Salvation (Cascade Book 8) Read online

  CONTENTS

  Title page

  Copyright

  Disclaimer

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Thank you

  SALVATION

  Cascade Book 8

  by

  Phil Maxey

  Copyright © 2018 by Philip Maxey

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First Printing, 2018.

  http://philmaxeyauthor.com/

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is purely coincidental.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sam Coleman ducked down behind a tree and clicked on his radio. “We can see the smoke, you on fourteenth Street yet? Over.”

  Other members of the camps justice force stayed close to the ground nearby, eyeing the streets of the downtown area around them suspiciously. The sound of explosions and gunfire rang out in the distance.

  No response came from Sam’s radio.

  “Isaiah? Your team there yet? Over.”

  The sound of battle burst from his radio, causing him to fumble for the volume, quickly turning it down.

  “Yeah, just on fourteenth! We’re taking heavy fire from one of those purple fucks, we might have to fall back. Over!”

  “Just distract them, long enough for us to—”

  A droning sound made him and his squad look to the sky as a black rectangular craft slid across the sky between the skyscrapers above them. They all ducked lower, waiting for it to pass.

  “Shit, it’s moving towards the smoke,” said a grime faced woman with her light brown hair in a ponytail.

  They watched the alien sky machine seemingly unaffected by wind or air resistance relentlessly move towards the site of the crashed military plane. They all wished it would change course and then in a blink of an eye it did, speeding off to the west.

  Everyone let out a breath.

  Sam stood. “That’s our cue, lets get moving.” He glanced at his M4 rifle, then at the newly opened shops around him. They were built into the bottom of the numerous skyscrapers that had been constructed, and already contained goods that only the elite of the camp could afford.

  He and his six person squad, were one of six teams who were the closest to the plane when it careered along Main street, eventually coming to a stop in one of the city’s green plaza’s.

  Initially the Hulathen who were attacking the camp seemed uninterested in the plane, but that now seemed to be changing, and only his and Isaiah’s squad were finding it possible to make any progress towards saving those that might still be alive onboard.

  Sam’s squad ran to one of the many four way junctions in the built up part of the city. A loud smash made them all point their guns to their left. A small group of young men were kicking in a glass shop front, and grabbing the items of clothing that were on display.

  “Should I go over and give them a talking to Cap?” Said a burly looking man to Sam.

  He shook his head. “Bigger fish and all that.” He looked down the length of the street at the wreckage of the plane, one of its wings sheared off and the fuselage sitting at a tilt. One of the engines was still burning.

  They ran forward moving around a haphazardly parked car and continued along the sidewalk.

  “Look!” Said the ponytailed woman, looking above them. One of the gun towers, the size of a bus was hanging off the side of its pillar, eighteen floors up.

  They kept running towards the plane.

  “Eye on the prize, Baxter,” said Sam.

  Skipping over restaurant chairs and tables laying scattered Sam tried to concentrate on rescuing whoever he could from the burning wreck two hundred yards from him and pushed the thoughts of Mary and the kids out of his mind.

  I checked on them thirty minutes ago, they’re fine.

  They came to a shuddering halt at the final junction, which allowed a complete view of the devastation. Trees laid splintered and broken and flames burned on patches of aircraft fuel across the furrowed grass. A wing lay in the road, with a pile of masonry on top of it, and in the center of the small park sat the rest of the plane, almost obscured by the black bellowing smoke that was floating skywards from the other wings engine.

  Sam looked at two of his squad. “Jenkins and Flores, each take a different side of the park, and see if there are any survivors that have made their way in those directions, and keep an eye on the street where you are.” He then switched to the tallest of the group. “Fisher, get up in one of these buildings and give me overwatch.” Finally he turned to the two who were left, Boe and Joan. “Let’s see who’s still alive, and watch out for the burning fuel.”

  They all ran across the junction, jumping over pieces of plane and park benches. A loud distant explosion made them all flick their heads to west, then back to the fuselage. One of the passengers was lying on the ground. Even though they were face down, Sam instantly recognized it as Zach. The ponytailed woman ran to him, and carefully turned him over. Boe continued running to the back of the plane.

  “Is he…” Said Sam not wanting an answer.

  Joan Baxter felt for Zach’s pulse. “He’s alive, strong pulse—” She undid the strap of Zach’s helmet and pulled it off, as she did, he started to move, then suddenly his arms flailed around.

  “What? Where—”

  Sam knelt. “Zach’s it’s me, Sam.”

  Zach looked at the woman and man next to him, without recognizing them for a moment, then looked back at the plane. He then tried to get to his feet.

  “Easy there General,” said Joan applying a small amount of pressure on Zach’s shoulder to keep him on the ground.

