Four (Their Dead Lives,1) Page 25

  Kale, his whole body trembling, screamed in despair. Spit flew off his lips. Tears poured from his eyes. He clawed at the deck for Howard. “No!”

  The Embracer whipped Kale in the air and flipped him over its shoulder. The gun, find the gun! Jeff scrambled around the deck, fearing the weapon belonged to the sea. He spun back as the Embracer made for its escape.

  Dylan lunged for them but the grasp fell short.

  Alec tugged himself aboard.

  Finally seeing the shotgun, Jeff dove for it. He rolled to his knees, pumped, and aimed.

  None of them were fast enough, and the Embracer vanished into the ocean with Kale.

  SCOT

  The bark of a tree was pressed against his skin as he watched the others. They’d fled into the woods after the attack on the highway. CJ was doing worse than him, even though Scot had suffered more bites. My wounds are painless. Numb. And unlike CJ, he possessed the strength to stand.

  Please be right about me, Kale.

  The ailing CJ slumped against a tree across from him. Nasir knelt by the teen’s side, examining his chewed-open back. A vibrant mesh of decaying green and gray crawled up CJ’s neck. The rest of his skin was death pale.

  Gasping, CJ grabbed Nasir’s faded red shirt. “You have to end it. Now.”

  Scot had no desire to watch. He peeked around his tree to look at Kelsey. She was sitting on a log with Lexington. They’d all stopped for one reason only.

  They must leave us.

  CJ would be first, Scot knew. Then me. Nasir had told Kelsey she should move away, because it would do her no good to watch.

  “I can feel it taking over,” CJ said to them. His weak eyes landed on Scot. “Can’t you feel it, man? Can’t you feel it crawling through your skin?”

  I feel nothing.

  Nasir’s rifle hung off his shoulder, and he looked directly into CJ’s eyes when he spoke, weighing his words. “If you’re truly ready, if you know you are, then, son, so am I.”

  CJ’s lips shook with hesitation and fear. The answer appeared in his eyes, changing colors, changing into dead tissue. Nasir rose and aimed his rifle at the teen. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

  CJ scooted back against the tree, curled in the dirt, and his eyes widened, and with what little strength remained to him, he pleaded to live. “Wait! Not yet, please, just, not yet.”

  Nasir lowered his aim. “When you’re ready.”

  Scot, for all the wounds he’d suffered, felt quite normal. He knew his fate, though, and refused to leave without a proper goodbye. “Can you give me a minute?”

  “For?” Nasir asked back.

  “I need to speak with Kelsey before, well, you know.”

  Hesitation appeared in the old man’s eyes but he nodded. “Make it quick.”

  Scot went to her, taking care to cover the nastiest of his wounds: the bloody flap of skin hanging off his bicep. He was death walking but he shielded the worst from her eyes. She sat up straight as he walked toward her.

  “Mind if I sit alone with her for a second?”

  Lexington nodded. “I’ll be close.” He gave Scot a long stare then stood with Nasir.

  Scot had a hard time looking into those green eyes as he sat next to Kelsey. He focused on the ground instead, saying, “Sorry I’m not my pretty self right now.”

  Kelsey sniffed. “How are you feeling?”

  Scot had to smile. “You should see the other guys.”

  Unamused, Kels looked away.

  Will you kill your smartassery for once? “I’m fine. CJ will turn soon, so I don’t have much time. I, I need to tell you something.”

  “No, Scot, I do.” She touched his knee, but he still refrained the sight of her eyes. “You have to know, I never cheated on you. You have to believe me before you—”

  “Kels, trust me, I know. You did nothing wrong. I screwed us up. I don’t know what came over me but I was too weak to face you. I didn’t want the truth. I thought of the worst possible scenario and tried to avoid it. I’m sorry I never gave you a chance then.” Her grip tightened on his leg. “What I want to say is not about that. Truth is, I’ve never really dealt with any of my problems. Avoiding them is what I did best, and, and, I haven’t been the same since leaving you.” He inched closer to her, still talking to the ground.

