Fire City Read online

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Part One

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Part Two

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  One Week Later . . .

  Jonah

  About the Author

  Also by Bali Rai

  Copyright

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  Twenty-five years ago the world changed for ever.

  A great war ended, and the demons took control.

  Within the crumbling walls of Fire City, Martha and a small band of fellow humans fight for freedom in a lawless world. In the chaos of battle appears Jonah, a stranger with a power stronger that the demons’. Martha and Jonah’s paths collide and the future of the resistence is altered for ever. The battle for humankind will now begin.

  As always, a big thank you to everyone at Random

  House for taking yet another leap of faith with me.

  And to my amazing agent, Penny, for the right advice,

  at the right times. Big respect to Adam Brockbank for

  the killer cover too – beyond my wildest expectations.

  Prologue

  Twenty-five years ago the world changed. A great war, which had raged for three years, ended and the Reign of the Demons began. Everything we humans knew was gone, and the imperfect world we’d created was replaced by Hell . . .

  The War came as the world’s resources began to dwindle. As the human population increased, those with everything began to resent those with nothing. A group of rich and powerful men came together and began to plan for a new future: a future in which the wealthy would survive and flourish, and the rest of us would serve.

  Serve or die.

  For this new order to come about, the group needed a revolution. They needed a worldwide disaster that would enable them to take control and reshape human society to their requirements. We don’t know how they managed to call forth the demons; we only know that they did. And once the demons entered our domain, darkness descended and the War began.

  For the first two years, humans across the globe – governments, their armies and their weaponry – came together to fight against the demon onslaught. As the human casualties grew, ordinary people took up the fight too, but it was all in vain. The fighting destroyed whole cities and decimated outlying areas in every country. Massive bombs and demon hordes laid waste to entire regions, and no nation remained untouched. The Hell-kin began to take control, and eventually many of the rulers who had been fighting against them switched sides. Those who had sworn to defend humanity began to make deals with the demons and their human allies. Country by country, the war turned against us, and the new world began to take shape. By the time the fighting was over, less than a fifth of the original human population was left standing.

  The leaders of the revolution, aided by their demon allies, now began to implement a new design for the world. Societies were reformed worldwide along simpler, more refined lines. Humans were divided into two groups: the Wanted and the Unwanted. Cities were rebuilt across the globe, several in each country, and turned into demon-protected citadels to provide homes for the Wanted. Alongside these were outlying satellite settlements, partially destroyed areas in which industrial zones were established – satellites like Fire City. For the new rulers and their Wanted would need goods and services to make their lives complete, and the Unwanted could provide the labour to make or provide those things.

  The Unwanted were rounded up and divided amongst the satellites, enough of them to keep the factories running. The new governments didn’t care where their workforce lived or what their lives were like. As long as they worked, they were useful. Paid in newly established credits, enough to provide the basics of survival, the Unwanted became nothing more than wage slaves.

  But the demons wanted more than just a place at the table. They wanted to reassert their dominance at the top of the food chain. The demon lords, in return for their patronage, demanded a constant supply of humans for themselves. Some they ate for sustenance, body and soul. Others had only their souls taken – a fate that was far worse. These unfortunates developed a crazed blood lust from which there was no escape but death. But the demon lords understood that they couldn’t just butcher us at will. That they could not afford for the human race to be completely extinguished.

  And so the Hunt began.

  Held every few days, in every part of the world, the Hunt took care of those humans who couldn’t work, or who rebelled against the new rulers. The old, the sick and the disabled – anyone who didn’t contribute was rounded up and sent as prey to the hunting grounds.

  They still are . . .

  But we humans are resourceful. For every fifty of us who accept the new world, cowering before or collaborating with the demons and their human puppets, there is one who fights – one like me. Our resistance is small, and it is weak, but it exists.

  As long as there are people who want to fight, there is hope . . .

  Martha

  PART ONE

  1

  I PULLED MY hood over my head and dropped down from the building, landing in their midst, my heart pounding. My foes roared with anger, their mouths scarlet, teeth clogged with human flesh. Turning away from their prey – a small boy with chocolate skin and bewildered dark eyes – I watched them size me up, and as usual I felt a mixture of anger and nausea. What they saw was a teenage girl – tall, skinny and armed to the teeth. I had their attention now, and despite the danger I managed to remain calm. Before they could react, I drew a great sword from the scabbard hanging at my waist. The blade flashed quickly through the air – three swift arcs – and the cannibals dropped, their heads separated from blood-spouting torsos and rolling slowly into the gutter.

  ‘Luca!’ I shouted above the chaos of the Hunt. ‘Come here!’

