Sidewinder - Chapter Fifteen

“We’re lost, aren’t we,” Evita said flatly.

“Depends on your definition of lost.” Jian gave up on trying to read the GPS, which was showing her only fuzzy and indistinct lines, and shoved it back into her pocket. “I prefer directionally challenged.”

“Cute. How do we get back on track?”

“Pick a direction and head down it until we stumble on something we recognize? Hope these stupid things start working again?” Jian smacked the pocket contained the GPS. “I wonder what could be making it go all weird.”

“Maybe you should stop hitting it.”

“Maybe.” Jian sighed and stretched out her shoulders. “Want to take a break and eat anyway? It might start working again in a bit.”

She didn’t wait for an answer before dropping down in the scrubby grass lining the road and digging a package of trail mix out of her pack. Evita joined her after a moment but didn’t eat, concentrating on adjusting her skates instead. Jian had to admit it was a nice enough day, if she pretended she wasn’t topside in a race she was quickly coming to think was a bad idea, with her friends missing and strange noises in the night. More than once she’d thought she’d seen movement from the corner of her eye as they skated, but each time she looked there was nothing there. Evita seemed just as worried, frequently glancing back over her shoulder; the little frown line between her eyes had gradually deepened throughout the morning.

Jian shook her head hard and told herself to stop dwelling on it before she made herself paranoid. She turned her face up to the sunlight filtering through the clouds and closed her eyes, trying to relax for a few minutes before they got going again. It was hard to fight off a groan when Evita tapped her on the shoulder only a moment later and suggested they see if either GPS was working yet. Jian dug hers out of her pocket and held it out beside Evita’s, but they both showed only static.

“Cheap pieces of shit.” Evita tossed hers back into her pack and got to her feet again, offering Jian a hand up. Jian took it, and wondered if she’d only imagined that Evita held their fingers laced together for just a little longer than she needed to. She tried to see Evita’s expression, but Evita had already turned away, shading her eyes to look down the road.

“I think our best bet is to just try and follow a major road. And hope either we get the GPS to work, or we find someone else. Or someone notices and comes to give us new ones.” Something about saying the last sentence left a bad taste in Jian’s mouth, and she tried to push away the thought that no one was watching; or if they were, they didn’t care.

“This was such a stupid idea,” Evita muttered. “I don’t know why I agreed to it.”

“Your school, remember? When I win, maybe I’ll help you build it.” Jian slung an arm around Evita’s waist and grinned at the look Evita gave her. “Smile, you’re getting wrinkles.”

“Let’s just get going.” Evita freed herself gently, without anger, and started down the road again. After a moment Jian followed her, whistling a little to try and break the silence.

They heard the water before they saw it, the faint sound of a stream or small river somewhere off the road. Jian exchanged a look with Evita then they both left the road and headed towards the sound, keeping an eye on the undergrowth around them. After a few minutes they came out at the lip of a small overhang above a shallow but wide stream, bordered on either side by moss-covered trees with trailing branches. The water was clear enough that Jian could see the stones that made up the streambed, their colours shimmering beneath the water’s surface. Jian felt suddenly thirsty and began to make her way down the bank, but before she’d gotten more than a few feet, Evita softly said her name.

Jian glanced back over her shoulder then followed the line of Evita’s arm to see what she was pointing at. A flash of bright colour caught her eye and after some squinting she made out a pair of shorts and a red T-shirt tossed casually onto the bank, along with a hiking backpack and a pair of neon-green skates. She glanced up at Evita again then began to walk carefully towards them, wary of slipping in her own skates.

Evita joined her as she was poking through the clothing and gear, looking for ID or some clue as to where their owner was. A quick scan of the water showed no movement and the stream was moving too slowly—and was too shallow—to have swept someone away. She almost called out, then something inside thought better of it.

“I think there’s a trail over here,” Evita said softly. “Maybe they went for a walk?”

“Naked and barefoot?” Jian raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Think anyone would want to get that in tune with nature?”

“Mmm, you might be right. It’s creepy, whatever the reason is.” Evita glanced back towards the stream. “But I don’t know if I can just leave without knowing what happened.”

“Words we’re probably both going to regret,” Jian sighed, and headed down the trail.

It was broad enough for them both to walk abreast, the ground beaten and stamped down into dirt hard enough to skate easily on, and twisted in languorous curves. One curve took them within sight of distant cliffs and it didn’t take Jian long enough to figure out that that’s where the path was ultimately leading. She looked over at Evita but Evita was looking straight ahead, her mouth set in a determined line.

