Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) (6 page)

For a
short while, time slowed almost to a halt. I could see him grinning
as he dropped to the floor, his leg sweeping mine out from under
me. Then I was falling and time resumed. I landed with a thud on
the mats, gasping for breath as the wind was knocked out of
me.

"Man, I'm
exhausted." Ash was at my side, hunched over, fists resting on his
knees as he caught his breath. He ripped the Velcro strap open and
threw his head-guard to one side. As I lay there, all I could think
of was how close I was to beating him. In the year we had been
training together, I had never been as close as I was then. And I
blew it. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Next time would be
different.

"You
ready to hit the showers?" Ash asked. He stood over me, one hand
held out.

"Whatever," I grumbled as I reached out and was pulled to my
feet.

We made
our way back to the locker room, discarding our protective gear
into the basket on the way out. I decided not to shower at the gym,
instead choosing to head back to the dorms for a real shower. I
pulled on my jacket and gathered the rest of my belongings into my
gym bag.

"I'm
heading back for a long, hot shower," I called out over the noise
of the running water.

"Okay,
I'll see you back there."

Outside
was cold and pitch black, save for the soft glow emanating from the
windows of the nearby buildings and an occasional street lamp. The
sky was overcast, the moon hid behind a blanket of silver-lined
clouds. I walked on autopilot, down the dimly lit short-cut to the
dorms, planning the rest of my evening. I would shower, grab
something to eat, and then settle down with a book until I felt
ready to sleep.

It was as
I approached the end of the alleyway that a dark figure ran around
the corner into me, dropping the papers he was carrying. He
apologised and I mumbled under my breath that he should watch where
he was going. Regardless, I bent down to help gather the loose
sheets. A quick glance at one of the papers told me they were blood
reports, most likely from the research department.

The man
was about my size, though better built. He wore a navy jacket, the
hood pulled close around his head. Strands of what I could only
describe as silver hair spilled out of the hood, falling over his
downcast eyes. I handed him the few sheets I had collected and he
thanked me, keeping his head down the whole time, as if trying to
avoid eye contact. With that he raced off into the night, to
complete whatever errand it was he was on. Strange guy, I thought.
I shrugged it off and continued on my way.

Six days
passed since graduation, and not a single mission came up. Or
rather, there were none they deemed worthy enough of their newest
superhuman squad. Ash was called back to General Marsten's office
twice during that time. He wouldn't say much about it, only that
they needed to debrief him on why someone had wanted to kill
him.

We
gathered at our usual spot, in one of the small meeting rooms on
the ground floor of the main building, where Sergeant Locke was
waiting for us, his hands clasped firmly behind his back. He raised
himself onto his tiptoes, and back down again repeatedly as he
waited for the last of us to fall into line.

"Okay. I
know the five of you have been itching for some action," he said,
"but there's been little activity outside the city. As a result,
very few missions have been approved by the council. However, I
managed to snag one of the lower priority missions, so you can get
some experience out in the field."

I don't
think any of us cared what priority the mission was given. This
wouldn't just be our first mission, but also our first time outside
the city walls. When I was younger, I often tried to climb the
ramparts surrounding Rachat, to steal a quick look at the world
outside. Unfortunately, they were too high for a mere runt such as
myself, and a guard always found me before I managed to make any
significant progress. I gave up on that pursuit eventually.
Everything we had seen of the outside world came from books, and
now we would be able to go beyond the walls and see it for
ourselves. The excitement amongst the group was
palpable.

"Your
mission is to survey the ruins west of Rachat." Sergeant Locke
pointed to a map on the wall. "The council has deemed it necessary
to expand the city, so you'll be going to make sure it's safe
before the techs can go in to set up the barriers."

The
barriers in question were what enabled us to live safely within the
city. They were eerie, black-metal structures that rose from the
dirt like giant tentacles, and kept the vampires from crossing
their perimeter. No-one knew exactly how they worked, though there
were many theories. Some said they emitted an invisible light that
was harmful to vampires, in the same way sunlight was. Then there
were the wilder theories, like voodoo priests imbuing them with
blood magic. God only knows where you'd find a voodoo priest in
this day and age.

"White,
you'll be in charge of this mission."

"Yes,
Sir." Ash saluted.

"I want
your team geared up and at the garage in twenty minutes. We'll go
over intel in the Wisent. Dismissed." Sergeant Locke turned and
walked briskly through the far door, leaving us to prepare. The
silence was broken as soon as the door snapped shut.

"All
right! Time for some action," Brad cheered.

"I wonder
if we'll run into the enemy," said Katiya. "I've been itching to
let off some steam."

"You're
always itching to blow shit up," said Lucas. "Must be frustrated
cause you're not getting any."

"Ha!
Ironic coming from you."

"Okay,
guys, listen up." Ash moved to stand in front of the group. We
turned our attention to him. "This might be a low-ranked mission,
but it's also our first. So let's get it done smoothly, and show
the rest of them how the Sunreavers do things."

Ash held
his hand out in front of him, and one-by-one the others put their
hand in too. They looked over at me expectantly. Sighing, I
humoured them. Each of them let out a strange, but apparently
traditional, battle-cry, which I imitated. It sounded something
like 'hoo-aah'. They laughed at my pitiful effort. So much for
morale boosting. Now I just felt like an idiot.

With our
new-found ritual out of the way, we headed to the locker room to
gear up. Our combat gear consisted of a black armoured vest and
pants. It resembled something you'd expect to see on a spy rather
than a soldier, but when you're dealing with creatures that could
tear through bulletproof armour with ease... well, it was better to
keep it light and flexible. Taking into account the cold weather,
we added a long-sleeved thermal top to our outfits, which we wore
beneath the vests. Sometimes, your worst enemy isn't living or
undead, it's nature herself.

