The Empty (30 page)

The reyaqc shook his head slowly. “She volunteered. It was her choice.”

“Oh, don’t even go there. She had about as much choice as a Jew stepping into a gas chamber at Auschwitz. You don’t know me. All you see is a human—someone different than you, and therefore lesser than you. But, I’ve had a love for the reyaqc. I’ve defended your right to survive. I’ve even tricked other humans into giving essence, but despite what I’ve done in the past, despite the need, no one should be forced into this against their own will—no one!”

The reyaqc did not flinch, nor did he rise up in rage. Rather, he moved to within inches of Shane. His breath was hot and moist. It smelled of uncooked meat. His eyes were white, emotionless, but intelligent still. When finally he spoke, his voice was firm, confident, compelling. Shane felt as if he was in this one’s spell, that he had no choice but to bend to his will. “I am a reyaqc, Daws. I understand all of this on a level you could never hope to achieve. Still, I know humans well. I live in a world dominated by them. But, understand this. The pack needs female givers. The few that we have are severely depleted and need recuperation before donating yet again. By your woman giving of herself, because of her sacrifice, an unborn reyaqc now stands a chance of survival. And that chance is worth risking the life of one of the more than six billion humans on this planet.”

The reyaqc chieftain then turned and marched into the night, leaving Shane alone with the millions of stars. Neither the human nor the reyaqc saw the two merciless eyes staring at them from behind a teetering storage shed.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Charles Chambers leaned into the sharp, nearly invisible cutback, which was illuminated only by his single headlight. His lime green 2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX roared and grabbed the road despite the loose gravel splayed across the searing asphalt. Charles’ mouth was dry, his lips cracked, and his face-despite his full-face helmet—riddled with sand. He worried about fuel. He’d passed Cactus Range, Golden Arrow, Tybo, and all other remotely populated areas far behind. Sure, the bike got better than sixty miles to the gallon, but the tank only held 4.5 gallons. He was now off of anything resembling a major thoroughfare and was flying down unlit rural back roads and sometimes dirt pathways in search of an abandoned silver mine owned in part by Donald Baker.

One of the fanatics on the reyaqc-themed website indicated that Baker often invested in property for reyaqc communities. When Charles’ “client,” the rogue, began chanting the words “silver mine,” Charles phoned his assistant and asked her to research Baker’s name in relation to any silver mine holdings in Nevada. The research had taken longer than anticipated. There were several “front” corporations and layers of diversion to muddle through, but in the end the connection had been found. Now, aided by his BlackBerry Smartphone’s Global Positioning System (GPS), Charles was racing through the ink black night toward the site, hoping against hope that his street bike could handle the increasingly rocky terrain, and that once he arrived, Julia would be alive and unharmed.

He knew he was asking for a lot. But, he was an attorney. That’s what he did for a living.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Julia blinked. Her eyes were dry as was her mouth. Working her tongue, she attempted to produce saliva, but was for the most part unsuccessful. It seemed her body could not generate enough liquid. From a medical standpoint, this was confusing. Over the past several hours, she’d consumed copious amounts of water, produced very little urine, and had no noticeable sweat. Where had the liquid gone? She wasn’t bloated. She felt none of the typical symptoms of over hydration—she wasn’t confused or inattentive; she had no paralysis, no rapid breathing or vomiting, no shouting or delirium. She hadn’t taken her blood pressure, so couldn’t know if that was elevated, but her sense was that it was not. As such, she could only conclude that she was not over hydrated, so once again—where had all the liquid gone?

She blinked again, attempting to moisten her eyes, then sighed and stared at the uneven lines of the ceiling. She’d been in and out of consciousness for the past several hours. Initially, Donald Baker tended to her, but for the past two hours, she’d been alone with the young reyaqc woman, Minya. The girl had a sweet and caring disposition. Despite the circumstances, Julia couldn’t help but like her.

There was a coolness, almost a tickling sensation on Julia’s legs. Tilting her head up with some effort, she glanced down to see the girl rubbing some sort of gray/green paste below her knees and down toward her ankles.

“Minya,” she said through a dry and raspy throat. “What are you doing?”

The girl smiled. “It’s an herb compact, Dr. Julia. The mixture is believed to help stabilize your system.”

