The Forgotten Kings (The Scourge Book 4) Read online

  A door flew open, falling off its frame, and with it came a hybrid. A man in his early thirties with short dark hair leaped over the second-floor balcony seemingly unaware of the netting between the floors. Instantly, he tore at the mesh, falling to the floor and lunged at Anna. She deftly jumped back while Joel grabbed the thing by the back of its head and flung it back through the air until it smashed into the wall behind them.

  That’s when they both realized they never came up with a plan for what to do if any of the hybrids got out.

  A chorus of clunks and slams echoed out around them as more doors threatened to give way.

  “Keep giving them the blood! I’ll take care of him!” shouted Joel as the newly born hybrid staggered to his feet, shaking off the effects of the impact against the wall, and then lunged forward once again. This time Joel was less merciful. As the man’s claws swept through the air where Joel’s head was a few seconds before, Joel stepped to one side, grabbing the hybrid’s head and, with a pull that would have bent a three-inch steel bar, twisted the man's head, breaking his neck and rendering him lifeless.

  Joel looked back at Anna’s horrified face.

  “Keep giving them blood!”

  She quickly moved to the next door.

  He ran back to the block exit, across the hallway and into the other block. The scene was one even more chaotic than the block he just left. Dalton had two hybrids held by their throats while Evan and Donnie were fighting with another two. Shannon and Rachel ran from cell to cell feeding the bottles of blood through the gaps in the doors.

  Joel’s eyes turned black and he surged forward slicing across the hybrid’s back that was battling with Donnie, and then leaping through the air and doing the same to the one that was fighting Evan. Dalton squeezed the two he had in his grip, until both their necks snapped.

  A different boom rang out in the distance. Joel recognized it as a gunshot. Without stopping, he turned and, with speed that made him just a blur, sprinted back to cell block A. Anna stood over another dead hybrid. He ran up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “We need to keep going!”

  She shook her daze from her eyes and ran back and continued feeding the blood to the lusting tenants of the cells.

  After a few moments, all the blocks were empty of bottles and sound.

  Joel and Anna stood out of breath, looking at the wreckage around them. She walked forward to the cell in front of her, and slowly pulled the small covering back.

  Joel went to move to another cell to do the same, but instead, he stopped, for his attention was drawn to the first cell in the far left corner. It had remained steadfastly silent during the whole process. There was also something different about whatever was inside the small eight by eight space.

  He walked over to the door and slid the hatch to one side.

  Inside, a young girl with black frizzy hair sat on the bed. She seemed to be sobbing. As she looked up at the man who was peering at her through the door, particles floated from the surface of her body as if she was made from dust.

  “Err… Anna, there’s something over here you might want to take a look at,” he shouted over his shoulder while his eyes remained fixed on the strange sight.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A new chamber had been created within the corporation’s San Jose complex. One more befitting the royalty which now walked its halls. Copeland had been preparing the room for weeks, making sure every detail was right. From the blood dispensers in the kingly chairs to the computer screens which would keep the three hybrid kings updated on the progress to fully eradicate the humans from the continent.

  Members of his own personal Alkron guard stood at the entrance as he entered the large space along with three others. Rynon the hybrid, he learned from ancient texts, was the leader of those that had become infected thousands of years earlier during the first kingdom of Sumer. There were three other hybrids that served at the head of his army. Tyror, the blonde individual whose golden hair was now tied back, and Eltir, the third who emerged from the sarcophagi and the quietest of the three. The fourth, a hybrid known as Freon, was not in the tomb that Copeland excavated, and he had no idea where he had been buried. It was one of a hundred questions he wanted to ask of the hybrids when the time was right. So far it hadn’t been.

  At the center of the room was a large lit table which showed whatever it needed to. Right now that was a simplified map of the United States. The rest of the space contained three chairs for the kings to sit and drink, and around the walls, stations which would be permanently manned by those feeding the kings information. The whole area looked more like a bridge of a fictional spaceship than a room deep inside a northern Californian building.

  Others followed the four hybrids and Galen into the room, immediately taking up their seats at the workstations. Copeland, Galen, and the kings stood, looking down at the digital map.

  “As you can see, sires, most of this land has already been conquered. The rest will soon be under our control,” said Copeland.

  Rynon looked at him with an expression that looked friendly but he suspected was anything but. “And yet you still do not have the tablets.”

  “It is only a matter of—”

  “Are you about to say ‘time?’ Do you not think enough time has passed for us?”

  Copeland went to talk again, but Galen started to speak. “One of the tablets was used against us not long—”

  The three hybrids looked at each other.

  “Where was this?” said Tyror.

  Galen tapped the screen and the whole digital view slid and zoomed to show the prison and the dark stain across the landscape around it. “Here, there was a battle. Somehow one of the tablets was activated, and well… the vamps that were attacking this location were all destroyed.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner!” shouted Rynon while looking at Copeland.

  “I…”

  “Could Freon have returned?” said Tyror to the older man next to him.

  Copeland and Galen exchanged a brief look.

