Chapter 29: Get Some

Chapter 29: Get Some

Jamess breathing sounded impossibly loud. He wasnt used to this kind of silence. The past few days had been non-stop noise, sirens, shouts, gunshots. A tapestry of continuous panic and the sound of society collapsing.

But it felt as if he was entering a bubble, each footstep crunching, the wind still, all voices absent. The Nemesis 2s drifted forward in perfect silence, climbing walls or leaping down to the street with little more than a scratchy whisper.

Serenity was much quieter than he was. He looked back twice to take comfort from her grim expression, both guns raised, her gaze sweeping back and forth.

They made their way down the block, drawing right up to the dead zones perimeter. Here and there James spotted gremlins, but they seemed cowed, unwilling to race forward and cause a scene like children cowed into good behavior by the gravity of a funeral.

Good. Who knew what would happen if he and Serenity started being swarmed.

On they crept, and when they reached the next intersection James sank into a crouch, shoulder to the wall.

The demonic symbol slowly rotated five hundred feet above them in the center of the dead zone, wreathed in purple fire and unintelligible to the eye, a burning series of loops and curves in the night sky.

You hear that? whispered Serenity.

James didnt, so he listened more closely. There. Yes. A faint and continuous whisper, just barely audible. Like wind pouring through a forest canopy in the distance, or a thousand ants moving over each other in a tight burrow.

Jamess skin goose bumped.

Nemesis 2 were crossing the street perpendicular to them for blocks in every direction, black gleaming monstrosities with pale faces sliding into the far shadows. Peering further down their own street, James focused, tried to make out details.

A block into the zone he could see the darkness swarming. Nemesis 2s were moving along the walls slowly, tightly packed together.

You make out what theyre doing? asked James.

Hold on, let me try something. She raised a Sig and aimed.

He pushed the gun down. What the fuck are you doing?The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

Her eye roll would have done a jaded fifteen-year-old proud. Jesus James, you really think Im going to stir up that shit?

She raised the gun again, sighted down the barrel. Deadeye sharpens my vision when Im aiming. There. Its like a fucking whats it called, a periscope?

An aiming sight? James wasnt sure. A telescopic lens?

Ohtheyre definitely doing something. Oh - gross.

What?

Theyre covering the side of the building in something. Its like this gleaming, wet pink goo.

James made a disgusted face. What, like painting it?

Yeah, kind of. Like out of their asses. I guess how like spiders shit silk? But theyre shitting this pink pasty stuff and just smearing it on the walls.

Weird, said James. What the fuck is that for?

Maybe theyre nesting? Serenity strafed the street with her gun. Oh, hold up. One of them is - oh fuck.

She lowered the gun, stared, clearly shocked, then raised it again.

James was dying. What?!

One of them has pulled a man out of a window. Hes either dead or unconscious.

James fought the urge to leap to his feet. A guy? What are they doing with him?

OK, its carrying him over to the others who are laying down Her face crumpled in disgust and she looked away. Oh fuck. Looked back, her face crumpled with disgust. One of thems lifted its mask. Its head is like, a bowl of caviar. Theyre feeding the guy into its head, which is She gagged, looked down, forced herself to look back up. Its head is swelling to the size of the dude. His arms sunk into its head. Shoulder. Oh fuck, his head.

She turned away again.

James stared helplessly down into the dark. The guy moving? Serenity, is he moving? He alive?

She pressed the back of her wrist against her mouth, raised her gun, looked again. No. Hes still. Halfway in now. There go his legs. Hes gone. The mask is back down. Hes inside it. Its going back to work with the others.

She froze.

Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

Rose to her feet and backed away a few steps. James. The pink goo.

James felt his gorge rise but stayed still. Let the realization sink home, then inhaled deeply through his nose. The shock was sudden, the implications horrifying, and he looked around at all the dark and silent buildings before him with new understanding.

Theyre pasting people over the walls, he said slowly, speaking the words so he could try and grapple with the truth.

Im going to be sick. Serenitys sounded like she was about to puke. Oh god.

James swallowed deliberately and lowered the fire-axe, so it lay across his knees. Lets back up. We need to tell people.

They retreated slowly, carefully, mindful of the occasional Nemesis 2 that appeared, some of them even curving away from them so theyd not come too close. Reached the beginning of the block and started striding briskly away.

Jamess thoughts were spinning. How many of the symbols were there in NYC? Was it hundreds? Across all five boroughs? He didnt think hed heard of an accurate count, though the military had to know.

