Stones: Experiment (Stones #3) (31 page)

He shouts to her in desperation. “They’re coming closer. Don’t let them kill me.”

As if on cue, the four misshapen figures move closer, their mouths dropping open, as though ready to pounce on him and devour his flesh. He tries to run back to Jessica, but it’s as if he has no feet. Looking down, his legs are stuck in mud to the knees. Panic.

“Come now, Jessica. Before it’s too late.”

When he looks up again, the four monsters are eight. They encircle him, pressing close and reaching in with bony hands. One of them runs its claws across his arm, cutting it open like a razor and exposing white bone beneath layers of muscle. The others flail their arms at him from all sides, slashing, cutting, tearing, ripping. His knees begin to buckle. No longer able to see Jessica, he calls out to her one last time before death overtakes him.

“Jessica, I love you. Never forget.”

One of the beasts rises up, its mouth gaping open, coming down on his head.

Only time for one more word.

“Goodbye.”

Then he looks up, preparing to receive the final blow. Equal parts of horror and fear surge through his body, causing his arms to shoot above his head in a futile effort to block the open jaws.

Another one of the black shapes lunges, slamming into his belly and knocking him onto the ground. At the same time, the jaws of the beast above him close tight in the air where his head had been a nanosecond before. It slams into his thighs, shattering bone and pinning him against the rocks beneath.

Jessica stands in the circle of demons, looking at him.

A smile of perfect peace and serenity graces her lovely face.

“I love you,” Matt said. “Always.”

All of the beasts lunge at his bloody, broken body.

Finally, Matt hears the voice of Jessica, clear and pristine, above the sound of the fury.

Use your armor. Press on your chest. Right here.

Her fingers touch him. With his remaining strength, he brings his hand down hard on the same spot where he felt her fingers.

For a time, nothing happens.

Then images of the feeding demons begin to fade, receding from view, replaced by a black void.

Hours pass. When he opens his eyes, he’s floating inside the sphere, covered in blue skin.

His mind is clear.

“J
essica, wake up.”

Her eyes flutter open. It’s dark, and she’s lying in three inches of water. People move like shadows on the deck of the submarine bridge. Intense white lights come on, blinding her eyes. She reaches her hands up to cover them until they grow accustomed to the brightness.

Blue smoke drifts above her. The sharp odor of burnt plastic mixed with gasoline permeates the air.

“I thought I lost you.” Eva’s black hair hangs from her head as she looks at Jessica.

“How long was I out?”

“A couple of minutes.”

Jessica works herself up into a sitting position. “What happened? We got hit, right?” She scans the bridge.

“A depth charge right up our a—”

“Eva, can you move her to the side? We need room for our equipment. We’re bringing in new stuff. Everything in here’s fried from the blast.”

Eva looks up. “Got it.” Her eyes drop back to Jessica. “Can you walk?”

“I think so.”

Eva stands up and pulls Jessica to her feet. “Follow me. Looks like we’re out of danger now. Let’s find a place to talk.”

Jessica follows her through the open door at the back of the bridge, through the tubular corridor and past a corner to the right.

“The mess hall is the only place open and undamaged.” Eva ducks through an opening and into a room on the left. “It’s tight, but it’ll do.”

She’s right. There’s barely enough room for two people to sit, face to face, with a small table between them.

Eva opens a cabinet above her. “Thirsty?”

“Yes, incredibly.”

“Diving and swimming do that to you. So do pressurized environments.” Eva sets a glass cylinder filled with pink liquid in front of Jessica. “It’s something Doc cooked up. You’ll be better after you have some. We all are.”

“Doc?”

Eva gets another one for herself. “The man in charge on the bridge.” She wraps her fingers on the glass, and the lid slides open. “Taste isn’t great, but it’ll work on that thirst and give you strength.”

Jessica grabs the cylinder and gazes at it as the lid opens. Raising it to her lips, she looks at Eva one last time for confirmation and, seeing a nod, takes a sip of the warm liquid. A grimace crosses her face.

“I know,” Eva says. “Tastes like reconstituted sweat.”