  “I don’t know about this ‘Freon’—” said Copeland.

  “Choose your words wisely, Drak,” said Rynon.

  Copeland had never heard of the term ‘Drak’ but he presumed it wasn’t a compliment. “We believe there is a hybrid… someone, umm, similar to yourselves who is in possession of the tablet. He must have activated it…”

  “Perhaps he is a descendant of this Freon?” said Galen.

  Rynon turned from the others, standing deep in thought. “Leave us.”

  Copeland and Galen looked at each other, hesitant in their next action.

  Rynon swung back around. “Did you not hear me?”

  Copeland and Galen went to walk to the door.

  “Take your human pets with you!”

  Those that were busy working looked up, then in fear ran to the exit.

  Copeland and Galen followed them. As the demonic looking creature approached the threshold, he paused. The guards, his guards, were not moving along behind him. Instead, they stood motionless. Copeland glanced at them as they left.

  Once the door closed Tyror threw his arms in the air. “Without the tablets, we will not be able to control this kingdom!”

  Rynon nodded. “Calm yourself, brother.” He looked down at the black smudge on the horizontal screen and the prison at its center. “We know where one of the tablets is. Once we have that, we can use it to find the others. We will use this Drak’s wealth to reclaim what is ours.” Rynon looked at Eltir, who was standing silent, his eyes closed. “What is it?”

  “There are more hybrids, I can feel them.”

  *****

  “What did you do to me!” shouted the girl whose fingers kept disintegrating into a thick smoke, then reforming with their usual density.

  Max looked for the right answer. “Umm… Honestly, young lady, I have no idea. But! You’re alive!”

  The look of anguish on her face reached a crescendo and she screamed throwing her h
ead forward and bringing her hands up to catch it, but instead, her head kept on going until she stopped her momentum by throwing her foot forward. She yelled again, this time from gritted teeth while what used to be her hands drifted in the air. A human-limb-shaped fog.

  The girl, Max, Rachel, and Joel stood just inside the small prison cell.

  Rachel walked forward and knelt, then held her own hand out. “Just relax, Sasha…”

  Sasha tried a smile but then doing so seemed so absurd to her that her expression reverted to one of frustration.

  “Think of something that makes you happy. A memory, anything. And when you’re ready, just place your hand in mine…”

  Sasha’s eyes turned from Rachel’s, searching through the past until she found what she was looking for. She looked back at Rachel and slowly reached forward. The spindly mist solidified until five human-looking fingers were clutching Rachel’s own.

  Rachel smiled. “See…”

  “Her ability is linked to her emotions it would seem…” said Max.

  Sasha threw him a fierce look. “I have a name, old man.”

  “Yes. I apologize. Please stay calm.” The words came tinged with fear that was obvious to everyone in the cramped space.

  “Look, I’m no threat to any of you okay? I just need you to fix me.”

  Max stepped forward and placed his hand lightly on Sasha’s shoulder, patting it a few times. Secretly, he was glad his effort did not move through the young woman’s skin and bone, instead, he smiled. “I promise, we will do what we can to help you.”

  “Do you crave blood?” said Joel.

  “Umm…” she shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” She went to talk more but let out a short laugh, then stopped.

  “What’s funny?” said Rachel.

  “I was going to ask if that is normal, but…” anguish returned to Sasha’s face. “Nothing about this situation is normal.”

  “Well, there’s a small bottle of blood near the door if you need it.” Joel stepped outside, his own mind retracing certain memories from a few days previously.

  Max left the cell and both men stood for a few seconds, wondering what words would be of any use to utter.

  “How’s Josh?” said Joel.

  “Not so good. He said the cravings are worse than he imagined. Each time I drop by his cell, he asks for more blood. Poor fellow.”

  Joel looked around at the still locked doors in the block. “Lots of people are in the same situation. They are going to have to figure out a way of dealing with the hunger. Like we all have.”

  “Are the rumors true that you want to leave this place soon? I was just getting used to the place.”

  Joel wasn’t sure if the older man was joking, but then Max smiled, and he did the same.

  “We can’t stay here. It’s a matter of when, not if, the corporation arrives again. And we’re in no state to stop them this time.”

  “Not even with sixty-five hybrids? Not including yourselves.”

  “Next time, Copeland won’t leave anything to chance.”

  Max nodded. “So where will we all go?”

  A noise from the cell block entrance drew both of their attention.

  “Anywhere other than the west coast,” said Marina, standing in the doorway.

  Both men filled with joy on seeing her, but only one of them displayed that.

  “Ah! Good to see you back on your feet!” said Max.

  She half frowned, half smiled. “So where are we going?” she said to Joel.

  “Carla knows of some human camps that she said were last on the corporation's list to get to. If we leave within a day, we might be able to get to them before they do.”

  “Sounds good.” She turned and went to walk back outside.

  “Umm… I’m glad to see you… well,” said Joel.

  “Me too.” She left.

  Max looked back to the cell doors. “So how are we humans meant to protect ourselves surrounded by all these hybrids, all looking for their next meal?”

