Young Writers Society

Korina

Everyone just stood there, nobody really sure what to say. I stepped up again. "We have to get working, guys. Darcy, do you have any ideas about exactly where your father may be?" She shook her head. "Ideas about where in the city it's more likely for him to be?" This time she nodded tentatively. "Alright, can you sketch a map of the city and find some way to indicate the most and least likely places? We just need someplace to start. Do you need materials?"

She said, "There's probably pens and paper in the desk somewhere. I'll go check." Opening a drawer, she grabbed a sheaf of paper.

I turned to the others. "Nathaniel, you know as much about monsters as I do. Can you go help her out?" He nodded and left. "Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but this place isn't particularly secure. Anybody not have a gun?" Before they could answer, I dumped the backpack we picked up from the store on the floor. "Darcy and I got extra."

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't feel right leaving people in this building when it's one of the least defensible ever."

Anton said, "Let the monsters come. Everybody probably left for shelters when the bridges dropped, anyway."

"Not if they didn't know the city well," Alex answered.

"Exactly." I strode over to the lobby computer and began trying different passwords. "I'm going to see if I can stop the elevator between floors so the monsters can't use it. Can you guys try to figure out how to block the stairwell?"

A gunshot fired. Miranda aimed her gun again. "Some of us need to deal with the pwdre ser zombies that just broke the door, too."

I flushed. "Yeah, that'd be a good idea. Can you, Adam, and Jaegar do that?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

Jaeger Pen

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea. Can you, Adam, and Jaegar do that?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

At the sound of my name, I opened my eyes and turned my head towards the group in the middle of the room. Things were hectic, I was tired, and hurt in more ways than the physical. Darcy had been working with the Bloodletters. I never really actually had any connection to her. One thing you learn, growing up the way I did, is to never trust anybody. I didn't trust her - hell, I never trusted anyone - but, after all we'd been through, I'd begun to think that maybe I could. After all this that we'd done, as a team, I thought that I could relax a bit, shut both my eyes to sleep, and everything was okay.

Finding out Darcy was helping the very people trying to hurt us, that pained me more than I thought it would, and the anger I could feel forming in the pit of my stomach was not like the usual pure rage, but contained something that also made my throat burn and my hands shake.

I snatched my grabbed my Ax off the ground and gripped it tight in my hand.

"Zombies? No problem," I grunted before taking off towards the door. The others, already geared up, followed.

"I'll get up front," I told the rest, "stop them from getting too far into the building. I can maintain the front line well enough, I think."

Nathaniel,

I follow Darcy into the back room behind the desk, where she is rumaging around in a drawer for pens. She doesn't look up when I come in, but I see a vague flush creep up her neck. I sigh.

"Darcy--," I begin, but she stands up abruptly and cuts me off.

"Don't. Just...don't, Nathaniel," she says harshly, "You can't trust me anymore, I get it."

I shake my head, "You're wrong. If you hadn't told us, if we'd found out some other way, then I wouldn't trust you. But you did tell us. You had the courage to confess something like that, and I think that makes you the most trustworthy person here. Screw what Anton and Jaegar think, I'm behind you. And if we're gonna stop the Bloodletters, we have to work together. So let's just put this behind us, and move on."

Darcy's eyes rove around my face, searching. There is a streak of grime across the bridge of her nose, and a few small scratches on her cheek, but she is still beautiful. The pop of gunfire rings out from behind us; the others dealing with a monster incursion, no doubt, but we ignore it.

"Okay," she says at last, "But I'm still not sure about what will happen with my father. Who knows what will happen when we find him?"

"I do know that you are my friend, and that you will do whatever is in your power not to let harm fall on any of us. You've proved that over the last few days. So whatever will happen, forget about it. We'll deal with it when it comes," I brush a strand of her hair out of her face, and then lean in. We kiss for a second, and then more gunfire from outside. We break apart, both a bit red in the face.

"I should get working on the map," she says, and sits down at the desk again. She begins drawing a rough map of NYC, and where we know there have been monsters in the past.

