The Ghost and the Darkness Volume 2 (The Fallocaust Series) (8 page)

So many body parts, both ravers, slavers, and slaves alike. I pushed past the weakness in my legs and the nausea clawing up my throat. They had been eaten by ravers; chunks were missing from their frozen bodies, now with ice clinging to their exposed skin and bones.

Silence. All there was around us was silence. Invisible winter air that held on it such a thickness my shoulders buckled.

I sank to my knees. In front of me I saw Chomper, with his face half-missing, chewed off to ribbons, a single intact eye staring at me from its socket.

“You must get up and check the bodies.” Elish’s voice stung me, the indifferent tone poisoning my heart.

I turned to him and when I looked into his eyes I felt the darkness creep the corners of my vision.

“If they are amongst them, we must know. Push past it and –”

I lunged at him, my hand throwing down my assault rifle and instead going for the knife at my hip. I let out a scream of rage as I swung it at him.

In that moment I hated him. I hated that he was calm, I hated that he could still stand, still function.

But most of all, I hated that he was immortal. I hated that when I killed him, he would come back, I would come back.

But Killian wouldn’t.

Killian wouldn’t.

Elish dodged me. The bodies strewn in their mangled shapes, surrounding us like an audience in a ring of compacted, bloodied snow. Watching with frozen eyeballs and teeth-chewed smiles. I bet they were drinking this in.

“Reaver, get a hold of yourself!” Elish snapped. The first emotion I had seen on his face. But I couldn’t hear him, I couldn’t hear his words. They bounced off of my own agony and stark disbelief for what we had just discovered.

My eyes burned, my teeth clenched and I didn’t realize I had been biting down on my tongue until I could taste copper. I was too inside of my own turmoil to manage a response for him. All that was within my abilities at that moment was to glare him down. Surprised, in my madness, that the snow hadn’t thawed just from my own burning gaze.

“We don’t know they were amongst them. Save your decent into delirium for when we know for sure. I need you present.” Elish’s words pierced my madness like a lance.

He was right... or was he trying to convince himself as much as he was me?

I dropped the knife and stared at the crimson snow; my boots resting beside a chunk of brown-haired scalp.

There was no legionary soldiers to revenge kill. No factory to bomb. Everyone around me was dead. Just like Perish had told me would happen. He had told me stop putting Killian in danger. He had warned me.

Why didn’t I listen?

At the sight of the madness leaving my body, Elish reached into his duster. I looked up and saw he was holding a remote in his hand.

He saw me staring at it. “This is a remote for my laptop, a simple remote to turn it on. Jade... would never leave that briefcase. The range is bad but...” Elish pressed on the button and held up his hand for silence. I watched the chimera walk towards the caravan, resting beside the door; his gloved finger continuing to press the ON button.

We both listened.

A half a minute later we heard the faint chime of Windows XP loading, coming from inside the Lobby.

“Jade?” he whispered.

My heart sank. I closed my eyes as I heard it... something I never wanted to hear.

I heard fear in Elish’s voice.

Elish and I both ran into the lobby, a dark, debris-covered wreck of a house with boot prints leading in and out of all of the doors. Immediately we both turned to the left, where the Windows chime had come from.

Elish was ahead of me, what internal precautions he had taken to hide his heartbeat from me now forgotten. His pulse, his body language, and his face showed the emotions that were ravaging his insides. No amount of chimera training and discipline could hide the fear that had claimed both of us.

We got to the backroom and both of us paused.

The boys had been here.

I wanted to examine the bedrolls, and the clothing and trash that had been left behind, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Elish. The cold chimera, the oldest disciple of King Silas, was staring at a closed closet door. Unmoving. Like his own overwhelming emotions had frozen him in place.

The laptop was in there.

It took me a moment to realize what I was witnessing, but I soon understood. I understood that there was a strong possibility that Jade’s body was in that closet. That Elish’s cicaro and husband had fled from the ravers and died inside that cold, wooden tomb.

