Myrikal Read online

  Chunks of the tree on which Myrikal and her father sat tore away in her hands. She yanked away from him as he attempted to grab her arm. And she ran, bowling over anyone and anything unfortunate enough to get in her way. The sun had set, but still, she couldn’t see through the horror-filled tears staining her eyes.

  Dust fell on her bowed head and trembling shoulders from the cracks in the wall and ceiling from the pounding it had taken by Myrikal’s head. Rolled in on herself, her head rested on her knees, her arms wound tightly around her shins. She rocked back and forth, breathing in great gasps of the dust-filled air.

  She didn’t look up or even pause in her rocking motion when her father burst into the room. “What in the hell, Myrikal! I told you to—”

  “Why?” She shot to her feet. Russ stumbled back a step, eyes wide. “Why did you make me see those things?”

  “You… you keep asking why.” He swallowed. “Why I kill people. Why it’s okay to kill people.” He straightened his shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I showed you that humans are bad and they deserve to die. This is why we are the wolves, Myrikal. We have to be the wolves.”

  The sun broke through a rare gap in the clouds and filtered down through the treetops to where Myrikal and Branch sat. Myri had snuck her goggles out of Russ’s jacket pocket as he lay snoring on the couch after another all-nighter. Whether he’d been out on a job or just out drinking, she hadn’t a clue. Nor did she care to know which.

  She arrived outside Branch’s clan’s compound where she found him waiting. “Finally! I was starting to think you’d never show up!” He pushed off the wall where he’d been leaning.

  It had been over a week since she’d saved him from the rock-throwing bullies and it was the first time she’d been able to slip away since then. “Sorry, my dad hasn’t let me out of his sight until today. What’s in the bag?”

  His eyes lit up. “Let’s go to the park and I’ll show you.”

  They sat side by side on the thick layer of tramped down vegetation, thumbing through the small pile of paper gold. “Where did you find these?” Myrikal asked, eyes wide behind the goggles as she stared down at the aged comic book in her hands.

  A mosquito landed on Branch’s arm and he swatted it, a smear of blood and a few random bug parts all that remained after the direct hit. “Stashed in a busted up trunk under a huge pile of bricks and stuff from a wall that fell.”

  “Why were you digging in a pile of bricks?”

  “I heard a kitten crying in there. Thought I might see if I could help it.” He shrugged.

  “Did you?”

  “Help the kitten?” His face flushed a light pink. “Yeah. He’s all grown up now. We’re buds.”

  “Well, these comic books are amazing. I’m amazed they aren’t water damaged.” She flipped the page and began reading the first frame.

  “They were inside thick plastic bags.”

  They sat in silence for the next few minutes, the rustling of paper and wind-blown leaves the only sounds.

  “So…” Branch pulled at the grass, looking down at the open comic book in his lap, but his eyes still, like he wasn’t really seeing it. “There’s another reason I wanted to show ‘em to you besides the cool factor.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because…” He turned his gaze away from her, the intensity of his grass-picking turning up a few notches. “I… uh… I think you’re one of them.”

  “One of…” Myrikal looked at the back of his head then down at the superhero comic book in her hands. “A superhero?” She laughed.

  Branch cleared his throat, still looking away. “Well… yeah. You’re invincible, right? Super strong. You run fast. You have super-senses…”

  Myri shook her head. “Nah. I’m just a girl that has tough skin because her parents tried to kill her before she was born.”

  Branch looked at her now and rolled his eyes, tacking a dramatic sigh on at the end of the roll. “Seriously, Myri? Let’s forget the other stuff and just talk about your skin, then. What’s the most dangerous thing that’s ever happened to you? Something that should have killed or seriously hurt you.”

  Tilting her head back against the tree, Myrikal ran her hands over the skin of her arms and avoided his gaze while she thought about his question. Her whole life had been dangerous. Her dad, always saying that he wanted to “test her strengths,” had put her in increasingly more perilous situations as she grew. She closed her eyes, picturing in her mind the last few “tests.” Ever since she could remember, he’d thrown or pushed her off rooftops and bridges—successively higher each time. The last time, only a couple of weeks ago, had been a twenty story building. She’d survived, obviously, landing in a crouch. She’d been fine, not so much as a broken fingernail, but the cracked sidewalk had buckled beneath her, leaving a two-foot deep dent in the cement. Just a few days earlier he’d tried something new—at least, as far as she could remember. He’d most likely tried it when she was a newborn and he’d been trying to kill her, but she couldn’t remember back that far. This new test had involved him shooting her repeatedly with different calibers of guns. He seemed angry that it didn’t even cause her pain.

  “Well?” Branch asked.

  She shrugged. “The most dangerous thing? I don’t know. What’s more dangerous: being shot at close range by a high caliber gun, or being pushed off a twenty-story building onto the sidewalk below?” She wasn’t being facetious by asking, she truly didn’t know.

  Branch’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open for several seconds before he found his voice. “Uhh… those things really happened to you?”

  “Almost every day.” Myri sighed.

  “Wh… why?”

  “Why do you think?” she whispered.

  “Your dad. He’s testing you.” Branch looked at her. “Right?”

