Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Time.
Tick. Tock.
Time's running out.
Tick.
"I've worked it out," Jones says, terrifyingly calm. "She's the root of it. The Ministry was right about Janine De Luca. The world's better without her."
Tock.
"Five, please, you have to help her!" Peter begs, desperation dripping from his voice. "There's-there's a lifeboat on the south side of the rig. Please, help her. Get her to that lifeboat. Run!"
Tick.
"We're out of burn cubes," Sam says. "We haven't got anything else that will kill the V-Types. So if we don't find Jones, Janine dies."
Tock.
"Do you see him, Captain?" Janine asks. "Any sign of Jones' boat?"
"Last night's storm has thrown a huge amount of debris into the ocean, Colonel De Luca. Even with our digital periscope, a large vessel can be hard to spot," Captain Harry replies.
"We have to find him," Jody says desperately. "Jones has the only thing that can save Janine's life. It's been five days since he left the oil rig, and this is the first time we've gotten close to the tracker in his boat!"
Janine sends Jody a blank look. "He also has something far more important than the nanite control box, Miss Marsh. He has the missing piece of the Edda that will help us to defeat the V-Type zombies on the mainland."
I huff, wondering why Janine can't accept the fact that we don't want her to die. I understand she believes in duty above all else and all that, but she is important. She is our leader, and has made up most of the plans that have saved my skin and others' multiple times throughout the years.
"The tracker says he's close to Mor Island, the largest island in the Far Hebrides archipelago," The Captain says. He gives such a comforting smile that I once again feel bad we asked him to leave Jules and his boys to take us here. "We'll find him."
Sam grabs my hand and squeezes, probably to comfort himself more than me. I still appreciate it. "Yeah. Do you know any more about why they're not replying to any coms pings? Nicole and I must have tried to contact them fifty times in the past day."
Ellie fiddles with her sleeves. "The Far Hebrides are notoriously... independent. It's a tradition that goes back centuries. They were never conquered by England like the Inner and Outer Hebrides."
"But they were part of the UK."
"But they never really believed it," Tom adds, "even before the apocalypse. They had their own ways of doing things."
Paula nods in agreement. "We tried to send them cases of the cure, but they refused. They said they hadn't had a zombie get onto the island since the start of the outbreak, so they had no need for it."
Sam chokes. "What? They've never had zombies? Well, why don't we all just move there?"
"Mr. Yao, we are here for our mission, nothing more," Janine says. "The Undaunted cannot be spared from the mainland, but we are enough. Each of us are here for a reason. Myself and Miss Marsh, for operations. Tom for tactical. Dr. Cohen is our medic. Miss Maxted is our expert in the ancient and modern people of the Far Hebrides and will be a vital passport onto the islands. Five is the mission runner, and Miss Edwards is our backup mission runner."
"And I'm here because you lot couldn't stop me from coming," Sam says, and I send Nicole a look because I just know she wants to say something snarky.
I suppose I can understand her frustration. I wasn't a fan of Sam coming either, not because I don't want to be around him-of course not!-but because this mission could be dangerous. We know nothing about the people here, or what Jones is planning.
I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to him.
"I see it!" The lookout yells, and I perk up.
"That's it," Captain Harry says, his voice a glimmer of hope in this dark submarine. "The old rig's yacht. The name's on the side. Seaside Base." His face pinches in thought. "Hmmm. That side of the island is too shallow for the sub. We'll take you as close as we can. All of you, to the bow of the hatch. Now!"
We all are quick to obey, running as the Captain orders for someone else to take control while he sees us out. Tom asks Janine if she needs assistance moving, but she just shoots him a look that could kill. She has a steel resolve and hates asking for help, and it kills me inside. And Janine and I aren't even close! I can only imagine how Tom must feel.
Peter was devastated when Janine told him he couldn't come along. He's too much of a risk because of his immortality. There are no reported V-Types here-no zoms at all, really-but we cannot just rely on word of mouth, not when it comes to the risk of creating an immortal zombie.
