The Rephaim: Burn Part 27

'You bring friends?' I manage between ducking and blocking. I can't take my eyes from the demons lunging at me, but I hear Uri's words loud and clear.

'Yep-the entire Sanctuary.'

I don't know how, or why, but we just gained an army.

And with that, I find my second wind. I cut down four more Immundi before Rafa moves up to my shoulder. We press forward, side by side. Uri is with us now, and when I can risk a look, I spot Callie. Daniel. Our numbers mean we can form something resembling a line as we press forward. We step over (mostly on) Immundi as we drive them back. The rain comes at us in gusts now and my wet clothes drag at me. Still no sign of Zarael and his Gatekeepers or their h.e.l.l-beasts. More gunfire, targeting the rearguard of the Immundi. Mick's boys have taken up positions on the boardwalk.

We push the h.e.l.l sp.a.w.n back up the beach a good twenty metres before a siren wails from the esplanade. It sounds old-fas.h.i.+oned, like the one at local footy matches. For a second, I think it must be part of the evacuation, but then the Immundi on the beach turn and run as if on cue. Why are they retreating?

Actually, I don't care.

'Fall back!' Daniel's voice carries on the rain-sodden wind. The order's not for our crew, so I ignore it and instead sprint for the esplanade. There's screaming up there, more gunshots.

I take a quick look over my shoulder, see Rafa, Jude and Daisy following, more Rephaim behind them. Mick's militia keeps firing at the Immundi: flashes from rifle muzzles light up the other end of the boardwalk.

I vault over the rail in time to see a ute with oversized wheels and a dozen aerials bounce over the kerb and careen into the esplanade. Rusty and Woosha hang off the side, firing into a pack of Immundi running towards the resort. Are those demons retreating like the others, or hunting human stragglers? My legs burn from the sprint through the sand but I push harder to keep pace with the Butler crew.

'We got these c.o.c.ksuckers!' Rusty yells as the ute swerves to avoid slamming into the fire truck outside the surf shop. The blond mullet guns the engine and the ute skids, then straightens.

I slow to a jog and Rafa draws level with me, breathing hard. 'It's a f.u.c.king war zone.'

He's not wrong. A sports car is wrapped around a power pole outside the juice shop. An SUV lies on its side against the bike-hire rack. The fires at either end of the esplanade are still raging, spreading to neighbouring shops. G.o.d, I hope everyone got out-or they're at least well hidden. We've missed our window to guarantee an empty town. Thank G.o.d Jason got the girls away.

Daisy stalks the street, twin-bladed sai in each hand. Jude is with her, wiping his sword on his jeans. Behind them, the Rephaim fan out to cover the street. Taya races out of the cut-through from the beach ahead of us. She's got a sword in her left hand and clutches a serrated hunting knife with the four good fingers of her right. One of Mick's crew must have given her the blade-definitely not Rephaite issue.

'I'll check the bar,' she calls out and sprints across the road, face turned against the squalling rain.

Police sirens a few blocks away. Up ahead, the Immundi swarm over the boardwalk and onto the beach, away from Rusty and his mates. The ute brakes hard and the boys pile out, join Mick and the rest of the crew lined up along the handrail. By the time we reach them, they're all firing indiscriminately into the ma.s.s of demons.

Jess is wedged between Mick and Joffa. Mya is further along the line, hair plastered against her scalp, aiming a pistol at the retreating h.e.l.l sp.a.w.n. At least the girls are picking out targets before they shoot.

The beach is littered with dead and wounded Immundi. When the fleeing demons are out of range, Mick and his boys turn their attention to anything still moving on the sand. Each gunshot is a punch in the side of my head. The scale of the carnage turns my stomach, demon or not.

'That'll do,' I shout. 'Enough.'

Mick lets off a few more rounds and then the blasting stops. A crack of thunder follows, muted in comparison. The rain stops abruptly, like someone's turned off the tap. The Sanctuary Rephaim have fallen back to the other end of the beach near the headland at the edge of the rainforest. Uri wasn't exaggerating: he and Daniel brought the entire Sanctuary army.

Jones touches my shoulder. 'We'll do a sweep of the town.' He jogs off with Daisy, Micah and Malachi. Jude leans against the handrail to catch his breath. The rest of our crew does the same. It's a relief to not have rain pelting in my face. I take a moment to enjoy the sensation.

'What now?' Mick asks, reloading.

I'm still buzzing, finding it hard to stand still. 'I don't know. Give me a second.' Water drips from the palms and the fence railing. Do we have the numbers to take them now? Should we attack? Do I have time to call Maggie, check she's safe?

