Chapter 27
Nick
Ireached the long escalator at the Dupont Circle stop, and a wall of chaos hit me. People were running down, shouting to everyone to turn back. Sirens wailed in the distance, punctuated by the staccato bark of what sounded like gunfire. Through the screams, I heard a weird sound.
My instincts told me to turn back and wait this out, but whatever was happening, I figured I’d be safer at Alex’s place than standing inside the Metro.
When I got topside, I took out my phone to call Alex, but the screen showed no signal.
Not just no bars, but not even the SOS feature.
I opened it and confirmed I had power—eighty-two percent.
Next, I turned on and off the airplane mode, hoping that would help it connect to a tower.
Still nothing. Of course, this happened when there was shit going down, and I wanted to let Alex know I was on my way.
Slipping my useless phone back into my pocket, the commotion around me intensified.
A police helicopter circled overhead, and the streets were jammed with stopped cars, trucks, and buses.
People were running everywhere. Most were heading for the Metro escalators.
My stomach tightened. Everything seemed to come from the direction of Alex’s place and because my stupid phone had no signal, I couldn’t check if he was okay.
I caught fragments of radio chatter from a nearby police cruiser.
“...confirmed multiple casualties on Connecticut...”
“...containment protocol not effective...”
“...do not engage without backup...”
What the hell was happening? More importantly, was Alex in danger?
Weaving through the crowd, I moved toward P Street. Alex’s house was only a few blocks away, and if I moved quickly, I’d get there before things got worse.
Or so I thought.
The moment I turned the corner, I ran into a wall of blue uniforms. Police had set up barricades across the street and sidewalks. They directed a stream of frightened pedestrians through a narrow opening.
“Hey kid.” Someone grabbed my shoulder. “You need to go the other way.”
A police officer not so gently tried to turn me away. She wore the white shirt of a senior official.
“But my friend lives there,” I said, trying to sound reasonable despite my growing frustration. “He’s elderly and I need to check on him.”
“I appreciate that, but it’s too dangerous,” she said, her expression softening. “Everyone in that area has been ordered to shelter in place.”
I strained to see past the barricade, but all I saw was madness. “What’s happening?”
“Details will be released later,” she said. “Right now, you need to leave. Trust me, your friend is safer than you, so move along.”
Pretending to comply, I waited until she was distracted and snuck down a side street. I hugged the wall, ready to run when I heard someone yell at me to come back.
The street turned left, and I darted into the alley halfway down the block. I checked my phone to figure out where I was, but it was still not getting a signal. The rapid burst of gunfire, much closer now, caused my adrenaline to spike. Whatever was happening seemed to be heading in my direction.
I needed to decide on a route and quick. Another round of shots was followed by shouts and the roar of something I’d never heard before. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Two police officers ran across the far end of the alley. One was frantically calling for backup into his radio. “It's coming this way! We need heavier firepower! Regular bullets aren't doing shit!”
Ducking behind a dumpster, my heart hammered against my ribs. What were they shooting at if bullets weren’t effective?
Around me, the level of noise had increased.
Screams of terror, officers shouting orders and calling to their partners, and the inhuman snarl made it hard to concentrate.
I heard fragments of communication with words like “unknown creature” and “evacuation zone,” mixed with pleas for reinforcements.
Things had turned insane. If guns didn’t stop whatever it was, I had no business sneaking around. I’d call Alex when my phone worked again. He’d understand. In fact, he’d be pissed off if I showed up at his door in the middle of this craziness.
Going back the way I’d come meant I’d probably run into the officer who told me to leave.
Hopefully, if I ran past her looking scared, she wouldn’t remember me.
I stepped out from behind my hiding spot and a strange sound drifted to me from the other end of the alley.
The low, chittering noise raised goosebumps on my skin.
I didn’t recognize the sound, but it scared the shit outta me.
I hesitated, even though my instinct screamed for me to run. The sound mesmerized me, and drew me to it with an irrational curiosity. A dark figure blocking the light at the alley's end broke the spell. It moved with an unnatural gait that turned my blood to ice. I’d been right; it wasn’t human.
I stayed still, hoping it would follow the cops, but it didn’t.
The clicking grew louder, and the massive shape moved toward me.
It was tall, much taller than me, and it looked to be covered in some kind of exoskeleton.
Parts of its body resembled a reptile, with scales that caught the light, while others looked more insectoid with segmented limbs that ended in vicious claws.
Its head was the most horrifying part, misshapen and alien, with multiple eyes that shifted independently of each other.
No mouth was visible, but the sound emanated from it grew louder as it moved.
My legs trembled. This wasn't just some police emergency. This was something out of a horror movie.
Several of its eyes focused on me, and my body suddenly tingled. I wanted to run, to scream, to do anything, but my body refused to respond. The thing took a step toward me, then another. Still, I stood rooted in place. Its clawed limb scraped against the brick walls, filling the alley with sparks.
