Ballistic: Icarus Series, Book Two

by Aria Michaels

He crossed his arms over his chest and shot me a dirty look but clamped his mouth shut and made his way over. When he reached my side, I raised a brow at him. He nodded grimly, letting me know he would keep himself under control. For the time being, anyway.

  While I wasn’t sure what exactly Riley was trying to accomplish by engaging this lunatic, after what happened back at the hospital, I thought it best not to question her intuition.

  After all, those instincts had saved our lives. The building had been crumbling around us, and still I refused to leave. I was determined to find Jake and Falisha even if it killed me (or us). Riley had insisted that both of them had already gotten out. She hadn’t the slightest idea how she knew, but she did. If she hadn’t gotten through to me, we would have been inside the building when it blew.

  “Nice to meet you, Tim,” Riley smiled. “My name is Riley, and that is Falisha.”

  “Umm…hey?” Falisha said clearly uncomfortable with her gunpoint introduction.

  “This is Liv,” Riley said pointing at me, “and that’s Jake, his sister Christa, Zander and Bella, of course.”

  Bella snorted her disapproval and nudged her way in between Riley and Tim. She growled up at the man and leaned her weight against Riley’s leg until she finally took a step away from him.

  “And Eli is over there taking care of our friend, Ty,” Riley said pointing. “Ty’s hurt pretty badly, Tim, and your brother is responsible.”

  “I know. I really am sorry about your friend,” Tim said dropping his head and shaking it back and forth. When he raised it again, his eyes were rimmed with tears. “You have to believe me. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. Gabe is just…he’s very protective.”

  “I can see that,” Riley said. “You are very lucky to have someone who looks out for you like that, Tim, but Gabe is dangerous. You understand that, don’t you? He could have killed one of us. He could have gotten you killed.”

  “No. He would never.” Tim lunged against the cables that bound him. Bella snapped at his leg and bared her teeth at him, growling low in her chest. Tim sighed and sank back into his seat. “Gabe loves me.”

  “I don’t doubt that he does,” Riley said, “but look around you, Tim. All of this…the blood, the restraints, the dog growling at your feet? It’s all because of what Gabe did. Choices Gabe made.”

  “He was trying to protect me,” Tim’s face fell.

  “But at what cost?” Riley asked.

  “I know, damn it. I know.” Tim began sobbing again, his shoulders sinking in defeat. “You don’t know what it’s like, Riley. He’s the only one that has always been there for me and protected me. I know he’s a cruel, sadistic bastard, but Gabe is all I have left in this world. I owe him my life.”

  “But?” Riley moved in closer.

  “But, he’s done things. Things I can’t even speak of,” Tim sniffled. “Jesus, all those people. There was nothing I could do, I swear!”

  “What people?” Falisha asked raising the gun back to Tim’s neck.

  “The people from the viewing,” Tim said as tears ran unchecked down his ragged face.

  “Oh, God,” I said my heart sinking into my stomach.

  “Gabe knew something bad was going to happen,” Tim said. “He said we needed to get somewhere safe, being that our place didn’t have a basement. I worked at the sweet shop there in the lobby when I was seventeen. Me and this girl Jenny used to sneak down here on our breaks and make out. She had the prettiest green eyes I’d ever seen. Like the color of new leaves in the spring.”

  “I need you to focus, Tim,” Riley said. “What happened when you got here? What happened to the people?”

  “We left daddy’s old truck in the lot and snuck in through one of the boarded up doorways out back. They didn’t even hear us because they were all up on the roof gaping at the sky like a bunch of idiots,” Tim shook his head, his eyes sad. “We grabbed a bunch of food from the cafe and made a beeline for the museum. The door was unlocked and everything, so we let ourselves in. Pretty soon the lights started flickering, and it got really hot.”

  He shook his head back and forth as if to break something loose.

  “I thought we were safe, but then they came…those people. They were hollering at us, banging on the door, trying to get in. I have never been so scared in my life.” Tim’s wide eyes focused on Riley’s face as he spoke. “Then, Gabe wedged this board up against the door and told them to go away; that this was our place, and they needed to leave.”

  “Murderer,” Jake hissed, and I held him back as he lunged toward him again.

