The Battle of Tyrell: Cynthia by Nicola Collings (new books to read .TXT) 📖

I can see myself lying there.

It’s warm...it feels so warm on my chest and on my cheek. I think I’ll sleep for a bit longer.

                But, wait...I  can hear something! Crying? Who’s crying? Do they need help? Should I go help? But, I’m so warm!

                No! They need my help! I just need to wake up!

                To wake up and to push through!

 

                                                                                                *

 

                Zeke wasn’t himself. He only caught glimpses of what he was doing, faces being sliced in two, blood running down drains like rain water. In front of him, he caught flashes of hands with claws and could hear growls...like a wolf’s.

                But not from him...surely?

                But time was going so fast! He captured a glance at his companions. Sam, with a face of mild worry, looking from left to right, and then at Zeke. He saw Gus, who was busy carrying out executions on Boundary citizens. And he glimpsed the Wyverns, shooting and fighting men who thought they could take on the army...the types of family men, who would do anything for their innocent babies.

                Wait! Innocent babies?

                But he couldn’t stop! He was nearly there! As his vision tunnelled, all that was in his mind was the bright light at the top of the hill. The resonating beacon of a sinister form of sanctuary, a light that tried too hard to convince it’s people of safety.

                A cold, unwelcoming light.

                And following him were torrents of screams and bloodied warriors all wanting the same end as Zeke, with a little added chaos.

               

                                                                                                *

 

                Sam tried to keep up with Zeke, but it was as though his mind was only set on reaching Horizon House. On either side, fires burned, fuelled by homes and corpses and screams of battle could still be heard in the distance.

                Was it really battle? Or was it more genocide? He’d marched towards Boundary convinced they were going to war, but in all honesty, was this really a just fight? He’d seen dead babies and children piled up at the curbs. He’d seen mothers holding their kids in their arms as they were pulled apart and forced to watch each other being shot in the head!

                What was this, if not war?

                Horizon House was upon them. But something wasn’t right.

                “Where are all the guards? Surely they’d have thought to protect their Mayor!” Sam shouted over the ruckus to the others.

                “I was thinking that too!” replied Gus, slowing down. “And did you see the police on the edge of Boundary? There were so few! And loads of houses were empty of their inhabitants! I think they’ve tried to evacuate!”

                It made sense.

                “Well, we still go in, and if he’s not there, then we secure the building and search for him. He has to come out some time!” Nate suggested.

                Sam and Gus nodded.

                Horizon House looked oddly pale and ominous in the dark. The group stomped over the flower beds and the neatly trimmed bushes towards the front door.

                “Right, we need a plan.” Said Nate as the others nodded. However, the sounds of shattering gas and the glimpse Sam caught of Zeke leaping in through the window caused alarms to start from within. A red light started to flash, causing shadows to dance in fire on the lawn.

                “Right, scratch that! Wyverns! On the roof! Kayla, you go in with us! Come on! We have to find him!” yelled Nate. Everyone sprang into order.

                Sam ran after Nate, hurling himself through the shattered window, narrowly dodging the sharp glass, and landing with a thump in the darkness. There were two similar thumps behind him, and he turned to see Gus and Kayla.

                “This way!” whispered Nate in the silence. Why was it so quiet? And why was no one here? He had expected to see guards everywhere, scurrying about in the emergency.

                The four made their way out into a dark hallway. It was just past Midnight, so there was no moon; the night was at it’s peak of darkness. Until, however, Nate took a lighter from a pocket and clicked the flame to life.  The dim orange light held back some of the shadows, but dark corners still remained.

                There came a clatter from upstairs and the sound of furniture being knocked over. Nate and Kayla were quick to act, moving like shadows, always in a combat stance, guns out in front of them. Sam and Gus lagged behind, following them up a wide stair case and through a huge door with lavish decor.

                Nate and Kayla paused outside, listening to the clatters and thumps getting louder and more frequent.

                “1...2...” whispered Nate. “3!”

                The two Wyverns burst in, to find Zeke pinned to the floor while a man dressed like a guard repeatedly hit his bloody face.

                There was a terrified cry from across the room.

                “Behind you!” shouted a deep voice, and another guard emerged from the shadows.

                This one was different. He was tall, taller than the average human, and he wore gear similar to Nate and Kayla’s, except there were no metal bands around his wrists or ankles. Without warning, he leapt into the air, one fit raised.

                Nate shot at him, yet as the bullets tore up the front of his body, he did not waver, and brought his fist down onto Nate. It was then that Sam noticed the two small tanks on it’s back with a glowing liquid inside.

                “Gus, help Zeke!” yelled Sam, aiming for the tanks. He was too slow, however, as the soldier stood over Nate and looked at Kayla, who was getting ready to leap. The guard looked towards her as she pounced into the air and landed behind him, kicking out before he had time to turn. The guard landed face first onto the floor. As he got to his knees, Nate kicked him in the stomach. The guard rolled away and as Kayla and Nate went towards him, the guard grabbed Nate by the head, and kicked at Kayla with his leg. To Sam’s horror, the guard slammed Nate’s head into the wall, letting him fall to the floor, leaving a huge crack in the plaster.

