“We work hard and put our efforts into being better than the next man or woman,” Luke responds strongly.
“That sounds worthy. What do you think of there being implants in this division?” she asks.
“They should be executed,” I state.
“Could you perform that execution, Kylie?”
“Without question,” I state the way they would want a Creation to respond.
The four of them nod. “Can I meet your team?” The Premier asks. He attempts to straighten his hunched posture when addressing us. It looks uncomfortable, but I appreciate his effort. Unlike the Trade, his address shows we do mean something to them, and he appreciates us.
Besides fighting for him, per his requests, our teams hold no importance. His request to meet them is odd. Luke and I look at Jord, seeing if it is okay.
“There is no problem in greeting their teams. Gather your groups and bring them here. Quickly, they are preparing to leave. Respond.”
“We understand.” We run toward the rec hall to find our groups. We go to the Creations’ hall first. Upon entering, Luke speaks loudly, “Creations of Ky and myself, the Premier has requested to meet you. Here now, do not lollygag, present yourselves as Creations. Do not slouch or slack. Face forward unless instructed to do otherwise. Remain at attention. Fall out.” Luke and I turn, leaving for the Normals’ hall.
As I walk in, I say, loud and demanding, “Non-Creations of Luke’s and my team, stand to leave.” I repeat to them Luke’s instruction, and they are slower leaving than the Creations. Because of that, they will be trained hard today.
We run back to the Premier and stand at attention. Our groups gather behind us.
The Premier looks everyone over with Arletta and Richard behind him, doing the same. “How long have the Non-Creations been here?” he asks Jord.
“So far, three months,” Jord answers.
The Premier nods. “Training is too light on them. Their faces are at ease. They are too comfortable, not alert. The Creations in each group look great. Good job with their training, Kylie and Lukahn.” He stalls, looking each face over. “Why is there an uneven number of Creations?” he asks Jord.
“During a daytime attack of the undead, both groups were fighting, outnumbered. Kylie lost three Creations, and Lukahn lost two. It was unfortunate.”
The Premier slowly nods. “We will get a handle on these dead infestations. We are losing so many citizens and Creations to them, it’s unbelievable. We need to destroy the head, and the tail will follow in death,” he says, smashing his shaky fist to his palm.
I flick my gaze left and right. That is an odd implication.
“Let me go!” Someone yells from behind us. Everyone looks.
Fein is being dragged by her neck by Marshal hurrying in our direction. When they make it to Jord, he throws her on the ground. In his other hand, he holds a coyote that looks like its neck is broken. It’s dead.
“What is this?” Jord asks, brows furrowed and eyes wide. He seems embarrassed by such a display in front of the most important people in the world.
Marshal throws the coyote next to Fein as she starts to stand. He cocks his gun back, saying, “You better not get up. Stay on your knees.” He looks at Jord. “I saw her contacting the outsiders. Colorful mists left her mouth, her mouth was glowing. Shortly after, that thing howled and showed up.”
She didn’t learn when Luke and I caught her? Marshal’s actions should have been ours, but we let her go.
“Get her twin and bring him here,” Jord tells Marshal. He nods, running toward our rec hall.
Fein keeps her head down. I try to not look at Luke and instead look over my group to make sure the faces of the Creations have not faltered or been affected by this scene. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time, and in front of the Guidance, of all people. Sir Jord won’t be able to write this off like he’s done Cory or anyone else he’s discovered is on that list.
Arletta drags her red painted nails down her long neck as she looks Fein over. She asks, “What do you all do when you find an implant?”
Jord says, “The first two that were found are being held captive and tested on.”
She glides her index and middle finger back and forth over her mouth without smudging her lipstick. “Hmm.” She taps her bottom lip twice as she slightly nods. “Do you need any more for testing?”
Everyone looks at Jord for his answer, even Fein, her eyes begging him to say yes. He could save her, spare her and Floyd’s life by taking them to the labs. If he says no, Arletta will demand execution for them both right now.
