Flux Read online

  Talk about awkward.

  At one point he was about to intervene; Brett was being extremely persistent. Then unexpectedly, the prick gave up. Frustrated, Brett rolled over in his sleeping bag with a loud sigh, followed by some incomprehensible grumbles. Conn couldn’t help but crack a sly smirk to himself.

  Eat shit, douchebag.

  He and Brett had never gotten along. Conn wasn’t sure why, he just knew he didn’t like the guy. That being said, the feeling was mutual and Conn knew it. Not that Conn cared what Brett thought of him. The guy was a dick.

  Lex’s refusal of Brett’s overtures must have been the secret elixir that Conn needed. Not long after, he was snoring almost as bad as Reilly.

  3.

  “Reilly!” Audrey shook the snoring oaf. “Reilly! Wake up!”

  Gradually, the big guy came round. Groggily, Reilly sat up, propping himself up using his elbows. He looked at Audrey through bleary, sleep-filled eyes. Slowly, the young woman’s features came into focus as Reilly’s vision cleared, his senses returning to him after a few seconds of profuse blinking. Audrey was a pretty girl. Her jet-black hair set against smooth, tanned skin gave her a rather exotic look. Her eyes- like Reilly’s own- were a cool hue of cobalt. The young woman’s lips were full and red, framed by prominent cheekbones. She was very much his type. Hell, any woman was his type. He wasn’t fussy, by any means. There was nothing better than the love of a good woman. At least, that’s what his old grandpa used to say.

  “My watch?” he asked, trying to sneak a glance at her ample chest, only to find it hidden beneath a thick Kevlar vest.

  “You guessed it,” Audrey chimed with a thin smile.

  Reilly coughed, staying seated, looking about for his own vest, and gun.

  “You better be awake when I get back!” Audrey told him. “I gotta take a piss.”

  Reilly smirked as she disappeared into the scrub. Oh, the joys of being on the road.

  Audrey crept cautiously through the brush, her bladder now painfully full. She edged deeper into the darkness, moving branches and leaves out of her way, going a little further, than was perhaps considered a safe distance from the others. Deep down, Audrey knew it wasn’t a good idea. She shouldn’t venture too far from camp, but she really hated having to take a shit, or a piss, knowing that people- people that she knew- were close by. To be honest, it was the only thing she didn’t like about going on a scouting mission. Audrey loved the outdoors and the freedom that came with- even these days; dinosaurs and other super-predators be damned. Audrey’s fascination with the outdoors began when she was just a little kid. Before everything was turned upside-down and inside-out, her parents used to take her to their holiday cabin further north at Christmas time, every year without fail. The memory of the crackling fireplace lined with stockings and tinsel was a bittersweet one now. Her parents, like so many others, were lost in the initial chaos of the Flux, no doubt killed by some rampaging prehistoric beast. She was on her own now.

  Audrey finally found a spot she deemed suitable to do her business. Undoing the button on her camouflaged cargo pants, she unzipped them, and squatted down to whiz. Digging the butt of her rifle into the soil, the young woman held onto her M4 carbine, using the fore-grip at the front of the assault rifle as a prop to balance herself whilst she urinated. Audrey scanned the area around her, watching for movement amongst the abundant foliage. She had that horrible feeling someone, or something, was watching her.

  You’re being paranoid. Audrey scolded herself. Big baby.

  Audrey couldn’t help it. She always got that feeling at some point when out on a mission. Audrey supposed everyone on the team did, sometimes. You had to be on your guard. But being too jumpy, could be just as dangerous as being complacent she supposed, so the young woman tried to calm herself.

  Audrey didn’t see the pair of glowing eyes materialize behind her, looming over her left shoulder. The two orange-red spheres appeared to hover, emerging like twin suns juxtaposed against a starless night sky. The pair of burning embers floated closer, inch by inch. It was then Audrey heard the snap! of a twig, crunching underfoot, located somewhere off behind her. Startled, Audrey sprang to her feet in an instant. Quickly yanking up her cargo pants, she buttoned them back up, forgetting about the zipper. Spinning on the spot, she raised her M4 in the direction of the commotion. Audrey’s gaze met that of the demonic spheres watching her from the darkness.

