Dark Siren (28 page)

The diesel engine died noisily. “We stop now.” Mr. Ma pointed beyond the window to the outside. “You safe here.” He said something more in Chinese.

“Ancestral grounds—the shadows do not come here,” Mack translated.

“Oh, this is just perfect,” Shannon said.

Mack got up. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but this is not what was agreed upon. My buyer is expecting me in six hours. We
must
keep going.”

“We stop now. Everything in time.” The old man left the bus and was swallowed by the night.

Mack glared after him. “Talk about being lost in translation.”

Kali wrapped her arms about herself and settled quietly into her seat. But Shannon wasn’t ready to give in. “Does he expect us to sleep out here in the middle of absolutely nowhere? Mack you can’t let him do this.”

Though the narrow aisle between the seats didn’t allow much room for it, Mack paced around. He stopped abruptly and faced the girls. The decision on his face was inscribed in stone. “We’re going to finish this. Let’s get these blankets unrolled.”

“Please, Mack. Not in the woods!”

“Look around you, Shannon,” Mack said impatiently. “Do you see any trees? We’re not in the woods anymore.”

It was true. The mountains the road cut through had become a desert. Trees and stones had been replaced by sand and more sand. “So what?” Shannon said. “Now it’s sand instead of trees. Don’t make us stay here.”

“I don’t like it anymore than you do, but I don’t see where any of us have a choice.” He went over to the straw-filled beds and pulled down some of their gear. “I packed thermal blankets. Each of you should take one.” He tossed a blanket first to Shannon and then Kali. “Temperatures in the desert can get extremely cold at night.” Mack turned and headed toward the front of the bus.

Shannon frowned. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to talk to the driver. That’ll give you ladies time to get changed and settled,” he said and left before any more objections could be raised.

With a resigned sigh, Shannon went to her suitcases and began rummaging through her things. “The perfect gentleman is also the perfect jerk,” she said, but affection tempered the anger in her words. She huffed again and looked out the window worriedly. “I hope he’s okay. That old man gives me the creeps.”

Kali observed her with new understanding. “You love him.”

Shannon shrugged. “Twisted, huh?”

Rhane’s face, with his unusual eyes and the way his hair constantly fell into them, came to Kali’s mind. “No,” she said. “Sometimes we can’t help who we love.”

#

Kali couldn’t sleep. The reasons why were pretty obvious. Being in the middle of a desert wilderness with a complete stranger who didn’t care if his passengers lived or died, and a boss whose motives had become shady at best, put her mind in a state of considerable unease. There was also the feeling from her dreams that continued to pursue her. Something was coming. To sleep would mean to fall back into the dark place. And the monster would find her.

Despite the blanket between her body and the wooden bed, sharp straws dug into her flesh whenever she even considered shifting into a different position. She thought of the bugs living in the straw and the likelihood of one of them burrowing into her inner ear and laying eggs. The eggs would eventually hatch into milk-white larvae and squirm around, pulsing through her brain. Before ultimately assuming control of her mind, the insects would eat grey matter and poop it out in her skull. Kali just couldn’t stand the thought of worm poop touching any part of her insides.

She squeezed her eyes shut.
Stop freaking out
.

Shannon snored from above. No nightmares were troubling her. Across the cabin, Mack’s deep breathing flowed in a steady rhythm, indicating he too was sound asleep. Only Mr. Ma was awake.

He sat in the driver’s seat, unnaturally still, staring out the dusty windshield. He had been that way for hours. Kali wondered if the motive for his vigilance was good or evil. Once, she had sat up to look at him, heard a rustle of movement, and then felt rather than saw his eyes on her in the darkness. As a warning chill slithered over her skin, she lowered her head back into the straw, afraid to look again. After that, Kali tried not to move or make any noise. She wished morning would come faster.

She had no idea what hour it was when Mr. Ma’s feet scraped across the dirty floor, coming closer and closer to the sleeping area. Her eyes closed. Her breath caught in her chest. The sound stopped beside the bunk she shared with Shannon. Kali froze.

