through his leather jacket. He reached down for his handgun and began to fire shot after shot upon the raging beast. It was as useless as firing into bullets into nothingness—the creature neither reacted, nor slowed its pace. It was soon upon Daniel as it brought a raised claw down upon him, striking him in the chest and sending him flying into the far wall. Daniel attempted to catch his breath as a searing pain came from his chest. Fresh streaks of crimson covered his torn shirt. He was beginning to fear that he had deeply underestimated his abilities to fight against one of these creatures.
“Daniel!” Piper shouted as the creature turned to her and growled loudly. “What do we do?”
“We keep fighting,” Daniel spoke as he reached his hand out beside him and Abelio’s axe materialized. He rushed at the bearlike creature and swung his axe into the head. It struck, but felt as though it was hitting something soft—the creature roared out as it brought its paws to the axe blade and began to push it away. Daniel attempted to keep the axe head buried into the creatures head as best he could, but found himself being quickly overpowered by strength that he simply could not match by any means. The creature tossed Abelio’s axe away from Daniel as he fell down to the floor. The beast opened its mouth wide as it reared up on its hind legs and readied itself to deliver the fatal bite.
“Stop!” Piper shouted as she reached into her pocket and produced one of the three silver collars she had retrieved from the sunken ship. Instinctually she pounced upon the back of the beast and clasped the collar around the area she suspected would be the neck—had the creature been in human form. It let out a more hushed roar, something more akin to a groan as it began to shrink in size. Heavy plumes of thick tar-like smoke filled the room, setting off the fire alarm. The alarm squealed for a few moments before pitifully dying out completely, the battery giving out completely after many years of neglect.
As the thick smoke cleared, the form of a man appeared lying upon the bloodied red carpet. He was bleeding profusely from a wound to the forehead. He had green eyes and short dark hair. He looked young, no older in age than Piper appeared. He began to mutter something, at first it was just unintelligible babble as his body began to tremor slightly. He looked to Piper and tears began to stream down from his eyes.
“Who are you?” Daniel asked as he cautiously knelt beside the injured man. “Where are you from?”
“I…I don’t know. I’m…I’m not real,” The man stuttered. “I don’t belong here…elsewhere. I need to go. Please, won’t you let me go?”
“What are we?” Piper spoke as she cradled the man’s injured head in her hands. “Do you know?”
“We are…you?” The man spoke as he closed his eyes. “We aren’t…I’m not. Please, release me. I’m…I can’t be here anymore.”
“He’s suffering,” Piper said as tears formed at her eyes.
“Maybe he can tell us something,” Daniel spoke as he shook the man’s shoulder in an attempt to rouse him into a more coherent state. The blood from his forehead was pooling beneath his chin and further attempts only caused him more distress.
“Please…please release me,” the man begged.
“He can’t tell us anything, next time—let’s remember to use the collar before,” Piper spoke as she pointed to the axe that lay nearby on the ground. “This time though, let him go.”
“Alright,” Daniel said with a heavy-hearted sigh. As much as he wanted and needed any information regarding these people, he could not stand to see Piper upset nor to see the young man go through so much pain. It was clear that he was dyi
ng.
Daniel picked up the axe and paused for a moment as he watched the man continue to tremor and shiver in pain. Daniel brought the axe down on the man’s chest, burying it deep within his heart. As the body fell still, it began to spread into a dark smoke. The smoke swirled around Piper for a moment, dancing around her like the ash and plume from a campfire. Without warning, the smoke poured itself into Piper’s mouth as she fell down to the ground, coughing loudly and chocking on the thick dark mass.
“Piper…!” Daniel shouted as he dropped the axe and rushed to side. After a few moments of loud coughing, she opened her eyes and began to weep once more.
“I saw something…” Piper whispered with a harsh, strained voice. “Flashes of…I’m not quite sure. I saw Corveath…though not as he is now, but different, a house with a wooden door, stained glass in the front. Maybe, it was his memories. I’m not sure…”
“I’m just glad you’re alright,” Daniel spoke as he reached for the axe and helped Piper to her feet. “We’re not quite out of this just yet.”
