by Aaron Hodges
Ignoring her, Chris turned on Talisa. “You’re monsters!” He jabbed a finger at Liz’s mother. By the door, the Chead started to edge around the room, placing themselves closer to Talisa.
Talisa stood and waved the guards back. “Christopher, what is the meaning of this intrusion?” Her voice was quiet, but laced with iron.
“Don’t give me that,” Chris growled. His hands were shaking, and his eyes were dark with rage. “Hecate and some of your other so-called children just slaughtered an innocent family! You’re telling me you don’t know anything about that?”
Liz frowned, taking a step closer to her mother. “Mom, what’s he talking about?”
Talisa sighed, looking from Chris to Liz. “What would you have us do, Christopher?” she asked. “Should the humans spot us, more will come. Soldiers with guns and other far more dangerous weapons. We are only a hundred—if the humans are forewarned, we could be wiped out.”
“Then go around them!” Chris shouted back. “And they weren’t just going to kill them…” He trailed off, swallowing, as if unable to get out the words.
Eyes narrowed, Talisa walked to where Chris stood. She studied his face for a moment, then turned her back on him. Rejoining Liz near the couch, she reached out and gripped her daughter by the shoulders.
“Do you trust me, my daughter?” Talisa asked softly.
Staring into her mother’s ghostly eyes, Liz felt suddenly lost, her mind frozen.
“Liz, they’re killing innocent people!” Chris said hotly. “You can’t stay here!”
“My daughter,” Talisa continued, lifting her hands to cradle Liz’s head. “Do you not see, we only do what we must. The humans were a threat. They had seen us. If we let them go, more would have come to kill us. They had to die, so we could live.”
Liz struggled to think, to reason, but her mind was trapped in the tangles of a hot blanket, and she could not put the pieces together. The harder she tried, the tighter the tangles became, the less anything made sense.
Then, unbidden, an image of the woman from the alleyway rose in her mind, and she heard again the spiteful words.
Freak.
Tramp.
Chead.
Liz’s eyes watered as the final word rang in her mind. Humanity had rejected her, pushed her away when all she’d ever wanted was to help them. Yet here, amidst the monsters she had feared all her life, she had found acceptance. They had embraced her, welcomed her as family, despite their differences.
Now Chris was telling her she had to leave, that her mother was evil. A red-hot rage swept through her as she looked at him. She moved away from her mother. Images flashed through her mind, of Chris murdering the Texan, of him kissing the vile Director. Even now, he cowered away from the Chead, from her family.
A growl rose in Liz’s throat as she stepped towards Chris. Red clouds obscured her vision as she closed on him, teeth bared. In the middle of the dusty room, Chris stood his ground and watched her come. Only when she spread her wings did he waver, his foot sliding back half an inch.
“Liz, what are you doing…?” he asked, jaw clenched. They were alone now. The other Chead had retreated to the walls and stood watching in silence.
Liz blinked as he spoke her name, a distant bell sounding in her mind. But the red clouds continued to swirl. Somewhere deep within she could hear a voice screaming, though the words were muffled by the pounding of blood in her ears. Sucking in a breath, she struggled to control herself, to master the rush of emotions.
Finally, she looked at Chris. “Go, Chris,” she ground out the words, her voice taut with the effort it took not to tear him in two. “Get out. There’s nothing for you here.”
“Liz, please don’t do this,” Chris begged, his eyes wide. He reached out a hand for her.
Liz’s lips drew back in a snarl. Hissing, she stepped towards him. Chris yanked back his hand as though she’d bitten him, but her advance continued. He lingered half a moment more, eyes shimmering as he watched her come. For a moment it seemed he would remain, offering himself up for the slaughter. Then his courage failed, and turning on his heel, Chris fled.
Watching him go, Liz fought the waves of anger washing over her, resisting the desire to chase after him, to tear the wings from his back and watch him plummet from the sky. In the end, it was only her mother’s hand on her shoulder that stopped her.