  “Their screams,” Tim sobbed. “God forgive me, I can still hear their screams.”

  “There were children out there, you monster,” Jake said. “Those people all died because of you!”

  “I know!” Tim shrieked, spittle flying from his clenched teeth. “You think I don’t know that? I can’t fight him. Gabe is stronger than I am. There was nothing I could do.”

  “You’re wrong,” Riley said. “If that were true he would be here now, wouldn’t he?”

  “What are you talking about?” Tim glared at her his jaw clenching.

  Zander took a cautionary step closer, rubbing at the back of his neck while he bore holes into Tim’s forehead. I reached for his hand only to have him pull it away to scratch fervently at his arm.

  “It’s alright, Z,” Riley said stopping him short.

  “Be careful,” Zander ground out.

  “You say that Gabe is your protector, right?” Riley’s eyes looked sad. “If that’s true then where is he?”

  “He’s—” His brow furrowed and he shook his head.

  “He’s what?” Riley asked gently.

  “I don’t know, okay?” Tim sighed. He pressed his eyes closed, his chin dropping to his chest in defeat.

  “Tim, you are tied to a chair with a gun pointed at your head,” Riley said gently laying her hand on his shoulder. “If Gabe really wanted to protect you, it seems like now would be a good time, don’t you think? But he’s not here is he?”

  Tim grunted his jaw clenching. Bella’s ears pinned back and her hackles rose as a low growl rumbled in her throat. Tim’s head snapped back up sharply, and he spat in Riley’s face.

  “Get your filthy hands off me,” he sneered.

  “Gabe, I presume?” Riley asked wiping the spit from her face with her shirtsleeve.

  “In the flesh,” he smirked his eyes raking over Riley’s body. “It’s a damn shame your skin ain’t the right color, girly. I would love to rip that shirt off and—.”

  “Shut it,” Falisha said cracking him in the back of the head with the butt of the gun. “Next time you run your mouth like that I’m gonna use the end that goes boom.”

  “Try it, mongrel,” he said glaring at her over his shoulder. “See what happens.”

  “That’s enough!” Zander’s voice boomed through the empty space.

  It was loud enough that most of us flinched. Tim, or Gabe; whoever the hell the guy was at that moment, simply laughed. His eyes were wide and manic. He kept them honed on Zander as he paced aimlessly in front of the chair.

  “Jake, grab that roll of tape and shut this guy up.” Zander’s hands were shaking. He rubbed anxiously at the back of his neck.

  “Gladly,” Jake said. He scooped up the roll of medical tape from what was left of the med kit and rushed back over. He glared down at Tim as he tore off a broad strip. “I don’t care which one of you is driving the crazy train right now. This is your stop. You are done spewing hate.”

  “You alright?” I gently laid my hand on Zander’s shoulder. He flinched away as if I had burned him.

  “Don’t touch me,” Zander said squeezing his eyes tight as he took a step back. “Please.”

  “Zander, what the hell is going on with you,” I said inching closer.

  “You okay, Z?” Jake asked stowing the tape back in his bag. “What’s up?”

  “I don’t know,” he said itching at his arms. “It’s l
ike there are a thousand tiny bugs crawling around under my skin and every single one of them is on fire.”

  “Liv?” Jake turned to me gestured to his chest. “Are we talking leeches?”

  “No,” I said. “At least, I don’t think so. I don’t know, maybe I am just out of whack from the transfusion.”

  “Could be,” Jake said eying Zander as he continued to twitch and dig at his skin. “It’s worse than it was before, isn’t it? No offense, Z, but you look like a junkie itching for a fix.”

  “Something is coming,” Zander groaned biting his bottom lip. “Agh!”

  “What can I do?” I lunged for him, but he ducked away from my hand.

  “Please, don’t,” Zander said holding his hands out as he took a step back. “I’m sorry, it’s not you. It’s just that even the slightest contact feels like razor blades against my skin. It’s making me crazy. I swear this shirt is made of sandpaper.”

  Before I could get another word out Zander had scraped the shirt from his body and tossed it to the floor at my feet. He hooked his thumbs into the waist of his pants but thought better of it when he noticed the shocked stares on everyone’s faces.