                A gun shot came from behind Sam, yet in the chaos, he didn’t have time to see where it came from. The guard was suddenly in front of Sam, knocking his gun from his hands and sending him flying into a bookshelf. Kayla and Nate got up slowly, and Sam tried his best to ignore the pounding pain flaring through his body. The guard, however, turned slowly, taking something from a belt on his waist.

                It was a small, silver object, yet when the guard flicked it, the object lengthened dramatically, the glint of a dangerous blade shining in the darkness. The guard sliced it through the air with a metallic shing!

                Kayla dodged suddenly as the guard moved towards them, yet Nate reached out with a fist, aiming for his sword hand. Sam heard the squelch of flesh and saw a huge gash in Nate’s arm. Kayla then did the same.

                There was another squelch of soft tissue. Followed by a heavy thump. And a painful cry.

                All Sam saw was a bloody hand on the floor, still wearing a thick silver band around it’s wrist...

 

 

                                                                                                *

 

                “Wait! Rick, there’s something going on in there! Listen!” cried Nicki, looking up at the largest window of Horizon House.

                Rick listened to the cries and the heavy thumps.

                “I think that was where Zeke went!”

                Rick looked at Nicki. “Then the best place for us is away from here!”

“But...they may need our help!”

“Are you insane? Those are the Wyverns in there, probably! And Ezekiel! You’ve heard the stories about him, right?”

Nicki sighed. “Yes, but what if they die? What if they fail! Then we’ll all be for Delphius!”

Rick just looked at her, dumbfounded.

“Look, I know it sounds strange and we’ve basically just encouraged a mass genocide, but what’s better? Failing now and everyone headed for the Boiling Sea? Or, surviving, as we always have done. I’m not proud of what anyone’s done today, but I don’t want to go to prison!”

Rick just nodded, solemnly.

“What happened to you, Nicki? You used to be so...so...”

Innocent?

Nicki led Rick into Horizon House, without another word.

 

                                                                                *

 

Kayla was changing. Her body became more lean and her skin turned a ghostly white. Her eyes turned yellow and fangs could be seen forming behind her black lips. She looked almost...animal!

And what amazed him even more, was the regeneration of flesh around her severed hand! The flesh was reforming, as if in fast forwards! In seconds, she had a new, pale hand, complete with razor sharp claws!

Sam looked to Nate, who was looking down at his own metal bands! “Nate? What the fu-”

He felt the wind get blown out of him. His vision blurred and he was on the floor, a huge, black figure standing over him.

He just found himself looking into those black eyes before Pain was next to him, smiling. The world turned black and white, as if something has suddenly flipped everything! Nothing made sense anymore. All he could do was lie there, with the force of something immense weighing on his chest.

 

                                                                                *

 

Nate followed suit. He took a knife from his ankle and with one, sweeping motion, cut through his wrist with enhanced strength!

As far as he was concerned, breaking the band like Kayla’s had done the first time, would take too long.

And then he felt it, like a tonne of bricks hitting him right in the face! The force of something changing and moulding! He felt his body grow, bones breaking and reshaping. He felt he could move with a freedom he’d never had before!

He took one look at the guard, and pounced in a way he never had before! He looked at Kayla, who’d gone for his legs, bringing him crashing to the floor. Nate leapt onto his chest and dug his claws into his shoulder, tearing his arm away. Kayla appeared next to him.

Their eyes met.

They both knew what to do.

Nate looked down and sunk his clawed hand into the guys chest, tearing away his heart.

He looked up at Kayla who had her hand raised, his head firmly clutched there.

 

 

                                                                                *

 

Zeke looked up at the mess.

He’d watched Gus jump in front of the bullet that would have killed him. He’d watched himself tear the guard limb from limb and jump to the next one; the one who’d hid in the shadows. Zeke had seen his head flung out of the stain-glass window.

And then he’d laid eyes on the two Wyverns, crouching over the tall guard, covered in blood.

To his surprise, they’d stood, the inhuman features that made them look so...unnerving retreated a bit. He was about to ask, when a pained mumbled came from the back of the room. Zeke turned and saw blood pooling on the carpet.

“Gus..”

Sam was lying on the floor, a tall, silver sword impaled in his chest.

“Shit!” he gasped, kneeling.

“What happened...to...Gus?” his voice was hoarse, and almost indecipherable.

“We...didn’t see...where’s Gus?” asked Nate.

Zeke looked at the body that lay in the furthest corner of the room.

“Ah, crap!” sighed Nate. “What can we do! There aren’t any hospitals! Not now!”

“It’s the price...we all have to pay.” Zeke said blankly. “I’m sorry, Sam.”

“Is Gus dead?” asked Sam, obviously not aware of what had happened to him.

“Yeah. He took a bullet for me.”

Sam laid his head back. “He’s...ok. He’s with...Amelia now.”

“Sam, we’re sorry...”

Sam smiled a bloody smile. “It’s ok. Don’t sorry, I won’t be gone long...” Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth and his eyes became vacant. Zeke closed his eyes.

“See?” came a shaky voice from the darkness. All three of them turned, ready to fight again. It was,