Fallocaust (The Fallocaust Series) (82 page)

Greyson silenced him with a glare. “No, you’re right Leo. You were right all along. He’ll never be ready, he’ll never look past his own selfish fucking needs. Not even Killian could do it. I was wrong, and I give up. He was a waste of time.” Greyson turned to leave, but he stopped again. With his face hard and his eyes still ablaze. He said what I never thought I would hear Greyson say. “Pack your shit and get the fuck out of my town.”

Before I could react, I saw Reaver laugh again. The guilt and shock I had seen sweep his face when he noticed my blood was gone. “Good, I always wanted to leave this shit hole. I hear Skyfall is nice this time of year.”

Oh fuck, Reaver. You don’t know what you’re saying...

I watched Greyson’s hand clench he door frame. I think Reaver was trying to call his bluff and he knew it. He had a look of a cornered animal, and I knew the next thing out of his mouth wouldn’t be good.

And it wasn’t.

“Killian is staying here, with us. Jeff left him under my protection. If you take him out of my town, I will have you shot on sight.”

I thought he was going to snap, I thought he was going to kill him... but instead he smiled. Nothing gave the inclination he was rattled by Greyson’s words. Not his casual, sure body language, not his smiling face, or his blazing obsidian eyes.

My chimera...

“Leo is staying here, with us. As the new leader of Aras I am exiling you from my town. If you take him out of my town, I will ha-”

I screamed as Greyson raised his fist and punched Reaver in the head. Then time seemed to slow around us.

The surprise caught Reaver off guard. I watched as my chimera fell backwards and slammed against the wall. To my horror Greyson jumped on him and started strangling him.

Before I could even think I felt my mouth open, I screamed for the only person I could think of which was Reno.

Leo who was once beside me was now on top of Greyson trying to pull him off of the chimera brother he had stolen. Reaver had his hands on Greyson’s trying to pry his grip from his neck but the mayor grasp was tightened steel. I got up and tried to pull the leader off of Reaver too but he was a fortress.

Everyone was shouting, I was screaming, everyone but Reaver.

He was turning blue.

My mouth was open in a continuous scream, digging my finger nails into Greyson’s hands, I tried to wrench them free. As I did I saw the first blood vessel explode in Reaver’s eyes, followed by a chain reaction of red starbursts.

You’re killing him!
It was my voice but I didn’t recognise it. I stripped away a gouge of flesh from Greyson’s hands, the pale valley filled with blood. I clawed, raked, screamed hysterically as I watched his eyes fill with crimson. Red and black.

The corners of his mouth were frothing.

Then Reno was there, and Doc, they were all pulling Greyson off of Reaver. Greyson finally unclenched his hands from Reaver’s neck only to start punching him in the head again. Getting as many blows in as he could while their hands pulled him away.

The last blow brought a drip of blood down Reaver’s ears, and as it dribbled onto the floor I witnessed his eyes rolled back into his head. He started having a violent seizure.

I was frozen, I couldn’t move. I thought I was too scared to scream but I realized I was already screaming, and I was speaking too. “His head! He has a concussion! His ears! He’s bleeding from his fucking ears!”
I dove onto Reaver, protecting him from Greyson with my body, he was shaking so violently I could barely hold him. Dark red blood dripping from his ears and nose, onto my shirt.

With my left hand I held Reaver, with my right I brought out his combat knife and brandished it at any one stupid enough to come near us.

Greyson was looking down at Reaver in shock and disbelief. Leo was holding back Reno who had tears down his face.

I cried, and held him. The shaking died down to twitching, until it stopped all together.

I looked down. His face was a grey mask of its self, his blood filled eyes dull.

I realized then he wasn’t breathing.

“He’s dead.” My voice was lifeless, a hollow sepulchral pit.

In a matter of moments I was pulled away from Reaver by Greyson and pushed into Leo’s arms. Doc was in my place shouting something at Greyson. I was passed to Reno then. The knife fell to the floor with a clatter unheard over the commotion.

I fought them, I fought all of them. With my heart frozen, or dead, I wasn’t sure. I bit, scratched, clawed and fought my way back to Reaver’s side.

He’s dead! He’s dead! I think I was screaming. I could only see their backs as they huddled around Reaver. Covered in grey ash, covered in mud and sweat. Around my boyfriend. Don’t get so close to him you fucks, he hates being crowded. Give him his space, he’ll attack all of you.

