Awake (16 page)

Remu raised both hands, and then, during the
second she threw them both down, a huge bolt of lightning fell from
the sky and enveloped Kain in its radiant beam of destruction. It
was like a solid pillar of electricity that constantly flowed down.
Ducking down, Kevin buried his face into the back of the hawk,
deathly afraid of being zapped. Though he was unable to see the
awesome spectacle of blue light, he clearly heard the sharp buzzing
that accompanied it.

Finally, when the lightning was gone, Remu
was exhausted. She had spent all of her strength in that last
attack. Her body trembling, she floated safely down to the ground,
drawing deep breaths.

“I did it,” she uttered, staring at the
motionless body of the dragon. “He is finished.”

Her look of satisfaction changed into a look
of amazement. Kain fought hard to stand.

Remu walked over to Kain and said, “Why
can’t you forgive the humans?”

Kain hissed, “I’ll never forgive them!
NEVER!”

“This world is already theirs,” said Remu.
“Can’t you just accept that? The age of dragons will never return.
Stop being held by the past. Time moves on…you cannot expect that
everything will become better after you exact your revenge.
Everything will always be different…from now to the end.”

Kain reached out and snatched Remu by his
massive claw. “I will hear no more of your nonsense! Their end is
near and I alone will stand victorious!”

Remu struggled to break free, but Kain
tightened his grip, crushing her slowly.

Remu said breathlessly, “Hatred—only leads
to—destruction.”

Kain grinned bitterly. “Then so be it. I
know…I’m already doomed. But that doesn’t mean I can’t drag all the
humans down to their destruction with me! They will all die! And
now…so will you.”

The hawks placed the children on a hill
overlooking the city. They landed in a small clearing in the
woods.

The hawk said, “This should be far enough.
You should run away while you still can.”

Then all the hawks left, flying in the
direction of the city.

“So that’s it, huh?” Katie looked glumly at
Korgen. “We just run away?”

“No,” said Kevin. “We wait.”

“For what?” Andrew asked.

“For the phone call,” replied Kevin, holding
out his cell phone. “Someone I know is helping us solve the
problem. We just need to wait.”

There was a moment of silence. Katie and
Andrew both looked at Kevin. Kevin appeared quite serious and
confident.

“If you say so,” said Andrew, taking a seat
on the grass. “Anyway, wasn’t that crazy?” Hoping to lighten the
mood, Andrew smiled faintly. “We look terrible.”

Indeed they did, Kevin thought. He ran his
eyes across Katie and Andrew. Their appearance was fitting for what
they had just been through. Their hair was unkempt, their clothes
soiled and torn. Mud was on their faces, cut and bruises on their
skin. They had been through a lot in just a few hours.

Barely able to keep his eyes open, Kevin
shook his head and sighed. “I can’t take much more of this. How
long has it been?”

“Um…” Andrew took a while to gather his
thoughts. “Over fifty hours I think. If we count Sunday, it’s been
Sunday, Monday and…today’s Tuesday.”

Katie rubbed her eyes. “I’m ready to pass
out.”

Kevin yawned, tears forming in his eyes.
“Just hang on a little bit more. We’re almost done.”

“Really?” Andrew looked at him
skeptically.

Kevin snickered. “Would you rather I say
something more depressing?”

His face almost half asleep, Andrew grinned
wryly.

They became quiet again. They needed
concentration to stay awake. Though they fought it, their eyes were
attempting to close with each passing second. They were like
zombies, occasionally groaning and moaning, not wanting to even
move or talk.

A growl broke the silence.

“Who was that?” Kevin’s eyes darted from
Andrew to Katie, but they shook their heads in response.

The bushes around them started to shake. The
kids got to their feet and armed themselves. They still had their
weapons from before. Andrew aimed the crossbow at a trembling
bush.

They came from behind. No. They came from
all around. Andrew was knocked to the ground. Held down, he
couldn’t see what was going on. All he heard were sounds of barking
and growling.

Katie flailed her bat around. Grey blurs
swirled around her. They were moving around too fast for her to get
a clear shot.

A loud voice growled, “STOP!”

Kevin swung around and saw a dark figure
approaching from the underbrush. “A wolf!”

“No, I’m not a wolf,” said the voice. The
animal stepped out into the clearing so he could be seen.