Alex

I stared openmouthed as Korina took over, dumping guns on the floor, giving orders, and making plans. I think everyone else was just as surprised as I was, because nobody protested, not even Anton or Miranda or the others.

"I don't know about the rest of you," she said as we all stared, "but I don't feel right leaving people in this building when it's one of the least defensible ever."

"Let the monsters come," Anton growled; his cheek was turning red from where Korina had slapped it, and his anger showed. "Everybody probably left for shelter when the bridges dropped, anyway."

"Not if they don't know the city well," I argued. I wasn't too sure if it was wise to challenge Anton at all, but Korina's example made me feel optimistic. To my surprise, he just growled under his breath.

"Exactly," Korina agreed, strolling over to a computer and starting to toy around with passwords. "I'm going to see if I can stop the elevator between floors so the monsters can't use it." Suddenly I had a mental image of a pack of chupacabras and pwdre ser zombies sitting in the elevator while chirpy music played, but I managed to focus enough to catch her next sentence: "Can you guys try to figure out how to block the stairwell?"

I was about to answer when a gunshot went of and Miranda lowered her weapon for a second before aiming again. "Some of us need to deal with the pwdre ser zombies that just broke the door, too."

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea. Can you, Adam and Jaegar do that?" That left Anton, John and me to blockade the stairwell.

"Thought you'd never ask," replied Miranda, and then everyone moved at once. I realized a little too late that I was still loosely holding Anton by the arm, and he yanked away with a growl, skulking off towards the stairs.

I tried to shove down a wave of nervousness when I realized that I was headed towards the stairs alone with John and a very irritated Anton. I'd try to keep my mouth shut, I decided. I noticed that both of them glared at Darcy as she left with Nathaniel, and felt a brief surge of annoyance. Couldn't they get that she was on our side? I wasn't sure why she hadn't told us all this in the first place, but if she really was a traitor, then she wouldn't have told us at all. Besides, Darcy was my friend - at least, I liked to think so.

We reached the door and went through, muffling the sounds of chaos that had begun to rise outside. The stairs were about four feet wide, and they spiraled up in a whirl of concrete and tile. I saw no way to blockade it.

"So," I said awkwardly. "Anybody got any ideas?"

Anton Wolfe
My cheek was burning from where Korina had slapped me, I was still cold and tired from the lack of food and sleep, and my head was starting to pound painfully, like it always did when I hadn't taken any hellhound poison in a while. Maybe that was what held me back. I certainly couldn't come up with any other reason to why I hadn't killed Darcy there, on the spot. Then Korina had slapped me. First she had destroyed my car, one of the two things in the world that I actually cared about, and then she had hit me. If we survived this, then I was going to quit and join the hunters instead. Enough was enough.

"So." I couldn't help but frown. I would've rather helped Miranda and Jaegar hold the monsters off. "Anybody got any ideas?"

Bashing your head against the concrete wall until it cracks like a coconut? I snickered at the images in my head. Surely John wouldn't mind? "The sofas in the lobby," I muttered instead. What difference does one barricade make? Thousands will die today, and we can't do anything about that. "We could get two of them up the first set of stairs, and one to make sure they can't climb on the rails... And probably some chairs just to make sure."

Alex just stared at me. Maybe he wants his head cracked open. I sure as h*** don't mind. I instinctively pulled my good further down over my eyes. "Stop gawking before I gauge your eyes out," I hissed before going back to the lobby, towards a group of couches. Knowing that I'd be with the hunters again, or dead, as soon as this was over was more soothing than I thought it would be.

I glanced towards the entrance, and watched Jaegar swing his ax down on the head of one of the zombies. He looked like he was having fun.

"Help me out with this."

Without a word I grabbed the other end of the couch that Alex stood by. It was big and heavy, perfect to build a barricade with. We carried it up the first flight of stairs and put it down where it was as much in the way as possible. When it was done I had to lean back towards the wall. My head was swimming and hurting even worse than before, and to my great annoyance I realized that I was far more winded than Alex.