He was right next to her. His breathing sounded nearer than anyone else’s. She felt him looming over her body. “Can you feel him, Darkesong?” His voice was a raspy whisper. “He is coming.”

She didn’t want to, but one word forced its way past the terror. “Who?”

“My master.”

“Please, don’t hurt me.” Her words trembled like the rest of her.

“Deliver you and I will be rewarded with life.”

He reached for her, and Kali screamed at the top of her lungs. Light flooded the cabin. There was a flurry of movement as Mack scrambled from his bed and tackled the bus driver. The light flickered wildly as a heavy flashlight clattered to the floor. Mack found his legs first. He dragged Mr. Ma to his feet and slung him toward the front of the bus. The old man landed with a resounding thud. Bones rattled as his frail looking body rolled across the metal floor.

Mack grabbed Kali by the shoulders. His eyes were wild. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

“No.” She turned anxiously to where Mr. Ma lay still. “Mack, we should go.” To her relief, he nodded in agreement.

Wide awake but very confused, Shannon slid down from the top bunk. “What the hell is going on?”

“Shannon, we’ll talk later. Get your things.”

“What?”

The heap of tattered clothing and battered flesh had started to move. Like a corpse in a bad zombie movie, Mr. Ma’s upper body whipped upright as he rose from the floor. Dark, soulless eyes leveled on the three of them. Then the malicious gaze shifted its focus to Kali.

“He comes soon.” The old man took a step toward them. One hand hung limply at his side. The other stayed hidden behind his back.

Shannon whimpered. “This just got really creepy.” Without being told, she and Kali backed toward the emergency exit.

Mack stepped in front of them. His hands were outstretched, palms wide. “This was not the deal.”

Mr. Ma’s expression did not change. He continued moving as if a man possessed. “He is coming.”

He raised his hand, revealing a knife, and rushed forward. Kali gasped. Shannon screamed. Mack bravely launched himself toward Mr. Ma, catching the knife arm in mid-arc. The curved metal of the dagger glinted as the point aimed at Mack’s head. Mr. Ma brought his free hand up and down, striking his opponent with incredible force over and over. Mack staggered backward. His grip loosened enough for the old man to wrest the weapon free. Joints enlarged by arthritis wrapped around the hilt expertly as he executed another lunge. Mack scrambled backward, twisting to avoid what would have been a lethal stab.

While their boss was literally fighting to keep his head, Kali and Shannon should have been running for their lives. But Shannon was scared stupid, and Kali was busy studying the old man’s weapon. The steel blade was set in rhinoceros horn, a material carried only by the wealthiest of Yemeni citizens. And yet, this Asian man of low social status possessed one.
Stolen? Or
traded?

Shannon let out a scream two octaves beyond bloodcurdling. Time must have slowed as Mack dropped to his knees. He was clutching his side. Blood gushed between his fingers. Sounding a victorious warble, Mr. Ma brought the dagger down again. Kali squeezed her eyes shut and heard Mack slump to the metal floor. When she opened them, the old man was standing over a motionless body. Worn leather sandals were soaking up Mack’s blood. Shannon’s mouth hung open as if she still screamed, but Kali couldn’t hear her anymore. She couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of her own heart.

Shoving the intern aside, she threw her weight onto the lever that would release the emergency exit. It didn’t budge. Years of nonuse had combined with moisture to create a seal of rust, leaving the door inoperable. Kali didn’t give up. Again and again, she slammed onto the lever. Bit by bit, the latch gave way. The hatch opened. Cold night air rushed in and circulated the smell of Mack’s blood. Stifling a sob, she stuck her arm outside and tried to finish wedging the door open.
If we can get outside…we might have a chance
.