“You’re not?” asked Katie. Then, after
examining the creature, she said, “Ah, I’ve got it! You’re a
husky!” She looked around. Dogs had surrounded them.

Kevin said, “Are you guys with the HPC?”

The husky sat down and nodded. “I apologize
for the misunderstanding. You can’t be too careful in these
woods.”

Andrew was released and Kevin helped him
back up.

Katie asked, “Did you guys escape from the
city?”

“No,” replied the Husky. “We were a scouting
party. We were the first to discover the group that invaded the
city, but we hid out here because there was nothing we could
do.”

Katie glared at them, crossing her arms. “So
you guys are a bunch of wimps, hiding out here, doing nothing.”

Narrowing his eyes, the husky appeared
offended. “We are doing something. We are planning to strike. But
our force is too small. We’re not reckless. We’re awaiting
reinforcements.”

“Will reinforcements come?” Kevin’s interest
was piqued.

The husky cleared his throat. “We’re not
sure. I sent out a messenger to the suburbs, asking them to
mobilize a task force. It will take a while.”

Just then, Kevin’s cell phone rang.

Andrew exclaimed, “It’s here!”

Kevin picked up the call. “Hello? Yeah, it’s
me.” He listened to the receiver, his brow occasionally moving up
and down. “Okay…yeah…okay…” At one point, he nearly jumped up.
“Wait…
what?
Are you sure? You mean…yeah…I understand…if
that’s the only way…I’ll try to get there as soon as I can.
Thanks.”

Kevin hung up. Andrew and Katie stared at
him curiously.

“Well?” said Katie. “Do we have a
solution?”

Kevin nodded ruefully. “You’re not going to
like this…but we have to go back.”

“Back to the city?” asked Andrew.

“Yup,” said Kevin. “Not just back to the
city…back to the lab…”

Andrew shrieked, “The lab? The one we ran
away from because some weird, freakish science experiment was ready
to ingest us?”

Kevin lowered his head. “That’s the
one.”

“I’m not following,” said the husky flatly.
“What is going on?”

Kevin quickly explained to the husky, in
very general terms, about how he was talking to a computer and the
computer told him about a device that might help them save humanity
from their endless sleep. But the device had to be constructed in a
special facility, and that facility was deep in the heart of the
city.

“So there is a way,” said the husky, “to
save everyone?”

“That’s right,” said Kevin. “Or at least,
that’s what the Internet thinks.”

“Then we’ll take you there.” The husky
smiled. “Let’s settle this once and for all. Reinforcements will
take too long, and striking the stronghold, where they are holding
the HPC captive, is impossible. However, if we can save the humans,
we can end this war right now.”

Kevin shrugged. “Sounds good…I guess. Will
we really be safe with you—um—what was your name again?”

“Major,” said the husky. “Call me Major. And
yes, you’ll be safe for the most part. We are some of the best the
HPC has to offer.”

- Run for It -

The city streets were quiet and empty. The
solar eclipse was long gone. Kevin checked the time on his watch:
5:35. The sun hid its face behind the tallest buildings, leaving a
faint light. Just a moment ago animals were scrambling left and
right, running away from the catastrophic battle that took place at
the stadium. Now only silence existed. Something wasn’t right. What
had become of Kain and Remu? What had become of the thousands of
wild beasts?

Major led the group through the dark alley,
glimpsing at the windows. “No doubt they’re waiting for us.”

“Where?” Kevin whispered.

“Everywhere. In the buildings, in the
sewers, in the dumpsters. It’s not a matter of
if
we get
seen—but
when
. They’re luring us in. They don’t want us to
run away. They want us to get in closer and closer…until we’re
boxed in with no escape.”

Kevin gulped, sweat dripping down his back.
“Then what are we doing here?”

“What are we doing here?” echoed Major
lightly. He restrained a laugh. “We’re stopping at nothing to do
what we must. Sacrifices must be made, my boy. You can’t expect to
go into a fistfight without bruising something. Though this ain’t a
fistfight. No, we’ll be hurting much more than a few
bruises…
much
more.” He peered over the side of a building.
The coast was clear. “So far so good. We’re almost there…just a few
more blocks. From here, we split.”

“Split?” Now Andrew was sweating profusely
too. “I hate this splitting thing. Do we have to?”