And in each of them, under the eyes of the monitors

James ran forward to draw the Nemesis 2 off Huffman only to jerk aside as another one sprang at him from the side, bladed arms pincering, but it hit a wall of gray fire that appeared from nowhere, knocking it back.

Singh standing atop the hummer, gun in one hand, other extended to James.

Shield of motherfucking Faith.

Huffman was backing away. She needed one more level. He had to weaken the demon then let her finish it off.

James ran in, cursed his low Agility, brought his fire-axe behind his head and then threw it, a double-armed toss. The burning axe rotated through the air and buried itself in the Nemesis 2s chest, sinking deep.

It staggered, dropped to one knee.

Huffman! shouted James. Finish it!

A blast of M4 fire, Huffman moving forward now, rifle to her shoulder, pinpoint aiming at the demons head, the rounds slammed home, the head burst apart, and Huffman let out a scream of primal victory.

James had no time to wait. He tore his axe free and then Delvecchio entered the fray, his SAW going all out.

White fire sprayed across the street, 700 rounds per minute, cutting across the Nemesis 2s, his shout barely audible over the cacophony, Get some! Get some! Get some!

A grenade detonated on the far wall, blowing a Nemesis 2 right off its perch in a billow of flame and smoke. Singh loaded another grenade smoothly, paused only to summon his shield next to Delvecchio to fend off another Nemesis 2 attack, blocking the charge completely.

Serenity ejected both mags, patted her chest, drew out a last mag and loaded it.

Two Nemeses on the walls, three on the street.

Singh fired another grenade.

One Nemesis on the wall.

Delvecchio dropped the drum, grabbed a second, knelt to load.

The Nemeses converged on him.

James ran to intercept. Six long steps, out wide, and the angle was just right -

Sacred Strike.

He unleashed a gout of white flame that swept over the first and charred the one just past it. The first wheeled, came clacking and reaching for him but he swung his axe like a baseball bat, Smite leaving a trail of gray flame in the air behind it, and shattered its mask and the structural integrity of its head.

Mancini and Huffman both concentrated their fire on the third Nemesis 2 that was converging on Delvecchio, but now Huffmans fire blazed with Smite and drove the monster back, causing it to rise to its rear two legs as it tried to slash at the rounds before toppling over backwards.

Pain, explosive, lifting James right off his feet, tearing him in half. He looked down, saw a scythe blade emerging from his chest, its wicked point having burst out his sternum.

The limb folded, brought him around so that he was face to face with that horrific mask, that sneering frown. Hed lost his grip on the axe, flung out his fist to try for a Sacred Strike, but he was all out of juice.

His aura was ashing it, warping its frame, blackening its mask, faster than before, but it hadnt been enough to keep the demon completely off of him.

Damn, thought James. Shoulda

Serenity leaped up onto the demons back. Somehow she balanced on its abdomen, rode it as it skittered around to dislodge her. She grabbed it by the top of the head, fingers curling down its brow, yanked it back and shot up into its skull, emptying the mag. The front of its face blew out in great oily chunks and all the life went out of it.

They all collapsed to the ground.

Delvecchios SAW roared back to life.

James had to get off its limb. He grabbed it with both hands, ignoring how the blade cut into his palms, and levered himself off.

He was dying. Felt the strength flooding out of him, his pulse pumping blood out, but he focused, summoned his sheets, used an Aeviternum point.

White healing light flooded over him, washed away the pain, healed his wounds, left him hale and bursting with vitality, every whisper of pain erased.

His axe was a yard away. James scrambled over, snatched it up. A grenade detonated along with the shattering sound of two windows being destroyed.

Gunfire began to ease off.

James looked around. Serenity was turning in a slow circle, out of ammo, her face a livid expression of loathing and hate. Huffman was panting, grinning, Delvecchio putting up his SAW. Singh was still atop the overturned hummer, Mancini on the road before him.

Around them lay the corpses of seven Nemesis 2s, an eighth trapped under the car.

Holy shit, said Delvecchio. Level, baby.

Level, said Singh.

Huffmans shout was rich with savage delight. Level, fucking finally.

Mancini couldnt resist a grin. Same. Serenity, James?

Gonna need to kill a few more, said Serenity. And bigger guns. These Sigs are beautiful, but I need something with more punch and ammo.

James lowered his axe. The joy from the fire team was infectious, but then his grin died on his face.

Dozens of Nemesis 2s were moving past them along the rooftops, turning their faces to watch, but not stopping, not bothering to engage.

He turned and stared up at the burning symbol, studied its hateful purple hue and how it was reflected in the cloud cover.

Good work, everyone. He propped his axe over his shoulder. But now we need to figure out how to take that thing down.