Blood Prize (34 page)

B
runo Wolf raised his right hand and his men gathered around him.

I don’t have a choice … They’ve got an Angel in tow.

He stopped and waited for his new enemy to approach. Only one group of men could betray him and bring him undone, but if he needed to fight his employer …

I’ll do it. Alright. Think fast.

He clamped his teeth and considered the nature of their duplicity. In one clever move, the chairman assumed total control of the Raptor Park operation and made sure that his security chief didn’t become another potential enemy. An invisible gun at his head, guaranteed acquiescence.

Whilst he tried to come to terms with the Assembly’s treachery, he spotted a figure striding out onto the field towards him. He recognised the man’s arrogant swagger; an attitude born of self-indulgence and a lifetime of false adulation.

Why would the chairman send his son? And why the Angel, when the thing is so unstable?

He thought it reeked of desperation on the chairman’s part; something he might be able to use if things got rough.

Bruno sized up his competitor as he drew near. He knew that Roberto Costa lived by the same rules as his father, that’s why people referred to him as the Cobra. As the youngest and only remaining son of Antonio, the Assembly chairman, he held the rank of second in command in the world’s biggest private corporation. Despite being small in stature and physically unimpressive, together with his father, he held power greater than most countries.

Their position and connections within the Assembly, give these two more personal clout than any individuals on the planet.

He looked farther back over Roberto’s left shoulder, to where an enormous angelic creature hovered; the last of the Seven Angels.

He holds back and I think I know why.

The Angels inspired fear and terror. They killed without remorse and nobody could stop them, yet at the height of their power they diminished and ultimately died.

That’s why this one’s unstable. His time’s almost up.

He noticed the body language of the one remaining colossus. He no longer seemed as invincible and he suspected that the Prize pertained to this situation. The Assembly sought power and the Angels in their prime represented the greatest force of power to ever exist.

The Prize must allow the Assembly to keep the Angels healthy; keep their power.

He looked back at the shimmering creature. He could be mistaken, but he seemed almost timid in this environment, like an elephant afraid of a mouse.

Wolf turned back and faced the interloper.

“Roberto. What in God’s name are you doing here?”

“I’m here to collect our due, Wolf. We’ve had enough of rogue employees.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re here. You can save me some trouble. Just climb down into that death-pit and the Prize is yours.”

Wolf realised he wasted the banter; the man couldn’t be intimidated easily. The Cobra demonstrated the same mettle as his father.

Roberto smiled and walked past him towards the cavern.

“That’s my intention, Wolf. Even if it’s what we pay you for. Perhaps we’ll have to review your salary arrangements, when this is done.”

Bruno nodded with understanding; his suspicions proving to be correct.

Once he has it … I’m dead.

He knew the deal. In such instances, mentioning an impending employee downgrade implied having a future; a type of ruse for the purpose of distracting and pacifying a victim, until they could be dispatched.

He quickened his pace; he wasn’t going to be second down that hole. Securing the Prize first remained his best hope.

What now?

As he swang around to follow Costa, a group of soldiers approaching from the Spring Creek area diverted his attention.

They’ve left their posts without my direct orders.

His men herded two people towards him; one with flaming auburn hair and the other with her face partially covered in bandages.

_____________

Tom caught sight of a man’s silhouette entering the circle of light above him. He watched him clamber down the initial section of the metal ladder and just before he disappeared into the blackness, Tom recognised the stiff jerky movements of his body.

“Vogel.”

Oh God. I’m not sure I can handle this.

The pain in Tom’s body kept escalating; fast approaching a point beyond his ability to manage. He wanted to cry out, but he held the scream and gulped it back down his throat.

I’m dying.

He could feel death’s cold hands creeping over his body.

It’s coming … Not long now … It’s close.

It felt strange that he didn’t fear it; the thought actually soothed him, yet the idea of Isobel dying alone made up for his own lack of distress. He could feel her behind, propping him up and he prayed for the strength to help her when the end came.

Ever since she appeared and became a part of his life, he agonised and exulted because of her.

If only we could have been given a little more time.

Their predicament never allowed him the opportunity to fully investigate his feelings towards her.

I never understood. How could I? I’ve never felt anything like this before.

His emotions seemed alien. How could he form an understanding of this strange phenomenon without time to absorb the experience of her?

Should I tell her how I feel, or would it make it worse for her?

It felt selfish, but he really needed to say something, yet even as his life ebbed, he didn’t know how to begin.

V
ogel felt the immediate relief of escaping death as he came down the ladder, but his liberation from fear turned from alarm to outright panic, the further he descended into the cavern.

I think I’m going to throw up.

As he lowered himself, one agonising foot after the other, he remembered deeply buried images of a young tormented face.