  Kelsey grabbed his pale, scratched hand.

  He continued, “And out of every problem I ignored, out of every person I pushed away, my only regret is one.” He found the strength, in the end, to meet her green eyes. He placed one hand behind her neck and he brushed her tears away with his thumb. His lips quivered. “The only one I truly regret is you, Kels.”

  A wind breathed softly around their bodies, and their kiss became the one light in all the dark that waited for him, and although his lips broke off her cheek, he brought them to her forehead. He refused to open his eyes, for this meant reality had returned, and reality would only last a few more minutes. His hand tightened around her warm fingers.

  “It’s not fair,” said Kelsey. “We lost each other for so long and over something completely pointless and now we’re here.” She had to look away this time. “Damn it, Scot, why do I have to lose you again?”

  Her voice. Her eyes. Right now, they are worse than death. His lips tightened and he forced himself to stand. He touched her chin. “You’ll be safe with Nasir. Stay close to him.” Breaking away, he focused his gaze on the rising sun, and he swore it was mocking him. You get to rise, and I get to be buried beneath dirt. He was angry, yes, but he knew there wasn’t enough time for anger.

  Scot returned to Kelsey. Autumn leaves fell gently around them. He took a deep breath as Kelsey grabbed his hand under her chin. Say it before this world is gone. Their fingers intertwined and he stared at those lovely green eyes one last time. “I love you, Kelsey. I always have. I always will.” His touch slipped away but it wanted to linger. He turned for the others. Leaves crunched under his feet. Each step away from her contained more pain than any bite he’d suffered.

  Lexington walked past him and nodded, placing a quick hand on his shoulder. “Travel safe, brother.”

  Scot kept walking.

  Three crows were perched high in the tree CJ was slumped against. Their heads twitched from side to side. Although the forest swayed, the birds were calm.

  “You, you guys want to know something?” CJ coughed, his voice rasping.

  “Yes, son.” Nasir readied his rifle a second time.

  “I was going to ask this girl to prom, you know, before all of this happened. But I was scared, like terrified.” More coughs. “I know I’ve been talking about sleeping with girls, achieving belts, but truth is, I was scared of them, of girls.” He lowered his face, dropping a hand to the ground and grabbing his baseball hat. He tugged it over his head. “I’d give anything to be scared of something like that now.”

  The bullet was ready and so was CJ. Nasir spoke to Scot without looking. “You don’t have to watch.”

  “Do it.” However, Scot did look away. He focused on the calm crows above. They are watching us. But the calmness died with a bullet, and the crows shot to flight, headed for a destination only a higher power knew.

  CJ was gone, protected from a decayed, meaningless afterlife. Kelsey unleashed a wail. Maybe she thought that was me. He too wanted to scream. He wanted to run. He wanted to rot alone. If I turn, I lose all control. What if I bite Kelsey? This must be done.

  Sweat and blood dripped off his palms as he pressed against the bark of his tree. He was hidden from Kelsey’s sight. The whiskey bottle leaned against the tree by his feet. He had no desire for it. “You do anything to keep her safe. Promise me that,” he told Nasir.

  The old man faced him, loading another round. “As long as I’m here, no harm will come to her.”

  “You tell me this before I go. What did you want with me? Who sent you to find me?”

  A readied rifle pointed his way. “Does it really matter now?”

  I suppose not. Wha
t good is the truth when you’re already dead?

  “We can wait until you turn, Scot. We—”

  “And risk eating Kelsey? No. You need to do this before I change my mind.” His body trembled. Short bursts of air erupted out his nose. His chest heaved and he shut his eyes. He forced his mind to a ready calm, and hoped his body would follow. Everything he’d been told, everything that had happened, was pointless. Kale and Jeff? Wrong. He prayed Alec kept his right mind and made Nicole his priority. Because none of them were heroes. They were lucky losers, always had been.

  And luck always runs out.

  “May this next life better suit you.” Nasir’s calm voice did nothing to ease Scot.

  This is the end. Holy shit, this is it.