  “Fuck me!” she breathed incredulously, looking down her rifle’s sights.

  Despite the blackness of night giving way to daylight, it was still too dark for Audrey to tell what the beast stalking her actually was. She was too far into the brush. The foliage was too thick, as was the forest canopy hanging ominously above her. The amount of light was naturally limited in such confines.

  Audrey kept her rifle up, trained in the direction of the animal. The creature continued to advance on her, sleeking forward bit by bit. Slowly, the frightened young woman crept cautiously backwards, edging away from the wraith-like presence. Then a low, guttural, growl emanated from the beast in front of her. The primordial utterance chilled her very soul, going right to the core of her.

  Audrey didn’t waste any more time, she squeezed the trigger-

  -and nothing happened.

  Safety! Her mind screamed at her.

  The animal let loose with another growl. This was followed by a chorus of savage snarls; the creature had companions it seemed. A moment later, Audrey realised there wasn’t just one pair. In all, she counted five pairs of eyes inspecting her. The original set was closest, flanked by two pairs on either side. Each set hung low to the ground, advancing on her with every second that passed. Their grumbling chorale gave Audrey the impression that the beasts were acknowledging receipt of an order. Had she not just voided her bladder, the young woman was sure she would have wet herself then and there… she might even have sharted too.

  With that Audrey’s nerve fled her. Outnumbered, the frightened young woman simply panicked. She turned and ran, calling out into the night for her companions.

  Audrey crashed through the intertwining foliage around her, branches coming at her from all directions, lashing at her face like small whips. She used her assault rifle to smack larger branches out of the way, breaking them, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. Audrey’s breathing was erratic by this point. Heart pumping feverishly, her adrenaline levels were on overdrive. Behind Audrey, her pursuers snapped and snarled, plodding after her, closing on their intended prey. She refused to look back at them.

  A horrible thought suddenly occurred to Audrey. The young woman wasn’t sure she was headed in the right direction. The dim light made it hard to tell.

  How far in did I go? She began asking herself. Am I going deeper in? Is this why no one can hear me calling?

  Audrey failed to notice the snaking root of a felled tree in time. She smashed her shin, painfully stumbling over the protuberance before falling flat on her face. Audrey went down into the dirt, her rifle flying away into the darkness. Splaying her arms out in front of her, she impacted with the forest floor, landing in a kind of ‘push-up’ position. Reflexes kicking in, Audrey pushed herself up off the ground almost instantly. Back up on her feet, she took off again, forgetting all about her wayward M4 in her haste to escape.

  Her little accident gave Audrey’s pursuers the opportunity they needed, allowing them to close the gap. Suddenly, a set of jaws snapped shut around her right ankle, curved fangs piercing through her leather boot and penetrating the flesh beneath. Terrified, and in agony, Audrey felt like a mouse in a trap. The pain was excruciating, riding up Audrey’s leg like a lightning bolt striking. A shrill scream left Audrey’s lungs a millisecond later, shattering the otherwise subdued atmosphere of the forest. The young woman fell forward, the searing pain collapsing her. Down she went into the soil again. Whatever the animal was, it still had a firm grip on her ankle. Shaking her limb vigorously, its violent actions sent jolts of pain riding up her leg. In
between her pained cries, she could hear its companions following close behind as well, paws pattering rhythmically against the forest floor.

  Audrey sank her fingers into the dirt and began dragging her body forward, trying to get away. There was still some fight left in her, yet. It didn’t last long, however. Still holding on, her attacker yanked hard on the woman’s trapped limb. The desperate female clawed the soil, deeper this time, trying to gain some purchase, hoping to use it as a kind of launching pad and scamper away from her would-be killer. Audrey kicked out with her free foot, striking at her attacker, but the attacks seemed to just glance off the beast’s large head. It was to no avail. Audrey was jerked backwards again, her assailant dragging the young woman further into the forest, back the way she came. Audrey screamed the whole time, her fingers leaving deep gouges in the soft forest floor behind her, fingernails snapping off as they rode over a bed of firmly planted rocks and boulders.

