Cloak (YA Fantasy) (33 page)

He steered them into an abandoned stand of broccoli-marshmallow pies. The landing was sticky but soft.

Covered in goo, they looked up. Builders poured over the railing and ran down the walls.

“Let’s get out of here!” Will led them toward the Intensive Care Unit.

The hall was a labyrinth of spider enchants spinning webs. Berko swatted away several hairy, eight-legged attackers. They rounded a corner and skidded to a halt.

A giant spider woman with long, black legs blocked the corridor. Her substantial thorax quivered. Venom dripped from her fangs.

Will listened with his enhancer. The soldier-like Builders were closing in on them. Without thinking, he rushed forward, eyes shut.

The spider woman reared back and Will slid underneath her. He kicked up with both feet, throwing the eight-legged woman over Berko. She landed on her back in the middle of the tunnel and thrashed her legs, slowing the pursuit of the Builders.

At a full run, Will, Berko, and Mars exploded through the spider web then plunged into an unseen shortcut hole. The sticky web grabbed at the walls, keeping them from falling too fast. After a jerky ride, they landed on the stone floor in a heap.

“Where are we now?” Will pulled web from his face and looked around.

The stalactites and stalagmites looked like jagged rows of teeth against the walls covered in red lichen.

“That’s the carnie cafeteria, mate.” Berko pointed to the huge round doors that had been shredded and ripped from its hinges. Inside, the ghastly sounds of a feeding frenzy.

“We’ve got to move,” whispered Will.

“No argument from me.” Berko lifted Mars, but she began to screech. He slapped a hand over Mars’ mouth. “Ouch! She bit me!”

“Too late.” Will backed against Berko.

They were ringed by fifty carnivores, pacing and growling. Lizard-men, hyena-women, alligatorchants, human-coyotes, and leopard enchants stalked and snapped.

With a roar, a giant grizzly bear enchant broke into the circle and reared up, towering over Will and Berko. The bearchant scraped the ground, snarled and prepared to charge.

A new roar tore through the cavern like thunder.

The mob stepped back as a powerful figure vaulted over the crowd and landed, crouched in the center of the circle next to Will. It was Kaya, dressed in a hospital gown.

She began to purr and pace with her shoulders rolled forward and her emerald eyes blazing.

The grizzlychant bore his teeth.

Kaya growled, sending a tremor through Will’s chest.

The bear started to let out a roar, but never finished.

Kaya attacked with such raw power that the grizzly barely had time to raise his paws before she struck him across the muzzle with a devastating swipe of her claws. She kicked his legs out from under him and drove his head into the stone, knocking him out cold and sending two teeth tinkling across the floor. The tigress leapt on top of the fallen beast and released an awesome roar.

The rest of the carnivores retreated, whimpering with their tails between their legs.

Kaya stepped off the bearchant and stalked by Will, eyeing him carefully. She sniffed once, then sprinted up the tunnel after the other carnivores.

“Whoa.” Berko watched Kaya. Even Mars was quiet in her presence.

Sweat poured down Will’s neck. “Let’s get out of here.”

They ran from the carnivore tunnels at a full sprint. Exhausted, they needed rest, but their options were limited. They needed someplace quiet—somewhere that hadn’t been busy when the gas had been released. Where would crowds not want to be during a celebration?

The answer popped into Will’s head. “The library!”

The route was treacherous. Several tunnels had been flooded by a family of beaver enchants who dammed the river in the Amazon habitat. Foul-smelling water flowed through the hallways.

Will’s muscles seized as Berko waded into the water holding Mars.

“Will!” Berko grabbed his arm and pulled him in just as an army of soldier Builders blacked out the entrance to the flooded tunnel. Their numbers had grown. Thousands of penetrating eyes and mask-like faces focused on Will, but stopped moving forward.

“Look.” Berko pointed to the oily black Builders. They probed the air and shifted side to side, but refused to come near the water’s edge. “They’re afraid of water. This could be our lucky break.”