Nearly half an hour had passed by the time they neared the cliffs. Scuffling sounds up ahead caught Jian’s attention and she took Evita’s arm, warning her to be quiet with a finger to her lips. They moved off the path and through the bushes as quietly as they could until they came to a spot where they could see where the trail ended at the base of the cliff.

At first all they could see was a ring of things that looked like craggy rocks until they shifted and moved, revealing glimpses of flat faces and sloping foreheads, and oversized arms like a gorilla’s. They had hard-looking skin coloured in almost a camouflage pattern and streaked with bits of shine that looked like quartz. Jian found herself studying them with interest, cataloguing their appearance and movements, until the ring spread apart enough to show her what they were looking at.

The skater’s name was Robert, though everyone called him Bobby; even, and especially, when he told people to at least call him Rob. Jian had always thought him nice, if a bit quiet and easily overwhelmed by stronger personalities. Now he stood panting, covered in dirt and scratches, blood dripping down his side from a shallow gash across his ribs. He was facing something that looked like a hairless cat with the smashed-in face of a bulldog and the long gangly legs of a horse, though these ended in paws bigger than Jian’s hands, each toe tipped with an inch-long claw.

“We have to—” Evita managed before Jian clapped a hand over her mouth. The creature nearest them glanced back for a moment, its ugly face twisted into an expression of dumb suspicion, then returned to watching the hairless cat circle around Bobby.

“You think we can take them all on?” Jian murmured, leaning in so her mouth was right beside Evita’s ear. “They’ll tear us apart.”

Evita gave her a mutinous look and shook her head slightly, pointing to the knife at her belt. Jian nearly snorted in disbelief, barely catching herself back before she would have given them away.

“Unless you’ve suddenly turned into Xena, Warrior Princess, get real.” She risked a glance at the ring of creatures when a number of them made an excited snuffling noise. The cat had scraped a paw down the side of Bobby’s face, tearing his cheek open and soaking him in blood. He stumbled back, whimpering as he pressed his hands to the torn skin, and the cat began to circle again. “Jesus, Evita, I wish we could, but we can’t.”

The look Evita gave her made her feel worse than she’d ever felt before, but after a moment Evita nodded, gently pushing Jian’s hand away from her mouth. They began to creep away from the bloody ring, until a burst of whooping made them both freeze in place. Jian looked quickly back over her shoulder and immediately wished she hadn’t. The cat had got in again under Bobby’s flagging guard, and this time it had opened his belly as neatly as a butcher with a carving knife, spilling his guts down his front. He staggered, trying to keep them in with his arms, his face the colour of parchment.

Jian dragged her eyes away and kept moving, reaching out unconsciously to take Evita’s hand as soon as they reached a spot in the path where they had room to skate flat-out. Evita’s fingers tightened convulsively on hers as the screaming began behind them, and neither of them stopped until they reached the stream. There Evita stumbled to a stop and dropped down on the bank, wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking. Jian went down on her knees beside her, wrapping both arms around Evita’s shoulders and hugging her tightly, as much for her own comfort as Evita’s.

They stayed that way for a long time, until Evita gradually stopped shaking and Jian had fought down the urge to vomit until her stomach was completely empty. Even when Evita had straightened up they still sat in silence, arms around each other, both taking deep shuddery breaths.

“We should—” Jian started, but the rest of the sentence was swallowed when Evita kissed her, almost hard enough to bruise. Despite herself Jian returned it, until noise in the undergrowth startled them both into scrambling to their feet. Jian took Evita’s hand again to lead the way back to the road, but Evita pulled away long enough to go back and snag Bobby’s pack, slinging it over the shoulder opposite her own pack.

“Supplies,” she said in response to Jian’s look, adding defensively, “And something to take home to his parents. Since I’ll bet you fucking anything that nobody else will bother.”

“Okay,” Jian said gently. “It’s a good idea.”

She drew Evita back to the road, keeping a close eye behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed. Nothing came out of the brush after them but they still set a fast pace down the road away from the spot. Evita obviously struggled with the double load but refused help any time Jian offered, and after a while Jian stopped trying.

Later, when night had fallen and they’d barricaded themselves inside what had once been a convenience store, while Evita slept with her head in Jian’s lap, Jian stared into the fire and thought about the Racing Commission. After a few moments she carefully reached over Evita to get the camera out of her pack, holding it up so the lens was pointed at her face.

