Warhead by Andy Remic Read Free Book Online

side and lay, blood oozing from the fifteen or so holes in its chest and belly, eyes rolling. It wheezed softly as its ability to breathe slowly faded.
    Carter slowly pushed himself away from the wall. He moved forward, knelt on one knee and slowly stroked the horse’s velvet muzzle. It made a tiny nuzzling sound and Carter shuffled around, placed the Browning’s muzzle to the back of its head and, with his eyes closed, ended the animal’s life.
    After the sound of the shot, the world seemed suddenly, desolately, silent.
    Carter climbed wearily to his feet, adrenalin still pumping, and left the stall. He turned, through the dancing motes of dust, and moved to the end stall where Mary crouched, trying to protect her grandchildren with the bulk of her own body.
    ‘It’s OK,’ Carter croaked. ‘The Nex are dead. You can come out.’
    ‘Carter? Carter ... what are you doing here? Oh thank you, thank you! Have you seen Tomas? Is he all right? Is he still alive?’ The old woman’s voice was powerful, and Carter witnessed a hardness in her eyes. These are tough people, he thought: the Nex had underestimated both their tenacity and their pride.
    ‘Tomas is alive. I sent him behind the house when I blew up the Nex’s truck.’ Carter crouched, and one of the little girls glanced tearfully at him. ‘You OK there, little flower?’
    She buried her face back in her grandmother’s skirts.
    ‘Follow me,’ said Carter, rising to stand in acute agony—the horse had cracked several of his ribs when it had crushed him against the wall of the stable stall—and he looked along the length of the stable, which in the last few minutes had turned into a charnel house. He led the way to the doors—and the warmth of sunlight and freedom beyond. He dragged the portal open a little more with a scraping of old timbers, then stepped out into the sunshine with the old grey-haired woman and tear-stained children trailing behind his aching battered shell—
    Two sub-machine guns were pointed at Carter’s head—one from either side of the stable doorway, both in the gloved hands of copper-eyed Nex soldiers. Carter glanced, very slowly, from left to right.
    ‘There were five Nex,’ said Kade smugly.
    ‘Yeah, thanks for that, Kade. Big fucking help you were with that one.’
    ‘Let me sort this out, Carter. You know I can take them. You know I can burn their skulls and piss on their graves. This is just a walk in the park for me. As dangerous as feeding the quacking ducks. ‘
    ‘Kade—you can just drop dead.’
    ‘Hey, Carter, maybe we both will—just look at that!’
    From behind the smoking ruins of the Mercedes 8x8 came an enormously muscled figure on all fours—like a huge stocky cat, moving with a heavy feline grace, long claws gouging the dirt road, heavy triangular head swaying from left to right. Its skin was the glossy black of insect chitin, with spiralled patterns of skin blending with silver armour down its flanks. It stalked forward in arrogance, slitted copper eyes focusing on Carter—and it made the Spiral man’s breath catch in his throat and his skin go suddenly cold. He felt the two Nex to either side take a step back.
    ‘Sleeper Nex,’ came Kade’s soft whisper, laced with just a hint of joy. With the thrill of battle. ‘You have no chance with that, my friend. Last time, it was just luck ... but this time?’
    The Sleeper Nex halted, claws flexing, and a long string of drool dripped from its thick twisted fangs. Its head tilted a little then, observing Carter with the slow appreciation that all predators reserve for their prey. But what horrified him most was that there was a recognition in that narrowed stare.
    The Sleeper Nex knew Carter ...
    And then it spoke, sending spider crawls of horror rippling down Carter’s spine. How can it speak? his mind screamed at him. Just how the fuck can that monstrosity speak ?
    ‘Mr Carter,’ came the low sibilant whisper.
    It blinked, slowly, lazily. Saliva, a