by Gary Jonas
“Thank you.”
When they admitted Sabrina, the nurses did what they do for any new comatose patient. They started an IV, gave her a nasal cannula and a urinary catheter and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm. They hooked her up to a heart monitor and clipped an O2 monitor to her finger.
All these things stayed in place while the cocoon grew, and it accommodated them. The smooth, brown casing coated the tubes almost to the screens, which still beeped in time with Sabrina’s heartbeat – eight beats per minute. The O2 reading flashed ‘error’ – the monitor probably couldn’t take a reading through the hard carapace that had once been skin. Or maybe she didn’t have fingers anymore. Another alarm went off as the blood pressure cuff tried to inflate and failed. No room in there to inflate, I thought.
The IV and catheter still worked – one pumped her full of saline and vancomycin while the other emptied her out. At least her urine’s still yellow. I swallowed an involuntary laugh.
I tugged on the IV tube. It didn’t budge. “I’ll have to cut through these.” I took out my sharpest blade, which happened to be a meteorite knife Brand had given me after we met. I brought it along for good luck. Call me a softie. I knew Brand carried several blades, too, but I wondered about the other Kin.
“We have capable teeth,” Kess reminded me. “But I’m glad you brought a knife,” she added, as I cut through the tube leading to the bag of urine hanging off the side of the bed. I had to cut the tube close to the bag because the blade wouldn’t go through the shell.
Damn. I’d hoped the other Sekutar and I could just stab through the cocoons and be done with it. Looks like we’ll have to wait for them to hatch. I felt a little guilty at the thrill that ran through me. If the Kachinas can’t heal them of course, I thought, as penance to my excitement. These things had names after all.
As I cut the tubes and wires, all sorts of alarms buzzed and binged. Kess quickly turned everything off as I worked so that no one would come running. We had some time if they did – I couldn’t imagine anyone coming in here without suiting up first.
The room quieted as each machine went to sleep. Except for one sound. A tiny, rhythmic tap tap tap.
Kess and I looked at each other, then at the cocoon.
“Shit,” I said.
“It’s starting,” Kess said at the same time.
I went to the head and she went to the feet, or where these things were supposed to be. We lifted on the count of three. The bedsheets came up with the cocoon, embedded in the shell as it formed. That actually made carrying the thing easier. We treated it like a sling.
I expected the cocoon to be heavy judging by the size, but it couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred and a quarter. Kess looked surprised, too. We held the sheets bundled in our right hands while Kess reached back for my left so she could take me through shadow.
If I’d thought shadow traveling was difficult before, carrying an oversized bug hammock made it ten times harder. Kess tried to give me time to orient between shadows.
“Forget it. Just keep going!” The tapping got louder and faster each time we stopped. I didn’t have a free hand to grab my katana if things went south. I practically pushed Kess into the next shadow. About four shadows in, the cocoon started moving, or rather the thing inside twisted and turned.
At the next in-between place – a crackle, then an earsplitting CRACK, like thunder to the lightning of a hairline fissure zig-zagging along the top of the cocoon.
“Kelly?”
“Keep going!”
Shadow, hallway, shadow, mineshaft, shadow, basement.
Crack, tap tap tap, crackle, tap tap tap CRACK.
A jagged piece of the cocoon splintered off. A serrated mandible the thickness of my arm poked through the triangular hole. An acrid, earthy, almost metallic smell filled the room.
Then the cocoon split all the way open. Kess and I both dropped the sling as insectile legs pushed the opening wide. I let go of her hand and unsheathed my katana.
Kess reached for my hand. The protocol was to leave the bug and head for safety. But as I looked around at stacked cardboard boxes marked “nursery,” a new washer and dryer, and a Christmas tree sheathed in clear plastic sheeting, I knew that plan was FUBAR.
“Dammit!” Kess surveyed the room right along with me. “This house was empty a week ago.”
Sabrina, firstborn Child of Kokopelli as far as we knew, sat up from its cocoon. Not that I’m good at reading hell-bug facial expressions, but it looked hungry to me.
“Kess, get the hell out of here.”
She reached for my hand again. “Not without you.”