  Zach looked desperately at her, then Sam. “They’re injured! You need to get help!”

  Sam went to reply, when Boe appeared from the back of the plane and ran a short distance to him. “Cap, looks like we got some casualties.”

  *****

  General Trow looked at the feeds on the large screens at the front of the main operations chamber and tried to calm her mind to the fury of noise around her. Since Zach had been gone, things had been going pretty well in the camp. The power station at the dam was running at full power, and most of the destruction caused by the Hell Fire gang had been cleared and reconstruction started. As she watched the beings from somewhere else, scything down her troops and tanks alike she wondered if she had had enough.

  Should I call for evacuation? But to where? There are still—

  “General, Captain Coleman of the justice force says they have made it to the crash site, and there are casualties,” said a soldier who looked barely older than her grandson.
>
  Have to focus. We need to survive…

  “How far are they from the nearest bunker?”

  The young man scrambled to calculate the distance.

  “Just a few streets,” said Elijah calmly standing nearby, while looking down at the screen with a map of the camp on it.

  The word ‘casualties’ finally landed in Trow’s mind. “Who are the casualties?” she said stopping the soldier from disappearing back into the throng.

  “Looks like the pilots, although some of the others are injured.”

  “What about the general?” She strained to quell the anxiety in her voice.

  “I…”

  A young woman with a headset on a nearby desk looked up. “He’s concussed, but alive, ma’am.”

  Trow let out a deep breath. “Can we get them anymore help?” She looked around to whoever could give an answer.

  “The closest unit is the fifth, but they are under heavy fire,” said Daniel Bass leaning on a nearby desk.

  Elijah stepped closer to the general. “We’re fighting a far superior enemy, that have caught us by surprise, we—”.

  She nodded before replying. “I know.” She looked at Bass. “Tell all commanders that their mission now is to get all civilians to the bunkers—” He went to reply. “Yes, I know there’s not enough space for everyone, tell them to find whatever secure buildings there are for the rest, and we will take in as many here as we can.”

  He nodded then started speaking into his headset.

  Back in the park in the downtown area, Joan pushed her glasses back up her noise and looked down at the wrong orientation of Wyatt’s leg. “You got—”

  “My names…Wyatt,” said Wyatt grimacing.

  “—Right, good to know. Well you won’t be walking on your right leg for a while, looks like a compound structure.” She looked behind her. “Going to need something to carry him on!”

  Michael held his left arm across his body and uneasily got to his feet. “I’ll see what there is outside.”

  Zach slung his rifle over his back, then slowly lifted Fiona’s head while trying to shake the dizziness from his own. “Fiona, can you hear me?”

  She sluggishly opened her eyes. “We landed yet?”

  Zach smiled but before he could reply a loud roar echoed around the buildings outside and the cabin shook, making everyone grab whatever they could to stop from falling. He looked back at the others, and then at the open hatch at the back of the plane. “What the hell was that?”

  A high pitch sheering sound pierced the air, together with a flash of orange light.

  Sam’s radio came to life with an urgent voice. “Cap! Troubles right on top of you!” He and Zach ran down the ramp and back into the trench where the grass used to be. Zach’s mouth fell open, for a lizard like creature with legs as thick as a Californian Redwood and standing just as high was rising even higher into the air with the clear intent to come crashing down on a Hulathen that was firing its particle beam at it.

  “I think the dinosaur needs some help!” Said Zach running towards the alien.

  Sam clicked on his radio. “Fisher, bring some heat down on that Hulathen, try and draw its fire. Over.”

  The creature’s huge hoofs slammed down into the concrete of the road, instantly cratering it, and causing a mini-earth quake as all around rattled and shook. The Hulathen neatly avoided the impact by springing out of the way and raised the weapon built into its arm when a stream of shots slammed into the back of its helmet.

  Sam and Zach knelt behind a van that was turned over on its side. “They’re pretty agile for their size. But you can take them out if you wear down their armor!” Said Zach. He went to continue when he spotted a young girl about thirty yards behind the scaly leviathan, clutching a teddy bear in her arms. “There’s a kid out there!” He immediately stood. “I’m going to—”

  “That’s…Emily!” Said Sam getting to his feet and straining to see the child standing in the middle of the street.

  “Uh?”

  “And that’s Mr. Teeth. A lots changed since you have been gone.” He went to move forward.

  “You cover me, I’ll get her,” said Zach.

  Sam nodded then looked back at the alien.

  Zach sprang forward as more bullets bounced off the back of the Hulathen that whipped around, and fired an intense beam at one of the upper floors of the corner building. Masonry, dust, glass and parts of an apartment exploded into the air.