Major could see the worry in his eyes.
“We’ve got no choice. They already know we’re here. The only thing
they don’t know is where we’re headed. Time for the gamble. We’re
betting it all now. We go three ways, they split their forces. I’ll
tell you this: I’m no expert on tactics. I’m a house pet for
goodness’ sake. I haven’t fought any wars—much less hunted a rat.
This ain’t fight we can win. But as my master always said, ‘You can
lose as many battles as you want as long as you win the war.’”

Kevin said, “That doesn’t sound very
optimistic.”

Major ignored his comment. “Alright, each
human takes a squad. Kevin, you’re with me. Andrew, you take the
open streets. Katie—”

“Now wait just a minute,” Andrew cut in.
“Why do I have to take the open streets?”

“Would you rather the girl handle it?” Major
replied.

His eyes wandering over to Katie, Andrew
hesitated to respond.

“I suppose not…”

“Good,” said Major. “Way to take it like a
man.” He continued, “Katie will stay in the alleys. Since Andrew
will be out in the open, he’ll be targeted first. He’s the bait to
lure them out from wherever they’re hiding. If Andrew gets overrun,
beaten, chewed, mauled, killed, eaten—”

“Get on with it!” snapped Andrew,
exasperated.

Major continued, “—then Katie will lead them
away from Kevin. Is that clear?”

They all nodded, though some were nodding
less confidently than others.

“Good.”

Kevin slowly turned the doorknob and opened
the door. He looked at the squad of dogs at his rear. Major raised
his nose and sniffed for any peculiar scents.

“Clear.”

Kevin nodded wordlessly and followed after
the dogs as they entered. It was a normal office. There was a desk
by the window and file cabinets beside the wall.

Kevin crouched by the window and peeked out.
He could see a good portion of the street from the second floor. He
could even see Andrew stealthily maneuvering around some cars
parked by the sidewalk.

Major grunted quietly, “Now remember, we’re
waiting for them to take the bait. We run the moment we see their
attention on him.”

Kevin eyed Major for a moment. “He’s risking
his life.”

“All the more important that we succeed
then.”

Kevin peered back through the window. Out of
the corner of his eye he saw shadows drifting along a brick wall on
the far end of the road. Something was coming. Did Andrew’s group
notice it? No. Kevin watched as they continued to move slowly
behind the cars. They were completely unaware of the approaching
danger.

“Get ready,” said Major. “They’ve noticed
him.”

Like a swarm, they came, their furry hides
dotting the land. Hundreds of creatures, big and small, slowly
traveled so as not to alert their prey. They also snuck around cars
and clung close to the front of the shops. Andrew, still unaware of
their presence, slowly crept behind the cars.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Kevin
forced open the window and shouted, “ANDREW, BEHIND YOU! THEY’RE
RIGHT BEHIND YOU!”

Andrew glanced back and saw the bloodthirsty
multitude behind him. He sprinted as fast as he could down the
street, his squad of dogs tailing after him.

Major yanked on the back of Kevin’s shirt
with his teeth. “You fool! You blew our cover!”

Kevin shrugged. They ran out of the room and
headed for the stairs. Strange sounds were coming from the
stairwell.

“Close it!” shouted Major. Kevin did as
instructed.

They decided to search for another exit on
the other side.

Breathless, Kevin crossed the corridor.
Though he saw nothing coming, howls and growls echoed back and
forth from the ceiling and floor. It almost sounded like laughing—a
very sinister laughing. Then Kevin heard a loud crash. Through one
of the office doors ahead, smoke and dust came flooding into the
corridor.

The haunting, shrilly laughter got louder as
Kevin drew nearer to the dust. A hyena dashed out and leaped onto
Kevin with one quick motion. Kevin fought back, trying to keep the
hyena from ripping his throat out. Major pounced on the hyena
almost instantly; then two dogs, a bulldog and a beagle, helped
Major tackle the hyena to the ground.

Major glanced at Kevin and gestured with his
snout. “Get up! Go, go!”

There was a rapid drumming of paws as a band
of coyotes came rushing into the hall. The pack of dogs charged at
them. Kevin, lying on the floor, gaped in horror as the sudden
brawl broke out. The animals were barking and snapping at each
other.