Mystics 3-Book Collection (51 page)

“Zoey, get Simon out of here!”

Zoey turned around.

Tristan’s skin glowed blue as he tore at the
monkeys with his bare hands, ripping their limbs apart like they
were mere pieces of cooked turkey. Another monkey hurled itself at
him, and he slashed its throat in midair. It was like watching a
skilled killer, a killing machine. He was focused, precise,
calculated. He was awesome. Zoey only wished that one day she would
be as good as him. Another creature leaped at him. He caught it,
tossed it into the air, and slashed its throat as it spun. He threw
it over his shoulder. But each time he killed one, another one
leaped from the trees. Tristan yelled as another monkey’s sharp
claws tore into his flesh.

Something gold glinted on the ground. Her
boomerang.

“Zoey?” croaked Simon as he sat up. His neck
was red and bruised, and his nose was bleeding.

“Stay here.” Zoey leaped to her feet and
made a beeline for her boomerang.

Just as she reached it, a black shadow came
down on her. But she was ready. She spun around and hit the
creature in the head with her elbow. It flopped to the ground just
as another volley of monkeys came racing down on her. Zoey angled
her wrist and put all her strength into her throw. Her boomerang
soared in the air and hit each of line of angry monkeys, one by
one. They plopped to the ground like heavy rain.

“There are too many of them,” panted
Tristan. Sweat trickled down his forehead, “We can’t fight them
all. We need to find shelter.”

He swung his arm and slashed another deadly
monkey.

“Guys,” croaked Simon, as he limped forward.
“Why are there glowing red things in the forest?”

Zoey followed Simon’s gaze. Round red
spheres glowed in the dark. But she knew what they were. Eyes. The
forest was lit with hundreds of glowing red monkey eyes.

Simon was hurt, and she knew he was in no
shape to fight. They couldn’t rely on Tristan to keep up like this.
She could see the strain on his face. He was tiring.

“We make a break for the village - it’s our
only shot.”

Zoey turned to Simon. “Can you run?”

Simon’s face was bleeding from scratches,
but he looked determined and nodded. “I can run.”

Zoey turned to Tristan. “You ready? Say
when.”

Tristan dispatched two more monkeys, bent
his body forward, and sprinted.

“WHEN!”

Zoey spun and bolted, dragging Simon with
her.

Together, the three of them tore down the
dirt road. Cries and screeches echoed behind them, but they didn’t
turn around to see. They kept running. Zoey’s thighs burned, and
she knew the monkey had done a serious number on her back. It was
still bleeding. She could see a cloud of hundreds of the nasty
monkeys swinging from tree to tree above and behind them. They
dropped to the ground like bombs on either side of the road, but
Zoey and her friends kept running. They had to keep going. She was
surprised how fast Simon could run when fear fueled him. She was
glad of it.

The sound of hundreds of evil fury mystics
tearing up the road resounded behind them. If they tripped and
fell, they would be torn to shreds.

And when she thought she couldn’t run
anymore, the lights of the village flickered up ahead, and she
could make out the beginning of the great wall. Although the cries
behind them tapered off until she couldn’t hear them anymore, they
ran towards the village without slowing down until they finally
arrived at the wall.

Zoey took a chance. She halted and turned
around with her boomerang ready.

The dirt road was deserted.

“What were those monkeys?” asked Zoey. “Have
you even seen them before?”

Zoey wondered if they had escaped the Nexus
as a result of the stolen interlopers.

“Mystics - Singors,” answered Tristan.
“They’re monkey-like creatures that are usually used as guard dogs
in the Nexus. They can see in the dark, which is why they prefer to
attack at night when you don’t see them coming. They strike in
groups and choke unsuspecting people or animals with their tails.
Then eat them while they’re still alive.”

“Nice,” panted Simon. He reached up and
touched his throat, as if remembering the stiff tail that nearly
took his life. “Remind me never to go to the zoo,
ever
again.”

Zoey kept her eyes on the impenetrable
forest. “But why did they stop their attack?”

“Because this village is probably what the
Singors are protecting,” answered Tristan. He sheathed his dagger
and wiped his sweaty forehead. “Or… maybe
someone
in this
village.”

“Great,” said Simon, sarcastically.