Last on
our shopping list was weapons. I opted for a handgun and assault
rifle, both with silver bullets, of course. A pair of silver knives
completed my equipment, in case anything decided to get up close
and personal. Lucas was the master of knives. With his ability he
could slice open an opponent before they knew what hit them. How he
would fare against a vampire's speed was still up for debate since
we had never met one yet. Lucas was also our sharpshooter, packing
his modified sniper. Katiya and Brad preferred their shotguns,
whereas Ash went for a more all-round approach like me.

With our
gear on, we jogged over to the garage, located at the edge of the
city, and at the back of the military base. Sergeant Locke was
waiting for us. He checked his watch as we reached him, looking
pleased with our response time. The Wisent was a long, armoured
vehicle, with enough space in the back to carry two full squads.
Next to it, three large supply trucks were being loaded with the
strange black-metal tendrils, and what I supposed was the heavy
machinery needed to securely plant them into the ground.

We
climbed into the back of the Wisent, with Sergeant Locke joining us
and closing the doors behind him. He gave two sharp taps on the
glass panel that separated us from the cab, and the engine flared
to life.

"Okay, as
you know, you'll be sweeping the ruins of Marmagne for any threats,
so we can safely erect the barriers. Once that's done,
demolition'll be going in to clean up the mess, and then the
building can start. We've had scouts keeping an eye on this place
for some time. Intel suggests the place is clean, but we've had
reports of minor activity nearby, so we need to be damn sure. The
last thing we need is to find out there's some hidden tunnels
beneath the ruins, crawling with vampires."

Sergeant
Locke took a roll of laminated paper out from a compartment under
his seat, and laid it out across the raised structure between the
two rows of inward-facing seats. It was a map of the areas
surrounding Rachat. The area we were heading to was circled in
black ink. He pointed to it, making sure we all took
notice.

"This is
Marmagne. We'll be arriving here," he said, pointing again, "by
what's left of the main road. Marmagne was the site of a
large-scale battle some forty years ago, back when I was still
learning to crawl. The centre of the town was spared, mostly, but
any buildings still standing may be in the process of collapsing,
so caution is advised should you need to go inside. Also, our
scouts have marked some of the structures as priority targets." He
pointed to several small crosses on the map. "If the enemy is
present, this is where they'll most likely be hiding, as these
buildings are mostly intact. Any questions?"

We all
responded with a, "No, Sir."

"Good.
When we arrive, I'll be handing over command to Captain White.
Since this is your first time out in the field, I'll be evaluating
your performance out there. I'll be staying with the Wisent to
monitor your progress via the radio, and to await the supply
convoy's arrival."

Sergeant
Locke handed a headset to each of us, and we put them on. We took
it in turn to check they were working, by pressing the small button
next to the ear piece and reporting in.

It wasn't
long before the Wisent lurched to a stop, and a voice from the cab
told us we had arrived. We hopped out and were greeted by the sight
of jagged hills of copper dirt, and the haunting remains of what
was once a small community. Houses lay in ruin, some of them
recognisable only by the house-shaped stumps of white stone and
wood. A church stood defiantly amidst the graves of its neighbours.
Long-dead trees scattered the landscape, rising like ghosts from
the dried, cracked earth, with their withered bark and
out-stretched limbs. The wind whistled through the ruins, carrying
with it a chill that penetrated me to the core.

A tap on
my shoulder snapped me back into reality. The others were huddled
around the back of the Wisent, studying the map and waiting for Ash
to give our orders.

"Lucas, I
want you to head through the centre of town. See if you can get to
the top of the church steeple and watch for any movement. Kat and
Mik, head towards the old mill on the north side of town, then
swing round and check out these buildings." He pointed to the map,
showing our intended route. "Brad and I will go south to the
farmhouses, and we'll meet up with you guys on the far side. After
that, we'll fan out and head back through to check all these
ruins."

We nodded
in agreement, and I silently cursed Ash for pairing me up with
Katiya, though I understood his reasoning. He and I were the only
two of the group with a psychic ability. That alone meant we'd be
in separate groups. Brad didn't have an offensive ability, and so
Katiya was the only choice remaining. I understood, but that didn't
mean I had to like it.

"We're
not expecting any contact, but stay alert and let's get back safe.
Move out!"

Katiya
and I began our trek through the deserted town, checking each of
the crumbling ruins for any signs of life, or un-life. Luckily,
most of the buildings had only a single floor remaining, and with
half of their walls missing, there wasn't much place to hide
anything.

"This
sucks," Katiya moaned as we checked yet another empty house. "All
clear... again."

It felt
like an eternity passed before we came to the end of the street. So
much for an exciting first time outside the city, I thought. I was
expecting more than some old ruins and a dead landscape. A large,
barren field lay before us, with our destination on the other side.
A narrow path ran down the side of the field, dotted with potholes
and craters, filled with muddy water.

"I'm in
position," Lucas' voice crackled over the radio. There was silence
for a minute before he said, "I can see the happy couple
approaching the mill now."

"Can you
see this too?" Katiya said, turning in the direction of the church
and giving Lucas the finger. He laughed, but said
nothing.

The mill
was a large, wooden building with a gabled roof, or what was left
of one. The windows were boarded up, and the walls damp and
rotting. A waterwheel that had long since broken away from the
mill, found itself stranded downstream, caught on a fallen tree and
covered in a blanket of moss.