Four (Their Dead Lives,1) (58 page)

No time for Addison to see what was after the other survivors as Sofia struck his chest with one crushing blow. Breath and balance lost, he fell to dirt. She knocked him over with a light kick. “
Sofia
...”
 

“Not so tough without your little pistol, are you?” She pounced over his legs, straddling him. Both his arms were pinned past his head. “What did you say to me on the roof?”
 

What did I say?
 

“Tell me, Addy.”
 

“I don’t remember,” he cried.
 

“This might help.” She shot her face close, forcing her tongue in his mouth. Cold and damp, it stretched down his throat, choking him. He swiped his head to the side but her tongue dug deeper.
Fuck it!
He snapped his teeth shut and his mouth filled with blood. She lunged back, grabbing her face, screaming in pain as black oozed off her lips. With a swift kick, Addison crawled out from under her prison, and he spat out the remains of her tongue.
 

Evans tumbled across dirt, bruised and bloodied. Battling on the ground was Eddie, swinging his machete at the cloaked Embracer that had almost impaled Addison with the steel spear earlier.
 

Addison fumbled to unholster Evans’ pistol. He shot a glance behind and Sofia, hunched over, continued to grab her mouth and gag, black splashing across the canyon. He tugged and tugged at the holster.
Fucker!
With no luck getting the pistol, he snagged a grenade off Evans’ vest. He charged at Sofia, about to pull the pin. A dark hand shot out, swiping the small explosive from his grasp. He tried to drop and grab it. He tried. But she wrapped around his neck, throwing him several feet away. A sharp pain exploded in his arm. Shaking eyes saw bone snapped from his skin. He cried.
 

“This what you want?” Sofia lifted the grenade off the ground. “I thought you wanted me.” She sounded more funny than scary, talking without a full tongue.
You disastrous woman.
She cracked her neck, opened her mouth, and her tongue grew, sliding out longer than humanly possible. Addison gagged at the sight. As it hung past her chin, she rushed for him.
 

Kicking and crawling with his one good arm, Addison tried to escape. He tried. But she grabbed his ankle. Dragging him under her legs, she pinned him again. Her tongue swirled around, much like the helicopter blades had before.
 

“No, no!” He blocked his face as the tongue flopped around his arm.
 

“Give me a little kiss, Addy.” Her dark eyes pressed close to his. “A last kiss.”

Evans flung her off in one, roaring charge. “Handle your girl,” he said, after catching his breath over Addison. Turning back to the helicopter, Evans yelled for Eddie and ran away.
 

Addison’s eyes landed to the dropped grenade. He snagged it and spun. Sofia rushed back for him as he popped the pin off.
 

They collided. Addison—weak, bloody, and defeated—somehow landed on top of her.
 

“Give it to me, Addy!” Her possessed tongue flipped and flopped, sticking to his face for wet seconds.
 

“What did
I
say to you on the roof?” He struggled to keep her down, and wasn’t sure if she was toying with him. “You want to know what I said?” Her legs wrapped around his. Locked. She laughed, tongue swirling. “
I
said
, EAT IT, you snatch!” And he shoved the grenade in her mouth. He fought instantly to break free, but she bit hard around his wrist, grabbed his tie, and bound him with her legs. Those dark eyes ignited wide.
 

Trapped by the only woman he’d ever loved, Addison screamed until the explosion took his voice.

EVANS
 

Enough biting, stabbing, neck-grabbing, shooting, exploding and crashing. Time for home.
Evans searched for his carbine in the helicopter wreckage. Through the debris, he saw their legs. “Slinger, crouch.”
 

Her face met his. “You okay?”

“Affirmative.”
 

Eddie leaned from the cabin, stretching his hand. “Jon, let us go.”
 

But Evans froze. The black cloak fluttered to the helicopter, landing right at the pilot’s side. “Eddie, watch out!”
 

Eddie spun, unsheathing his machete and slicing the cloak open. The Embracer flashed a step back. Eddie continued his charge, raising the machete high. The Embracer slid under the attack, kicking the pilot’s legs and tripping him down to the ground. Evans spun away, evading the falling body.
 

