Chapter 19

Changing a moment in time:

Josie stepped closer to him. She held her hair back to keep it from flying in her face where the chilled wind blew through the hole in the window. Dust turned and looked down at his aunt and uncle. His aunt had her hand raised, holding back the fragments of glass that had imploded inward. Without thinking, he waved his hand and the glass reformed.

“What… just happened?” Josie asked in a cautious voice.

Dust turned and looked at her. Surrounding her was a transparent light, and he recognized what the glow meant. Josie was made of fire—a critical element needed for life. He looked down at his aunt again. She controlled time—holding a fragment of the cosmos suspended for a brief moment with her hands. He swallowed as the knowledge flooded him. What he still did not know was who and what he was and what his place was in the larger scheme of this new world.

“I… don’t know,” he said, unwilling to share what he had just experienced until he had a chance to understand it better.

He bent over and helped his aunt off the floor. His uncle stood and wrapped his arm around Margery when she reached out to him in wonder. They looked at the window and then back at him. He could see the concern in his aunt and uncle’s eyes. Unsure, he looked back at Josie to see her reaction.

She was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and an expectant expression—as if waiting to see if he would pull a rabbit out of his ear next. There was no hesitation or doubt in her eyes, just acceptance and curiosity. He shot her a grateful look before turning his attention back to his aunt and uncle.

“When this is over, I’d like to see just what you are capable of, Dust,” Margery said in a shaken voice.

Dust nodded his head in agreement. “Is there anything else we should know before we leave?” he inquired.

“No, we’ll escort you to the drop-off point. You’ll have to make your own way from there. You know where the guard towers are. There is an underground drainage tunnel that we’ve used in the past. Unfortunately, it comes up on the civilian side, and you will have to get to the military side on your own. The electrical shed is on the other side of the wall. Over the past year, Troyfield has had his engineers reinforce the perimeter. We used to have a relatively safe way to get inside from the civilian border, but things have changed. Our contact felt this was the only place where you could get over the wall without being seen. The problem is you’ll have to scale a ten foot wall topped with razor wire in broad daylight,” Dan said.

“Is that all? You mean there are no electrified fences, rabid dogs, demented zombie soldiers, or closed-circuit cameras to televise our demise?” Josie sarcastically remarked.

Dan grimaced. “There might be zombie soldiers.”

“Seriously?!” Josie demanded, her eyes wide with disbelief.

His aunt’s inelegant snort was the first clue that his uncle was pulling their legs, and the twinkle in his uncle’s eyes was the second. Dan’s deep chuckles mixed with his aunt’s. Josie groaned and shook her head.

“Where is Mario or Mendoza when I need them?” Josie muttered.

“That was good,” Dust replied.

“It could have been true. We’ve dealt with zombie beetles,” Josie defended with a shudder.

Dust nodded in agreement. Yes, they had dealt with a lot of weird stuff over the last two years, but the beetles had been horrific, if not the worst thing they’d encountered. He rolled the small pieces of green crystals in his hand. Somehow, he got the feeling that the body-controlling zombie beetles were not on the list to create or upgrade by the beings who sent the crystals out into space.

“I would like to know more about those beetles when you return,” Margery said.

Dust looked at Josie. She had a pained expression on her face, clearly regretting mentioning the bugs. He reached out and grabbed her hand. She gave him a crooked smile before she nodded.

“When do we leave?” Dust asked his uncle.

Dan looked at his watch. “Now. You’ll have two hours to get over the fence. Our guy can only give you a ten minute window,” he cautioned.

Dust nodded. “We’ll be there,” he promised.

* * *

Asylum Compound:

Sammy wrapped an arm around Todd as they hid between some large dumpsters. She looked down at her little brother, and saw he was holding his hands over his nose. She couldn’t blame him. The dumpsters were a bit ripe, even for a cold day.

Neither one of them said anything. Staying silent and hidden was their only recourse at the moment as they waited for Daciana to return. The other woman was on a scouting mission to find a way out of this hell.

Todd turned his face into her and took a deep breath. Well, as deep a breath as he could with his face pressed against her jacket. She leaned her head back against the wall.

In all honesty, she was shocked that Daciana hadn’t just said to heck with the two of them and left them to whatever sadistic experiments the General had planned for them. The fact that Daciana had not only saved Sammy’s life, but had been so compassionate when going through the morgue with Todd had confused her.

