Opening chapter from book 6 of the final book in the Jelvia: Not Human series (unedited).
'Til the World Falls Apart
Grey light strained through murky clouds as dawn crept
in. The house's dim glow barely touched the driveway, and the morning chill
pierced Macy's hoodie, making her shiver
“Are you sure Phil won’t follow us?” James asked,
closing the boot of the car with a soft thud.
Macy looked at the house where Phil had gone only a
moment ago. ‘She’s pregnant. I told her it’s too dangerous,’ she said.
Oliver emerged from the house, his movements stiff
with tension. His eyes darted around, lingering warily on the Jelvias, though
his demeanour was notably more composed than the previous night. He clutched
several Tupperware boxes, his knuckles white.
'Leftover pizza,' he muttered, extending them towards
Macy.
'Thanks,' Macy replied, accepting the boxes. She tried
to catch his eye, but his gaze was fixed on the ground.
Phil had followed him. Her expression was sullen as
usual, but there seemed something lighter about her. She looked less burdened.
'Has he told you where you’re going yet?' she asked,
her head jerking slightly towards Calder who stood next to Narcifer. Both
Jelvias were talking; standing a little way from the others.
Macy shrugged. "Just to drive north—" she
started, but her words were cut off by a deafening roar. A convoy of cars tore
into the driveway, gravel flying like shrapnel. One vehicle blocked their exit,
while another skidded to a halt beside them, tyres screeching. She recoiled in
shock, stumbling backwards as shadowy figures poured out from the vehicles.
Narcifer grabbed her and shoved her headfirst into
James’ car, slamming the door behind her. Chaos erupted outside as Macy
scrambled into the footwell, trying to hide. The noise and the whirlwind of
events overwhelmed her, everything happening too fast to process.
She peeked over the dash. A Jelvia charged at
Narcifer, claws ready. Narcifer met him head-on, and they both went down,
rolling out of her view.
There was much yelling.
There was no sign of Oliver, Phil, or even James. She
couldn’t look for bodies—her attention snapped to a sound behind her. Calder
struck another Jelvia with such force that the man’s skull cracked against the
brick wall. Blood burst from the back of his head, leaving a dark trail as he
slid down the wall.
Calder was unrecognisable, throat pulsating and mouth
gaping. They locked gazes, but then he was gone, and Macy was alone. She felt
her teeth chattering and tightened her jaw. She looked out the other window,
hoping to see Narcifer, but couldn’t see him. Instead, her eyes fell on James
lying a few metres away. He looked dead.
She pushed the car door open, feeling a surge of
adrenaline through her veins. Her legs trembled as she approached James, but
before she could reach him a piercing yell shattered the air.
Panicked, Macy turned to see several Jelvias rushing
toward someone out of sight. Calder suddenly appeared from the opposite
direction, throwing himself into the chaos. They all crashed to the ground in a
tangled mess of limbs. Macy’s instinct screamed to run into the house and hide,
but a bleeding Jelvia lay sprawled in front of the doorway, blocking her path.
Her legs refused to move, and her breath caught in her
throat as she stared at the brutal fight happening right in front of her.
Calder was on the losing end, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away, frozen by
the horrific scene playing out in front of her. She stood frozen in terror,
knowing as soon as they’d finished with Calder and Narcifer—wherever he was—she’d
be killed. Shaking herself from her rigidity, she began to sidle along the side
of the house.
She stepped carefully over the dead or unconscious
Jeliva and felt the grunginess of his blood on the ground beneath her feet. She
didn’t look. She didn’t want to see the gore on her feet.
The door to the house hung open, and she hesitated
again but she knew that once inside, it’d become a prison, so she carried on
towards the side of the house and the open field beyond. Glancing behind, she
saw Jelvias drag a floppy Calder and throw him into the boot of their car. She
gasped as the boot was closed, and his attackers jumped in and sped away.
Macy stood frozen for a moment, realising she’d been
overlooked. She continued edging along the side of the house, her eyes darting
around, searching desperately for any sign of Narcifer.
Hearing a noise, Macy instinctively turned, her heart
lurching at the sight of Narcifer being dragged by his feet. A primal roar
escaped him as he struggled against his assailants, but they outnumbered him
four to one, and it was clear he wouldn’t stand a chance alone. Helplessness
washed over Macy like a suffocating wave, her fingers involuntarily tangling in
her hair as she raised them to clutch her head in her helplessness. Briefly,
Phil’s sword collection flashed through her mind, but before she could even
consider dashing into the house for a weapon, a strong arm seized her,
wrenching her away from her thoughts and dragging her towards the unfolding
chaos at Narcifer’s side.
Narcfier fell still when he saw her.
‘Come quietly, Narcifer, and she lives,’ the man
holding her said. She felt his breath on the top of her head.
‘Let her go first,’ Narcifer said.