  The pack gorged themselves, tearing into their prey’s exposed stomach. Snouts sifting through flesh and bones to get at entrails, the beasts gulped down slippery organs coated in syrupy blood. As usual, the higher ranks took the choicest pieces first. In typical fashion, the pack of canines snarled at each other as they feasted, reminding one another of the long-established pecking order that had not only long-governed their group dynamic, but whole species.

  Once they had disembowelled their victim, the group moved onto the limbs. The Alpha began chewing on a leg, as did the Beta. Of the remaining three, the two higher-ranked members of the pack- the Gamma and Delta- took an arm each. The Omega was left with the head. As was often the case, it was forced to make do with the awkward offering. The Omega animal turned its head on an almost horizontal angle, its wide snout clamping shut around its prey’s cranium, pointed teeth lodging into bone. With a determined pull, the Omega wrenched the head of its victim free with a crack!, taking the spinal column with it, splattering gore helter-skelter in the process.

  “Huh?” Reilly shot upright, confused and disorientated. He had fallen asleep. “Shit!” He cursed himself.

  What woke me up though? Reilly had a faint memory of a cry, but he couldn’t be sure. I must have been dreaming.

  Reilly quickly set about getting himself together, sliding into his Kevlar vest, strapping it into place over his barrel-shaped torso. The sun was rising by now. A blue-grey hue blanketed the forest-world around him. The last traces of night could barely even be said to be lingering as it was. Next, Reilly checked his assault rifle over, slapping a curved ‘banana clip’ into place on his AK-47. Preparing to take up his watch, Reilly moved to the southern periphery of their encampment. Passing Audrey’s sleeping bag, Reilly found the padded, red casing was flat and obviously empty. Furthermore, her weapon and vest were missing. She hadn’t come back from her early morning whiz. At the moment he made this horrible realisation, Reilly’s insides began knotting themselves together, bringing on a sickly feeling.

  Did Audrey’s screams wake me?

  “Audrey!” Reilly called out into the night, trying not to be too loud, but still audible enough for her to hear him. “Audrey! You there?”

  His ice-blue eyes searched the dark, dense façade of the forest. Reilly heard grumbling behind him. Pivoting on the spot, he found Conn stirring from his own slumber.

  “What the fuck’s going on, Reilly?” the younger man croaked, somewhat disgruntled.

  “Audrey went to take a whiz… but I don’t think she’s come back.”

  “How long has she been gone?” Conn enquired, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

  “Not sure,” Reilly hesitated for a second, “I… I fell asleep.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Reilly!” Conn barked at him, sitting up.

  “I know, I know!” Reilly said ashamedly, “I’m sorry.”

  “What the fuck are you two nancy-boys yapping about?”

  It was Brett. Their short conversation had obviously been loud enough to waken him, if he wasn’t already. If he had heard Reilly’s admission, he certainly didn’t let on. Reilly looked at Conn with pleading eyes, like a little kid almost. It was as if he wanted to say ‘don’t tell on me, please.’

  “Audrey’s missing.” Conn said bluntly, keeping eye contact with Reilly, but saying no more.

  “Everybody up and at ‘em!” Brett ordered, jumping to his feet without missing a single beat.

  Lex rolled clumsily out of her swag, grabbing at her MP-5 sub-machine gun and bulletproof vest.

  “Benny boy!” Brett called into the night. “Wake up!”

  A few seconds later, a pale, bare and flat-chested, young Ben came running, hauling his vest and a pump-action shotgun in his hands. He stumbled to a halt. Flustered, he clumsily tried fitting into his vest. Lex on the other hand was up and ready by Brett’s side, MP-5 locked and loaded. Likewise, Conn was by Reilly’s side.

  “All right,” Brett’s voice boomed. “Let’s move out!”

  The small team didn’t get the chance to leave their camp. Instead, their departure was cut short by the arrival of nothing less than a primordial nightmare. A series of barks and snarls, followed by a long, almost mournful howl, tore through the early morning light, seeming to fill the entire forest. Despite the tropical heat, the menacing, primeval call brought a chilling fear with it for all those unlucky enough to hear it.

  4.

