The Empty (29 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Shane sat beside Julia’s cot on a folding metal chair. The small window air conditioner blew his hair gently, but provided only minimal relief from the stifling desert heat. She was in a fretful sleep. Her chocolate skin had paled some, and her features seemed drawn-out and hollow. It had been six hours since the infusion and still she’d only hinted at consciousness. The pregnant reyaqc girl had returned to her own dwelling within an old mine shaft and was doing well. Now, if only Julia would come around. He hated the fact that she’d been pulled into this, that she’d been given no true choice in the matter. He understood the reyaqc’s need for human essence—had actually assisted reyaqc in luring unsuspecting people into their trap—but that was a lifetime ago, and now, well, Julia had needs and rights too. Where was the consideration for the humans in all of this? He sighed, ran his fingers through his bone white hair, and stared at her. She was a brave woman. He could see that in her. Brave, beautiful, capable. He only hoped she didn’t go the way of Taz.

Taz—young, energetic, quirky, curious, lively Taz.

There were some memories, some events that a man could never leave behind. Some memories could sit on a guy’s shoulders like an eighty-pound backpack and remain there until he was firmly planted beneath a headstone bearing the epitaph “monster.”

Shane and two of the doc’s givers had folded Taz’s body into a large black trunk. A bellhop had carted it out and loaded it into a Tahoe they’d rented for this purpose. They’d driven far out into the desert, well past the small town of Pahrump, Nevada, off of any main road, and then even further off of secondary arteries. Finally, they’d dug a deep pit, lowered the body in, doused it in an anonymous and highly flammable liquid the doc described as burning at five times the temperature of gasoline. Then he’d cremated his friend. The smell! Even now, Shane could smell the heavy, greasy, decaying smell of the girl’s flesh, of her organs and muscles as they sizzled and popped, shriveling into blackened twists of matter, and finally disintegrating into unidentifiable ash. He doubted he’d ever free that horrid smell from his mind and constantly rubbed at his nose like a frenzied coke addict in an attempt to clear the odor from his olfactory follicles.

Taz had family—a mother, a father, and two siblings. The doc had used Taz’s cell phone to text message each of these, indicating Taz had met the man of her dreams and run off to live in Europe. Shane doubted they’d believe the subterfuge, especially as months went by and there was no further word of her. And even if they did believe, Shane had to live with the fact that this girl’s family would never know her true fate.

All this simply to hide the existence of the reyaqc.

Shane wiped a curled index finger across the base of his nose and wished there was some place he could buy a pack of smokes. He’d always known of reyaqc brutality. His introduction to the species had hardly been peaceful. He supposed it had always been somewhat about the danger and excitement. Always, right from the beginning, in Paris, with Gisele. But this. This! What if it happened again? What if Julia died? Would he be forced to cremate another woman? Was that to be his purpose, his contribution to the reyaqc species—body disposal?

Shane raised his eyes to the ceiling as if seeking guidance, and then returned his gaze to the unconscious woman before him. To his relief and surprise, Julia’s eyes fluttered, her expression changed. She seemed to be working her jaw, grinding her teeth. Her fists opened and then closed. Another few moments and her eyes cracked open. She blinked several times, obviously attempting to bring her vision into focus.

“Hey, Jules,” he smiled. “How you doing?”

“Shane?” The voice was dry, weak, nearly inaudible.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He paused, and then added. “I’m really glad to see you coming out of this. Seriously, you have no idea.”

Julia nodded. “Did…they make you?”

Shane shook his head. “Infuse? No. The doc got me out of it. The last time I did it I nearly died. I was out of it for weeks. Something in my system, I guess. I’m just not compatible. That’s what turned my hair white, you know. The infusion.”

Julia lifted a hand, fished around for a lock of her own hair. Shane chuckled. “Don’t worry. Your hair’s still black as midnight. It’s beautiful. You came through this thing, Jules. You’re okay.”

Julia attempted a smile, but said nothing. Even speaking seemed an awful chore.

Footsteps approached. Then the flimsy wooden door opened behind him. “How is Dr. Chambers?” asked Donald Baker as he strode across the room. Even in the blazing desert heat, he still wore his tweed jacket. Shane supposed he was making some point to his host. Surely that outfit could be comfortable to no one—reyaqc or human.