  What gave him any hope, any security, as he readied to transport from the world he once knew, were those words touching his mind.

  We leave as four.

  KALE

  A whisper awoke him.

  He saw nothing but darkness, felt nothing but heat.

  “Kale.” Something was breathing close by. “Kale!”

  Kale jolted and swung around blindly. “Who’s there?”

  Whispers repeated his name, quick and sharp, and the breathing grew louder, crawling over his flesh. He swung again. Where has it taken me? Where is this?

  “Kale, Kale, Kale.”

  “I know it’s you! Show yourself!” In a rage, Kale even swung his stub, ignoring the blinding pain.

  A whisper grazed his ear, rendering all the other whispers silent. “Settle down, boy, you’re safe now.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m not to be seen, only heard.”

  Kale slumped over on his knees. Everything went bleak for him. He waited for the voice to speak again.

  “That’s a good boy, Kale. You’re being obedient right away.”

  Kale launched forward. “Don’t talk to me like I’m your dog, fuck-face.”

  Something cold and sharp sliced through the dark, ripping Kale’s cheek. He spun back from the blow, feeling his blood’s warmth trickling down his fingers.

  The voice erupted with laughter. “Now who is fuck-face?”

  Great, a smart-ass monster, Kale thought to himself. He screamed out, “What do you want?”

  “Straight to the point: I want your friends. I want Alec, Jeff and Scot, and you will give them to me.”

  “You’re dreaming if you think I’ll ever betray them.”

  A slimy spike impaled Kale’s shoulder. He fell on his back and a tentacle dug deeper in his flesh. He squirmed underneath, crying out, “Stop!”

  The tentacle let go. Kale grabbed his wound. This thing is an idiot, he laughed.

  “What’s funny?”

  “They were on the yacht with me, asshole. Why didn’t you take them then?”

  The dark fell silent.

  I’ve already outsmarted it? Kale let his shoulder go for a second, only to realize his hand was soaked in blood. He quickly applied pressure again.

  “Your friends, ever since that day at the well, they’re not the same.”

  “Yeah, so what? I already knew this, even if they don’t believe.”

  “You don’t speak now, boy. You listen.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I slice your feet off.”

  Kale quickly fell silent.

  “Good. Now then. You encountered a part of me that day. You encountered a part of me on the yacht.”

  “The Embracer.”

  Whatever Kale was in (maybe a room, maybe a well) shook violently. “SILENCE.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Yes, the Embracer. Only a part of me. Your friends were in the process of becoming my new Embracers. That is, until you rudely interrupted.”

  Kale fought to keep himself from speaking.

  “You see, Kale. I can raise the dead. I can consume the living, but, what your friends are now, well, I don’t know what they are. A transformation has never been cut off before, and I can’t find them.”

  “If you’re supposed to be some kind of super intelligent alien...you’re pretty dumb, bro.”

  A shriek ripped in Kale’s ears. He pressed his hand and stub against his head, rolling around, blocking the digging noise. Tentacles wrapped around his ankles and flipped him in the air. SLAM. Did he hit the ground, a wall? He was lost in this darkness and his body cracked on impact. Tasting his own blood, he asked wearily, “Why am I here?!”

  “Because, Kale, you’re normal like the rest of your breed. You’re not like those friends. You’re a pathetic helpless animal I will send to the slaughterhouse. Your world is done. It’s mine now. I’m the Eradicator of Life and you, Kale, you’re my next Embracer of Death.”

  There was hope in Kale. He didn’t know why, but he felt himself strong and he said, “You won’t win. We will fight back.”

  “You’re naïve, boy, plagued by your movies and your books. There’s no happy ending here. In a few days I have controlled more than half of this world. There’s only one threat in my way now.”

  “My friends...”

  “Yes, boy, but you will help me find them. You will help me remove them from the equation. Together, this world will be ours.”

  “I won’t do it!” Kale launched up, but being too weak, quickly fell to his knees. He heaved in place. “I-I can’t.”

  “You will. I will help you.”