“I’m pretty sure you did this on purpose,” she told the steady red ON light. “You had to have known what was up here. I think I even know why. But I’m not dying, and neither are my friends. So suck on that.”

She put the camera down on the ground and picked up the chunk of firewood sitting beside her, bringing it down on the lens as hard as she could. A crack spiderwebbed through the glass and another whack shattered it completely, making the ON light blink then flicker off. Evita stirred slightly, muttering a question, but settled again when Jian stroked her hair and told her to go back to sleep. Turning back to the fire, Jian watched the flames until exhaustion passed over her and sent her down to sleep.

Sidewinder - Chapter Fourteen

“They’re not coming, okay? I don’t even think these stupid things work.” Livia reached out and grabbed the camera from Skye’s hands, turned on her heel, and pitched it out into the darkness outside the store they’d taken shelter in. The wide-eyed look he gave her would almost have been funny if she wasn’t close to tears and shaking with a mix of fear and anger.

They’d fled after seeing the skate and realizing that the creature was feeding on a person; one of them, though they didn’t know who. It had been a clumsy and headlong flight, and when they’d finally stopped—both out of breath and clinging to each other like small children—they’d been a long way off the path. They’d spent the better part of a day orienting themselves again and trying to contact someone, anyone, through the cameras. The lack of response had made Livia twitchy, until
she’d finally lost her temper and snapped at Skye’s comment that he was going to try again.

“Hey...” Skye reached out and gently patted her shoulder. “Maybe we should get some sleep. We can try to find the others in the morning.”

Livia bit her lip so she wouldn’t tell him there probably weren’t any others left, and sat down on the floor with her back to the wall, pulling her pack into her lap. She dug through it until she found a bag of chocolate-covered peanuts and offered them to Skye when he sat down beside her. He smiled a bit and took some, offering his own bag of trail mix. They ate in silence and when Skye was done, he cautiously put an arm around her shoulders, offering her a small smile when she looked at him.

“It’s a little cold,” he said. “Go to sleep, I’ll keep watch.”

“Wake me up in a few hours.” She let him pull her in so she could put her head on his shoulder. When she closed her eyes, she saw again the eyeless creature sinking its teeth into the bloody corpse and gritted her teeth until it went away. After a few minutes she managed to relax, listening to Skye’s steady breathing until she slipped into sleep.

She slept restlessly, half-waking every time Skye shifted his weight, and finally opened her eyes fully to the grey dishwater light of the pre-dawn. Skye had fallen asleep beside her, his head tipped at an awkward angle, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. She watched him for a moment, trying to decide what had woken her, then gently untangled herself and went to find somewhere to empty her bladder.

She peeked outside after she was done, looking around carefully to make sure nothing had snuck up on them in the night. The hairs on the back of her neck still stood on end, no matter how many times she tried to smooth them down with her hand, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something out there. Muttering at herself to knock it off, she started to turn back into the store, then froze as a large shadow drifted lazily past. She looked up quickly but between the cloudy sky and the muted light she couldn’t see much more than the suggestion of a broad shape in the sky.

A hand dropped onto her shoulder and she nearly screamed, swinging her elbow back as hard as she could before she even thought about the movement. It connected with Skye’s stomach and he stumbled back with a pained grunt. When she glanced at him he was giving her a pained look, still bent over with his arms across his belly.

“Probably deserved that,” he managed. “Sorry. What were you looking at?”

“Something in the sky.” She looked up again but it was gone. “We should get going.”

The day warmed up as they got back onto the road, though the sky remained cloudy and grey with the threat of coming rain. Neither of them spoke much as they skated, still following the course for lack of anywhere else to go. They stayed as close together as they could without tripping each other up, watching the sides of the road almost more than they watched the road ahead of them. Livia thought she could relax a little when they left the trees behind them, but somehow the outskirts of the city they reached were worse. The buildings towered over them, casting long shadows, and every drift of wind down the streets made her start.

“We should go around,” she said when they stopped for a breather. “It’ll take longer, but I really don’t care about the race anymore. I just don’t want to go in.”

Skye gave her a puzzled look before studying the city. “All right, I guess. Maybe we’ll be able to find someone. There’s stories of people still living up here, and if the stories about monsters were right...” He shrugged slightly. “Maybe they can help.”

“Maybe,” she said noncommittally, pushing herself to her feet and moving off the main road.

