“We can’t change the past, Grim. But we can learn from it so we can shape the future. Get everyone home. I’m counting on you.”
Grim nodded, then broke the hug and wiped his eyes on his shirtsleeve, then clung to Presley.
Fabler turned to his wife.
So beautiful. So strong.
I love her so much.
“I refuse to say goodbye to you, Fabler.”
“You have to go with them, Lori.”
“I know. But you made me a promise once. You promised on your life. On our love. You promised that you’d come back. Fabler…” Lori took his hands in hers. “I need you to make that promise again.”
“I’m not sure I can make that promise, babe.”
“You came here. Against all odds. You came here. Promise me you’ll come home.”
Fabler closed his eyes. He imagined Lori older. Five years older. Ten years. Twenty years. Their unborn child, a full grown man. He imagined grandchildren. He pictured Lori, age ninety, sitting in a rocking chair, staring out the window.
All the time, waiting for him to come back to her.
A whole life of waiting.
“I’m sorry, Lori. I’m not coming back this time.”
“Don’t you say that, Fabler.”
“As soon as you all are through the portal, I’m destroying the machine. I have to. It’s too dangerous to be allowed to exist. This isn’t just for you. It’s for humanity. It’s for everyone.”
Lori broke, tears running down her cheeks. “I hoped for you for so long. And I got you back. Now I’m losing you again.”
“Can you do something for me?”
“Of course.”
“Find a nice guy. Live a good, long life. You’re gonna be a great mom.”
Fabler held her, held her until she stopped shaking, and then kept holding her until he stopped shaking.
And that’s when the Experiment popped up through the underground tunnel.
KADIR ○ 3:43+pm
After gutting the Watcher, Kadir ran free.
He killed a terror bird with one easy swipe of his claw.
He stomped two Ophiacodon to death without breaking a sweat.
“Hello Kadiiiiiiiiiir.”
“I am the Prince of the Power of Aiiiiiiir. The Dragon of Daaaaaaaaawn. Son of the Moooooooorning and Bearer of Liiiiiight. My name is Luciferrrrrr. But you can call meeeeeeee Bub.”
Kadir’s body turned around, heading in a direction he didn’t intend.
“You were never in control, Kadiiiiiiiiir. You were a slaaaaaaave to your base desires. Now you are a slaaaaaaave to me.”
Kadir found himself back in his old body. Naked, hanging from the ceiling by handcuffs, in some kind of dungeon.
He looked around, saw a cast iron stove, belching smoke.
Brazing in its belly, a branding iron and a pair of pincer tongs.
A woman walked in.
Kadir recognized her, too.
The woman took the pincers out of the stove. They glowed orange.
When she smiled, she had shark’s teeth.
“Hello, Kadiiiiiiiiiir.”
She used the tongs, burning, tearing, burning again.
Blood sizzled and steamed.
The agony was unimaginable.
“This can continue for as loooooooooong as I want it to.”
“You are heeeeeeere to bear witness. Staaaaaaaaaaaay quiet.”
The pain vanished, and Kadir was running down a tunnel, propelling himself forward with multiple legs.
Kadir focused on not thinking about anything. About being as small as possible.
The tunnel ended at a plastiform staircase, leading up to an opening.
Like a wave, his body rose and forced itself through, into a cavernous room.
And there, standing together—
“You’re thinking agaaaaaaaaaain.”
The whip had nine tails, each with a metal barb on the end. Each time it hit Kadir’s back, it tore out strips of flesh.
It went on and on, cutting down to the ribcage.
PRESLEY ○ 3:43+pm
A breeze of déjà vu blew across Presley.
She heard cracking sounds, as the massive Kadir Demon Experiment forced its way through the tiny opening, shifting and wiggling.
No one had much ammo left, but everyone unloaded. The battery building filled with gunsmoke and the deafening rattle of machinegun fire.
When that ran out, handgun fire.
When that ran out, everyone looked at one another, wondering what to do next as the abomination finally pulled its way out of the tunnel and flopped, bleeding and croaking, onto the floor.
“Helloooooooo, Presleeeeeeeeey. I seeeeee what’s inside yoooooooou.”
Presley’s entire body went cold, and she shivered.
“I have a flamethrower and more ammo in the Jeep.”
She glanced at him. “Where’s the Jeep, Fabler?”
“Six hundred meters past that thing. Maybe it isn’t very fast.”
The Experiment launched itself at them, fast as a cheetah, and the group barely had time to scatter. Presley tucked and rolled, dropping the KRISS and flicking open the blade of her Espada.
She chanced another look at Fabler, on his feet and wielding the Winkler axe.
She looked at Grim.
Presley filled her lungs and got ready to charge—
—and then the floor beneath her shifted, knocking her off balance.
She caught a glimpse of Lori, on her knees, touching the floor while she stroked the gland on her arm.
&nbs
p; A plastiform cage shot up around the demon, bringing it full-stop.
Lori screamed. “I need help!”
Grim dropped down, following Lori’s lead, turning whole sections of the floor into spears, skewering the monster in a dozen places.
Fabler joined in, squeezing the bars around the demon, crushing it in the plastiform.
Kadir’s head poked out through the cage, and Presley stared, amazed, as the organoplastic prison began to crack.
Grim hit it with more spikes.
Lori and Fabler continued to squeeze.
Presley ran toward the thing, and a claw broke through the bars and slashed at her head. She barely ducked in time, falling to her knees.
