Chapter 201: Cheering too soon.
Mayor Townsend’s mind flung itself back to a memory. To the plans Hades and his wife had once brought to his office, blueprints of something he had been told was a resort and entertainment city. Back then, he had his suspicions, but he had stamped the papers anyway.
Now, remembering those three thick and high walls plus the security measures which were abnormal for a resort! His breath caught in his throat as realization struck him like lightning. "My God!" He looked at Alfred with wide, almost trembling eyes. "It was not a resort....it never was. So, it is a base!!!"
Townsend started putting some pieces together. He figured that it was probably not a coincidence that Quinn group had suddenly gone bankrupt before this whole nightmare begun.
He thought about all the trucks and helicopters which had been in and out of the mountain during that time period. Naturally, he had poked around as the mayor and found out that they were delivering food.
"Ha! damn Wolf Quinn! he actually played me." Townsend growled. "Entertainment city my ass. More like a safe haven."
The survivors looked at him for answers, confusion settling across their weary faces. Townsend’s chest rose and fell, his anger and awe colliding. "Hades Quinn knew!" He spat. "He knew what was coming and built that fortress under my nose without so much as a heads up!" He clenched his fists. "He owes me. If not for my stamp that place would not be standing. Let us head to Westbrook."
Alfred did not know how the relationship between the mayor and the Quinns stood. What he did know was that it was the safest place for all of them. Other things could be handled when they were safe.
The survivors walked over the rubble carefully, those that were strong helped those that were weak. The injured were carried in order to hasten their speed. When they reached flat ground, everyone realized that there was another problem.
The snow was too thick for them to wade through all the way to the mountain. It was so cold that people’s teeth were already chattering. Everyone wanted to stick close to Alfred because his body was emitting heat. But he was just one man, and they were many!
"How will we make it to the mountain like this?" A woman sobbed. "In this weather, we will freeze."
Mayor Townsend had a realization. They had two buses in city hall.
"Buses." he blurted out.
Alfred was not as hopeful as the mayor. Acid rain had melted sixty percent of the things with metal and rubber around them. How could buses have survived?
Townsend was still hopeful, and he led them around the rubble. There was a part of the underground structure which had collapsed partially. It had formed a roof like structure over the area where the cars were kept.
"The buses are in there." Mayor Townsend said eagerly. They had been donated by Hades Quinn as part of his fulfillment to support the mayor.
They were modernized buses that did not need keys to be started. With just a push of a button, one could drive them away.
Alfred melted the snow with his flames and some people started moving the rubble. It took two hours, but they found two buses and three cars that had survived.
They had some scratches and dents. But they had full tanks and after Alfred warmed them up, they roared to life. The survivors cheered, entered them and embraced each other as they started the journey. Fortress four was not far away from city hall, they were certain that they would get there without any problems in just an hour or less.
"Alright everyone, we are setting off." Mayor Townsend announced to those in the leading bus.
Alfred’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel; his eyes fixed on the mountain that rise in a distance.
Finally, I get to see mother and the rest of the family. I am coming sis. He thought.
To the passengers, salvation was too close it almost hurt to see. Nusra drove the second bus, her passengers slumped into seats, some too weak to lift their heads, others responding to the call of slumber.
It seemed the worst was behind them. But the mist was watching, waiting for the right moment to attack.
It came rolling across the snow like a living tide, curling around the back wheels of the second bus. At first, it seemed harmless, just another veil of white smoke carried by the wind. Then shapes emerged, black feathers that caught the faint light like demons hiding in the dark.
They were eagle like, but wrong in ways that made the human eyes recoil. Their wings were like dark frozen blades. Their claws were oversized curved and crystalline, each claw glinting like a dagger of frozen glass.
Each shriek that escaped their throats was like shattering glass, piercing through bone and rattling the nerves of everyone who heard it.
Then, they began to strike.
One of the creatures raked its talons against the rear-view mirror of Nusra’s bus, shattering it in a spray of glittering shards. The vehicle jerked violently, jerking off the icy road. Screams erupted inside as passengers were flung against the sides, the bus tipping dangerously before Nusra fought it back on to the path, her face pale and slick with sweat.
She looked into her remaining mirror but saw nothing. The creatures moved so fast, their grease forms blending into the swirling mist. But the screams outside told her enough.
Alfred had seen the attack on the bus behind them. His chest tightened as his fire sparked instinctively at his fingertips. The creatures dove at the second bus, talons slashing through the steel like parchment.
One smashed a window with its claws and grabbed a man, lifting him into the sky. He screamed, thrashing, until the eagle tore him into two. One half vanishing into the mist while the other crashed lifelessly in the snow. Blood sprayed against the white ground, bright and horrifying.
"No!" Alfred roared as his bus suddenly stopped. He jumped from the driver’s seat, fire recoiling around his hands. He thrust his palms forward a jet of flame arching at a group of birds. One of the eagle beasts screeched, its frosty wing catching fire.
"Get out! run up the mountain!" Mayor Townsend shouted, his voice raw.
The buses could not keep going because the birds were determined to see them crush.
Alfred’s fire flared again, pushing the birds back, just enough for the doors to burst open. The passengers spilled out, their cries echoing across the mountain, others simply scattered. The two remaining eagles identified the weak ones, carried them and flew off.
Nusra ran until her knees begged to stop, her hearing overwhelmed with the creatures screams.
She forced herself to listen to Alfred’s voice, his fire’s roar and used it as her anchor. She guided the people, her voice cut through their terror, telling them where to run, where not to look.
A part of her wondered if she should have just left them in the rubble. At least, they would have died with their full bodies intact and not become beastly eagle food, dying terribly.