Boss began to hate school, dreading each day. He spent his time hiding away from the other boys and their taunts. He spent weekends online, immersed in WOW, joining guilds and raiding.
It was some of the worst days of his life and, weirdly, some of the best. His parents advised him to chalk it up to a life lesson and told him to remember that real friends stick by you no matter what.
Anya dumped him and moved on. Boss felt empty and without a purpose. He struggled for the next couple of years. Now, with the Hemorrhage Virus, Boss had a motive. Survive!
With new determination, Boss stared into the eyes of the approaching Alpha, whose yellow eyes glared back at him. As he got closer, Boss saw that the trophy heads were rotting now. Bits of flesh and tissue had fallen off, and the whites of their skulls were gleaming through. He raised his gun, sighting the Alpha, though he doubted the bullet would penetrate his bark-like hide. Squeezing the trigger a couple of times, he watched as the bullets harmlessly bounced off it. One bullet penetrated one of the mounted heads, though. Boss winced. He holstered the Glock and let his hands fall to his sides. Heat rose up through his body.
Strangely, he felt angry. Angry that it was going to end like this.
He bit his lower lip as the Alpha reached the island and hauled himself ashore. The clear lake water sloshed off him, making the green and black obsidian glisten in the morning sun. Boss shook his head. He hated to admit it, but he felt abandoned. Jack, Dee, and Ben had left him alone to look after George, and when he needed them most, they weren’t here. Well. They had asked Erin to stay with him, but Boss felt responsible for George. Dee had made him promise to always look out for him. Eager to please her, Boss had readily accepted. He’d never imagined this.
The Trophy King reached him, and stopped a couple of metres away. He raised one of his claws and pointed above Boss. Boss turned around as screams reached him. Feminine screams. Beth’s blonde hair appeared on the clifftop between two Variants as they man-handled her. The Alpha then pointed to his right. Boss watched, horrified, as George appeared, firmly held by a large Variant. His blue eyes pleaded with Boss.
Boss turned back to the Alpha. All his anger and frustration at the situation boiled up. He sprang forward, pulling his knife. A blur of black and white followed. Max barked and leapt at the Alpha, managing to latch onto his ankle. Boss leapt, raising his hand, knife clasped tightly. He aimed for the Alpha’s neck, hoping to penetrate the skin and cut the jugular. The Alpha bellowed and lunged forward. He caught Boss in mid-air with one claw, holding him aloft. He reached down and, without taking his eyes off Boss, lifted Max off his ankle. The dog barked and howled in pain. The Trophy King grasped Max in his claw. With an evil glint in his eyes, he smashed the dog down onto the ground. Max let out a whimper and fell silent.
Boss started to thrash and twist his body, desperate to escape. The Alpha lowered the squirming Boss to the ground. A Variant moved up in front of him. Boss stopped struggling and looked at it. The Variant moved in close and excreted a hot liquid into his face. Boss spat some of it out as his vision started to fade. He struggled to keep awake. Thinking quickly, Boss reached down and untied his prosthetic. The sound of it clinking off the stones brought a smile to his lips. He twisted his heavy head, catching a final glimpse of George as his world went dark.
FIFTEEN
Dee scanned left and right, letting off short bursts at any Variant she saw. With the arrival of the Maori warriors, they had focused their efforts on the Variants crowding on the campsite. With Ben directing them, they had concentrated their fire into groups of the knotted beasts, breaking through after some ferocious fighting. Dee shook her head, amazed at the ferocity with which the Maori fought. They didn’t have any guns either. Just traditional weapons.
The Renegades and the Maori warriors entered the tree line and started to climb up into the surrounding mountains, screams and howls following them. Skirmishes broke out on all sides. Dee caught a glimpse of Jack running ahead, following one of the Maori. He was pointing farther up the mountain, beckoning them to follow.
Dee pushed Katherine’s back, urging her forward. Katherine was struggling. First, they had run through the lab, then flown across the zip-lines, and here they were running again. Shrieks and howls echoed around them. Even amongst the scents of mud and gunpowder, she could smell the rotten fruit smell the beasts expunged.
Katherine stumbled. Dee reached down and hauled her to her feet. “C’mon, don’t stop.”
Katherine mumbled something.
On they ran, the lactic acid building in her legs. The exhaustion of the last few days was beginning to take hold. If it wasn’t for the imminent threat of being torn apart, she would stop right here and sleep, nestled against a rock.
Dee hurried on up the winding path, ducking between slabs of limestone and jumping over gnarled roots. Several of the Maori jogged alongside her, weapons grasped in their hands. The distinct tang of blood hung in the air, adding to the gruesome cocktail of body odor and cordite. Sweat was pouring off her forehead, stinging her eyes. Dee turned, looking for Ben’s comforting figure. He was bringing up the rear with a knot of Maori warriors, taking down the pursuing Variants. He caught Dee watching and waved her on. She turned and hauled herself up a steep rock shelf, straining at the effort.
Dee looked up to find Jack holding out his hand. She grasped it, enjoying his touch. For a fleeting moment, she let her mind enjoy the familiarity.
“Hey, you.”
He smiled and kissed her cheek. “Hey.”
A chorus of howls sounded out as a blur of movement on both sides rushed from the trees. Dee pulled away from Jack and raised her rifle back up. The fleeing humans had run straight into an ambush. Variants poured out from the bushes on both sides. There were dozens. Intense fighting broke out. Jack moved to Katherine’s other side, raising his rifle. Movement buzzed all around her, making it difficult to use her carbine without hitting someone friendly.
Dee slung her rifle and pulled out her Glock. She unloaded her magazine, dropping several monsters. Jack standing beside her had adopted the same idea. She heard Katherine, crouched down between them, scream.
Three Variants broke through and barreled into them. Dee twisted to one side, firing as she tumbled to the ground. Her bullet sailed true, smashing through the beast’s throat before exploding out the back. The Variant slumped to the ground. Dee risked a peek at Jack; he had rolled out of the way and shot a Variant in the head.
A terrified scream reached her. The third Variant had straddled Katherine. It slashed at her torso with its claws, cutting deep and exposing her intestines. Dee screamed and ran forward, reaching back to pull out her Katana. She brought the blade down in a slashing arc, relieving the beast of its head. She watched, satisfied, as the head bounced along the forest floor. One of the struggling warriors kicked it, and it ricocheted off a rock and dropped out of sight.
Yelling for Jack to cover them, Dee bent down and clasped Katherine’s hand. “Lie still. I’ll bandage you up.”
Katherine looked into her eyes and squeezed her hand back. “Dee, it’s bad. I can feel how bad it is.”
“Regardless, I’m not leaving you behind.”
Katherine shook her head at Dee. All around them, the battle went on. Gunshots and war cries. The whacks of Mere hitting skulls. Grunts of effort as the Renegades and their saviours fought for their lives. Jack reached down and grabbed her Katana, standing guard as she pulled out her first aid kit and field dressed the wound. Blood immediately soaked the bandage, coating her hands. She quickly tied it off and signalled to Jack to help her. They lifted Katherine up, who grimaced in agony.