Severing Sanguine: A Companion Book to The Fallocaust Series Book 2 (11 page)

“Shit, shit, shit!” Nero swore, his voice was sharp and angry. He jumped over a car tire and ran into the parking lot that the small buildings surrounded but a moment later he stopped and started swearing again.

I saw what he was cursing at. I was up higher than him now that I was on his shoulders. All of the lumps I had seen and thought were cars in the parking lot were those same creatures. Each one slowly rising themselves from their sleep, stretching out like a corpse flower trying to reach the grey sun.

I got out my handgun and pointed it, with my tongue sticking out of my mouth I aimed it and shot it off.

Nero jumped before calling me a bunch of names, ending with: “Warn me next time, you little shit fuck!” I said a quick sorry and let him shoot the one that was behind it.

When they fell their limbs started flying through the air like tentacles, writhing and squirming as they let out that low bellowing noise that gave me chills.

“Where are the trucks?” I asked desperately. I grabbed into Nero’s head and squeezed my legs together as I saw more of them starting to spill out from behind the buildings and the alleyways around us. There were more and more, walking towards us with their long strides. They looked slow but that was only an illusion, each step they made was four of our normal steps.

“If I knew I’d be running towards them, you fucking retard,” Nero snapped. He started sprinting in another direction. “We don’t get outside of the fucking vehicles and wander far for a reason. These fucking creatures stay dormant unless you go crashing through their fucking houses, you dumb fuck. I hope you’re proud of yourself, you stupid midget.”

I deserved that so I didn’t say anything. I loaded my gun but before I could aim it at another one, this one peeking up over a store sign, Nero turned and started running in a different direction.

Every time I thought I was only seeing a car it turned out to be one of those creatures coming closer. I squeezed onto Nero even harder and gripped my gun tight.

Nero’s own gun started going off, I looked to see where he was shooting and screamed. He had been running by a line of black trees but I realized with a shock that half of them were the creatures.

Then one took a swing at us. I ducked but it hit the back of my head. I tried to scramble off of Nero, terror taking over my senses but before my boots hit the ground the creature grabbed me with both hands and pulled me, a low but loud moan spilling from a mouth that had no lips, only an open black pit surrounded by teeth.

I screamed and thrashed, its fingers were cold and rough, they clenched around my body and enveloped me like I was caught in tree branches. My gun fell to the ground with a clang and shot a random bullet off into the darkness.

A flash of light and several bangs all one after another, in an instant the arms let go of me and I fell to the ground hard. No sooner than I had fallen I felt something pick me up, gloved hands. He grabbed me by my jacket collar and threw me back onto his back.

I clung onto him and saw him retract his arm and throw a punch at another creature. His fist smashed against its brown, hardened cheek throwing it off of its feet in a pile of long awkward limbs. I saw for just a moment a black eye roll around in an almost skeletonized face before it rolled onto its stomach.

Nero tripped. I was thrown off of him landing on my shoulder and the side of my head, stars burst through my vision and my senses but I got them back quickly. The cold night air and the static surrounding us commanded my body to do nothing but stay in its survival mode.

Nero was still for a moment which horrified me. I picked up his gun but it was different than the assault rifle I had had. I pointed it anyways at the three closest I could see and pressed down on the trigger.

The recoil threw me off of my feet and I landed on top of Nero. Two of the raver-like creatures fell down but a third took one last giant step towards me before it swung an arm down. It landed on Nero’s leg and the creature grabbed a hold of it.

I snarled as it pulled Nero and bared my teeth at it. It stared at me… its face baked skin and its nose small with two slits for nostrils. It was hairless and I could see pulsing black veins in its skull only making its dark pits for eyes all the more prominent. It was a scary creature but I was evil and I was bad… and I could be scarier!

I coiled myself like a spring and pounced on it from the side. I felt my hands brush tight hardened skin and I clung onto it as hard as I could. As the creature reared back with another low moan I opened my mouth and sunk my teeth into its neck, then I started pulling out chunks of disgusting tasting skin.