Elish reached out a hand but once again he paused. As he lowered it I saw his jaw tighten and his chin rise just slightly. I wondered what would happen if he found his dead body inside of there.

I wonder what would happen to me if Killian was in there too.

Then, as if he had never paused at all, Elish opened the closet door.

His eyes closed for a moment, his chest rising and falling like he was saying a prayer to a faceless god that had died years ago. Though whether he was thanking it or cursing it wasn’t clear to me, until he reached in and pulled out the suitcase.

Elish left the door open and turned. I peeked in the closet to make sure it was void of bodies and it was. Nothing was in that closet but dusty shelves and loose silverware.

“Reaver, I need you to check the bodies and confirm Jade and Killian are not with them. You must also check their temperatures, especially any mangled heads. If Perish is amongst them he would be in the middle of resurrecting.” Elish looked around at the bedrolls. “The blankets I gave you four are all gone...” He brought out the laptop and opened it. “I want to check and make sure this wasn’t left with a message on it for me. I will join you momentarily.”

There was nothing more for me to do, and no words I could say. The prospect that I was now going to be sifting through mangled remains to make sure they weren’t our partners was both terrifying and sobering.

I walked over to where Hopper’s head was and slid what I assumed was the rest of his body into a pile. Then I started kicking over other corpses, trying to recognised clothing and footwear.

Every time I found a severed body part my heart would give a shudder, but then as I examined it more relief would wash over me. Surprising even myself I felt relief when I could confirm it wasn’t Jade either. That brat annoyed the fuck out of me sometimes but he was still my brother and had slowly been growing on me.

I reached down and grabbed a torso with a jacket on it. I yanked it up off of the frozen ground, a peeling, scraping sound filling the quiet ambiance. When I had ripped it from the snow it had stuck to I shook the jacket off and checked it out.

It wasn’t Jade’s; even though he tried to muck up his leather clothes you could still tell Skyfall clothing from scavenged greywaster clothing.

I bunched up the jacket and threw it into the pile. That was all the bodies... I had found all the slavers except Jimmy and all of the slaves but three. Though there was one last place I could check.

I backed out from the overhang I had been standing under before I grabbed the ridge and hoisted myself up. I stood up on the roof and immediately the first thing my eyes were drawn to was my M16. I picked it up with cautious relief and examined it. This was my confirmation that Killian had made it back to Hopper’s caravan from Mariano. Though right now I didn’t know if that was a good confirmation or not.

Then I made the mistake of looking around. A string of curse words flowed from my mouth.

“Elish?” I called.

I looked around and felt a rock get dropped into my stomach. Immediately I took a step back, realizing I was standing in a pool of frozen blood.

I leaned down as I saw something out of place. I picked up the metal fireplace poker and as I examined it, my grimness grew.

It had several bloodied black hairs stuck to the top.

Elish was there in a second. I saw a hardness in his eyes, like he had already prepared himself for the thousand different reasons I was calling him.

“Come up here.” There was nothing else for me to say.

Elish grabbed onto the carport like I had and flawlessly lifted himself up. He then walked over in silence, his eyes widening when he saw the large pool of blood.

Then his eyes looked over to the iron poker. He took it from me, seeing the hairs right away.

“They are Jade’s,” he replied. He knelt down and put his hand over the pool of blood.

A flicker of steam erupted from his palm. Then a moment later the frozen pool started to thaw. When his hand had been coated in blood, he brought a finger to his lips.

The expression on his face said more than his words ever could.

It was Jade’s blood.

“His body isn’t here though...” I said slowly, but something else was confusing me. “And... ravers don’t use weapons.”

What the hell had happened here? Ravers, plus they were attacked by greywasters? It wasn’t the slavers that was for sure, it looked like they all died from the initial raver assault.

“The dog is also gone,” Elish said as he rose to his feet. “A deacon dog would never leave who he has deemed his master. He would have lain with him until he got too hungry; there is too much uneaten food for the dog to have left.” Elish looked around the structure we were standing on top of.

“I think someone took them.”