Footsteps overhead, soft and quick, two sets. Kids? A door squeaked open and light poured down a flight of stairs. High-pitched voices confirmed my suspicions.
“Jack! I don’t wanna go down there.”
“Declan, come on!”
“Kess! Go now! I got this!”
The bug stood up to woman-height, and then kept going. Long and lean, body reminiscent of a praying mantis, its head brushed the basement’s high ceiling.
“Go back to bed!” I wasn’t sure if Kess was directing her Mom Voice at the kids, the bug or at all of us.
“I heard a lady.”
“Kess, get the fuck out of here now!” I swung my katana at the hell-bug as it reached out a long brown appendage covered in coarse black hairs. My sword bounced off its exoskeleton.
Kess looked from me to the bug to the kids up the stairs behind us.
“They’ll be fine.” I aimed my next swing at the bug’s abdomen. The blade scored a deep line into its surface. “Once I kill this thing.”
“I’ll bring reinforcements.” Kess popped out of sight. Finally.
The bug took another swing. It was fast and caught my hair in its bristles. As it pulled me in, it reared back its head and spit. I just managed to dodge the tobacco-smelling gob of brown shit. It hit the bottom branches of the Christmas tree. The plastic bubbled and shrank. It dripped onto the concrete floor where it sizzled and pitted the surface.
Two sets of footsteps descended the stairs and stopped midway. Two identical gasps. “It’s a giant bug!”
“And an angel’s fighting it.”
The bug turned at the sound of the voices and reared back to spit at them.
“Oh no you don’t, you bitch!” I picked up a piece of cocoon and lobbed it at the thing’s head. I lost a good chunk of hair on that move but it was worth it. The cocoon blocked the stream of spit as it hit the thing square in the face. I picked up another jagged piece and lunged at the abdomen. Blood poured from my palms where the sharp edges dug in. Where my sword had done little more than graze the carapace, the cocoon shell went right in.
The bug let out a high-pitched shriek as yellow-orange fluid gushed from its gut. I drew the shard back and forth, widening the hole. Ichor covered my forearms and my skin bubbled like the Christmas tree plastic. My sizzling skin smelled a little like bacon, pairing perfectly with the fresh coffee-smell now wafting down the stairs.
“Boyos? What are you guys doing down there?”
“Nothing!” In perfect unison.
The bug crumpled in on itself. Kess and two other Kin emerged from a shadow as I untangled myself from the remains.
“More angels!”
Kess smiled and put her finger to her lips. With their mouths dropped open, the boys nodded. They looked about four, maybe five-years-old. I wasn’t too worried. Little kids see weird shit all the time and no one ever believes them. Kess gave the boys a wink and then turned to help me.
I didn’t look much like an angel anymore, with a chunk of my hair gone, along with all the skin from my hands and forearms. Kess saw my arms and drew air in through her teeth in a hiss.
“How bad does that hurt?”
“Not a bit.” I held up my arms and studied my hands. Gobbets of fatty tissue clung to vessels twining around muscle. I flexed my fingers, watching the tendons with fascination. The other Kin tried n
ot to watch, but instead packed up the rest of the bug and cocoon for transit.
“Breakfast, guys! Or do I have to come and get you?”
Kess held her finger to her lips again and pointed up the stairs. The kids nodded and pounded up the steps.
“Let’s get this nightmare fodder out of here,” she told the other Kin.
“Am I part of the nightmare fodder?” I smiled at her.
Kess didn’t smile back. “Wait’ll you see the ballroom.”
Chapter 26
A few other Kin had the same trouble we did. They caught on pretty quick to the cocoon trick, too. They didn’t carry weapons, so they used the cocoon fragments like I did.
And like me, they’d been sleeved. Pain-filled moans filled the ballroom, echoing in the corners where unseen ghosts watched in horror.
Kin tended to their cousins’ wounds as best they could. Ramona’s Grandma directed them, while Ramona stood off to the side trying not to look at the wounds.
Luckily, most of the cocoons made the trip intact. Sixteen lay side by side in four rows of four. Plus a bonus – the vampires relinquished their transforming comrade. But they didn’t stay still. They rolled back and forth, knocking against each other as the sounds of taps and cracks and pops joined the moaning. The way the cocoons moved reminded me of giant Mexican jumping beans. Not a bad analogy, considering they had bugs in them, too.
