Sway's Demise (9 page)

“I know you are, but we aren’t. Everything is going to be ok.” Reese patted his back, Tom breaking into sobs. He needed to be stronger for them, he needed to be their beacon, their guiding light. But he couldn’t. The fear of losing his child, of dying alone, was too great.

The reality of the situation came crashing down on Sway like fifty foot tidal waves. Each time she tried to catch her breath, a new fear drowned her. Her gut turned with the horror that none of them would make it out alive and her knees began to buckle.

Hold it together
, she begged. Gulping back bile, she grasped Eli’s shoulder to borrow his strength. His hand tapped her own, relieving the anxiety, as they watched father and son hold one another.

“You get your asses straight back here. Go now.” Tom pushed away from Reese and faced the window once again. They were alone, an island from their militia, with hope the ocean of doubt would not consume them.

Eighth of Belk, the Eighty-fourth year of D’Mjak

Why do I bother writing anymore? There’s no one left for me. Maybe I just need to get these things down. I’ve been having another dream, not just of the sky. The invasion. And I’m not part of it.

In the dream I’m already on the Earth, watching as the colony ship comes crashing to the ground. It’s strange, but I’m not frightened. I feel I should be, but I’m not. The Priyon march toward me as the ground rumbles, and I know they’re going to trample me.

Before I’m overcome, fire blasts from behind me, singing my suit off. The massive mushroom cloud engulfs us, and I somehow survive. I’m left alone on the surface of the planet, scarred and destroyed.

What does it mean? Is it my own imagination running wild, or is it some kind of prophecy?
What am I thinking? I don’t believe in that shit.

Chapter 7: The Road to Kelowna

The roaring truck bumped along the eroded highway, swerving every so often to avoid massive potholes or downed trees and rocks they didn’t have time to move. If nothing else, and the Priyon army was coming for Kamloops, the evacuating trucks might pull their attention south. They were hoping for the best, hoping the Priyon weren’t there to slaughter them all.

Sway stood, holding the canvas covering of the truck bed, and rubbed her bottom. It was a grueling ride, but necessary. They were glad the back was covered, as the air was chilled beyond their windbreaker.

Pushing aside the flap at the back, she produced the spotter’s scope and scanned the road behind from a crouch. The overgrown forest was deserted. Not a telling sign, as the truck’s obnoxious volume would scare any of the smaller inhabitants into hiding.

With a frustrated sigh, she turned to face Reese. River nodded to her, taking the spot next to Eli so Sway could be with her love. She unsnapped her helmet, leaning against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.

The bulbous walnut heart was still stowed in her suit pocket, and dying to come out. She wiggled it free from the filthy jumpsuit, holding it in front of Reese. He gripped her hand, rubbing his thumb over the unpolished, dark wood as he nuzzled her hair. Dread grew in the pit of Sway’s stomach, spreading its evil tendrils through her veins, the icy cold of its intentions shattering the fortress of calm she tried so hard to build.

Every breath was a painful reminder of how delicate life was, how precious and short. Reese squeezed to stop her shoulders from trembling, but the tight embrace only made the fear, the immeasurable agony of her sadness, worse. The quiet voice of pessimism, which was usually inaudible, roared as loudly as the truck. They were all going to die, it said to her, humanity would be wiped from existence.

It took everything she had not to cry, biting down on her cheek until it bled to distract from the internal turmoil. Reese lowered his mouth to her ear, “You’re always so strong for us. All balls, Sway.” He shook her with light-heartedness. “We’re going to make it back.”

Would it even matter?

Her eyes watered as she gazed up into his, their chocolate brown brilliance smiling back at her. She whispered, but knew he could read her lips, “I love you.”

They had never discussed it, never said those words to each other. They knew how they felt about one another, there was no reason to verbalize it. But what if she never got a chance to say it? What if their lives elapsed without that crucial bit of honesty? She loved him, and though he knew it well, she had to tell him.

His lips brushed her cheek, the warmth of his breath strengthening her grip on reality. “Don’t you dare give up on me. I love you too much to see you surrendering.” He kissed her earlobe, and she released her clenched cheek.

He was right, she was being stupid. They were going to find everyone in Kelowna just fine. She took a deep, serene breath. They’d radio back to command, tell them they were all safe, and  initiate communications with the Priyon to apologize for the deaths of their kind. Everything would be ok.