  Nodding, she flipped the page on the comic book. “Which is more dangerous?”

  Branch shook his head. “They both should have killed you.”

  “Myrikal!” Russ shook the couch where she’d been sleeping. “Get up and get dressed. I need your help with something.”

  Myri rubbed her eyes and sat up. No light peeked around the old sheet hanging in the window. “What time is it?”

  “It’s night time.” He scowled. “Just get ready. We’re leaving in five minutes.”

  Dressed in one of the hideous, stretchy red jumpsuits, she braided her hair in one long braid down her back, fastening the end with a rubber band. “I’m ready.”

  With a quick nod of his head as the only acknowledgement, he stomped to the door, a large heavy-looking bag hanging from his shoulder. Myrikal followed him, wondering what important task needed to be completed in the middle of the night.

  She’d learned to not ask too many questions, instead just dampening her own curiosity and following along with whatever her father wanted her to do. Hanging out with Branch recently had opened her eyes a little, though. He told her she should be asking questions. It was her dad’s job to answer her questions. What was the worst that could happen? He could just not answer. He could get angry and yell at her. Nothing new there. He could lash out in anger and try to hurt her. But he couldn’t hurt her, could he? At least not physically. And—this was probably the biggest epiphany that had come out of her friendship with Branch—if her dad kicked her to the curb as she’d always feared he would if she didn’t behave exactly like he wanted, she now had somewhere to go. Branch’s clan would take her in, wouldn’t they?

  Myri quickened her step to walk alongside Russ down the middle of the dark, litter-strewn street. She took in a deep breath and asked, “Where are we going? What do you need my help with?”

  Russ huffed, his step faltering for a split second. “What’s with all the questions?”

  “I just want to know.”

  “Fine. I heard about a sunken ship out in the Hudson. There’s supposed to be a safe full of guns, ammo—explosives maybe—down there.” He paused and looked at her, eyes narrow.
“It’s too deep for anyone to get to without the proper equipment, which doesn’t exist anymore. Plus, since the ‘quakes, there are creatures down there that no normal person wants to face. I want you to go get it.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it when she realized she didn’t know what to say. She could swim, barely. Her dad wasn’t the “take your daughter on fun outings” kind of dad. And she was pretty sure he didn’t know how to swim. She’d been six-years-old the last time she’d been in a pool of water. She’d jumped in to save what she thought was a drowning dog, except the dog wasn’t drowning, just swimming. She learned from the animal, and doggy-paddled back to the shore.

  She swallowed. “How deep is it?”

  Russ shrugged. “We’re about to find out.”

  “What kinds of creatures?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Myrikal,” he yelled. “They can’t hurt you. No more questions.”

  Unable to see in the starless night, he stumbled around the deserted pier in the old industrial area. Myri could see perfectly and chose, for the first time ever, not to warn him of the obstacles in his path. Her soft heart won out and the touch of rebellion so recently sparked, fizzled and died after a close call where he stepped into a hole in the pier and almost tumbled into the water.

  “Russ, watch out, there’s a piece of metal sticking up straight ahead of you. Step to your left a couple steps and you’ll miss it.”

  She took his grunt as thanks as he dodged to the left.

  “Let me know when we reach dock number twelve,” he said.

  The post they’d just passed had a rusty number “10” bolted to it. She looked beyond it, eyes focusing on the “12” a good hundred or more feet away.

  “It’s this one,” she said as they neared dock number twelve.

  “Good,” Russ grunted. “This bag’s getting heavy.”

  “I would have carried it for you.”

  “I’m not so weak that I have to have my twelve-year-old daughter carry my stuff.” He readjusted the strap on his shoulder and stomped down to the end of the dock.

  “Almost thirteen,” she whispered before following him.

  Small waves lapped at the pillars of the dock as a cool breeze touched her skin. Russ dropped the bag and knelt to unzip it. He pulled a thick, super long rope out, instructing Myri as he did so. “I’m going to tie this end to the dock cleat. You take the other end and dive in.” He wrapped the rope around the rusting metal cleat. “Swim straight out from the dock, about twenty yards, I’ll tell you when you’re there.”

  Myri nodded, watching as her dad tightened his knot.

  “You’ll dive straight down from there, to the bottom.” He looked at her and raised his eyebrows. “Find the wreckage. Find the safe. Tie the rope around the safe then get your butt back here to help me pull it in.”

  Apparently, he was too weak to do that without the help of his twelve-year-old (almost thirteen) daughter. “But… how am I going to breathe down there?” she asked.

  “Just think of this as another test. We’re trying to see how long you can hold your breath.” He leaned in close to her and narrowed his eyes. “I’m counting on it being for a long enough time to complete this mission.”

  The other end of the rope fell at her feet where her dad had flung it. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Russ scowled and shook his head. “Go. Now.”

  All of the muscles in her body tightened. She looked down at the dark water and thought about taking off, even turned a tiny bit toward the pier as the fight-or-flight instinct warred with her well-trained discipline. She swallowed down the unfamiliar feelings of fear and bent to grab the rope.

