The Mortis Desolation (Book 1): Mortis (8 page)

I
raised
my hands up to block the sun from my eyes as they slowly adjusted to the sunlight.

“Hey, get your hand out of your face and get your gun up,” Mila said.

I gritted my teeth and pulled my assault rifle up to my shoulder, but kept the barrel pointing toward the ground. I looked around Brinn, and besides the zombies banging on the fence, all seemed normal. In the middle of the settlement was the town courthouse. Five stories tall with Roman pillars holding up a large porch roof that covered a set of steep stairs, the courthouse looked incongruous in the small town. It was surrounded on all sides by different stores and service centers, with a two-lane road surrounding it that snaked to the rest of the town. The fences of Brinn just blocked off the roads leading in and out of the town square.

We walked toward the courthouse, which, from the little information on Brinn I knew, was the main hub of the small settlement. We crossed the parking lot to the courthouse where a couple of cars, SUVs, and trucks sat parked. I scanned the area, looking for any sign of life. But all I could see—and smell—was the dead.

“Mila?” a voice to my left said as I walked by a black pick-up.

I jumped back and pulled my gun up, the voice having startled me.

“Put your damn guns down!” Mila shouted at us.

I turned and saw that Daniel had his up too, while John had his up halfway. I nodded my head and we lowered our guns. The person was obviously a citizen of Brinn.

“What’s happening, Sean?” Mila asked.

The guy climbed out of the back of the truck, and wiped some sweat off his buzzed head. “It was crazy,” he said as he leaned against the side of the truck. His eyes staring into space, his face filled with fear. “These…
things.
Monsters, something. They were black. Blacker than black. They were…” he looked at Mila, shaking his head. “I don’t even know. Everybody went to the newspaper, and they were in there, waiting.”

Mila motioned for him to continue. “Come on, Sean. Talk to me.” She put a hand on his shoulder, and looked into his eyes. Her expression was warm and inviting. “What happened?”

He shook his head. “They came out of nowhere, and…
enveloped
everybody. They all just…” He struggled to find the words, but when he did, my insides went icy. “They melted. Turned into black ink stuff.” Sean’s voice cracked and he fought back the tears. “I was running behind, and watched it all happen through the windows.” He couldn’t hold back any longer. He let a torrent of tears begin to flow. “I couldn’t stop them! I couldn’t save them!”

Mila wrapped him in her arms, and pulled him close. “Shh,” she said. “Shh, it’ll be okay.” She comforted him, stroking his hair. “You would’ve ended up like the rest of them; it’s not your fault.

I turned and looked back at the newspaper building, where the massacre happened. It had to have been the atras. There wasn’t much else it could be. My thoughts went back to the first and last time I encountered the monstrous creatures. I remembered they couldn’t survive in the sunlight, so I was comforted by the sun beating down on us.

Then I remembered what happened the last time. Pike was gunned down, and I was forced to kill those people. My stomach twisted at the memory, and I tried to push it away. It wouldn’t leave, though. The image of Pike’s face with its empty, dead eyes engraved itself into my mind and wouldn’t go.

“Do you know where they are now?” I heard Daniel ask. I turned back to the group.

Sean pointed a shaky finger toward the courthouse. “There’s three of them, from what I could tell,” he said in a weak voice. “They only traveled in the shadows, though. I’m not sure why.”

“If they’re in the sunlight, they’ll die,” I told him.

“You’ve seen these creatures before?” Mila asked, looking at me with accusing eyes.

“Yeah,” I told her. “I ran into them for the first time just a few days ago. It was a lot more then three of them, too. They got into the sunlight and turned into bubbling liquid.” I left out the part about going back and seeing the Xenomortis and zombies go into where the atras had been. I figured now wasn’t the time to start giving her the lowdown. We needed to get out of there first, and fast.

“So then, we’re safe right here?” Mila asked. “You’re sure they’re sensitive to the sun.”

