Into the Shadows
Page 25
It’s Gabe.
“Remi! We’re waiting for you!”
Gunshots. The groaning of greyskins. They won’t be able to wait for me much longer.
I grab Evie in my arms and start running despite the shooting pain from the gunshot wound in my leg. I try to focus my ears on the voice as Gabe keeps crying out. He knew I would hear him. He knew it would work. We run for several blocks until two greyskins stumble out in front of us, their limbs flailing. I lift my pistol and shoot one of them in the head. The other I miss completely. I take another shot and hit it in the brain, but not before it’s too close and falls down on top of us both. Evie lets out a cry as I try to push the greyskin off. It rolls to the side, but there are ten more greyskins chomping their jaws at us, running toward us. I let off as many rounds as I can, but by the time I run out of bullets, there are still five of them left.
I hold to Evie tightly. I wish I could run away, but these are too fast. Is this it? What did I change to make the future different? I thought I was supposed to survive this. I thought Evie was supposed to survive this.
I close my eyes and hug the little one, expecting nothing less than teeth and claws to sink into my flesh and rip me to pieces.
But that never happens.
Instead, I hear loud gunshots blasting away. When I open my eyes, the greyskins are lifeless and on the ground, and I’m about to cry when I look past them.
“Get in the SUV!” Gabe yells. When he helps me up I can see Ethan in the driver’s seat, Waverly in the middle, and Stephen in the back. The rest is a blur to me. I don’t notice the other greyskins that come up, but it doesn’t matter because I’m in the car before they can get to Evie. I feel Waverly hug me tightly.
“I failed,” she said. “I tried to kill him but I couldn’t!”
“It’s okay,” I tell her.
“It’s not! I had a job to do!”
“It’s okay,” I say over and over.
Jeremiah’s speech is playing out over the radio in the car. I want to tell them to turn it off, but then he says something that sends a jolt to my heart.
“The enemies today are the Starborns. They have ascended from the shadows to bring down a society that has already seen hard times.”
“No,” I hear Waverly. “We ascended so we could bring people like you down.”
I reach for her hand and squeeze it. “We did our part.”
“I hope so,” she says.
My eyes go wide, but Waverly squeezes my hand this time. When I look at her, she’s shaking her head. “Jeremiah will never find us,” she says. “We will go into hiding. He never finds us.”
“How do you know?” I ask.
She simply holds my hand and squeezes again, letting me know that she has seen it.
Of course.
“But what about Evie?” I say. “She can’t live like this.”
Gabe speaks up next. “When we were separated, I found Mike and Jenna.” He turns back to look at me. “I explained everything to them. Even about the future. They are going to meet us outside of Orick at dawn.”
I look down at little Evie. Her eyes are closed and she’s already asleep, oblivious to the important role she plays in the future. I wish I could keep her—stay with her forever. But that is not our part in all of this.
“We did our part,” I whisper to myself. “We did our part.”
Evie is barely awake in my arms as Gabe stands next to me. Waverly keeps her distance for some reason, turning to look toward Orick every couple of seconds. Ethan and Stephen went in to Orick to make sure our vehicle was in good shape and that we had enough fuel to make it to wherever we would all go next.
The sky is a mix of orange and purple hues as the clouds shadow the rising sun. I can’t help but smile a little at the thought. Waverly had been sure that the sun was setting in her vision, never knowing it was actually a sunrise instead. I mention this to her, but she just shrugs, telling me that that is the nature of her Starborn gift—that the future is not always predictable, despite what we see.
I try to tickle Evie’s back when I see an SUV pull up in the distance. I think I can see Mike in there, and maybe someone else in the back. But when Jenna steps out, my heart starts to pound harder. I don’t feel ready to give Evie away, but I know it’s what has to happen. Mike and Jenna are from a safe place, though no place will be safe forever. She will be more secure with them than with us. At first, Gabe had said that we should all go with Mike and Jenna, but our presence would only bring uncertainty. Jeremiah will want us dead for our betrayal. The best thing we can do is hide away in the shadows forever.
