Chapter 18
Star
“Bodies,” Wrath said with no emotion in his voice. “And fucking rodents.”
Instinctively, I peered out the window, horrified at the sight. How many dead bodies had I seen in my life, yet most weren’t so fresh, blood oozing from gaping wounds. Even worse, the rodents he’d mentioned were huge. They were undistinguishable beasts. Maybe coyotes.
Maybe bears for all I knew.
Rage sat forward, staring out the huge window in the front of the big vehicle thing we were riding in, peering up toward the sky. “Fucking thunderbirds.”
“What?” I’d heard about them, huge, winged pterodactyl-style creatures, only seeing them from afar a couple of times. They were scavengers, but capable of snatching a grown man from the surface of the earth.
Jake started barking, crawling over me with his tail smacking my face, claws digging into my skin to get to the window.
Wren gasped, her small cries a reminder that what was outside wasn’t anything a child should be subjected to. I twisted even as Jake’s nails managed to draw blood, able to wrap one arm around her eyes to prevent her from seeing the horror.
The vehicle rolled past the carnage, but not before realizing there’d been a number of people trying to make their way to safety. They’d been ambushed by beasts instead of humans. Not that it made the situation any easier to deal with.
“Fuck,” Vicious hissed. “We need to take care of the damn vermin or they’ll follow us.”
“You’re right.” When Wrath pulled to a stop, I bristled.
“What are you doing?” My demand was harsh, but I was reminded of the level of danger we were in.
“Killing the beasts before they kill us.”
“Stay here,” Rage ordered, giving me a harsh look. His facial features were stern, his body filled with tension. But he was in soldier mode, prepared to fight to the death.
Before I could stop them, every man jumped from the doors. When they were slammed shut, my body reacted.
“No!” Wren wailed.
“It’s okay, honey.”
But was it?
I held her tightly while trying to stop Jake from freaking out.
It was the first time he’d reacted so desperately.
“Jake, calm down. Easy, buddy. They won’t hurt us.
” I finally managed to pull him from the window and while he couldn’t see anything out the windows, the fur remained raised on his back.
At least he’d calmed down, enough I could take a deep breath.
“Are they… coming back?” Her tiny voice nearly crushed me.
“Of course they are, honey. Don’t worry.” But I did worry. Even after hearing weapons being fired and minutes becoming longer, my stomach was in knots. Every one of them had gone to fight the beasts.
To protect the three of us sitting in this goddamn vehicle. We were sitting ducks.
My sword was in the back, the only weapon I felt truly comfortable with. “I’m going to do something, Wren. Just stay here. I just want to look outside for a second.”
She grabbed my shirt, her tiny fingers turning white from the pressure.
“No, it’s okay. I won’t go out of your sight. Just hold onto Jake for me. Okay? Less than two minutes.”
I didn’t know if she could tell time. At this point, what did it matter? I smiled as if nothing was wrong when my stomach was churning. She finally nodded, but her entire body remained shaking.
After another quick look out every window and seeing no sign of them, I crawled over the seat toward the back grabbing my sword. Jake was still agitated, his front paws placed on the seat, drooling as he peered over. Thankfully, he wasn’t barking. A plus.
“I’ll be right back.” I should have anticipated Jake’s response. The moment I opened the door, he flew over the back of the seat, knocking me backwards and managing to jump onto the ground. “Jake!”
Wren’s cry of horror left no room for error and no choice in what needed to happen. I had to go get him.
“I’ll grab him. Do not move. Do not leave this damn vehicle.” I knew I was yelling, likely terrifying her, but I was already frantic, panic threatening to settle in.
All I knew was the direction where he’d gone and I raced after him, stopping every few seconds to listen to sounds around me. Very quickly the area became confusing, every mangled tree looking the same, every shadow appearing ominous. I turned in a full circle, holding my sword with both hands.
I’d lost sight of the Humvee, somewhat uncertain of the direction back. “Jake. Come here, boy.”
A strange sound caught my attention. Then a whimper. They came from opposite directions. I took off running toward the sound, pushing my way through trees and jumping over debris. My pulse was racing, my mind spinning. If anything happened to the pup, I’d never forgive myself.
I ran as hard and as fast as my legs would allow, finally breaking through to a clearing. My eyes caught sight of the puppy cowering under some debris, his form tiny in comparison to the ugly, horrible beasts swarming around him, growling as they searched for a way to get to him.
