Nightfall

EIGHT

FRIDAY – 3:51 PM

"Katherine, I don't mean to criticize," Martha said from the backseat, "but aren't you going the wrong way?"

"Mother—"

"Considering the current crisis," Beckett answered from behind the wheel, cutting Castle off, "I don't think the rules of the road aren't that important."

Martha mulled over that for a second, before nodding in agreement. "Rightly said, Detective."

Beckett glanced back up at the rearview mirror, catching the reflection of Martha's eyes. She nodded, slightly in thanks. Beside her, sitting in the passenger seat, Castle flashed her a disgruntled look at having been cut off from reprimanding his mother, but she ignored him. Instead, she focused on her driving. Martha had been correct, technically she was driving the wrong way on Crosby Street, however, her reasoning was quite true. Castle sat back, folding his arms over his chest and grumbled something about how it was unfair that he was being ganged up on. Beckett stifled an eye roll at his petulant little boy behavior. All she'd been doing was saving them from the Castle family bickering, which wasn't really something they needed to have right now.

Turning right onto Howard, Beckett punched down on the accelerator, easily maneuvering the sedan around a handful of abandoned automobiles. Martha busied herself with tending to her friend. Holly kept babbling about how she hated being such a bother. And Castle just sat there, pouting, yet soon his worry for Alexis surged back to the surface.

A low, lumbering roar resounded off the tall building façades, echoing all around them. Castle jerked up, alarmed, eyes wide as he glanced at Beckett. She gritted her teeth, gripped the wheel tighter, and directed them towards Broadway. Narrowing her eyes, Beckett steered the car around a toppled street vender cart. She then momentarily took her eyes off the road to glance over at Castle, attempting to offer him a reassuring look. But then she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and she quickly slammed her foot on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt.

Castle gripped the dashboard and the side of the passenger door for support, while in the backseat Martha and Holly hollered in surprise. Beckett's heart skipped a few beats, as she sucked in quick breaths, blinking as she watched a dog arch his neck to briefly stare at the car headlights, before then darting away, scrambling across the debris from the wrecked storefront on the corner of Howard and Broadway.

"You okay?" Castle inquired, twisting his torso around to check on his mother and Miss Hillybrock.

Martha nodded, "I'm fine, Richard. Holly?"
"I'm all right, dear," Holly asserted, hand over heart. "Just a bit startled is all."

Beckett pursed her lips and exhaled softly, shaking her head. She shifted back and prepared to push down on the accelerator, inching the car at a slow crawl towards the intersection. She slowed, arching her neck to check for obstructions, when suddenly several people came hurtling down Broadway from the direction of Canal Street. Cursing, Beckett quickly slammed the breaks again, making the car jerk.

Soon the street was nearly packed with a flood of people, running and stumbling, pushing and shoving. The panicked roar of the crowd was a dull overlay, and Beckett's mouth dropped at the sight. She had no idea so many people were still on Manhattan, but obviously not all the districts had been evacuated as efficiently as the Twelfth Precinct's assigned one. Also, many commanders, like Colonel Rourke, had probably pulled out to assist with the defense of the city, leaving behind those that had yet to be evacuated.

Jumping into motion, she shoved the car door open and launched herself up and out onto the street. There was a buzz to the air, combined the distant sounds of gunfire and explosions. She stared out at the stampede of people, unwilling to make any guesses as to what this could mean, because every possible scenario was worse than the next.

Castle was soon by her side, clutching her arm. "Kate," the low baritone of his voice, mixed with the urgent and frantic worry of a father, snapped her out of it.

Flicking her eyes up to his, she nodded, and strolled back to the car as he ran back around to urge his mother out of the backseat. Martha blinked, startled and concerned by her son's unexpected behavior as he wrenched open the door.

"Richard, what's wrong? What are you doing?" she questioned shakily as he practically pulled her out of her seat, holding her shoulders in a vise-like grip as he directed her around to the driver's side.

"Alexis is that way!" Castle said, pointing emphatically towards Canal Street, his eyes wild and a little crazed.

Martha comprehended immediately and ceased resisting as Castle pushed her into the driver's seat. The older woman shook as she gripped the wheel, glancing uncertainly up at her son and Beckett.

"I haven't driven in a long while," she said, voice wavering, the confidence that usually bloomed from her faded and dull.

