No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

Author:Cadwell Turnbull [Turnbull, Cadwell]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2021-07-16T21:43:33+00:00

37

Ridley has lost track of the time. It’s the shock, really. No one has moved. They’re standing in place or sitting slumped on the floor. Frankie is sobbing. Mitch’s panicked breaths have slowed, become steady, and picked up again at least twice since everyone arrived.

What is the right reaction to what they’ve just experienced? Screaming? Sobbing? Panicked silence? On Ridley’s part, numbness. All these things feel reasonable.

A bit of light is coming in from the warehouse windows. The windows have been blacked out, but the material is badly applied and peeling. Moonlight or ambient streetlight enters through the tiny openings, giving the interior some visibility. Ridley recognizes the industrial look of the place, the stale air and smell of sawdust: a warehouse.

Something catches his attention: an object near Frankie’s feet. He isn’t sure what it is, and then he is completely sure. Nick’s hand came through with them.

“I’m sorry. I’ve made a mess of this,” Melku says.

“Not good enough. Tell us what the hell is going on.” Venda’s voice is shaking in anger, terror, or despair.

“I can’t tell you what’s going on. Not entirely.”

“Why the fuck not? Goddamn it, Melku. You better tell us what is going on, right now.”

Frankie screams out, kicking with her legs. Nick’s hand budges a little, rolling over in a sticky, heavy way that chills Ridley’s bones. Her screams sink into violent sobs.

“This isn’t something you can sweep under the rug. He saw our faces. He knew where we were. What’s to stop him from coming back to the farm? We have children at the farm, Melku.”

Wiley. Ridley had forgotten what her voice sounded like. It has a tinny quality now, as if stretched through phone wires.

“He won’t hurt any of you, I promise.”

“What the hell do your promises matter? Nick’s dead.”

Venda again. He can almost see them all, but the blotches in his eyes obscure all their faces. No one has mentioned the thing, the cosmos walking on two legs. Is that normal?

Melku sighs. “My most useful power is information. It is what protects me and everyone I care about. Except when it doesn’t. But when my power fails, the last thing I should do is be careless with information. That’s when I need it most. Letting you know what I know won’t protect you. But letting the right person know what I know, emphasizing the depth of my knowledge, will. You’ll be able to go back to your lives because of what I know and you don’t. The second part is important. Your ignorance buys your safety. Look, I fucked up. I know that. But if I tell you anything right now, you’ll never make it out of this. Believe me.”

“I don’t,” Venda growls. “You were going to have us help monsters without telling us about the danger, and now you want us to believe you? I have a family, a husband and two sons. I don’t give a fuck about your powers. That doesn’t give you the right. Nothing does. Tell us what the fuck is going on, or leave this collective.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.