‘In the car,’ a Jelvia said.
Grim-faced, Narcifer nodded.
‘Pounit un,’
Macy whispered. Knowing death would come no matter what she said, she yelled
louder, ‘Pounit un!’
A firm hand seized Macy’s forehead, tilting her head back with an
uncomfortable strain. Refusing to yield, she met the Jelvia’s gaze head-on,
determined to show her defiance.
‘Already awake,’ he remarked before abruptly throwing her to the
ground. The impact sent a jolt of pain through her skull, but she kept her eyes
fixed on Narcifer as he meekly climbed into the back of a waiting car, flanked
by two other Jelvias.
Macy stood up and watched helplessly
as the car sped away with Narcifer inside. Ignoring the shakiness of her legs
and the chattering of her teeth, she eyed the third car the Jelvias had arrived
in. It had boxed James’ car in against her own and Oliver’s.
Macy’s heart leapt into her throat as
she realised no dead Jelvia was lying on the ground in front of the opened
door. She spun around, looking for him. The sudden emptiness of the space where
he had lain moments ago sent a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins.
With a surge of panicked urgency,
Macy dashed towards the Jelvia’s car, her footsteps echoing in the tense
silence of the moment. Frantically, she wrenched open the door, her fingers
trembling as they fumbled over the barren ignition.
Trapped in a maelstrom of terror,
Macy’s senses surged, each sound reverberating like thunder in the oppressive
silence. A suffocating wave of dread washed over her as she swept her gaze
across the once-ordinary driveway, her heart hammering against her ribcage like
a relentless drumbeat.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the
shadows, the sight sending a jolt of primal fear coursing through Macy’s veins.
She watched in horror as the wounded Jelvia approached, his presence a chilling
spectre in the dark morning.
‘Hey, little human.’ His voice cut
through the silence like a jagged blade. And the way he nonchalantly stepped
over James’ prone form, sent a shiver of dread down Macy’s spine. She stepped
backwards, knowing no matter what she did, he’d use his venom to kill her. ‘I
guess we’re alone,’ he said drawing closer with each step.
There was no point in running.
Macy’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Behind the Jelvia, James stirred, struggling to his knees. She kept her gaze on
the Jelvia, hoping somehow, James had a plan. But even as the thought was
running through her mind she heard a sharp crack of a
gunshot. The Jelvia’s legs buckled, and then he fell heavily to the ground.
James got to his feet and shoved the smoking gun into
the waistband of his jeans.
‘Get in the driver’s seat,’ he said, indicating the
car.
‘I… it has no keys,’ she said but jumped in anyway.
‘I just want you to take the handbrake off and steer,’
he said.
Macy’s fingers fumbled for the handbrake as James,
with a series of grunts and strained efforts, shoved the car out of the way of
his own. When he cleared the path, James dashed towards his vehicle. Panic
surged through Macy, propelling her from her seat, but James had already
started the engine by the time she reached his car.
Their eyes met over the bonnet, and Macy’s heart sank
as she realised he intended to leave without her.
‘Macy. Move!’ he shouted.
‘I’m coming with you!’ Macy’s voice cracked with
urgency as she sprinted around the front of the car towards the passenger side.
But before she could reach the door, James slammed his foot on the accelerator.
Instinctively, she lunged forward and grasped the wing mirror, but the sudden
acceleration yanked her off her feet. With a sickening thud, Macy collided with
the ground, the impact jarring her entire body and sprawling her on the
asphalt.
The vehicle came to a sudden stop, kicking up gravel
from the driveway as it skidded to a halt.
‘Fuck,’ James said, and she heard his footsteps as he
came to see if he’d hit her. ‘Macy…’
Her body still had adrenaline coursing, so it was hard
to tell if she was hurt. She scrambled up, opened the passenger door and jumped
inside. James stared at her through the window, then he returned to the driver’s
side.
‘Phil and Oliver ran around the back of the house.
They may be hiding out until they think it’s clear,’ he said, turning the
ignition on.
‘So?’
‘So, I think you should hang around here until they
come back.’
She glanced in the bent wing mirror and saw the dead
Jelvia on the driveway. Her teeth began to chatter. ‘I thought your gun was
fake,’ she said, not answering him. ‘Thanks for saving my life.’
James reached into the dash and pulled out a packet of
tissues. ‘Here. For your face,’ he added when she looked at him blankly. She
pulled the sun visor down and looked at her face. It was grazed and blooded.
She managed to wipe away a trickle before James floored the accelerated and she
was thrown back in her seat, dropping the tissue.
Macy grabbed her seatbelt and pulled it on. Drizzle
misted the window screen until the car’s window wipers dashed them away.
Things were moving too fast. Five minutes ago, they
were packing the car for an adventure to save the world. Now, the rug was
pulled again.
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