My heart suddenly clenched. “Silas?”

But Elish shook his head. “No, though I’m unsure of many things, I know for sure this was not Silas’s work.” He jumped off of the roof, poker still in hand and landed onto the icy snow. To my surprise he reached into his pocket and pulled out his remote phone.

“What are you doing?” I asked, jumping down right behind him.

“I’m calling Reno. He will be at the Aras bunker by now. I suspect Lycos has been hiding things from me.”

Chapter 38

Killian

“Drink...” I whispered, kneeling below him with a cup of water in my hands.

The slave, who I learned was named Danny, took it from me and gave me a smile.

“Thank you,” he whispered. Like the other two, we always kept our voices down. Perish’s moods came and went like the tides, and I didn’t want to make him mad.

Mr. Fallon was several paces ahead of us, his assault rifle slung over his back and Reaver’s M16 at the resort behind us. I had nothing on me now, no weapons or anything I could use against him. We were in the middle of the greywastes, veering off the highway days ago, and only he would be able to defend us from ravers or radanimals.

Perish had emptied my satchel and tossed away my drugs, my pocket knives and even the medication Elish had given me for my night terrors. He had even found his chimera necklace which I had taken off of his body back in Donnely. I got a lot of hell for that one.

Now I was nothing more than a slave, though occasionally Perish would tell me to walk beside him so he could talk to me. For the most part though I stuck behind him and walked with the three remaining slaves: Danny, Edward, and Teejay.

It was hard to keep pace with Perish. He was powering ahead of us, rifle in hand, taking long strides that were almost impossible to keep up with. He was keeping at a grueling pace that the slaves struggled to maintain.

So I was trying my best to keep their health up.

Perish glanced behind him and I saw his face twist in discontent. “I suggest you don’t waste too much time watering them,” he quipped with a sneer. “I would be surprised if they even made it to where we’re going.”

I ignored him and passed the blue cup to Teejay. He seemed to be the weakest one of them all; I had already given him some extra socks I had.

“Drink... hurry...” I whispered.

Teejay’s nervous eyes glanced behind me. Suddenly his eyes widened and a moment later I saw a hand appear, smacking the cup out of his grasp.

I whirled around, my rage for Perish outweighing the cold fact that this wasn’t the Perish I knew.

I pushed him hard. “That wasn’t fucking necessary!” I snapped. “It’s water and he can drink as much –”

A hard backhand threw me off of my feet. Teejay caught me, and with the other two slaves help, they steadiest me.

Perish’s cold, icicle eyes stared me down. His face holding a caustic malice that I had only seen on this
Mr. Fallon
. A look that held with it a sanity I had never felt more uncomfortable with.

It was eerie... watching this happen to him and me only a spectator witnessing his decent from the sidelines. This neurotic genius, my half-crazed scientist with a nervous tick but such a sweet disposition when he was around me.

Now... now? Now I couldn’t understand just how someone could change so much, not just mentally but physically. How could a man to who I knew every tick, eye-shift, and movement become such a stranger to me? No longer rubbing his hands, no longer unable to make eye contact. He now stared me down with two slabs of ice for eyes, ones that held a coldness that rivalled Elish’s.

I bit my lip, refusing to whimper as my cheek stung. I couldn’t stop the tears springing to my eyes though.

“Stop being so fucking weak,” Perish snarled. He grabbed the blue cup and threw it at me. “It is a marvel that Reaver deals with you at all. Get up. We have more ground to cover.”

“Alright,” I whispered. I rose and Danny handed me the cup back. I put it into my satchel and all four of us picked up our pace.

There was acres of forest ahead of us, long, thick black trees that rose several storeys into the air. Thousands of them, some even able to support leaves though they were so thin and dry even the slightest touch broke their papery skin.

Below the expanse of trees was the grey ash of the wasteland but it was only a thin layer, mostly we walked across bone-dry rocks and small patches of bushes and brush. We had left the last of the snow behind yesterday and now we were deep in the valley, rolling hills on all sides of us and roads that were almost invisible in the grey.