Something attacked Addison.
 

“What was that, Specialist?” Slinger asked from the other side of the wreckage.
 

Two Embracers? There is no surviving this.
Wanting to save his sergeant, Evans dropped to Slinger’s eyes. “Take Kelsey to Numark, now!”
 

“Not without you.”
 

“Chelsea, go!” Spinning back, he reached for his handgun. A black fist connected with his jaw. He leapt on the cloaked beast as it rushed him into the canyon wall. His back cracked, causing him to slump over the Embracer’s shoulder.
 

Eddie lunged off the ground. The machete struck the cloak and a boisterous roar flew off the grey face of the Embracer. Pulling the hood back revealed the same haunting dark eyes from the yacht. Evans hated those eyes.
 

A gloved hand wrapped around the specialist’s forehead, thrusting his head roughly against the canyon wall. Sight blurred. Body lifted, he was thrown by the fucker once again. He slid across dirt, weakened and dazed.
 

From nearby came the sounds of Addison’s struggle.
 

Eddie continued the battle as Evans fought to rise. A step, a slash, a retreat, a dodge. The Embracer charged at Eddie, who in turn bounced off the canyon wall, evading the attack. He spun back, twirling with a slash, ripping the creatures stomach open using the machete. The cloaked beast fell over, grabbing its dripping organs. Eddie raised the machete over its head. “For my helicopter.”

The Embracer snagged Eddie’s leg, yanked him to the ground before the blade connected. Eddie wrestled with the smothering shadow, creating a flurry of dark and dust.
 

After Evans found the strength to rise, he smashed into the woman attacking Addison, then quickly spun back to the helicopter. “Eddie,” he breathed mournfully.
 

The Embracer had snapped the pilot’s neck.
 

Evans’ feet flew as he kicked off the ground. Falling to a slide, he grabbed the machete. A hand shot for him. A ferocious slash removed the Embracer’s leg from below the knee. Black blood poured across dirt.
 

His face sprayed dark and Evans rolled to his feet. The Embracer hobbled in front of the specialist, snagging a broken piece of its steel spear. Evans struck. Parried. He kicked at the cloak. The steel piece scathed his hip. He struck again. Parried.
 

On the offensive, the beast struck, wobbling on one foot. Evans mixed up his stance, becoming too slow to dodge. The steel impaled his thigh. Falling to one knee, he swung the machete at the beast’s face, nicking its cheek.
 

A scream caused the weakened foes to take a brief break from their fight.
 

An explosion threw Addison off the splattering corpse of the other Embracer, sending his back into a canyon wall. He tumbled to the ground. Small flames ate at his sprawled-out body.
 

The steel spear ripped from Evans’ kneeling leg. He clenched his lips, fighting a yell, and swung the machete. Blade ripped through cloak, hitting flesh and bone. Before Evans could retract, the broken spear quickly slipped into his chest. His jaw locked open. Pain shot throughout his body. Eyes wide, he slumped over the Embracer, the two of them weakly propping each other up in a red and black puddle of blood.
Keep fighting.
The steel spear ripped from the specialist’s body and rose over his head, shimmering in the moonlight. A flash of Dylan’s face. A bright smile. Waiting.
Almost home,
he heard his uncle’s voice. One last rush gave Evans the strength to strike back, and he diverted the deadly path of the spear to the side, and he launched the final swing through the Embracer’s neck.
 

Falling over, limbs weak to the numb, the specialist coughed up dirt and blood as the decapitated head rolled until the creature’s eyes turned to him. The darkness vanished, showing the old man’s humanity for the first time.
 

Evans stabbed the machete in the ground, using it for leverage. Even with blood dripping from multiple gashes, he managed to make his way toward Addison.
 

He paused by the Embracer’s still-rolling head; one swift kick sent it flying through the canyon. “That’s for sinking my uncle’s yacht.”
 

The charred Addison stretched out a weak hand. His other arm had been blown off. His melted lips gummed together as he tried to speak. “Did I handle her?”
 

Evans fell to one knee, holding himself up by using the machete. He said, “Handled.”
 

