Poison. (BOOK 1/2, THE POISON SERIES)

CHAPTER 11: HUMANS AND SHIFTS (DAN)

The alarm on the clock feels like harsh knives in my ear.
I roll over in the bed and stare at my clock. 03:00 am.
I look over at dash in the other side of the bed. She's still sleeping. Today we are risking our lives to fight Brad. This could be the last time I sleep in a bed with Dash. It could be the last time I sleep...

I shake Dash awake.
"Ugh! I'm already awake!" She groans.
"No you weren't." I say.
"Oh, Shut Up! Is it 3 already?" She asks.
"03:04 now." I laugh, "Let's get changed."

We put on our clothes, I pull on my black jeans, my black top, my grey hoodie and my rain coat. I grab my back pack, chuck a tub full of sandwiches in, my balaclava, three guns, two handguns one SMG, and put in ten small boxes of ammunition. I grab my phone and put it in the front section of my bag, I put my water bottle in a side pocket.
Dash fills her bag as well.
I slip on my trainers before leaving.
*
We walk out into the hallway, other Liberators come out of their rooms as well, all prepared for today's assassination attempt.
"The Boss is so full of himself, I'm telling you." I say to Dash as we walk.
"I know. You've said at least 20 times!" Says Dash sarcastically.
"Oh, ha-ha!"

"Apparently Brad's human team the Saviours arrived last night." Says Dash.
"Yeah me and Lucy and some others helped them get in the garage at quarter to midnight." I yawn.
"Lucy, the new girl? Why didn't you invite me?" Asks Dash.
"You insisted on going to bed, remember."
"Oh yeah!" Laughs Dash.
We reach some stairs and go down, hundreds of other Liberators moving in the same direction.
"You know Silver Fox?" I ask.
"Yeah?"
"Something's bothering her."
"Any idea?" Asks Dash.
"No... What's Luke and Sae like?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Sae, she's nice, quite clever as well, always researching and tracking police movements on her computer to help us plan escape tactics. Luke, well, he's... Odd, he uses humour to hide his pain. Almost as if Laughing is the only thing to keep him sane." Says Dash.
"That's deep."
"Heard anything about Ember?" Asks Dash.
"The Tiger Shift? I dunno, Silver Fox seems to Like him."

We reach the bottom of the stairs and find ourselves in another bedroom corridor. Hundreds of people flock out of the rooms or down the corridor.
"I can't believe we're bloody doing this!" Says Dash.
*
We sit in the back of a huge army Van. There must be at least 20 vans holding at least A hundred Liberators or humans each.
The rain hammers on the Tarpaulin covers as we speed down the desert freeway.
Dash sits next to me, her SMG held in her hand, on the other side of me is Silver Fox, she looks sad and sits quietly.
"Where's Ember?" Asks Lucy who sits on the army bench opposite her.
"Oh, he went in the other Van." She murmurs.
Next to Silver Fox is Luke, he sits there with headphones in and whispers a song about "Big Butts".
Next to Luke is Sae. She sits there with her computer on her lap typing on a word document, or making graphs on Excel.

Then my mind floats away.
Why would Brad need plaster our minds with propaganda saying "I'm Back" if he's already here?
What happens if it's not him?
But someone else Brad worked with who's come back...
But who's Back?
Who is close to Brad?
*
North London, 06:37 AM.

Humans And Shifts.
We're going to Fight together. The vans have parked in an empty warehouse, everyone stands around chatting. The warehouse spills echoes of the conversations everywhere. Humans talking to shifts. Shifts talking to Humans.

But I'm sat outside the warehouse, in the heavy rain. It's still slightly dark, but I can see all the citadels towering over the city, they look like rainbow glowing shards of glass reaching into the sky. Beautiful rainbow colours everywhere.

Then I see Citadel 1. The white featureless walls with glowing windows.
It stands out the most because it's so colour-less.
*
We move under the cover of the dark grey morning.
We rush past the old pointless building that is being demolished. The houses of Parliament.