  The boy, who I had been desperate to find, didn’t move, cowering as a high-pitched scream erupted from above. My blood turned to ice and I felt myself shaking. A winged creature, a flying demon, circled us, preparing to dive in for the kill. I looked up, sheathed my sword and pulled the already-primed crossbow from my back, trying to keep my hands steady. I had seen a winged one in action before. Knew that I had five seconds in which to aim and fire a bolt through its brain. Either that or die horribly in its jaws, which were lined with razor-sharp teeth, each over thirty centimetres long. Two of those seconds had go
ne when Luca tugged at my trousers.

  ‘I need a wee . . .’

  ‘Not now!’ I yelled above the din.

  Three seconds gone. I held up the crossbow, ready to aim, but the demon spotted my move and changed position, banking left to begin its dive.

  ‘Great!’ My legs continued to shake and fear crept down my spine.

  Four seconds gone. The demon began to close in, lizard-yellow eyes now just slits, and huge wings held back above its head, touching so that they formed a fin. Luca screamed. The Hunted screamed. The street ran red with blood and gore. All around me the Hunt continued unabated, as high up above the chaos the waning moon disappeared behind clouds the colour of a purple bruise . . .

  Five seconds. Almost gone. I closed my eyes and fired . . .

  . . . and nothing happened. No bone-crushing collision. No tearing, piercing explosions of pain as the demon ripped open my flesh. Nothing except an earth-shaking thud as the winged beast fell from the sky, smashing into the rusted, burned-out skeleton of what had once been a car. I replaced the crossbow, unsheathed my sword and stepped slowly towards the dying demon, surprised and shocked. What the hell was going on?

  The winged demon lay on its back, legs in the air, talons twitching. Its giant wings were twisted and torn from the fall. The jaws, long and powerful, fell open, revealing those murderous teeth, slick with human guts and oozing thick yellow saliva. A single bolt about the length of my arm pierced the breastplate. It was jet black and sleek, tapered at the visible end and crackling with a blue light that I didn’t understand. Much as I didn’t understand why I wasn’t dead. I spun round quickly, scanning the street for clues, but saw nothing. Nothing except the Hunt.

  ‘Luca!’

  The boy shook with fright as I scooped him into my arms and made for cover. The street was lined on both sides by five-storey blocks – flats that had once housed families and friends many years ago. I ran to the nearest door, kicking through a wooden barrier to get inside. Rodents scattered in the darkness and my feet slid on something fluid. Something I didn’t want to see or think about.

  ‘Need a wee!’ wailed Luca.

  ‘Not now,’ I told him sternly. ‘We have to get away!’

  From experience, I knew that each block was identical, with a lower corridor, two sets of stairs and a landing on each level. External walkways ran alongside each landing, open to the elements. I took the left side and edged slowly upwards with Luca over my shoulder and my sword ready. These abandoned blocks with their myriad rooms, were a favourite haunt for those we call cannibals – human beings who have had their souls snatched by the demons and develop a lust for the flesh of their own race. The cannibals often set traps for the Hunted, and without the right degree of caution, death could fall upon you quickly and tear you to pieces.

  The walkways were how I’d managed to save Luca, dropping from a first-floor landing right into the mix. Even though that stinking, darkened building meant danger, my thoughts were now elsewhere. I wondered who or what had killed the flying demon and where the spear had come from. I’d never seen anything take out a demon so quickly.

  Suddenly something moved on the first landing. It was the faintest of sounds but I heard it. Carrying Luca made my sword useless – I couldn’t wield it effectively. I turned to my machete instead. It was shorter, lighter and easier to use in tight situations, and did just as much damage. Luca whimpered into my shoulder.

  ‘Gotta be brave,’ I whispered into his ear, even though my own stomach was flipping around like a dying fish.

  Whatever was on the landing shifted its weight. I sensed that it was coming closer. Three steps separated us. I set Luca down behind me and he whimpered some more.

  ‘Don’t move,’ I told him. ‘No matter what happens.’

  Luca nodded slowly, crossing his legs. ‘Wee,’ he whispered.

  I shook my head. Strands of hair fell across my face and I brushed them away. My forehead felt slick with perspiration. ‘And if they hurt me,’ I added, ‘run and hide, OK? The others will find you. Promise.’

  I didn’t wait for his reply because my promise was probably empty. Even saying the words made me feel bad. But there was no time for guilt – there never is in this world. I jumped onto the landing, rolled across to the nearest wall and sprang to my feet. The stench was unbearable, as always. Rotting flesh. A cannibal lurched towards me, growling. His eyes bulged, the hands outstretched until I removed them with two swipes. He roared and lashed out with the bloody stumps but I’d already ducked under his arms, severing one of them at the shoulder. Before the monster could turn, I’d removed his head too. The rest of him slumped to the floor, blood spraying in all directions.

  That was when I heard the others – a gang of them shuffling relentlessly closer from all sides.

  ‘Shit!’