No … I don’t want to think about that little trouble maker.

Years earlier, he wrapped the eight-year old in a rug, before murdering her mother.

Why do I remember killing her, after disposing of so many?

He could still hear her muffled screaming, her excruciating cries for help, mixed with his laughter.

No … Get out of my head.

He saw her face in his mind, morph from terror into mirth, but nothing about his current situation seemed at all humorous. He couldn’t see the irony, just the darkness that engulfed him; a suffocating horror beyond anything he could imagine.

Pull yourself together … You’re losing control.

He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing; imagining his rise to the heights of the Assembly and beyond, and he regained a small sense of calm. He opened his eyes, flicked on his headlamp and tried to determine something of his environment.

His stance became rigid. He didn’t dare make a sound. Without consciously thinking about his actions, he very slowly raised his arm and pointed.

There … It glows and flickers, like the Angels.

After the initial shock, Vogel not only realised that he could see the light, but also that the sound of his voice reverberated off the walls.

He heard another noise and stopped moving.

Someone’s behind me.

He imagined the gun; anticipating the imminent indignity of a bullet entering his back, but nothing happened. He inched his right hand downwards until he felt the smooth handle of his gun. He sucked in a nervous breath and spun around to face his enemy.

“You.”

He couldn’t see any guns, only a dirty young woman and a dying man.

“A little sick are we, Fox?”

“Can’t you see he’s dying? Leave him alone, Vogel.”

Tom raised his head and Vogel could see the truth of her statement.

The girl’s right. He’s as good as gone.

This didn’t thrill him. He needed Fox for his own salvation. He found the Prize, so he must know how to use it.

He looked from Fox back towards the centre of the cavern, to where his Prize lay waiting. Even wrapped in Fox’s discarded shirt, it pulsed with a growing intensity.

He strode over and scooped it up; holding it aloft to demonstrate his victory.

“You’ve kept this for long enough, Fox. It now belongs to me.”

With impatience, he ripped at the shirt until he held the bare metal casing; almost dropping it when his touch created an instant response from the contents. It started to flicker and intensify until the dynamics of the cavern changed. Instead of the light being lost in the black, porous walls, it lit the cave-like hall with waves of iridescent green.

He knelt on the sooty floor and continued to stare at the damaged canister.

Men are being slaughtered outside for this thing and I have it.

His thoughts sobered when he considered that he held no clue on how to use it.

Uta swallowed the stuff, but what happened to her? If I do the same, I might die a hideous death.

He turned back and glared at Tom.

I need Fox.

Frederick didn’t waste a moment making up his mind. Very carefully, he laid the canister on the ground and started walking towards the girl; running the last few steps to catch her unawares. Once he gripped her arm, he spun her around and took her in a headlock, dropping to his knees and forcing her to do likewise. His free hand found his weapon and he jammed the end of the barrel into the side of her head.

“Listen very carefully, Fox. I want to know how to use the Prize. I want its secrets, or I’ll kill her.”

Without Isobel’s support, Tom fell back; his head thumping onto the floor. Vogel heard him grunt with pain, then moan as he struggled to rise into a sitting position and face him.

“No sane person would trust you, Vogel. I want a guarantee first.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no guarantee. I’ll kill you both, if you don’t do what I want.”

“I don’t think so. Without me, you’re powerless.”

“I mean it. I’ll kill you, Fox.”

“Bullshit. We both know what they’ll do to you, if you can’t use the Prize, Vogel.”

He hesitated. Fox understood his predicament. He couldn’t bully him.

“Alright, what guarantee?”

“That you share it with Isobel.”

“No. That’s impossible.”

“No it’s not. She goes first, then you. That’s the deal.”

“I’m not sharing with anybody …”

“Didn’t you hear me, Vogel? You do it or you die. Make your decision.”

Vogel pushed Isobel aside and stumbled to recover the canister. He noticed his hands trembling, as he handed the precious object over to Tom.

_____________

Uta seethed with the frustration and humiliation of capture.

It’s Réz’s fault, but I won’t openly blame her.

She looked over and gave her sister a knowing glance. They must keep their partaking of the Prize secret.

Uta turned her face away from Réz and the gawking of Wolf’s men. Excruciating pain ravaged her insides and she didn’t want them to see her distress.

In the beginning it just burnt a little and tasted bad, like sweetened petroleum running down her neck, but in the last ten minutes, her situation began to change. With intermittent surges of agony, the feeling inside her body alternated; a frozen wasteland one moment and the heat of a firestorm, the next. She also kept regurgitating a metallic tasting bile that made her gasp and gag.

Maybe I should have waited, but it’s too late now.

Her stomach and bowel area felt as if she carried a womb full of vipers; their movement made her feel like throwing up.