Liz shivered as her elder’s voice whispered in her ear. “Well done, my daughter.” The words curled around Liz’s consciousness, pushing her down, eating away at her. “You truly are Chead.”
54
Sam crouched beneath the scraggly bushes and peered out into the darkness. Headlights flickered in the distance as the convoy reached the top of the hill and started down the other side. The roar of engines carried through the night, growing louder as the trucks made their ponderous way along the metal road. Whoever was driving obviously felt no rush to reach the airbase. Either that, or they were rightfully wary of potholes in the poorly-maintained road.
Whatever the excuse, Sam was tired of waiting. On the other side of the road, he could just make out Ashley’s shadow. To the ordinary eye, she would be no more than a smudge in the darkness. Only the slight glint of moonlight gave her away to Sam’s enhanced eyesight.
Between them, the herd of cows was making its slow way along the side of the road. The soft crunch of dirt beneath their hooves mingled with the whisper of the engines. The beasts did not seem to have seen the approaching vehicles yet. Hopefully the soldiers would at least notice the cows.
Quickly, Sam checked the distant glow of the Kirtland Air Force Base. Lying some ten miles outside of Albuquerque, it was the only industry keeping the war-torn city afloat. The once prosperous city had formed the frontline of the American War, changing hands half a dozen times before finally coming under the umbrella of the Western Allied States. Unfortunately, by then there hadn’t been much left of the city’s 500,000 inhabitants. Today, Albuquerque housed maybe a tenth of that number.
Of course, the Kirtland Air Force Base was an entirely different matter.
Sam and Ashley had spent the last two days staking out the base from the nearby mountains. Their observations had quickly confirmed Harry’s warning—there would be no winning in an all-out attack. A ten-foot chain-link fence surrounded the fifty-thousand-acre base. It would have been no barrier to a winged assault, but for the manned guard towers stationed every two hundred yards around the fence. Their mounted machine guns would pick them from the sky before they even got close.
Then, of course, there were the five hundred soldiers they’d counted on the parade ground yesterday. Admittedly, that was far less than Harry had predicted, but it was still beyond their ability to match. Unfortunately, even genetically engineered mutants had their limits.
Within the walls, buildings sprawled across the base, a massive maze of iron and concrete that would be almost impossible to navigate. Half of the place seemed to consist of giant aircraft hangers. Over the last two days, they had watched a steady stream of jet-fighters, helicopters and transport aircrafts come and go. Some buildings sported a bewildering array of radar dishes, while others simply appeared to be military barracks. In the very center of the base, a sleek steel and glass building rose several stories above the others. The guards manning its door at all hours suggested it was the base’s headquarters. If they were going to find the President anywhere, it would be there.
They’d ruled out a frontal assault within a few hours, but it had taken another two days before a way in had finally revealed itself. During that time, their hunger had steadily grown, until no amount of scavenging could fill the holes in their stomachs. When the midnight convoy had rumbled through last night, Sam had barely dared opening his mouth around Ashley, lest he risk getting his head bitten off.
Not that Sam’s temper was much better. He was looking forward to taking out his hunger pangs on a few of the President’s unsuspecting guards.
Hoping another convoy would
appear tonight, they’d managed to wrangle half a dozen cows from a nearby paddock out onto the road. Now, they just had to hope the convoy would stop long enough for them to sneak aboard one of the trucks.
Sam had to admit, it wasn’t a great plan. But starving stomachs didn’t tend to offer the best ideas, and they were growing desperate.
The rumble of engines grew to a roar as the first truck topped the rise above them. The gleam of headlights swept the road, catching on the wide eyes of the waiting cows. Brakes screeched as the leading truck slammed to a stop. More screeches followed, then a sharp bang as someone in the convoy reacted too slowly. Red lights lit up the road behind the convoy.
Sam cursed under his breath. The trucks were still a dozen yards away—they’d stopped too soon. If he and Ashley were to slip onboard, they would have to move, and hope the soldiers didn’t spot them.
