Glistening Haven: A Shape Shifting Dystopian Boxset

by Jill Cooper

  Dirk cringed as he waited for the final blow of bad news.

  “Chase and Ginny were captured by Victor’s glistenings. We tried to trace them, but they lost the trail. My dad fell into an ambush and . . .” Jake turned his head and Dirk knew it meant Jeff was dead. Glistenings on their side were falling like bowling pins. They kept setting them up and Victor kept knocking them down.

  A strike. A spare. How much longer could they keep this up?

  Dirk grabbed Jake’s shoulder. “For your loss, I’m sorry. You’ve endured more than your fair share.”

  Jake nodded and his eyes clouded. Dirk could imagine he was thinking of what he lost—beginning with Wendy and his mother, his son. Now, he lost his father and Liz? God, who knew what Victor, had done to her. Dirk’s stomach was tight just thinking about everything Jake had gone through and how he seemed so calm about it.

  Of course, in glistening form, he hadn’t seemed so calm or together. He struck like a killer. Dirk knew Jake was in control, but for how long could they reasonably expect that to happen? Could Jake stay in control indefinitely? That sort of grief and sorrow could swallow any man.

  “I was gone when the city was hit. I think they waited for me to leave. They can sense me and I would have sensed them too, but—.”

  “But what, Jake?” Dirk’s eyes narrowed.

  “My hunger drowned them out. It’s all I can feel and . . . I’m feeling it all the time now.”

  Dirk’s heart skipped a beat and his mouth tasted sour. “You went to feed?” The look on Jake’s face was the only answer Dirk needed to hear. “Maybe you need to stop Jake, before you can’t.”

  “I think that time has come and gone, old friend. I promised I wouldn’t feed on humans and I still hold to that promise.”

  “Good.” Dirk puffed out his chest, but what could he really do? Jake was strong and by looking at him, getting stronger every time he fed.

  “For now, I need it to defeat Victor.”

  “And later?” Dirk demanded. “When you need it after Victor is defeated? For the next trial in front of us, what then?”

  “Your words are wise and I’d be stupid not to listen to you, Dirk, but right now survival is the only thing we can think about. Come, I need to show you something.”

  Jake read his hesitation and led Dirk through the trees. “I promise, I won’t bite.” They walked for a few moments until they came to an old, cement foundation. In days long past, it might have been the foundation of a business or a home. Now, chains were deeply anchored into the cement and a man was cuffed to them.

  He fought against his restraints, yanked, and pulled. His head tossed, neck reared, and struggling to get free. His clothes were ripped and there were markings of fresh blood coming from his wrists and feet.

  “He’s one of Victor’s that we captured during their town raid,” Jake explained. “He was resistant at first to giving information, but I found he’s most talkative with a little prodding.” Leaning up against the wall, was a metal poker. Jake retrieved it and started toward the prisoner.

  Dirk thought of grabbing Jake and talking to him in private, but instead he just watched as Jake drove the metal through the flesh of the man’s arm. The spoils of war? Jake had never been that way. So passive, Jake never wanted to hurt anyone. Hell, he was just a kid, but maybe they pushed him too far.

  Maybe now, Jake had done too much, seen too much, and tasted too much, to go back.

  Would the day come when Dirk had to oppose Jake? Man on man, maybe Dirk could win, but if Jake took his giant glistening form? Never. Dirk just hoped the quiet, intelligent man Jake was wouldn’t be lost to them; that he could come back from whatever was happening to him. To be honest, right now they needed Jake as a fighter and a leader—not some philosopher.

  The man cried out in pain, his fists clenching tight. “I’m sorry, Lord Monroe! I am sorry. We shouldn’t have followed Victor. I should’ve remained loyal to you. Forgive us for our weakness; for being deceived.”

  Jake tapped the poker on the ground. “Just tell him what you told me. If you won’t, I can stick you again.”

  “Victor is going to attack New Haven 57.” He rushed the words out, tears falling from his eyes. “He’s been working on getting the harnesses to deactivate for a while. He wanted to free the glistenings, but when he heard about the cure being developed there . . .”

