The Doomsday Device by Darrell Pitt Read Free Book Online Page A

creature. “They can mesmerize you!”
    They can mesmerize you.
    I remembered the ancient legends. Which meant they could brainwash you in a fashion similar to Dan. That was one of their legendary powers. And supposedly they had the strength of ten men. And they could turn into bats.
    But how much of it was legend and how much was true? The vampire in Ferdy’s grasp seemed helpless. Whatever autism Ferdy suffered from made him invincible to their mesmerizing powers.  Ferdy had his hand firmly around the creature’s neck.
    Movement in the hallway caught my attention. I saw Brodie falling back past the door with one of the creatures on her back as another one attacked her from in front. I climbed over the bed, focused on creating a blast of air and slammed it into the creature’s head. It went sideways through the wall.
    I didn’t know how many of these creatures were in the house, but there was a chance we were getting the upper hand.
    Then the lights went out.
    Chad set fire to the ceiling. I understood his intention. We could not fight if we could not see what we were up against. I pursued the creature into the next room as I heard a fire alarm sound. It was not a back-to-base alarm. The fire brigade would not attend unless someone dialed 911.
    The creature that I had smashed through the wall had ended up in the living room. Now it scampered up onto the wall and into the recesses of the ceiling. It was so dark in here the visibility was reduced to a few feet. I could hear fighting going in the hallway. It sounded like Brodie was involved in a full pitched battle. I heard another blast of flame from Chad. An inhuman shriek erupted from the room behind me. Maybe that was another creature on fire.
    A sound came from the ceiling above and behind me. I formed a blast of air – a focused ball of wind – and fired it at the ceiling. It punched a hole straight through the roof and into the night, but missed the vampire.
    Something slammed into me from behind. It was like being hit by a truck. My face hit the living room table and I tasted blood in my mouth. The hissing creature grabbed me and threw me across the room. I hit the wall and slid to the floor.
    I tried to form a shield, but I could not focus. What was going on with my powers? I could not make it happen. Within seconds the creature had leapt across the room like a giant frog and landed in front of me. It picked me up effortlessly as I tried to create another ball of air.
    Its breath was terrible. Like rotten meat. I punched it hard in the face and it laughed. I struggled to create a shield between me and it, but nothing would happen.
    “Come on!” a voice yelled from the hallway. “We only need the boy!”
    The vampire gave me a last look and threw me across the room. I hit my head. Stunned, I lay there for several moments. I could hear the fire spreading. Something collapsed in the building. I heard the distant roar of a vehicle.
    I have to get out of here , I thought. I have to move.
    I rose unsteadily to my feet. Where were the others? Someone appeared in my field of vision. It was Chad.
    “Quick!” he said. “They’re getting away!”
    He dragged me out of the building and into the night. The cold air snapped me back to wakefulness. I looked back at the house. It was completely alight now. All of our possessions – what there were of them – were inside the burning structure.
    Chad held up something in his hand. “I was able to grab the book.”
    The book. The one containing all the addresses.
    But where were our friends?
    “What about Brodie?” I gripped Chad’s arm. “And Dan and -.”
    “They’re gone!” he said. “They were thrown into a truck and taken away.” He looked into the night. “We’re the only ones left.”
     

 
    Chapter Eleven
    “They’ve got a head start on us,” Chad said. “But it’s only a couple of minutes. You need to create a flying platform so we can catch up.”
    That was easier said than done.
    In my mind I