He was just lifting himself off the ground when the crack of a gunshot tore through the night. Sam threw himself flat against the earth, covering his head and folding his wings tight against the back. Heart pounding, he stared through the bushes, desperate to see if Ashley was okay.
On the road, a cow screamed, the harsh sound rending the darkness. Another gunshot followed, then the thunder of fleeing hooves. Lifting his head a fraction, Sam watched the cows stampede down the road away from the convoy. Two of the beasts lay on the ground. Stones crunched and Sam ducked back down as several soldiers stalked past, rifles pointed at the fallen beasts as though they might leap up and attack them. An awful cry came from one of the cows as it tried to stand.
A third gunshot rang out, and the beast’s cries ceased.
Laughing, the soldiers fired a couple more shots after the fleeing herd. Sam gritted his teeth. He’d thought the men would just chase them off the road—it would have been easy enough. Instead they’d decided to use the herd as target practice.
Out on the road, the soldiers swung their rifles over their backs and waved at the convoy. A moment later several more soldiers joined them. The group gathered in the middle of the road. Their whispers carried across to Sam.
“Food for a week…” one was saying.
“Can’t risk the delay,” another argued.
In the bushes, Sam could only hold his breath and wait. With the headlights illuminating the roadside, the soldiers would spot even the slightest of movements. He and Ashley needed to wait until they returned to the vehicles to make their move. Even then, the drivers might still see them.
Finally, the soldiers decided to leave the cows where they lay. Several grumbled as they started back towards the trucks, while one turned and fired several rounds into one of the bodies. When the last man finally turned away, Sam rose to his knees and crawled after them, expecting at any moment for gunshots to ring out and hot lead to tear through his body.
He kept his head down as he moved, and prayed Ashley was doing the same. Up ahead, the truck waited, its headlights shining like the eyes of some dragon in the darkness. He could feel its bulk looming over him, a deadly threat he could not fight. He watched from the wiry bushes as several soldiers piled into the truck’s side door, while the rest continued around the vehicle. A steel door rattled, and the men disappeared into the back of the truck.
Sam’s heart sank. Their only chance of catching a ride had just been ruined. They’d planned on breaking the latch and concealing themselves in the back of one of the trucks, but obviously whatever this convoy was transporting warranted additional security. Dropping to his stomach, Sam ground a fist into the dirt, cursing their luck.
The rumble of engines grew as the lead driver put his truck in gear. Sam watched as it started off. It was still a few feet up the road, but just as it passed them, Sam caught a glimpse of Ashley as she leapt from the bushes on the other side of the road. His heart lurched in his chest as she rolled across the gravel and disappeared beneath the truck.
Sam’s jaw dropped, but there was no time to question Ashley’s plan. Scrambling up, he dived onto the road. The engine roared again as the truck picked up speed. Looking up, he saw the wheels racing towards him. Rolling, he was plunged into shadow as the truck thundered over him. He scanned the underbody, then steeling himself, snatched at a metal bar as it passed by.
The sudden jerk as its momentum caught him almost pulled his arms from their sockets. Instantly, he went from lying still to being dragged over unrefined gravel by a ten-ton truck. Within seconds, the road cut his jeans to tatters, and he swore as stones sliced into the flesh of his calves.
Taking a better grip, Sam desperately clenched his abdomen and hauled his legs up off the ground. Hanging there, he scanned the underbody again, and managed to jam his feet into a narrow space above the wheels. Letting out a long breath, he made sure his wings were tucked securely against his back. Then he finally looked around.
Ashley’s amber eyes glowed in the darkness as she looked back at him.
“Not exactly my ideal ride,” Sam commented wryly.
Ashley’s teeth flashed as she grinned. “I improvised.”
55
Liz cursed as she slipped on the steep slope. They were in the mountains again—somewhere in eastern New Mexico, she guessed, from the little she recalled of her geography classes. Here the mountains were smaller, their red peaks free of snow, mere children to the great beasts they had left behind in California.
