Mason: The Cretun Chronicles, #2

By Nathan Howe and Derek Howe

An exciting sequel to Aiden.
The world has been turned upside down for Aiden and his friends.
He once thought he could not step foot outside, that was a lie. Now free of the Tower and on the run for his life, Aiden must avoid the Cretuns as he tries to find and rescue his sister.
Can he do it? Or will he lose even more?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nathan Howe
• Release date: May 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781386099321

Book preview

Prologue

Jameson

Jameson, the elder, stood staring out the window frozen in shock. What he had seen scared him terribly. His friends Aiden, Mason, and Leah had disappeared underground following a monster. Then an even bigger realization occurred to him. If Aiden and the others were still alive, the air wasn’t polluted. What in the world is going on?

Jameson was frozen in place, unable to peel his gaze from the window. Aiden was gone. What would happen next? Jameson knew that he couldn’t walk outside. He had seen the bodies of people who left, and it was not pretty. His memory of Kaitlyn’s death still haunted him, and he had only seen it from a distance. It was all just too much for him to process and his memory was spotty. His head hurt, but he tried to think through everything he witnessed. Jameson needed to figure out how the others had managed to escape alive. If they had truly fought their way free, and he figured out how they did it, he might be able to save others.

The first thing he needed to do was take care of the door and the people on the Proving floor. The breach alarm still sounded in the Tower, and with that in mind, he made his way down to the common area. Once down there, he would call an emergency meeting with the other elders. Jameson was not sure what Deimos did for the Compliance Division, but he was certain the officer was lying on the floor dead. Even if the air wasn’t still toxic up there, he didn’t think many were alive. Deimos had looked pretty beat up as if the acid spray from the door sprayed over him. Jameson cringed. It would be a horrible way to go, but if that were the case, he was confident that Deimos gave them no choice. It was the way that he was.

Jameson didn’t like thinking about it, but he was relieved that Deimos was gone. His life would be immensely easier without him. In the meantime, he would seek out the former captain, Catherine. She was and would continue to be, less frightening to deal with.

The trip to the lower level was a long one. Jameson decided to take the stairs all the way down because it gave him some time to think. Even at his age, he could make it down the stairs. Down was one thing going up wasn’t gonna happen. Jameson wanted to think about what to say, and so the steps that he took were slower than usual. First, he had to tell Barbara that Aiden was gone. He was entirely sure that Aiden went with Leah and Mason. He’d have to tell them all something once that was confirmed, but he just didn’t know what. Should he tell them what he saw outside? Jameson wasn’t sure if he should be saying what he saw. It might cause people to attempt the Walk which wouldn’t be good. The thought of so many people trying to escape the Tower and dying in the attempt really worried him.

Jameson settled with the idea that he would talk only with the closest of his friends before he made any major moves or any major announcements. He’d have to call a meeting, then speak to his inner circle first. The absolute first person on his list was Barbara, Aiden's grandmother. Then depending on how she took it, he would talk to the others.

Who knows, this might be the day that the world changed from dreadful to hopeful. Truly that would be an earth-shattering moment. Too bad so many wouldn’t really realize that they were being kept in the dark.

He couldn’t think of any way of getting around that, and after a while and another hundred steps, he really didn’t care.

Is it true? Caleb asked as he walked up beside him.

Jameson smiled to himself and thought. Most of the others in the Tower avoided him but no matter how much he tried to get them to treat him like just another person, they just couldn’t. Only people like Caleb treated him like a regular person.

That depends, Jameson said. The words that came out of his mouth had never been truer. He was not sure of anything at the moment. What you mean by true?

The rumors spreading to the Tower are all over the place. Deimos is dead, people are gone, who knows what else?

Deimos is dead, Jameson responded to Caleb as he looked at him carefully. They had been friends for a very long time, and he wondered if he could even trust him. Caleb was a brilliant man. You didn’t get to be the leader of the Science Division without thinking outside of the box and having a lot of intelligence to apply to it.

Can I trust you, old friend?

Caleb’s eyes went wide with shock, and he drew in a deep breath. You sound serious, what happened?