  Joel sighed. It was another of those problems that he nor Anna had had time to think about before they used his blood. “We get them feeding on animals as soon as we can.” Joel walked to the exit.

  “That doesn’t sound like much of a plan?” Max shouted after him.

  “We’ll find you all guns,” said Joel, leaving.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Donnie, Shannon, and Evan walked along the soot-covered ground, just outside what was left of the prison wall. Each one lost in their own thoughts, but it was obvious to Evan that Donnie and Shannon were walking closer to each other than they were to him. That was fine. Any jealousy he had of the young man that could become a werewolf ended when Donnie saved his life.

  “So if everyone leaves which way you two going?” said Evan.

  Donnie kicked a blackened rock against a piece of the metal fence. “Reckon I need to head south and see Ma and Pa. Make sure they’re doing okay. Bring them some supplies if I can find any on the way.”

  Evan waited for Shannon’s response, when none came he felt like he needed to prompt one from her anyway. “And you?”

  Hundreds of yards ahead of them, two pickups packed with soldiers drove past what used to be the main entrance and onto the main road.

  “Where they going?” she said.

  “They’re looking for more vehicles. Most of what we had are trashed. No one’s going anywhere unless they find more,” said Evan. He looked back at Shannon. “So what're your plans?” He was genuinely interested.

  “Dunno what the options are yet. But with winter coming, it needs to be warmer than here.”

  They all smiled in agreement.

  Bill watched the three young people walking together from the top of tower B. Despite them being virtually three different species, the fact they were getting on, and even seemed to share a friendship, he felt bode well for the future. He had thought for a while that humans were now going to have to share with the ‘others,’ and as they were the weaker species they needed to make friends for all their sakes. But then there was what he saw on his computer screen seconds before he activated the vamp bomb. He sighed.

  Huffing and puffing came from the staircase behind him.

  “You couldn’t have chosen somewhere less elevated to meet?” said Max as his head appeared, quickly followed by his body, each step a labored effort. Max finally made it into the small room and leaned on the closest desk.

  “Most private spot in this whole place,” said Bill.

  “So… why am I up here?” Max said, trying to recover his composure.

  Bill had been mulling over if he should reveal what he had seen on his computer screen since he saw it. “Just before I activated the energy discharge, I saw other things. Other information the tablet was telling me…”

  Max stood more upright, his tiredness being replaced with youthful curiosity. “Really? What did you see?”

  Bill took a deep breath. “There are other tablets…”

  Max fully stood. “More? How do you know this?”

  Bill looked down to the computer laptop on the desk in front of him and stood back, allowing Max to see the screen. Symbols, next to words, scrolled continuously upwards for a few seconds, then reset back to the bottom and started moving once again.

  Max inched forward while fumbling in his pocket for his glasses, which he found and placed on his nose. He leaned over the screen, his mouth opening and closing, mirroring his thoughts. “It… mentions, two more devices…”

  Max stood back. “But where could they be…”

  “Copeland must have found three tablets when he excavated the tomb. We always presumed there was only the one because of what Joel told us. But it would seem there were more. Question is, does the corporation have them or were they taken by the government forces as well?”

  Max looked at Bill for Bill’s final words were clearly a question aimed at him.

  “No… well… we never had any of the tablets, Joel’s was the fir
st.

  We never even knew they existed beyond mentions in ancient texts. If the army had them, they kept them from the scientists.”

  “There is something else…” said Bill. “Look at what else was recorded.”

  Max looked again. “Yes… it… appears to mention…” Max tried to keep up with the phrases and words sliding up the screen. “Can you pause this at all?”

  Bill rested his finger on the touchpad and the display froze. “Look at the third line.”

  Max spoke the broken sentence aloud. “Rynon, Tyror, and Eltir. Three machines of… destiny… for… three hybrids. The fate of those not touched by the… Alkron is beneath the earth.” He looked at Bill. “What are these three names?”

  “They could refer to the tablets.”

  “Or hybrids? Perhaps three individuals in the past?”

  “Maybe… but one guess who the ‘not touched by the Alkron’ are?”

  “Us…”

  “I fear that is the case.”

  Max looked back to the staircase. “But Joel and the others, they seem perfectly reasonable. They are still in control of their faculties. They are still human, but just with extra abilities. They are trying to help us! Humans!”

  “And how long will that remain that way? We still don’t know how the virus works… maybe over time their brains will change, their minds become corrupted in some fashion. And with the power of whatever the tablet is… and then if there are two more of these things out there, would humanity ever stand a chance to survive? Who knows what else the technology inside the tablet can do? What if I had touched a different set of symbols and wiped us out instead of the vamps!”

  Now it was Max’s turn to take in a deep breath. “So what do we do?”

  “The tablet has to be hidden, so no hybrid can ever find it.”

  “Maybe Joel would agree to that?”

  “And what if he doesn’t? How are we going to stop him from doing what he wants with it? Or what if Copeland arrives with another army and takes it? No, the only answer is to remove it from the game completely.”