"Uuh.. Are you okay?"

My head snapped up. If that's concern in your voice, I really will kill you. I didn't have time to snarl at him before the door swung open again and John came in, dragging a desk behind him. Alex went down to help him carry it up.

I helped with another couch, before finally admitting that I couldn't do anything more if I wanted to stay conscious the rest if the day. I stopped by the door, and looked down on my shaking hands. Dying, that's what you are. The hellhounds might not have finished you off that night, but they will eventually.

I drew my fathers gun, the only thing I had left of him, now that my car was gone, and sneered as Alex eyed me suspiciously. That time when I had aimed a gun at his head was still fresh in both our memories. "I'll go help the others. You two can finish this."

I didn't have much ammo, but it would have to do for now. I joined Jaegar, Miranda and Adam, and helped then push back the monsters into the street. Every time my gun went off, my headache grew worse, until all the sounds around me had melted together to one painfully loud roar. I did what I always did while fighting, and lost myself in it, until I felt someone grab my shoulder.

"The map's done."

I looked around, slightly disoriented. My headache got slightly better as the loud bangs of guns stopped, but I knew it would keep building up until I couldn't take it anymore. I needed hellhound poison, and I needed it soon.

Korina

"The map's done," Darcy announced.

I entered a final command that would allow me to fix the elevator quickly when we came back. If we got back. Then an idea came to me. I glanced up from the screen. "Does anybody know of any species of monsters that can read?" Nathaniel shook his head, looking slightly confused. "Good."

On the homescreen, I opened a document and typed instructions on how to unlock the elevator. "There. If we don't come back those people hopefully won't die up there. As long as we're right about monsters not being able to read, anyway." I stood and stretched. "All set over there?" I called to Alex and John. Anton had decided to join the group holding the monsters back.

They nodded and joined us around Darcy's map. The group at the door stopped shooting. I asked warily, "Won't the monsters keep coming?"

Miranda shook her head and lowered her gun. "Looks like we scared them off, at least temporarily."

I looked around. At this point, nobody would guess we were in the lobby of a four-star hotel. The glass doors were shattered and there was a pile of dead monsters and pwdre ser zombies, some bleeding, some eerily bloodless. The furniture was gone, taken to make the barricade for the stairs. And then there was us. Nine children all exhausted despite our sleeping here tonight. Our clothes had seen better days and it was a miracle nobody was seriously hurt yet. Anton was pale and swaying. "You're not going to collapse again, right?" He shook his head stubbornly. "Fine. Darcy, can you tell us about the map?"

Nathaniel,

Darcy leans down and spreads her map out on the floor. It's quite detailed, with every block and street in Manhattan. She's labeled previous incursion locations, although, considering the siuation outside, that will be off little use. Darcy takes a deep breath.

"I never knew exactly where they were based, because Mr. Anonymous always made sure to find me near the Society. But I did get the impression that they were hanging out somwewhere in the city, probably in Manhattan. It's the only explanation of how they managed to get the monsters to all of the locations."

We all nod, even Anton.

"Alright," John says mulishly, "So we know they're on the island, big deal. Half the people in the city are dead now, monsters are everywhere...how are we going to deal with them?"

Darcy opens her mouth, but it's Korina who answers, "Isn't it obvious? Look around, all of you," she gestures out of the broken windows. Past the corpses of the beasts and zombies that we've slain, creatures skulk in the shadows, bound down the street, peer out of doorways. And each, with the exception of the odd pwdre ser victim, have the flashing lights somewhere on their head, that marks the presence of one of the Bloodletters' chips. Korina snorts, "With that number of monsters under their control, and from what I've studied in the one chip we had, they can't be controlling these things from across the country, or even across the river. They need to be in close range, which means they're here--,"

"Yeah, we figured that out al--," Miranda snaps, but Korina cuts through.

"Which means that, if we can locate the computer that is connected to these chips and destroy it, we can stop all of this. The monsters may die," she glances quickly at Darcy, "But we don't have a lot of other options."

