Interference
the Ezielites, Zander smiled at Boston. “If you had anything to do with this,” Zander said, “well done.”
Within seconds, every single one of Eziel’s kin were being held by two Quisling. They twisted, turned, and screamed, but were held in place.
Zander didn’t try to run. He waited for his captors and did not struggle to break free.
Nobody was spared. The Quisling grabbed everyone, all the cops, Ash, Boston, Krull, and Ralph. Within seconds, they were all let go, only the Ezielites held.
A woman wearing a beautiful silvery gown, with piercing green eyes, approached Boston, Ash, Krull, and Ralph.
“Are you Charlie?” Boston asked.
“That I am,” she said.
“How did—?” Boston started.
“Our kind exude a strength you all don’t have. Sorry.”
Boston pointed at Krull. “This is Kr—”
“I don’t care. I assume you’re Boston. No introductions needed. This will be as quick as it can be. I don’t need, nor want, to know any of you.”
Charlie’s five well-dressed acquaintances each spun up an identical pyramid device to the one that Lorcthe was lost in, the same that had captured Eziel. Within seconds, as their friends held the prisoners, Eziel’s kin were trapped like Lorcthe, one after the other. The prisoners screamed, some a bellow of fury, others in fear, and some of them begged. The noise was abysmal, but Boston didn’t cover his ears to block it out.
Boston smiled. “Thank you!” Boston said to Charlie who remained beside them, watching the decimation of Eziel’s minions as they cried, raged, or conceded.
“This isn’t for you,” Charlie said.
Movement caught Boston’s eye, a blur. When he looked up past the officers at the gate, his eyes widened. He ran toward it. “Get out,” Boston yelled at the police. “Get out of there. They’re coming.”
A blur of dark shapes raced toward the crowd.
“KRULL! RALPH!” Boston yelled.
“Already on it,” Krull said, rummaging in the back of their rental. Krull tossed a white cylinder to Ralph who caught it, brought out a Zippo, lit the fuse, and didn’t hesitate. Ralph ran and lobbed it as hard as he could.
“DON’T LOOK AT IT!” Boston yelled and waved all the police toward him. “Hurry, and close your eyes.” Thankfully, they did. Ash turned away from it, covering his eyes. Boston squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head—the voids at the gate—as he backed up toward Ralph and Krull.
He continued backward, placing an arm over his eyes, as the familiar pop, pop, POP! occurred from the successive blasts. Even in daylight Boston’s covered and closed eyes couldn’t block out the massive flash completely. BOOM! The brightness subsided. He had to chance a look.
There wasn’t time to register it. Darkness enveloped him. Soundless. An odd pressure. He took a deep breath he couldn’t hear, reached into a pocket, and pulled out a small cylinder. They had all loaded up with as many as they could comfortably hold on their person. Boston wanted to use two or more, but he had to try one, had to know if one would do it.
Even though no cracking sound emanated, he made the motion with his hands and cracked the cylinder with eyes closed. He dropped it and covered his face as the light from it fought to punch through his eyelids.
The brightness diminished. Boston opened his eyes. A void flew toward him and before it got to him, he cracked another cylinder and lobbed it into the black shadow as he snapped his eyes shut. And instead of blinding light pulsing at his eyelids, darkness ensued. He opened his eyes, inside another void.
“Fuuuuuck!” he yelled, even though he couldn’t hear it. In the moment of time Boston had between getting captured again, he didn’t see Ralph, Krull, Ash, or any police, and no Quisling holding Ezielites. It appeared only Eziel’s kin had been spared by the voids. He shook his head. They were screwed, again, worse than ever now if the voids grabbed all the Quisling, especially those that had the pyramid capturing devices. Boston wondered if he should just wait, remain in the void as it would most likely carry him to Eziel. Maybe Eziel was inevitable. Maybe they, the human race, deserved the fate Eziel would make a reality. And then Boston thought about Harold, Senna, and Edward. His eyes watered. No! He wouldn’t give in, couldn’t give in, couldn’t leave all their fates to a psychotic being hell-bent on wiping out humanity. He ground his teeth and grabbed a light stick.
Before he could crack the cylinder, there was a flash of light. It happened so quickly that he didn’t have a chance to cover or close his eyes. Blurriness greeted him.
“DUCK AND COVER!” he heard Krull yell and didn’t hesitate as he smacked down onto the asphalt and covered his head. With eyes squeezed shut, his body tensed at whatever he was covering from, but nothing happened.
“We’re good,” Krull said.
When Boston opened his eyes, Krull stood over him with a furrowed brow. “I had to,” Krull said. “It was the only way.”
“What?” Boston asked, as he stood. “What was the only way?” Before Krull answered, the blurriness abated, and he knew what Krull had done.
“A light bomb,” Krull said. “I-I had to.”
Boston put a hand on Krull’s shoulder, taking in the scene. Not one void remained. All the Quisling, Ezielites that had not yet been captured by the Quisling, and everyone else, stood, stunned and confused.
Those closer to the gate—police—were grunting in pain from magnesium burns.
Krull must have lobbed it.
Quisling and Ezielites were also burned but they didn’t react. Little pockmarks covered some of them, and there were red splotchy burns on their flesh. Their clothing was a holy mess. The Ezielites got it the worst, as they were closer to the gate, in and around it, whereas everyone else had pushed forward before the voids got to them.
The remaining Ezielites were walking with their arms out; every single one of them had been blinded. When the possessed were free again, some of the people would be in horrible shape as they would not only be blind, but Boston had no doubt that some of them would die from the burns. Jesus!