“She survived, Doc. Looks pretty zapped,” said Shane.

Julia made a weak attempt at speech. “I’m…okay. I jus…”

Shane patted her on the forehead. “Take it easy, now. Rest. Don’t rush it.”

The doc came forward. Shane stood and moved away, allowing him to examine Julia. He lifted a penlight from his right jacket pocket and then flicked the narrow beam into each of her eyes. Next, he took her pulse by pressing his thumb against her jugular, and gazing at his wristwatch. He rolled her head to one side, examining the back of her neck, then rolled it the opposite direction and sniffed beneath her nose, gaining insight from the odor of her breath. “Mr. Daws is right,” he said. “Remain prone for as long as necessary. Drink plenty of liquids.”

Julia nodded her agreement, and then slipped back into a fitful sleep.

The doc probed about her abdomen, checked her legs for coloring and circulation, and then turned to face Shane. “There have been three more murders,” he said. “Two of which were police officers. After which, our rogue was captured. Judging by the reports, he no longer bears a fully human appearance, though resembles no specific creature. Likely he’s infused from multiple and varies sources. The process would wreak havoc on both body and mind. If this has been his practice for any length of time, it may explain the mental deterioration leading to psychotic behavior.”

It was then Julia began to gasp. Seemingly fighting for air, she thrashed about, legs curling up toward her belly and arms flopping uncontrollably. “Doc, she’s in trouble!”

But the doc was already moving. His face impassive, but that meant very little in a reyaqc. Donald was concerned. His actions proved that. “Julia, do you hear me?” he asked as his right hand squeezed her wrist. “Pulse is erratic.” He moved forward, and using his thumbs, pried her eyelids open. “Her pupils are non-responsive.” His face was no more than two inches before hers. Shane saw his nostrils flare. “Julia, stay with me. Do not allow yourself to fall into sleep.” He turned to Shane. “Blankets. Quickly. Prop her feet—now! Stay with me, woman. Mr. Daws, my bag. Here are the keys. Run to the vehicle. We need an I.V. Julia, look at me. Focus, young lady. Focus. Quickly, Mr. Daws. We’re losing her.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

It was late evening. The sun had gone down perhaps an hour before, and yet the temperature still hung close to one hundred degrees. The absence of light did little to slow the reyaqc community. It seemed nearly as many reyaqc milled about now as had during the heat of the day, perhaps more. Shane knew that some of them had enhanced night vision due to genetic traits gained from nocturnal animals, but perhaps the temperature contributed as well. There were very few air conditioning units in this settlement—three that Shane had seen. Perhaps the inhabitants simply retreated to the coolness of their mine shaft abodes during the searing daylight hours.

Standing outside the small wooden building where Julia still fought for her life, Shane watched swirls of dust and sand dance across the stony ground. Using the back of his hand, he wiped sand and sweat from his forehead. The evening wasn’t a comfortable one, but Shane had needed to get out of that tiny room for a while. The doc and the young reyaqc girl, Minya, were tending to Julia, and the doc had finally convinced Tresset Bremu to allow Shane the freedom to roam. He was amazed at what he saw here. Yes, he’d lived among the reyaqc, shared an apartment with them, and even loved one, but those were civilized reyaqc, humanized. Gisele and her companions didn’t infuse animal essence; they didn’t live an inhuman existence out away from society. True, they were different from human beings. They thought differently, behaved differently, believed differently. Most people would find them strange, off-putting, even bizarre. But still, they functioned within society. Some went to universities, some had jobs, others stole for a living, but wasn’t even that a human trait? Here, very few of these reyaqc would be able to walk a street or enter a convenience store without causing a stir. Shane had seen pictures of molts and even a few poor quality videos, but aside from his one brief encounter in Paris, he’d never actually witnessed them first hand. Despite himself, despite his new-found doubts, he couldn’t help but to be astonished at these strange beastly creatures. He longed for Taz in that moment, ached for her. Because he knew she’d have thrilled at this experience. And he was disheartened that he no longer felt that same exuberance. Here he was in the heart of a secret reyaqc settlement, and his thoughts kept wandering back to an all-too human, all-too frail girl and how she should have been here as well.

