Chris recognized what the boy was the instant they stepped into the room. Though there was no outward difference to his appearance, there was a strangeness to his hunched stance, something about how he stood that gave it away. The stench of him was strong in the room, a cloying sweetness that clung to the air.
He didn't need to see the grey eyes to know what the boy was.
Chead.
He had tried to stop Liz, but she'd only shaken herself free and crept closer. Clenching his fists, he tested his strength, surprised by how quickly it was returning. His attention was drawn back to Liz as she bent down to peer into the boy's face.
Then she was staggering backwards, her scream reverberating around the room. The Chead's features contorted, the ripple of awakening sweeping across its face, and then Chris was retreating too, fumbling at the door, shouting for help, knowing it would not come.
Beside him, Liz screamed again and staggered sideways. Chris's hand flashed out, catching her sleeve and dragging her back to him. She started to thrash, and her panic swept through him, waking him from his stupor. He shoved Liz behind him and faced the Chead.
He froze as he found the iron-grey eyes watching him. A smile spread across the creature's face, sending pure terror sizzling through every fiber of Chris's being. Another shriek came from behind him as Liz pounded on the padded door.
Taking a breath, Chris stepped towards the Chead, an eerie calm coming over him. He placed himself squarely between Liz and the creature, ignoring the urge to turn and shake her, to pull her back from the edge. Liz's words were still fresh in his mind, and he heard again the agony in her voice as she'd told him of her parents' death at the hands of a Chead.
He couldn't blame her for panicking.
Chris stared into the eyes of the Chead, searching for a sign of sanity, for a hint of the human it had once been.
The Chead raised an eyebrow. "Welcome," it whispered, the word sounding strange from its mouth, robotic, as though speech did not come easily to it.
For a second all Chris could do was stand and gape. He blinked, moving his mouth, struggling to find the words. "Wha…what?" he finally managed.
Grey eyes flickered from Chris to Liz. With deliberate slowness, the Chead turned and began to pace. It walked first towards the mirror, pausing as its reflection rose up before it, a snarl twisting its lips. Then it spun, moving back past Chris and Liz until it reached the far wall. A growl rumbled from its chest as it turned and repeated the maneuver, its jerky movements like those of a caged animal. Metal shone around its neck, and for the first time Chris realized it too was wearing a collar.
"What. Am. I?" The creature ground out the words. It paused and looked straight at Chris. "You already know that…"
Chris did not reply. His mind was still reeling, struggling to comprehend one irresolvable revelation: it could speak—not just that, it understood him. No newspaper, no television channel had ever mentioned a Chead speaking, never mind being self-aware. As far as the public were concerned, the things were monsters—uncontrollable, terrible, killing machines.
They did not think.
They certainly did not talk.
"How?" Chris croaked.
He could sense Liz behind him regaining her composure. The thuds on the door had ceased, her screams dying to soft gasps. On trembling legs, Liz stumbled forward to join him. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a shiver run through her and reached out an arm. Their hands touched, their fingers entwining. He gave her hand a squeeze and turned back to the Chead.
It had stopped its pacing and stood again in the center of the room, watching them. Its nostrils flared as it inhaled.
"You smell…different," it said, then: "How do I speak?" It spoke Chris's question aloud.
Chris nodded his confirmation.
A smile spread across the Chead's face. "I learned." It nodded towards the mirror. "From them…"
Liz's hand shook in Chris's grip, but when he looked at her, Liz's eyes remained fixed straight ahead, her lips pressed tightly together.
The Chead's head bent to the side, as though in curiosity. "You are different," it said again, its smile spreading, though there was no humor in its eyes. "Like me."
Chris's stomach clenched at its words. "What do you mean? We're…we're not like you…" he croaked.
An awful laughter crackled up from the thing's throat. "They succeeded…these jailers of ours." The boy's face twisted horribly, until it seemed some demon now possessed the boy. Speech seemed to come easier to it now. "But I wonder, is it enough?"
It stepped towards them then, the grin fading.
As one, Chris and Liz retreated across the padded floor, until their backs were pressed against the door.
Chris raised his hands in surrender. "Please, wait, you don't have to do this."
The Chead paused, the hard glint in its eyes wavering. It shook its head. "But I do. It is my nature…isn't it?" It took another step, its eyes flickering to the one-way glass. "Besides, it's what they want."
Snarling, the Chead leapt towards them.
Without pausing to think, Chris pushed Liz from him and stepped in to meet the creature's charge. From the corner of his eye he saw Liz stagger sideways. Then the Chead was on him, its fist flashing for his chest. Acting on instinct drilled into him by years of Taekwondo, he threw up an arm, and the blow glanced from his forearm.
Chris gasped as pain jolted his wrist. Then the weight of the creature crashed into him, flinging him backwards into the wall. The Chead was on Chris before he could recover, catching him by the shoulders. His stomach twisted as the long arms lifted him. Panicked, he kicked out, driving a desperate blow into the boy's head.
To his surprise, the Chead reeled back. A savage growl came from its throat as it tossed him aside. Chris bent his head and braced his arms as the ground raced towards him. He struck with a thud and rolled, spinning to come to his feet in one fluid movement. Straightening, he faced the Chead.
The creature stared back, watching him like a predator stalking its prey. Slowly it lifted an arm and wiped a trickle of blood from its lip.
Chris's gaze flickered as he caught sight of Liz. She moved to join him, her eyes flashing. "Don't do that again," she growled.
Nodding, Chris turned his attention back to the Chead. It seemed hesitant now. Chris was glad for its caution. On the television, he'd watched a Chead tear men apart, seen throats ripped out and skulls shattered by a single blow. Tasers did little to slow them, and bullets only seemed to anger them unless they struck something vital.
Unarmed and trapped in the tiny room, Chris did not like their odds.
Yet somehow, his blow had rattled it.
Pushing down his fear, Chris edged away from Liz. Whatever their chances, they had to try. At least they outnumbered the Chead. They needed to make the most of that advantage.
The Chead snarled as he moved, its head turning to follow him. Chris watched as Liz edged sideways in the opposite direction. The Chead ignored her though, clearly seeing Chris as the greater threat.
Chris just hoped Liz had the strength to prove it wrong.
The Chead's grin returned as Chris came to a stop. A low rumble quivered in its chest. It stepped towards him, legs tensing to spring. Chris raised his fists in reply. Sliding one leg backwards, he twisted sideways, planting himself in a defensive stance. Flashing a grin he did not feel, he gestured the creature forward.
As Chris hoped, his impudence ignited a flash of anger in the Chead. Adrenaline pounded in his ears as it charged, and he reacted without thought, years of training taking over. One hand swept up to deflect a blow flashing for his face. The force of the attack sent him reeling, but stepping back he managed to keep his balance, already watching for the next attack.
Another fist came at his face and he ducked. His surprise grew as the attack flew past. He'd seen a Chead shatter bones with a single blow. By all rights, Chris's arm should have been crushed. Yet somehow he was holding his own.
The Chead seemed to have realized this too. Snarling, it hurled itself at Chris with renewed fury. A fist flashed beneath his guard and struck him in the stomach. The breath hissed between Chris's teeth as his lungs emptied. Wheezing, he tried to retreat, but the Chead was too close.
With a shriek, Liz leapt into the fray. Bent in two and gasping, Chris caught a glimpse of her tangled hair and flashing blue eyes as she drove her foot down into the back of the Chead's knee.
Screaming, it collapsed.