I nodded. “Pretty sure. Still, we’re not exactly safe. We need to get out of here before either the zombies break down the last fence, or the atras discover we’re here. They may not be able to get us while we’re in the sunlight, but we don’t know what all they can do. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Okay,” Mila said as she nodded her head. “I agree. We need to get out of here as fast as possible.” She turned to Sean. “Will you be okay?”

He nodded his head.

“You sure you’re—” she stopped herself. Her voice quivered but she cleared her throat, trying to cover it up. “You’re the only…”

Sean nodded his head again. “I was the only one. I just…I was just running behind and—”

“Hey,” Mila said. She leaned down so she could look Sean in the eyes. “It’ll be okay. Everything will be alright.”

Sean nodded his head. I stood there, amazed. I couldn’t believe how well Mila was appearing to take this all. The only explanation was that she was trying to be strong for Sean, and I admired her greatly for that.

Mila turned to look at us. “There’s an alley we can run down that should have sunlight. We’ll have to hop the fences and then sneak around the back to go back the way we came,” she said.

“Then what?” John asked.

Mila opened her mouth but didn’t answer.

“Then we’ll go back to the car dealership and figure it out from there,” I said, giving John a sideways look that told him now was not the time.

“Let me grab my bag,” Sean said, wiping snot from his face. He walked around to the back of the truck, and climbed into the bed.

“Which alleyway are we going down?” I asked Mila.

She raised a finger to point, but before she could speak, there was a loud banging noise.

I jumped and pulled my gun up. I looked at the truck as Sean went flying out the back of it, being dragged by the black, inky form of an atra.

Sean screamed as loud as he could as the atra dragged him across the ground, the asphalt tearing him apart.

“SEAN!” Mila screamed as she tried running toward him, but I wrapped my arms around her. She was about to step into the shadow of the cloud that had appeared, which allowed the atra to reach Sean in the first place.

She tried fighting me, but I held tight. There was nothing we could do. It was back in the shadow of the courthouse. Sean screamed for help as the atra melted on top of him, its body turning to a thick substance that enveloped him until you couldn’t see his body. He continued screaming, but it was a gurgling scream as the atra began to bubble and disintegrate, just like it did when it came into contact with sunlight.

After a few more seconds, the hissing and bubbling stopped. All that was left of both Sean and the atra was a thick, black pool of liquid.

Mila fell to the ground, and I let her go. She began to weep, unable to bear the death of all the people she cared about most.

I
walked
into the hotel room and sat down on the edge of the bed closest to the door. The group filed in, laying their packs and supplies around the room. Rachel helped Julia onto the other bed and the room, then went and opened the curtains, letting some of the mid-afternoon light into the fifth-floor hotel room.

The hotel we were setting up camp in was nearby Brinn, and we made sure we picked the room on the top floor, far away from any wandering travelers, Roves, or anything else that we were in no mood to mess with.

“We should begin planning our next move,” I said once Daniel entered the room and shut the door behind him. He deadbolted it and put the chain in place.

“I think we should rest for a moment,” Daniel said, nodding to Mila, who was sitting with her back against the bed on my left, her wide eyes staring at the wall.

“We can rest,” I said turning my attention back to Daniel who stood in the foyer. “But we can come up with a plan at the same time. We don’t need to waste time.”

Daniel nodded, but gritted his teeth at the same time. “I understand, but I don’t think we need to rush ourselves. Let’s just take a sec, okay?”

I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but Daniel’s reaction irritated me.

“We need to figure out what we’re going to do next, and do so right now. We’re up against god-knows what, and I don’t mean just the atras, I’m talking about the Roves, too. We need to figure out what we’re going to do before our enemies get the jump on us.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little insensitive?” Daniel asked.

I looked at him, taken aback. “Insensitive? Really, Daniel? There are creatures out there that killed an entire settlement, and we have no idea where they came from. This isn’t the time to sit around and kick our feet up. We need to find out what’s going on, and how we can protect ourselves.”