Jessica shakes her head. “Reconstituted pee.” She takes another drink. The liquid drifts down her throat. Warmth and relaxation move out from the center of her body. “But it does the trick.”

“It’s an old Inuit recipe.” Eva takes a big gulp. “Doc and I are from the same clan. We both grew up on this stuff.”

Jessica’s eyes drift through the room past the drab gray walls. A thin film of moisture clings to every surface, and a large splotch of yellow mold infests the corner above Eva’s head where the ceiling and walls meet, moving outward like a tiny explosion.

“You saw him, didn’t you?”

Jessica’s gaze drops. Eva’s dark eyes stare at her.

“Yes.” Jessica swirls the pink liquid in the glass. “I saw Matt. How did you know?”

“You started talking after you blacked out. From the sound of it, it was quite a conversation.”

Jessica’s eyes glisten with moisture. “Someone was hurting him. He was calling for me. He’s alive. I know it.”

“Did you see where he was?”

Jessica shakes her head. “I was in the middle of a thunderstorm in a vast desert. But I don’t think he was there.”

Eva leans forward, her elbows on the table. “Did you notice anything about him, anything strange.”

“There were ripples in his clothes, like he was floating in water. I saw him for less than a minute before he faded away.” Jessica’s eyes drift back up to the ceiling. “I tried to reach out to him. But he didn’t notice that I was there.” A teardrop escapes her eye, running down her cheek and onto the table.

“You love him, don’t you?”

Jessica nods, reaching and taking the pulse rifle off her shoulder, pointing the barrel at the floor between her feet.

Eva’s hand moves forward, resting on Jessica’s knee. “He’s the only one you have ever loved. The only one you ever will. Am I right?”

Jessica’s voice drops to a barely audible whisper. “The only one.”

A long sigh bleeds out from Eva’s lips. “We have known about Matt, and you, for many years.”

“What do you mean?”

Eva’s eyelids drop, black eyelashes against brown skin. “Your beloved is the One that will lead us against Abomination.”

“That’s what you said in the tunnel.” Jessica leans forward, grabs Eva’s hands and pulls her closer so their faces are only inches apart. “Tell me what you know. And how you know. I need to understand.”

Eva leans back in her chair. “I talk better when I have food.” She stands, moves a couple of steps, bends and opens a low cabinet, peeking inside. “Good. They left me some.” She reaches in and takes out two cans, turning to put them on the table.

The cans have no labels.

“Now, where are those crackers?” Eva mutters to herself as she straightens and rummages through two cabinets above eye level. “Here they are.” Grabbing a small box, she sits across from Jessica. “OK, now we can talk while I fix you some dinner. You must be hungry.”

“That depends,” Jessica says.

“On what?”

“On what’s in the cans.”

Eva laughs, highlighting deep wrinkles that radiate out from the corners of her eyes. She pulls an eight inch hunting knife from somewhere in the vicinity of her ankle.

“Just what we both need. High-protein food.” Eva licks her lips. “This stuff will last a hundred years. And it tastes good, too.” She punctures one of the cans with a quick thrust of the blade and works it around the top.

The stench of fish fills Jessica’s nostrils. “Tuna?” she says.

“Are you kidding?” Eva looks up, incredulous. “I haven’t had tuna for ages. Since I was a little girl.”

Jessica nods. “I know. Wild tuna is pretty much extinct now. Matt loves it, too. Raw. Super expensive. Only comes from large captive tuna ranches in the middle of the ocean.”

“I can’t even remember what it tastes like. My people used to live off the bounty of the seas. Whales. Seals. But that way of life was mostly destroyed a generation ago when the northern sea ice disappeared.” She bends the top of the can back, sticks in the knife and pulls out something long and grey, holding it up for Jessica to see.

The smell is overpowering.

“What is it?”

“Sardines,” Eva says. “At least we still have a few of these left. Not something rich folks have much need for.” After the words come out of her mouth, she pauses and looks at Jessica. “Sorry about that. A little harsh, I suppose.”

“No need to apologize. You’re right.”

