Chapter 1 #2
Always the weakest of our species.
No chances could be taken, the contained movements much like every other monstrous being created in the throes of nuclear waste.
I could sense the thing’s bloodlust. I’d studied their behavior.
This one was very hungry, the light streaming in through the holes in the brick and mortar enough to damage skin and organs.
Yet this one didn’t care, indicating desperation.
With a single long stride taken, I swept the blade across his neck, no real precision needed. Yet I’d used more force than normal, its head popping off, pitched against the very blood and gore-stained wall I’d fixated on moments before.
A second appeared in my periphery of vision. A cocky son of a bitch. While the grotesque gargoyle-like creature lumbered closer, I reached into my pocket retrieving one of two shuriken throwing stars, a perfect weapon for this very special occasion.
The throw was as accurate as usual, two-pronged points driving directly into the creature’s one good eyeball. If I was truly a demon as the Borgata liked to think of me, I’d claim the damaged orifice as a souvenir. But even I wasn’t that crass.
With the bastards hungrier than usual, I’d need to be extra cautious.
I waited just long enough for its carcass to hit the floor, yanking the star from the creature’s eye and wiping the gore on my pants. Killing them usually didn’t bother me. They were barely human if at all. Yet for some reason, doing so today gave me pause.
Maybe a moment of weakness, but I wondered what his life had been like before succumbing to the horrible disease. The fact so many had remained alive over a decade after their exposure had proven an odd miracle.
After shoving the shuriken into my pocket, I moved around the thing in a wide arc. The momentary spell had made me lose precious time.
While walking deeper into the building’s shadowed terrain, I returned the sword to my sheath and moved more quickly until I found the stairs. Fortunately, the debris was easily maneuverable, and I made it to the fourth floor within seconds. Noise was an enemy, silence providing momentary peace.
The office itself had been destroyed, but as I tossed items aside, desks and chairs that had once been a beacon of life, my hopes were high that I’d find what I’d come for.
In many of the old buildings, there were hidden storage rooms thought to once house illegal substances, as many still hidden behind rubble had been discovered.
I’d learned that from an old man who’d taught me many things about the past how medical professionals sought buildings with the spaces in mind.
Even prior to the destruction, crime and corruption were prevalent.
I’d read enough and had been taught history by my mentor to realize why the powerful country had fallen prey to others. Greed and the hunger for power. Was there any difference today?
Stay on course.
Healing drugs had replaced those considered recreational. I was beginning to lose hope when a latch caught my eye, the metal plate easily missed by those who didn’t know what they were looking for. With both hands on the gnarled surface, I planted my boots far apart, using my weight as leverage.
Shock tore through me as the door was pulled easily, the surprise so significant a short laugh escaped my throat.
Shit. A mistake I couldn’t afford. With my breath catching in my throat, I moved against the wall to ensure I was out of view of anyone who’d been stationed in one of several buildings across the street.
Damn it. What was wrong with me? Silence was as important a weapon as the sharpest blade.
The eerie quiet was terrifying.
With no noise after a few minutes, I returned to my task.
Very few things brought happiness any longer, but seeing the number of bottles of pills and clear liquids was astounding, even creating a giddy feeling. The celebration had to be short lived. The light was waning, the horrors of darkness and shadows soon to unfold in the most heinous of ways.
A thrill tore through me even as my system embodied the nagging sense of dread that always came when ending a hunt.
Opening my bag, I risked all that I had, certain death by allowing a limited light source from something called a glow in the dark stick.
The luminescent light was just enough to provide illumination of the dusty bottles holding court on several shelves.
But I had to hurry. The clock was ticking.
I knew what I was looking for. Too much and I’d be weighed down. Too little and I’d need to repeat the mission. But there were so many sick, so many in anguish that I spent far too much time searching through the labels, picking and choosing until my bag was filled.
A burst of happiness fueled my actions. There were many more to be taken, which was why I spend additional time protecting my private stash.
When I was finally finished, a quick look out the gaping hole into the sky brought a twisted reminder of how dangerous the world was.
I rushed downstairs, feeling eyes on me. Younger dwellers, though only recently succumbing to the damning condition were still frozen in darkness.
But they would be coming.
With just enough time to make it to the exit point, not one slipup would be allowed.
As soon as I exited the building and scanned the alley, I hoisted my bag higher on my shoulder. I could feel the fuckers all around me.
A strange sound caught my attention from behind.
Immediately, I reached for my knife while holding my breath.
Deciphering what I’d heard was more difficult than usual.
I knew every grunt and snarl, every labored breathing sound strangulated by the Night Dwellers.
And the soldiers had no belief in the need to be cagey in their captures.
However, Savages were unpredictable, like rabid dogs eager to rip an enemy to pieces.
They were cunning and intelligent, and I’d been warned about their filthy proclivities.
And I was ripe for the picking.
Very slowly, I began to turn around, any sudden movement begging for an attack.
Another sound and I was so startled that momentarily I couldn’t breathe.
There was no way what I’d believed I’d heard was accurate. Even so, I should ignore it and evacuate.
Yet my curiosity, the very one I’d often been told would be the reason for my demise refused to allow me to leave. At least until I knew if I was right. With cautious steps, I moved closer, feeling instead of hearing the brutal thump of my heart in my chest.
My body’s reaction wasn’t from fear but excitement.
Another noise, a thump.
And another, a sound I’d heard far too many times. A shush.
Not from a man fighting to live, facing imminent death.
Not from a woman ravaged by disease, her body used by men so cruel they’d left permanent marks on her body.
The sound was coming from something that was so rare, so beautiful and pure that the chance of me being correct was astronomically impossible.
I moved toward the pile of rubble, carefully crouching down.
Another sound, one I couldn’t recognize. A growl? Low and slow, fearful and almost as if a whine.
Confusion threatened to drive me away, but I persisted, pulling stones away until I realized a makeshift hiding place had been created. Exasperated, I ripped down the mask, squinting to try to ascertain the shapes I was seeing.
With one more dare in my repertoire of taking significant risks, I curled my fingers around the light source, easing my hand into the opening. Every action methodical, I turned my hand over and allowed the bright neon stream to shimmer within the darkened space with light.
Staring back at me were eyes so bright, so full of terror that I could feel the rush of anxiety and could smell her fear. Immediately, she shifted, wrapping her arm around her companion and dragging the creature even closer while her small body shook violently.
The gorgeous ice blue eyes never left mine.
They were child’s eyes and that wasn’t the only surprise and complication of the day.
Her companion, a creature with a long fluffy tail and the most soulful expression I’d ever seen on a beast was a dog.