Skye attempted to keep up a conversation as they skated, asking her about her family and siblings. It helped to pass the time and distracted her from dwelling on the dead racer, or the monsters she was half-convinced were still stalking them. They tried to keep going in the same direction as the main roads going through the city but soon found themselves veering off-track. Livia called a halt when the city began to disappear around curves in the road, bracing her hands on her thighs as she caught her breath.

“Do we keep going?” she asked. “Even if we might end up getting completely lost?”

“I’ve still got the GPS. We can probably cut across later if we need to.” Skye shaded his eyes against the sun and squinted down the road. “Is that dust?”

Livia looked in the same direction. “I think... Come on, get off the road until we see what it is.” She moved into the shelter of a stand of trees, though the dappled shadows beneath made her feel nervous. Skye joined her and they watched the dust cloud grow bigger, until it resolved itself into a young man on skates, streaked with sweat and dirt, his chest heaving for breath. Livia exchanged a quick glance with Skye, then they both called out to him.

The young man—Danny, Livia thought his name was—gave them a wild look but didn’t stop, until Skye stepped out and caught his arm. Danny’s wild swing nearly sent them both to the dusty road and Livia was on the verge of telling Skye to let him go when she heard the pounding footsteps racing towards them.

There were two of the eyeless lizards this time, running side by side, though occasionally one would take a nip at the other. In the trees she caught a brief glimpse of the accompanying monsters, easily keeping up with their long stride. Her voice dried up in her throat and she could only make a hoarse choking noise, pointing at them with a shaking finger. Skye looked over his shoulder and hurriedly let go of Danny before grabbing Livia’s hand and pulling her back the way they had come.

All three of them kept pace for a few minutes, skating hard without risking a glance backwards, then Danny began to lag, his breath rasping harshly in and out of his lungs. Livia reached out for him automatically but Skye dragged her along before she could do more than ghost her fingertips across Danny’s arm. She looked back over her shoulder despite herself, unable to tear herself away as one of the lizards drew ahead of its companion and leaped at Danny’s back, bringing him down with its solid weight.

Danny screamed as the lizard thrust its long snout forward, sinking its mouthful of teeth into the back of his neck. The other lizard paused a moment to snatch a bite of one flailing leg, then continued on, swallowing as it ran. Livia jerked her gaze back to the road ahead, unconsciously moaning as Danny’s screams grew higher in pitch and then cut off in a gargle. The pounding of the lizard’s feet as it chased them soon drowned out any other noise except for the throb of Livia’s heartbeat in her own ears. Skye’s grip on her hand was turning her fingers numb but she barely noticed, trying just to keep herself upright as they pelted down the road.

Her skate caught on something suddenly and she tripped, her hand coming out of Skye’s grip as she flailed to catch her balance. She fell hard on her knees and the lizard slammed hard into her back, shoving her down on her front. Making shrieky little noises of terror, she struggled to free herself, managing to almost wiggle her way free before it bit down on her shoulder.

The pain was immediate and intense, shooting fiery daggers down her arm and across her chest. She screamed, twisting to try and free herself despite the pain, feeling warm blood run down her side. The lizard pulled away slightly and opened its mouth wide to bite her again, but before it could Skye kicked it in the head, knocking it to one side. He yanked Livia bodily to her feet, holding her with one arm and twisting his body to put himself between her and the lizard as it shook its head and picked itself up, growling. For a moment they faced each other, then a large shadow passed over them. Slumped against Skye, feeling fuzzy and overheated, Livia thought she heard the noise of engines through the roaring inside her skull.

“Holy shit,” she heard Skye say, his voice filled with awe. He pulled her back and down to her knees, protecting her with both arms as the sound of heavy gunfire filled the air. Livia pressed her face into Skye’s chest, unable to keep blackness from washing over her.

She opened her eyes again as she was being carried through a silver hallway lined with flashing blue lights that swam in and out of focus. With a great effort she turned her head and saw Skye beside her, his face drawn and anxious. Even as she was wondering who was carrying her if not Skye, and where she was being carried, she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Sidewinder - Chapter Thirteen

He’d rather eat dirt than admit it, but the pace Six set was tougher than Zephyr had expected, especially when it was obvious during their brief breaks that Six was still favouring his injured leg. They’d skated the rest of the morning away and the sun was high above them, its rays surprisingly strong. Six had already stripped his shirt off in the heat and stuffed it into his pack, though the tail end hung out in a patch of blue against the pack’s worn grey fabric. Behind him and struggling to keep up, Zephyr still took a moment to watch the way the muscles in his back moved under his sweat-sheened skin, and resisted the urge to ask where he’d gotten the narrow scar that twisted from the small of his back to just under his ribs.