Guilt nearly consumed me whole when I saw his face when we told him. He's still immortal because of me, because I failed in getting him the nanites from Seaside Base. He was even more upset when he learned that I was chosen to go on this voyage, leaving him alone in Abel. It ate me up inside to leave him, especially since it's only been a few days since Colonel Sage...
I didn't want to leave him like that, alone, but I couldn't say no to coming when Janine's life is at risk, and when Sam insisted on coming. I cannot lose him.
"All hands, Undaunted has reached Mor Island," Captain Harry says once we've reached the hatch. "Suspect vessel stolen by the fugitive, Lachlan Jones, sighted on the far side of the islands. Passengers, prepare to disembark submarine via bow hatch." He gives us a final nod. "Good luck, Abel runners."
I nod, a sinking feeling in my stomach as Tom pushes the hatch open with a clank. I can hear the downpour of the rain as we start to climb out, and I wonder just how much luck we'll need for this.
We climb out, stepping into knee deep ocean and trudging towards the shore. I can only make out that it's the shore because the sand is grainy, so it shifts in the blackness.
"Welcome to the Far Hebrides," Janine says over the rain, and Sam is already shivering beside me.
"It's dark, it smells of cow dung, and it's raining so hard, I can't see the shore. And we're on the shore!"
"A run will warm you up, Mr. Yao. We're on the south side of Mor Island. Jones' boat is on the north side. So as not to alert him of our presence, we'll cross the beach and then use the network of caves to head west and then north."
"Where we'll find Jones on the shore, take the control box from him, and reverse whatever those nanites are doing to you, Jane," Tom finishes, but she simply frowns at him.
"I'm fine."
Paula narrows her eyes at her. "That's not what your bloodwork says! You might not be feeling it yet, but the nanites in your bloodstream are already switching off cell reproduction."
"All the more reason to deal with this swiftly," She replies, her tone as curt as ever. "Our intelligence suggests that Jones was born and raised somewhere in the Hebrides. We have no idea what allies he might have been able to muster locally."
Sam shifts beside me, grabbing my hand again. "Yeah, so uh, maybe let's not stay? Just one dark windswept run through storms and caves, then-then we grab Jones, get the control box and the Edda, and be back in our warm comfy radio room eating celebratory Curly-Wurlies by tomorrow night."
"Wow, that's a great idea," Nicole says sarcastically. "Why not, instead of standing here in the freezing cold rain talking, we actually get moving and do the job we need to do!"
He flinches back at her forcefulness, but I understand Nicole's frustration. It's cold, wet, and... there's something about this place that just feels off. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary. I want to get back to Abel-back to my kids, back to Peter, back to everything warm and comforting, everything I love.
That's why I'm thankful that Jody points out the caves along the beach. It's hard to see with the rain pelting down so hard, stinging my skin and allowing the cold to penetrate deep into my bones. We sprint towards them, desperate for shelter and even more desperate to get to our destination.
I keep thinking about everything that's happened. It always happens so quickly, too quickly. I'd have thought with how these crises go I'd be used to be thrown into another situation so quickly after resolving a current one, but I still am having trouble with it all. It's a blur when I try to remember five days ago, with the only clear memory being my failings.
If I'd just told Peter about those nanites earlier, or if I'd been the one who had the syringe when Jones burst in, or if I had checked to make sure he was actually dead-always check to make sure they're dead!-none of this would have happened. Janine would be okay.
I mean, she looks okay right now, just a little tired. Before we left, Peter was constantly fawning over her, telling her to stay hydrated and get enough rest and all that, all while squeezing the life out of my wrist as if he was scared if he let me go, I'd get hurt too. Since I'm mortal now, he knows there's a higher chance of neither of us coming back on this trip. I think that scared him.