Sammy didn’t know what had happened to Dr. Hartley. After she had closed the door to the exam room, the older woman’s faint cries had ceased almost immediately. When she had stepped out into the hallway later, there was no sign of the evil doctor. There hadn’t been any time to ask questions, and Sammy wasn’t sure she wanted to. Asking questions meant getting answers, and some questions were better left unanswered.

There has to be a twisted logic in there somewhere. I’m sure my philosophy teacher probably covered it in one of his lessons, she aimlessly thought.

A wave of longing to be sitting in Mr. Bosley’s philosophy class swept through her. Life had been so simple then. In the mornings, she had helped Todd get ready for school and made sure they both got on the bus. Then, she had sat through boring classes listening to the teachers recite lessons from their manuals while the kids in the class chilled with their friends in small groups. After school, she picked Todd up and walked downtown to help her mom clean up their bakery. She had also made sure Todd did his homework and didn’t eat too many of the baked sweets that hadn’t sold.

She’d go home, fix dinner for her brother and mom, and wonder if her dad who worked out of town would make a surprise visit. Then she would clean up the kitchen, do her homework, and if she was lucky, chat on her cell with her friends until almost midnight.

Life had been boring and normal. Sammy felt the burning in the back of her eyes but no tears. Life wasn’t about the things that happened to you, but about how you handled the things that happened to you. That was what her mom used to tell her. There was never any bitterness in her mom’s voice, just a quiet determination to get on with it and control her own destiny. The collision of a comet with the earth hadn’t been on their radar. A series of events and a freak chance of fate had made all the difference.

“There is a small section not far from here,” Daciana said.

Sammy gasped and clutched Todd against her in fright. She hadn’t been expecting Daciana to suddenly appear out of thin air! That was something she thought only Dust could do.

“You almost gave me a heart attack,” Sammy hissed.

Daciana raised her eyebrow. The sound of Todd’s muffled giggle drew the attention of them both. He lifted his head and looked at Daciana, one hand still partially covering his nose and mouth.

“You did, Daciana. That was so funny. Sammy jumped big time,” he said with a grin.

Daciana’s lips twitched. “I will try to do it more often then,” she replied, looking back at Sammy. “There is a spot four buildings over. There are guards there. I’ll take them out, then carry you both over the wall.”

“Can you carry us both at the same time?” Sammy asked, twisting and crouching on the ground.

Daciana raised an eyebrow again. “Of course,” she retorted.

“Daciana,” Todd said, reaching for the She-Devil’s hand.

Daciana looked startled at the gentle touch. Sammy could see the other girl was still uneasy with her less evil emotions. Still, the She-Devil appeared to have a soft spot for Todd.

“Yes… Todd,” Daciana said.

He gave her one of his crooked grins. “I’m glad you didn’t kill me and that you are on our side now,” he informed her.

Daciana’s expression softened. “I am too,” she quietly replied before looking at Sammy.

“It will be dark soon. That will be the best time. I have found humans have limited vision at night,” Daciana suggested.

“Unless they have the night glasses on like in Sammy’s video games,” Todd remarked.

“Night glasses?” Daciana repeated with a frown.

Sammy nodded. “Night-vision goggles. Soldiers wear them to see things at night. The Thermal ones work best because they can see through glass,” she explained.

“Maybe humans aren’t as stupid as I thought,” Daciana reflected.

“We aren’t,” Sammy agreed.

Daciana studied her for a moment before she briefly bobbed her head in agreement and rose to her feet. Sammy watched as the She-Devil looked both ways. It wasn’t going to be easy getting to the wall. What concerned her most was that they didn’t sound any alarms after their disappearance, though it was obvious they were looking for someone. She suspected it was Daciana.

“Follow me,” Daciana said with a wave of her hand.

Sammy rose to her feet and gripped Todd’s hand in hers. They quietly followed Daciana. At the end of the building, Daciana faded out. Sammy watched the She-Devil reappear behind two soldiers. She winced when she heard bone crunching. She automatically tried to cover Todd’s eyes. He impatiently pushed her hands away.

She shook her head when he looked up at her and grinned. If her little brother didn’t need some serious counseling by the time this was all over, she most definitely would. They darted to the next building while Daciana deposited the two unconscious men in the alley they had just left.

They slowly wove their way between the buildings, falling back and hiding whenever it was too dangerous for them to move forward. Up ahead, Sammy could see the outer wall of the compound.

“I will take out the four guards in the towers and return for you. Be ready,” Daciana instructed.

Sammy nodded, and pulled Todd back into the shadows. They watched Daciana fade out again when she reached the end of the building. She pulled Todd back into the shadows. Their wait was short lived when a shout cut through the silence, along with a loud bang.

