by Cameo Renae
The sergeant was tall, maybe six-foot-two, with black and silver hair. He looked to be in his mid-to-late fifties, and was built, but not as muscular as Finn or Keanu. His face was weathered and stern, his brows tightened together in a straight line. I could tell he was a no-nonsense, intense man. The kind that had no sense of humor and didn’t smile. The kind that was an asshole—the very kind I was running from.
Finn and Keanu were sitting on the floor, on the other side of the chopper. Their hands were bound in front of them, and two guards sat facing them with guns pointed in their direction.
Keanu leaned forward, facing the soldier seated directly in front of him. His eyes burned with anger, the vein in his temple protruding. “It would be wise not to point that freaking gun at me. If you continue, I’ll request you on the mats for wrestling day, and you’d better hope your bones heal quickly,” he growled.
The soldier, who looked absolutely horrified, was young and skinny. Both Keanu and Finn looked like Goliaths compared to most of the guys on the chopper. They all looked about my age, and just out of training. I could tell because of the wide, fearful expressions on their faces, all except one. He was sitting near the front, and had dark brown skin. Under his uniform, I could see defined muscles, but he was taller and leaner, not as bulky as Finn and Keanu. His face was stoic, like this wasn’t his first rodeo.
Finn sat quiet, his head resting against his bound hands. He looked like he was praying, but I knew better. He was trying to remain calm and not rip the heads off of these soldiers. The dead giveaway was his rapid breathing. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and fly him far away from here. But I was tied up at the moment. Literally.
Keanu kept his pissed-off persona, and it appeared as if everyone around him was buying it. “How the hell have I become a prisoner when I was the victim?” Keanu asked. “She freaking bewitched me. I’m a loyal soldier, and this is how I’m repaid?”
“It’s for our safety,” the sergeant answered. “For all we know, you could still be under her spell.”
“Bullshit. If I was under her spell, do you think I’d be pleading my case? The bitch is going to get hers when she gets back to the bunker.”
“Do you remember killing six hundred Arvies?” The kid in front of him asked.
“Dude, does it look like I could kill six hundred Arvies?” Keanu looked at the soldier with fury in his eyes, and the boy turned away, and I noticed him trembling.
Keanu broke character and flexed his arms, but his eyes remained serious. “Well, I guess I could see why you’d think that.”
The other soldiers laughed, and one yelled. “Killer guns!”
Keanu then turned back to the boy. “I don’t remember shit,” he said slowly. “So stop asking idiotic questions.”
“Yes, sir.” The soldier nodded and gulped, and I watched Keanu fight back a grin.
I moved toward Finn and reached out to him. His jaw muscles were tightened, and his fret line ran deep. But there was nothing I could do to offer him any relief. My heart ached, knowing I had put them in this position. I could have left on my own, but I’d made him a promise. A promise that I would never leave him again, because we were a team.
Moving closer, inches from him, my heart was aching. “I love you so much,” I whispered. To my surprise, his head snapped up, and he looked directly at me, then his eyes moved toward my physical body. God, he looked miserable. There was an undeniable pain in his eyes, and it was killing me.
I wished there was something I could do to comfort him. Anything at all.
There was a slight tug in my center, and I knew I was about to be pulled back into my body. I had to let go. I didn’t want to use up too much energy and be worthless.
In seconds, I was back in my physical body, sucking in a deep breath of hot air. The heat was suffocating, and being bound and blindfolded was quickly taking me over the edge.
“Someone needs to take that damn hood off of her and put on a blindfold. She’ll die of heat asphyxiation before we get there,” Finn shouted, his voice was furious.
“But she’ll—”
“Let me do it,” Keanu interjected. “She won’t mess with me if she knows what’s good for her.”
“Sergeant?” the soldier called toward the front of the chopper.
“What?” the deep voice snapped back.
“The girl is having a hard time breathing. Keanu volunteered to put on a blindfold.”
“Cut him loose. He’s one of the bunker’s best, and I have no need to think he’s a traitor. But leave the other one. We know he’s connected to her.”
“Yes, sir.”
I heard them snap off Keanu’s binds. “Does anyone have something I can use for a blindfold?” he asked.
“I have this,” someone replied.
“That’ll do,” Keanu replied.
As he made his way toward me, I tried to calm the heat inside and slow my breathing. As he sat next to me, I could feel the heat of his body against my side.
“Turn to your right,” he said roughly. When I didn’t respond right away, he grabbed my shoulders and firmly twisted me, in a not-so-friendly manner. “Do you want this damn hood off? I could give a shit if you suffocate, for the hell you put me through.” He paused and shook me. “Answer me!”
“Yes, I want it off,” I snapped.
“When it comes off, you’d better keep your damn witch eyes closed and not move an inch.”
I nodded. The edge in his voice was a bit terrifying, making me hope I hadn’t messed up his brain when I blanked his mind. I had no idea what the side effects were.
Keanu tore off the hood, then grabbed my hair and yanked my head back “Now!” he thundered in my ear, twisting me around.
Every soldier’s eyes were already on us when I turned around, and in a split second, all of their eyes went blank.
Except one.
The sergeant swung around, his eyes evading mine. That’s when I saw something in his hand. A gun. Shit.
