Cascade box set 2, p.16
Cascade Box Set 2, page 16
As Isaiah walked across the forecourt the world turned white, then black.
“Sam? You there? What are you up against? Over,” came from Sam’s partially melted radio as it lay on the blackened concrete.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
A little girl stood silent clutching her teddy bear. As she went to walk towards Mary’s bed, the window on the two story 1930s home rattled with the impact of the explosion at the nearby food storage unit.
Mary sat up with a jolt. “What?” she looked at the little girl then followed the six year olds gaze to the window. Mary jumped out of bed and looked out at a plume of black smoke rising into the early morning sky.
It’s happening again.
Her mind flashed back to similar scenes at the Portland camp many months earlier and when she was offered a new house for herself and the young people she was looking after she insisted she was given one with a basement.
“Mary?” said the little girl.
Mary was busy putting her pants and other clothes on. “Yes?”
“There is a bad monster in our back garden.”
Mary froze mid button. “What? Where?” she then lifted the little girl off the floor into her arms and raced into the hallway. As she did the noises of snorting and wooden posts twisting and breaking came from the back of the house.
Doors on the hallway opened and young faces looked out.
“Everyone get dressed!” Mary half shouted. They all disappeared back inside their rooms.
Tyler appeared at the bottom of the stairs looking down the hall towards the kitchen at the back of the house. He was fully dressed and had a shotgun in his hand.
“Tyler! What’s going on?” said Mary down the stairs to him.
“There’s an E.L.F in the backyard. It’s just sitting there.”
“Don’t go near it! Stay in the house,” she then moved into the spare room which overlooked the yard and carefully stepped closer to the curtains and looked out.
A creature which looked like a dark giant mole, but covered in spikes, and had four legs which belonged to a lion was sniffing the air. It momentarily looked upwards and Mary pulled back. Jess went to say something and she instinctively placed her hand over the child's mouth.
“Ssh,” said Mary moving her hand. “We have to be quiet,” she then walked back to the hallway. Anxious young voices came from the various rooms, while a few youngsters were already standing in the hallway not quiet knowing what to do with themselves.
Mary looked down at Tyler still standing at the bottom of the stairs. “We need to get into the basement. Where’s Addison?”
“I’m here,” came from behind her. The teenager with newly dyed black hair was standing fully dressed with her backpack slung over her shoulder. “Do we have to hide again?”
“Yes. I need you to help Tyler get Jess and everyone into the basement, can you do that?”
The young girl nodded, and started corralling everyone down the stairs to the now open door under the stairs.
Mary ran back to her room, pulling out a set of keys from a drawer, then up to a cupboard which had multiple locks on it. She quickly unlocked each by finding the correct combination, and opened the doors to reveal packs of ammo and a rack with a number of guns held securely. At the bottom was a large holdall which she shoved the ammo into, and then pulled off two M4 rifles and one shotgun.
Tyler appeared at the bedroom door. “They’re in the basement.”
“Good, help me with these,” she said struggling to hold them all. Tyler grabbed the bag putting it over his shoulder and took one of the rifles.
They then both crept down the stairs quickly as they could, and as Tyler disappeared down the basement steps Mary stopped and looked to the kitchen and through the windows. The creature was investigating the sheds they had at the back of the garden, pushing into the wood making it break then jumping back when it looked like the structure would collapse. It then quickly whipped its head around making Mary jump. She ran into the stairwell and pulled the upper door closed. Then ran down the steps and ran into the reinforced space, closing the bottom door as well.
She half expected to hear the sound of crying but instead there was only silence filling the room.
She took a deep breath. “Okay, we’re okay. How is everyone?”
Addison looked up at her, while holding two children close. “We’re okay.”
Tyler was sat at a desk which contained an old radio ham set.
“Can you get the Core on that, and tell them that we have an E.L.F here, hopefully they will send people out.”
Tyler nodded and started turning the dials, while picking up the mike.
Mary looked back at the children huddled and scared. “Right, who wants—”
An almighty sound of shattered glass reverberated through the boards above them, and the children started screaming.
*****
A knock came at Zach’s office, making him lift his head from the thirty minutes of sleep he was hoping to get more of. “Yup?”
The door opened and a soldier ducked her head inside. “We’re getting reports of multiple explosions around the camp. The general told me I should wake you.”
He shook his head a little then wiped his hand across his face. “It’s fine, private.” He got up and followed the young woman back out into the cacophony of noise.
The general was standing talking into her headset. “And you’re sure it’s just the food storage centers? Over,” there were a few seconds of silence while she was nodding. “I want—” she briefly looked at Zach walking towards her and then back up at the large screen. “— Extra squads sent to the remaining ones. Over,” she then turned to Zach. “Eight food centers have been hit, but what looks like insurgents. It’s hard to say if it’s the gang’s people or our own.”
Someone tapped Zach’s arm. Turning around Abbey was standing with a cup of coffee in her hand offering it to him. He smiled and took it.
“We have drone footage sir of some of the centers,” said a soldier in front of them.
“Put it up on the main screen,” said Zach.
