The Sphinx Project (9 page)

"The burgers are okay though," Nicole said, taking another big bite of the hulking creation spilling from her hands.

"And the ice cream," I chimed in, watching the people walking along the beach. They looked like silhouettes. The sun sat low over the water; rose streaked the thin clouds of the horizon behind them.

"Hey, Kayla." Mouse said the words in a soft voice, but something in her tone told me things weren't okay. "I think the guy by the bar is watching you."

I turned casually as I reached across Nicole to steal some of the fries left on her plate. She slapped my hand away, but I managed to see whom Mouse was talking about. It was the man from the bar earlier.

"How long's he been there?"

"Since the food arrived."

"I probably remind him of someone else." I tried to look uninterested, but I felt the tug of fear in my stomach that seemed to be becoming too familiar.

Mouse gave him another glance but seemed satisfied enough with my opinion.

I pushed away the pathetic excuse of a salad I'd been working on and grabbed the burger next to it, shoving a handful of fries into my mouth.

"Although first reported in South Carolina, reports of zombie sightings have been flooding in from as far away as Alabama, Tennessee and West Virginia."

I froze mid-chew, brain processing the words that blared from the television over the bar. I elbowed Nicole, but she was already focused on the news reporter.

"Soldiers and scientists are working together to locate and contain the creatures, but they're proving difficult to capture and even more difficult to kill. Their origins are still unknown, but they are spreading quickly. If you or anyone you know comes into contact with them, or if you have any information, please call the number at the bottom of the screen. People are reminded to remain inside their houses when possible. Lock your doors and cover any windows, which could be used as access points."

The anchor moved onto another topic but still I stared at the TV. Why had the scientists not contained the experiments? Why were they letting such dangerous things wander around among innocent people?

We ate our meals in silence, inhaling what remained on our plates. We made a quick detour to the store for more ice cream—caramel cr�me since the chocolate was gone—before heading out onto the pier.

Leaning against the barrier, we watched the stars and the moon. Tiny waves lapped against the shoreline under the darkened sky.

"What are we going to do about the creatures?" I asked, gazing at the dark horizon.

"Nothing," Briana answered sharply. "They're not our problem."

"But—"

"No," Nicole cut me off. "It's too dangerous to go back there."

I couldn't believe Nicole was siding with Briana on this one. "What about the people who are getting hurt?"

"You heard them. They've got the army and scientists. They don't need us."

"We've got more important things to think about," Briana said, "like how to get our hands on more money. This isn't going to last forever."

"We'll need to find jobs," Mouse said quietly.

"Can't we withdraw more from his cards?"

"Not here," Mouse didn't turn to face us. "They can trace them. We don't want them to know where we are."

Briana huffed, slouching against the pier.

"I'll check online later, see if I can find anything. There was a computer in the television room," Mouse volunteered.

I lowered my eyes to the water washing gently against the pillars below us. How could they think those creatures weren't our problem? The scientists and soldiers obviously weren't doing enough. In only a couple of days, they'd spread across several states. Were they doing anything at all?

I gazed at each of the girls in turn. Could they really let those creatures roam freely?

I stiffened as footsteps approached from behind us. They were heavy and purposeful. No one had been on the pier when we'd walked out and those on the beach were ambling leisurely along.

Shock rippled through me as I turned, recognizing the man from the restaurant. I straightened, crossing my arms over my chest.

"So, are you going to screw around? Or are you going to tell me what's going on?" he demanded, stopping several yards away from us. His face was stern but I could detect an underlying hint of anger in his voice.

I couldn't hide the shock from my face nor still the tug at my gut that told me I needed to get away from him.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who's been watching us." I could see where the fabric of his jacket buckled against a shoulder holster. It was tempting to reach for my own gun, but I resisted the urge. I was sure, if it came down to it, I'd be faster than him on the draw. "Who are you? And why are you following us?"

He completely ignored my questions. "You shouldn't be here. She was supposed to take you away."

"What on earth are you talking about?" He wasn't making any sense. "Who was supposed to take us away? Where to?"

"Mary."

The word hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the last thing I'd expected this stranger to say. I hadn't heard that word in years, the one that could stop me in my tracks; my mother's name.

"How did you know her?" Pain throbbed in my chest as the memories of Mom resurfaced. I swallowed, imagining that the action somehow pushed back the emotions trying to rise within me. I needed to keep a clear head.

"Because I was the one who organized it. All she had to do was get you past the gates. You never showed."

"It?" I asked, confused

"The escape."

"Why would she try to free us? And I'll ask again, who are you?" I'd never seen this man in my life and now he was talking like he expected me to understand.

"Why do you think? You ran away. There must be some reason you didn't want to stay there." He was still ignoring my questions. "You don't think she liked keeping you there any more than you liked being there, do you?"

I'd often wondered about that. How she could let them treat us that way? But I'd come to terms with it long ago. It was part of the deal. She didn't have a choice.

"Can you answer her other question now?" Nicole's voice was steady, but the tense set of her shoulders told me she wasn't totally at ease.

"I'm not going to jeopardize my family by telling you things you don't need to know."

"How could we do anything to your family?" I'd never seen this man before nor had any idea that he had family, let alone where they might be.

"I don't know you. And I don't trust you to keep your mouth shut. That's the end of the discussion." Nicole sighed.

That line of questioning was getting us nowhere. "Where were you supposed to take us once she'd done her part?"

"Not them, you."

"Why would she leave us behind?" Briana seemed offended by his words.

Trying to figure out what he was going on about was starting to make my head hurt.

"She wanted to get all of you out, but we couldn't manage four. Only one. You're the one they would have missed the most."

"Why would they miss me? I'm no different than the others." I turned to Nicole, willing her to confirm my statement.