The truck curved left, then bumped hard as they started up the bridge that crossed Okanagan Lake. Many of the concrete support beams had long since been replaced with wood to hold up the heavy bridge through the years. They knew bits and pieces of it had crumbled and fallen into the lake, leaving dangerous gaps, so they took the bridge slowly.

Sway snapped the helmet back in place, securing the M4 to her back. Peeking through a velcro window on the side of the canvas, she brought her spotter’s scope up once again. Small stacks of smoke rose from the housing district in front of a low hanging sun, but otherwise, no movement. Even in late afternoon there should have been activity in most of the city.

She looked to the rest of her team, shouting so they could hear, “It’s not looking good, or bad so far!” Only a bit of a lie, it was looking more bad than good.

The truck downshifted, the engine whining in complaint as they slowed to a gradual stop in front of their massive gate. Sway stuffed the walnut heart under the seat, then piled out of the back with the rest. They were eager to stretch their legs and discover answers. The air was crisp, and aside from the remnants of truck exhaust, clean.

Xander hopped from the cab, followed by Fabel and Sojin. She surprisingly volunteered to come with them. When asked why, she gave some round about answer. “If my kind are in danger due to your negligence, I’d like to know.” Sway felt that was further from the truth than she wanted to admit. Sojin pretended to hate them, hate all humans, but she didn’t.

As they approached the mangled, welded gate, their fears became more and more real. There was no one in the tower, and no one asked them to identify themselves. Xander pounded with an open hand on the metal door slot. There was no response. He rasped again, louder, with a closed fist. Nothing.

“Weapons up, cell.” He whispered and they shouldered their guns.

Sojin stepped to the side of the wall, leaning around it, “There don’t appear to be any large, living things in our vicinity.” Her eyes were equipped with infrared, ultraviolet, and other light spectrum detection which human eyes could not see. It was a blessing to have her.

Fabel looked for a way around, but there appeared to be none. He looked to Sojin with an apologetic smile, “Could you scale the wall and let us in?”

She stepped to the door, eyeing the hinges, then the locks. “No need.” She placed her palm above the removed door handle, a pale blue light emanating from underneath. Sliding her hand back, they heard the bolt pull out of its slot. She repeated the process twice more, then pressed on the door and it opened with ease. “Voila.”

Xander raised his HK416, motioning for Fabel to follow close. “Reese and River, on me.” They formed up, weapons hot.

Eli tapped Sway’s shoulder and they stepped to the back of the truck, watching over the bridge for trouble.

“How did your parents hold up?” They knelt back to back, Sway scanning the south, and he the north.

His tone was laced with frustration, “They’re fine. It was Galen who was having a hard time.”

She nudged his shoulder, “What is it?”

“What is what?” He asked in return, knowing exactly what she meant.

She pushed down thoughts of retorting in anger, “Please don’t do this to me right now, Eli. We’ve been best friends since we were five, I can tell when something is wrong.”

The gate to the city screeched against the concrete, granting them access. Eli turned back to Sway, lowering his gun with a smirk, “It’s fine, Sway. We’re all scared. I’m not immune, no matter how much I try to be.” She knew fear was not what she heard in his voice, but allowed the conversation to end there.

They hopped back into the truck as it boomed to life. The back was pinned open, the velcro hatches undone as well, and they all took spaces at an opening to scan the city. Fabel slid the window from the cab open, shouting, “We’re going to stick to 97 to the other end of town, then turn around and take major side roads if we don’t see anything!”

There was nothing, no one. They all grew stiff, their worst fears being confirmed by the absence of other humans.

Leandra pulled her weapon down, “If they’re all dead, where are they? Where’s the blood at least?”

“No one’s said they’re dead yet.” Eli shrugged. “What if they’re in a town meeting?”

Reese shook his head, “And leave the west entrance unguarded? No, they wouldn’t do that, just like we wouldn’t.”

River banged against the cab window and Fabel threw it open, “What’s up?”

“Sir, why do we even bother going farther in? They’re obviously dead.”

Xander applied the brakes, looking over his shoulder, “We don’t know if they’re dead. We know they’re not in this part of town.” He looked back to the road. “They could have gone into hiding, or evacuated.” They proceeded forward again. “Either way, Command wants us to be sure.” They turned back to their posts, wary and frightened, their lieutenant having not given them much confidence.

They slowly bumped along another three kilometers before Xander killed the truck. Sway hadn’t spotted anything, but whatever he saw warranted a disembark.