Before anyone can say anything else, a phone rings. Korina's. We all jump.

Alex says, "Who...?"

Korina looks at the caller ID and her face lights up, "It's Torrance!"

Korina

I answer the phone. "Hello, Torrance. First things first, where are you?"

"Brooklyn. Listen, Korina, we don't have time for this. I'm going to get into the city as soon as I can. You and the others have to meet up with me at Time's Square, alright? We can discuss the plan there."

"What about the Society? What happened to it? Did everybody make it out? Oh, and are people actually evacuating? I sent an alert, but I don't know if they listened-"

"Calm down. Somebody set a bomb in the Society; we're not sure who, but it looked like an inside job. Yes, everybody made it out, and you'll be happy to know helicopters are coming in and out of the city carrying refugees. That's not important now, though. Those people will all be dead anyway if we don't catch the Bloodletters. Now, Time's Square by noon?"

I glanced at the time, and realized it was already 10:30. Time flies when you're trying to stay alive. "We'll be there." He hung up. I turned to the others and summarized what little information I had got from him.

One thing he hadn't mentioned, however, was the danger of our mission. We might not come back. I stared at the phone in my hand and dialed a familiar number. Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak, but I shaked my head and put a finger to my lips.

The phone rang a few times. "Korina?" It was my mother, sounding astonished that I actually called her. "I'm putting you on speakerphone so your father can talk to you too. We...we saw the news. Honey, are you alright?"

I smiled slightly. Mom never changed. "I'm just fine, Mom. I just called to say I'm sorry. I deserted you, blamed you for Isa, when you couldn't have done anything about it. I..." I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was harder than I thought it would be. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

"Is it true?" my father asked. "Monsters roam the streets of New York and Martians are invading?"

"They evidently exaggerated the situation somewhat."

"Promise us, honey." Mom again. "Promise us you'll get out of that hellhole the first chance you get."

"I promise." One more white lie won't hurt. "And what's more, I swear that when this mess is all over, I'm coming home. I still have a lot more apologizing to do." Sorry, Isa, but I'll have to try to save you from home. If I can. I think every day I get closer to giving up. My parents are still grieving for one daughter. Best to give them good last memories of the other. "Mom, Dad, I love you. Whatever happens here, whatever happens to me, don't forget that. I love you, and I hope you forgive me." I hung up.

I strode back to the others and placed the phone on the lobby desk. "This phone can reach anywhere in the world, service or none. I can't be the only person here with family left alive. We might not survive this mission, any of us. Time's Square is only a half-hour's walk away, so we have time. If you want to say goodbye before we leave, now's your chance."

No one seemed to want to move, afraid to admit the truth of it, that we were just kids and this situation was far beyond our control. I stepped back and let the tears flow freely down my face. My family deserved my tears.

Alex

John and I finished the barricade in silence, and as we came out discovered that the map had been finished. I half-listened as Korina explained how the Bloodletters must be in the city - we all sort of knew it, even if nobody had really said it. It just made sense. I listened in, though, as she started talking about stopping the whole ordeal - how we could stop the chips from working. Korina pointed out that the monsters could die, but at this point there probably wasn't any other way to stop this mess.

I was about to ask how we were going to find the base when Korina's phone went off and we all jumped. She looked at the ID and grinned. "It's Torrance!"

Apparently he was currently in Brooklyn, and wanted us to meet him in Times Square in an hour in a half. Everyone sighed in relief as Korina relayed to us that everyone had escaped the Society, and that helicopters were flying people out. It occurred to me that we weren't the only people doing what we were doing - others were out there trying to stop this as well. I wondered how many people had died already.

I wondered how many of us were going to die.

The thought came out of nowhere, and I felt furious at it. We can't die, I snarled at myself. That's what people who don't know what they're doing say.

I realized that Korina had the phone to her ear again - she was calling someone. After a moment, it became apparent that it was her mother.