“Yeah, lucky,” said Will, swallowing back his own fear. He held fast to Berko’s wing and waded forward, trying not to think about the fact that he couldn’t swim.

As they walked, Will and Berko had to kick at man-sized leach enchants who tried attaching to their legs.

Near the pharmacy, eight-foot eel enchants circled them until Berko slapped the water with a Sanctuary Day foam finger that had floated by.

The long, narrow hallway that led to the library was a slow-moving river, too deep to wade. They climbed onto a floating t-shirt cart. Dark shapes swam below them, ominous fins cutting through the muddy water.

The make-shift raft picked up speed, crashing against the walls. Then, as they floated around a bend, the tunnel widened and the door to the library came into view. The steps were flooded, but the water hadn’t reached the sturdy door.

The t-shirt cart scraped bottom, then stopped. Will, Berko, and Mars dropped into the waist-deep river.

Twenty feet away, two huge eyes broke the surface.

Mars squealed and flapped, baring her teeth.

“Donk,” breathed Berko.

“Who?”

“Think chicken wing.”

A deep watery roar rumbled through the hallway.

“Go. Go. Go,” yelled Berko.

The monstrous croc enchant reared up out of the water and lunged forward.

Mars sprang from Berko’s grip and flew straight at Donk, diving at him from above.

The water boiled as the croc enchant snapped at Mars.

Berko grabbed Will and flew toward the library, avoiding Donk’s thrashing tail.

Mars landed on Donk’s head and pounded it like a drum.

Will and Berko wrenched open the door.

At the last second, Mars slapped Donk across the eyes and flapped through the door just as it was closing. Will and Berko locked it, pushed a heavy oak desk over and braced against it until Donk stopped pounding.

They slid to the floor, dripping. Mars alighted next to them, breathing hard.

As they had hoped, the library was empty and still, except for a rhythmic thumping overhead. Mrs. Morton, the moth enchant librarian hovered near the ceiling, bouncing off the lights.

Berko fashioned a leash out of a reading lamp cord for Mars. He tied one end to her waist and the other to a desk leg. The bat-girl strained against the tether, trying to catch Mrs. Morton.

They were trapped, but safe for now.

An hour went by.

Will was half asleep when Mars started shrieking. A single, small, reddish-black Builder crawled across the ceiling, probing the library with his antennae. When he saw Will he pulled his mandibles into a smile, revealing the red mark across his mouth.

Stripe!

The Builder scurried down the wall and over to the desk, but backed off to avoid Mars’s frantic attempts to bite him. Berko was clutching a yardstick like a sword and aiming it at Stripe.

“Berko, no. He’s a friend,” blurted Will.

“A friend?”

Will explained. As he told Berko about Dean and the smell enhancer, Stripe jumped onto a table, motioning excitedly and pulling at Will’s wrist.

“You want us to follow you somewhere?” asked Will as the Builder dragged him toward the reference stacks.

Stripe nodded vigorously.

“Where? To see Dean?”

The Builder nodded again.

Will planted his feet and focused his thoughts.
Okay, I’ll go, but my friends come too. I won’t leave them.

Stripe looked at Mars struggling in Berko’s grip and frowned. Then he shrugged, nodded, and pulled open a door hidden behind the encyclopedias that led to a dry, empty tunnel.

Will and Berko looked at each other, then at the passage.

“That would have been nice to know about before,” muttered Berko.

Dean’s room was in the farthest corner of the Long-Term Care Wing. With Stripe as their guide they avoided the more dangerous tunnels and made it through the mountain without being attacked.

A single red rose marked Dean’s door. Stripe crawled up the wall and turned the knob.

“Oh, hold on. I almost forgot.” Will dug in his pocket and pulled out the smell enhancer. He removed the audio enhancer from his ear and slipped the metal clip in place. “Okay, let’s get some answers.”

Will inhaled to get the scent enhancer working, then nodded to Stripe, who turned the knob.