Julia allowed herself a weak chuckle. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t want my system unstable.” Though, to herself she thought everything else in her life was instable, why not her system? “How’s the baby, Minya? Healthy?”

“Kicking,” smiled the reyaqc girl as she rubbed the last of the salve into Julia’s leg and then picked up a frayed green dishtowel and wiped her hands.

“That’s a healthy sign,” said Julia. “When are you due?”

“Two months.”

Julia began to ask her how long a reyaqc’s pregnancy typically lasted, but it was then that the lights and air conditioning went out. Five seconds later there was a horrible scream followed by shouts and clamoring. Minya’s ears twitched, her nose flared, she stood rigid for only a moment and then she was beside Julia, whispering in her ear, and tugging at her arms. “Hurry, Dr. Julia. We must flee downwind.”

Rising unsteadily to a sitting position, Julia mumbled, “Why? What’s going on?”

“Raid. Now, hurry. Stay with me.”

Did she say “raid?” What kind of raid? Had the police somehow found out about her abduction? Had some authority learned of the reyaqc community and now attempted to round them up? “What do you mean, raid, Minya? What’s happening?” Julia’s head swam. This sudden movement was unsettling.

“Another reyaqc pack, Dr. Julia. Please, we must get downwind before they find us.”

Julia had dozens of questions. Why would one reyaqc pack attack another? Were they in some kind of war? What would happen to her if captured? But she understood that she could ask none of these now. In truth, just standing upright was challenge enough. Minya pulled her forward, cracked the door open, and sniffed at the night air. Julia could now hear the sounds of steady conflict—harsh guttural growls, the thuds and scuffles of hand-to-hand combat, the shrieks of agony.

“There is a small shed about fifty feet to our right,” whispered Minya. “Just beyond that is a pile of discarded wooden pallets. We’ll move first to one and then to the other. Once we feel it safe to move again, we’ll climb the hill behind the woodpile. If we get separated, find the metal tracks leading out of the mine. Follow those into the cave entrance and keep going as deep as you dare. It will be utterly dark. You’ll need to feel your way. But do it anyway. It might be your only hope.”

Julia scanned the night, but saw little more than the occasional shadowy form race one direction or another. Still, she could hear the fighting, could hear the barked orders and quick military-like responses. “Why?” she asked in a stark whisper, “What will they do to us if we’re caught? What do they want?”

Minya turned toward Julia, her expression firm, her face seeming years more mature than it had only two minutes before. “Me, they will use for breeding and sport; you, as a giver, and not gently. Most likely, four or five females would take your essence in the space of a day. You wouldn’t survive. Now, come. We have no time.”

With that, Minya tugged Julia’s hand and they were through the doorway, slinking between ramshackle buildings. Julia’s head seemed to sway this way and that in sloshing waves. Her legs quivered and she seriously wondered if she had the strength to make it the few dozen feet to the next structure, much less up the side of a steep, rock-strewn foothill. Slipping behind a small wooden hut, Julia bent, placing her palms on her knees for support, and gasped in huge gulps of the hot night air. Waves of nausea assaulted her and she closed her eyes, willing herself not to vomit.

Moments later, when Julia had temporarily stayed the rising bile, she opened her eyes to see Minya standing tense, her back slightly arced, her head tilted back, and her nose flaring. “Do you see them?” whispered the reyaqc girl.

Julia squinted, staring into the darkness of the foothill rising behind the building. She didn’t have Minya’s cat-like eyes. All was black with only sporadic slashes of gray. “I don’t see anything.”

“They hide about three quarters of the way up the slope—a secondary raid party. Their purpose is to capture or kill any who seeks to flee. We’ll need to find another way.”

There was a sudden crash and clatter. Julia turned to see two reyaqc, both beastly, both naked, not twenty feet away. One had thrown the other against the small mountain of discarded wooden pallets and now thrust his face into the base of the other’s neck, ripping and tearing. The pinned reyaqc clawed at his attacker’s back but the other merely intensified his attack.

“Come,” said Minya. “We must keep moving or the raiders will catch our scents.”