To the south, Shane saw almost nothing but stars and darkness. The mountains had vanished with the sun. There were few electric lights, as the entire compound was run off of generators, and there really weren’t enough of those to go around. Still, the moon was three-quarters full, and bathed the area in a gentle glow. Shane could hear the caged animals at the far end of the compound as they paced about their pens voicing various grunts and growls. He smelled them as well, the warm breeze was coming from that direction and Shane was reminded of the reek of a farm or of a zoo.

A loping shadow grew before Shane. It was a young male reyaqc, perhaps ten or eleven years of age. The pup obviously bore some animal’s DNA, but for the life of him, Shane couldn’t determine what this might be. There were random patches of gray/brown fur about the reyaqc’s naked form. One ear appeared entirely human; the other had a flap-like appearance. The fingers and toes were long, the legs willowy. It seemed the face was extended just slightly about the mouth, perhaps the beginnings of a muzzle.

The reyaqc came to a halt perhaps three feet distant, squatted, and stared at Shane. Shane, in turn, stared at the reyaqc. They remained thus for several moments, until finally the reyaqc broke the silence. “What is the city like?” he asked.

Shane sighed. Did he really want to get drawn into a conversation? He’d only stepped out to get some fresh air. But, Shane still had some of his feelings for the reyaqc. Perhaps his devotion and enthusiasm had been dampened, but he found it hard not to reserve at least a little awe for these amazing beings. “The city,” said Shane. “I dunno. Crowded, I guess.”

“How many people?”

Shane shrugged. “The Las Vegas valley has more than a million-five. Other cities like New York and Chicago have way more.”

The young reyaqc stared at Shane for a moment, and then asked, “What does a million mean?”

Shane had to smile. How could he explain this to the boy—this pup—who had probably never seen more than a few dozen of anything in his life? He pondered for a moment, and as he did, he gazed out over the horizon and into the night sky. Out here away from the city lights, the stars were clear shimmering specks splayed throughout the black canvass of the sky. Thousands of them, it seemed. “Look up,” he said.

The young reyaqc complied.

“You see those stars?”

“Yes.”

“More than that.”

The reyaqc pup rose from his squatting position, staring upward, his mouth agape. Slowly, he turned counterclockwise, gazing at each section of the sky, taking it all in, pondering the immensity of it all. The spell was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. “Kyrl!” snapped a sharp, authoritarian voice. “Away. Do not pester this man.”

The young reyaqc scampered away, disappearing into the darkness without another word. “Tresset Bremu,” said Shane as the diminutive reyaqc marched forward, his head cocked assuredly, his expression stern. “The boy wasn’t bothering me. You didn’t have to run him off.”

“I wasn’t worried about your comfort,” said Tresset. “It was that you might contaminate the pup with your tales of humanity and its superiority that concerned me.”

Shane nodded. What could he say to that?

Tresset gazed up at Shane through untrusting eyes. The reyaqc must have been six or seven inches shorter than Shane, but still the young man felt as if this creature was staring down on him rather than the reverse. “I understand you lived among reyaqc.”

Shane nodded, attempting to avert the reyaqc’s gaze by focusing on the darkness beyond Tresset. “Yeah. In Paris. It’s been over three years since I left.”

Tresset snorted and pulled his cloth from his pocket to wipe his hands. “City reyaqc—like Dolnaraq. You gave essence?”

“Once. It almost killed me. I was bedridden for something like six weeks.”

Tresset snorted again. His nostrils flared. “You are a weak specimen. Very little use to us. Tell me about the female. Does she recover?”

“The doc says she’s stabilized, but tenuous. Her system didn’t respond well to the donor process.”

“The doc? You mean Dolnaraq.” Tresset finished wiping his hands, and folded his cloth in quarters before returning it to his pocket.

Shane nodded. “Yeah, Donald Baker.”

“Has Dolnaraq said when the woman might be able to give again?”

Shane was suddenly furious. All of the pent up emotion from the past several days seemed to rise up and there was no way he was going to hold it back any longer. Despite Tresset’s off-putting appearance and dictatorial demeanor, despite his claws and dagger-like teeth, Shane could take no more. “Again?” he screamed. “She almost died! She still might. She should have never been forced into this.”