We’re wanted people, though Waverly has assured me that we will never be caught. I don’t know if she’s just telling me that to make me feel better, but I will let it stand as it is.
Gabe rubs my back and I can feel tears in my eyes. I look at Waverly again, knowing the answer to the question I have before I even ask it. “Is this it? Is this what you saw?”
She nods at me. “It’s the only way,” she says. “This isn’t a future we should try to change. Evie has an important job to do.”
I wipe the tears from my cheeks with my left hand, and in my right arm, Evie stares at me with her big eyes.
“Why are you crying?” she asks me in her sweet voice.
“Because you have to go away.”
“No!” Evie cries out, clutching me, not wanting to let me go.
“Oh, kid.” I hug her, wanting nothing more than to just take her with me. But her destiny is more important than my wishes. And yet, I want her to fulfill that destiny.
Jenna approaches, but keeps her distance as I say my last goodbye to Evie. I don’t know how long I hold on to her. I don’t want to let her go. I can’t let her go.
Finally, I look at Jenna. “Swear to me that you will do everything you can to give her a good life.”
Jenna takes a step forward, reaching out to Evie’s hand gently. “She will be protected, and I will raise her as my own. As long as I am alive, Evie will be cared for, and will know only love.”
With another tight squeeze, I look at Evie again. “You’re going with Jenna now, okay? You’re going to have a great time. Can you be a strong girl for me?”
“I can be strong,” she says.
“Good.”
“Strong!” Evie says, this time she’s smiling.
Letting Jenna take Evie from my arms is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. As I cry, I bury my head into Gabe’s chest and he wraps his arms around me.
“You are providing a better future for her,” Gabe whispers into my ears. “Because of you, she’s going to save us all someday. You did your part.”
Chapter 28 - Waverly
I don’t watch as Jenna drives away with Evie. My eyes are set on Orick, watching for Ethan to return. I’ve taken the liberty to look into his future. After the week we’ve had—the month we’ve had—I needed to make sure. The future is bright, though not without its hardships. Few details passed through the vision, but I saw enough to know that I don’t fear the future. I don’t fear it for him or myself. I don’t fear it for Remi or Gabe either. All of us will continue to live in our own way. Jeremiah will not conquer us. The greyskins will not conquer us. That’s enough for me.
Where do we go from here? I don’t know. This new journey begins as they all begin in this world—with hope. There will be many enemies to face, and many trials to bear, but life will go on as it always has.
Jeremiah will build his empire, but that is not for us to worry about. We did our best. It’s up to Evie now. Though it may happen sixty years from now, the world will be better for it. Through Evie, an uprising will emerge, and we will be brought to peace. And maybe when I’m an old woman, I can help rebuild the world when the revolution has finished. But that’s a long time from now.
Now, our job is to hide away and live as we can. To survive.
A car in the distance kicks up dust as it drives toward us. My heart surges because I kno
w it’s Ethan. For a time, I thought I had lost him forever. Now, my heart feels love again. It will be enough to get us through.
When I turn to look back at Remi and Gabe, I see them holding each other silently. We will all survive together, no matter what it takes. We will travel with a new purpose. With a smile, I say the words that will move us forward.
“It’s time.”
The saga continues in book one of The Starborn Uprising: Out Of Darkness.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason D. Morrow is the author of The Starborn Uprising series, The Starborn Ascension series, and The Marenon Chronicles. He enjoys playing guitar, making fun videos, and spending time with his lovely wife, Emily, and their dog, Winnie.
Books by Jason D. Morrow
Prototype
Prototype D
Prototype Exodus (Coming Soon)
The Starborn Ascension
Anywhere But Here
Away From The Sun
Into The Shadows
The Starborn Uprising
Out Of Darkness
If It Kills Me
Even In Death
The Marenon Chronicles
The Deliverer
The Gatekeeper
The Reckoning
Be sure to ‘Like’ Jason D. Morrow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jasondmorrow
Follow Jason on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jasondmorrow
For more from Jason D. Morrow, and to sign up for his mailing list, visit www.jasondmorrow.com.