Dark Creations: Hell on Earth (Part 5) (5 page)

Gabriel stood and made his way across the room while Alexandra and Jack’s bickering continued.  Daniella and Ryan remained riveted by their heated exchange.  Melissa was the only one in their group who noticed Gabriel stand and move to his room with Yoshi behind him.  She followed them with her eyes and quirked a brow at him when he looked at her.  He simply stared back at her hoping to convey that everything would be all right.  He did not know how exactly, just that he refused to let the nightmare continue.  He would safeguard their future together, somehow.  He forced his eyes from Melissa and looked to Alexandra who was on a profanity laced tirade and too consumed by her angry rant to acknowledge that Yoshi had left her side and walked across the living room. 

He and Yoshi strode from the living room, unnoticed for the most part, and walked into his room.  Once inside, he turned to face Yoshi.  Yoshi stood with his arms folded across his chest, the muscle around his jaw flexing. 

“What do you think, man?” Yoshi asked him. 

“I don’t know what the hell to think,” Gabriel admitted.  “But my gut tells me he’s telling us the truth.  Jack’s been through a lot, but this feels, I don’t know, it feels like he’s telling us the truth.”

If Yoshi were feeling surprise at his admission, his face did not show it.  It remained calm, unsettlingly calm.  Only his continually tensing jaw muscle betrayed him.  And the fact that Yoshi was like a brother to him and knew him almost as well as he knew himself.

“How about you?  What’s your take on all this?” Gabriel asked his friend
, though he had a fair guess of what his answer would be.

“My take?” Yoshi asked.  “I don’t have one.  You know I’ll fight with you no matter what,” Yoshi said and looked down at his feet briefly. 

“But?” Gabriel prodded.

“But it’s Alex, okay.  I’m worried about her, about putting her in danger again.”

“Putting them in danger is the last thing I want.”

“If we go I don’t think the girls should go with us,” Yoshi said and looked directly into Gabriel eyes.  “I almost lost her last time, remember.”

“You don’t have to remind me,” Gabriel said and knew all too well the horror of their past experience.

“I won’t let that happen ever again.  I hate myself for letting
it happen then.  I live with the guilt every time I look at her.”

“She doesn’t blame you.”

“Well she should.  I never should have allowed her to be taken back then, and I won’t put her in harm’s way again.”

For the second time that day, Gabriel was speechless.  Even with what they were going to be facing, the only thing that his friend was worried about was Alex
andra.

Yoshi looked at his shoes
and said, “I love her.  I’ve loved her since the day I met her.  But it’s different now.  We’re together.  She’s not just some crazy-sexy Goddess that I drool over.  I mean, I
do
still do that, don’t get me wrong.  But now, we’re in a relationship, a serious one.  We talk about the future, a kick-ass multicultural wedding, a house and kids.”  Yoshi paused for a moment before continuing and a strained expression touched his features. “If we don’t make it back, I’ll miss out on those things.  I don’t want to do that, you know?” 

“I understand,” Gabriel assured him.

“My point isn’t about just that, though.  The point I’m trying to make is, I’m willing to risk my own life, but what I won’t do is risk hers again.”

“Like I said before, I understand, I don’t want to risk Melissa’s life again either.  The girls should not come with us.  It’s that simple.” Gabriel said, certain that they had to go, to check out what Jack had found, but also that they couldn’t let the girls go with them this time.

Yoshi groaned and shook his head.  “That’s not going to go over well, man.”

“No, it will not.  But we have to
do it this way.  We can’t put them in any more danger than they’re already in.”

“You’re right.  W
e have to tell them that we’re going, and they aren’t,” Yoshi agreed and led the way out of Gabriel’s room.

When they entered the living room, he heard that the conversation had continued while they were gone. 

“So what are we supposed to do?” Melissa asked Jack.

“I’ve started a militia, m
e and some of my old buddies, friends I served with through the years.  About twenty of us, altogether, have been preparing for shit like this.”

“What?” Melissa said.  “That sounds crazy.”

“It sounds however it sounds.  I get it.  A couple of years ago, I would have thought I was nuts too if I heard myself.  But I’m not.  My friends might be a bit off for following me without knowing firsthand what happened out in California.  But the fact remains that I need their experience and expertise on my side, crazy or not.”

“All right!  This is nuts,” Alexandra huffed and threw her arms
up.  “A militia, Jack?

“Don’t hold back or anything, Alex,” Jack chuckled. 
“I did kind of lose it after Dawn was killed, was chasing shadows, looking for something to rage against when the person I assumed had killed her was already dead.  The militia was started around that time.  But this list,” he said and picked up the paper from the coffee table.  “This is real. An even worse version of Terzini is alive, and has taken over a town.  I have a small army who has seen it for themselves.”

Gabriel sat back down on the couch and took his head in his hands.  He allowed his cradled head to drop forward until his elbows rested on his knees.  He felt a small hand sweep across the fabric of his dress shirt and knew by her touch that Melissa had joined him on the couch.  She rubbed his back again then squeezed his shoulder gently.  He looked up and was met with her pale green eyes.

“You know more about him than I do, know what he’s capable of,” Jack said.  “That’s why I’m here.  We need your help. 
I
need your help.”

He, like Yoshi, wanted no part of going, but he also knew that he didn’t really have a choice, if what Jack said was true, Terzini had to be stopped now, before it was too late.

“I’ll go,” Gabriel said.  “Yoshi and I will go, but the two of you are staying here where it’s safe,” he said to Melissa and Alexandra.

“You’re not going anywhere without me,” Melissa said, her tone leaving no room for argument of any kind.

Melissa was not the kind of person who would hit him over the head with her opinions or feelings.  She did not need to storm around to punctuate her point.  But Alexandra was, and judging from the furious expression on her face, Gabriel knew a blustery wind was about to blow.