When we reach the caves, we pause long enough to take out our headlamps from our backpacks and put them on. The shelter from the rain makes it easier, although once light shines through the darkness, I see how pathetic and cold everyone looks, drenched and shivering.
Ellie looks around with wide, awe-filled eyes. "Oh, wow! This is Devil's Breath Cave! I've seen the photos, but it's incredible in real life! Look at the stalactites hanging down like razor sharp teeth, Five!"
"Mmm, yeah." I shudder. "Fascinating..."
"Ancient Far Hebrideans believed this was the mouth of a stone demon, and demons bred inside these caves."
Sam stiffens. "Okay, and we're sure that's not true, right? I mean, it's not demons that keep the zombies off the islands?"
"I'm more worried about the seawater," Tom says, looking out of the mouth of the cave. "The tide's coming it. The front of the caves will soon be underwater."
Jody points towards the ocean. "That's not all. The Undaunted stirred something up."
I sigh heavily. Of course it's a zombie hand on the rock, pulling its soggy body out onto the shore. Rotted fingers dig into the wet sand and pull. I've seen sea zoms before, how the seawater causes them to look different as they decay. There's bits of seaweed and coral in its skin, from years of being in the depths, I assume.
I swallow thickly as I spot another hand reach out of the waves to dig into the sand, and a couple of heads bob up suddenly from the water.
"We have vials of the cure with us, but we can't waste it. There'll be no more when it's gone," Tom says. "We should get away from the zoms. Head into the caves. Run!"
We are all quick to obey, but we only run for a minute before we have to turn our headlamps to full brightness and meet two diverging paths that are too dark to see down. At first I think we may need to be split up, but that will do us no good since if one group gets lost or killed, the other won't have the necessary people to replace those lost.
"Miss Maxted?" Janine says expectantly, and Ellie nods to herself.
"I've researched this. The myth around this cave says that there is one true path. One path leads to life, another to suffering and the spawn of demons."
"A dead end means either the zoms or the tide will catch us," Tom states.
"Or both," Sam adds. "It's always both."
"I read about it. There is a way through." Ellie takes a step towards one of the tunnels. "It's... can you hear bird calls through either tunnel?"
We all go quiet, and I take a few tentative steps forward, along with Nicole. A faint, echoing squawk comes from the left one. Nicole points to it.
"There! There're birds in this tunnel."
"So that's the way out, where the birds are," Sam says, but Ellie quickly shakes her head.
"No!" She exclaims. "That's the way to certain death. The birds nest in a honeycomb of tunnels we'd never find our way through. The other path is correct. Follow me. Run!"
•
"You were correct, Miss Maxted. This is the right path," Janine says, and Ellie smiles as if to say 'Of course I'm right.' "We won't get trapped here, but we must stay ahead of the zombies."
"Is it me, or do these islands already feel a bit... dangerous?" Sam asks, and Nicole rolls her eyes at him. She was against him going almost as much as I was, but for different reasons. Nicole has experience in the field and as an operator, but Sam has mostly just been our operator, which wasn't something we needed for this mission. As much as I hate to admit it, there's not much he can do to really help us here.
"That might be why Jones came here," Tom says. "To be protected. He must know we'll come after him. He may hope to trap us here."
"What he did on the oil rig was so chaotic though!" Jody replies. "Just injected Janine with whatever he had in hand. Would he plan it all out?"
Paula shrugs beside the blonde. "If he feels safe here, he might have come here without a plan, like a wild animal going to ground."
That is a good theory. Jones was frantic, panicked and angry last time we saw him. When people are scared, they go to places that are familiar, and this place might mean something to him. I really wish Sage were still alive. He might've known something.
"I've been thinking about him a lot," Ellie says with a face pinched in thought. "It makes sense that someone who comes from a tight-knit community like a Hebridean Island would have ended up with Sage. It was that same feeling. Everyone knew everyone and we all worked together. But if he liked that here, why did he ever-"
A loud sound of water spewing cuts her off, and Paula lets out a shout and stumbles forward as the gush of water from the ground nearly knocks her over. Sam lets go of my hand to grab her and hold her steady.
