The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles (34 page)

SHAW
was still stunned that Amy had grabbed Ted’s gun
and that she had pointed it in his direction. At the time it was like a stab in
his heart. But then he tried to reconcile that with the fact that he had read
Ted wrong.

“We’re nearly there,” Carla said.

Carla and Cox knelt down, covering the cage door with their
rifles. Standing at their rear, Frank, Greg and Shaw, shouldered their rifles
and prepared to shoot their way out. Shaw feathered his trigger as the
indicator flashed to signal they had arrived at the second level. The elevator
door sucked open. Cox and Carla edged out through the door, then signaled for
them to follow. Shaw’s heart beat pounded in anticipation of the unknown. The
fluorescent lights in the corridor flashed to the sound of thunder from above,
the ground shaking beneath their feet. Cox signaled them to stop at a junction.
Gun shots echoed in the corridor.

“Gyps here,” said Cox.

Gyp ran up to Shaw, then tugged at his pants.

“I think he’s telling us to go left.”

The lights failed. Cox and Shaw had flashlights on their
rifles and lit the way.

“Holy crap,” said Carla. “Be careful, we’ve got bodies
ahead.”

Shaw slipped his flashlight from his belt. In his beam, he
caught sight of a black panther, its head severed from its body. A lance with a
scimitar blade lay at the panther’s side. Cat and Kitten must have been that
way with their toys. Two dogs and a guy dressed like an ancient Egyptian lay
nearby, their heads severed, and their bodies showing signs of being riddled
with bullets. There wasn’t any blood on the neck wounds or severed heads, as if
the flesh had been cauterized with whatever had decapitated them.

Rounds of automatic gunfire erupted ahead. Cat appeared,
running toward them, then stopped, bending over to catch her breath.

“They’re holding us back at an entrance to a chamber. We’re
almost out of ammo. We have to get inside the chamber. I can hear the hum of
their power source. Access to their power plant has to be in the chamber. Did
you get everyone out?”

“Yeah. We’re good,” Shaw said.

Frank sighed, pulled at the straps on his backpack and
lowered it to the ground.

“I’d have thought you’d have had some sort of ray guns,
we’ll try these,” he said, and handed Greg two hand grenades. “Come on, let’s
take these suckers out like we did in Nam. No offence Amanda, but I think Greg
and me ’ll take the lead on this one. Here’s how it works. Count to three as
soon as you hear the explosion, not a second earlier, or the shrapnel ’ll tear
you to shreds. We’ll go in to each side of the entrance, guns blazing on auto
and drop to the floor to give them a small target. You all do the same, fanning
out left and right, got it?”

“Yes, sir,” said Cox, tipping him a salute, and set him a
wry smile.

At the door, Frank and Greg wasted no time, each pressing
their backs to the wall either side of the large double doors. Rounds hit the
wall opposite from inside the chamber. Each of them held two grenades and
pulled the pins. Frank counted three, then they tossed them inside in unison.
The explosions deafened in the confines of the chamber. Gyp broke rank,
charging in first, with the five remaining panthers following. In the
confusion, Shaw tripped and fell at the side of Frank, fumbling to take control
of his rifle at to the sound of gunfire all around. The panthers were ripping
into the defenders, caught off guard with the explosions. Gyp raced toward a
raised area, with a curtain between two columns. Shaw noticed one of the guards
take aim at Gyp. He lined up his rifle sight on the guard, but a panther
obscured his aim, the big cat taking the bullets meant for Gyp. Shaw’s eyes
popped, as Gyp ran up a stairway, changing to the human form of a young man
he’d seen leaving Cleo’s lounge. The one with long blond flowing hair.

“What the…”

Behind the curtain, he saw the spindly figure of a man turn
and run then someone pounce on him.

“Come, Amun will take care of Akhenaten. We need to get to
the power source,” said Cat. “It’s through that door over there.”

“You… you mean… Gyp?”

“No time to explain, let’s go.”

“Everyone, we need to get through that door.”

Keeping low, they all scrambled over and through the door.
They were in another chamber. In the center was the metal lattice work of a
tower structure. It was surrounded by what could only be described as a vortex
of violet light, twisting around the structure, spiraling upward through a
shaft in in the roof of the chamber. Surrounding the base was a glass cage.
Inside, streaks of energy emanated from a large oval ball that appeared to be
chromed.