  “I am going for a walk,” Zander grumbled itching at his chest. His hand covered the ink there. I stepped toward him ready to follow, but he stopped me. “No, Liv. Just Stay. I just need a minute, okay? And besides, Eli said you should be resting.”

  “Oh,” I said trying to disguise the hurt in my voice. “Right, no problem. I totally get it. Be careful and don’t go too far, okay?”

  Zander nodded with a grimace then spun on his heel and stalked off, itching and scratching at his skin as he went.

  “I don’t get it,” I said, lowering myself onto a nearby mall bench. “I feel a tingle, but it’s nothing like that. He’s in so much pain, Jake. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Your blood volume is down, Liv.” Jake sat next to me and patted my leg. “There is no way for us to know exactly how much Eli took from you because he did a direct transfusion. I bet he took a couple of liters, easy. That’s enough to make a person feel weak under normal conditions. Your biology is anything but normal these days, Liv, not to mention the fact that you are dehydrated and exhausted. It’s no wonder your senses are dulled.”

  I buried my face in my hands. “What good is having this radar crap if it doesn’t even work?”

  “Take it easy, Liv,” Jake said. “We just have to get your strength up, and I am sure it will come back. Let’s see if we can find you something to eat, okay?”

  “But, Zander is—” I began to protest.

  “Zander is stronger than both of us put together. Hell, he comes with his own built-in weapons,” Jake snickered and held up a fist. “He is not the one I am worried about, right now.”

  * * *

  “Ty!” Christa shouted. “Oh my God, Ty. You guys, get over here!”

  Jake and I made our way over to Ty’s pallet and joined Falisha and Riley at his side. Christa threw herself across Ty’s chest, clawing and hugging frantically. Eli peeled her off him and pushed her toward her brother. Jake wrapped his slender hand around her shoulder and held her at bay.

  “Keep that girl under control, please.” Eli shook his head, then crouched down next to Ty and helped him to sit upright. “Take it easy, kid. You lost a lot of blood. There are quite a few stitches in that leg. I would rather not have to put you back together again, if you don’t mind.”

  “What?” Ty rubbed at his eyes disoriented. “What the hell happened, y’all?”

  “You got shot is what happened,” Christa shrieked at him.

  “Seriously? But I…” Ty’s brow furrowed and he ran his hand through his sweat-soaked hair. His face dropped as the events came back to him. “Oh, right.”

  “Okay, Ty, I need you to follow this light with your eyes,” Eli said, clicking on his penlight. Ty nodded and did as he was asked. “How do you feel? Any dizziness or nausea?”

  “Naw,” Ty said as his eyes shifted with the path of the light. “I feel…I feel tired but fine, actually. Leg’s a bit sore, is all.”

  “Yeah, I can imagine it is,” Eli snorted. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

  “Sure, doc. Do what you gotta do,” Ty said, and Eli set to work peeling back the bandages on his leg. “I still can’t believe that som’betch shot me, y’all. It happened faster than a knife fight in a phone booth, too. I barely even felt it.”

  “Adrenaline,” Jake said the corner of his mouth quirking.

  “If you need anything for the pain just say the word,” Riley said. “Don’t try to play the tough guy for our sake.”

  “Yeah, man,” Falisha agreed. “Your leg looked like it had been through a grinder. It must be hurting right now. Christ, mine hurts just thinking about it.”

  “Really y’all, I’m right as rain,” Ty smiled up at them. “It don’t hurt much at all.”

  “What the hell?” Eli said, shifting back onto his heels.

  “What is it doc,” Ty asked. “Is it bad?”

  “Take a look for yourself,” Eli said tossing the bandages to the side and glaring up at me. “You and I need to talk.”

  I took a step forward and leaned in, wondering what had upset him so much. I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. Despite the thick layer of blood that had dried on Ty’s skin, the wound on his leg appeared to be almost completely healed. It was as if it had happened weeks ago, rather than a couple of hours.

  “What the—?” Jake was so shocked he released Christa, who immediately dove to the floor and wrapped herself around Ty’s neck.

  “You almost died.” Christa sobbed into his neck.