When the creature realized what I was doing it reached around to try and grab me, but it could only reach my pant leg. It pulled me until I was only holding on by my hands and mouth, my lower half was completely suspended. I clung for dear life and chewed and chewed as I hit warm flesh.

It bellowed in pain and I heard scratching and groaning behind me. I realized the ones that were creeping up on us had reached me. More hands grabbed me and soon I felt a pain go through my body as another pair of spider-like hands snatched my legs.

I was completely suspended. I looked around wildly and saw that one had my arms and one had my legs. I let out a terrified cry as I realized they –
I shrieked as loud as I could.

– they were trying to pull me in half.

My entire body was searing with pain. I heard them grunt and more pressure coming from my arm and leg sockets. I could hear my bones popping and creaking inside of my head as they pulled and pulled.

I was going to split in half; I was going to split in half.

Then headlights.

Headlights!

Suddenly everything became busy. Gunshots sung around me and I was let go. I fell to the ground and landed on my feet without a word. My eyes wide and my body frozen stiff from shock.

I saw boots and someone pick me up, everything was chaos with the lights and the engines running and so many people yelling and talking. I stared, unable to move or talk; it was like my mind was a thousand miles ahead and my body had no way of catching up to it.

The person who picked me up ran with me, his breathing hard inside of his chest. I was put in the rumbling truck and then doors slammed all around me.

“Is he alive?”

“I don’t know; I don’t fucking know…”

“Sanguine?”

“Sanguine? Can you hear me?”

My eyes had always been open but it took me a minute to start seeing things. I blinked and saw I was in someone’s arms. I looked around and felt my face crumple.

“Shit… I think he’s okay. Fuck, Silas would’ve killed me… he would’ve literally killed me…” Nero’s voice was tense. I felt a hand tap my cheek. “You okay, you little cocksucker?”

I nodded and tried not to cry. I didn’t want to cry in front of Nero. I tucked my lip inside of my mouth and heard him chuckle.

“He saved my life, eh? He jumped on one of those celldwellers and chewed through half its neck before it got to him. Did you see it?”

“I just saw them trying to pull the boy in two.” That was Ellis. I couldn’t lift my head though, I only saw her jacket and a bloody assault rifle in her hand. The truck was moving really fast but I didn’t want to look out the window. I could hear the motor revving though.

“That’s what I saw too…ten seconds longer and they would’ve succeeded too. I would’ve suggested we just say we never found him again but that’s just me. We have a couple years before Elish and Perish perfect that brain splicing, after I’m immortal then I would tell him.”

I sniffed but I still felt shaken and stunned. I didn’t understand what they were talking about or the words they were using, I didn’t care either. I was just happy to be in the car again… I wasn’t going to try running into abandoned cities anymore and I made a point to avoid them in my future travels.

“How awake does he have to be before I can start beating on him for running?” I felt myself get shaken a bit but I didn’t want to move.

“You won’t… you were the idiot for turning your back on him. You’ve had enough experience with young chi… boys to know not to turn your fucking back on them, especially when they know they’re in shit. If anything
you
should be apologizing to
him
,” Ellis said sharply. Though I felt a bit better that she wasn’t going to spank me or something like Nan did. Though I think I might be too old for that now but she didn’t look like the type of person to care.

“Yeah well, he’s a crafty little fucker… it’s going to be interesting… when, eventually…”

Ellis was quiet for a second. “You can’t keep him.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I looked up at Nero. “I can go home with you?”

Nero shook his head and chuckled; he ruffled my hair. “Nah, you can’t, shithead. That’s against the… Legion rules. But I can visit you sometimes, how’s that?”

“I don’t think…” Ellis was cut off but I don’t know why she stopped talking. She sighed instead and I saw her shake her head. “I won’t say anything.”

“I know you won’t, sissy,” Nero said and he ruffled my hair again.

“You two are brother and sister?” I asked in awe.

Ellis and Nero both nodded.