“Miles, I’m being seri—“

“He’s right,” Mila said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and repeated herself. “He’s right.” She looked up at Daniel. “We need to find out what those things are, and where they’re coming from. We don’t have time to sit around. I need to know what killed everyone I cared about. Sitting around isn’t going to bring them back. Nothing will, really. But closure will help, and it’s what I need. Not rest and relaxation. I need answers.”

Daniel looked away, his face tensing up. He sighed and turned his face toward the ground. “Fine. I guess we know our next move then,” he said defeated.

“Not exactly. We still need to figure out how exactly we’re going to go about finding out information on the atras,” Rachel said as she leaned her back against the wall next to the window.

“If I had my laboratory I could conduct some research on the black liquid samples from Brinn,” Pete said from his spot on the bed behind me. His voice was still groggy from the pain medication, but he was beginning to come to his senses.

“If you got us a list of supplies, we could get you the stuff you needed for a new one,” Daniel said.

Peter shrugged. “I doubt it. There’s not many supplies left out in the wild. Most of the stuff has been taken. And the best stuff is at Jefferson.”

I sighed. “Which leads me to our next point. Jefferson. Taking it back from the Roves is my number one priority. Not only because it’s a place that almost all of us founded, but because of all the friends—family—that are left behind. We can’t just leave them for the Roves to do with as they please. I think we all know from Ashley’s experience—” my heart skipped a beat and the room took on a palpable sadness “—that being a slave to the Roves is nothing anyone should have to experience. It’s not something I’ll knowingly allow my family to go through. Besides, once we take it back, Peter can have his laboratory back and we’ll be able to learn more about the atras.”

Everybody in the room mulled over my idea. I could tell they were all considering it, trying to figure out if it made the most sense. I hope it did, because it made sense to me.

“I think it’s a good idea,” John said. “I can’t stand the thought of the Roves doing whatever they’re doing to our people. They need to be stopped, and a message needs to be sent.”

Daniel slowly nodded his head. “I agree. But we’ll have to act quickly before more Roves come to Jefferson. We have to strike while the iron is hot, most importantly so we can hurry up and learn more about the atras.”

“While I didn’t think helping Jefferson is something I would do easily, if it’ll help me learn more about the monsters that killed my people, I’m in,” Mila said.

“Thank you,” I told her. “And don’t worry, we’ll avenge your people,” I said, trying my best to sound like a leader.

“They’re not yours to avenge,” she said with a fire in her eyes. She turned her gaze back to the wall.

“Guys, I think I’ve found a way for us to get a little practice in,” Rachel said as she looked out the window.

“What is it?” I asked as I stood and walked over to her side.

“Look,” she said as she pushed the curtain aside so I could look out.

Walking down the road outside were some Roves leading a group of slaves tied at the wrists.

“Everybody get your weapons ready,” I said. “We have to act fast.”

I
peeked
my head over the burnt-up chassis of a car and caught a glimpse of the Roves and their slaves growing near. We had run a couple of blocks up the road and waited for the Roves to come our way.

Mila squatted on the ground to my right, while John did the same to my left. I got back down, and looked across the road to my left. Rachel and Daniel were sitting behind their own car-chassis cover, their guns at the ready.

They’re close,
I mouthed to them. Daniel nodded his head, and tightened the grip on his gun.

I tapped Mila on the shoulder, and she turned to look at me.
Good?
I mouthed with a questioning look on my face.

She nodded her head, her eyes empty.

I could hear the scraping sound of feet against the ground grow closer and closer, bringing me back to attention. The Roves were close, and I had to be ready.

The first two Roves walked past me, and I held my breath. They looked to be in their thirties, and were very dirty. They didn’t speak; all their attention on the road ahead. The slaves began walking past next. They were all tied to each other around the waist, an even mix of teen boys and girls. Their hands were bound together. They shuffled along like they were zombies already. Their tattered and worn clothes flapped in the wind. Their heads were all shaved, which I found strange. I’d never seen slaves with shaved heads, and it didn’t sit well with me.

