"Nearly all of what you humans say of us is untrue," he found himself telling her, his tone now more tame, "Made up by the ancients to ensure all of mankind would fear us. Aside from that, I do not know what garlic is, it is physically impossible for water to contain holes, and our life expectancy is roughly one thousand years."
As he returned to his papers, Alex faintly smiled. Then, she realized.
"A thousand years…?" she could barely say, "And how many of those have you been fighting Odin? If ya' don't mind me askin'…"
"All my life," he said, unsure of the need for such useless facts, "After two centuries of elite training, I have led my clan against Odin forces for the better part of one hundred years. Battles in your cities only began with the rise of the Chimera."
Alex could feel the whole world shrinking down around her. Up until a few days before, she didn't know anyone aside from her crew that fought Chimeras. It was a bit much to take in.
"May I ask one more stupid human question?" she carefully requested, "If you bite someone, do they turn… into…?"
She wasn't even sure how to word it properly and hoped he would just get what she meant.
He blinked and peered over at her, torn between her ignorance and innocent curiosity. "No," he finally told her, and again looked down at the notes, "You must be born a First."
Hearing that, Alex had to assume she really knew nothing about his kind. She would have to forget all the fairytales and folklore from throughout her life. She also had to make sure she never called him a vampire… ever.
It wasn't too much later when Zeke gently flipped over his last page and noticed the back side of a photograph tucked into the inside flap of the binder. With Alex too involved with her studies to notice, he slipped it out to see. Two little girls in frilly pastel dresses were posed before a tall garden fountain. Their hair was in curls and they each wore a pithy smile.
"Who are they?"
Alex turned to find the picture held up right in front of her face and she froze. Her eyes peered over its top at Zeke, before she stole it from his clasp and stuck it back into the binder.
"They're dead," she tersely said, already taking the whole thing away from him as she asked, "You done?"
She then stood to cross the small room to her backpack and stuffed both files inside, before Zeke realized the sight of the photo had vexed something in her.
"My comrades and I started our training at infancy," Zeke let himself tell her as he rose from his seat, "Our families were obligated to give us up to the warrior clans to fight against Odin. It is up to the clans to stop them… to protect all First."
Her hands hiding in her pockets, Alex saw him watching the light of the oil lamp.
"We're leaving for St. Paul in the morning," she said, "Odin's in pretty deep up there."
Her next thought made her hesitant, but she knew she had to say something.
"We both have our reasons for what we do. So if we both want to stop Odin, then maybe… we should find a way for our teams to work together."
"I told you," said Zeke, "We despise humans."
Alex couldn't help a few laughs, "Then what the hell are you doin' here?"
He slowly shook his head, while only doubt lined his thoughts.
"This is as far as our alliance may go," he said, and looked right at her, "Our hatred for mankind is far too strong to sever."
Alex couldn't help but scowl at him right then, unable to ignore the obvious insult of his remark. She had to look away. Her frustrations were nearly unruly, but she quickly defeated them as Zeke went to open the heavy iron hatch to leave.
"You really believe that?" she finally asked.
Zeke halted, his shadow playing in the firelight on the wall.
His certain tone actually wavered, "Perhaps… our paths may cross yet again."
With that, he left.
The final echo of the metal hatch as it closed pounded against the walls of that small room. If what he said about humans was true, Alex wasn't so sure she wanted their paths to cross again.
Chapter Four
THE NEXT MORNING CAME with the sweetened smell of dew, a scent since missing from the city for weeks. With everything packed, Alex stepped from her shabby house with her heavy knapsack and pushed her bicycle along the splintered walkway without looking back. The old van was parked and waiting, so she abandoned her bike against the ratty fence and hopped into the passenger seat. Father Koen then began the long journey. With the team chattering on in the backseats, Alex was content to enjoy the passing scenery.
"What's the plan for St. Paul, Boss?" asked Will.
The whole van instantly went quiet.
"You guys will be living at an abandoned church outside the city," said Alex, "I'll set up a safe house downtown in some crap apartment."