“What the fuck, you two assholes think you’re leaving us behind?” Alexandra s
houted, and turned toward Yoshi. “Is that what you were talking about back there?” she surprised Gabriel by saying.

“Look Alex, I love you, and I’m not going to risk your life again,” Yoshi began in a calm voice, but was quickly cut off.

“Who the hell do you think you are telling me where I’m going to go, or what I’m going to do? Planning it in the other room without us like you have any damn say in the matter is bullshit!  We are going and I don’t want to hear another word about it,” Alexandra fumed with finality.

He and Yoshi knew Melissa and Alexandra would be difficult to convince, but neither had imagined they’d react as strongly as they were. 

“The girls can stay at the base.  They will be safe there,” Jack assured them and Gabriel looked to Yoshi who shook his head and rolled his eyes. 

Thanks Jack!  So much for leaving the girls home
, Gabriel thought. 

“I’m going
, too,” Daniella said and Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, to tell her that there was no way he was risking yet another of his friend’s lives, but Alexandra spoke first.

“This isn’t a trip to the Bahamas, Daniella,” Alexandra said flatly.  “When we were in California, I was nearly raped and killed.  All of us were nearly killed.  This is not some fun-filled adventure.”

“Yeah, kids.  You’re not the Scooby Doo crew planning your next spooky adventure.  This shit is real,” Jack chimed in.

“You think I don’t know that?
”  Daniella snapped.  “You think I wasn’t listening when all of you told me about what happened?  I was.  And I wish I could have helped somehow.  Now I can.  And I will.  I know the risks.  I know what we’re up against.”

“Do you?” Melissa asked. 

“I do,” Daniella answered.

“You’re not going alone,” Ryan surprised everyone
by saying in a voice that was no longer soft spoken as it had been in the past.  “I’m coming with you, if for no other reason than to make sure you come back.”

“I guess we are the Scooby Doo crew then,” Jack mumbled, but no one
, other than Gabriel, acted as though they’d heard him.

Gabriel watched as Daniella’s eyes welled with emotion.  She turned to Ryan and allowed herself to be swallowed by his barrel chest and thick arms.  He wished they would all abandon the notion of coming along, wished they’d abandon him, for their own good.  But they would not.  Their loyalty to him, though treasured, felt undeserved.  Much like Melissa’s love and devotion felt undeserved.  He wondered how a being such as him, created in defiance of nature by an egomaniac, had managed to earn the friendship and allegiance of so many, particularly that of his future wife. 

“So I guess we’re all in then,” Jack said and snapped Gabriel from his thoughts.  “We have to move soon, guys.  Get your affairs in order.  There isn’t much time left. People are dying and the number of members Terzini is creating is growing as we speak.”

Everyone exchanged concerned glances, but Gabriel’s eyes remained locked on Melissa.  He had almost lost her not once, not twice, but three times.  He could not risk a fourth.  An inexplicable feeling cautioned, powerful and unlike any he’d ever experienced before, and began beating in time with his heart, pounding through him.  He wondered whether anyone could see what he was feeling; see that his hands trembled in his lap.  He wondered whether they knew that, for the first time in his short existence, he was truly frightened.

Chapter 5

Amber Herald had been afraid since the day she was born.  This day was no different.  In fact, at present, she was more terrified than she’d ever been in her entire life, even though her entire life had only consisted of eleven months, three days and nine hours. 

Dread tiptoed down the length of her spine and she worried the team she led up the narrow stone walkway in front of a stately Victorian could hear the frantic beat of her heart.  It wouldn’t surprise her if they could.  They were capable of so much, yet used their capabilities so sparsely, and never for good.  They only served the cause for which they were created.  Missions such as the one they were on were part of it. 

The mission
, she thought and felt as though she’d hyperventilate.  She still couldn’t believe her time had come, that she’d been assigned to do what she’d been trained for.  She’d never taken a human life before, loathed thought of it.  Yet here she was, about to do just that.  The rhythmic patter of work boots at her back reminded her that those behind her were
her
team, that she was leading the mission, her first mission.  She needed to rein in her emotions.  Panicked breathing reeked of fear.  And fear could get her killed. 

Standing before the freshly painted red door of the home they were about to invade, Amber glanced over her shoulder and nodded to her three teammates
then swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat before knocking at the door.  She waited several moments, listening to the sounds of the household: the television, the drumming of feet padding across the floor.  A voice called out, “Get the door, Jim!” and Amber’s legs no longer felt steady enough to hold her up.  There was a “Jim” in the house.  One of the men was named Jim.  Knowing the name of a person about to die only worsened an already awful situation.  Her knees threatened to buckle and her heart slapped madly against her ribcage.  She worried she’d collapse, the intense stress of the situation suddenly overwhelming.  But she needed to remain on her feet.  She had a job to do, a very specific job.  Lord Terzini had been explicit in his instructions.

Once the house
had been cleared of its current inhabitants, the three members with her were to assume their identities.  It did not matter that inside, a family of five lived, and would be substituted by only three.  According to him, a husband, wife, eighteen-year-old son and twin eight year-old daughters needed only to be replaced by three adults.  The male and female creations would supplant the husband and wife while the remaining male would replace the adult son.  Lord Terzini refused to replace children, ever.  He believed they would not be missed by the outside world, that they held no real role within society other than to burden those around them until they reached adulthood. 

Amber had never met a child
.  She had no idea what they did or didn’t do.  However, she imagined that if they were simply smaller, more vulnerable humans, they still maintained a place within the social order.  But she had not been created to imagine.  She had been created for Lord Terzini’s purposes, a thought that sent a fresh wave of unease through her core.  Every purpose he had for her was revolting.  And his current demand, that she and her team storm the lovely house with the red door and kill the family that lived there, was no different.