Daniel led Piper out of the large opening, past the remnants of what used to be the door and most of the front of the motel room. The helicopter loomed a short distance away, hovering over the road. Daniel stood over the man who was sent to ‘negotiate’ and placed the head of his axe deep into the body of the man. The Perpetual turned into ash and blew away in a small whirlwind of hot desert morning air. The helicopter began to ascend as Daniel stood there defiantly holding his axe to his side. He knew that he had won the day, but figured that this battle was far from over.
“That asshole blew up my motel!” Tony shouted as he emerged from the main entrance. He was wearing a pair of blue pajama pants and a white, unflattering undershirt, which had dark yellow stains on the chest. He aimed a rifle and fired off a few shots at retreating helicopter.
“Get back inside!” Daniel shouted as he began to lead Piper to the garage. “Where is this Buick that I bought?”
“Right in the main bay…!” Tony shouted as he continued to fire another round.
“Bullets can’t hurt them!” Piper shouted to Tony as Daniel led her towards the main door to the repair shop. He pulled open the large wooden and glass door that creaked heavily upon its old and rusted hinges.
Piper climbed into the passenger seat as Daniel turned the key in the ignition of the battered old Buick that had seen far better days. The car gave an angry roar as it finally came to life after a bit of coercion. Just as he drove the car clear of the garage door. A second black helicopter appeared from behind the motel. This helicopter pulled close to the hotel, its side door open. A Perpetual sat strapped into the side of the vehicle operating a mini-gun. Bullets came raining down upon the pavement in front of the car; a few struck the hood of the old brown Buick. As Daniel floored it, they left a white flume of smoke in their wake. Tony was running as fast as he could to the safety of the hotel. He barely managed to stay ahead of the seemingly random barrage of bullets from the high-powered mini-gun. The helicopter was quick to give chase to the slow moving Buick as Daniel navigated his way onto the main road. The second helicopter carrying Corveath disappeared in the distance as the main threat continued to give chase as he kept the gas pedal all the way down to the floor.
“We need to go faster!” Piper shouted as the back window was shattered out from a bullet from the machine gun.
“I think this is as fast as this thing goes,” Daniel said as he rounded a sharp corner. He looked into the rear view mirror and could see bullet marks smoking up from the pavement just behind him. He rounded another corner that followed along the desert valley, their pursuers at their very heels every step of the way. An open stretch of road lay out before them, Daniel buried the gas pedal to the floor as the Buick angrily roared and darted down the rough road.
“I don’t think we can outrun them,” Piper said as she looked back at the imposing helicopter that easily kept pace with the old brown, timeworn car. She knew that she was safe enough from the bullet fire—but if Daniel was shot too many times, he would be rendered unconscious and there would be nothing stopping them from taking her back to Corveath.
“I’m beginning to agree, hang on,” Daniel spoke loudly over the engine roar and the rumbling of the helicopter. He brought the old Buick to an abrupt stop, leaving behind a thick black, smoldering trail of burnt rubber spread out across the highway like a streak of peanut butter across hard bread. The helicopter overshot them as Daniel released his seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
“What are you doing?” Piper asked as she attempted to grab Daniel and keep him within the car. She knew that it offered very little protection, but it was better than attempting to take the helicopter head on.
“Seeing how good my aim is with this thing,” Daniel spoke as he took a few steps forward and outstretched an open hand. The axe appeared as he held it out beside him. The helicopter ascended slightly and followed the curve along the desert bluffs until it came to face Daniel head on. The man strapped to the side turned his gun upon Daniel, ready to fire at any moment. Daniel clenched his teeth as the helicopter swiftly closed the distance. As it approached and the man readied his gun—Daniel held the axe above his head and, with all of his might, let it fly towards the oncoming aircraft. The axe flew, end over end, until it shattered the cockpit of the helicopter. It struck the pilot, turning him to ash as the aircraft passed harmlessly overhead. Moments later the helicopter impacted against the bluff wall in a deafening explosion that buffeted through the small desert valley. A bright flame and black smoke marred the orange tinted bluff as debris began to fall down to the desert floor beneath it.
“That was amazing!” Piper said as she rushed out of the car and wrapped her arms around Daniel.