I had never been to an area like this before, with so many trees, most hiding actual bushes that seemed to still be alive. Though none of them held green or even yellow. Everything was charcoal or grey; the trees so close to one another it dazzled you if you looked at it for too long.

I looked at the blue cup in my satchel in almost a solemn reminder that the colour still existed. Sometimes you spent so much time around this monotone slate, you almost could convince yourself you were colourblind.

Perish gave me another withering look. I stared back.

“Walk up front with me,” he said, then turned back around.

I closed the distance between us and we walked side by side. Absentmindedly I rubbed the chafed spot underneath the slave collar he had put on me. I knew where the key was, it was in his blue bag. New Perish was smart though, not the easy-to-manipulate, absent-minded professor I had seen as my friend. There was no amount of sucking up or sweet talking that could get him to take this collar out from under my chin.

Thanks Leo... I don’t know what you were trying to find out, or even how you got Perish’s O.L.S, but thanks.

Jade is dead because of this.

My eyes started to sting again, and because my mind was cruel I immediately saw Jade laying on the roof. His yellow eyes staring into nothing as the flakes fell gently around him. The snow underneath his body getting redder and redder.

Jade... Jade, I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll never be able to look Elish in the eye again. How will I tell him that I saw his husband slowly dying underneath my feet?

Fuck
. I closed my eyes and tried to blink the tears away.

“When we run out of food, I’m going to kill them one by one.” My eyes opened as Perish said this to me, in a cold but matter-of-fact voice. I looked at him just as he turned his own head to look at me. Our eyes met.

He smiled. “Unless you can convince me to keep them alive.”

I couldn’t keep his gaze. Sometimes I would wait until Perish could make eye contact with me so I knew he was listening, but now...

“What do you want me to do?” I asked calmly back, though I knew the answer. I wondered how much of Old Perish’s desires remained in New Perish. He had three slaves behind us though and they wouldn’t kick and scream nearly as much as I would.

Though that probably is what he wanted.

And what was my reaction to this? What was I going to do?

Keep myself alive... keep myself alive until Reaver found me.

A felt a catch in my throat. I stared at the ashy ground and watched my grey-stained army boots walk one in front of the other.

If I ran... how far would I go before the collar activated?

“You will tell me everything I ask.”

My brow furrowed. I was certain he was going to pressure me for sex, or... or something like that.

“Like... like what?” I replied slowly.

Perish looked ahead, a thin, closed mouth smile on his lips. “I will know if you are lying, Killian. You realize that right?”

I nodded.

“You know who my brother was, right? Do you remember?”

I nodded again. “His name was Sky... he was your identical twin.” I stared at Perish and for the first time I realized that, in turn, I was also staring at Sky. The boyfriend, the love of Silas Dekker’s life, the immortal who had killed himself.

“Yes, he was my younger brother,” Perish responded, his voice taking a turn. I saw a fresh wave of hostility sweep his eyes. “I loved him a lot, until the power went to his head. Then he was not my brother anymore. He changed, just like that piece of shit Silas.”

It was such a small piece of brain and yet I had a feeling most of the memories and emotions in that small device contained nothing but rage and malice.

“I loved you, Perry,” I whispered. Taking my chances I held out a hand and rested it on his shoulders. “If you hate Silas so much... why did you take me and run? Why not continue with Elish’s campaign?”

My attempt to win favours with Perish were dashed as he jerked his shoulder away from my hand.

“Because I have promises to keep –” Perish’s face twisted into a dark scowl. “– and miles to go before I sleep.”

I looked at him, not knowing what to make of those words. “Where are you taking me?”

Then another smile and another cold chill pierced my heart.

“I know you love me, Killian... I know you loved who I was and I love you too.” He stopped and turned to me. I froze solid and tried not to cringe as he traced a gloved finger down my chin. “You were the first person to treat me like a real human being, even though I was broken. Do you have any idea what you proved to me... when you killed me? That you loved me so much... you would put me out of my suffering?”