She readied to jump through the opening, but sharp needles of pain radiated across her scalp as Mr. Ma dragged her back by the hair. Stale breath hissed against her ear. Kali’s mind flashed to the parking lot of the movie theater…being groped while held at knifepoint. This time, there would be no handsome stranger to save her. Rhane was over 7,000 miles away. Mack…Mack was probably dead. And Kali wanted very badly not to join him.

If I die now, no one would ever find my body in this desert. This old man will do strange,
indecent things to me. My parents will never know what happened. And Rhane…

Anger as white and as hot as the sun flared up inside her. It took control, spilling into her fingers and toes, taking over movement and thought. Suddenly, Kali knew what to do. Her elbow flew back and up, buried deep into the old man’s side until his flesh couldn’t give anymore. He gasped, but his grip held fast. Kali twisted around, shutting her mind off against the pain in her head and neck. She drove the heel of her hand into Mr. Ma’s throat, momentarily ending his supply of air. Choking, the old man stumbled backward, releasing her. His eyes widened with fear. Still clutching the dagger, he crept unsteadily towards her. Kali stretched out her hand to stop him. What happened next astonished her.

Grey flames licked out from her fingertips, erupting into a blaze that aimed for her attacker with purpose. Mr. Ma raised both arms to shield himself, but the strange fire made easy fuel of his clothing. The old man screamed. Kali grabbed Shannon’s hand and jumped off the bus. The girls landed atop a soft dune and tumbled down the side. Each rolled at least six times before coming to a stop at the base of the huge mound.

Their struggle wasn’t over. Rising above the noise of their panting breaths, a cry left the earth, erupting into the night. Like a raging wind over a field of reeds, the howls filled the empty desert, resonating all around them in endless succession.

Kali recognized the sound.

It was the thing from her nightmare…the monster in the void.

Chapter 41

“Run!” Kali yelled and scrambled to her feet, dragging Shannon along when the girl didn’t immediately rise. Choosing a direction that would put the howling behind them, Kali took off in an all-out run, trusting Shannon would keep up.

By light of the moon, Kali could see the topography was rapidly changing. Tiny brown pebbles littered the fine sand in greater quantities. Small rocks became large boulders. Then her feet stopped sinking into sand, landing on hard packed earth instead. She squinted at the darkness. Remains of buildings and monuments stood on all sides of them. Crumbled stone and broken clay were everywhere. In daylight, the ancestral grounds were probably magnificent to behold. But at night and while running for her life, they were downright creepy.

Keeping her footing on the uneven landscape became a struggle. After stumbling repeatedly, she slowed her pace to minimize the risk of breaking her neck. From just to the left and slightly behind, Shannon squeaked in surprise as her foot tripped over the remainder of a disintegrated wall Kali had successfully avoided only a second or two earlier. The intern went down hard. Barely getting her arms up to break the fall, Shannon landed face first. She lifted her head and sobbed pitifully as she labored for air.

Kali grasped Shannon’s hand. “Get up. Cry later. We have to get out of here.”

“I can’t run anymore.” Shannon sobbed. Tears streamed down her face. “I can’t run anymore,” she repeated.

“Shannon, please
.
”

Shannon snatched her hand away. “Mack is dead. And it’s your fault. Mack is dead.”

Much closer than before, the howl bellowed into the night, resonating with lust and hunger. Kali shivered. The chill covered her body like second skin. “Don’t you hear that? We are going to die if you don’t get up!”

The relief Kali experienced when the girl stood was short lived. Shannon shoved her, screaming,
“Get away from me, you freak.”

Taken by surprise, Kali stumbled and fell awkwardly into the dirt. Memory pulled her back to the bus, and a sickening twist reached low in her gut. Shannon had seen what she’d done to the old man.
No wonder she’s afraid of me. I’m afraid too.
Keeping her eyes on the intern, Kali climbed to her feet slowly. Her throat tightened when Shannon backed away. “I don’t understand what’s happening either.” She tried to keep her voice calm. “I’m not going to hurt you. But I think others are coming that will hurt us both if we don’t get out of here.”