'Think quick,' Rafa says, standing close. I follow his gaze.

The Immundi are gathering on the beach in front of the resort, resettling into formation to charge again.

Looks like they've made the decision for us.

THE GANG'S ALL HERE Uri materialises. Too close. I'm so wired, I almost take his head off. He ducks sideways and blocks my blade with his own.

'f.u.c.k!' My heart gives an almighty thump and I lower my sword.

'I thought you saw me.' He straightens, still twitchy.

'No, Uri, all I can see right now is that horde regrouping.'

'Then tell us your next move. This is your show, remember?'

s.h.i.+t. This is what happens when you act like you're in charge. The Immundi are definitely back in formation but they haven't moved. Are there more of them now? b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, I think there are-how is that possible?

'Is Nathaniel coming?' I ask.

Uri scans the beach, doesn't answer. I try to ignore the stab of panic.

'Go.' Mya pushes rain-slicked hair from her forehead. Kohl has smeared down her cheeks like charcoal tears. 'I'll send Jones and the others when they get back.'

'You come with them too.'

Mya's gaze flicks to Jude, avoiding Uri. 'That means Jess will have to manage this lot on her own.'

Right now, Jess is giving Rusty a lecture about the state of his rifle.

'She's got this,' I say. I step from the kerb, make sure I have everyone's attention. Ez is wiping down her knives. Zak dabs his temple where he took a heavy knock last night outside the Sanctuary.

'Let's get down there.' I point to the crowd of Rephaim in the distance.

's.h.i.+ft,' Rafa adds. 'No need to set that lot off before we have to.' He gestures to the demons at the other end of the beach. Our eyes meet, and I slip my fingers between his so we can exchange a quick burst of energy on the way.

We materialise behind the Sanctuary army, and I feel and hear the rest of our crew arriving around us. Cobalt clouds hang low, flas.h.i.+ng and rumbling, but the rain is holding off and the wind has settled to a sigh. The air remains electric, fizzing with menace.

'Daniel,' Jude calls out, loud enough to carry over the crowd of soldiers.

'Here.'

We make our way through the throng. I acknowledge every Rephaite I pa.s.s with a touch on the arm or shoulder, take quick stock of their injuries. Mostly cuts and welts, a few deeper wounds, already healing. I hear hushed greetings and back-thumping as our crew joins theirs. Everyone as bedraggled as each other.

Daniel is with Uri and Callie. Like them, he's wearing combat gear-black s.h.i.+rt, black pants, boots-his forearms spattered with Immundi blood. Three members of the Five well and truly getting their hands dirty. He gives Jude, Rafa and me a quick once-over, seems happy enough to find us intact.

'Micah rang and told me what you were facing.' He glances up the beach. The Immundi are still holding formation. 'What do you want to do?'

'Wait for Zarael's next move,' I say. 'That first attack was about testing our strength.'

Daniel nods. 'He wanted to see who else is going to show before he commits his full force.'

The rest of the Rephaim-all one hundred and fifty-eight soldiers-stay close, tensed for the next threat. 'What changed your mind?' I ask.

Daniel gives me a small, ironic smile. 'Zebediah.'

'Seriously?' Zeb's the least influential member of the Five. He and Magda provide religious and philosophical expertise, they don't mount arguments for demon attacks.

'He was adamant we all needed to be here. Himself included.'

'He's here?' Jude stands on his toes to check the faces around us. It makes no sense. Zeb barely leaves his private library to eat, let alone s.h.i.+ft to the other side of the world to spectate at a battle.

'He's with Magda and the others in a room at the resort,' Callie says. 'Your little seer reached out to him and-'

I don't hear the rest because I'm back in the void-and then in Jason's shadowy resort room. Two dozen Rephaim turn in my direction-Magda and Zeb, some other academics and IT techs from the Sanctuary. Not the faces I want. The power is out here too, but tea lights are lit in frosted gla.s.ses on the kitchen bench. The glow faint enough not to be visible from outside. Hopefully. At least it's not totally dark out there yet.

'Where's Dani?'

'Here, Gaby. I'm here.' Her tiny voice carries from the main bedroom and then she appears in the doorway, holding Jason's hand.

Relief surges through me. I sheathe my katana, ignore everyone else.

'Why are you still here?' I cross the floor, my boot heels loud on the timber. 'Where's Mags?'

I look past them. A tea light flickers in the ensuite, casting soft light into the bedroom. Maggie and Maria turn from the window.