Kitten aimed her toy at the glass. A streak of energy passed
through the glass, incinerating her toy and she dropped to her knees. Cox and
Carla sprayed the glass with rounds from their automatic rifles. The glass
appeared to dissolve the bullets, the cage remaining undamaged.

“D’ya think our explosive will work,” Frank said.

“It’ll work,” said Cat. “The cage is open at the top. As
long as it brings the roof down, it will be destroyed.”

Greg didn’t need instructing. He emptied his backpack,
setting the timer detonators in the C4, then rushed around, placing them on the
chamber walls. He climbed a stairway to a steel gantry, setting some of the
charges on at the edge of the shaft on the roof. A shot rang out, Greg keeled
over, clutching at his chest and fell from the gantry, landing with a sickening
thud. From the shadows, a suited figure appeared on the gantry, spraying them
with automatic rounds.

Ted?

Cox dove in front of Shaw, taking rounds in her chest. Shaw
raised his rifle and squeezed the trigger, hitting is target with rapid rounds.
The figure on the gantry danced like a ping pong ball trapped in a fountain of
water, then fell over the gantry at Shaw’s feet.

“Shit, it’s not Ted. It’s Grimes.”

“We need to help the others,” said Cat, “Here take off Grimes’
head with this,” she said, and handed Shaw the flashlight weapon, then
disappeared with Kitten back into the main chamber.

Greg groaned, blood running from his lips. “You need to go.
You… you’ve got fifteen minutes. Leave me, I’m done for.”

“Like crap I will,” said Frank. As if he was a teenager on
steroids, Frank hauled Greg to his feet, and then over his shoulders. Carla was
leaning over Cox.

“Give me a hand to get her vest off,” said Carla.

Cox breathed violently, sucking in a lungful of air as they
removed her vest.

“Thank God you’re still with us,” said Shaw.

Carla and Shaw pulled Cox to her feet and each took an arm.
Shaw turned to the sound of a piercing howl. Grimes’ body shook violently, his
head contorted, his clothing ripping as he transformed into a rabid dog. Stone
froze at the sight. Its head was huge, its body covered with a black and white
coat, and paws the size of a giant mountain lion. Turquoise eyes glared at him.
It sat on its haunches, growling, twitching its lips to one side, saliva
dripping from its mouth. Its body trembled as if it were ready to pounce with
some force holding it back. Then as if someone had released whatever was
holding it, it leapt at Shaw.

Shaw flinched, expecting its teeth to rip into his flesh.
Gunfire rang out. When he looked back, the dog was bleeding out. Smoke rose
from Carla’s rifle barrel.

“Have you got Amanda’s weight?”

“Yeah.”

Shaw stepped over to the dog, aiming Cat’s weapon. He
pressed the button, drawing it across the dog’s neck, severing it completely to
the smell of burning flesh.

“Let’s get the hell away from here,” said Shaw, and hauled
Cox’s arm over his shoulder.

His eyes didn’t wander, oblivious to his surroundings, until
they reached the elevator. Frank was already there, the door open, with Greg
sitting on the floor, grimacing, and leaning against the wall.

“He’s lucky. It ripped through his upper chest at his
shoulder. He’ll live.”

“Yeah, well I’m lucky that I’m alive. Cox here took rounds
meant for me in her vest, or I’d be dead.”

No one spoke on the way down. At the bottom of the shaft,
they exited and Shaw pressed the button for the second level.

By the time they reached the exit, Shaw’s lungs were
burning. He had to push through the exhaustion barrier until they arrived at
the narrow road at the woods. The buses had gone, but Fullers SUV was still
there. Fuller stepped from behind a bush.

“Where’s Amy?”

“We couldn’t find her,” said Shaw, and blowing hard. “We need
to get to Claymore County hospital and have them to see to Greg and Cox.”

Fuller set a scowl, his disappointment apparent. He didn’t
even mention why Cleo’s crew weren’t with them.

“There isn’t room for everyone.”

“No problem, I’ll stay here and walk. It’s only three miles
to town. I’ll look in on them at the hospital later,” said Shaw.