  The cure. Dirk took a deep breath and spoke words that made his skin tingle. “He’s going to try and destroy New Haven 57.”

  “He has hundreds of dragons. If they all launch at once, New Haven 57 will fall.” The prisoner’s eyes fell to Jake. “We never wanted to hurt anyone. We just wanted . . .”

  “To be free.” Jake threw the poker to the ground and the metal vibration resounded around them. “But to follow Victor? It tarnishes everything we could’ve been, everything we once were. Killing all the humans doesn’t make us free. It only proves that we are exactly what they think we are.” Jake’s face twisted with grief. “It makes us slaves to the monster inside of us.”

  “Like you are so different?” the prisoner said. “I saw what you did; how many of your brothers you feasted on! Now that you’ve grown strong, you’re no different than Victor—no different!”

  Dirk quietly watched Jake as the words processed in the young man’s mind. “I repent,” Jake said softly. “That is what makes me different than Victor. I don’t want death, regardless of what you think of me. No matter what I’ve done, I want peace. If I can’t have it, then I will fight Victor to the death.”

  With his answer, Dirk breathed a bit easier. That sounded a lot like the Jake he knew, but what if he became so addicted to the blood, he couldn’t ignore the call to feed anymore?

  The prisoner had nothing left to say, but his eyes never deviated from Jake’s face. Jake spoke again but this time, more softly. “I want our people to follow me because they want what I want—life, freedom, to live in harmony with the humans. Not because they’re frightened of me, or because I give them no choice.”

  There was only a slight nod from the prisoner and Jake moved away, slowly up the hill. Dirk followed him. Jake stood on the sand dune and stared off into the east. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but the desert created by the nuclear war from the first Glistening War. A small plant grew here or there, but the Earth still hadn’t healed.

  There was still a long way to go. Dirk feared they’d never see the Earth flourish again.

  “For what it’s worth, I still call you friend. Glistening or not,” Dirk said.

  A small, grateful smile graced Jake’s lips. “Thank you. Those words, I appreciate more than you can know. We have to rally the troops. We can’t put off a full-scale attack any longer. It’s time to fly to New Haven.”

  Dirk didn’t know if he had any right to ask to go along. He’d slow the glistenings down in flight. They could get there three times as fast as he could, but Jenna was there. If a glistening war was going to happen over New Haven 57, he wanted to be there to get her out. Or worse yet, to at least say good-bye.

  Going out together in a blaze of glory wasn’t Dirk’s idea of a good time, but the reality of the situation . . .

  “Don’t worry, Dirk. I’m not going to leave you behind.” Jake patted his shoulder. “I’m going to need you once we get there.”

  “I guess I’m that transparent, huh?” Dirk asked.

  Jake shrugged. “Somewhat, but where else would you want to be? I want to get her out too. I can’t lead the charge and rescue those trapped inside. I’m going to need someone to lead the foot soldiers.”

  It was a big request, an important one. Dirk puffed up his chest and nodded. “I’d be honored, Jake, really; I’m up to it.”

  “I know you are.” Jake stared off in the distance again. Dirk followed his gaze and saw the twinkling of stars above the ridgeline of a small town on the brink of the wasteland. Where there still people there? Had the glistenings managed to move everyone, even out this far?

>   “How am I going to get there?”

  “Well, if you’re open to it, I was hoping you’d ride me.” Jake said it without any humor in his voice and Dirk wasn’t sure if he was pulling his leg. “Trust me, I’m not pulling your leg.”

  That was the second time Jake had done that. It seemed like he read his mind and Dirk thought that was impossible, but remembered what the glistening prisoner had said; Jake had fed a lot and become powerful.

  Was a power extended beyond its dragon form if it was well fed on humans? Dirk wasn’t exactly a history scholar, had never read about the glistening war further than what was required of him in school, but if they were eternally youthful, and could shape shift, who was to say the powers stopped there?

  “You’re sure?” Dirk asked as he cleared his throat. “Won’t that be dangerous for me?”

  “We’ll rig a harness.” Jake’s lips twisted playfully. “First, we need to address the crew. The sign has to be given over DC.”