  Conn watched as the Alpha predator materialized from the cover of the darkened tree line, its almost fluorescent orange-red eyes fixed intently on him. In that moment, his heart skipped a beat. In fact, he almost dropped his rifle; the fear he felt nearly too much to handle. The massive canine must have weighed 150lbs, maybe even more. Conn estimated the animal to be a metre tall at the shoulder, and at least twice as long. A moment later, he caught sight of the other beasts, dutifully trailing their leader. The other four were slightly smaller than their forerunner, but not by much.

  Canis dirus.

  “Direwolves.” Conn breathed in disbelief.

  These were the same creatures many in Havenfort believed had killed his parents last year, along with other members of their team. Their squad had apparently been stalked for miles, before the attack finally came late in the night, claiming the lives of five in total. Unlike those found in the colder climates, this subspecies had adapted to the warmer, local climate by shedding most of their fur. This adaptation helped them to vent excess heat from their bodies. With the exception of a scruffy, jet-black, mane-like trail lining their sort, stubby necks, the direwolves were totally bald. Conn found their appearance similar to a fox or a coyote afflicted with mange; only much, much bigger- in every sense of the word.

  In the open space of the campsite, with few trees to block the rays of emerging daylight entering in shafts through the breaks in the foliage, coupled with his proximity to the beasts, Conn was able to appreciate them in a way never before offered to him. It was a view only their prey were privy to, he supposed. The skin of the direwolves was a dark shade of grey, albeit contrasted against a pale, pinkish underbelly. Their paws were massive- easily the same size as a human hand- the claws at the end of them, flexed and protruding, digging deep into the soil, the animals poised to launch. And the limbs they were attached to had to be as thick as a body-builder’s forearm. The direwolves’ snouts were long and wide. In a word: powerful. Easily capable of crushing bone… well, human bones, anyway. The beasts snarled as one, black lips curling back to reveal pink gums situated atop curved, yellowed fangs. Saliva dripped from their yawning maws, falling in thick globules: a whitish goo mixed with traces of red.

  Blood. Conn thought to himself. Audrey’s blood… he surmised.

  The pack continued to advance on the bewildered group. It was as if the big canines had no fear of humans. Perhaps, it was their size that gave them such confidence. Conn couldn’t believe the level of musculature and definition held by their hulking frames. He had to remind himself he was looking at a pack of hypercarnivores, not lazing walruses. Direwolves were built to kill, af
ter all. Having shed the majority of their fur, one was able to fully appreciate their powerful physiques. Their bodies seemed to ripple as muscles and ligaments twitched visibly underneath the skin, with each and every movement, no matter how big or how small. Conn couldn’t help but liken them to- what he imagined- Rottweilers on steroids would look like. Shaved Rottweilers on steroids, that is.

  It took Conn a moment to realise he was frozen on the spot. He couldn’t make himself move, his limbs were like concrete. He was transfixed by the gaze of the awesome predator skulking towards him. Images of Conn’s parents- his father’s rugged beard, his mother’s charming smile- flashed in his head, conjured up from somewhere in the back of his troubled mind, as the Alpha direwolf closed on his position.

  Is this how they felt? Conn wondered to himself. Before they died. Before they were killed and eaten.

  The young man swallowed back, a subconscious reflex signalling his fear.

  Move! Conn’s mind screamed, but the young man’s muscles didn’t react to the command.

  He saw the muscles in the lead direwolf’s shoulders tighten as it prepared itself to pounce. The beast lowered in its stance, butt arching high as it readied itself to lunge forward. A harsh rumble left its throat, signalling its attack… and then it launched at its bemused prey. Conn just stood there like a deer in headlights, unmoving. He was a sitting fucking duck for the giant wolf-beast coming down upon him.

  Reilly stepped forward, AK held out. Squeezing the trigger he let off a quick three-round burst. The first round punctured the direwolf’s left eye socket, turning the eyeball it held into mush. The second shot penetrated the skull, pulverizing the brain inside before exiting out the other side of the canine’s cranium. The third shot missed entirely, not that it mattered at all really. The Alpha wolf was dead… dead as shit. The massive canine crumpled on the spot, folding over like a piece of origami.