I tried not to listen to her conversation, but I couldn't help but hear a little. I wondered what Korina's parents were like - I wondered how mine were. I hadn't talked to them in a while.

After all, you tend not to talk much to parents who never actually gave you permission to come to New York.

As if she'd read my thoughts, Korina hung up her phone, looked at it for a moment, and then held it out.

"This phone can reach anywhere in the world, service or none. I can't be the only person here with family left alive. We might not survive this mission, any of us. Times Square is only a half-hour's walk away, so we have time. If you want to say goodbye before we leave, now's your chance."

For a moment, nobody moved. Korina set the phone down and stepped back.

Finally, I moved forward and picked it up, hardly even realizing that I was actually doing so. Half-numbly, I tapped in a number I still had memorized and lifted the phone to my ear. I heard the dial tone and imagined home. I imagined Mom and Dad looking up, seeing an unfamiliar number, and wondered what they thought. If they thought much - if they were even home. Maybe they weren't, and I could just leave a message and I wouldn't have to--

A click. "Hello? This is Michelle Johnson."

For a moment I thought with a spike of panic that I wasn't able to speak anymore, but then I heard myself say, "Hi, Mom."

Silence on the other end for a few seconds. Maybe she would hang up. "Alex?" No, she wouldn't. Suddenly I heard her burst into tears. "Alex, where are you? Tell me you're not still in New York, honey, please."

"I... I can't say that, Mom."I hated that she was crying. It made me feel like I should cry, and I sure didn't need to break down in tears in front of the entire team. "Has it been on the news, I guess?"

"Been on the news? It's been everywhere! Your dad was watching football when it popped up over his game! Half the world still thinks it's a hoax and someone got onto the satellites! Alex, you have to come home. Please."

"I can't, Mom."

"What do you mean, you can't?" she yelled. "Have you forgotten where home is? It's been a year and a half, Alex! A year and a half! Do you have any idea what it's been like for us? Have you even thought of us all this time?"

I was frozen for a moment, mostly because I hadn't. Not much - I'd been busy all this time, thinking about other things. "I... I'm sorry, Mom," I finally said. "I just had to--"

"You didn't have to do anything," she pressed hotly. "You could have stayed home, where you belong! You're a kid, Alex!"

"I'm not a kid anymore, Mom. Maybe I am legally, but I stopped being a kid when I fell halfway down that mountain in Scotland. I'm sorry that things ended up this way, but I couldn't just sit around on my hands wondering if I'd been hallucinating or not for the rest of my life - not when I had the opportunity to come here. If you'd just let me go, I wouldn't have run off in the first place!"

"And look where it ended you, Alex! Are you happy now?"

There was silence for a little bit. I wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"I shouldn't have said that, Alex." My mom had quieted down now. "I'm sorry."

"So am I." I took a deep breath. "Mom, I had to call you because I, um... I might not get to call you again."

"What do you mean, Alex?" Mom said. "You're alright now, just... just get out of there. There are helicopters going into there, you can hide, you can come home! This isn't your place, Alex, you're just a kid."

"No, Mom. I... I guess I am a kid, but that doesn't really matter anymore. I have the ability to help these people, and I'm not passing that up. I'm sorry."

My mom sniffed again, and I held my breath. "I know I should think you're right, but I just want to see my boy right now."

"Mom!" I tried to keep the whimper out of my voice and I think I succeeded, but I couldn't stop tears from welling up. "Look, I... I have to do this. And when it's over, if I'm still... if I'm still around, I promise I'll come visit you."

"You still won't stay?"

"I'm sorry. My place is here, Mom." I took another deep breath - I needed to end this conversation or it would just go on forever like a bad movie. "Look, I have to go now. This might be the last time I get to talk to you, so.... I love you, Mom. And tell Dad the same."

"I love you too, Alex - just remember that. You're never too far gone to come back home. Goodbye, honey."

"Goodbye." Before anyone could say anything else, I pulled the phone down and hung up. Then I set it down before half-hurrying away from the group - I didn't want them to see the tears that I couldn't prevent anymore.