The large screen at the front of the hall changed to display an area of buildings and trees from high above and a large plume of black smoke covering some of them.
Just as Zach went to talk a soldier interrupted him. “Sir, we have a Tyler Harris on a ham radio band. He says he knows you?”
“Yes, put him through to me.”
“Sir. That you? Over.”
“Yes I’m here, what is it Tyler? Over.”
The sound of children screaming and a booming noise came from Tyler’s transmission. “There’s an E.L.F here, it’s trashing the house upstairs. We need help. Over.”
Zach looked at the nearby soldier, covering his mike. “There’s an E.L.F in the southern quadrant, I want a squad sent there now!” Letting go of the mike he continued. “The soldier you was just talking to, I’m putting you onto her now. Tell her your address. We will have someone with you as soon as they can. Are you all safe where you are?”
“Yes, sir, we are in the basement, but we don’t know if the thing will be able to find us. Over.”
“Sit tight Tyler, help is on the way. Over.” Zach then passed the conversation back to the previous soldier.
While he had been talking to Tyler he noticed Trow was looking more and more anxious with whoever she was engaged with on her comms. He walked closer to her. “What is it?”
“The north wall is completely breached, Bass said a number of large E.L.F’s tore it down, and now there’s a stream of creatures moving through the gap.”
“Why didn’t the wall guns there stop them?”
“The guns were burned out, and the smaller armaments couldn’t hold them back.”
“Whichever infantry company team is closest to the breach, send to that spot now.”
The general nodded and relayed the order.
For a moment Zach’s head started to spin, he leaned forward placing his hand on the desk in front of him. It’s all coming apart. It’s on me. The sound of gasps made him lift his head.
On the large screen was the sight of E.L.F’s of varying sizes walking zombie like through a half-mile tear in the camps northern defenses.
“This is from one of the feeds at the north wall…” said Trow while watching.
“Look at the size of them…” said a soldier while a few E.L.F’s the same height of the wall sauntered past the camera.
“They’re not even attacking each other!” said someone else.
Abbey’s touch on his arm shook Zach out of his trance. “Zach, we have to implement the plan, I need to go…”
“I don’t know, maybe we can—”
“Look at them! We need to fight fire with fire! Before it’s too late!”
Zach looked down, then turned and looked at the woman he loved. “Okay, do it.”
Abbey briefly kissed him, then ran off, leaving by the side door.
Zach looked at Trow. “We’re not going the same way as all the other camps.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
A bearded man who looked like he had escaped the camps rationing paced up and down inside the chaotic looking barn. “Why can’t we just kill them?” he said to the older man with a blue frayed cap.
“We got our orders, we blow the food place but we don’t kill anyone unless we have to.”
The sound of air raid sirens mingled with explosions outside.
“But why bring them here? This is my place!”
“Cos they saw things. And until Troy’s people take the camp we can’t have them running around.”
A skinny teen, leaning up against a dusty looking wooden post sniggered. “He ain’t gonna be running much, is he?”
“Look we keep them here,” the man in the cap pointed outside. “You hear that? It’s not going to be long now.”
They all traipsed outside securely locking the barn door behind them. As they were walking away they seemed to start arguing again.
After a few moments Sam shifted slightly on the floor. “Psss… Isaiah you alive.”
“Of course I’m alive.”
“I can’t tell, your eyes are closed,” Sam whispered.
The tall man’s eyes flicked opened. “Look, I’m alive.”
“Okay good. Did you hear what they said?”
Isaiah sighed. “Yup, the home team is losing.”
Sam wiggled his hands which were bound by a yellow rope. “We got to get these damn ropes off.”
Isaiah got to his feet then walked over to a small scythe that was hanging up, using his shoulder he knocked it off its hook and then kicked it across to Sam.
“That’ll work.” Sam then shuffled forward and positioned the rusty implement behind him then turning it on its side until his wrists were positioned either side of the blade.
The morning sun streamed through the gap in the barn door that Isaiah was trying to look through.
“See anything?” said Sam moving his hands back and forwards. In the distance a series of explosions drifted on the wind.
“Just a farm house. Trees, fences,” he stretched his neck. “I think I see some buildings behind the hills. Looks like factories, we could be in the north.”
The rope holding Sam’s hands broke apart. “Done it,” he then pulled himself to his feet, walked over to Isaiah and started doing the same to his ropes.
Soon Isaiah’s hands were free, instantly he rattled the door in front of him, which shook but did not give way.
They both looked around them. “Let’s try up there,” said Sam looking at the hayloft above them.
“Hold up, help me move some stuff,” said Isaiah.
Soon, there was barrels, and farming equipment up against the main door. “Should slow them down.”
Isaiah then climbed up the wooden ladder, and got out onto the hay covered wooden planks. “I ain’t seeing…” he shuffled forward.
“What’s up there?” said Sam watching from below.
“There’s no door or anything, but there’s a whole lot of sun coming through these boards, throw me up that scythe.”
Sam tossed the iron and wooden handled blade up onto the boards, which Isaiah then started using to pry apart from rotten wood. Soon the sun was beaming down onto the loose hay and warming Isaiah’s arms. “Get your butt up here.”
