Spark: One of Us Series

by Faulks, Kim

  “She told me.” The words seemed to slip from my lips. “Oleander…told me.”

  The connection hummed, sending a vibration along my veins as the headlights flooded the car once more.

  “We need to move and now,” Finley growled and reached overhead, hitting the interior lights.

  Pitch and Mavi hunkered low and cracked open their doors, the overhead lights stayed dark. Finley was next, yanking the handle and falling on the door as it opened. I lunged across the seat, grasping his arm as his leg buckled.

  “I’m okay,” he whimpered. “Come on, we need to get out of here.”

  I skidded forward, sliding from the open door beside him and crouched. Through the plastic sign a four-wheel drive pulled up against the curb.

  Boots crunched on gravel, skidding and scuffing as we left the car doors opened and ran.

  “Stay together,” Finley hissed as Mavi and Pitch lunged right.

  Mavi fell in stride with me, reaching out to find my hand in the dark. Car doors opened and closed behind us as we stepped through the gouged-out entrance and slipped into the dark.

  The bitter cold wrapped around me. Finley’s hand slipped from mine. My heart lunged as I clawed the air.

  “Keep going,” he cried and stumbled forward.

  The sharp crack of gunfire made me duck and stumble. Mavi’s hand slipped from mine, darkness swelled in front of me, open doorways were everywhere to my right and up ahead. I shoved forward, skidding on slick dust and dirt and as I speared through the open doorway I could hear them behind me.

  Heavy boots like the booming of my heart.

  The boom of pistols so loud they rang from the walls.

  “Finley!” I screamed and stared into the darkness.

  But there was no answer…there wasn’t even a sound.

  Muzzles flared in the dark, so bright they were blinding. I jerked my hands up, covered my face and lunged to the right. My boot kicked something hard, pitching me forward.

  “I got you.” Mavi caught my fall, and grasped my hand.

  “No!” Finley screamed.

  Gunfire echoed…like the sound of my pulse in my ears.

  Because Finley’s voice came from behind me.

  Right where Gready’s men were.

  I skidded to a stop, tearing my hand from Mavi’s.

  “Spark!” Mavi cried and clawed for a hold.

  But there was no more running. There was no more fighting. Not if they had Finley. “Run!” I roared. “Save yourself.”

  Flashlights clicked on, blinding me. I lifted my hand and turned toward the glare. Finley was on the ground, blood from his thigh glistening black in the light.

  “Run, Spark!” he screamed. “Get the fuck out of here!”

  Mavi moved in front of me, cutting in front of the glare. I could see Finley now. See how they flanked him on all sides with weapons trained on the center of his chest.

  “There’s nowhere else to run!” Gready called and stepped closer. “Nowhere you can hide!”

  The gleam of flashlights illuminated his face as he stepped closer. He lifted his pistol, aiming it at Finley on the ground.

  Black numbers peeked out from the sleeves of his shirt as he scanned the darkness.

  “Spark,” Mavi’s plea was barely audible.

  But there was no leaving, not Finley, not any of them…

  If he died, then we died together.

  “I’m here,” I called and stepped from the darkness. “Don’t shoot him.”

  Finley jerked his gaze toward my direction. “No! Spark no!”

  He tried to drag himself closer, swinging his fist through the air toward me. Mom’s face filled my mind. Her eyes were wide, mouth open in that last haunting expression. ‘It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m ready.”

  Gready smiled, and raised his weapon to me. “Spark,” he murmured.

  My name was vile on his lips, still I stepped closer, moving in front of Finley…just as he’d done for me. Thunder roared overhead. Lightning cut across the night sky. “I will tear this world apart if you hurt him.”

  And the sickening smile spread on Finley’s lips.

  “As will I,” Pitch growled to my left.

  I jerked my gaze toward the sound as he stepped into the light.

  “And I,” Mavi murmured behind me.

  They moved closer, stepping into the line of fire as Finley shoved from the ground, stumbled and stood.

  “Then we kill all of you.” Gready grinned. “Nice and clean.”

  Lightning cracked through the air, the deafening boom made them jump.

  Except for me.

  Never me.

  I shifted my stance, and reached behind.

  His hand was there, fingers trembling as they entwined with mine.

  Mavi and Pitch closed in, standing shoulder to shoulder as we all closed our eyes.

  “Ready?” Gready asked but my mind was already soaring, spearing through the concrete and the earth, riding that bolt of energy high into the clouds as a scuff of boots drifted to my ears.

  “I don’t fucking think so,” a woman’s voice cut through the pounding of my pulse.

  I cracked open my eyes to a swirling array of colors. They blended together, melding, glistening. Movement came from behind me…shadows morphed with the lights.

  Dark brown curly hair…and a wicked grin…I knew her…knew the girl she’d once been…and now the woman she was now. She turned her head, deep brown eyes met mine. “Hello Spark, it’s been a while.”

  And from behind her came the biggest guy I’d ever seen. He grinned and gave me a wink, and in an instant, he split into two right before before my eyes.

  Others came, a black man with the most piercing blue eyes I’d ever seen and a smaller, Caucasian male.

  My heart lunged at the sight as they moved closer, the three guys drawing weapons to aim at Gready’s men.

  But it was her who made me shudder…

  It was her who made me turn. “Gabriella?”

  She just smiled and the swirling colors around me grew brighter as she spoke. “They call me Shield.”

  The End.

  Shield

  Coming in 2019!