I made myself as flat as I could against the side of the car, but my gun was ready; just in case I was seen, I’d be ready to strike.

One of the slaves met her dark brown eyes with mine, and they grew wide. Her mouth opened: a gut reaction. I brought a finger up to my lips, telling her to keep quiet. She closed her mouth and swallowed. She turned her attention to the road ahead, but I could see her looking out the corner of her eye back at me.

A few more slaves passed by, twelve in total. Two more Roves took up the rear, their eyes peeled on the road. None of them noticed us, which made our job much less messy.

I rose from my position behind the car, and the rest of the squad followed. Daniel took his side next to mine, and we got behind the two rear guards. I brought my gun up over my shoulder, and slammed it into the back of the guard in front of me. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Daniel did the same to his, but he didn’t go out instantly like mine. Daniel hit him again, and that did the trick.

The Roves whipped around with their guns up, trying to figure out what was going on. The slaves let out a shout of fear, confused.

“Drop them,” I said. There were five of us and only two of them. I was still nervous, though. I remembered this was the exact same position we were in when Pike was killed. My eyes drifted to the buildings around us, but I forced myself to stay focused on the situation.

“You know who we are?” the Rove on the left asked, not bringing his gun down. He had curly red hair and, in a different life, was probably someone who turned heads in the mall. However, in this life, his good looks did nothing to mask the evil in his eyes.

“Yeah, you’re Roves,” I said as if I didn’t care. As if they were nothing. As if they weren’t the source of almost everything bad in my life.

“Well then, you should know not to mess with us. You and your merry band of superheroes best leave us be,” he said with a patronizing tone.

I scoffed. “Really now? What makes you think we’d just let you go?”

“Because we’re Roves, and we don’t just roll over and let people take our property. You kill us, you’ll have a hundred Roves turning over every rock in Texas looking for you and our slaves. You don’t want that kind of trouble, do you?”

“Oh, if only you knew,” I said. “Because
you
took something that belonged to me. And I don’t just roll over and let that happen.”

The Rove chuckled. “Oh yeah? And what was that? Maybe I’ll know who you a—”

A bullet went off to my left and his head exploded before he could finish his sentence. I shot the Rove to my right before he could have the chance to retaliate. He fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

I looked to my left and saw that it was Mila who’d shot him. I looked at her, my eyebrows raised, questioning.

“I had enough of his bullshit,” she said as she brought her gun down.

Before I could say anything else, the slaves all broke down in tears and whoops of joy. To my right, John let out a whoop of his own.

“Guys, guys!” I said, shouting. “Everybody! Calm down!” They turned to me with thankful eyes, listening with eager ears for what I had to say next. “Please, keep quiet. We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves.”

They quieted down, but the joy and excitement lingered in the air. I couldn’t fight the feeling of pride that welled up in my chest. I saved these people from a horrible life of enslavement, doing whatever the Roves wanted, no matter how awful or dangerous or demeaning. It felt good, seeing people with so much childish joy, when I had been surrounded by death for the past few days. Knowing that I’d made a difference in someone’s life for good…well…I just wanted to cherish the moment for just a few seconds. I closed my eyes and smiled. Ashley would be so proud.

“Thank you,” a voice said. I opened my eyes and saw the girl who’d spotted me earlier was the one speaking. She smiled, and I noticed that she was missing a tooth on her left side, between her canines and molars. Her shaved head had brown stubble that was barely visible. She reeked of body odor, but then again so did they all. Still, there was a regal aura about her. Her olive skin was covered in bruises and scars, and I felt my stomach turn in disgust at the thought of someone doing something to harm her.

I smiled and nodded my head. “It’s no problem. We just saw you all and figured we’d help.”

“Well, again, thank you.”

“Where were you headed?” Daniel asked.

“Jefferson Memorial.”