  “Easy now, darlin’.” Ty patted her back gently and spoke to her in a whisper. “Everything is gonna be fine, sweets. I’m alright, see?”

  “But how?” My eyes narrowed as Eli stalked toward me.

  “I was going to ask you the same question,” Eli said crossing his arms over his chest. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “About what?” I shook my head in confusion.

  “About what? Really?” He threw his hands up in frustration. He lowered his voice and jabbed a finger in my face. “It’s time to cut the crap, Liv. You know as well as I do that the kid should have died. The blood loss alone was enough to make his heart collapse. A few ounces of blood were not enough to change that.”

  “Eli, I—.”

  “Don’t you dare try to lie to me,” Eli ground out, then sighed, and took a step back. “Look, I’m sorry, okay, but please. This is too important. For crying out loud, just look at him.”

  Eli pointed to Ty, who, aside from looking like a walking crime scene, seemed no worse for wear. Christa clung to him as if he would float away should she let go, and Riley and Falisha stood hugging and laughing at his side. Even Jake wore a reluctant smile, though he too looked confused by Ty’s miraculous recovery. If I hadn’t been the one who caught his body as it collapsed into a puddle of blood, I would never have believed he had been shot in the first place.

  “Liv,” Eli pressed. “Your blood did that. It healed him. I’m sure of it. I just need to know how.”

  “I’m…infected.” I sighed, my shoulders slumping in defeat. The word tasted bitter, and the truth of it stung.

  “How is this possible?” Eli narrowed his gaze at me. “I’d guessed as much with your boyfriend, there, but you have no typical markings of the virus.”

  “I’m not typical.” I tapped at my temple.

  “It’s true,” Jake said as he made his way over to us.

  “You knew about this?” Eli questioned him.

  “I did,” Jake nodded solemnly and led us over to the benches. “Nothing personal, Eli, but that information was on a need to know basis. Until a few minutes ago, you didn’t need to know.”

  “Explain,” Eli said, crossing his arms over his chest as he lowered himself onto the seat.

  “From what we have observed, the virus tends to concentrate itself around the entry point or i
njury site,” Jake said. “In Zander’s case, it was a burn across his hand which explains his, umm…condition. We had no idea what we were up against at that point, so we threw everything at it. We treated him with IV fluids, antibiotics, and antifungals. Thankfully, the infection halted just below his elbow. For Liv, though, it was a bit more complicated.”

  “How so?” Eli seemed intrigued more than angry, now.

  “Because the virus has seeded itself in her brain,” Jake said. “At first, it was just the night vision thing.”

  “Night vision thing?” Eli’s eyes widened. “You say that like it’s nothing.”

  “It’s really not a big deal, Eli,” I shrugged, but he rolled his eyes and gestured for Jake to continue.

  “Soon, though, it became obvious that there was more to it,” Jake said. “Liv, I think you can explain the rest better than I can.”

  “Ugh,” I said, burying my head in my hands.

  “Come on, Liv,” Jake said putting his hand on my shoulder. “Look, I know you don’t like talking about this but Eli’s right. This is important. If anyone can help us with this, it’s him.”

  “It started as sort of a tingle, but pretty soon I had this weird feeling in my chest,” I said, resigned. “I tried to ignore it, but the closer we got to the source, the stronger it got. The more it hurt. It was like something was pulling at me, and I couldn’t stop myself from following.”

  “Zander, too,” Jake said, “though it wasn’t nearly as strong for him.”

  “And the source of this feeling?” Eli asked. “What was it that you were drawn to?”

  “Gunther,” I said. “Or what was left of him, that is.”

  “Holy hell,” Eli said sinking against the back of the bench. “And is he—?”

  “Dead?” I raked my hair out of my face as the guilt settled back in my chest. “Yes. I killed him with my own hands.”

  “He was infected, Liv, and dying painfully,” Jake interrupted. “You did what he asked—no, begged you to do. You ended his suffering.”

  “Jesus,” Eli raked his hair back in shock.

  “That’s when he gave me the bible and made me swear to take care of Bella.” I couldn’t look at either of them as I spoke. “He told me that he was compatible, whatever that means. He begged me not to let him turn. Gunther said that if the virus reached the heart, there was no chance of host recovery.”