Sekutar surrounded the cocoons, laughing and shouting and placing bets on which one would open next. From the scattered remains of casings and bug guts, it looked like three Sekutar had already collected. Other Sekutar gleefully sorted through the cocoon shards, picking out the ones best used as weapons. They sharpened bigger pieces with smaller ones and wrapped the ends with thick cloth. Hard to hold a makeshift sword when your hands are slippery with blood.
Dire practically danced up to me. “Kelly! Isn’t this fucking great? It’s like an old-fashioned Fifties drive-in movie. Brand was absofuckinlutely right!”
I looked around. “Where is Brand?”
“Dude! Look at you. RIP hands. That’s lit.”
“Dire. Where. The fuck. Is Brand?”
“Shit, I don’t know. I figured he’d be with you.”
“Well, he isn’t.” I searched the cavernous room again, not seeing Brand or Mikk. I caught Ramona’s eye and she hurried over, probably glad for an excuse to get away from the blood and gore. I hid my hands behind my back.
Ramona’s gaze fixed on the bloody patch of scalp where the bug tore out my hair. Her face grew pale and her steps slowed as she came closer. To her credit, she reached out and almost touched my previously-wounded skin. Her fingertips brushed my forehead instead.
“Are you all right? Your beautiful hair.”
“Have you seen Brand? Or Mikk?”
Ramona frowned. “No, not yet. But there’s still time. A couple of Kin got here just before you did. They had trouble, too. Grandma’s treating them now. Another Kin took a Sekutar back to kill the Child of Kokopelli they left behind. Maybe Brand and Mikk had the same trouble?”
Daphne. Oh, poor Brand. I signaled to Kess. She came running over.
Before I could open my mouth she asked, “Have you seen Mikk?”
“No. Or Brand.”
The devastated look on Kess’ face nearly killed me. She’d seen too much loss over the past year. I regretted getting the Kin involved. Without thinking, I reached out to touch her. Ramona gasped when she saw my hand. A thin, gelatinous matrix of tissue gloved my hands as the skin healed from the base up. Everything was still faintly visible underneath.
Ramona turned and puked.
“Sorry,” I said.
“No, I am.” She wiped her mouth on her jacket sleeve. Between the puke and my dried bloodstains, she’d have a huge dry-cleaning bill and a lot of explaining to do. “I’m sorry I’m such a wimp.”
“Not everyone’s cut out for this.” I scanned the shadows for Brand and Mikk.
“But I’m supposed to be. Grandma raised me to be tough and I’m a failure.”
I didn’t have time for the pity-party. “Kess, what path did Mikk take? We’ll double-back and find them.”
“I don’t know. We sometimes have to reroute to keep from bumping into each other.”
“Shit.” A cheer went up from the Sekutar when a cocoon cracked open.
“Juke! You bet it, you won it!” Dire tossed him a newly-constructed cocoon sword. Juke caught the blade mid-air as the rest of the Sekutar chanted his name. He approached the bug as it crawled up out of its casing. This one looked more like a giant roach than a praying mantis. Nice to know we had a variety pack.
Movement in one of the shadows caught my eye. Battered and bruised, Mikk emerged. Alone. No Brand, no cocoon. Maybe he’d sent Mikk ahead like I’d done with Kess.
Kess squealed and ran to her cousin. I followed behind. She jumped into his arms while he stared coldly at me.
“Your boyfriend is a son of a bitch.”
At his words, Kess pulled away from Mikk and looked up at him.
“What happened?” I held Mikk’s stare.
“So, we grab the cocoon and shadow out. At the first stop, the asshole ambushes me, says we’re taking a detour. He gives me an address and I tell him I’m not fucking Google Maps. So, he punches me and tells me the neighborhood and says I’d better get moving, because if Daphne hatches into a monster, he’s gonna stand back and watch her eat me alive.” Mikk spit on the floor.
I felt my blood start to boil. “Five Points. Am I right?”
Mikk’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“Mikk, she’s the Midwife.” Kess smoothed her hands over the Kin’s arms. “She’s on our side.”