"Have we connected that office building with Odin yet?" asked Gwen, her bubbly voice offsetting the topic.
"I'm gonna get a job with their housekeeping staff. That'll give me moderate security access. The rest of you will get what you can out of the locals. We should also get in some training, especially with our new equipment."
"An' what about them trench coats?" said Will, "What was their deal, anyway?"
Alex felt all their eyes stabbing into her, even Father Koen's.
"Nobody," she told them, and turned her sights back out the window, "Forget about 'em."
Thankfully, not another word was said of it. For sixteen hours Alex and Father Koen rotated shifts to keep the van rolling, while their entertainment came from the rear of the van. With Will on his harmonica, Eddy jockeyed drum beats from his laptop and June's angelic voice joined in harmoniously. At times, Father Koen and his guitar led them all in a few timeless tunes. He favored the blues with Clapton, added a taste of the psychedelics with Hendrix and faithfully followed with a rock-n-roll tribute to The King. As they all sang along, Alex was glad to have more than just the war to keep them united.
Once dusk was rolling in across the sky, they finally approached St. Paul and followed a dusty road off into the woods. It led to a field, where a small church sat forgotten near the back corner. The only sign of life was the handful of tiny blue flowers near the broken steps up to the archway doors. The gang stretched out their stiff limbs and gathered some of their things to trail Father Koen into the holy relic.
Passing a few filthy pews, they slipped through a narrow passage behind the once grandiose altar and the priest pulled a switch to trigger a hidden door. Down a coiling staircase, he hauled open a heavy steel hatch, through which the youthful team entered with awe. Though it was several decades old, the nuclear fallout shelter served to be the perfect hideout. The large front room hosted a large living area, as well as a kitchenette. There was a full washroom and the three bedrooms were already fitted with bunks and shelving. Best of all, it was totally impenetrable.
"This is great!" said Will, and the team quickly claimed sleeping quarters.
"One of these days," Alex smiled at Father Koen, "You're gonna have to tell me about these contacts of yours."
As she expected, he replied with only a grin before heading back upstairs for more of their belongings. Defeated by his vow of silence, Alex strolled leisurely down the slim corridor only to find her gang arguing over where they'd be sleeping. Standing just inside the room with Will, the two watched the ridiculous dispute heat up.
"Okay, shut up!" Alex finally yelled, halting them all with her order, "All of you: drop your crap and go help Father Koen. I'll assign beds later."
A few grumbles followed, but the five subordinates did as they were told. Alex took a draw off the musty cellar air for a sigh and tossed her pack onto one of the bunks.
"Are you okay?" Will softly asked, causing her to go still, "It's almost like… you were sad to leave that place or something."
Alex turned with a teasing grin, "You kiddin'?"
As she headed out to help the gang get settled, her sincerity was convincing enough for Will to join her, essenti
ally dropping the subject.
* * *
Perched on the rim of a rooftop in that lowly district of Jackson, Mississippi, the spring air still vacant of any roars, a hooded figure was staring down at that disheveled house on the broken street. Zeke knew it was now as lifeless as the neighborhood around it. In a flash of his steps, he leapt stealthily over the buildings and landed lightly to meet his clan atop a quiet hill.
"We're leaving," he gave his order, "Start heading north."
Without a word, his clan vanished to begin their great bounds over the lands. One member, however, lingered behind. His eyes were glaring.
"Is that where she went?" Bade snidely asked, and his leader him his furrowed brow, "I followed you last night."
If it had been anyone else, Zeke would've been surprised. Though irritated, he only turned his view to the path ahead.
"We share the same fight."
"She is human!"
Zeke remained calm, "She is different."
"All are the same!" Bade protested, "All want us dead!"
"Then why did she help me?" Zeke finally retorted. He felt his anger swelling within his stare, "Why, when she knew exactly what I was, did she offer me her blood to save my life?"
Zeke's look back held a certain gleam and Bade suddenly had nothing else to say.