"What was that?" The redhead asks, and Sam wipes away the mist that covers his glasses.
"A geyser, like in Iceland!" He replies with a laugh, and I turn to Ellie with a raised brow.
"Was that supposed to happen?"
She nods with bright eyes. "Devil's breath! The name comes from the sprays of water that erupt when the tide comes in. I know this. The people of the Far Hebrides were experts at rerouting geysers to act as defenses against intruders. They left boulders perfectly balanced on rock ledges, and the regular spout of the geyser stopped them from rolling down. So if someone stepped into the geyser..."
"Like I just did," Paula says, and she nods.
"Like you just did, yes. It would slightly unbalance the rock and-"
"And that boulder on the ledge above us would start to roll down!" Sam shouts, pointing upward. There's a boulder the size of a small car up there, starting to move. It's following the ledge, rolling down and picking up speed because of the gravity. If we stay here, it'll crush us, but if we try to go back the way we came, the zombies will get us. We have weapons, but we need to save them for Jones, if need be.
"It's okay," Ellie says quickly. "There should be small ritual alcoves in the tunnel on the-on the west side, facing the sunrise."
Janine points ahead. "I see them. We must get there before the boulder reaches us. Five, take point. Run!"
I don't need to be told twice. I sprint off ahead, the tap, tap, tap of my footsteps echoing against the wet cave floor and bouncing off the stone walls. I can hear the boulder rumbling behind us, and I find myself really wishing Ellie would have told us about some of these traps before we sprang them.
I suppose I can understand why we didn't, since Ellie sometimes gets a little too excited and a brief overview becomes a three hour lecture. I just hope her knowledge is all we'll need, and that these people haven't come up with any new traps. With them not answering any of our coms pings, we can't be sure.
What I am sure of though, is that that boulder is only getting closer. My headlamp shines ahead, the light bouncing off wet rocks, showing us just enough to know where our next step will be. There's the sound of crunching bone and wet flesh sliding against rock as the boulder takes out some of the zombies that were behind us. I don't think the bodies slow it down any.
I basically dive inside of the alcove, with the others following suit. When Tom is safely in, he reaches out and grabs Sam's shirt, pulling him into the alcove just in time. The boulder flies past, and I sigh in relief.
I make a mental note to bake Tom a cake when we get back to Abel as a thank you for keeping my husband from getting squished. Maybe I'll even make him two cakes, if I can convince Janine to let me use that many eggs.
"Oh my God!" Sam exclaims as he steps out of the alcove, his chest heaving. "That boulder was huge! It would have smashed us flat! Did you see how close it was to the tip of my nose as it rolled by this alcove?"
"Thank you for making sure he didn't get smashed," I say to Tom, and he smiles softly at me and nods.
He looks at the squished zombie parts along the path. "At least it took out some of the zombies behind us, though there are still plenty left." His eyes snap towards Janine when she shouts and crumples. Nicole grabs her to keep her from hitting the ground. "Jane! What's wrong?!"
Janine's face is twisted in pain. "Blasted leg. Knee stopped working. Sudden stabbing pain." She lets out a shaky breath. "Seems to be easing off now."
"This is going to keep happening, isn't it?" Nicole asks as she helps Janine stand, only letting go when the taller woman gives her a nod.
"That, or worse," Paula replies as we start moving. "This is the start. We have to get the control box back before the nanites do damage your body can't recover from."
My heart clenches, and a bit of doubt enters my mind. It's been clouding my mind just like all the other doubtful thoughts that swirl in my head. Maybe I never should have went to Sage for those nanites. Maybe I should have stayed immortal. I never thought the nanites would do this type of damage...
So many 'could haves,' 'should haves' and 'would haves.' I can't change what I did, but I can hope to make it right. We will make it right.