Eva’s eyes go to Jessica’s hands. “You’re a pretty tough girl, but I could tell. It’s not your fault you were born into a rich family. The world has changed a lot in my lifetime. The middle class is all but gone. Only rich and poor are left. And, as you can see, we aren’t rich. It must be hard on you, being with people like us. Hopefully, you’ll get used to it.” She plunges the same knife into the other can and opens the top, folding it back.

The smell of peanut butter floods the room.

“I tried my best to hide the fact that my family was rich, but that’s another story. Tell me about
your
world.” Jessica opens the box of crackers and takes one out. “And the freedom camps and Little John and how Matt fits into all of this.”

“Little John.” Eva speaks the words slowly, shaking her head and chuckling to herself. “A strange man.” She wipes the hunting knife on her sleeve, drops it into the peanut butter and stirs vigorously. “To be honest, I’ve no idea
why
he found a Stone. He was a worthless drunk before
and after
finding it. For a long time, he used it to support his bad habits. Mostly gambling and drinking. But none of that really matters. It was Little John who found the Stone and Little John who started having the visions.” She picks up a cracker, spreads peanut butter over it and hands it to Jessica.

“Visions?” Jessica slips it in her mouth, tasting a hint of sardines. “What kind of visions?”

Eva lays a sardine across another cracker. “He began to see people, holy people. If you’re Christian, you might call them angels. A Buddhist monk might call them
Dharmakaya
. Islam calls them
malak
. In my tribe, they’re the
anernerk
. Many words in many cultures.”

“The Allehonen,” Jessica says.

Eva nods as the cracker slides into her mouth. “Little John used that name. Not often, and only in the presence of his most trusted followers. Has Matt spoken of them to you?”

“He’s seen them. Been to their world, walked its streets, talked with them. He knows what they do.” Jessica picks up another cracker and hands it to Eva.

“Peanut butter?” Eva says.

“Yes, please.”

Eva fixes the cracker and holds it out. “And what
do
the Allehonen do?” She stares forward intently.

“Create.” Jessica takes it and stuffs it in her mouth. “This Earth and many others. Worlds without end. Galaxies. With the power of the Stones.”

“
Why
do they do it?”

“According to Matt, their motive is joy. Pure and simple. Joy for themselves. Joy for their creations. He said he felt a little of it, but no words can describe it.”

Eva listens intently. “Interesting. Little John never spoke of it. Perhaps he didn’t know.”

As she speaks, the ship tilts sharply downward. The two cans slide to the edge of the table. Eva’s hand jumps out and catches the sardines before they fall to the floor. Jessica grabs the peanut butter. The ship shudders, and a low, deep groan passes through it, almost as though it’s alive.

“We’re diving. Don’t worry.” Eva puts her hand on the wall with a look of affection. “She’s built to go deep. Silent and fast.”

“I’ve talked enough,” Jessica says. “Your turn. Tell me what Little John saw in his visions.”

“Only if you try one of these.” Eva hands her a cracker with a greasy sardine draped diagonally across it.

Jessica pushes it into her mouth and chews thoughtfully. “Not bad. Not good, but not bad.”

“That’s a start. In time you’ll learn to love them as much as I do.” She hoists two dripping brown strips out of the can and drops her head back. They fall neatly off the tip of the knife into her mouth.

Jessica folds her arms on the table and waits.

Eva finishes chewing. “I don’t believe in fate and neither did Little John. But he saw the future. He said it wasn’t guaranteed, but probable given the trajectory the world is on. That’s how he learned of the Abomination.” She plops a tiny fish on another cracker and hands it to Jessica.

“Abomination.” Jessica looks at the sardine and takes it without protest. “You and the others say the word, but what
exactly
does it mean?”

“I can’t tell you
exactly
because I’ve never seen it. But Little John said that Abomination will come in the form of a new technology offered to the masses as a free gift. It will appear harmless and incredibly useful. Elegant and captivating. At first, all people will
want
it. They’ll
crave
it. It will cover the Earth like a plague.” Eva pauses, dropping her head as if in prayer.