“My vessel has almost expired. It requires great willpower to keep it moving.”
Mass tried not to stare at a length of intestine hanging from Rick’s waist like a belt. “Yeah, I can see that. Thanks for the save.”
Rick threw an arm out towards the turnstiles and the whole thing exploded. The brickwork crumbled from above and filled in the gap. The demons would be forced to find another way around the fort. Not done yet, Rick stumbled towards the car park.
Crimolok appeared from around the far side of the fort. It saw Rick and paused, an expression of pure hatred crossing its beautiful, monstrous face.
Rick continued across the car park, heading towards Crimolok. His mangled form was more hideous than any of the demons, but no one shot at. They just watched.
Rick showed no awareness of the spectators. He continued stumbling towards Crimolok until he was just twenty feet away. Then he threw up both hands, unleashing twin jets of bright white light. Both crackling beams struck Crimolok right in the face, right in the eyes. The massive beast stumbled backwards, bellowing in agony and shielding itself.
Mass hurried to catch up with Rick. “You hurt it. Shit, man, you hurt it.”
Rick turned back to Mass. “I am too weak to defeat my brother. I was foolish. Go, Mass. Take whoever you can find and run. As long as you live, Crimolok can never prevail.”
“Are you coming with us?”
Rick nodded. “I will do what I can to stay alive, to perhaps heal, but if I hinder you in any way, you must abandon me.”
Mass nodded. He had already abandoned hundreds of souls today. What would one more matter?
“Everyone, on the bus,” Mass shouted. “I won’t say it again. Those who can’t get inside can climb on the sodding roof. Just get yourselves on board.”
“I can’t make it,” said Thomas from a few feet away. “This is where I plant my flag in the sand.”
Thomas’s skin was like ash, and he could have been blown away in a strong wind, but his men still refused to leave him. “We’re not abandoning you, sir. We’ve served with you too long to let you die.”
“Go, you fools. You need to live.”
Mass growled at the suicidal idiots. “He’s a goner. Let him die with some dignity.”
The men ignored Mass, determined as they dragged Thomas along the car park. Crimolok stood at the far end, still half-blind and raging. How long before the beast recovered from Rick’s blast?
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” said Mass, flabbergasted to see at least two dozen more men refusing to run for the bus without Thomas by their sides.
“This is wasting time we don’t have,” said Rick. He limped towards Thomas, prompting the old man’s guards to pull their sidearms. He ignored them all and snatched at the old man’s skull, striking with both hands like the jaws of a viper. For a second, it looked like he was going crush Thomas’s head like a watermelon, but then he threw back his head and grunted in pain. White sparks shot from his eyes. Thomas’s entire body bucked as if receiving a massive jolt. No one fired a shot, too confused and too wary of hitting the wrong target.
A few moments was all it took, but when Rick stepped away, Thomas was healed. The old man flexed his arms as if they were brand new. He examined his torso – now healed and pink with healthy flesh. “H-How did you?”
Rick’s expression remained flat, but his words held a tinge of emotion. “That was the last of my strength. I can no longer heal this vessel and my time is short. Do what Mass is telling you or I shall take back my gift and allow you to expire.”
Thomas seemed offended for a moment, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he waved an arm frantically, full of energy. “Everyone, on that bus, pronto. Double-time! Move-move-move!”
The men scattered, leaving Mass alone with only a small group. Addy was shaking her head and chuckling to herself. “Strange days we live in, huh?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” said Damien, appearing, once more, from nowhere.
Mass grunted. “How the hell do you always seem to arrive just in time to make an unnecessary comment?”
“It’s a gift. You heading back to the docks? I’ll meet you there.”
“No,” said Addy. “Rick just said we need to run. We can’t win.”
“We are running,” said Mass, looking back at Crimolok, who was now starting to recover from Rick’s attack. “We’re running back to defend our home. I don’t know how, but we’re going to kill that son of a bitch. Mankind is going to win this war.”
Damien smiled. “Still gotta be a hero, huh?”
“I’m just being me.”
“I feel that.” Damien offered a handshake.
In the distance, another bomb dropped.
One of Thomas’s men offered to drive the bus, claiming to have experience of driving logistics trucks for the army. He certainly seemed to know his way around the oversized steering wheel and heavy gear stick.
Before long, they were heading through the city, slowly trying to find a way through the debris. The bombs had cleared a way through the demons but left the roads in worse shape than ever. Mass could do nothing but trust that the stranger behind the wheel would get them where they were going.
Thomas stood at the front of the bus, straight-backed and alert. As weak as the old man had been, he now seemed ten years younger. Mass knew the euphoria of having been miraculously healed, and he took pleasure knowing Thomas would soon feel like a tonne of bricks had landed on him. Conversely, Rick was a broken mess on the back seat of the bus. Addy had managed to clear a space there for him, which was an amazing accomplishment seeing as there were almost two hundred people packed inside and onto the bus. They hung out of windows and sat in each other’s laps, just grateful to be on