His stomach growled audibly, loud enough that Six glanced back and raised an eyebrow at him. Shrugging, Zephyr said, “What? I’m a growing boy.”

“You don’t need to grow any more.” Six faced forward again, but his pace gradually slowed and he moved off to a patch of grass at the side of the road. “Eat quick.”

“You do realize we have a really long way to go, right? You’re going to burn yourself out by tomorrow evening.” Zephyr dropped down on the grass, glad to be off his feet for a little while, and dug through his pack until he found a sandwich wrapped in saran wrap. It was soggy and somewhat squashed but he still ate it happily, quieting his stomach.

“I’ll be fine. You just try to keep up.” Six stretched, raising his arms up over his head and arching his back. It took Zephyr a moment to tear his gaze away from the long, lean lines of his stomach and remember what they were talking about.

“I guess if you don’t mind losing, you can go as fast as you want,” he said. “I just thought you were in it to win it.”

“I am.” Six glanced down the road, shifting his weight impatiently. “And I’m going to win.”

“Not if you skate yourself into a heart attack. You can deny it all you want, but there’s something wrong with you, and it’s not your attitude.” Zephyr swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and pushed himself to his feet, shoving the crumpled saran wrap into his pocket. “You still all shaky?”

“Like I said, I’m fine.” Six crossed his arms over his chest, his mouth thinning to an angry line.

“Oh yeah? Go like this.” Zephyr held his arms out in front of him to demonstrate, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Six gave him a sullen look, then grinned suddenly, skating a few weaving steps backwards. “You want something from me, Zeph, earn it. Beat me in a sprint and you can have whatever you want.”

Zephyr felt his cheeks heat and ducked down to grab his pack to hide it. When he looked up again Six was already halfway down the road, his strides strong and even. Muttering a curse, Zephyr swung his pack onto his back again and followed him, skating as hard as he could just to catch up. Six didn’t slow even then, pushing the pace until they were both breathing hard. Zephyr ducked his head and fought to pass, but even his long stride was no match for Six’s speed until Six suddenly stumbled and went down with a painful-sounding thump.

It took Zephyr a few moments to stop without crashing himself, and by the time he skated back, Six was sitting up and growling a steady stream of expletives as he picked bits of road out of his arm. He ignored the hand Zephyr extended to him and pushed himself up, wobbling a little as he put weight on his injured leg.

“Now will you slow down?” Zephyr asked. “Before you end up wearing your entire first-aid kit?”

Six ignored him and got the kit out of his pack to disinfect his arm, but when he set off again, it was at a much slower pace. Zephyr watched him with concern for a few minutes, then shaded his eyes to look up at the sky. The sun was beginning to drift down, though he judged they had a solid five hours of sunlight left. He sighed at the thought of another five hours of skating and started humming under his breath just to break the silence, keeping watch over Six out of the corner of his eye.

Another hour passed before Six called a halt to look around, his movements stiff and slightly clumsy as he checked the buildings around them for any sign of life. Zephyr stuck close to him, half-afraid he would collapse suddenly, and tried not to think about the bird-monster Six had killed early that morning. If he never saw one of them again he thought he could probably die happy.

“Looks clear,” Six said finally, making his way over to an old bench and setting his weight carefully on it, stretching his injured leg out in front of him. “Keep an eye out.”

“Where are we?” Zephyr started to go through his pack to find the GPS he’d been given.

“Cornwall,” Six said absently, without looking up from his inspection of his leg. “What’s left of it anyway. We’re still on track.”

Zephyr paused and glanced up at him. “You know that without even looking at the map?”

“Yes.” Six dug through his pack and pulled out a handful of jerky wrapped in plastic, setting them on the bench beside him before taking out a mini box of cereal to eat.

“Going to expand on that?” Zephyr asked after a moment, dropping down on the other end of the bench. It gave an alarming creak that made Six glare at him, but held.

“No, I’m not.” Six dumped the rest of the cereal in his mouth and took a swallow of water from his water bottle.

“Jerk,” Zephyr muttered. His eye fell on the jerky and he picked one up, only to have Six grab it out of his hand. “Hey!”

“This stuff is older than you are,” Six snapped. “You eat it and you’ll be shitting what few brains you have out, if you’re lucky. Don’t touch stuff that isn’t yours.”

“What are you doing with it then?”