I can’t stop it now … No matter the outcome.

T
om thought about re-checking the contents of his father’s letter, but he couldn’t retrieve it in Vogel’s presence without ending their bargain. With the absence of a syringe, he needed to remember if a process existed for safely drinking from the canister, before Isobel took her turn.

I have to get this right.

If he made a mistake, it could be disastrous. His decision could cause her to die, but without it … her death rated a certainty.

He forced himself to look at Vogel, despite his anger at the man.

“The Prize is alien blood. It’s what the suits are made from and it has its own consciousness.”

“You’re telling me this ooze can think?”

“Yes. Do you want to hear this or not.”

Vogel pursed his lips and nodded

“My father found it and studied it. You can’t swallow any more than a lid full and even that might kill you.”

“Will it give me the same power as the Angels?”

Tom gave Vogel made up answers, but he seemed happy enough to accept them.

“It will either kill you or change you utterly. No-one knows for sure, but to have the same power as the Angels … you need their suits.”

Tom felt Isobel’s breath on the back of his neck as she spoke.

“Am I going to die, Tom?”

“I … I think the Prize will allow a piece of you to die, so that another part can grow.”

Tom tried to concentrate. He needed to pour the green substance into the canister’s lid, but he felt aghast at Isobel’s morbid statements and his fever caused his hands to shake.

“I can’t do it, Tom. I can’t take this stuff.”

Vogel grunted with impatience.

“Don’t be stupid, girl. Hurry up, or none of us will make it.”

“No. I won’t do it. I won’t become a monster, like the people who took my father. These Angels are controlled by someone and they killed people. They killed thousands.”

“Come on, Iz. Please …”

“No Tom, I’ve made up my mind. You’re dying and I want to go there with you. I’m not going to stay here alone and become one of them.”

Vogel reached forward, took Tom by the foot and shook him.

“You made a bargain, Fox. You gave me your word.”

Isobel struck out at Vogel and slapped his hand away.

“You’ll have to finish us, Vogel. It’s the only thing you’re good at.”

Tom tried to speak, but no words could portray the confusion impeding his decision making processes.

No matter what she says, I can’t just let her die. This liquid is all I can do for her now. I have to follow through.

“Vogel put your gun away, or I’ll spray this stuff all over the floor.”

Tom’s stomach burned with inflammation and his shoulder throbbed with pain, but he still found the strength to maintain his newly found authority. He turned and smiled an apology to Isobel and her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Nothing’s changed, Vogel. The bargain still stands. Grab her and open her mouth. Then you’ll get your own dose.”

Vogel didn’t hesitate. He grabbed her before she could move and held her easily, despite her screams and feeble attempts to pull away.

“No, Tom … Please. I don’t want to live like this.”

Her cries for help accused him. Overriding her decision filled him with guilt, but he couldn’t let her go, despite whatever consequences arose from his decision.

Once she swallowed the liquid, Vogel let go of her, allowing Tom to reach for her hand, but she pushed him away.

“Izzi …?”

He tried to meet her eyes, but a bolt of pain caused him to clutch at his chest and he doubled over.

Something’s eating my insides … God it hurts.

Tom rolled over onto his side and tried not to yell, but some of the grunts and moans he tried to hold in, escaped from his throat.

Through the agony he glimpsed Isobel’s expression; her eyes seemed to widen in panic and disbelief.

Tom’s body began to jerk and bounce causing even more pain. He experienced an almost overwhelming feeling of relief when Isobel crawled back to him and tried to hold him still.

“Vogel. I’ll help you with your dose, but first you have to help Tom.”

With a nod of annoyance, Vogel straddled Tom’s body and sat on his legs. In the same action, he pinned both of his arms to the floor.

“Look at him. Everything’s moving.”

Tom heard Isobel scream.

He lifted his head so he could see his upper torso and his mouth flew open in surprise. Something alien moved under his skin; an infestation of some kind; Finger-long creatures that raised the skin as they slithered inside his body.

Tom slowly lifted his arm and eased the palm on his right hand onto his chest, but the movement underneath felt sickening and he instantly withdrew it; the momentum causing him to fall backwards off his elbows. He remembered feeling the back of his head hit the ground, then all went blank.

“Come back, Tom. Please.”

Tom responded to Isobel’s cry and woke fully to a stab of pain. He smiled at her, but continued to lay still even though the strange phenomenon appeared to be over.

“Tom?”

He noticed Isobel’s eyes widen and her expression seemed all the more frightening, when he realised she stared at him. Once again he rose up on his elbows and strained his neck as he tried to see his mid and upper torso.

Oh God. Not again.

He could see two of his wounds; both swollen into egg-sized volcanos. One after another they began to erupt; spitting green frothing muck into the air and onto his stomach.