The room was an explosion of scents. The smell of roses made his whole body tingle. There were partial whiffs of Will and Rizz, leftover from days before. Stripe’s earthy licorice scent was in the air along with Dr. Bump’s and the same enchant from Dervis’ lab that appeared fuzzy in Will’s mind, like an image on a chalkboard after it had been erased. Will tried, but he couldn’t make out the face.

“You sure this is the right room, mate?” asked Berko.

“Of course. The rose and…” Will stopped. Stripe sifted through blankets on the empty bed. “Where’s Dean? He was right here. I swear. Somebody must have moved him.” He sniffed the air near the bed and several images began to form in his mind.

Mars started to screech and thrash.

Stripe twitched his antennae, eyes full of panic. For the first time Will understood Stripe, his voice forming a single word in Will’s mind—
Run!

Will turned toward the door.

Do not move, Immune. You are surrounded.
A menacing voice sounded in Will’s head.

“Who’s there?” Will demanded.

“Will? Who are you talking to?” asked Berko.

The door slammed shut. Small movements swept through the dark recesses of the hospital room.

“Uh-oh. Will, we’re not alone!” exclaimed Berko.

Tell the others to stand down, Immune, or they will not survive.
A thick, oil-black Builder with huge mandibles crawled down the wall into the light. He was much larger than Stripe and covered in spines. Instead of a vest, the vicious-looking Builder wore black armor on his torso. His eyes were blood red.

“Berko, hold still,” said Will over his shoulder.

“They’re everywhere.” Berko was losing his grip on Mars.

The shadows produced rows of the frightening, armor-clad Builders the size of Rottweilers. Clipping their mandibles like rattles, they filled the room. Each extended its stinger and advanced.

What do you want with all of us?
thought Will, looking at the lead red-eyed Builder in the light.

Not all, Immune. Only you and the defective, striped one.

Two burly Builders seized Stripe, who kicked and lashed out with his free legs. Will recoiled as the wave of Builders swarmed him, wrenching his arms and smashing him to the floor.

“No!” Berko released Mars and jumped towards Will, flapping his wings and pounding Builders with his ham-sized fists.

Above him, Mars attacked, flying through the air, biting and kicking at the powerful insects, but it was no use. Builders piled on Will’s back, subduing him with super-human strength.

Berko was engulfed in a mass of soldier Builders. Mars’ purple hair disappeared under spiny black legs and thoraxes.

Don’t hurt them! I’ll go with you. Whatever you want. Just don’t hurt them.
Will thought as hard as he could, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t move and could barely breathe as the weight of more Builders crushed him. Will called through the tangle of mandibles and stingers, searching for the leader. The red-eyed Builder’s face appeared at the end of a tunnel of giant insects.

They were warned, Immune. Now they will be no more.

“No! Leave them alone!” Will screamed with all he had, but the light between the soldier Builders’ bodies had already been blotted out. He was entombed in darkness.

27

Masks Removed

W
ake up, boy.

The odor bringing the words into Will’s mind was sharp and foul. He tried to hold his nose, but his entire body felt encased in concrete. Something covered his eyes, blinding him. He inhaled deeply and the room around him formed in his brain. It was a large, open chamber filled with tables and chemicals—a laboratory.

Yes. You’re reaching out. Using your instincts. Good.

Will sniffed toward the scent words, attempting to form a picture of the speaker. The image kept flickering back and forth—the same blurry face he had seen in Dean’s room.

So young, but quick to recognize the scents. Not as powerful as Josef Grimm was, of course, but you’ll do. I’ve been waiting for you, Wilhelm. I would have had you sooner, but you are a slippery little Immune. Then again, I can’t give you all the credit. It’s so hard to find good wolves these days.

“What do you want? Where are my friends?”

Oh, shh. No, no, no. Scent-speak, please. It’s been years since I had a good conversation. Builders aren’t particularity witty, and I didn’t know Dean was capable until recently. Thank you, by the way, for telling me about him.