He cradled the wound in his side and came up
beside Zoey. “That’s just awesome. And they led us right to it.
Maybe this was their plan all along—to get us to come
here
.
Those monkey-brains were planning something - I can feel it.”

Zoey felt that part of what Simon said was
true. “I don’t disagree with you on that Simon, but the virus
originated somewhere in that village. And I intend to find it. You
can stay here if you want. I won’t force you to come with me. You
can wait here…with the Singors.”

“Ha!” said Simon, “I’d rather gouge out my
eyes with toothpicks. Honestly, I’m just glad they’re gone. I
wasn’t
that
scared.” He wiped his bloody nose on the end of
his sleeve.

Zoey looked to the forest. Red dots spotted
the trees in the distance, and then they disappeared.

“I’m hungry,” whined Simon suddenly. “Do you
think we can find food in there? I need to eat to regain some of my
strength.”

“How can you even
think
of food right
now?” questioned Zoey.

Simon shrugged. “It’s the tapeworm in my
belly - it’s eating all my protein.”

Tristan sighed and rolled his eyes.

Ignoring Simon’s monkeyshines, Zoey turned
around and examined the wall. It was even bigger up close. The wall
was made of huge gray stones, chiseled perfectly smooth. They
looked as if they had been put in place by giants. But it didn’t
appear to be complete. There were gaps like it was still in the
process of being built. The only passage into the city was through
a large breach in the wall that was the entrance. The great iron
entrance gate was raised to the top of the wall – it was open. But
two guards stood below it, smoking and talking loudly. Zoey froze.
They hadn’t noticed them yet.

“Quick, this way!”

They sneaked to the left side and flattened
themselves against the wall. She recognized the guards’ blood-red
suits. They were Alphas.

“Do you think they saw us?” she
whispered.

Tristan leaned forward a little. “No,” he
whispered back, “The trees and the dark hid us, but it was
close.”

Zoey leaned back and hit her head against
the wall. “It’s an Alpha village or something. Why didn’t I think
of that?”

“You couldn’t possibly have known about it,
Zoey,” whispered Tristan. “I don’t think the Agencies even know
that a village like this exists.”

“Well, now we know it does,” said Simon. “So
how do you plan on getting through without them noticing us?”

He pulled out his costume mustache. “Do you
think this is a job for
Bond
?” Even in the dark Zoey could
see his eyes sparkle.

Zoey shook her head. “No, I don’t think
we’re that desperate yet.” Simon looked disappointed.

The truth was, Zoey hadn’t anticipated that
they would have to get past a village full of Alphas. They needed a
plan to get in, and they needed to get one fast. Without a mirror,
they couldn’t get back to the Hive, or inside.

Then she heard voices coming from the other
direction. They fell to the ground silently. She raised her head
carefully and could see three Alpha men strolling up the dirt road
towards the village. Their red uniforms were barely visible in the
darkness. They were talking amongst themselves and were oblivious
to the three of them.

Zoey glanced back at the entrance. The
guards at the gates hadn’t noticed them yet. They were still out of
earshot.

And then Zoey got an idea.

She got to her feet slowly, and like a cat
she moved across the grounds and hid behind a large tree.

“Zoey!” hissed Tristan, but she kept
going.

Stealthily, she grabbed her boomerang,
aimed, and hurled it through the night sky. It hit the men, one by
one, across the backs of their heads, and they fell to the ground
like bowling pins. She reached up, grabbed her returning weapon,
and motioned for Tristan and Simon to come over.

“What did you do that for?” questioned Simon
in a low voice, as he and Tristan neared her. He looked around
widely. “Practice?”

“Get their clothes off,” Zoey said, as she
clipped her boomerang back to the bracelet around her wrist.

“Excuse me?” Simon had a strange look on his
face, and then said very slowly, “And why should we do that,
exactly?”

Zoey brushed the hair out of her face and
knelt down beside the smallest of the unconscious men. “Because
we’re going to
wear
them. We’re going in as Alphas - it’s
the only way I can see that’ll work.”

“It’s a brilliant idea.” Tristan grinned and
started to unbutton the shirt off the largest of the unconscious
Alphas.

