Children of the Plague

Chapter Twenty One: Street Clothes

~Chapter Twenty One: Street Clothes~

Big Daddy offspring rampaged up and down the street in front of his Starbucks until he had either killed or driven off everything that moved. The last few husks fled their hiding places as it charged toward them.

Lanni followed them around the next corner and most of the way to the next intersection, where they joined a fight already in progress. She was curious to know who or what they were fighting, but her first priority was finding the host. The husks not fighting ran together in a huge mob, all heading in the same direction.

The host would be that way, but Lanni couldn’t just run out among them and tag along until she bumped into it. She needed to put eyes on the thing and take it by surprise, or it would find her first.

Offspring were taking the high road, leaping from building to building, and even smashing through windows and walls on one side and exiting the other side in the same fashion. If she were an offspring, she’d be able to see the host from above.

Idiot!

She ran through a side door in the corner building and made her way to the stairs. A minute later she was looking out over the streets from a corner office on the third floor. Higher might have been better, but she needed to be close enough to distinguish details that set the host apart.

The view was perfect for surveying the army below. Even with the advantage of seeing their movements from above, she saw no flashing lights or tee-shirts that said “I’m the host.” It could have been any of the thousands of husks down there, and every second they were getting closer to the MPC. A couple more blocks would put them in sight of it.

Violence erupted periodically within the mob, usually with several husks ganging up on one until it escaped into the crowd. After witnessing a few of these fights, Lanni realized the victims were always those wearing the most clothing. Many of the husks were entirely naked, and only a few were more than half covered.

Paying attention to the clothed husks, she spotted one that stood out dramatically. It stood taller, and was fully clothed in a business suit and coat. Despite its appearance and the crowded streets, the others gave it a wide berth. Could it really be so obvious?

Below, and directly across the street, another fully dressed husk exited an office building and turned toward the main crowd. It looked around almost nervously as it walked.

“You are no husk,” Lanni said. It was a smallish man with very short, dark hair, and she recognized him instantly. It was the cute exterminator, Lee.

She was glad to see him. Having an exterminator nearby would be an immensely helpful distraction, to say nothing of the baddies he’d take out.

He glanced her way, looking up at the roofs, before diving down behind a black SUV. A second later, an offspring tumbled down from above, crashing on the sidewalk where Lee had been standing. It wasn’t a graceful landing, like it had jumped. It shattered the sidewalk and smashed into the brick-faced building beside it, where it remained.

Another offspring dropped down right after it. This one was much bigger and very much in control. It was Big Daddy. The first offspring practically exploded when he landed on it. His momentum carried him through the brick wall to the building’s interior and out of sight.

She hoped Lee had enough sense not to chase the giant offspring. It would be a terrible loss for the MPC if he got himself eaten. A plan began to solidify in her mind, and helping Lee could be a big part of it.

She dropped her spear through the window to the second story awning, and lowered herself down. The aluminum bent with a loud bang as she landed, and Lee looked up at her from behind his car, tilting his head curiously. The last thing he must have expected was a ninja dropping out of a window. She touched her brow in a quick salute and dropped onto the roof of a car.