Castle leaned in, smoothing a hand down her shoulder in what was an attempt at comfort. "You'll be fine," he reassured. "It's just like riding a bicycle."

"I never learned to ride a bicycle," Martha protested absently.

Beckett nudged Castle aside and crouched down beside the older woman. She placed a reassuring hand on the aging redhead's shoulder. "You've got this, Martha," she said, the certainty firm in her voice. She watched as some of the confidence grew back in Martha's eyes. "Just go back down Crosby, and head for the Williamsburg Bridge. As fast as you can."

Martha nodded. "Look after my son," she pleaded gently, her eyes growing wet. "And bring me back my granddaughter."

"I will," Beckett promised, not even considering the possibility that she might fail. She could not fail. Not now. She squeezed Martha's arm and then moved back to allow Castle to step in and kiss his mother goodbye.

Together, the pair stood back and watched as Martha shifted the sedan into reverse and backed away from them. Beckett swayed close to Castle, trailing her hand down until she found his. She laced their fingers together and squeezed.

"She'll be all right," she offered.

"I know," he answered after a beat. "She's one tough lady, my mother. Always has been. Always will be."

She nodded, and let him settle for a second, before turning and tugging him with her. "Now let's go find Alexis."

Castle clutched her hand tightly in his as she led the way towards the crush of panicked people, pushing and shoving their way through the flood. Above the frantic cries and shouts, Beckett could hear the sounds of battle in the distant, and the low, rumbling roars of the creature. Two attack helicopters drummed above their heads as Beckett and Castle spilled onto Canal Street, fighting against the stream, bumping shoulders and knocking aside people that got in their way.

Canal Street was packed with buses and cars. It was a scene of utter mayhem. The desperation and terror was thick in the air as Beckett watched as a slew of people struggling out of their vehicles and pouring towards the side streets, attempting to flee from the oncoming danger. It was utter chaos. A handful of military personnel were trying to keep the crowd orderly, but it was futile, the panic had already gripped them, seeping in like a wine stain on a white carpet.

A deep rumble, like a building imploding sent a vibration through the ground, and Beckett swayed slightly, clutching Castle's side as she fought to retain her balance. People screamed and cried out in horror. Ahead of them, Beckett glimpsed a young woman collapse, sprawling face first onto the asphalt. No one else seemed to notice or care. If Beckett didn't do something, the poor woman would get trampled.

"Castle!" she shouted, pointing towards the woman.

He nodded, and shoved his way past a sobbing man, using his broad frame to block the stampede enough for Beckett to scramble in and help the young woman back to her feet.

"Thank you, thank you," the woman cried, tears streaking down her cheeks.

Beckett held her close for a moment, until she had her steadied, and then let her go, watching her disappear back into the river of bodies. Castle turned back to her, the deep worry for not just his daughter's safety, but also of all those still trapped here, reflecting out of his expressive eyes. Castle was a man of deep feeling, and though he was focused on his daughter, the plight of everyone else was not lost on him.

She moved to Castle, and grabbed his arm, jerking her head towards the mass of buses lining up down Canal Street. One of them had to have Alexis or students from her class. But a tight ball of worry had started to form in her stomach. The creature was obviously closing in, and everyone was panicking. It was reasonable to assume that Alexis might no longer be on one of those buses. But, for Castle's sake, she was willing to search for as long as it took to find the teenager.

Castle took the lead, his broader frame making it easier for him to cut a path through the stream of panicked people. Beckett kept a hand on his back, moving quickly behind him, settling herself into the mindset she had whenever she accompanied SWAT on a raid. Castle growled and violently shoved a Wall Street suit out of the way, nearly throwing the man to the ground. Beckett reached out to steady the man, and in the process lost Castle in the rush.

Jaw clenched, body tense, Beckett waded through the bodies, feeling the panic prickled along her spine as the strange roar of the creature got closer and closer. Thunder without lightning sounded, and the ground quake beneath her feet. The gunfire grew louder and more desperate. A rumbling growl echoed above their heads, followed by some screams from the soldiers fighting the beast. She kept her eyes ahead, working her way through the crowd, resisting the temptation to glance behind her and see what was going on.

A school bus was up ahead, and Beckett spotted Castle pounding his fist against the side of a school bus, shouting for his daughter. She pumped her legs, and picked up speed, bounding through the crowd with an almost reckless quality. But her training served her well, and she made it to the bus just as Castle managed to pull the door open. Panting, Beckett flew up the steps behind him, only to find the bus empty.