He watched as they climbed into the SUV, then it sped off
along the road.

Shaw looked at his watch. Two minutes to the C4 exploding
and no sign of Cleo’s crew, or Gyp. He hurried across the road, then turned to
the sound of an almighty explosion. Dust bellowed from out of the bushes
covering the ventilation exit. Only two of the panthers appeared, then Cat and
Kitten. They turned right, crossing the road and into the undergrowth. Shaw ran
towards them, then stopped. They were nowhere in sight, their clothing
discarded on thorn bushes. Shaw heard rustling behind him and turned. Gyp
appeared, limping, bleeding from a gash on his left foreleg. Gyp lay down. Shaw
walked over and sat beside him.

“I don’t know if you can understand me, but I should have
listened to you when you showed me the bandana. We’d have gotten here a lot
sooner.”

Gyp whimpered, licking his leg, and Shaw stroked his head.
Shaw pushed back. The wound on Gyp’s leg healed before his eyes.

“Jesus,” said Shaw. “You came to us to protect Amy, didn’t
you?”

Gyp rose to all fours and stared at Shaw; his brown eyes
glinted and momentarily changed to a penetrating blue, then reverted to brown.
Shaw felt warmth pass though his body and a sereneness that answered him in
more than words. Gyp jumped up, dancing on his hind legs and tugged at Shaw’s
sleeve. He glanced at his watch.

“Dammit, you’re right. Five minutes and they’ll drop the
bunker bomb.”

They both tore through the undergrowth until they reached a
field. Shaw was thrown to the ground as it seemed to lift and then shake the
ground below him. He looked over his shoulder. Dust and debris rose into the
sky over the quarry, boulders and trees sliding and running down the hillside.
Then the hillside collapsed. There was no pyramid. No dome. He thanked God it
wasn’t a mushroom cloud and the bunker bomb had done its work.

“We did it, Gyp,” he said, and glanced around. Gyp was
nowhere in sight. He took off his Stetson and swiped his hand across his brow,
then shook his head. Shaw skimmed his hat in the direction of the tree line,
then took off his badge and launched it into the field. He guessed they had
both done what they came for at Breakers Pass.

One week later

THE
Breakers
Pass community center was filled to
overflowing. Shaw was sitting at a table on the stage, looking out over a sea
of familiar faces. Frank was sitting next to him in front of a microphone. The
speakers squealed as Frank rose to his feet and grabbed the mike stand.

“Thank ya’ll for coming, and thanks for voting me in as
mayor.”

His wife and her church cronies were sitting front and
center. They rose to their feet and clapped.

“Sit down will ya. Let me finish.” Frank’s cheeks blushed,
then he cleared his throat. “I know that we’re still grieving, but we can’t let
today pass without a celebration to all Brett has done for us. Jim has assured
me that as sheriff, he will carry on the good work as we rebuild our community.
Anyways, without further ado, and as a token of our appreciation, I’d like to
present Brett with a key to the town.”

The entire hall rose to their feet to a crescendo of
scraping chairs and shuffling feet. Deafening applause filled the room. Shaw’s
eyes filled up, with a lump in his throat at the thought that now he was
leaving, the town had finally accepted him. Frank handed him the key mounted in
a wall frame. Shaw took the microphone from the stand, but he was lost for
words. His vision coursed over the crowd. Fuller’s face stood out. He had
planned to start with ‘I know you,’ but he stuttered. “I know w…we have all
lost someone close, but we all have to get on with our lives and make a fresh
start. A vision of Mrs. Fisher flashed through his mind and the grin on her
face when he handed her the badge. He choked up.

“Sorry folks, I’m a little overwhelmed, Thanks,” he said,
then waved the frame holding the key.

Frank took the microphone from him.

“That’s it, the food tent’s open.”

Frank switched off the microphone, turned his back to the
crowd and whispered. “Have you seen Fuller is out there?”

“Yeah. That’s why I tried not to look too pleased at the
town’s offering. I’m supposed to be still grieving, remember?”

“Have you heard from Ted and Amy?”

“Just the once. The message simply said ‘Landed.’ I don’t
expect to hear from them for another week.”

“You settled to the fact that they’re an item?”