"Ellie," I say, "are there any other traps here that we'll run into?"
She nods, but then her eyes light up. "Maybe we can use the traps to take out the zoms, like the boulder did. Kill two birds with one stone."
Sam looks at her with interest. "How? Is there a switch or something? Are you secretly Indiana Jones?"
"Don't get me started on the blatant inaccuracies of those movies!" She glares at him.
"Tell us what we need to do," Janine says, and Ellie nods, looking around as we run.
"Right. There'll be three types of traps in Devil's Breath. Boulders, we've seen. There'll also be holes in the ground with spikes in them and falling stalactites."
"We can avoid the first two if we stay close to the wall and keep our eyes on the ground."
"And I think I can use the stalactites to help us, but we have to get to the next cavern before the zoms get to us. Come on. Hurry!"
With our heads down, we keep moving. Each step is one made with caution, and I keep my hand pressed against the cave wall for support. The zombies are moaning and gargling behind us, their lungs filled with seawater. Jody spares a glance behind her before quickly looking ahead, and the look on her face shows her clear disgust and fear.
We've only just got here, but I already feel an overwhelming sense of dread that I can't quite place. Whether it's paranoia or a true warning is unknown. Even after all these years, my dreams and visions are still a mystery to me. I try to keep my eyes open, just in case any other dangers lurk about.
We can handle the zombies, if we really need to. And we have the cure with us. There's something else. I don't know what, but it's here...
Or it's coming.
"Wow!" Jody gasps when we reach the next cavern. It opens up, showing a waterfall that that shines against the light of our headlamps.
"It'd be picturesque if it weren't dark and full of zombies," Sam says, and Nicole scoffs.
"Being dark and full of zoms is the new normal for picturesque places, you know."
"Oh, shut it, Twenty-seven."
"How you wound me, Samuel."
"I hate you."
"I'd say the feeling's mutual, but hating you would take effort," She replies, and I roll my eyes. Honestly, I think the longer the two are siblings-in-law, the worse their bickering gets, especially since Nicole knows how to get under Sam's skin. Our relationship may be better, but she still won't hesitate when it comes to messing with him. I tell myself it's all in good fun, but Nicole is known to be a little shit sometimes.
"We're looking for... there!" Ellie points up to a bluish, discolored stalactite. "The ancient people of the Far Hebrides would put an artificial stalactite here that'll cause a domino effect when it cracks off. Throw a rock at it. And then we'll need to run. We'll have seconds before the ceiling falls."
I shrug. "Okay. Everybody, get ready."
I grab a small rock and look up, using the light from my headlamp as a guide. And I throw. The rock goes flying, smacking into the stalactite. It cracks, and as soon as the sound reaches our ears, the group takes off in a sprint.
It works just as Ellie said it would, one stalactite after the other falling from the ceiling. One falls right onto a zombie's head, sending blood and gore all onto the walls with a splat that's drowned out by rock hitting rock. More zombies are impaled, one after another. Many get their heads crushed, but a few are simply impaled in the arms, legs, abdomen.
It's not enough to kill them, but it does knock them down long enough for us to get more leeway.
Sam laughs in awe and excitement. "Oh my God. Callista, did you see that?! That was amazing!"
"Mr. Yao, we must keep moving," Janine tells him. "The zombies have been slowed down, but they are still moving towards us."
"We're almost at the exit," Ellie promises, and Sam's eyes sparkle in relief. Even though these caves did shield us from the rain, being somewhere dark and unknown is where most bad things have gone down on previous missions. His slightly shaking hands and quick glances around show his worry.
"Not a moment too soon," Tom says. "Jones is unpredictable. There's no guarantee he'll stay put here. We have to move quickly. Let's go!"
•
Sam audibly sighs in relief when we reach the cave's exit.
"Ah, man, this is nice. Fresh air, no zoms. I was beginning to think we'd be in that dark cave forever."
"It's still dark," I point out as the rain hits my skin again. "And cold and raining."