"Another one!" he pointed, desperately shoving past her and dashing back out into the street.

Beckett had a sinking feeling that all the buses would be empty, but she didn't stop him from checking the two closest ones, which were, yes, empty.

"Where could she be?" Castle shouted, his shoulders trembling.

She didn't know what to say or do. So, she just wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close, burying her nose in the crook of his neck, closing her eyes and breathing him in. Tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes, Castle clutched to her with a fierce need. He looked at her as if she could fix everything, make it all better. But she couldn't. This was an impossible scenario. Not even Castle could have written something as insane as this. A monster attacking New York City, like something out of a movie. Things like this just didn't happen. Not in real life.

He sobbed into her shoulder. "God, Beckett, it's almost like I can hear her."

She pursed her lips, and fought to retain control of her emotions, wanting to be his rock, give him strength. But then her ears perked up, and over the din of scrambling, panicked people, and the battle in the distance, she could hear a faint, familiar voice.

"Dad! Dad!"

Shoving away from Castle, Beckett craned her neck up, wildly glancing around, and that's when she spotted the flame of red hair.

"Rick!" she shouted, snapping him out of his grief, pointing in the direction of the girl.

Bouncing on top of one of the buses a block away, waving her hands frantically in the air, was Alexis. Castle let out a cheer of joy at seeing his daughter. He waved back to her, tears streaming down his face as he clutched onto Beckett for support.

"It's her! It's my Alexis!" he was crying.

Their sudden jubilation, however, was cut off by the crash of an Apache helicopter as it swung around wildly in the air before slamming into the side of a building. People screamed as it burst into flames and them tumbled down towards the crowd. Arching her neck around, Beckett saw the creature stomping its way down Canal Street. Her eyes went wide in horror. It was only four city blocks away. Tanks, planted on either side of the street, bombarded the creature with blasts from their cannon guns, but it only seemed to anger it. Rearing back with a sinister snarl, the creature jerked its head forward, spitting out a blue fireball that impacted the tanks like a RPG, sending the tank exploded into the air, and soldiers retreating back.

"Oh God," Castle shouted.

The beast towered above the buildings, its size both terrifying and menacing. The massive jaws opened, displaying rows of shark-like teeth. And then a piercing, siren like wail sounded. Two Apache helicopters buzzed overhead, causing Beckett and Castle to duck their heads. One launched a missile at the monster. Beckett watched as the fierce creature shifted at just the last moment, sending the payload exploding into the side of the building.

"Castle!" Beckett cried, grabbing for his arm. "Run!"

She yanked him away from the horrific spectacle as the monster swung its large tail around and sent a dozen or so soldiers sailing into the air. Castle turned, letting her pull him along as they rushed towards the bus that Alexis was standing on top of.

Beckett shuddered as she heard the creature emit its wailing roar again. The ground vibrated with the force of it. She kept her gaze ahead, on their destination. Behind them, people were fleeing and screaming in horror. She couldn't do anything for them. As much as she wished otherwise, it was out of her hands. She wanted to save everyone. But she couldn't. She could only save those she cared about.

Shoving Castle ahead of her, Beckett glanced over her shoulder to see the creature rear back and spit out another one of those blue fireballs. The projectile impacted with one of the Apache helicopters, and the pilot lost control of the vehicle. Beckett's eyes grew wide as she realized the direction the spinning helicopter was spiraling towards.

Them.

"Castle, run!" she shouted.

Picking up on the urgency in her voice, Castle pumped his legs hard, grabbing her hand and running alongside her, working their way through the mass of vehicles that laid between them and Alexis. The fiery, doomed helicopter seared the sky above them, tumbling violently to the ground. Beckett's heart jumped into her throat when she realized they wouldn't be able to outrun it. Grabbing Castle, she yanked on him hard, tugging him down to the ground. He let out a startled grunt as he tripped and fell, landing hard on the ground with her on top of him.

The helicopter spiraled above their heads and crashed with a violent, explosive boom right into the cars just ahead of them. A blast of fire shut up into the air, heating their faces. Beckett seized Castle and urged him up to his feet again, risking one glance back at the looming creature slowly advancing down the street, before shoving him forward.

"Run, Castle!" she screamed. "Run!"