  DC. Dirk almost forgot that Liz and Meghan were living in the enemy’s camp. He’d almost forgotten how they put their lives on the line for this cause.

  “You haven’t given up on Jenna and I haven’t given up on Liz.” Jake’s voice was eerily calm.

  “And Chase? Ginny?” Dirk asked.

  Jake shook his head. “We can’t go after them yet. We have to stop Victor first at New Haven. After that,” Jake shrugged. “We can’t be all places at once. Listen, I know you feel responsible for Chase, but he’s capable. He can protect himself.”

  Dirk knew that was true, but after what they went through in New York, after he rescued Chase and Ginny from the one known only as Pitt, well yeah, he did feel responsible for him. Dirk always would, but now Jake was right. If they went after Chase, it would only dilute their resources.

  “When this is over, if we all survive,” Dirk shook his head, “I’m going to owe you a drink, pal.”

  Jake laughed as they headed back toward the camp. He had a speech to give.

  Dirk tried to wrap his mind around the fact that soon, he was going to have a dragon to fly.

  ****

  The flames at the campfire danced back and forth like welcome, old lovers. Twilight flickered in the night sky; the blanket of stars meeting the coolness of the sand and Jake took center stage.

  Jake netted his fingers together and surveyed the faces that stared out at him. Thoughtful, hopeful, faces of everyone hanging on his every word. They were looking to him for leadership, the next step in their very survival. For so long he was left worried, uncomfortable in his human skin, but Jake reached a level of clarity that wasn’t possible before.

  The blood strengthened and cleared his mind in ways not possible before. So, he took a deep breath and started out slow. “Over the past six months, we’ve made some mistakes—most of which were mine because, you see, I wasn’t ready.

  “I wasn’t ready to strike. I was afraid . . .” Jake raised his eyebrows as he admitted the truth, not just to his friends, but also to himself, “ . . . of the beast inside of me. Afraid it would take over my human traits, that I’d cross that line and never be able to come back. I thought we should run and hide, wait Victor, and his followers out, but now I see that was a mistake.

  “I needed to fight for you and the glistenings. Not be afraid of the beast, but join the two, so beast and human can work together. Victor has tapped into his followers’ primal need to embrace the beast they have denied for so long. New Haven has made us feel like a lesser species.” Jake shook his head.

  “Victor has trained his followers to believe they are superior to the humans, but I say together we are stronger. The beast can’t be stopped or contained without humanity. The humanity that lives in all of us, if we just choose not to ignore it.

  “So we will fight. We’ll launch an attack and be unwavering, but also just. Our might will be strong and the signal over DC must be given. Tonight we fly.”

  Three glistenings stood up. “We will go to DC. It would be our honor to represent you.” They knelt down in front of Jake and it should’ve embarrassed him beyond riches, but instead Jake bowed his head, and touched each of them.

  “Victor will have defensive outposts waiting for you. Be on guard and know, if one of you falls, your sacrifice will always be remembered.” Jake stared out at the others. “Pack light, bring only what we’ll need for the fight. We abandon the rest tonight for our freedom.”

  He turned and walked away from the others as everyone bustled to get things ready. Dirk caught up to him. “You going to try to convert the prisoner over to our side.”

  “In a manner of speaking.” Jake didn’t want Dirk to know what his true intentions were because they made him feel dirty, slimy.

  If he wanted to defeat Victor, he needed all the power he could get. Right then, Jake was hungry, very hungry.

  Chapter Eighteen Liz

  Washington, DC

  The White House

  Despair. Despondent.

  Liz stared up at the ornate ceiling as Victor rose from the bed. Below her waist, she throbbed, but part of her couldn’t even feel it anymore. She had been retreating further into herself the longer it went on. The more she gave, the more Victor wanted.

  The more he wanted, the more he took.

  Liz didn’t have anything else to give. She closed her eyes, a single tear clinging to her eyelash. Her mind flashed with the vision of a camp. The trees swayed and right over the rolling hills, she saw nothing but an ocean of sand dunes. It was a sharp contrast from the soft bedding; she was lying in a moment ago.