With long claws, they were tearing at the rubble, peeling it away and gaining ground, bloody foam dripping from their jowls and razor-sharp canines.
While the sight was horrifying, I didn’t hesitate for a single second, issuing a battle cry before swinging the sword and moving closer. I caught the creatures by surprise, the force of my swing cutting one in two, pitching another back by several feet.
Every snarl and howl they uttered was met with one of my own. I fell into a choreographed dance, striking the beasts over and over again.
A sudden silence filled the sky, not a single creature moving. I took heaving breaths, slowly turning my head toward where the puppy remained. He popped his little head out, whimpering as he peered at me.
“It’s okay. Everything will be okay.” I moved closer, crouching down.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
The sound came from nowhere but everywhere, wings shadowing the fading daylight. Just as I reached the puppy, dragging him into my arms, the creature made a sound I’d never forget, a horrible screech that echoed in my ears.
I was whisked off the ground and into the air, but instead of sharp talons, I’d been lifted by strong, muscular arms.
Pop! Pop!
Boom!
The three horrific sounds were followed by my scream.
With a hard thud, we fell to the ground, my arms still carrying Jake while a huge man had saved me.
Rage.
The sword was pitched from my hand, the angle and momentum driving the blade into the earth.
The thunderbird remained aloft for a few seconds before his wings fell toward the ground and he lunged downward, spiraling until his huge body slammed into the earth.
Cringing, I closed my eyes, taking comfort in the strong arms holding me.
Another moment of silence settled in. The lack of noise even more terrifying.
“Okay, guys. I think that’s enough,” Vicious said from somewhere several feet away. “Where there are… ten, there are more. We need to get going.”
Rage jerked his head up, staring me in the eyes. I’d seen him snarl before, but this time his eyes were on fire, admonishment already curling his lips. “What the fuck did you think you were doing?”
“You were gone so long I thought something happened.”
He stood up, yanking my arm. His chest rose and fell, the scent of anger swirling around us. As he shook his head, I sensed there were several things he wanted to say and none of them I wanted to hear.
“I just wanted to make certain all of you were okay.”
“Did you see that goddamn bird?” His face was red, his chest heaving even more than before. “Did you?”
“Yes. I saw him.”
“Do you know what he could have done to you? To the damn dog?”
I took a step closer, baring my teeth as I did. “He’s not a damn dog.”
“Okay, guys. Can you fight about this later? Please? I don’t have the heat seeker with me, but I will make a bet we have whole new crew of those things heading in our direction.”
Vicious’ voice was full of agitation.
“Of course,” I said, hissing when I did. Yes, Rage had saved my life. Again. But that didn’t mean I needed to hear about breaking some rule or going against some brotherhood plan. The only active plan was one of survival. Including our adorable little canine friend.
While Rage snapped his head in his friend’s direction, I walked away, yanking the sword from the earth while cradling the puppy in my arms. When I passed Vicious, he dropped his head but moved by my side, which was good since I had no freaking clue where I was going.
Almost two days ago, we’d set out on an adventure. Or that’s what I’d told Wren we were doing anyway. Whether she understood, I had no idea. We’d left the only people I’d ever truly known and trusted in hopes of fulfilling a prophecy told but yet to be fully understood.
We’d made camp one night in an old farmhouse barn. While not comfortable, we’d been safe.
Of course, the words in my mind weren’t said lightly nor were they done with excitement. I was a nervous wreck, terrified of what we would face and despondent from the loss.
In hugging my mother, my beautiful and soon to be healthy mother, I’d felt a sense of relief as well as gratefulness that she’d been spared. For how long didn’t really matter. She was free of the sickness that had stripped her from a quality of life.
All because of a child no older than I’d been when I’d been cast aside. The true meaning of the term cathartic was buried somewhere in the concept, only I was too on edge to try to determine the reason.
The two Humvees were vehicles I’d known existed and they’d been used before, but only for short hauls and not for heading to the City of Lights. They were worth their weight in any currency, marauders killing without question to get their hands on such a find.
I’d known about how specialized the community’s patrons had been in their former lives, their expertise a commanding reason for why we were still alive. And in a sense, we’d been thriving for years, far removed from the treachery of others.