City in the Fire
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About this ebook
In the heart of a city consumed by chaos, Abi finds herself thrust into a nightmare she could never have imagined. Eight months pregnant and desperate for a moment of peace, all she wants is a quiet afternoon with her mother. But when ancient evil awakens, her world unravels in a series of terrifying events.
As the city burns around her, Abi is forced to confront not only the physical inferno but also the demonic force lurking in the shadows. Trapped and alone, she embarks on a harrowing journey, her maternal instincts driving her to protect her unborn child at any cost.
City in the Fire is a gripping tale of survival and courage, where the line between reality and nightmare blurs. Abi's fight against the darkness takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through a city ablaze, where every corner hides a new threat, and every moment could be her last.
In this adrenaline-pumping horror novel, join Abi as she battles demons, confronts her deepest fears, and discovers the strength within herself she never knew existed. Will she emerge from the flames unscathed, or will she succumb to the fiery depths of the inferno?
James Loscombe
James Loscombe has been publishing under various pen names for the last five years. He lives in England with his wife Tamzin and their sons Jude and Oscar.
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City in the Fire - James Loscombe
1
She squinted as she climbed out of the dark van into the bright morning. Sunlight reflected off the glass towers in the distance, and she raised a hand to shield her eyes while fishing in her breast pocket for her shades. Despite the brightness of the day, it wasn’t warm. The winter cold snap had set in and she pulled her jacket tightly across her chest.
Captain Shelton,
said a deep voice to her left. She turned and saw Jarred Dawson walking towards her. Smooth shaven and chiseled, the man looked like a Greek statue made flesh. He was her second, and she wasn’t supposed to think about him like that, but it wasn’t always easy. She stood back and bit her lip. When he reached her, he took her hand. It’s good to see you, ma'am.
She hated that he called her ‘ma'am’. It made her feel about a hundred years old. She was only thirty-four, and she worked out. Many people said she could still pass for someone in their twenties, although she had her doubts. She ran a hand over her dark hair, which was tightly pulled back in a bun. What’s the status?
she said.
All the charges are in place. Just waiting on your go ahead,
he said.
Very good Dawson. Let’s look, shall we?
Gwen took her work seriously, so she would have checked anyway, but this was a big operation. It had taken years of planning and preparation. The Grigori had been leaking false news stories to the media and preparing for the huge amount of interest the story would generate. Regardless of how much they prepared, there would be conspiracy theories. Even if the story they were leaking was true, that would be the case. As long as they could convince the thinking, rational majority that it was all an unfortunate accident, then it would be a success. There might even be another promotion in it for her.
The control room was in the back of a truck. They’d crammed half a dozen people and a hell of a lot of electronic equipment inside. Displays hung from every wall, showing maps of the city alongside live satellite feeds of the same. When she stepped inside, all six people stopped what they were doing and stood up.
At ease people,
she said and awkwardly they sat down again.
On the wall at the far end of the truck there was a large screen dedicated to showing a clock. One half showed the current time as 0650, the other half showed a countdown in seconds. Currently, it stood at 4,200. She watched the timer run down to 4,140 and gave her team a chance to relax a little, but not too much. She wanted them alert and ready.
Are all the explosives reporting as live?
she said.
Yes ma'am,
said Dawson.
She paused for breath and reminded herself that everything was going according to plan. In fact, according to the plan, they were 600 seconds ahead of schedule. Which worried her. They had accounted for everything. They had been practicing this for months. Those ten minutes needed to be accounted for. Or maybe she was just being uptight.
Get me section four on the screen,
she said. The only way to be sure they hadn’t missed something was to run the checks for herself. Make sure they had done their job properly and not cut corners.
On the screen at the end of the van, the face of a blond-haired girl appeared. Gwen didn’t know her name. She looked like she had barely finished school, let alone had time to pass the grueling months of recruitment tests and training required for field work. What’s your name, soldier?
Sullivan ma'am.
Gwen nodded. The girl seemed nervous, but not out of control. That was good, just how she wanted her to be. Is your charge set?
Yes, ma'am.
And your station is ready for disposal?
Yes, ma'am.
Very good,
said Gwen, and then looked away from the girl. The conversation was over. Get me section ninety-six,
she said.
One of the geeks tapped something into their computer and a moment later, a man called Taylor replaced Sullivan. Taylor reported everything was set at his end and then Helms replaced him at section one-hundred and twenty-eight, who was replaced by Coreno at section eleven. She ran through more than a dozen sections and each reported they were ready. Unless she was prepared to contact all two-hundred sections, there wasn’t much more she could do. Okay, that’s enough,
she said, and the clock and countdown timer replaced the last face.
She left the control center, and Dawson followed. The cool morning air was welcome after the confinement of the truck. Gwen stood on the crest of the hill, which allowed her to look down over the City of Langford. Ancient roads twisted around giant glass structures that dwarfed the historical buildings that were dotted around the city. Gwen had spent many hours walking the streets, pacing the course, so to speak. She knew Langford as well as she knew Oxley or Lunden. It was an old city, and that was part of the problem.
She shook her head and cleared the unwelcome thoughts swimming around. She was tired. That was the problem. As the months leading up to today had become weeks, had become days, she had found it increasingly difficult to sleep. This was make or break time for her career with The Grigori.
It wasn’t her decision and, whether or not she gave the order, it would be given, and they would carry the work out. Even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could do to save the city now. And, she realized, that she didn’t want to. She wanted to see Langford and everything in it burn.
She took a breath, a moment to prepare herself, and then turned around. Dawson stood there waiting for her. He didn’t ask what she had been doing or if everything was alright. Although he was young, he was old school. He followed orders, and didn’t ask questions.
Light the fireworks,
she said.
Very good, ma'am,
he replied, and she watched him turn and go back into the control center.
She waited, but after a minute he still hadn’t come out, so she walked back across the clearing to the car that she had arrived in. The driver climbed out as she approached and held the back door open for her. She took out her phone and slid into the warm leather interior.
2
There was nothing under the bed except dust bunnies and an old shoe box. She pulled out the shoe box and could tell by the weight that it was empty, just as it had been when she’d checked ten minutes ago. She pulled out the tissue paper again for good measure, but her shoes weren’t there.
Abi, are you coming?
called Craig from the bottom of the stairs. Why didn’t he come up and offer to help her instead?
She closed the shoe box and slid it back under the bed, ready to find again the next time she was looking for something. She heaved herself up and glimpsed her swollen ankles in the mirror. The stripy dress she had put on was stretched tightly over her distended belly. She looked like a circus tent.
Abi?
called Craig again.
Alright,
she shouted back. Keep your hair on,
she added under her breath. He was sensitive about his premature hair loss, and she doubted he would find it funny.
There was no time to get changed, so she grabbed her green cardigan from the back of her chair and wrapped it around herself. She could hear Craig walking around downstairs, his shoes clunking on the hardwood floor.
Are you ready?
he said, looking up at her from the bottom of the stairs.
I can’t find my shoes,
she said and suddenly she felt as if she might cry, which was ridiculous, but they were green and oh so comfortable.
Don’t you have any others you can wear?
he said and did everything except tap his watch to show that