Nick paused before speaking. “You know, I remember some of that. Sort of.”
“After that, the woman jumped out with her rifle and cleaned up the leftovers,” Squid said.
“Yeah, I heard Linda’s here, too,” Nick said. “That sounds like her.”
“They didn’t go over to that bridge for Matt,” Squid said. “Matt was right here, safe and sound. But they went over there anyway. To rescue you. You might want to remember that.”
“Good to know,” Nick said. “Seriously. But I think you’ll see what I’m talking about when we get to Tabernacle.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing this place,” Squid said.
They were quiet for a while. Nick replayed the events of the last day or two in his mind as the van rolled along. There was a lot to think about. “I killed some people yesterday and today,” he suddenly said. “Quite a few. It’s not something I feel so good about.”
“Same’s true for me,” Squid said. “Sometimes it can’t be avoided. Just remind yourself of what those people were trying to do to you when you killed them. And just be glad you came out on top. It’s as simple as that.”
“Is it?” Nick asked. “Then why do I feel so, you know, guilty about it?”
“That’s the way you’re supposed to feel,” Squid said. “You should hope you never lose that. It’s what makes you a decent human being. But balance it out against what I said. Sure, it’ll leave a mark on you forever. A scar on your insides. But it beats the alternative. There’s nothing else to say about it.”
~~~
“How many vans did we end up with?” Nick asked Squid the next time both of them were awake at the same time. “I lost track.”
“Me too,” Squid said. “I know we have three with us right now. Levan and your roommate kept one and stayed behind.”
“Dewey?” Nick asked, alarmed. He tried to sit up but stopped when it felt like his wound was opening back up. “Why? He’s not coming back?”
“They have some unfinished business,” Squid said. “Dewey wanted to go look for his family. Levan was going to canoe back over and get some of his people out of the city.”
“Hmm,” Nick said. “And do what with them? Take them back to Tabernacle? That might not go over so good. I say that from experience.”
“Carlo told him that,” Squid said. “Levan said he wanted to try anyway.”
Nick nodded. “I’d do the same thing. I think you would, too.”
~~~
Three hours later they left the asphalt and pulled onto a dirt road that Nick knew was the entrance to Tabernacle. He’d been watching the scenery out the back window after finally managing to sit up, so he wasn’t surprised when they arrived. The sense of dread was gone now, and he was resigned to get it over with. Hopefully Roethke would get his rebukes over with quickly and he could get checked into the Medical Center, because the gash between his ribs was aching and the pain was getting steadily worse.
“You better get out first,” Squid said after the back doors were pulled open from the outside. “I can’t push off on this shoulder. I’ll need somebody to drag me out,” he said with a chuckle. “But not you,” he added.
“Don’t worry. I’m not up to it,” Nick replied as he scooted toward the door and stepped gingerly onto the ground. It was as muddy as he remembered.
The welcoming party was small. That was understandable; it wasn’t like they’d been able to call ahead to warn them of their arrival. There were a lot more people climbing out of the convoy vehicles than there were waiting to meet them. But Nick’s heart leaped when he saw Sarah. He’d thought about her so much while he was gone. If only they would let him stay, if only he could bring himself to, maybe they’d have a future together.
“Are you hurt?” she asked after watching how slowly he moved. “I’m so glad to see you!” She moved close and gently squeezed his wrist before carefully draping an arm around his shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
“Me too, I guess,” he answered. “Where’s Roethke? I didn’t think he’d miss this.”
“There’s Matt!” Sarah exclaimed. “Are they all okay? What were they doing to him?” She released her hold on Nick and took a step toward the Shardlakes. “We had to take the—"
When she stopped in mid-sentence, Nick looked away from the Shardlakes to find out why. Her face had gone ashen, her mouth agape. She was looking at Squid, who was being extracted from the van by two men Nick remembered from the Medical Center. He doesn’t look any worse than me, Nick thought as he tried to understand Sarah’s shock at his appearance. What happened?
“Sarah?” he asked, trying to snap her out of her trance. “You all right?”
But Sarah wasn’t listening, not to anything he said. Her mind was someplace else as she stared at Squid, who was now out of the van and looking at her just as intently.
“Eli?” she asked breathlessly. “Eli? Is that you?”
THE END
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Defect
Other Books by Dave Conifer
Hard Lines
Wrecker
Primary Justice
eBully
Throwback
FireHouse
Snodgrass Vacation
Man of Steel (Cold Cases Book 1)
Zodiac Rogue (Cold Cases Book 2)
Money Down (Cold Cases Book 3)
The Grid Goes Black (Super Pulse Book 1)
To the Barrens (Super Pulse Book 2)
Tabernacle (Super Pulse Book 3)
Dave Conifer is a fitness fanatic living in South Jersey with his wife and three kids. When he's not coaching wrestling or soccer or working as a boy scout leader or girl scout leader, Dave likes to read non-fiction history. He also blogs about the 48 solar panels on his roof and how they generate nearly all the power needed by his family of five.
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Super Pulse (Book 4): Defect Page 23