“Just confirm where you went. Old Victorian, sweet Black lady with perfect braids?” I asked.
“That’s the one. He made me play nice, like shit didn’t go down between us. He threatened to kill me if I left, but fuck that guy. I slipped out soon as I could,” Mikk said.
“Oh, Brand.” Kess looked at the floor where her cousin spit, then at me.
“Oh, Brand nothing,” I said. The bastard tricked me. Looked right into my eyes and manipulated me into doing what he wanted. Worse, he’d put Lina in danger. “How long ago did you guys get to Lina’s?”
“Maybe twenty minutes? Half hour? Fuck if I know. I wasn’t watching the clock, I was running for my life.”
“Who’s Lina?” Ramona slipped up behind me.
“She’s a healer. Natural magic. And if she tries to heal Daphne, she might end up a bug herself. Kess, how fast can you get us there?”
Kess broke away from her cousin. “With you, ten minutes.”
“Make it five. No extra breaks for me.”
“Wait!” Ramona grabbed my shoulder. “Grandma!” Despite the ear-splitting fighting going on between Juke and Kafka’s wet dream, the doctor raised her head and looked at her granddaughter. She said something to a Kin and hurried over.
I shook my head. “What? We don’t have time—”
“She’s a medical doctor and knows the old ways. You need her.” Ramona let go of me. “Just…be careful with her okay? She’s old and she’s my granny.” Ramona smiled and rolled her eyes. “Though she’s a damn sight tougher than her granddaughter, obviously.”
Dammit. “Listen. If you stick around after this is over, I’ll toughen you up in the dojo.”
Ramona’s eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip. She tilted her head down until her glasses slid to the end of her nose and she looked at me over the tops. “Promises, promises.”
Double dammit.
“State the nature of the emergency.” Grandma wasn’t even out of breath.
“No time. Hang on.” I grabbed Grandma and nodded at Kess.
The sounds of Juke’s victory followed us into the shadows. I hoped we’d be as lucky.
All I knew was that Brand’s luck with me had run out.
Chapter 27
Kess pulled us as fast as she could
through shadows until the three of us stood out of breath in front of Lina’s house.
“Stay outside until I call you!” I took the porch steps three at a time and burst through the door. Lina’s house was dark and quiet as I ran past the front parlor toward the spare bedroom in the back where she treated her hardest cases.
Brand blocked the door. “It’s almost over.”
“Son of a bitch!” I tried to draw my katana but my hand slipped right off the handle. “Fuck!” My own soft, moist skin betrayed me. I aimed a snap kick at Brand’s face but he was ready for it and took me down. All the sparing at the dojo got him up to speed on my moves, and we both knew how good he was at mimicking my skills. Stupid, stupid me.
“Lina!”
No answer.
Brand pinned me to the floor. “I just want you to know I’m totally unarmed,” he said in a steady voice as his body shook.
“Nope. You’re a weapon.” One especially designed to inflict pain on me. “So that’s lie-number-what that you’ve told me in the past twenty-four hours?”
“Not lies. Omitted truths…well, you could argue that.”
“Semantics.”
Lina moaned in the room behind us. Sweat popped out on Brand’s forehead as he glanced backward. I tried to take advantage of the distraction to head-butt him and failed.
“Kelly, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Least of all you.”
“What’s happening in there?” I struggled and Brand pinned me tighter. His gaze grew distant.
“We didn’t exactly meet in class. We met up again. Daphne’d been in Afghanistan, too. Same camp. Yeah, we hooked up. You do that over there, when you’re lonely. When you think you’re gonna die at any time. You know how it is.”
“I don’t.” I felt my heart breaking under him. I kept my face neutral.
“We were out on patrol when a godforsaken sandstorm came up out of nowhere. The insurgents took advantage. Bullets and choking sand and total darkness. Couldn’t see a goddamned thing. We called to each other, like some fatal game of Marco Polo. Then she went quiet. I lost her, Kelly. Lost her in the chaos. You don’t leave someone behind. But I did that day. I should have tried to find her. Instead, I found the transport, climbed in and off I went. I made my report and they went out to find her. I didn’t go. I had my orders to return stateside and I never looked back. Couldn’t.”