  Myrikal drew in a deep breath and held it. She stepped off the dock and fell into the water feet first, nearly dropping the rope when the cold water closed over her head. She kicked her feet and shot to the surface. She doggy-paddled as she had when she was six, but thought, I’ll never get there at this rate. She’d watched people swimming in the ponds at Central Park before, fascinated by the process. She tied the rope around her waist to free up both hands, then mimicked their movements, kicking her feet out behind her and arching her arms through the nasty water.

  She sensed something large churning beneath her and swam faster. Maybe a river creature couldn’t break her body, but it could swallow her whole. She wondered if she could break through one’s stomach and out through its muscle and skin… scales… whatever. She let out a little squeal as something brushed against her leg. She didn’t want to find out.

  Preoccupied with what lurked beneath her, she heard but didn’t react to her father’s voice the first time he yelled, “That’s good! Dive there!”

  He got her attention with his second, louder yell. “Myrikal, stop! You need to go down now!”

  She stopped, treading water, and looked back toward the dock. She’d come further than she thought. She took a deep breath in and held it, knowing it would be a while before she could take another one. The water closed over her head again as the depths pulled at her sinking body. She opened her eyes, part of her not wanting to see what lurked beneath the surface, but the bigger part of her needing to see it.

  Instinctually, she turned to dive head-first, her feet kicking above her now as she pushed at the water with her arms. The rapid, strong movements of her legs propelled her into the deep much faster than she’d been sinking. Much faster than anyone else would have been able to swim. Still, it took a long time to reach the bottom, and, although she hadn’t seen any creatures, she could feel their presence in the darkness around her.

  Her vision held out even in the deep water, although not as clear as on the surface. The seaweed swayed in the river bottom, alerting her that she’d made it. Pressure bore down on her from above, uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Her lungs tugged a little, not because she felt short on oxygen, more like they were just used to breathing in and out at regular intervals and wondered why they weren’t being allowed to do their job.

  She turned a slow circle, straining her eyesight to its fullest extent. Something caught her eye in the distance, a shadow, a deeper darkness than that surrounding her. She swam toward it, hoping it wasn’t a human-eating ‘quake creature.

  As she neared the shadow, she was able to make out the hull of a small ship. She kicked faster. The tugging in her lungs turned to a burning, the first indication of a need for oxygen. How long had she been underwater? Unaccustomed to feeling any form of pain, she had to talk herself out of panicking. She focused on the sunken ship, propelling herself toward it. The water distorted distances and she brushed the metal side with her fingertips before she realized she’d reached it.

  The mild burning in her lungs spurred her on. She just wanted to get this over with so she could surface and breathe normally.

  The ship was tipped on its side. Myrikal pulled up to the deck then pulled herself along the railing until she came to an opening leading down into the bowels of the ship. She gripped the edge of the opening as she lay parallel to the deck, peering into the darkness below.

  Needle sharp, four-inch teeth snapped at her from a mouth that could have covered her entire face and most of her scalp. Myri’s quick reaction made the creature miss her face, but her ponytail whipped through the water as she evaded the tooth-filled monster. Its mouth closed over her braid and jerked hard as it yanked its entire body furiously from side-to-side.

  Myrikal almost drew in a breath, running on pure instinct as she twisted around to face her captor. Face-to-face with the snub-nosed creature, she reached for its glowing eyes. Two hand-like appendages grasped her wrists, wrapping all the way around them. She’d expected fins or maybe flippers, like a seal’s. But these hands pulling her down toward the opening in the sunken ship were eerily human-like with opposable thumbs. Webbing between the fingers and long claws were the main differences. Myri pulled one hand free and tried to dig her fingernails into the thick, rubbery, white-gray hide of the creature. She wrenched her other hand free
and braced her feet on each side of the hatch where the majority of the creature’s body still hid.

  Tearing at its jaws, she yanked her hair free then wrapped her arms around its torso and squeezed, pushing up with her legs. The rest of its body, at least twice the height of Myrikal, slid through the opening. A serpentine tail whipped out of the hatch and circled around her, pulling her closer. It raked at her legs with its clawed, webbed hind feet. Hoping that the creature’s kill spots would be somewhat similar to a human’s, Myri applied some of the tenets of the training her dad had forced on her since birth. Her arms barely fit around its chest, so crushing its internal organs wasn’t going to be her easiest route.

  Myri pushed up out of the grasp of its tail and flipped over its head, grabbing it by the bottom jaw and twisting as she torpedoed over and behind it. The creature’s neck cracked and it instantly became a dead weight in Myri’s arms. She released her hold and untangled her rope from around it and watched as it sunk to the deck of the ship, its eyes no longer emitting a yellow glow.

  She made her way back to the ship railing and held on as she thought. What if there were more down inside the ship? What would her father do if she came back up empty handed even though she’d likely found the ship? He’d make her come back down. He’d remind her that the creature didn’t even hurt her—couldn’t even hurt her—so why was she being a sissy?

  The burning in her chest tugged at her, nudging her to do something, whichever choice she made, so she could fill her lungs with air again. Maybe the creature had been alone. Maybe… She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her courage. She pushed toward the hatch and, before she could talk herself out of it, swam in head first.