"She knows more about Chimeras than all of us combined," Zeke cooled off to go on, and he pulled up the hood of his coat, "I know we can never fight as one, but we must do anything we can to win this war. Our fate depends on it."
Zeke then launched from the hill to vanish over the trees.
Bade was still brimming with arguments, but his undying loyalty urged him to follow.
* * *
The sun was warm overhead, while sharp cracks of wood cut through the forest surrounding the old church. The gang was watching a sparring contest, a match-up of their two best fighters displaying incredible speed and skill. Their footwork was as flawless as their unopposed focus. Alex and Will had been battling for nearly twenty minutes, but the crowd never tired of such a show. Father Koen was especially proud.
"Who's goin' tonight?" asked Eddy, habitually tapping his knees like a drum.
"The leads will do a thorough scout of the areas you marked," said the priest, and looked to the rest of young fighters, "Everyone else will be discussing literature with me."
"Could we discuss the concept of school vacation?" sassed Noah.
"Sure," said Father Koen, "So long as Robert Frost brings it up."
"You guys are missin' it," interrupted Rick. He was newest to the crew, but a few years older than Alex.
Just then, Will finally started to slow down as a wave of fatigue was about to surf. In a feat of desperation, he hurled out a wide swing of his wooden staff and Alex promptly stretched and arched back from his strike. Whirling her own staff around behind her as he followed through, she popped up to shove the might of her weapon across his back to throw him face-first at the ground. Everything then froze with the sudden sight of the end of her weapon stopped at his neck. When the whole team erupted in cheer and applause, Alex backed off and offered Will a hand to help him back to his feet. She could see how disappointed he was.
"You did great, Will," she gladly praised, but he only appeased her with a brief grin before heading over to the bench.
Alex knew how much he had improved over the years. He was the only one she could spar fairly with, but she always won in the end. Losing every challenge to her was affecting him more and more as he got older, probably because he had been bigger than her for over a year. She knew as well as he did that losing was never easy to deal with. Still, no matter what, his mind and body was always prepared for the next mission. He knew what was important.
Even that night, as they sprinted under the starless sky, Will was as motivated as the other three on their scouting crew. Grouped with Alex, Eddy and Gwen, the squad revised their maps for detailed layouts of the infected neighborhoods, but they were wise to stay clear of any Chimeras. When a few roars were heard just a block away, Alex swiftly led them up a fire escape to a rooftop. They were fully armed, but she wouldn't risk a battle with only half her team.
Safe on the roof, Eddy set up his laptop to double-check the satellite images he had stolen, while Will scanned the dire neighborhood with a night-vision scope. He spotted a small league of Chimeras and tried to track them from a distance.
"The thermals show a lot of activity about five blocks west of here," said Eddy, pointing in the direction Will was already inspecting.
"It's probably a nest," said Alex, "What's the perimeter of the fencing rods?"
"Total covered area is five square miles."
"Which means there's more than one nest," added Gwen, her tone as cheery as usual, "Right?"
"Most likely," said Alex, skimming the view all around them, "And according to the usual Odin statistics, they've dumped over a hundred Chimeras in this city."
She checked over her maps again, tracing the different shortcuts she had drawn out. There were numerous road construction projects throughout the area, which were increasingly popular in the warmer months.
"Let's head back," she ordered, "We'll roll the whole team out tomorrow night."
Her squad complied and started down the ladder of the fire escape, but she stopped just before. Though incredibly faint, she thought she heard a few subtle whips on the cool breeze. She spun around and looked out over the buildings. Then, she caught a glimpse of a shadow soaring over the rooftop, before it vanished behind the city skyline.
"Are ya' comin'?" called Will, slightly sarcastic.
Alex quickly put away her small smile and turned to follow her gang back to base.
* * *
Father Koen left the church at first light and Alex was gone soon after, leaving Will in charge of the team. His duties included meeting any who lived or worked on the streets throughout the city, noting any peculiar gossip and making record of witness accounts. He split the group to cover more ground, certain his leader would've done the same.