  Then there he was, standing in front of her. Jake.

  She thought to sob against him as her thoughts of love and loneliness came tumbling out of her mouth, it was a fantasy after all. But instead, Liz slapped him across the face. Her cheeks reddened enough to hide the splatter of freckles across her cheeks. “You’ve abandoned me. How dare you even come here?”

  “Liz,” Jake rubbed his jaw. His eyes weren’t angry, but were sad, soft.

  It had been so long since Liz had been under Victor’s thumb; she forgot what it could be like to look into human eyes again. To have someone around that cared—her shoulders rocked and the sob racked her body. She covered her face in shame. Jake couldn’t see her like this. No one could see her . . .

  “It’s all right.” Jake wrapped his arms around her and Liz was sure she felt the warmth of his skin against hers. So pulled away from her own life, her fantasies were strong enough to confuse even her.

  “The sign,” Liz’s voice quaked. “How come you haven’t given the sign, Jake?” Her eyes searched his with desperation.

  “It’s coming, Liz; tomorrow or the next day. Can you hold on a little bit longer?”

  A day? She was getting married that day, for the entire world to see. Jake had worse timing than the Saskatchewan fields at harvest time, but Liz didn’t know how to say it now that she was staring into his face. Her fingers trembled as they stroked his skin.

  Jake held her face in his hands and kissed her. “Remember, Liz, please. The sign is coming. Then you act swiftly. You’ll need to move fast to make your escape. Don’t hold back. Promise me.”

  “You’re son is here,” Liz whispered.

  His eyes flashed wide. “My son? Is he . . .?”

  “I’ve been taking care of him,” Liz admitted. “I won’t leave without him.”

  Jake’s lips folded into each other. He turned his head, gazing out across the sand, the wheels in his mind spinning, and his conflict evident as he stared off.

  Liz brought his face back to hers. “Just tell me it’ll be okay. Tell me we’re both going to make it.”

  “We’ll make it.” Jake’s soft lips enveloped hers. Liz wished the moment could last forever, but reality was slowly drifting back. She was able to see the ceiling fan spinning above her.

  “I’ve been making the arrangements,” Liz said and with horror realized it wasn’t in her mind. She said it aloud.

  “What
arrangements?” Victor zipped up his pants as he turned to face her.

  The few minutes she spent with Jake felt like bliss, but it was like they never happened at all. Liz slid herself up on her pillows with shaking arms. “For the wedding tomorrow, of course. All of my fellow sisters and I have a few surprises planned for you.” Liz tried to smile, tried to be coy, but the shaking of her insides made it so hard.

  “I’ve had my own plans for you as well.” Victor leaned over and patted her stomach.

  It sickened Liz. She turned her head to gaze at the wall. The thought of pro-creating with Victor of all the glistenings, made her dry heave. If it turned out to be true . . . Liz didn’t think she could ever love the child. So maybe, if she survived this, Liz should get rid of it. It went against what she believed in—what her parents, her family, once stood for.

  Meghan’s words echoed in her ears, we’d cross that bridge when we came to it. Remember Jake. Remember the mission.

  The mission. Nothing could save Liz from that.

  “Rest for a few more minutes and then meet with the other women. There are a lot of mouths to feed.” Victor nodded his head and Liz did her best to remain calm.

  Getting upset would get her nowhere.

  Back in her simple, blue dress with callous fabric that ended where her feet met the floor, Liz brushed her hair back feverishly and tried to remain presentable. Her heart desired it. Inside, her stomach clenched and she felt dirty, but that was the last thing she wanted anyone to think when they looked at her.

  She cinched a dirty, brown apron around her waist that wouldn’t come clean, no matter how hard she scrubbed and headed out. The guards at the door both turned to look at her and Liz’s eyes immediately fell to the floor.

  Her cheeks reddened and she performed a simple curtsy. “I’m headed to the kitchen to start the preparations for dinner.”

  “We’ll accompany you.”

  “That’s not necessary.” Liz wrung her hands in front of her. “I know the way. Victor gave the order for me to head there once I was rested.”