"But we're out of there," He says, and the smile he wears is enough to make a small one form on my face.
"There's a coastal path that'll take us to the beach where Jones' boat is moored," Ellie says. "With any luck, we'll be there before he's left the boat." Her expression is nothing less than enthusiastic when she looks at me. "Five, I cannot wait to get my hands on the Edda! Did you know it's supposed to have been written on these islands?"
"Wait, really?" Nicole asks before I can reply, but Ellie nods excitedly just the same.
"I've been revising all my Anglo-Saxon, and my Norse, and my Icelandic. Old sources say there are illustrations in it. That bit that's missing-there could be pictograms, or a map. And there's another part of the Edda I studied before that had a drawing of the mountain-"
A loud pop rings through the air, and panic shoots through me as Nicole grabs my shoulder and practically pushes me to my knees.
"Someone's shooting!" Janine shouts. "Get down!"
Most everyone has already ducked down, eyes searching. We have weapons, but most of them are pistols. The range of them are too short to shoot at whoever's shooting at us.
"Gunfire, coming from that hill," Tom announces.
"Must be Jones. Everybody run for cover, towards the-" She stands, but the rest of her words are drowned out when Tom and Jody start talking over her. Their words are inaudible as they argue on where the best way to go is. Janine starts to lead us one way despite the protests from Tom and Jody.
Ellie and I both stand and start to follow Janine, although the dark skinned woman looks at me in confusion.
"What? What are they saying? I can't-"
It all happens so fast.
The pop of the gunshot, the gush of air as the bullet flies past, the feeling of warm blood spattering on my clothes and arms. It's such a contrast against the freezing rain.
Ellie gasps and looks at me with wide eyes.
"Five?"
I can't give her an answer. My words are clogged in my throat.
She collapses. I stand there.
"Ellie!" Sam screams, dropping to his knees. "Janine, Paula! They've hit Ellie in the chest!" He shakes her shoulders, but she doesn't stir. "Ellie. Ellie, it's okay. Callista's here. I'm here. Just-just open your eyes, okay? Paula, Nicole, we need you here now! She needs help, please!"
I stand there, staring. I'm acutely aware of her blood on me, of the body in front of me. The dead body in front of me. Ellie's dead body in front of me.
Oh, God. Oh, God! Oh, God!
"Get down!" Nicole shouts, practically tackling me to the ground as a bullet flies by, hitting the rock behind me. It would have went through my head if Nicole hadn't grabbed me. She looks at Sam. "She's been shot in the heart. We can't help her. We have to move, now!"
"No, we can't leave Ellie," Sam insists. "She-she doesn't even have her eyes open!" He looks at me desperately, tearfully. "C-Callista, help me carry her."
Jody ushers towards him and grabs his arm. "Ellie's gone, Sam. Look at her. She's gone."
He stares at Ellie's body in shock. Blood covers her chest, so much blood. It's on his hands now, the rain washing some of it away.
How long has it been since he's had to watch a friend die like this? In front of him, not through a screen? When was the last time someone he cared for died near him like this?
Chris McShell.
No wonder he's in shock.
Sam still shakes his head. "No. No, she can't be. Paula, you must be able to do something... Paula!"
She's crying as she shakes her head. "Sam, please. Ellie is dead. She's dead! Whoever those people are, they're trying to kill us. We have to go."
He's frozen where he is, crying, in shock. Paula looks at me. "Five, help me bring Sam. We have to run. Go!"
A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while, huh? I hope you're excited to see Callista and the Abel crew back in action and I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter of To Be A Champion. It is dedicated to JohnWelsh2 Blank1234567 rlane43 and Saxophone_Obsessor
Thank you all so much for your patience with this book. I know the hiatus was a lot longer than it normally is and you guys being kind and patient with me means more than you could ever know. Please be sure to vote and comment. I love to hear from you guys. Thank you and have a blessed day!