Meanwhile, Alex got acquainted with her new job at the suspected office facility. She had been given an access badge and a housekeeping uniform, though she cursed the bland button-down dress. She built friendships with the security personnel and flirted with various executives. She found it all rather sickening. When her first day finished that early evening, she called Father Koen on her cell as she crossed the parking lot.
"Just checking in," she told him, "You got my new place set up yet?"
"I'm sending you the address right now. Your things are already there."
"Bonus," she said, "Tell the team to meet up by the parking garage at dusk."
"I'll give Will the extra firepower," said Father Koen, "Be careful."
Alex hated when he got too serious. She felt his worry only hindered their cause.
When she hung up, she was in busy downtown St. Paul and she strolled along quite casually. After a quick stop at a small deli, she carried her bag of groceries into a disreputable tenement within a shady neighborhood. Up to the fifth floor, she entered her new two room apartment. The kitchen and bathroom were tiny, while the plaster of the walls looked to crumble apart at any moment. Relaxing atop the pithy mattress Father Koen had scrounged up, she ate a meager meal and started gearing up.
She tried to count how many times she and her team had moved, or how many disgusting places she had lived in just to survive another day to fight. As she braided her hair back out of the way, she remembered when Gwen used to do it for her, before Father Koen succumbed to her safe house idea. Taking the powder-coated steel of her new staff in hand, she tested its new retractable blade as she envisioned the silhouette of a man in a flailing trench coat. She couldn't forget the distinct sound of the wind the night before. It fed the vigor of her march out the door.
* * *
Tearing their strides down the bleak, forgotten streets of the city, the urban gang was in two teams. Alex had put one in Will's
charge, while she led hers with a silenced high-powered rifle. Though Will had begged, she and the priest had decided he was still too young to wield more than a blade. Nonetheless, he led a headstrong squad into battle. They knew the beasts were favoring a region around a massive hole dug into a dead end street, the same nest they had found the night before. Crossing the perimeter of the fencing rods, they finally met with a few obstacles and monstrous roars rumbled across the sultry sky. When the teams ran into the open roadway, a swarm of beasts answered the ominous calls.
"Fan out and take 'em down!" Alex ordered.
Taking aim, she fired a few rounds, blowing off whole limbs for the others to attack with their blades and spears. As they started to whittle down the numbers, Alex got closer to the enlarged manhole from which the monsters were emerging. Having only one chance, she tossed in a cylindrical grenade and the team scattered in an instant. The ground suddenly quaked from a fiery blast and stretching flames spewed from the neighboring sewer holes. Rancid screams of burning Chimeras pierced their ears as they fled. The nest was decimated.
The following day, the news was overrun with stories of a mysterious explosion in an outer district of St. Paul. Reporters said city officials were blaming it on a gas leak. Alex couldn't help but think of the reports as she cleaned offices at the facility, but she had to find her focus. After some light prying of her co-workers, she carefully picked out her victim.
She played her innocent smiles on an unhappily married, middle-aged, slightly balding and rather unattractive senior executive. During his long lunch, she dabbled on his computer a bit to check a few different files and happened upon a lost shipping memo. The triple-thorn logo of Odin was plastered in the letterhead. She could hardly help but grin the rest of the day.
With all the media coverage on the infested district, Father Koen wouldn't give the final order to release the team. Alex and Will had to agree with him. They couldn't risk being exposed. It was imperative their enemy knew nothing about who they were, so they instead took the time to relax. Their holiday was then extended into the next day. All of them were ordered to have as much fun as possible.
Dressed in plain jeans and t-shirts rather than camouflage and tactical gear, the whole gang took in the grand sights of St. Paul: the capital building, the gorgeous cathedral, and the home of F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. As it neared dinner time, droves of food were brought back to their church hideaway. With sunset smearing reds and purples to the wisps of low clouds, Father Koen was outside with a hibachi, grilling meats and vegetables. The girls had made a fire pit out back and brought out some of the old pews to place around it. After their hearty meals, they gathered by the campfire to roast their desserts and savor in the delights of their more musical teammates.