More plastiform wrapped around the arm, but Presley barely noticed, sighting on her target, looking for an opening to use the Espada as Kadir thrashed his head back and forth so quickly every movement was a blur.
Another cracking sound. The claw breaking free.
Then, like an answered prayer, the head became still.
“Presley!”
It spoke as Kadir, not as Bub.
“I can’t keep control! Kill me now, you bitch! Kill me—”
Presley didn’t need to be told twice, jamming the blade into Kadir’s neck to the hilt, then ripping to the side and severing his spine for the second time.
The demon ceased all movement.
Her three friends encased it in plastiform and crushed it into mush.
Presley collapsed onto her ass, her heart doing a drum solo.
“Presley?”
Grim approached her, tentative. Rather than relief, his expression portrayed horror.
“Grim? What’s wrong?”
He touched her hair, smoothing it back, and then looked at his hand.
Blood on his fingers.
Then Presley felt something in her stomach lurch, causing her to double-over.
Grim dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around Presley, his body wracked with sobs.
She pushed him away. “You have to go. You all have to go. Now.”
Grim shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Grim. I’m dead. You need to get out of here. All of you. I’ll activate the portal. Fabler, what’s the damn code?”
“ESC. E-S-C.”
“No…”
“Lori, get your brother away from me.”
Lori tugged on Grim’s arm, pulling him away.
“Fabler, synchronize watches. Seven minutes to get back to the compound, three minutes to round everyone up, another three to get to the portal room. I’m opening the portal in exactly thirteen minutes, starting now.”
Presley started her stopwatch.
So did Fabler. He gave her a curt nod. “I’m sorry, Presley.”
“Don’t be. We all knew your eeny meeny miny moe thing was bullshit.” She forced a grin. “I kinda like stealing your macho thunder, Fabler.”
He hugged her. “Sorry I don’t have any bullets left.”
“I still have the knife. I’ll make do.”
“Bravest person I ever met. It’s been an honor knowing you, Presley.”
“Right back atcha.”
Fabler broke the hug, and Presley nodded goodbye to Lori. Lori’s face pinched, and she mouthed two words.
Thank you.
Presley felt another cramp and gasped at the pain. Then she reached into her bag.
“Grim… remember what we talked about? About my daughter?”
Eyes glassy, he nodded.
She held out the heart, encased in plastiform. “Get this to Brooklyn. Make sure she’s okay.”
“I will.”
“Knowing you has been a real adventure, Grim. You’re certainly not a boring date.”
“I love you, Presley.”
She nodded, squeezing her eyes closed as another cramp hit.
“You have to go. Everyone. Now! Go now! Get the fuck out of here!”
When she opened her eyes again, everyone was gone.
The pain hit again, and Presley pressed a hand to her stomach and felt something move.
Something that didn’t feel like pregnancy.
She considered the Espada.
JAKE ○ 3:47+pm
He sat next to Holly, staring at the sculptor in his hand.
“So it’s really 2017 back home?”
“Yes. You’ve been gone for three years.”
“Even though it seems like five months for me.”
“Correct. The Watcher is searching the past and picking spots to visit, tied to the earth’s current position in the galactic year. Spacetime is relative. Since the past has already happened, The Watcher can pick the spots he wants to visit during this window of opportunity. In a year or two, he could visit the earth within, say, a seventy year period.”
“Mu told you the battery takes three years to charge? Does that make sense?”
“What happened to my job?”
“You lost it. They had a farewell party for you.”
“Awwww. Was it nice?”
“I didn’t attend.”
“Is the world any better?”
“Not really.”
“Politics?”
“Everyone hates each other.”
“Are you still recording Game of Thrones?”
“Started out strong, then the writing got silly.”
“Tell me something positive.”
“Cubs won the World Series.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. I predicted they would. I made twenty thousand dollars, betting in Las Vegas.”
“Good for you, Jake. Did you invest it?”
“I spent it all on escorts. Do you know how much they earn, Holly? You’re pretty. You’d make a lot of money.”
“Thanks, Jake. I always hoped that after my brother rescued me, he’d pimp me out.”
“I care about you. You know that.”
Holly held his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. “I know. And I knew you’d come back for me. Thank you.”
Jake had a thought and looked around the crowded cell.
He disengaged himself f
rom his sister and walked into the hallway.
“Sinatra?”
The megatherium was nowhere to be seen.
Jake weaved through all the people, many still dazed, some crying, some elated, ignoring the expressions of gratitude and attempts to hug him. He reached the end of the hallway he’d sealed up earlier to make sure no wandering monsters got to them.
Jake tried to put himself in Grim’s head.
But that didn’t ring true to Jake.
Jake touched the floor and the exocrine gland and quickly fashioned a suit of armor out of the organoplastiform. Esthetically, it wasn’t much better than a kid using cardboard. But it was a whole lot stronger. He also made a spear and shield.
Then he opened a wall and stepped through, closed it behind him, and looked down both ends of the hallway.
The blood made the decision for him. The trail on the floor headed left.
Jake scooped up a sample of the blood and sealed it in a plastiform capsule, attaching it to the sample of Smilodon blood he took from the tiger, attaching both to his shoulder plate.
Then he went left.
GRIM ○ 3:48+pm
Grim already knew the answer.
They ran through the underground tunnel, which looked a lot like the aboveground corridors, this one with sickly pink lighting.
Grim slowed his pace, then came to a halt.
“Lori! Fabler!”
They stopped. Turned. Waited.
What Happened To Lori - The Complete Epic (The Konrath Dark Thriller Collective Book 9) Page 68