“Well, seeing as how Ted put his neck on the chopping block
to try and rescue her, and she turned a gun on me to protect him, I guess I
have to. But, yeah, I’m good with it.”

“Shall we go to the food tent for a drink? Only I’m dying
for a beer.”

“I don’t know about beer, fresh orange juice with ice sounds
good.”

They made their way off the stage and into the crowd. The
whole town wanted to pump his hand. Fuller grabbed his shoulder and pointed to
the fire doors.

“I need a quiet word,” said Fuller.

Shaw stepped outside.

“What is it?”

“I didn’t get a chance to say sorry about Amy.”

He could tell he was looking for a reaction. Shaw snatched
back a vision of Mrs. Fisher clutching the picture of Jedward and her to her
chest. His eyes moistened.

“Thanks. I didn’t get a chance to ask you about the other
missing girls.”

“We got them all away, no problem.”

“No, not the ones at the quarry. The ones in the other
States. I’ve not seen anything in the news. Did CONOP slaughter them?”

Fuller shuffled his feet. The shuffle and disposition of
someone who couldn’t tell the truth.

“No, they only had executive orders to take out the leader’s
hideaways. The rest were our responsibility. Luckily, they weren’t so hard to
get out.”

“How come?”

“They had them in the open, in closed religious communities.
We’d been watching them for some time.”

“So you got them all?”

“Yeah.”

“What about their boys?”

“We’ll get them, don’t worry. We have a good idea how to
find them from intelligence we found in the compounds when we released them.”

“I guess their parents will be happy.”

“I guess they will when we’ve finished with the women’s
de-briefing and medical exams.”

“How long will that take?”

“Hard to say, only to tell you that whatever has happened,
if you ever talk about it, you’ll be handing yourself a death sentence. CONOP
has a long reach. That’s what I really wanted to say.”

Shaw knew he had been right not to trust Fuller, or Amy
would be still in his clutches. ‘Hard to say’ could mean years.

“Yeah, well I’m only thinking about me now. None of that
interests me. Summers has already warned me off talking about what happened.”

Shaw scowled and looked over at Frank.

“Hey, what about that drink?” said Frank.

“Sorry, got to go,” Shaw said.

Shaw walked over to Frank.

“What did he say?”

“He wanted to warn me not to say anything.”

“Yeah, we all got that message last week.

Jim caught up with them.

“Congratulations on them voting you in as sheriff,” Shaw
said.

“Thanks. At least I don’t have to worry about Johno and the
vet’s cases ending up as cold case files.”

“How’s that?”

“Johno came around from his coma at the hospital today.
Grimes pushed him over the cliff. From what he says, he witnessed Grimes and
the vet together entering the surgery on the night she died. He was on his way
back home from Louise’s house. With the garage door open and the lights on, he
saw them pull a dog onto a gurney. I guess Grimes saw him as a loose end. I
reckon that the dog she rescued over at Claymore was that guy Ammon that Gail
talked to Frank about when he walked her out of the mine. We think that as soon
as Grimes realized who the dog was, he phoned the preppers to collect it from
the surgery. The vet saw too much and Grimes killed her in his creature form.
That’s why the preppers came back and torched the surgery.”

“And all that’s going before a coroner?”

“No, none of it. They’re marking the death of the vet as a
wild animal having killed her that she’d tried to rescue. Johno’s been told by
the goons from CONOP not to talk about it and to say he slipped.”

 “What about Rigby?”

“He must have seen that twin of Ammon that Cleo’s crew
captured. He’s been cut a deal for a fine and to keep quiet, or they’ll see to
it he gets plenty of jail time. Besides, the county sheriff says that if anyone
talks, it’ll get put down as a conspiracy theory.”

 “What are you going to do now?” Frank asked Shaw.

“Me, I’m going to take a long vacation. I’ve rented an
apartment in LA and cashed in my investments.” He pulled out a folded receipt
from the burger bar in LA, unfolded it, and glanced at the telephone number
scrawled on the back. “Maybe I’ll get my appetite back.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I’ll tell you one day. Come on, I’m dying for that fruit
juice.”

THE END

You have just completed what is the first in a series of the
Chimera Dawn Chronicles. I am already working on book 2, with the provisional title
of “The orphans of the gods” and with more planned.

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Dear reader

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Declan Conner