It’s oddly silent as we wait for Jord’s answer. He avoids looking down at Fein. Right before he speaks, he quickly flicks his gaze to her and back up. I wouldn’t have seen him do it if I wasn’t staring him in his eyes. There’s a relationship there, and I think it’s their connection with the Vojin.
“No,” he says hard, looking at Arletta. I unnoticeably release a shocked breath.
I’m sorry, Fein.
“Good to hear,” Arletta says as Marshal comes back with Floyd, walking cheerfully at his side.
Floyd spots Fein on the ground on her knees. “Fuck!” He expresses his anger, throwing his head back. He turns to make a run for it, or he may be checking his surroundings, but Marshal stops him.
With her brother here, Fein straightens her spine and holds her head high.
“Kylie,” Richard calls. I pull my eyes from Fein to him, keeping my face strong. “Execute,” he orders.
Why me?
Marshal grabs Floyd’s neck and shoves him to his knees so he’s in the same position as his sister. I look at Luke when everyone’s eyes lock on me. Luke’s stare reads I have no choice but to follow orders.
I draw my gun and walk to the backs of Fein and Floyd.
I cock it back.
Floyd says, “Me first, Ky.” Floyd and Fein are my friends. I don’t want to do this. If I did, I would have turned them in myself. Why did they have to be so stupid, so negligent to get caught? You never make the same mistake twice. Now, I’m forced to kill my good friend and her brother.
Fein clears her throat and says, “Thank you, Ky.”
My heart’s thumping roughly, but my breaths remain steady. I aim at Floyd first, take in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. I pull back the trigger. He falls forward, and Fein wails, looking away from him. I cock my gun back again, wanting to end her misery as fast as I can. A heat of remorse washes over me as I aim it at her.
“Wait,” Arletta presses her index finger against the back of my hand, pushing it aside. I look at it, glossy fingernail polish matching her eyeshadow and lipstick. Having no choice, I wait, shifting my gaze from her hand to her face.
She holds her hand out at her side and listens. Fein’s cries seem to echo through the base, and I realize that is what she is listening to, with her eyes looking up at the sky and a smirk on her mouth—pleased by the tormented sound. Fein sobs, and Arletta lowers her hand. “Okay…now.” She gently pulls my wrist back in place and taps the barrel of my gun. Smiling, she steps back and nods.
I’m sorry, Fein. I pull the trigger. She falls like her brother. I lower my gun. Before I stand at attention, I look back and forth to Floyd and Fein, giving them a moment of silence.
Richard, Arletta, and the Premier pat my back, saying, “Good job, Kylie,” as they pass me and walk to their white truck. Their hands are like weights smacking down on my body. I don’t acknowledge them, keeping my gaze pinned on the peak of a mountain in the distance.
I finally look away when Richard orders the Creations standing at attention by the general’s door to get the bodies and throw them in the back of their truck, and then informs us they will be leaving.
Jord steps to my side, grabbing my shoulder. “You did what you had to do.” He squeezes my shoulder before he walks away.
I replace my gun. My movements are slow, but I keep my stance strong while still in everyone’s presence. Luke comes to me, grabbin
g my head and places his forehead to the side of mine. He says in my ear, “Ky, don’t let your discomfort show.” He lets me go and turns to our groups. “As you all were.” Most of them quickly disperse, but some take a minute out of shock.
With my head held high, I wipe the sweat from my brows. Marshal runs to me as I head for the rec hall. “It sucks we had to get rid of a friend,” he says. “If they were working for them, they weren’t our friends anyway.”
“Right,” I say with a plastered smile, rubbing my hands over my head. We walk into the mess hall, and he goes to his table. I find mine, accompanied by Luke, shortly thereafter.
I sit next to Marc and lay my head against his shoulder. Deep breaths, I tell myself. I take four before the discomfort is gone. He grabs my hand and pulls me to leave with him.