"She said you were special. You're the one the scientists most wanted to keep," he explained. "Obviously, you're different enough to matter."

"When was this escape planned for?" Nicole asked.

His words were a slap in the face. A pain stabbed deep within my chest before I could close off that train of thought.

"That's the day she died." Nicole's jaw tensed as she finished speaking, her teeth gritting.

I sometimes wondered if Nicole remembered our mom as I did or if she considered her nothing more than a glorified babysitter. The way she talked about her sometimes revealed neither warmth nor affection; it all seemed to be about the facts.

Nicole was often hard to read, amazing at concealing her emotions, but not this time. I heard her swallow and out of the corner of my eye I saw her head droop forward a few degrees, although not removing her eyes from this mysterious man.

There was still something there for Mom. A little warmth fluttered inside me. She still thought of Mom like I did.

I began to speak but I noticed a distant growl, similar but not quite the same as the earthquakes over the last few days. The other girls heard it too. Their bodies stiffened, ready to spring into action.

What surprised me was the awareness that ignited in the man's eyes.

"Run!" he yelled.

Chapter Eleven

We ran without a word, sprinting as fast as we could toward the land. We were faster than him, but not by much.

The growl intensified, growing into a full-fledged roar. Twisting my head, I saw a huge wall of water rushing after us.

As soon as it hit the end of the pier, we were immediately aware of the power within. No television show could quite depict the full effect.

The entire structure shuddered; a great crack ruptured the air, and the end of the pier gave way. The enormous logs holding up the structure split and snapped.

They fell into the thrashing waters below, only to be tossed back up, dancing on the frothing tides. The monstrous slabs of concrete that made up the surface of the jetty sped along, atop the great influx of liquid.

As the wave advanced, it dragged at the pier, which crumbled at an alarming speed into the tumultuous Pacific waiting hungrily below. The skeleton-like supports of the hulking creation that had previously pointed so proudly into the west disintegrated in the uprising of the ocean.

We sprinted as fast as our legs could possibly carry us in hope of outrunning the water that crumbled stone and steel. The wave raged after us, chasing with a speed I couldn't have anticipated.

There was no way we would outrun the crashing surge completely. Were we to stop for even a moment, the wave would drag the pier from beneath our feet, pulling us with it into the churning depths below.

I couldn't make my legs move any faster. They simply wouldn't accelerate. The end was near. If we were able to get to the land, we might be able to tough out the wave. But if the collapsing pier managed to drag us into the debris, it was going to be bad.

Somehow, perhaps by sheer strength of will, we managed to reach dry land. I kept running, searching for a safe destination.

As if escaping from a bubble, I instantly became aware of the shrieks and screams of the tourists and bar patrons.

There were so many of them, the terror they exuded suffocated me. After all my training, I should be impervious to their fear, but something creeped past my defenses. I was whispering thanks that there were no families around, due to the late evening, when a woman's horrified scream indicated I was horribly wrong

A young child, perhaps two or three, was chasing a bird in the open area outside the restaurant closest to the water. She was oblivious to the danger, as only a child could be.

I pushed my legs even harder. As though someone heard my prayers, an unknown force granted me that tiny bit of extra speed to reach the child and pluck her from the concrete. I clutched her tightly against me, but she didn't realize I was trying to help her. She struggled and kicked out, unsure of what was going on.

I turned my head to look back the exact moment it hit. The wave swept over me, lifted me from my feet. I managed a deep breath before we were dragged under. The water thrust us forward with a scary strength.

I couldn't fight the current or propel myself in any direction other than the way the water wanted to go. I tried to protect the child with my body, curling around her while covering my own head with my arm.

We tumbled over and over, debris smashing into me. My back slammed into something solid, something unmoved by the angry waters. It forced the air from my lungs.

I managed to maneuver us so that I faced the obstruction, the little girl pinned safely between my body and the object. We were still under water, but she couldn't be swept away.

I tried to determine which way was up, but the water was rushing so fast, no bubbles were rising. I suddenly became aware that the tiny girl in my arms no longer struggled. She simply lay limp.

For the first time since the whole thing started—less than a minute ago—I panicked. I took a wild guess and tried to drag us so that our heads were above the water, but something hit me from behind, slamming me forward.

I shoved an arm out so I wouldn't squash her and a tearing pain raced through my forearm as we rammed into the obstruction. The water seemed to pin me in place.

It took several seconds to shake my body out of the pain-induced shock to make another attempt for the surface. I could see now that we'd hit one of the huge palm trees that lined the street.

The rushing water slowed slightly, allowing me to catch a glimpse of what sat above. I would never be able to explain the relief it gave me to see the sky. I dragged myself upwards, clutching tightly to the tree that had blocked our path.

My lungs couldn't take any more. As they were about to burst, I managed to thrust my head through the foam, dragging the little girl with me. Her eyes were closed. She wasn't breathing.

I couldn't do anything to help her. All I could do was hold her to my chest my legs gripped the tree, keeping our heads above water.

Fear consumed me, more completely than the wave had. She was so tiny and so helpless. I could hear a small heart beat, a tiny, whispering, weak sound, but a rhythm nonetheless. A slight thread of hope remained.

The inland force of the wave had stilled now, and the water level began to lower. Most seemed to recede back into the ocean, a strong drag attempted to yank me from my place. I held on as tight as I could.

When the pull had lessened and the water was shallow, I let go and dropped to my feet. I tried to wrap my arms around her to perform the Heimlich and force the water from her lungs, but my left arm wouldn't move that way. I tried using one hand. It didn't work.

Turning her in my arms so she was face-down over my bad one, I applied sharp blows to her small back with my hand.