Addison’s eyelids had burnt off, but now his eyes seemed at peace and he breathed his last worry. Turning from the charred corpse, Evans focused on the helicopter wreckage blocking his path to Numark.

An impossible climb,
the specialist thought with each painful step he took. But he needed his orders, he needed—
 

His knees crashed to the ground and the machete slipped from his hand. The dying night blurred
.
 

“Jon!” A silhouette stood on the crashed helicopter.
 

Numb, his body fell forward, only to be caught in Slinger’s arms.
 

“Numark,” he moaned like the decay.
 

“It’s waiting for us.”
 

He smiled, tasting blood on his teeth.
 

Slinger said, “You’re coming home with me.”
 

His light head slumped. “Is that an order?”
 

Kelsey lowered next to them. “Is he—”
 

“Let’s go,” demanded Slinger.
 

The girls lifted Evans and the three of them headed for Camp Numark.
 

Evans said, “A warm cot.”
 

“Sounds too good.”

JEFF
 

We leave as—
 

“Look at us, guys; a gook, two heebs and a bean,” said Scot.
 

Jeff, blood dripping down his face, wanted to punch him for making such a stupid joke at a time like this. “Enough.”
 

“What? We’re reunited again, just reminiscing.” He shrugged.
 

Jeff grabbed Kale’s shoulder. “I—I’m sorry.”
 

“Fuck me, why are you guys apologizing to him? Are we forgetting what he’s done?” Scot stepped away. “There’s no redemption story here.”
 

Jeff pulled Kale, Alec immediately following. “I’ll get to you in a second.” He turned and pointed.
 

Alec paused. “I go wherever Kale does. He has Nicole.”
 

Jeff yanked Kale’s wrist, spinning him back. “This true?”
 

A nod.
 

“Where?”
 

A head turn. They all looked across the curved roof at another entrance to the apartment complex. “I’ll bring her out.”
 

“Go, get her.” Jeff shoved Kale.
 

“Wait!” Alec grabbed Kale’s arm. “We can’t let him out of our sight.”
 

“I trust him,” said Jeff.

Scot touched his own head. “I’m sorry,
you trust him?
This guy, who stabbed me in high school, and who likely shoved you off that cliff when you were drunk, and who keeps trying to kill us—
you
‘trust’
him?”
 

“He wants us all together,” said Jeff, “and if it wasn’t for him, we’d all be dead in that well, or—”
 

Kale stared at Scot. “Be condemned like me.”
 

“Take me to her,” said Alec.
 

Kale didn’t move. “No. Let me go alone. Show me some trust and I’ll bring her out, unharmed.”
 

Scot stepped to Alec, while grabbing two of his own stab wounds. “Don’t listen to him. Even with my severe blood loss, I feel like I have the clearest head here. Am I wrong?”
 

He has to go alone. We have to caress his now fragile mind.
“Please, guys, please, let him.”
 

Alec and Scot stared at Jeff, as if looking at their leader.
 

“Bring her out.”
 

Kale went, scampering across the roof like a creature of the night. They followed him to the other side. He slipped in the apartment entrance, leaving the door partially open.
 

“This is absurd,” groaned Scot.
 

“Jeff,” Alec started, clenching his fist, “if anything happens to her, you’ll take every blame I’ll have to give.”
 

“Understood.”
Kale won’t hurt her. He can’t.
 

Scot limped between them, cracking another wise remark. “So guys, how about this apocalypse? Crazy, right?”
 

“Shut up, Scotty,” whispered Alec.
 

Scot retracted. “I was so close to finding somewhere safe with Kelsey. We made beautiful passion, too.”
 

They both said nothing.
 

Seconds turned to minutes. No Kale.
 

Alec sighed. “That’s it. I love you, Jeff, but you’re a naïve idiot.” He stormed to the entrance right when it opened.
 

Kale stepped out, holding Nicole’s hand.
Yes, Kale!
Her mouth was taped and her wrists were tied. But she was alive. Her eyes spread wide upon seeing Alec. He rushed to her but Kale shot to the edge of the roof, pressing his bone-dagger around her neck.