We stroll away, and by the time he speaks, I’m feeling better. “What’s wrong?” he asks.
“How can you tell something is wrong?”
“This feeling you’re giving off, and you’re quiet and resting against me with everyone around.” He shrugs. “You’re sad.”
“I had to execute Fein and Floyd.”
He stops abruptly. “Why?” he asks with an edge of surprise raising his voice an octave.
I suck in a jagged breath. “The Premier and Guidance were here while Marshal caught her reaching out to the outsiders.”
Marc’s head droops forward. “Damn.”
“Exactly.” I grab the shoulder straps of my vest as I throw a glance to the sky. “They told me good job.”
He crinkles his nose. “I mean. If they weren’t your friends, you would feel the same way, Ky.”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I guess. But I’m fine now. It’s just that I didn’t want to be the one tasked with killing them.”
He pulls me in front of him when we get behind a house. “You want me to hug you?”
I hug him, hating that our vests separate us.
“Let’s go. We have training,” he says, pulling me with him to head back. “Sean may be pretty upset, but we don’t have a choice in anything, Ky. Anyone willing to risk being caught didn’t deserve your mercy.”
“Okay, Luke. I don’t need the big brother talk right now. I just needed a minute.”
Marc pats my back. “You don’t have time to take a moment. Get back to work. Pretend it doesn’t bother you.” He brushes his knuckles across my cheek and says, “We’ll talk it out later tonight,” before jogging off to his responsibilities.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Work on your posture, Non-Creations. Shoulders back, spine straight, head held high, face even,” I yell to my group while they charge through the open field, warming up by running suicides.
They’re all too afraid to address me, and each of them are quick to follow orders without complaining. They know how close Fein and I were, and some of them are probably scared I’ll shoot them since I didn’t hesitate to execute a friend.
“Now practice combat, turn to the person beside you, left to right.” I’m deflated; I can’t take anymore. “Practice that, combat moves in war against other humans.” I sit on the floor. Fein falling to the ground replays in my mind like a scene from a movie. It would have been better if it were Collins. I could put a bullet through her head without a second thought.
Danny comes over. “I don’t have a partner. Come on.” He extends his hand to help me from the floor. I take it.
Time flies, and before I know it, the lunch bell’s ringing.
“Floyd and Fein were implants?” Collins says, shocked, stirring her soup. “Serves them right to get shot down.”
“Shut up, Collins,” Sean orders in a stern tone.
“Don’t get upset with me for expressing my feelings because your girlfriend got shot down by Kylie.”
“He said shut up, Collins,” I snap. I will have no problem stabbing her with my fork today.
“You shut up, Kylie. You’re the one who shot them. Wasn’t she your friend?”
“Ky, you try to break her nose this time,” Sean begins. “I won’t stop you.”
She smiles. “Marc will stop her.”
“No, I won’t.” Marc responds, stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth.
“No one at this table will stop her, but your sister,” Luke adds. “And she’ll only be able to stop her if she can make it through us.”
I drop my fork, ready to throw my fist across the table. “I’m just playing, Kylie.” Collins laughs me off. “I’m not serious, Sean. Fein was a nice friend to all of us, but her being an implant voids that. Each of you should feel the same way.”
Seits comes in and clears her throat. “We are taking volunteers for tonight’s sweep.” Collins stands along with a few others. They gather by Seits, and the bell dongs, calling the end of lunch.
After lunch, I make my group run the obstacle course. They go four against Gia’s group until everyone has run it. Because my group is oddly numbered, Danny sits out of training. He requested to show his improvement in combat. He’s been working hard to get my recommendation for the male leadership position of our division. I make myself available when he wants to practice or wants extra training.
“Like this.” He maneuvers himself, grabbing my arm, pulling it roughly around my neck.