But if Krull hadn’t done what he did, they’d all be captured, and who knew what Eziel would do to them. No more voids came at them. Eziel must have called them off, maybe worried he would lose too many.
Charlie stood nearby, speaking with her well-dressed acquaintances. The rest of her crew had reobtained the blind, straggling Ezielites.
Ash and Ralph came over to Krull and Boston, neither hurt. Boston’s muscles relaxed.
“I’m sorry,” Krull said. “I didn’t know what else to do.” Krull’s eyes filled with tears. “I-I’ve blinded them, the possessed. They’re burned. Look at that one. She’s so young, and I’ve ruined her life.”
“You didn’t,” Boston said. “The possessors destroyed them well before you did what you had to.”
Krull turned his head away from the horror show, tears running down his face. Ralph walked Krull to their Dodge rental.
“Are your people okay?” Boston asked Ash.
“I think so, for the most part,” Ash said. “Some minor burns for a few of them, but nothing like the others.” Ash muttered something to himself with closed eyes. After a few seconds, he opened them again. “You should go. With the possessed blind and the Ezielites trapped in those wretched bodies until nightfall, it’s your only opportunity.”
“What about you?” Boston asked.
Ash pursed his lips. “Gotta stay.”
“There’s nothing you can do to stop Eziel. Come with me.”
“And what will you do?”
Boston tilted his head. “You got me. I don’t know, but we have to figure something out.”
“These people need help. I can’t leave them.”
Boston nodded and reached out a hand to shake Ash’s. Before Ash reciprocated, Charlie interrupted.
“Did you take them?” Charlie asked.
“Take what?” Boston said.
“The devices we used on Eziel’s kin. Where are they?”
Boston shook his head. “We didn’t take them. Why would we?”
“They’re gone. Were they destroyed along with the shadow creatures?”
Boston looked to Ash. “I really don’t know,” Boston said. Why would the devices get destroyed? No, it made no sense. Nothing he had on him was destroyed or disappeared after being in the voids. Did the Ezielites get them somehow?
Charlie raised a hand in the air, flipped up her index finger, and twirled her hand in a circle. Instantly, every single Quisling walked away. The Ezielites cocked their heads as if listening to their exit.
“We’ll be taking our leave,” Charlie said. “Can’t chance that any of Eziel’s followers have the devices. Even if they don’t, there’s nothing else we can do.”
“Wwwhat?” Boston said. “You can’t leave. We need your help.”
“Night will be here soon,” Charlie said, “and we can’t risk losing these bodies. Need I say we are quite attached to them? None of us want to start over in a newborn until we have to, and none of us plan on roaming this planet as a night creature only. Goodbye, Codan, and good luck to you.” Charlie turned and left.
Boston’s mouth was open, yet no words came out. His eyes darted at the mass departure of Quisling, the Ezielites left to wander until nightfall when they could escape their human prison. Some of Eziel’s kin felt for the gate and haphazardly made their way toward the Nexus. Once inside, they would need the human transport no longer, because that’s all it was now. And then every single person who was possessed would wake to a nightmare.
“You fucking coward!” Boston yelled at Charlie.
She stopped, turned to face him, and said, “Not at all. Just practical. I advise you do the same. You cannot fathom what awaits if you are here when night falls.” She carried forward and around a corner.
“She’s not wrong about leaving,” Ash said. “Go, get Amber and Jayson, and once you’re safe elsewhere, call me. I’ll let you know what’s happening here.”
“If Eziel doesn’t kill you first, and what if Eziel already sent lackeys to get Amber and Jayson?” Boston said.
An old man with a white cane walked toward them. Zander. And he wasn’t blind.
“How?” Boston asked. “Weren’t you exposed like the rest of your group?”
Zander smiled. “Would think so, wouldn’t you. Nice little gadget your tiny friend has there. Really did a number on those bodies.”
“Answer me,” Boston said.
“Oh, now, now, let’s be civil.” Zander lowered his voice, almost a whisper: “I overheard that little conversation with the Quisling, and she’s right. Don’t dally. Get your people and hide. I’ve seen your capabilities, and where I saw no hope before, I see it now.”
“Whose side are you on?” Boston asked.
“My side,” Zander said. “Let me put it this way: I was captured as you all were, by the shadows. I was not exposed to the full blast of light all the others were. Why do you think that is?” Zander walked away, but not toward the Nexus. He tapped his cane as he strolled in the opposite direction.
Boston threw his hands up in the air.
“Everyone keeps walking away from us,” Ash said and smiled.
“Why do you think that is?” Boston asked Ash.
“Hmm, well, could be messing with us, but I don’t get that impression. Seems genuine. Eziel doesn’t strike me as one to protect a human body, so maybe Eziel wanted Zander captured. Just a hunch. But we really shouldn’t trust any of them.”
“At the warehouse, when we first met Zander, its banter was very playful. If I didn’t know any better, I think it likes us—humans, that is.”
“Well,” Ash said, “there’s your answer, but be wary. Could always be a ploy to get close.”
Boston whooshed out a breath of air and shook his head. “Just don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“Trust me. And trust your friends. Now go.”
With raised hands, Boston said, “Alright, alright, but be careful. I’ll…”
A car revved its engine. Near the gate, ready to exit the Nexus parking lot, was a sporty red car of some sort; Boston didn’t know what make or model, but it looked fast. Inside, a female driver and male passenger gaped at Boston. When they made eye contact, a wicked smile spread across their faces.