“Reaver!” I screamed and screamed until I fell to the floor. Reno was holding me in the hallway, and now Owen was there holding me too. I fought all of them. “Reaver!”

“Give him something, don’t let him fucking see this!” Reno’s voice was strangled, hysterical. Make a joke Reno... make a joke... say something funny so I know it’s okay.

“Reaver!” My voice cracked and broke under the screams. His black eyes... lifeless, the fire gone. The blood... his little ears, one had just knitted back together. I had to kiss his ears, his face. His cold dead face.

“Reaver!”

I felt a blow behind my head, and then darkness.

Chapter 34

Killian

Mom had her hand over my mouth, she was holding me against her, not trusting that I wouldn’t scream. Her breathing made way for short whimpers of fear. Mercenary Cholt shot her a glare, but he didn’t want to speak either. He had his gun out, his back pressed up against a wooden counter. Debris and gravel surrounded us, and an old fire extinguisher above the mercenaries head, half hanging down by rusted hinges.

Mom jumped when were was a creak of a door behind us, and another as it swung open and closed. It must have been amused by the door. The house we were hiding in was nothing but a frame of charred wood, but the door still worked. The counters we were using to hide ourselves nothing but warped pieces of wood that cracked and broke at the slightest touch. I could feel it snap and whine under the pressure of our backs.

I could smell them come closer.

The door creaked again.

“Shh.. shh...” Mom whispered into my ear, I didn’t realize tears were falling down my face until she wiped them away.

Suddenly there was an animal like scream behind us and the sounds of bare feet on gravel. Mercenary Cholt grabbed Mom and told her to run.

Run! Run!
Mom grabbed me and pushed me in front of her, I turned and ran, glancing back to make sure she was following me.

Its scalp had been torn, revealing white skull underneath, with loose hair dotted scalp flapping with its movements. Its face twisted as it turned to scream at us again, inside its mouth rows of rotten teeth framed by grey blistered lips.

It was dressed in soiled bike shorts that hung loosely, and a necklace made out of teeth and finger bones. Rotting hands strapped to its belt, swaying back and forth with each step.

It was dirty, with skin so radiated it had a greeny gray tinge to it. Its eyes pale like sour milk and rimmed with red. Scars on scars over lapping its body. With jewellery adorned all over it, made up of bones, decaying flesh and any knickknack small enough to make into something it could wear.

It hunched over and charged us.

I turned and ran with Cholt, but as I made my way towards him I saw two more. A female with a head dress made of bones and human scalps, and another male in torn pants and fingers chewed down to bone. The bone had been chiselled and shaped into points.

“Run! Get back to the cart!” Cholt got out his combat shot gun and blew the head off of the female. The noise rattled my teeth.

No... no sound attracts them! Where was my voice? I couldn’t speak.

Mom grabbed me but I didn’t want to run. I got out my army knife and held it in my hand.
“NO! Get to Dad!” Mom screamed. I saw five more appear on the rock face in front of us, just silhouettes with the sun on their backs. Gun shots... more gun shots, breaking the muggy air like thunder claps.

Cholt loaded his gun, but it jammed... I could see a flash of fear in his eyes. He brought out his smaller gun and shot it at the male with the claws but he didn’t flinch.

Two jumped onto him, dragging him to the rocky ground. He started to scream.

The one with the claws tore at his stomach, I saw his mouth open before he bit Cholt in the mouth, he snapped his head to the left, taking the mercenary’s upper lip with him. He swallowed it in one gulp and went back to his face. He chewed.

The female bent over him and started eating the stomach wound the raver’s claws had made. Cholt’s face was frozen in shock, his screams now short and desperate. His hand touching the greywaste ground trying to find his gun.

“Killian run!” Mom screamed.

I couldn’t look away. We were invisible to them now that they could smell food. Another came and bent down beside him, he started eating his leg, ripping off chunks of red, bleeding flesh before swallowing each mouthful whole. Its teeth were black, chipped and pointed, its tongue was grey and spotted red. Arians and rats of disease and madness, nothing but animals around us.

