Horsemen's War (The Rebellion Chronicles #3) - Steve McHugh Page 0,25

cancer.” She tightened the metal, turning the edges sharp so that they cut into the KOA soldier’s flesh.

“You’re insane,” he screamed.

Layla put her face right up against him. “No, I’m angry,” she whispered and tightened the metal whip further.

“We have incursions by several small teams,” he blurted out.

“I know,” Layla said, not moving her face. “What are they targeting?”

He yelled out again. “Police stations, hospitals—any infrastructure where people might go for help.”

“Hospitals?” Layla asked, releasing the pressure on the whip. “There’s an emergency room near here. Is that one of them?”

“The George Washington University Hospital,” the man gasped. “The emergency room is a target.”

Layla moved the whip away from the KOA member, allowing it to move back and forth like a cobra ready to strike.

“Why?”

“Fear and panic,” he said. “The peons of this country need to understand who they owe their allegiance to. Arthur is the true ruler of this planet, and everyone on it is alive because he allows them to be. We are honor bound to ensure Arthur achieves his goals.”

“The KOA are a bunch of fascist thugs,” Layla said with a sneer. “There’s nothing honorable about you. You’re just murderers and thieves, people who use their power to hurt others. Well, see how you like it.”

The metal snake moved forward at incredible speed, slamming into the eye of the KOA member and punching out the back of his head. Layla stepped off the side of the building, using the metal from the roof to create stairs as she walked.

“Your commander is dead,” Layla said to the two surviving members of the KOA kill team. “Your troops are about to attack a civilian hospital emergency department. You have betrayed your own kind for the promise of power.”

“Arthur is our salvation,” one of them shouted.

“I hope you meet him, then,” Chloe said as they heard sirens coming toward them. “I hope whoever comes for you treats you as well as you treated the innocent people you murdered tonight.”

One of them tried to run away, but Tarron threw a small dagger at the back of his head, killing him before he’d taken more than a few steps.

“There was a time when that would have been abhorrent,” Layla said. “How far over the line I’ve come. We’ve all come.”

Piper placed a reassuring hand on Layla’s shoulder as a police cruiser pulled up, followed by a military APC. Several soldiers left the APC, the commander coming over to speak to Layla, who told him everything they’d discovered. They moved on toward the hospital, and Layla hoped they could overcome the forces there. She would make sure to check soon.

“Warfare in my own city,” one of the cops said, shaking Layla’s hand.

“It’s not been a great night,” Layla said. “This one is the only surviving member of the team who murdered the firefighters and presumably started the fire.”

One of the policemen dragged him to his feet. “Arthur will rule over all,” the man said, elbowing the cop in the face and going for his gun.

Chloe was the closest to him, and she placed a hand on the man’s chest and expelled a measure of the kinetic energy inside of her. He bounced off the road ten feet back and impacted with a burned-out car outside the restaurant.

“Thank you,” the younger of the two officers said.

“Keep safe,” Chloe said, and Layla nodded toward the older officer before the team moved on. “The police aren’t going to be much help when those who aren’t human turn up.”

“No,” Layla replied. “But they’ll do what they can. With any luck that means some people will be saved. And we’ll do what we can and hopefully help.”

“You really think they can retake the White House without hostage casualties?” Piper asked.

“No,” Chloe said. “I think they’ll try, and people will still die, because Gawain and his cronies just simply don’t care.”

Layla didn’t say anything, but she felt the same way. In the last year, she’d been to villages around the globe that Avalon had reached first, and she’d found the total devastation of everyone and everything that had once been there. If they didn’t surrender and join Avalon, they were expendable—it was as simple as that. Gawain was a butcher of men, women, and children. A monster.

They walked another block and were passing by an alleyway when they spotted several people huddled inside. They turned and started down it, Tego taking point, with Chloe behind them. It was a good spot for an ambush, but Layla was pretty sure