“Bait. Something’s been following us for the past half-hour.” Six pushed himself to his feet and unwrapped the jerky, breaking off a piece to leave on the bench. “Come on. Hopefully the cache is still here.”

Frowning, Zephyr got up and followed him down the street. “You’ve been here before,” he said after a few moments. “But you’re only 25. You’d have been two when we went underground. So when were you here?”

Six ignored him, scanning the streets around them carefully and finally turning off into a narrow alleyway that weaved between a few blocks of highrises with smashed windows and doors hanging open on creaking hinges. He trailed his fingers along the wall and paused a few times to trace symbols carved into the brick, barely visible until Zephyr saw Six’s fingers outline them. They seemed to tell him where to go and he moved confidently through the maze until he stopped outside what remained of the back door behind one of the highrises. He looked into the dark hallway for a moment, then pulled his knife and went in, his skates clicking on the tiled floor.

Zephyr fumbled his own knife out of his pocket and followed, so tense he jumped at every noise. The only light came from the door they had just come in, and a small shaft of greyish light from the front of the building, where Zephyr guessed the front foyer was. Every shadow seemed to leap out at them, and by the time Six stopped him with a hand on his arm, his heart was pounding so hard it was hard to breathe.

“Wait here,” Six murmured, barely above a whisper, and went in through the open front door of one of the apartments. He was gone so long that Zephyr started to feel twitchy, casting quick glances back over his shoulder and shifting nervously from one skate to the other. He was on the verge of going in after Six when Six finally came back out, carrying a heavy black bag over one shoulder. Six ignored his questions and just led the way out, squinting into the sunlight then taking the bag over to a pile of broken wood to open it.

Zephyr leaned over his shoulder to see the contents and his eyes widened when Six reached in to pull out a thick black semiautomatic and its magazine, loading it with practiced ease. He caught a quick glimpse of at least one other similar gun in the bag before Six zipped it closed again and slung it back over his shoulder.

“Do I get one?” he asked, following Six back out of the alley.

Six gave a derisive snort. “If you didn’t blow your own balls off, you’d probably end up shooting me. No way am I giving you a gun.”

“You could teach me how to use it.”

“No.” Six shaded his eyes to look back the way they had come, where the sun was beginning to cast longer rays the further it got down towards the horizon. “It’s there somewhere. Stick close to me and just... shut your face.” He tossed the other half of the unwrapped jerky out into the street and led the way past the buildings, looking around like he was checking out the area before ducking into what had once been a courtyard and was now a mess of broken walls and wild growth.

Following Six’s instructions, Zephyr ducked down behind one of the pieces of free-standing wall, bracing himself against it so he could still watch. Six threw another piece of jerky out into the street and went back to the clearest area of the courtyard, unloading and then loading the gun again, stretching out his shoulders and arms. Zephyr thought again of the scar across his back, and wondered if his hands were even steady enough to aim and shoot.

It came around the corner in an ungainly shambling hop, its long tongue flicking out like a snake’s. Its eyes were little more than slight indents in its thick head but it seemed to have no trouble spotting Six. Zephyr could see the outline of the buildings behind it through its transparent, jelly-like body, as well as its internal organs hanging like sacks of meat. In shape it looked a little like a toad the size of a man but its body bulged in odd places and as it moved it left a trail of slime behind it.

“Come on, fucker,” Six told it, his tone casual. He still held the gun hanging loosely at his side, though Zephyr saw his finger curl around the trigger. “Everybody wants a piece anyway.”

The creature hesitated a few moments longer then shuffled towards him, hanging its broad mouth open to reveal rows of tiny razor-sharp teeth. Six let it get uncomfortably close before he brought the gun up and fired, the movement so fast that Zephyr barely saw it—though he saw the creature’s triple-chambered heart explode within its body. Six fired again, obliterating an organ that Zephyr guessed was the creature’s stomach, then threw himself bodily behind the wall Zephyr was hiding behind. Zephyr turned to ask him what he was doing and Six yanked him down, seconds before the creature itself exploded with a sound like wet porridge dropped on the floor, flinging strips and gobbets of slimy flesh in all directions.

“Fucking gross,” Zephyr managed after a few moments of disgusted noises. “That’s just...” He shuddered, unable to put it into words. “Did you know that would happen?”

“Yes,” Six said, laughing a little. “Their stomachs are highly reactive. Don’t be such a girl, it’s just a little blood and guts.”

“Ugh,” Zephyr said, watching a chunk of transparent flesh wiggle its way down the wall until it fell off with a plop. “I’m going to puke. Can we go now?”