“Uhhhhhh...” Cholt groaned, his hands groped the ground, his legs twitched, the gaping wound bled onto the ash. They were flocking around him now, more and more silhouettes on the horizon jumping down to devour him. Some were jumping from so high they broke bones, but they couldn’t feel it. They walked towards the smell of flesh and blood. I saw one try to walk on a compound fracture, its leg bending like rubber making him fall to the ground. He didn’t register it, he just kept trying until he just crawled to the feast.

They ate him alive. The female had a bit of intestine in her mouth, she yanked it and chewed on it, unravelling the coiled mass onto the ground in front of the others. Another one tried to steal it but she shrieked at him.

“Uhh... uhhhhh,” the mercenary moaned, before he let out another desperate cry. “Help me! God... help me...”

“Shoot me... please, shoot me!”

I couldn’t look away... I could never look away.

“Go back to sleep...”

“Uhhh...”

The screams stopped, and I could smell roasting flesh. I could hear them chanting his name REAVER! REAVER! He smiled and raised his hands welcoming to the crowd, his black cape sweeping behind him like he was a super hero; like he was a god.
Reaver! Reaver!
“Back to sleep, Killian.”

“REAVER?” I screamed, jolting out of bed.

Leo put his hands on my shoulders. “Hey, hey... it’s alright. Calm down.”

I looked around confused, for a moment I didn’t know where I was but I realized I was home in the basement. I looked around desperately.

“Where is he? Where is he!” I couldn’t stop screaming. Leo got up and ran out of the room, I could see Reno behind him handing him something. Leo came back and put three of blue pills in my mouth. I tried to spit them out but he closed my jaw for me.

“He’s fine...” Leo grasped my jaw, not just to keep me from taking out the pills but also to make me look at him. “Killian do you understand? Reaver is okay. He’s just getting one last check up with Doc and he’ll be home. I promise. You need to calm down.”

“You were suppose to protect him! That’s why he’s here, isn’t it?” I screamed hysterically as soon as he took his hand away. “What the fuck is wrong with you? What the fuck is wrong with all of you!” I couldn’t hold it back, I felt like I was going crazy. “You let Greyson kill him! The prisoners had trideath! They were fucking infected we had to kill them!” Oh god, I was unloading everything. “Those fucking parasites took advantage of you being gone. I was robbed and punched in the face! And the Kerry’s were robbed and... he... he had to do something! He’s your fucking responsibility you cruel fuck! He thought you would be proud. He’s your god damn son, Leo!”

Leo looked shocked and rattled, he put his hand over his mouth, and just got up and left the room. I was crying hysterically. A moment later Reno was there, he hugged me and I just sobbed on his shoulder. He patted my arm, and held me very tight. I liked Reno even more in that moment.

When my crying had turned to whimpers, and I could hear a bit better I realized Leo was in Reaver’s living room also crying, but he was doing a better job at hiding it. I knew all the signs though since I was such a pro. His breathing was shaky and he was sniffing.

Reno held me tight, he had always been softer than Reaver. He wasn’t as rock solid or cold skinned like Reaver was. He was just normal and squishy.

I sniffed and let his tight hold on me take the sadness and fear away. Soon it would be Reaver... Leo had said...

My poor Reaver... how could Greyson do that to him? I had to get to him.

“You okay, Tinkerbell?” Reno asked.

I sniffed again and nodded.

“You wanna sing a song?”
“No,” I whimpered, my mind was too frozen in shock to do something so silly.
Apparently no wasn’t an answer. Reno started to sing. “
Five little ducks went out to play. Over the hills and far away... mother duck says quack quack quack quack... but only four little ducks came back.
”

“I think you’re geigerchip is broken.” I wiped my eyes, he was sure crazy.
“
Four little ducks went out to play. Over the hills and far away... mother duck says
...”

He let that hang, I sighed and indulged him. “Quack quack quack quack.”
“...
but only three little ducks came back
.”

I smiled, and when I did Reno said ‘
yaay
’ and squeezed me.

“How is he okay? He was dead, he wasn’t breathing,” I said as he petted my head.

Reno let out a breath. “Doc came and hauled him off to the clinic, he had him in there for like four hours and then Reaver just came out of the room,” he said, he sounded as much in disbelief as I felt. “He has some bruises on his neck and a few good goose eggs on his head but he said he’s never felt better.”