  As Zach neared the girl he could see her muttering to herself, and then another roar rang out across the plaza and Mr. Teeth smashed its front-clawed hoof across the alien, pounding it into the ground and instantly killing it.

  The girl with pigtails, looked up at Zach with a toothy grin, and then held her hand out. “My name’s Emily. Nice to meet you.”

  He gently shook her hand, then realized that it had suddenly got very dark around him. Arching his head around, the dinosaur looking E.L.F was leering over both of them.

  “Mr. Teeth likes you, but he is in pain.”

  Zach noticed the dark streaks across the massive scales on the creature’s torso. He looked back at the girl. “If I go to pick you up, he’s not going to try to eat me, is he?”

  She giggled. “You’re funny.”

  Zach swept the girl up and ran with her back to the plaza.

  Sam was already on the other side stepping over the large blocks of steel and glass that was what was left, of the front wall of the fifth floor.

  Fisher stepped warily out from the lobby of the building, bloodied but alive. Sam walked to her and helped her across the street.

  They all converged near the rear of the fuselage.

  Fiona emerged from the dark of the plane, holding onto it with a bandage across her head. Then Michael appeared, himself with one arm in a sling, helping Boe carry Wyatt out who was strapped to a few planks that formerly belonged to a bench.

  “Cool dinosaur,” said Wyatt to Emily who smiled in reply.

  Sam clicked on his radio. “Jenkins and Flores, get your butt’s back over here, we’re heading to the bunker on eleventh.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Abbey stood in the CIC her mind frozen in the moment. She had been standing there for an hour hearing the reports coming in from the Camp, each one worse than the previous. The hand on her shoulder broke her from the dream.

  “There is nothing we can do for them,” said Erin.

  Usually his words soothed her, but not this time. “Our Cascaders could help them,” she said without removing her eyes from the soldiers manning the comms.

  “And how are we meant to get there? I doubt we will all fit in your friends space ship, and I presume an overland attempt would take at least a week.”

  Abbey went to reply when the door to the cramped space swung open and Mitchell appeared.

  “You still here?” Said the General.

  Abbey nodded.

  “I think your time would be better spent with the alien, don’t you think?” Said Mitchell looking at the various pieces of paper strewn across the brightly lit table in the center of the room.

  Erin leaned in closer. “She’s right Abbey.”

  Since Zach had left she was finding it increasingly difficult to resist whenever the man next to her made a request. And her hatred for him was increasing proportionately. Maybe he wasn’t really controlling her before, and now her boyfriend was almost two thousand miles away, he was. Or maybe the bond she had with the man she loved was thinner because of their separation. She wasn’t sure, she just knew that she wanted to be out of this bunker, and going back to the camp near Austin seemed as good as a reason as any other.

  But will it still be there tomorrow? Or the week after?

  It was a question she refused to give a sensible answer too.

  “You’re probably right,” she said to the general, ignoring the man next to her. She went to leave when Mitchell spoke up.

  “How are things going with the alien, any progress on the toxin?�
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  Abbey shook her head. “None that I’m aware of.”

  Mitchell frowned and looked back down to her paperwork.

  Abbey turned and quickly left the busy room, with Erin trying to keep up with her.

  “What’s the rush?” He said walking quickly with her.

  “Stop!” The word came out with such force that Erin looked genuinely shocked. She immediately shook her head. “Look, I’m sorry, but I need some space. It’s just with what’s happening in Texas, and everything up here. I need some time alone.” She looked at him and smiled. “You understand right?”

  He smiled back, but his eyes betrayed his thoughts. “Of course. We all need time alone to contemplate our place in the greater order of things.” He walked past her. “I’ll be in the Cascader quarters if you need me.”

  Abbey watched him disappear around one of the tight corners of the corridor, and swore to herself. She had let anger get the better of her, it couldn’t happen again.

  She made her way along the corridor, away from the direction Erin had just gone and towards the large storage bay that the alien she regarded as a friend, was staying in.

  Her pace and heart rate quickened, hoping that perhaps Elcher could take her to the camp, when a hand grabbed her around the mouth and pulled her into the shadows.

  The smell of the skin that was pushed up against her nose meant she knew instantly who it was. Clovis had her trapped against the wall of a small alcove. The light above made his withered features look even more deathly than usual.

  She was too afraid to scream, instead she just looked into his large bloodshot eyes and wondered what fate was about to befall her.

  “Don’t scream,” he growled.

  She nodded, fully intending to break that promise the first chance she got.

  “I want to talk about that Hispanic fuck. You gonna scream?”

  She nodded again, this time she meant it.

  He released his sweaty hand from her mouth, and backed away.