Follow me, Jameson muttered to Caleb. Leading his friend into a private area. The man who had been the leader of the Tower for years felt alone and uncertain. But he made sure that he couldn’t see or hear anybody else around before he started to talk to Caleb. Since very few people knew the Tower like Jameson, this was definitely a reasonable security precaution, but he still felt unsure. Aiden, Mason, and Leah killed Deimos. And then they broke out of the restricted area.

I assume that means that there dead.

Jameson had hesitated, They are not.

Caleb’s jaw dropped, and nearly speechless, he whispered, That’s not possible, I have to speak to them.

This was an uneasy talk for Jameson because he feared that Caleb would think he was crazy or even worse Caleb would start a panic. You can’t because I saw them outside on the ground and there was no way of intercepting them.

Caleb stepped back. That’s impossible. The air outside is poisonous it would kill them

The implications of what Jameson had just said hit Caleb at the force of a two-by-four. He staggered back in surprise and seemed about to faint. Jameson reached out his arm carefully and pounded the shaken man on the shoulder. I know, but I saw them with my own eyes. Something isn’t right but I’m not sure what it is, and I don't know what to believe.

The drivers?

Jameson had thought about the drivers, but if the air was safe, they had to know that. Perhaps it was time to do some investigating because they really needed to find out what was going on. We need to look into this. Keep the information under wraps for now, but there has to be something causing us to stay imprisoned here.

I totally agree! said Caleb.

The two men, united in common uncertainty, continued their trip to the lower levels.

1

Aiden

For most of the past week, we have stayed in an old abandoned building which O, the alien, told us is located in a town called Canton. Before the supposed war, this building sold furniture. It’s huge, with fading blue and yellow paint covering outside. I stared blankly straight ahead because I was alone. I was alone for this moment something that I had never before experienced. The feeling of emptiness is very frightening. Part of me expects to wake up and this to be all crazy dream. I would be back in the Tower with Rachel, my sister, and it would be my proving day. The whole thing scares me to death.

It felt bizarre because that’s not the case. I somehow still can’t believe I’m living outside the Tower and on the run from the alien Cretun. Avoiding them, hopefully. If we are caught, I will be killed on site as will O, the former owner of the Tower. This is not the life I expected to have when I vowed to get to the top floor of the Tower. The guilt of leaving so many people behind is tough to deal with and haunts my nights. I continue to have hope that I’ll be able to free them but the weight of insecurity and the emotion of loss drags me down.

We had set up a camp on the first floor, and we stay there most of the time. The only time we use the second floors was to keep watch out over the city. If any Cretun comes looking for us, we should have enough time to escape. Or at least that’s my hope.

The further we traveled away from the Tower, the more the world turned into the movies. It overwhelmed me at first. How different the world was than what I expected it to be. Less destruction and no evidence of war at all. O did a good job of making the area around the Tower appear war-torn and dangerous. The shock between my expectations and what I see adds to my distress. I’m not sure really what to think.

I rolled up a sleeping bag that I’ve been using for a bed. But O, the Cretun must have a different sleep cycle, or he doesn’t sleep at all. He is awake when we go to sleep and is up before we get up. I cleaned up my makeshift bed as the others tidied up their sleeping bags and areas.

It wasn’t as if we gotten much sleep that first week. We moved every night under cover of darkness to avoid detection. Recently, it’s been a little bit better, and we feel less confused and harried.

Across the space O stood and turned slowly as I walked toward the being. I’m still not used to his presence. Every time I see his long black cord of hair and his slate gray skin, I can’t help but gawk. It’s so foreign, so weird, that the sight of him slaps me back into reality.

O stopped in front of me, saying, we must leave today. He talks with his thick Cretun accent which sounds like some of the bizarre form of a lisp. He turned from me, and shame covered his face. He appeared to be lonely but were their facial expressions the same as ours? I didn’t know.

All right, I replied. I certainly wasn’t looking forward to being on the run again because it is the opposite of fun. On the first day, I wouldn’t have thought I’d miss the life in the Tower so much, but now I do. Every night I’m reminded of that as I sleep in a different place in a strange space. Sleeping in the same bed every night was something I took for granted. It was nice not having to worry about Cretuns chasing me or where I was going to find food. It certainly hasn’t been worth it so far. My blood starts to boil in my veins and my anger rises. I’m angry we haven’t made a move yet, we haven’t done anything that will help the others. I look at O and say, Are we ever going to fight back? Find my family?