*
We reach the building. Citadel 001. The tower where the poison was made. The poison that destroyed so many dreams. Tore apart so many families. Broke so many hearts. We could destroy any more from being developed.
We can stop Brad.
*
Brad sits at his desk, muttering under his breath. He scratches the desk with his fingers, he hasn't killed someone since two hours ago. He opens one of his draws and takes out a pack of Cannabis cigarettes, he takes one, and with a shaking hand lights it. He takes a deep shuddering breath from the drug and the smoke rolls into his mouth. The sickly smell fills his office, he can never rest. He stands up suddenly and chucks one of his computers across the room where it shatters. He picks up his office chair and smashes it on his desk. Then he slams his head against the door.
He takes another puff.
He rips some wallpaper off the wall and chucks it on the floor.
He coughs out the smoke that drives him insane...
Another puff...

Suddenly an alarm sounds!
"F*CKING INTRUDERS! WHAT DO I PAY MY BODYGUARDS FOR!" He screams. He kicks open his door and runs into the corridor. Emergency lights flicker.
"SH*T!" He screams!
A worker runs past him.
"YOU! Who's broken in?!" Yells Brad.
"It's the-the L-L-Liberators sir." Stammers the worker.
"BLOODY HELL!" Shouts Brad, he grabs his gun and shoots the worker in the face.
*
I walk through the hallway with the others, Soldiers fill the hallway.
I duck into a doorway, a few liberators and humans are shot and die on the floor of the hall. I lean round the door frame and shoot blindly, a shower of bullets come my way and I duck back into the room.
I see Dash on the other side of the hall, she grabs her baseball bat and slams it into the fire alarm. The sprinklers go off, the water blurs my vision and hopefully the attacking soldiers vision too.
Suddenly, down the hall walks the Stalker in his wetsuit like uniform, gun at the ready.
"Why are we waiting here?! We need to attack!" Yells Luke.
Suddenly the Stalker throws a grenade!
"Sh*t! TAKE COVER!" I yell.
Some people run, others cover their heads, some just stand there. I duck down, I see Dash, Luke and Sae bolt away from the grenade.
BOOM!
The roof and the floor collapse, some people die in the fire, I'm blown backwards. Crowds of Liberators and Saviours run in all directions, some get shot down, others escape.
I'm on the floor. I'm bleeding.
Then through the smoke comes a figure.
"Help!" I beg whoever it is.
"No Dan." Says the Stalker.
"BLOODY HELL!" I groan.
"Do you know who I am Dan?" He asks.
"No." I moan.
"Oh Daniel..." He smiles.
"Who?"
Then he whispers in my ear, "Not all of the wolf pack died Dan."
I gasp and my eyes go wide.
"NO!" I yell.
He kicks me in the face and all goes black...
*
Dash, Luke and Sae rush with the crowd, massacre close behind them, gunfire, explosions, death. The crowd rushes through the car park, explosions and gunfire everywhere.
A helicopter hovers over the stampede showering people with bullets.
Dash, Luke and Sae rush out of the gates and then Dash sees it. A burgundy van driving straight at the three of them. Of all the people in the crowd the van is heading at them!
"What the hell!" Shouts Luke.
Then Dash sees what's on the van. The chilling words "I'm Back.".
"Who's back?!" She can't help screaming, rain pouring on her face.
Suddenly the van stops, a man steps out the back with a tranq gun.
"RUN DASH!" Yells Sae.
It's too late.
All three of them are shot, and the world goes black...
*
Silver Fox and Lucy are miles away from the citadel.
Suddenly Ember runs past.
"Ember!" Yells Lucy, grabbing his arm.
"The soldiers, they're still chasing people." He cries.
"Do you know where the others are?" Shouts Silver Fox.
"No." He replies.
Now for all they know they could be dead, or worse... Brad could have taken them!
"We need to run, the soldiers are shooting anyone that looks suspicious!" Cries Ember, real tears streaming down his face.
And with that, they run into the misty rain...