I quickly get out of his maneuver, spinning around and getting him in a headlock with his arm pinned behind his back. I knee him in his spine, dropping him to his knees.
“I guess not,” he utters.
I let him go. “Nope.”
He stands, stretching his arms. “I know how to street fight. Not all these combat moves.”
“The combat moves help you when going against a street fighter. You know things they don’t. Understanding pressure points, smaller bones that, when broken, can affect your enemy as if they were bigger ones. It gives you an upper hand in a brawl.”
He nods and swings at me. I block it, not catching him swiping his leg under mine, knocking me off my feet. With his hands around my throat, he holds me down. “I got you, right?” He smiles.
I could get out of this easily by using a number of maneuvers with my legs or my free arms, which he’s neglected to hold down, but I’ll give him this one because he did catch me off guard. “Yes.” He lets me go. “Remember, when you pin someone down, you want to make sure you block off their defenses too. What if I’d have a knife in my hand? My hands were free to stab you.”
“I see,” he thinks. “Let’s go again.”
Fighting with Danny, Gia, and the rest of our group, racing each other on the course, takes up the rest of the day. My group has grown to enjoy the course, and I love ending a day without hearing their complaining. “Great job today, everybody. Get some rest, and we’ll pick it back up tomorrow.”
After dinner and a shower, I go to Luke’s room. “You’re sleeping here?”
“Yeah, I’ll let Marc miss me. And keep you company.”
“You found a way to get rid of your nightmares, and you still won’t sleep by yourself.”
I shrug. “That was only once. I don’t know if that will work all the time, or if all the time, I’ll dream about him. And maybe I’m not comfortable sleeping by myself. I had to perform an execution today for two of my friends. I might dream of fighting the Guidance, yelling at them for making me kill them.”
“They were stupid for contacting them here, right now, and having knowledge of the suspicions circling the Creations. You warned her, right?”
“Of course. How are we going to find out when the Vojin will attack if we won’t be able to reach out to them?”
“We won’t. They may have extra security now. We can’t call out to them.”
“No, we can’t.”
“I’m going to address the general tomorrow. I could be risking it, but I think I’ll have a good approach. I’m going to ask when we are with Harold. I know for a fact Harold is mixed. But like us, he’s turned from them.”
I lie on my back, looking around Luke’s dark room. “You
want to hear something funny?”
“Sure.”
“If we were to talk to them, and they knew our change of heart, they would call us the traitors and the snakes.”
He snorts. “They would…”
I turn my head to Luke’s arm, preparing to sleep. It hits me. “Harold? Why, specifically, ask Jord in front of him?”
“Because Jord seems to be less of a person around him. He’s weak and abides by whatever Harold says. I might talk to Harold first, then I’ll talk to Jord.” His shoulder shrugs against my forehead. “I’ll make up some story about why I assume, or how I found out.”
“What if the Vojin’s plan is to attack before we can?”
He shrugs again. “I don’t think it is. With them, everything is strategic. They have to make sure everything is in order before execution.”
“It would have been nice if we had found out why Fein was trying to contact them. What was so important she needed to reach out in the middle of the day?” A soft knock sounds against Luke’s door as a girl’s small voice calls his name. “Isn’t it a little late for this, Luke?”
“It is, and they know not to come here after hours, or at night, with the Zombies walking around.” He gets up and goes to his door.
I may as well leave because he’s probably going to let her in. I sit up as she says, “They’ll come for me,” voice trembling. “They are going to find out about me and come for me.” She shoves past him, barging into his room. Her gaze lands on me, and she clamps her hand over her mouth.
“You might want to check your surroundings before you speak,” I tell her, lips pursed as I give her a lazy gaze. I don’t know her name, but I’ve seen her around. “She’s a dense one, Luke. There wasn’t a riper tomato in the garden?”
“Hold on, Ky,” Luke closes his door. “What are you talking about, Virginia?”
The Separation Trilogy Box Set: Books 1 -3 Page 49