Though like he had suddenly realized he was showing affection, he recoiled his hand and quickly started walking again. “We need to hurry... we need to hurry...”

I rubbed where he had touched me and gave him a puzzled look. The brain piece had made him sane, it had knitted back together the chaotic and sporadic thoughts that were in his mind. But there was no question that something was still extremely wrong with him.

I shot a quick glance behind me. I saw Danny, Edward, and Teejay struggling to keep up with us. They were staggering behind about ten feet away, I wondered if they could hear us and wondered even more if they thought we were both insane.

“I just... please tell me what you want,” I said to Perish. “Maybe I can help.”

“I want you, Killian,” Perish replied simply. I felt the hair on the back of my neck start to creep up. “It has always been about you... you don’t understand that?”

I stared at him dumbfounded. “I love Reaver.”

Perish gave me a grave look. He stopped and reached his hand out again to touch me. He lifted my chin up and tilted my head to the side. It brought to me such an underlining feeling of terror it took all of my will not to recoil and run. “Yes, I am sure you do. The clone of King Silas, with strands of my own brother’s DNA. How could you not love him?” He smiled. “I am looking forward to seeing the reason he lusts after you. You’re such a pretty little thing.”

I wrenched myself back from his touch, immediately the blood started to boil underneath my skin. “I would rather die than touch you.”

I was expecting it, but I wasn’t quick enough to brace myself against his backhand. With a cry I stumbled backwards; my back slamming up against a rock shelf we were walking underneath.

“You will do as we say, Killian Massey,” Perish replied coolly. “Everything we fucking say.”

My mouth filled with blood but it was nothing compared to the blood I could feel roaring in my ears. So much anger filled me I thought I was going to burst. “Who the fuck is
we
? Are you that fucked in the head, Fallon? It’s just you, Perish.”

He barely batted an eyelash at my remark, he only stared at me. Cold and calm.

“I would watch your tone.”

I felt Reaver’s influence stain the adrenaline rushing through me. I stared Perish down and took a step towards him.

“Fuck you.”

He glared back at me, and in that moment I wondered just how many more minutes I had left on this earth.

But to my surprise he walked past me. I turned around, still feeling the rage ravage my body. My fists clenched for a fight and my feet pivoted as if expecting the next backhand across the mouth.

Then Perish took out his combat knife and grabbed Edward’s hand.

I screamed, but at my sudden outburst Perish’s cold smile only grew. In a flash the knife swept down on Edward’s fingers, severing three of them off of his hand.

Blood squirted from the stumps where his fingers used to be. The slave cried out and pulled his hand away, tucking it into the crook of his arm with a whimper. His face stark and pale as his entire body went into shock.

I realized I had my hands clasped over my mouth. I watched as Perish bent down and picked up one of the fingers. He brought it to his mouth and nipped some of the flesh clinging to the bone, a drip of blood running down his chin.

“Say that again, Killian?” Perish asked calmly. His tongue poked out of his mouth almost like a reptiles to catch the running blood.

The fear began to overshadow my brief moment of bravery, followed by the distinct feeling and realization that I was nothing more than a mouse underneath his boot now. With Edward’s stifled cries of pain like a sore on my heart I swallowed down my anger and said calmly.

“I will do what you... ask of me.”

All I can do now is buy time.

We were a small flare of light in the inky darkness that night. Perish had decided to make camp in a farm house he had spotted in the distance.

The slaves were tied up in the living room like dogs. Not even Hopper had treated them this badly. He might’ve fed them that disgusting Ratmeal and made them walk but it was nothing compared to what Perish was doing to them.

The reformed scientist was standing by the fire he had started, warning his hands, white and wrinkly from being inside gloves all day. Beside him roasting on a spit was several pieces of arian meat sizzling and spitting as they leaked fat into the fire below. Perish had made sure to take meat from the slavers, mostly Hopper who I don’t think he liked that much.

I was just glad he had left Jade to die in peace. I couldn’t eat Jade – I would rather starve.