'Is it over?' Maggie asks.

'I thought you were leaving?'

'Mum rang before the phones went down-'

'The phones are down?' I pull out my mobile. It's dead.

'The signal dropped out a few minutes ago. Mum's with Simon and Rick at the golf course. She's freaked, but she's safe. I told her I was with you and that we're okay.'

'But why are you still here?'

'n.o.body listens to me,' Dani says, dropping Jason's hand and sliding her fingers into mine. Her skin is warm. 'I need to be where you and Jude are. Everyone does.'

'You called Zeb?'

'Everyone has to be here,' she says, exasperated.

Jason catches my eye. 'I didn't know what to do, and then that lot turned up and-'

'Hang on.' I let go of Dani and move around the bed, peer out the window. The Immundi and Rephaim armies are still at opposite ends of the beach. What is Zarael waiting for?

'Gabriella.'

Zeb crowds the doorway. His beard is trimmed neat, as always, but his jet-black curls are longer than I remember. I can hear prayer beads clacking. Magda must be nearby.

'I've met with Brother Stephen,' Zeb says. 'I believe there is more at stake here than a simple battle.'

Spoken like a true civilian: there's nothing simple about what's happening below us outside. 'You've got five seconds to tell me why you're here.'

A flash outside momentarily lights up his face and I'm surprised by what I see in his eyes: nervous excitement. 'Brother Stephen says the Fallen can only be released if we are all in agreement, but I don't believe that means what he thinks it does.'

I gesture for him to get to the point.

'I think we only have to be in agreement generally. In other words, not be at odds with each other. That has never happened-there's never been the possibility of it happening-until now. Here, today, you have Mya, this boy Jason and the Outcasts. As I understand it, you also remember that your blood is the key to connecting with the Fallen, and that this miraculous child here knows the incantation.' He glances over at Dani, hovering in the bedroom doorway watching us. 'The rest are here too, every single one of us, united in our desire to drive Zarael back to h.e.l.l.'

'And?' I flex my fingers, needing to be back down on the beach.

Zeb swallows, loud enough for me to hear it.

'We may very well have the first opportunity in our sorry history to fulfil our destiny.'

LIGHTS OUT.

I materialise on the beach, feel the agitation.

Rafa meets me. 'Everyone okay?' He looks wild, rattled. Something quivers in my chest.

'I'll explain in a second. What's happened?'

'Take a look.' Rafa moves aside so I can step up between Jude and Daniel. Neither acknowledges me. I peer into the gloom and it takes a second for me to understand what I'm seeing.

The number of Immundi has doubled while I've been at the resort. No, tripled. No...more. There must be over a thousand bobble-headed demons. Nausea bubbles up. My palms are instantly slick again. The Immundi lift their short blades and rattle them together. They're like an ancient barbaric force screaming at the sky, and it's deafening, even at this distance.

'What the...' My mouth is so dry I can hardly speak.

Boom.

The ground beneath me shudders. Another explosion in town, this one further away. The highway. I drag my eyes from the horde and check the boardwalk. Was that one of the Butlers, or something else? No sign of Jess or the Pan Beach crew. Please let them be far away from this nightmare. I hope the rest of the town made it out.

'The odds aren't in our favour,' Daniel says. I barely hear him over the waves. Sea spray kisses my cheeks, settles on the back of my throat. The wind has picked up again.

'You leaving then?' I ask, anger stirring beneath the fear.

'No, Gabe. We're here until the end.'

I look from him to Jude. Clearly I've missed something.

'Daniel's with us,' Jude says. 'Either we'll get support or we won't, but we can't just hand this town over to Zarael.'

I don't know if he means support from Nathaniel or the Garrison or both, and I don't get the chance to ask because the Immundi army surges forward.

'Now,' Jude yells and I have a heartbeat to prepare myself for the violence.

The s.h.i.+ft gives us the element of surprise-for a split second-and then we're swamped by the monstrous pack of snarling Immundi. I attack with katana, block with saya. Kick, elbow, headb.u.t.t. Smell blood and sulfur. Demon sweat. Something foul from spilled intestines. I keep moving, don't think about what I'm stepping in, and on and over.

I feel it quicker this time: the burn in my calves, the ache in my shoulders. The way my bones rattle with every block and thwarted strike. The pull and tear of muscles as my blade finds its mark. The fierce concentration, how hard it is to spot the nearest threat with so much shadow and movement. Whenever lightning cuts over the beach, I see the endless sea of demons pressing to reach us.

It's like fighting against the tide.