“Yeah.” Six used Zephyr’s shoulder to push himself up and picked his way through the mess. Zephyr followed, trying not to gag at the smell of ammonia rising from the remains of the corpse, and didn’t look back as they left the courtyard behind.

Sidewinder - Chapter Twelve

Katia found herself alone on the road when the fog finally cleared, though she’d been sure Jian was right behind her. She looked around, frowning a little and shifting her weight onto her left leg, then checked the GPS she’d been given before she set out. It confirmed her suspicion that she’d gone off-track somewhere and wandered onto old side streets leading in the wrong direction. She looked up at the darkening sky and decided to find somewhere to take shelter for the night, rather than risk being caught out by whatever still roamed these streets.

She set back towards the correct path, favouring her right leg slightly, and picked the first house she came across that looked sturdy. She checked it carefully, both inside and out, and finally settled down in the room closest to the back door, after using the broken junk scattered around to barricade everything else. It was still hard to relax and she jumped at every small sound of the house settling as night fell, her food tasteless in her mouth. She gave up after the first few bites and concentrated instead on stretching out the muscles in her legs to distract herself from her nervousness.

After a while she managed to doze, though only lightly, and came awake suddenly to the pitch black of night, her heart thumping in her chest. For a long moment she stayed where she was, breathing shallowly and listening intently, until she heard the soft scrape of footsteps on the stone path outside. Her heart leaped into her throat but she carefully got to her feet and grabbed the baseball bat she’d found while searching the house. Moving as silently as she was able, she went to the archway between the room she’d camped in and the outside hall and waited in the shadows as the back door eased open.

She could only make out the vague outline of whatever moved into the house, just enough to judge that it was only a little taller than her, and built along broad lines. She held her breath as it walked closer and waited until it was in range before stepping forward on her good leg and swinging the baseball bat at its head with all her strength.

It ducked, letting out a surprisingly human yelp, and came up again in almost the same movement, grabbing the baseball bat and shoving her backwards. She stumbled, struggling to keep her balance, but tripped over the edge of some debris and fell hard, letting out a yelp of her own as it fell on top of her. It flung the baseball bat across the room with one hand and flicked on a powerful flashlight with the other, dazzling her eyes before she threw her hands up to cover them.

“Aww, shit.” The voice was male and as human as she was. “It’s just some girl.”

The light turned away from her face and she gingerly dropped her hands, trying to blink the dazzle out of her eyes. A strong hand hauled her to her feet and held her in place as its owner played the flashlight around the room, pausing on her gear. She heard him grunt, then he walked her over to her pack and pushed at it with one toe. Katia risked a glance at him and saw a man around her own age, if not a little older, with shaggy black hair and stubble darkening his jaw. He was frowning, his eyebrows drawn down over his eyes, as he studied her pack and the skates lying beside it.

“Grab your stuff and let’s go,” he said after a moment.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Katia said sharply. “Let go of me.”

“Listen, I’ll carry you kicking and screaming if I have to. Let’s just make it easy on both of us.” He gave her false left leg a meaningful look.

“You don’t want me to start screaming. There’s things out there listening.” She saw his dark eyes narrow slightly and knew she’d scored a direct hit. “So how about instead of the he-man act, you tell me your name and what you’re doing here.” She twisted away from him and held out a hand. “I’m Katia.”

He eyed her hand then grudgingly took it. “Ezra. You tell me what you’re doing here.”

“A race.” Katia indicated her skates and blushed a little at the look he gave her. “I know. You think I want to be up here? I came because my little brother and my best friend wouldn’t believe me when I said it was dangerous, that there’s a reason we went underground. And then we got lost in the fog and I don’t know where they are.” She took a shaky breath, surprised to find herself near tears, then laughed despite herself at the way he awkwardly patted her arm. “So I need to find them if nothing else.”

“Underground?” he said in a musing tone. “And you’re having some sort of race? You’re all idiots.”

“Thanks?” Katia took a step away from him in case he tried to grab her again. “What are you doing up here?”

“I live up here. We didn’t all get to run and hide like you did.” He glanced at her, then in one swift movement scooped up her pack and her skates. “Now are you going to come with me, or are you going to stay here with just the clothes you’re wearing?”

She glared at him, fighting the urge to punch him right in his smug smile. “Why so eager?”

“It’s not for you, trust me. I just don’t want to wander across your half-eaten corpse in a few days.”