Sam climbed up, pulling himself up the slats until he got to the top. The top part of Isaiah’s body was beyond what Sam could see. Isaiah then ducked back inside. “We gonna be needing some rope to climb down, you see any down there?”
“I just climbed up!”
Isaiah went to say something else when he stopped. “Hold on, I’m hearing some weird shit up here. I’m going to check it out.”
The rest of Isaiah scrambled upwards and out onto the roof. For a moment he rested allowing the sun to warm him. He then rotated around, so he was facing up the slope of the roof and towards the noises that was bothering him. Slowly he pushed himself up the planks until his head poked out over the top.
For a moment he watched, frozen. The scene in front of him was a convoy. Not of machine, but of monsters. E.L.F’s some standing five story’s high walked across the landscape a few miles away towards the south.
Sam appeared through the hole. “I found some rope!” he then turned around to see Isaiah still watching. “What you see?”
Isaiah turned around on his back. “It might be time to start thinking about moving on.”
“What? Let me see.” Sam threw the rope out onto the roof, then climbed out, and up to where his friend was laying and looked for himself. “Fuck. That’s a lot of E.L.F’s.”
Isaiah shook his head. “Even if the camps forces stop them, they are going to do a lot of damage.”
Booms rang out in the distance.
Sam looked to the lower parts of the roof. “I need to find a place to tie this,” he then momentarily stopped. “I need to get back to Mary.”
The sound of men’s voices came from the house.
“They’re coming back!” whispered Isaiah ducking down.
Sam started scrambling to the back of the roof. It was still a long way down to the muddy ground. A foot below him a black iron ring was attached to the barn. Straining he leaned down and reached down grabbing it and flicking it upwards. He then fed the rope he had through it, pulling it up, and then tied it into a knot. He looked back at Isaiah who was looking towards the house. “Come on!”
“I think some of them are leaving.” Isaiah peered out from his lofty position. The sound of a car engine revved then a small cloud of dust sprung upwards. “Yeah, two just left.”
“We still gotta climb down!” Sam grabbed hold of the rope, letting go of the roof and slowly lowered himself to the ground. He then looked up at Isaiah wrapping the rope around his legs, and using that to lower himself down. “You okay?”
“Yah I got this, just keep watch on that guy.”
Sam ran to the side of the barn and looked towards the house. The rear door of the pleasant looking farmhouse clattered and the bearded man closed it behind himself with purpose.
Isaiah landed on the ground behind Sam.
“He’s got a shotgun and he’s coming towards the barn.”
The man opened the gun and looked at the shells before closing it and continued towards the barn door, where he set about pulling back the locks. He just managed to unlock the lowest when a rock hit the back of his head sending him to the ground in a heap.
Sam quickly picked up the gun, then handed it to Isaiah. “I just hope they got a car here somewhere.”
Roars together with the sound of battle echoed across the hills.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Abbey stood in the cavernous interior of the twin-engine helicopter, and waved the men and women past her. “Hurry it up people, we are against the clock here.”
“I really don’t know about this,” said an elderly woman to the man behind her.
He just frowned and pointed to one of the bucket like seats ahead of them.
“Everyone find a seat as quickly as possible then strap yourselves in.”
It wasn’t long before the last of the forty-eight passengers was running up the ramp and sitting down in one of the few seats left.
One of the flight crew talked into his headset and the sound of the engines above their head increased so loudly that nobody could hear themselves talk, regardless of the distance between them.
Abbey walked closer to the man with the headset. “We need the back to stay open!” she shouted. He gave the thumbs up and slowly the helicopter started to rise upwards.
Through the opening at the rear the helicopter Abbey watched as two Apaches lifted upwards at the same time.
Ten feet became a hundred within a short time and she looked at the various columns of smoke scattered across the horizon as they passed over the southern wall.
The crewmember leaned closer to her. “The pilot wants to know if there’s any particular direction you want us to go in?” he shouted.
“Hold on!”
Abbey moved along the aisle then stopped roughly halfway along the seats. The occupants looked at her. “You all know why you are here. We have a job to do. I want you to close your eyes and reach out with your minds to find the closest E.L.F you can find.”
One by one the Cascaders closed their eyes and some chose to hold the hands with the person next to them.
“Umm, to our right, on the ground. Sorry I don’t know what direction that is,” said a man with thick wavy hair and glasses.
Abbey smiled. “That’s great,” she headed back to the crew and pointed. He smiled and nodded while talking into his headset. She walked back to the Cascaders.
“There’s a few ahead of us,” said an elderly man pointing forward.
“And a whole bunch flying to our left,” said a young girl.
“Okay, that’s good. Now I need you to connect with the creatures you sense. I know this is new for some of you, but just trust your instincts. When you feel you have made a connection, make the creatures move towards the camp. Picture it in your minds, see the walls and the buildings. The camp is their friend, it’s a place they can be safe and need to protect. And something else really important. Picture this helicopter in your minds, picture yourself in this helicopter, way up in the sky flying. Make sure the creatures know we are friends, that we need to be protected too.”