  How could I have been so stupid? They’d lured me into a trap and I’d fallen for it – like some first-Hunt novice. I chopped frantically at the darkness all around me. A thud, quickly followed by another, stopped me dead. Fewer footsteps. Something flashed, moving the air slightly. Another thud, a groan, some screaming. I crouched, rolled to my right and back down the stairwell. Luca was gone.

  ‘No!’ I cried. ‘Luca?’

  A severed head rolled down the stairs and caught between my feet. I kicked it away, more in anger than disgust. Whatever else was up there, it wasn’t another cannibal and it wasn’t on their side. Thing is, I couldn’t be sure it was on mine either. The demons often turned on their cannibal slaves, as well as each other, usually without reason. If it was a demon, then alone in the darkness I was in serious trouble. As for Luca . . .

  Suddenly all was still. The silence caught me by surprise. A few seconds passed, seconds in which I tried to summon the courage to face my latest enemy. Cannibals were easy, as long as you didn’t get surrounded. They moved slowly and, without the demons to guide them, acted predictably. They just walked towards you, the scent of your flesh in their nostrils, and anyone skilled enough with a sharp blade could decapitate one. The bigger the blade, the more damage you’d do too. The demons were different, however. Even the lowest-ranking of them was difficult to kill. The further up the chain you went, the harder it got. If the one on the landing had also killed the winged demon outside, then it would be high-ranking. All of which meant that I was in mortal danger. An image of my mum’s face flashed through my mind, and for a moment I faltered, scared and weary.

  Footsteps broke the silence. Footsteps moving away from me – fast! The thing above had two legs and it was leaving the scene. Any demon would have noticed my scent by now and reacted. I’d be fighting or, more likely, dying. I edged back onto the landing, praying that Luca had taken my advice and found a secure place to hide. I had no choice – the boy would have to wait for now. Too many other humans were being hunted in the streets – I had to help them. I unhooked a dagger from my belt and, dual-wielding it with the machete, I walked slowly along the landing. Through the gloom I counted eleven dead cannibals, including my own victim. Some had been decapitated, others simply torn apart. The corridor stank of death. Ahead, I saw doors, the glass remarkably intact. These led to the walkway, from which I could see the street below.

  As I opened the doors, another winged demon flew past the landing, a man grasped between its teeth, his body limp and lifeless. I knew it was too late to help but I dropped my blades and drew my crossbow anyway. ‘He might be dead,’ I yelled at the demon, ‘but I’ll be damned if I let you eat him too.’

  ‘You’re wasting your ammunition,’ said a male voice.

  I froze, unsure of my next move. A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind. If he’d wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead. He was three metres away, had the drop on me and, judging by the corpses in the hallway, could kill with ease. Yet I was still alive. If he was a friend, however, why hide in the shadows?

  ‘Because I don’t trust you,’ the man said, guessing my thoughts as he stepped into view, Luca clinging to his shoul
der.

  He couldn’t have been more than sixteen, a year older than me. Yet he spoke with the authority of someone born to survive. An array of weapons, some I’d never seen before, hung from his body, which was wrapped tight in black trousers, black boots and a long-sleeved T-shirt. His dark hair was close-cropped, his sharp cheekbones covered in skin the colour of porcelain, and his eyes shone like ebony beads. Something deep inside me tingled and I cursed myself silently. It was no time to stand and admire his strange yet alluring beauty.

  ‘Who are you?’ I asked, before pointing at the little boy. ‘And how did you get to him?’

  The stranger put Luca down gently, selected a rifle from his armoury and took aim at the disappearing winged demon. His ignoring of my question made me mad and I felt my face flush.

  ‘You’re too late,’ I snapped, holding out a hand for the boy. ‘The demon is too far away.’

  The stranger ignored me again and fired once, but the bullet made no sound save for the rush of air it displaced. The demon’s head exploded and it fell to earth, crashing against one of the blocks before landing on a mob of cannibals, crushing many of them.

  ‘How many more are there?’ he asked, nodding towards the street. ‘Down there, I mean.’

  I tried not to show how impressed I was, and shrugged. An odd yet pleasing scent drifted through the air. I found myself staring into his jet-black eyes, and felt a sense of longing.

  ‘Valefor has ten legions at his command,’ I told him, trying to ignore the emotions he’d ignited in me. ‘This is just one of them.’

  The stranger nodded, and thankfully he appeared not to notice that I was staring at him, eyes wide.

  ‘Valefor,’ he repeated.

  ‘You know of him?’ I asked.

  The stranger looked down into the street. ‘Heard the name,’ he said softly. ‘Are there many more demons down there?’

  ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘Too many to kill in one night.’

  ‘Let’s see, shall we?’ replied the stranger. ‘Come on.’

  ‘So you do trust me?’

  The stranger may have shaken his head. The movement was so slight that it was hard to tell. I looked at him and again felt something in my belly – like a little fizzing sensation.