Day 22 (The Endless Storm)

Traffic was rapidly deteriorating – they weren't the only ones headed for the nearest exit from the city, though they did have the clearest idea of exactly why. Even without the sight it was obvious that something was happening to the city, and soon. Those not on their way out would be barricading themselves inside and hopefully, if they were lucky, not listening to the radio or watching TV.

The radio announcer interrupted another song. “I've just got a special request, so as part of our show we're going to be counting down the top 900 seconds. Coming in at number 900, it's 900! Following it closely at 899 is 899. 898 follows this trend, with newcomer 897 trailing just behind.”

Alyssa glanced over at Jacob, but he either wasn't listening, didn't care, or had apparently expected something like this. He didn't object when she turned it down, though of course she wasn't about to turn it off. It was almost certainly counting down to something big. Nice of them to tip her off, she thought.

They merged onto the highway, slowly, as the traffic volume conspired to keep them away. It got no better after the merge, though – cars and trucks were everywhere, the look on the driver's and passengers' faces one of either fear or confusion, no doubt listening eagerly to the top 900 seconds. A new low for an old favorite, 861 was down to 861. Alyssa tried to keep her attention riveted outside the car and away from the inane counting of the announcer. It seemed silly that agents of chaos would give them a nice orderly countdown, but people did strange things when the storms came to town, she was quickly learning.

Traffic slowed further when #777 was announced and stopped altogether a bit over a minute later when #700 came roaring up the charts. The DJ was, more or less, taking one second to mention the current chart-toppers as far as countdowns to oblivion went, so it made keeping track of time both easy and supremely frustrating. If they weren't out of traffic when he got to zero, their chances at preventing a disaster were the same.

“We'll just take the shoulder.” Jacob reasoned, “It's not like we'll get stopped anyway.”

They edged the car over and started driving past. #512 was revealed to the faithful listeners of WKOS as Jacob and Alyssa caught sight of the massive pileup which was preventing traffic from proceeding. Every ambulance in the city was jumbled together in a pile – there was no evidence that they had been driven there, or even that anyone had been hurt. Somehow Alyssa knew that there were not going to be anyone coming for survivors, though – if the radio announcer was functioning as a normal human being instead of devoting his show to numerology, she felt certain she'd be hearing traffic reports from all different parts of the highway, all caused by emergency vehicles.

The shoulder was miraculously clear. When Alyssa looked into the windows of the cars closest the wrecks, she had to restrain herself from stopping Jacob right then. The reason they'd stopped pressing forward and weren't taking advantage of the shoulder wasn't good judgment, it was that every person in every car had at least a dozen harpies attached to each of them.

“We'll be back for them.” Jacob said soberly, though he hadn't once turned his head. “I promise.” Alyssa did not ask to who he was making it.

256 had somehow moved down the charts by the time Jacob managed to pilot the car back into the city. Not even five minutes left, Alyssa thought. Jacob did what he did best – speed through streets unseen and unbothered. There was nobody left in the city, it seemed. Hostless harpies milled about but somehow managed to get out of the way before they could be run down.

The car lurched as it struck something, but Jacob never looked away from his driving. Alyssa turned back and beheld the wreck of a creature. Disfigured as it was by the impact, she was certain it wasn't human. This impression was strongly reinforced by the fact that it had stood up and was walking toward them.

More appeared. Sightless, both human and devolved, slithered from the shadows. Alyssa counted a half dozen as they drove past, but for each they left behind two more appeared. She began to feel the seeds of panic swell within her. They'd faced five at the last storm and only barely prevented it from destroying everyone and getting killed in the process. How many were out there? How many could there possibly be?

They struck another, and Alyssa could see Jacob's jaw clenched in concentration as he gunned the engine. They were on ledges of buildings, standing on the hoods of cars, moving from crosswalks, exiting the doors of buildings, everywhere she looked she saw abomination.

“And now, our top ten.”

How many of the things were there? She had lost count. The crowd thickened as they neared where ground zero was supposed to be. She could dimly hear the hymn that they had sung last time to call the chaos. Though it was quieter, she could feel the force behind it far more acutely. Every monster out there which still had vocal cords was calling, and the storm was answering. She could see the funnel cloud forming as the DJ announced #5. She could feel the pull on her mind, the familiar madness surrounding her.

Finally, the car stalled. As much as he tried, Jacob could not keep the it from losing momentum. Life meant nothing to the Sightless, they smiled their vacant and hateful grins as they were run over, each one stealing precious momentum from the vehicle.

Number 4.

The car rolled to a stop, and Alyssa launched herself out, blades already extended and cutting. Everything was fast now, the Sightless were a whir of movement, but she herself was faster.

Number 3.

She heard the booming noise which could only indicate that Jacob had opened fire. He was a deadly aim, though in these close quarters he didn't even remotely have to be. Unfortunately, he only had so much ammo.

Number Two.

They weren't fighting back, and with a wave of despair Alyssa realized why. They didn't have to. Each grinned at her, their empty and seeping sockets gazing horridly at her even in their deaths, each living one taking up the song even louder for those that had fallen. She couldn't kill enough of them, she realized. They'd call the chaos and demolish the entire city. What they hadn't demolished would run black with their blood, but they'd have triumphed.

Number One.

Alyssa saw it then, twisted grinning leer of a creature standing on the roof of a car nearer the epicenter than she, eyes burning with nothingness. One arm pointed at her triumphantly, the other she had severed in a town untold hundreds of miles away.
“So nice of you to come!” it screeched, and she could hear its terrible voice over the cadence of its brethren. “This was arranged for you, after all, to deliver you to us. I sacrificed and suffered so you would be here.” He raised the stump of his arm. “Or did you honestly believe yourself strong enough to defeat us?”

The radio, which she shouldn't have even been able to hear over all the chaos to begin with, was suddenly silent, and the clouds split open.

The funnel exploded into light, consuming nearly half a block exactly at the epicenter. It had been too easy, Alyssa thought, struggling to stop herself from heaving whenever she gazed into the pus-colored breach. They'd arranged it all.

She grit her teeth. Hell if she was going down without a fight.

As though realizing her intent, the Sightless nearest her suddenly turned and began to fight back. She disarmed them in the same literal way she had the day before. The original limbless Sightless watched wordlessly, his cracked grin fading somewhat as Alyssa blazed a path of gore and corpses toward him.

“End this!” the monstrosity exclaimed as more shots rang in the air. Jacob was too far away, and there were too many between him and Alyssa for him to help her, but she didn't need it. She reacted on pure instinct and adrenaline, and though the horrors which surrounded her were strong, she did not hesitate one moment to end their lives and move to the next.

The limbless creature dodged backward and fell off the roof of the car just as Alyssa jumped up to meet him. Her claws sliced his skin and just a trickle of his black blood intersected the blade.

The storm twisted and the light intensified, and Alyssa felt her gorge rising as the blood soaked into her claws, into her body. She stopped completely as images overwhelmed her. Images of a man with two arms and legs, one of moderate power and wealth, though always wanting more, one constantly beset by Harpies without his knowing it, and one willing to sacrifice for gain. It was the latter property which attracted the Sightless to him, and they found him a willing convert. Alyssa hissed as witnessed his eyes torn from his sockets and devoured, cringed as she watched the Scourging ceremony which tore the crevasses into his skin. She nearly fell to her knees screaming when she heard the Voice proclaim that he was no longer John Slayton, but simply Sightless.

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