  “I’m without a choice here?”

  How did this happen? How is this possible? We were supposed to be heroes. Perhaps there is a chance in all this. Perhaps this is my real chance to do good. Maybe if I play along, maybe I can outsmart this thing.

  Kale waited for it, this alien on his planet, this Eradicator of Life. And it said, “One always has a choice.”

  Play it cool, Kale told himself. He was his only ally now, and he knew he needed to be brave. He stared into the heart of darkness, wondered if eyes were looking at him. Was anything really there? He said, “I choose death over helping you. Kill me now.”

  “No. This will hurt.”

  Heat increased. Pressure increased. Shit, did I play it too cool? Kale squirmed, raised his one fist, and spun around, searching for an impending attack.

  It whispered, “Embrace me, boy.”

  “Go to hell!” Kale spat at a dark shape hovering over him.

  The Eradicator of Life swung, ripping Kale’s back, slamming him to the floor. He crawled with shaking limbs as an icy tentacle slid underneath him. Cold and damp, it wrapped up his chest, around his neck, broke his ear canal, slid into his skull, and whispered, “I am hell.”

  episode four

  EMBRACE

  THE PRESENT

  ADDISON

  A weak lamp gave his dark office a shaded orange glow. Muted flickers appeared before his tired eyes. In a desk drawer, he touched a flashlight, along with a silver single-action revolver. What have I done? What the hell have I done? It was the day the Vaults had opened. But something had gone wrong. They’re all dead? How can they all be dead — or undead — or whatever. And he let them out. Nothing could ever fix that, he knew.

  There was a muffled knock on the office door. Addison raised the flashlight without turning it on. He pulled the revolver’s hammer back. “Who?”

  “It’s me. Brody.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Checking on you.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  The door creaked open and Addison shined the flashlight at Brody’s face. “Leave me alone.”

  Ignoring this, Brody slipped into the room, resembling a cherub in a suit. “This isn’t your fault.”

  Addison snorted. The flashlight stayed on the desk, lighting the ceiling. He leaned back in the dark, keeping the revolver on his lap and opening another drawer. A joint stuck between his lips. “Want one? I’ve got a few rolled for this spectacular occasion.”

  “This isn’t the right time. Tell me you’re not drinking again also?”

&nbs
p; I blacked out twice in one weekend and he thinks I’m an alcoholic? “The world is ending and it’s because I opened the Vaults. If I want to drink or light up or blast off with some white pony, I’m fucking doing it.”

  Brody’s silence equaled disappointment. Not that Addison cared. “You never knew what would come out. No one did.”

  Smoke blew off his lips, flying over the light. “I suggest you go enjoy yourself, Brody. I brought about the apocalypse.”

  Brody stayed in place, plump and soft in his stance. “I’m leaving. It’s not safe here. You should do the same.”

  “I’m not staying, but I’m also not going with you.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “I talked to Sofia before we lost the phones, before we lost everything. She’s waiting for me.”

  “You can’t go to her.”

  “Why not?”

  “Those things are out there, Addison, looking for us. What if she isn’t Sofia anymore?”

  Addison puffed again, obstinate. “She is. She has to be. We had something once, way before I was recruited for this idiotic operation. I have to see if that still exists.”

  “What about the architects? What about your superiors? They’re all dead and you know what killed them.”

  Addison stood. “You say I can’t trust her but what if you’re one of them? How can I trust you?”

  “If I’m an Embracer, you’d be dead already.”

  Addison slammed his fist on the desk, dropping his joint, and swung up the flashlight. He tucked the revolver in his slacks and walked straight to Brody. The chubby man stood two inches shorter. “I’m leaving. I’m getting her. I’m going into hiding. I’m going to drink and smoke and screw around and maybe, just maybe, die a happy man.”

  “So hide and wait for this to blow over, this is your plan?”

  Addison’s response was filled with quiet laughter, “This is not blowing over. We’re already done. I, I at least want to have sex with Sofia first.”

  “I can’t believe you. At a time like this, you act like a child.”