A steadying hand gripped her by the shoulder. She smiled as the Chead continued past, nodding her thanks. Somewhere in the lead, Liz knew her mother would be waiting. For just a moment, she felt a yearning to spread her wings and soar over the heads of the Chead. The thought made her tingle with excitement. Her wings lifted slightly, her feathers standing on end, before she caught herself.
Biting her lip, she tucked them neatly back into place. Talisa had ordered her to remain on the ground, where she wouldn’t be spotted by prying eyes. In the sky she was vulnerable, isolated, alone. But down here, in the ranks of the Chead, with the sweetness of her family all around, she was safe.
She shivered as Chris’s face flickered into her thoughts. Two days had passed since he’d left. Idly, Liz found herself wondering after him, how he would survive all alone. Had he fallen victim to the desert’s heat, to starvation or dehydration? Out here, all it took was one mistake for death to find you.
Shaking her head, Liz forced the image of Chris dead in some ditch from her mind. Anger gave her strength, and picking up the pace, she overtook several of her brethren. Chris had made his choice, had sided with those who wished to harm them, to harm her mother. Liz could never forgive him for that.
Slowly the Chead wound their way down the slope towards the distant plains. On the horizon, the gleaming lights of a city could be seen. It could only be Albuquerque, and the Kirtland Air Force Base where the President was hiding.
A glow appeared at the ends of the earth as they entered the foothills. Liz watched as the plains took shape through the gloom. Great, blackened circles appeared, staining the red soils—remnants from the desperate battles of the American War. Thousands upon thousands had fought and died here for principles long forgotten by their descendants. Now the plains were all but empty, and even the once great Albuquerque was but a shadow of its past.
A shout carried up from below. As though acting by some pre-arranged plan, the Chead drifted across the slope towards the shadows of a valley. Slipping into the darkness, they settled in for the day. So close to their goal, they could not risk being seen by the enemy’s spies.
Relief swept through Liz as she staggered to a stop, her wings hanging heavily from her back. She stood swaying on her feet, darkness swirling at the edges of her vision.
They had been running for twenty hours straight now, all through the day and night, and even her enhanced body was reaching its limits. It had been the same since the first day she’d joined the Chead. Liz was sure the endless journey would have driven her mad, if not for the strange passage of time as they ran. At times she would set out, watching as the su
n lifted into the sky, only to blink and find the scarlet globe falling towards the other horizon.
Hands on her hips, Liz tried to focus her vision. Her stomach swirled, nauseous from the day’s exertion, until she became afraid she might throw up. Sinking suddenly to her knees, she put her head in her hands.
“Liz,” Talisa’s voice whispered, cutting through the fog.
Liz blinked, shocked to now find herself standing in a cave before her mother. Talisa’s white eyes shone as she waved for Liz to sit on the rocks beside her. “Rest, my daughter. Your body is still adjusting to our ways.”
Looking around the cave, Liz struggled to focus her thoughts. Her mind was sluggish, but she could have sworn she’d just been watching the last stars fade from the sky…It was pitch-black inside the cave, with only the flicker of a candle for light, and she could not tell what time it was.
She looked again at her mother. The sharp ache in her legs reminded Liz of her exhaustion, and nodding, she took a seat beside the ancient Chead. Without thinking, she lay down and put her head in her mother’s lap, the way she had as a child.
“My daughter,” Talisa’s voice whispered through the cavern. “How I missed you, all these years.”
Liz shivered, tears springing to her eyes. Closing them, she allowed her mind to drift, safe in her mother’s embrace. The familiar sweetness of the old woman wrapped around her, comforting her as soft fingers stroked her hair. Her mother’s immunity remained beyond her understanding, but she had long since given up questioning it.
For a while, time seemed to stand still. A soft tranquility settled around Liz. Exhausted, she gave herself over to sleep. Darkness swirled and images flashed through her mind, bordering on dreams. Movement came from the shadows, a flickering light that threatened to tear the sweet blanket of sleep away. She tried to rise, to lift herself from her fatigue and concentrate on the shadows, but her body resisted. Chains wrapped around her spirit, and it wasn’t until they finally fell away that she returned to the light.