A commotion erupted from a large, corrugated, building to the north. Flames shot out of the few small windows and smoke seeped through the arched roof. There were shouts and screams, roars and howls. “They’re setting fire to the settlement,” shouted Minya as she grabbed Julia’s hand and pulled her toward the south. “This is how they drive inhabitants out for the slaughter. Hurry! Run for the animal cages. Our scents may be lost to the raiders as we get close to the beasts.”

Julia did as she was told, still fighting nausea and quite possibly unconsciousness, she willed herself forward, slinking along a jagged row of small structures that lined the east side of the compound. But she doubted they could make it to the far side of the place. There were only sparse buildings to hide behind. Much of the area was wide open and barren. Chaos erupted on all sides. A barn-like building to the west was now engulfed in flames. Julia saw forms grappling with one another, could hear the slashing and rending of flesh, the agonized cries of the dying. No matter which direction she turned, shadowy reyaqcs raced about tumbling and fighting. Torches bobbed in the night as raiders went from building to building igniting the compound. The hot desert air became heavy with glowing soot. It was nothing short of pandemonium.

Julia’s stomach twisted. She gasped, fell to her knees. Nausea overtook her like a thundering wave against a worn and rotting dock. She leaned forward, palms flat upon the gravel-strewn ground, vomiting like a dog that had eaten chicken bones. She heard Minya’s frantic voice as the girl urged her to rise. Julia lifted a hand, waving her forward, but the young reyaqc came back for her.

The assailant seemed to rise up out of the night, his powerful body glowing reddish yellow in the flickering firelight. The reyaq’s forehead was domed, his face sweeping into a long muzzle, and framed by shots of short wiry hair. The eyes were round, as were the black-furred ears. The arms were broad and seemed perhaps more powerful than the legs. Julia tried to scream a warning through her horrific retching, but it was too late. The thing swiped a claw across Minya’s back, sending her sprawling to the ground.

“No!” cried Julia as she launched from the ground, heedless of the spasmodic jerks still racking her form. Grabbing a softball-sized rock, she hurled it at the thing, striking it on the left shoulder.

It turned, growled, and then grinned. “A human female,” it said. Its voice was low and beastly.

Still dizzy, Julia turned to flee. The thing laughed, but didn’t follow as she’d hoped it would. Instead, it turned its attention back to Minya, who was still writhing on the ground. Julia cursed. The girl was pregnant, injured. Julia had wanted to draw the beast away. Minya screamed as Julia reached the tall mound of discarded wooden pallets where two reyaqc had battled just minutes before. Quickly, she found a broken pallet, pulled a plank free with a sharp crack. Two rusted nails protruded from the far end.

Minya clawed and kicked as her assailant dragged her across the stony ground. Julia’s first strike connected with the reyaqc’s right cheek. The nails first punctured the skin, and then ripped it as Julia followed through like a major league slugger. The reyaqc twirled and roared, but Julia was already into her second swing. This one connected with the upper chest. Julia tried to pull the board free for a third blow, but the frenzied reyaqc ripped it from her hands, heaving it to the ground.

Before the assailant could advance on Julia, Minya launched onto its back, her long claw-like nails penetrating his upper chest, her legs wrapping around his torso, and her sharp, needle-like teeth ripping at the exposed flesh of his neck. The reyaqc twirled and flailed, his arms reaching wildly back in a crazed attempt to dislodge the young girl. But his limbs were too thick, too inflexible to find the mark. Retrieving her fallen weapon, Julia clubbed the beast on the side of the head again, again. Each time the nails shredded more flesh. She heard the awful popping as an eyeball burst. Still, she struck him yet again. Now he staggered. Minya bit deeper. Julia drew her arms back and swung with all her might. “Go directly to hell. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two-hundred dollars, freak face!”

The blow connected with a sickening crack. The reyaqc toppled backward, landing squarely on Minya, who shrieked in pain. Dropping the wooden plank, Julia grabbed a now-limp arm of the unconscious reyaqc, and with three sharp tugs, pulled him off of the girl. Minya gasped, her eyes wide. Blood and water poured from between her legs drenching her simple brown smock. “Dr. Julia!” she shrieked. “The baby! The baby!”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

At the faint sound of the first strike, Tresset Bremu rose from his seat, ears twitching and nose flaring. “Dolnaraq,” he said. “It seems you’ve distracted me from a much larger problem than a single rogue terrorizing a human city.”