“Twins actually,” Ellis said. As I looked at her and then Nero I wasn’t surprised, they both had the same purply-blue eyes and they looked similar. “We have a big family and I’m the only girl.”

“I wish I had a family,” I said and then I felt sad. I was going to be alone again but I liked these people. “I don’t have any brothers or sisters either. You two are lucky.”

“Aww, jeez… that hits you where it hurts doesn’t it?” Nero patted my head. I wanted Nero to be my friend, I think he was too young to be my dad but I wasn’t sure. Either way I wanted to stay with him; I liked Nero.

But if he visited me then that was better than nothing. At least he wouldn’t disappear like Nan did or die like Cory did. Maybe he would bring me more chocolate and maybe he would teach me to hunt since he did say I saved his life.

The lights in the truck dimmed and my eyes drew me to the only other source of light. Nero lit a blue-embered cigarette with his lighter and I smelled the sweet and pure-smelling smoke coming from his mouth. Behind his cigarette were the headlights now shining on greywaste dirt. I watched the greywastes go by in the beams of the lights and not too soon after, lulled by the conversations between Ellis and Nero… I fell asleep.

“He’s such a cute little psychopath.” Nero pulled Sanguine’s lip down and whistled when he saw a pointed adult tooth poking through. “I think Silas is full of shit for making this kid stay out here.”

Ellis looked down at Sanguine, fast asleep and half-lying in Nero’s arms. A small smile crept to her face. “You know, you’re a murderer, a rapist, a sadist, and an overall deranged fuck… but you sure are a good big brother.”

Nero rolled his eyes and took an inhale of his cigarette. “He’s a cute kid; boy after my own heart, though he’s a bit nuts. But he can move and he can bite.”

Ellis shook her head and took the cigarette from Nero. She took a long inhale before handing it back. “We’re lucky we found him, though it seems he was doing alright. But you heard the buzz at the pub in Chilko; they were getting ready to sweep the town and they would’ve lynched him.” Ellis picked up Sanguine’s hand and shuddered as she saw the scar, the size and shape of a dime. “The place he was being raised in fucking tried to crucify him. I don’t understand Silas’s logic; he’ll be lucky if he reaches the age for him to come back to the family.”

“That’s the point, ain’t it? If he survives he will have earned his place beside Kingy as his bloodthirsty, insane bodyguard. I’m gonna laugh when it blows up in his face but maybe I can keep him after… he’s so adorable. Did you see how he always makes sure that bear is near him? What’s with young chimerys and their stuffed animals? Garrett used to flip fucking shit when I tortured his stuffed rabbit,” Nero chuckled at the memory, another plume of smoke rolling from his mouth.

“They get it from Father,” Ellis said quietly. “I think you’re smart to check up on him… I would too but after I step in with the thien force Father is going to be watching me. You at least have free reign of the greywastes and the Legion until Kessler stops pissing in his underwear.”

Nero chuckled at this. “Yeah, I will and hopefully Sangy can shut up about it once he comes to Skyfall. I don’t give a shit what Silas says, and I gotta obey – but I’m going to make sure he’s okay until he comes home. What age did Silas say anyways?”

“Fifteen he said… eight more years.” Ellis looked ahead and raised her voice as she addressed the driver. “How long until we’re at Little Spring?”

“Another hour, Ma’am,” the man replied. “The river is dried out and Commander Heryn tells me he’s been sending vehicles through it so that will shave off some time.”

“Good,” Ellis said. “Father’s going to want a full report on this little gem we found. Maybe if we embellish it he’ll agree to bringing him home early.”

Nero snorted; Sanguine shifted around in his arms so he dropped his voice. “Embellish what? He’s gotten scorched, crucified and he was capturing greywasters to force them to talk to him. What the fuck are we embellishing?”

Ellis seemed to weigh this and with a frown she turned her attention to outside. “You’re right… I just… I think he’s going to see that this is all a mistake. This experiment of his is going to backfire on him I know it. It’s hard enough right now to even make chimeras why is he letting this one fend for himself? He’s royalty and he doesn’t even know it.”