“We were told this area’s pretty clean,” Katia said, but uncertainty crept into her voice in the face of his amused smile.

“Somebody lied to you, girl. This is practically Ground Zero, and it stretches for miles. I promise, I’ll drop you off somewhere you can get back home.”

“Promise you’ll help me find my brother and my friend instead. And warn everyone else who came up here with me. Otherwise, yeah, I’ll stay here with just the clothes I’m wearing.” She crossed her arms, trying to sound tougher than she actually felt, and hoped it wouldn’t come to a physical fight; he was taller than her by a good few inches, and much broader.

“Fine,” he said after a moment, sticking a hand out again. “Shake on it. You can tell me about your precious underground while we look.”

She ignored the bitter tone in his voice and just shook his hand, then followed him out of the house, debating if she should ask for her pack and skates back. They walked down the road in silence for long enough that fear curled in the pit of her belly and she cast a quick glance back over her shoulder, wondering if she should make a run for it even if she lost all her gear. After a moment Ezra cut across a field spotted with gnarled trees, gesturing for her to keep up as he increased his pace. She gritted her teeth and lengthened her stride, keeping her eyes mostly on the dark ground to keep from tripping.

Finally they came to a jumble of huge boulders and a tall rock face, its top sparsely decorated with trees. She glanced up and for a moment saw something swoop across the stars, blocking their light with a wingspan wider than she was tall. She shivered and moved closer to Ezra, who was kicking about in the loose rocks at the base of the boulders. After a few muttered curse words, he made a soft ‘ah-ha’ noise and leaned down to scoop something up from the soft earth.

“Now watch this.” He grinned at her, looking suddenly boyish, and pressed the heel of his hand against the object he’d picked up.

For a long moment nothing happened and she felt her eyebrows beginning to draw down in annoyance; then, suddenly, the boulder nearest to her split apart like a cracked egg, expelling a rush of hot air. She spun towards it, automatically putting up her fists, and found herself looking into a metal hallway lit by dim blue lights. The effect was like looking into a spaceship and she felt her mouth drop open even as a chill ran up her spine.

“Go in, it won’t eat you.” Ezra placed a hand on her back and gave her a push forward. She stepped into the hallway, half-expecting something to greet her in a robotic voice, but instead she only heard the gentle humming of engines.

“What is this?” She touched the wall and found it to be plain steel, cool and unyielding under her hand. “It kinda...”

“Looks like a spaceship, I know. It’s not, just an airship. It’ll look more normal further in.” He propelled her along the hallway and up a short flight of steps to a heavy wooden door, which he unlocked with a key from his pocket.

She carefully stepped inside when he opened the door and relaxed a little when she saw how much it looked like a regular, if oversized, room. Both sides were blocked off by wood panelling but she saw what must be the cockpit to her left. The middle was taken up by a couch and a pair of armchairs, as well as a massive desk covered in papers and junk. A bookcase stood against one wall and there was a window beside it that she could just see the cliff through. To her right the door in the panelling was closed, but she guessed it probably contained a bedroom or two.

“Welcome to home.” Ezra dropped her pack on one of the armchairs and put her skates down beside it. “You can come up front if you want. There’s seatbelts up there.”

“Always a bonus,” she muttered, following him into the cockpit. She took the seat he indicated and pulled the seatbelt tight, her eyes widening as the shadows outside drew away like a curtain. Ezra settled into his own seat and began manipulating the controls, coaxing the engine up from a grumble to a steady roar. He checked gauges she couldn’t even begin to understand and then the ship began to shake underneath them. Katia gripped the armrests on her seat, trying to breathe in deep steady breaths, and felt the ship begin to slowly rise.

The mess of boulders dropped away beneath them and she glanced to the side in time to see them come even with the trees at the top of the cliff. Briefly she looked for the thing she’d seen up there before, then turned her attention back to the front, watching the stars as they moved forward into a steady pace. She didn’t realize she was grinning until she heard Ezra snort in amusement, but the look he gave her when she glanced over was friendly.

“Your friends have at least enough brain power to get under shelter for the night, I hope,” he said. “So I’m going to catch a nap. You can stay up here or go camp out on the couch, just don’t touch anything.”

“It’ll fly itself?”

“For a little while. I’ll be back up in an hour or two.” He got to his feet but paused at the door, giving her a questioning look.

“I’ll stay up here.” She smiled a little. “I want to watch. I won’t touch.”

“See you in a bit.” He gave half a wave and left the cockpit, leaving her to watch the stars.