Xander pointed towards an old shopping center turned trade hub. “Reese, Sway, Fabel, and River, check it out. Five minutes then hightail it back.” Sway looked to Eli, nervous for him, then tossed her spotter’s scope to Xander.

Fabel took point, Reese the rear, with River and Sway holding up the corners of the diamond as they jogged across the concrete field. The muscles in her legs cried out for her to stop as the last of the adrenaline fled her system. Sway’s knees vibrated as they slowed to a half-crouched walk, but so did Fabel’s and River’s. They were all feeling it.

With weapons raised, they skirted the entrance of the building. “This is a Beacon team from Kamloops, is anyone in here?” Fabel yelled through the open door, his back pressed against the wall beside it.

Silence.

Fabel’s lips pulled in with worry.

“We’re not here to hurt anyone! We’re coming in!” Fabel nodded for River and Sway to proceed, and they split, checking their respective directions as they breached the building. Plastic coverings rustled in the wind, causing shadows to wave in the dim foyer of the trade center.

They pushed on into the main room. The high ceilings were littered with holes worn from age and weather, patched with mismatching bits of metal, or wood. The lighting situation didn’t improve farther in, and they came to a halt at the first trade table.

“There’s no one here,” River whispered, “we should get back to the group.”

Reese disagreed, “Xander gave us five minutes to investigate, we should take it.”

Fabel cocked his head, “Sway, on me. Reese, and River, check the east end.” They moved in unison, checking overturned tables and cubbies with no results. Not even remnants of what they had been trading.

They reached the west side of the building, turned and marched back to the entrance. “Not a thing on that side,” Fabel said with a groan.

River huffed, “Nothing on ours either.”

“Let’s go.” Sway nodded, taking point as they marched back to their cell.

Xander waved them over, “What did you find?”

“Not a thing.” Fabel slung his weapon. “Looks like they evacuated with time to spare. Nothing was left behind in there but the tables.”

Xander nodded, “Take a look,” and Sway passed him her spotter’s scope. Fabel put it to his eye, gazing in the direction Xander pointed.

“Is that smoke?” He tossed it on to River, then Reese, and finally back to Sway. It was indeed, and it looked like the last of a dying fire.

She moved to the back of the truck. “So, are we going, or what?”

Xander looked conflicted. Was he worried what they might find? Sway, for one, was ready to get it over with, and discover what they already knew to be true.

“We’ll take it slow, be on the lookout for any citizens.” Xander hopped into the cab and the truck grumbled to life once more. They were all on edge, hoping they wouldn’t find what they knew they would.

After another three kilometers, and another gate, the truck slowed to a stop. They jumped down once more, Sway’s legs begging her to stop tormenting them. She steadied herself at the side of the bed, rubbing her quads. They’d have to hold out a bit longer.

The air smelled of melting plastic, and a foul, poisonous scent. They covered their mouths with handkerchiefs, squinting as they approached the charred wreckage. There were no bodies, no blood, no shell casings, not even provisions. If they’d been stopped by Priyon, no one died there.

“Maybe this isn’t what we’re thinking it is,” Leandra started. “Yes, they evacuated, but as you said, Fabel, they had time.” She pointed to the blackened remains of the vehicle, “They didn’t engage in combat here, but something with the truck malfunctioned. So, they packed up their stuff and continued on with the other vehicles.”

“Or,” Eli’s voice was grave, sickened, “they just didn’t know they were in trouble until it was too late.”

Xander asked, “What is it Mason?”

Eli pulled away from his scope, his face pale. “They’re eating them.”

Sway’s scope was to her own eye faster than she could blink, pointing in Eli’s line of sight. Priyon infants, many of them already too fat to move, swarmed over a pile of what used to be humans. The bottom of her stomach dropped away, the sight seeming to lift her from the ground.

Clenching her teeth, she passed the scope to Reese. The blood drained from his cheeks as he handed the scope down the line. Sway was clinging to a hope there was something else, some other reason. Without that hope, she froze. Staring into the throng of their destruction, none of them knew what to do.

“How did this happen?” Fabel whispered.

Richard gulped, “Priyon ambassadors come to the door, alone. Tell the leaders the
darkness
is coming, that they were able to rebuild a colony ship in time, or whatever bullshit lie they could come up with to get us to leave our confines willingly.”

River chimed in, “Wait in the forest for them to get well outside of safety. Target the armed vehicles first, kill the strong and the able.”