O turned back to me and looked past all the debris in the building to the bright sunny day outside. Soon.

He seems hesitant to go to war against his own kind. I can appreciate that in a sort of esoteric way. However, my own needs, my own desires, drive me in this.

Thank you, I muttered quietly. Finding my family and Lee’s sisters is what I wanted to do the whole time that I was growing up. After that, I’m not too sure what I want to do, but those two things are what drives me and have been driving me for the past year. I finish cleaning up my area and go find Leah and Mason. It was not difficult for me to locate them as the scent of eggs and toast fills the air and makes my stomach rumble.

Since we left the Tower, the meals have been smaller and fewer than I’m used to. Until now, I never had to worry about food which is at yet another concern that I hadn’t anticipated.

Nice of you to join us, Mason said with a smile. It’s obvious that he’s handling this whole situation better than I am, and part of me resents that.

Morning, I said. My body was aching from sleeping on the hard-concrete floor. No matter how much I stretch, my muscles are still tight for a few hours. Leah looks the way I feel, large bags under her eyes and her hair all over the place. But she’s never looked more beautiful to me.

I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her. Since the escape from the Tower, she’s been what keeps me going. I find myself doubting everything I do, but she has kept me focused. Her presence has helped me see that it’s not a waste of time and that there is a possible end in sight even if that light may be a large vehicle coming down on top of us.

The three of us sat around the table to eat the sparse breakfast that they had prepared for us. The last of the food that we have was in that meal. That was a terrifying thought because none of us had ever cooked in the Tower. It turned out Mason cooks better than either Leah or me. O showed us how to cook the first day that we were out but said that it’s not a Cretun’s job to prepare food for humans. It’s beneath them, apparently, since we are not equal in their eyes. Being treated as nothing more than a second-class life form meant to cater to him is yet one more reason for me to loathe the Cretun.

O said it’s time to leave, I said between bites of the egg.

Yeah, he told us that earlier, Lee said finishing her eggs. She pushed the plate away and slid her chair closer to mine. Leaning her head on my shoulder, the scent of her hair drifts up and relaxes me.

It’s about time, Mason said. I’m sick of this place. It would be nice if it still had some of the beds in it, but it doesn’t so I hate it.

It sure would, I said. With that, all of us stood up, and we headed back to the sleeping area where O waited for us. For a creature his size, I’d imagined he’d out eat us, but that wasn’t the case. He almost never ate, and then it would be only cooked or undercooked meat at that.

O sat on the floor in a lotus position with his eyes closed. When he sat like that, he was about the same height as I am. He said it was a practice a human would call meditating. The first couple of days he didn’t do it at all, but with each passing day, he dedicates more of his time to it. Why I don’t know, but I think he is searching for something, something that he hasn’t told us about. We have learned so little about him and his kind that a part of me wanted to ask endless questions. I don’t, though, because I’m not sure if it would be rude or if he would even answer us.

O slowly opened his eyes as we approach. His senses seemed to be more sensitive than any human’s. He gestured for us to join him, saying, Sit with me.

Mason and I sat on either side of him with Leah sitting next to me. The first time we joined in this type of the circle, I tried to copy his pose, but it just wasn’t comfortable. I’m still trying to figure out a way to sit on the ground that I like. This time I tried sitting with my legs to one side. It still wasn’t very comfortable.

When are we going to leave? Mason asked. He quickly mimics O, as does Leah, making me feel slightly less comfortable and more inadequate since I can't.

Soon, I will have a meeting with some of the humans, O said. Meeting with people? All the humans outside the Towers are pets. They are controlled by another Cretun just like Rachel was. How could he be meeting with one of them? Would they just tell their owners? That was the impression I had gotten from O, not like he had said anything of importance.

Who? Leah asked for me.

O didn’t respond but sat in silence for a few more moments. The longer he sat silently, the more I wanted to ask. Who are we going to meet? Will they be able to help us find our families? The suspense was making me anxious. His avoidance of talking to us in the time since we had left had caused the rise of an enormous amount of frustration in