Simon’s mouth was slightly opened. “I’m not
wearing some other dude’s clothes. That’s totally disgusting. I
could catch cooties, or the flesh-eating disease, or rabies —”

“Then you can stay here with them,”
interrupted Zoey.

She removed her own jacket and replaced it
with a red coat. It was too big for her, but she hoped no one would
notice. It smelled strongly of cigarettes and alcohol, and she
doubted it had been washed in a while. She pulled the red trousers
over her own jeans and pulled the belt tight around her middle to
keep them up. The pants smelled worse - she didn’t even want to
think about what caused that smell.

Simon picked at the shirt from the last man
with the tips of his fingers, as though it was burning hot with
bugs and critters. Zoey laughed at the disgusted expression on his
face, and she wished she had brought a camera. Even in the dark,
his face was green.

“I think I’m going to barf,” said Simon.
“I’m about to blow chunks all over this dude—”

“If you barf—I’m going to hit you,” warned
Tristan, and then he said, “If Agent Bond were here, he’d put the
clothes on without complaining.”

“If Agent Bond were here, he’d have an extra
clean
suit, an Aston Martin DB5s, complete with machine guns
and tire slashers, and a babe waiting for him in the passenger
seat,” mumbled Simon.

Finally, the three of them were clad in the
Alpha uniforms. Simon still looked appalled, but at least the
clothes fit him better than Zoey. She had to fold up the bottom of
the pants so she wouldn’t trip over them. But it was Tristan who
pulled the look off to a tee. No one could ever second-guess that
he wasn’t an Alpha. The uniform fit him perfectly.

“So, now what?” asked Simon, peevishly.

Zoey finished tying her hair back in a bun,
like the ones the Alpha women had worn when they attacked
Headquarters in London. She didn’t have a mirror to help her, but
she did the best she could anyhow.

“Help me hide our clothes and the bodies
with leaves,” said Zoey, as she piled some leaves over the men.
“Let’s hope they don’t wake up too soon.”

“I could kick them in the head if you want?”
offered Tristan, a little too eagerly, his white teeth flashing in
the dark.

Zoey pushed him gently. “You ogre! Nah, I
think we’re good for now.”

Soon, the Alpha men were completely covered
in leaves.

“Remember, the key is to blend in. Let’s not
attract any unwanted attention to ourselves. Ready? Okay, let’s
go.”

With Zoey leading the way, the three of them
marched onto the dirt road and made for the front entrance. When
they reached the entry, they could see that the Alpha guards stood
on either side of the opening. They were taller than Tristan,
thick, and their large muscles bulged under their red uniforms.
Their short hair accentuated their hard, ogre-like faces. Zoey was
sure these men never smiled. They probably couldn’t.

They heard clattering noises coming from
inside the wall, and they could smell fire.

A large sign carved into the wall read,
The True Nation.

“You’re kidding me,” whispered Simon, so
that only Zoey and Tristan could hear. “The
true
nation?
That Mrs. Dupont has them completely brainwashed…”

Zoey elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t say her
name out loud,” she hissed under her breath. “Especially here. Got
it?”

Simon nodded his head that he did.

“We need to play it
cool
in there, we
don’t want to attract any kind of negative attention,” continued
Zoey. “Right, Simon?”

“Hmmm—what?” Simon’s eyes widened. “Why are
you looking at me? I didn’t
do
anything—”

“Yet,” said Tristan, with a hint of a
smile.

Zoey let out a long breath. “Let’s hope they
don’t even notice us.”

Simon sniffed the air and grinned.

“You smell that? Something’s cooking, and it
smells
delicious
. I’m getting some of that in my belly.”

He patted his stomach and started forward.
“Come on, I’m starved. I have a date with a tapeworm—and I’m going
to win.”

Together, the trio stepped up to the main
entrance. As they approached, the guards glanced at them casually,
measured them up, and then ignored them completely. Keeping her
cool and trying hard not to smile at their luck, Zoey kept walking
without slowing her pace. They had to look like they belonged here.
Tristan and Simon followed her lead and strolled alongside her in
silence. Sweat had appeared on Simon’s temples, but Zoey was glad
he kept his cool. Once they were inside the walls, Zoey slowed her
pace and looked around.