This was it. I was going to die in an alley in Dupont Circle. Killed by something that shouldn't exist. All because I was too stubborn to listen to police warnings. What a stupid way to—
A figure dropped from above and landed between me and the creature. For a split second, I thought it was another monster. Then it glanced back and it was… Henry? And he had wings!
The white, feathery wings extended from his back, and an internal light made them glow with a heavenly aura.
They weren't like bird wings or even the images of angel wings from pictures.
These were translucent, shimmering energy that radiated power.
In his hands, he held what looked like condensed light.
My brain struggled to process what I was seeing. Henry had wings. Actual, fucking wings.
“Run, Nick!” he shouted, not turning to look at me. “Get out of here now!”
I couldn't move. I stood transfixed with shock, awe, and understanding. This was what Henry couldn't tell me. He wasn't human. He was... what? An angel? Some kind of superhero?
The creature let out a bone-chilling screech, but didn’t move. It was like it was trying to frighten Henry off with its roar.
The wings retracted into Henry’s back, and he pointed both fists at the creature. Two balls of light shot across the open space and struck the monster's carapace in a brilliant explosion.
When I could see again, the creature had staggered back, its shrill scream causing me to wince. A section of the thing’s carapace had cracked and oozed fluid.
“Nick, please go!” Henry said, more desperate this time. “It’s after you. Run!”
Me? Why would it even know I existed? And how did Henry know this? “What are you?”
“Later!” His hand pulsed, and he hit the creature again. This time the thing raised an arm to deflect the blast. “I promise I’ll tell you everything once I deal with the D’val. Just get to safety.”
The creature grabbed a trash can and threw it at Henry. He held up a hand, and the heavy aluminum can stopped in midair. Henry flicked his fingers and sent the missile back to the sender. The creature swatted it away and stood defiantly in front of Henry.
Things made sense now—some things, at least. This was the secret he couldn’t tell me. It was hard to reconcile this Henry, however, with the one who bought me cars, held me at night, and made me coffee before work.
Henry glanced at me. “Nick!”
Having finally sorted things in my brain, I found the strength to move. “I'm not leaving you here alone! That thing is insane.”
“You don't understand!” Henry kept his glowing fist toward the creature and faced me. “The D’val is after you! Once you’re out of sight, I can fight it without worrying about—”
“Watch out!” I shouted, as the monster moved quicker than I believed possible.
The creature grabbed a rusty black dumpster and hurled it toward Henry with frightening strength. Henry held out his hands, but the massive metal container barreled into him, sending him crashing into the brick wall with a sickening thud.
He went limp, still pinned to the wall, and the light around him dimmed. “HENRY!”
The scream that tore from my throat reverberated inside the narrow space as if amplified by a thousand speakers. Papers swirled, a window broke, and the thing’s head snapped back.
Once the sound ended, all the creature’s eyes focused on me.
Henry had said I was its target, and now I had to face it alone.
I didn’t care. All I saw was Henry’s body crushed against the wall.
He was probably dead, and it was my fault.
He told me to run, but I’d been too stubborn and stupid to listen.
Something inside me snapped. A wave of rage crashed through me.
This thing murdered the man I loved. It stole all the years we were supposed to have together.
My hatred scrubbed away all rational thoughts.
I didn’t care what it was or why it wanted me.
It could squash me like a bug, but I wasn’t running away.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" I screamed, my voice breaking. The words ricocheted around the creature, and another window broke. My hands clenched into fists so tight my nails cut into my palms. I didn't feel the pain. “You fucking monster!”
Heat exploded through me, like I'd been dropped into a furnace. My skin buzzed, then burned. Blue-white sparks erupted between my fingers and my hands glowed, pulsing with energy I couldn't understand.
The clicking sound quickened, and a high-pitched whine filled my ears. The air around me crackled as power surged into me from everywhere. It was unstoppable and overwhelming, like a circuit overloading.
I couldn't breathe. My body shook violently as too much energy poured into me. Way too much.
Brilliant white light erupted from my skin. The D'val shrieked and staggered back, as if the light had burned through its armor.
The pressure built inside me, unbearable, and then it happened. Energy exploded from my hands in a blast of pure white light, striking the D'val squarely in the chest. The creature's screech pierced the air as it stumbled backward.
When the energy left me, so did my strength. My knees buckled, and the world tilted sideways as I collapsed to the ground.
The burning inside me faded to a dull throb, then to numbness. Darkness crept in from the edges of my vision. I tried to stay awake, but it was like fighting to hold back a tidal wave with just your hands.
Through the encroaching blackness, I thought I saw Henry impossibly push the dumpster away.
His glow reappeared as he staggered to his feet.
Relief washed through me as darkness closed in.
The last thing I saw was Henry limping toward me, his face twisted with worry.
Then the darkness closed in, and I let it take me.