They watched in horror as a modified Humvee skidded to a stop. A weapon that looked like a harpoon was attached to the roof. Several more vehicles approached, sliding to a stop at different angles next to the first one.

* * *

Daciana shifted and lifted off the ground. Her focus was on the four men in the two towers. She was halfway to the wall when several humans appeared below her. Distracted, she didn’t see one of the men in a tower raise his weapon and fire.

Burning fire swept through her shoulder, knocking her backwards. Losing her focus, she reappeared. She started to twist around when a burst of excruciating pain made her snarl in rage. She snapped her long jaws at the thick metal bar that had pierced her other shoulder, exiting through her back. A long cable yanked her forward across the ground, and she screamed in pain.

As she struggled to rise to her feet, the vehicle with the cable backed up. The move yanked her forward again. The sound of a cry pierced the haze of pain. Turning her head, she shifted back into her human form and raised a hand in warning, a cry ripping from her throat. It came too late.

The sound of a single shot resounded through the air. Gritting her teeth, Daciana faded out enough for the thick barb to pass through her body. Weakened by her wounds and all of the energy she had been expending, she barely had the strength to stagger to her feet. Her gaze remained glued on where Sammy was holding Todd’s small, still body in her arms.

“Fire,” General Troyfield ordered.

Daciana swung around when she was hit with another thick harpoon. She fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Her fingernails grew, and she clawed at the ground.

“Todd,” she weakly murmured.

Sammy’s gasping sounds were overshadowed by the low rumble of the vehicles. She rocked back and forth, holding Todd protectively against her body. She looked pleadingly at Daciana.

“I’m… sorry,” Daciana whispered, feeling a dampness in her eyes.

Her view of Sammy and Todd was suddenly blocked by a pair of shiny black boots. She screamed when the cable attached to the harpoon that impaled her yanked again, and she was hauled onto her back. She stared up into the cold eyes of the human leader. He squatted down in front of her, his dispassionate gaze roving over her face before he returned her unblinking stare.

“So… Monsters do cry,” General Troyfield observed.

Hatred burned inside Daciana. A fierce rage scorched through her, turning the world a blood-red. She was the She-Devil. A monster created by a human mother’s need for her dead child to be alive—an abomination of nature given powers by random chance or fate.

“You are right, human. I am a monster—created by one of you,” she hissed.

Daciana channeled the rage inside herself and pulled from the deep well of power she had absorbed from Dust. His blood coursed through her veins, combining, changing, evolving and giving her a new strength and abilities. Reaching up, she touched the harpoon in her shoulder. The metal sizzled before it turned to dust in her hand.

Before General Troyfield could rise to his feet, Daciana had him by the neck and was lifting him off the ground. She ignored the shouts from the soldiers and the desperate, gurgled protest from Troyfield as he clawed at her arm with hands soaked in her blood.

“Perhaps it is time for you to find out what a true monster is,” Daciana growled.

A harpoon soared toward them and she grabbed it. Wrapping her fingers around the center of the long metal shaft, she turned it around and threw it back at the vehicle. The long shaft pierced the hood and went all the way through the engine before becoming impaled in the ground.

She looked into General Troyfield’s eyes. She wanted to kill him and the others, every one of them. She would have—before. Before she met Sammy. Before… she met a sweet little boy who thanked her for not killing him.

With a thrust, she tossed Troyfield’s unconscious body onto the hood of the Humvee. The soldiers raised their guns in her direction. She lifted her chin in defiance. Her body trembled with fatigue and grief.

Daciana braced herself when she heard the loud explosions of gunfire. She locked her knees when her legs threatened to give out from under her. A soft gasp slipped from her lips when she felt an arm around her waist and saw a figure appear protectively in front of her.

“Dust…,” her grief-filled voice whispered his name.

“Hang on, She-Devil,” Josie said with an encouraging smile.

Daciana’s legs gave out, and she sank to the ground with Josie’s help. Dust stood in front of both of them. A frown creased her brow as she tried to keep him in focus.

“Why is he green?” she asked, her head falling against Josie’s shoulder.

“It’s a long story,” Josie said.

Daciana watched as the bullets—and the guns in the soldiers’ hands—turned to dust. Her gaze moved to where Sammy sat on the ground, her eyes were glazed with shock, and she was rocking back and forth.

“Todd…,” Daciana’s voice broke and her body began to shake uncontrollably.

Sobs ripped through her. She closed her eyes as an unforgiving pain ripped through her chest. In that moment she knew one thing above all else—monsters could not only cry, they could feel love.