“I was aiming for the gunner,” Daniel admitted. “But, that’ll do.”
“Do you think we are free?” Piper asked as she watched the fires of the helicopter slowly go out.
“I don’t think we should wait around to see if that other chopper will show up,” Daniel said as he rubbed Piper’s back and, for a moment, admired the rather destructive feat that he had somehow accomplished. “Let’s get as far away from here as possible.”
The two got back into the car and sped off. As the day continued on, Piper would spend a lot of time looking back—always weary and concerned that at any moment another black helicopter would appear over the tall looming mountains as they passed further and further into Nevada. By late day, they had passed into Utah without any further incident. The landscape changed slowly to from the desert to green flatlands with large grey and pale blue mountains framing the distance. A small scattering of orange clouds filled the rear view mirror as the sun set behind them. Ahead of them, a deep purple that faded down into a midnight blue filled the window. This area was more populated, cars passed by every few minutes. It gave Daniel a sense of safety—whether it was misplaced or not remained to be seen.
“Should we stop soon?” Piper asked as she stretched her arms out wide. They had been in the car all day, it seemed like forever to her. Not that she completely minded, however, there existed a strange quiet ever since Daniel took out that helicopter. There was a sense of worry, a tension that seemed to quell any conversation.
“Yeah, I’m thinking of finding a place somewhere just out of town—just in case,” Daniel said as he looked to Piper and nodded. He kept thinking back to what that man had said—the one that was sent to ‘negotiate,’ that they would hunt them down to the ends of the earth. Daniel wondered how true that was. It had been on his mind the entire trip. He had kept his son safe, which was what was most important. Still, he did not know exactly how he would resolve his current issues—at least; not without knowing a bit more regarding what he was facing. “You really saved me back there,” Daniel added. Finally breaking the long-standing silence his worried mind had kept up. “I thought I was really done for. That was quick thinking on your part. I’m very thankful for that.”
“I didn’t
know what I was doing, to be honest,” Piper said as she placed a fingertip against her chin and pressed in softly. She did not know how she knew it would work. “I guess I just figured that the collars kept them under control, so I should just collar him and he wouldn’t be so angry anymore. I’m sorry you did not get information from him. If it could have turned out differently I would have wished it so.”
“Well you saved my life, and helped me protect the ones I’m trying to protect,” Daniel said as he turned to Piper and smiled. “We will figure the rest out, sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, but don’t worry.”
“I don’t as much, is that odd?” Piper asked, as she felt strangely much more comfortable with the situation than she had the day before. Of course, there was still a small nagging worry. However, there was a sense of newness, a strange feeling of adventure and looking forward to the positive things that might exist ahead of her.
“I would count that as a good thing,” Daniel spoke as he kept his eyes upon the road. “I’d like to believe that the further we get away from your old situation, that the better you would start to feel.”
“Well, I think…yeah, I do. Moreover, I trust you. You’re my fiancé,” Piper said as she stared out the window. Tall green trees appeared as well manicured lawns of grass appeared. It reminded her of that place—that place that somehow felt like home.
Daniel let out a short laugh. “You know, when we’re all done with this and you’re really free. You can do whatever you want. You don’t have to stick around with me.”
“But that’s my decision right?” Piper asked.
“Of course,” Daniel answered as he shrugged. “I just…I don’t want you to go on thinking that you owe m anything out of this. Remember, I am not doing this just for you, which does make me feel like a jerk sometimes about the whole thing. If the situation was different, I would still help you though—no one deserves that kind of fate.”
“It must be a big responsibility, family…” Piper said quietly. She had not really had a family of her own. At least, she was fairly certain that she had not. After all, Corveath had beaten the idea that no one cared about her so fiercely into her mind that she was convinced that it was the truth. She remembered that he used to call her just a ‘broken ghost’ or a ‘shell.’ Being with someone that truly did seem to care about her made her feel that she could be much more than those useless things. “I never had a family, other than Corveath. So I do not know. I do believe that you are a good person and would help regardless of the situation, perhaps we could go back later and help the other girls…that Pulwala man—he had many girls that he sold out for the night. Their lives weren’t good either.”