He fired, and I felt an impact. Blood seeped from a wound in my chest, soaking my shirt.
He fired again, causing Keanu to bend forward. When I glanced down, I saw blood pouring from his side.
“No!” I screamed.
He turned to me, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry.”
“Keanu,” I cried. Tears flooded my eyes and fell down my face. “I’ll kill him, the asshole.”
“Abi!” Keanu grabbed my chin with his bloodied hand, turning me to face him. “No more killing survivors.”
Venge was just at the tip of my emotions, fed by my rage. I wanted to kill the sergeant, to blow his brains all over this helicopter. But Keanu’s plea was holding me back. Why would he hold me back? The asshole shot us.
“You bastard!” I screamed. The sergeant had no idea what I could do, even without him looking at me. I knew I could kill him.
“Abi. No,” Keanu repeated, his breath shallow.
Shit! He was shot because of me. Because of my stupid plan. I’d never forgive myself for this. Never. “Somebody, help him,” I screamed, as excruciating pain filled my chest.
Finn was trying to get to me, but they were holding him back.
“Finn,” I yelled, turning toward him. “I love you.”
My world went black.
I TRIED TO OPEN MY eyes, but the slit of light made them ache, so I closed them again. I could smell cleaning supplies and was laid out on a bed, which was slightly angled up—probably to keep my injury above my heart. A shooting pain emanated between my left breast and my collarbone, toward my underarm. A faint beeping could be heard somewhere to my side.
As my body woke up, my senses did too. I ached. There wasn’t a place on my body that didn’t hurt. Would there ever come a day when I woke up and my body wouldn’t feel like I was dropped ten thousand feet from a chopper?
The longer I was awake, the more my left side ached. The chopper incident flooding back to me. Finn. Keanu. Oh God.
“Keanu,” I tried to call his name
, but nothing more than a groan came out. The last I saw, he had a bullet lodged in his stomach. I needed to know what happened to him.
Prying my eyes open, I looked around. The monitor beside me started beeping, panic set in, and I heard someone outside say, “Go get a doctor.”
I tried to sit up, but the pain in my chest made it impossible; the attempt alone made me lose my breath.
The door swung open and Dr. Simon walked in.
As soon as his eyes met mine, they softened and filled with tears. He didn’t have to say a word. I knew he was sorry, and regretted what he did. But he’d only been doing his job.
Who knew what they’d threatened him with if he didn’t comply? The government could stoop to the lowest of lows, and didn’t care what it cost. All they cared about was the results.
My eyes welled with tears as he stepped closer. They’d sent him in as their liaison, the damn cowards. At least they’d the decency to not bind or blindfold me on my deathbed.
Dr. Simon pulled a chair next to my bed and took a seat. Taking hold of my hand, he squeezed lightly.
“I forgive you,” I breathed before he could speak a word.
His eyes slammed shut, his lips quivered, and tears flowed down his pale cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, a perfect picture of what twisted leaders could do to their people.
“It’s okay. I’m fine, really,” I added, squeezing his hand weakly. “Do you know what happened to the soldier who was shot on my same flight? His name is Keanu.” His eyes saddened and his pause crushed my insides. “Do not tell me he’s dead,” my voice trembled, “I couldn’t take it.”
“No, he’s not dead. But he’s been in a coma since you arrived. After two surgeries, he’s lost a lot of blood. For now, he’s stable and a very lucky man that the bullet didn’t hit any vital organs.”
“How long have I been here?”
“Five days.”
I’d become accustomed to losing chunks of time, but five days was hard to swallow. “Where’s Finn? Do you know where he is?” I had to know. I had to make sure he was safe.
“They have him in one of their cells, until they can figure out what to do with him. He is a top soldier, and they need all the manpower they can get, so I have a feeling they’ll negotiate with him.” His face fell even lower.
“Dr. Simon, what’s going on?”
“The Arvies. They’re coming from everywhere, surrounding the bunker. We don’t have enough manpower, or firepower, for what is gathering outside those doors. It’s like preparing for the apocalypse all over again.”
Oh God. I only hoped our plan had worked and we’d successfully steered them away from the Murdock’s bunker. The only thing was, these vile creatures weren’t only set on taking out the bunker. They would move on and eventually take out every survivor topside.
“How many?” I asked.
His head slowly shook from side to side, his hand pressed on the back of his neck. “Tens of thousands.”
How was I going to be able to help in the condition I was in? I couldn’t even pull myself up to a sitting position, let alone concentrate on killing tens of thousands of Arvies.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe I wasn’t meant to save the world. Maybe, I was supposed to die, here in this bed, without my family—without Finn. If that’s what fate had in store, how could I argue?
I closed my eyes and exhaled. Although I couldn’t hear them from inside the bunker, I knew the mutants were calling to each other, like they had with the fueling stations. They weren’t gathering to just stand around the bunker and wait for us to exit though.
They were planning an attack. To hit the bunker with everything they had. And they wouldn’t stop until they’d killed everyone inside.
We’d come to this point. The final battle. They wanted it to end, just as much as we did.
Either we survived, or we died trying.
“Dr. Simon, is there any way you can get to Finn and tell him that I’m all right? I know he’s worried sick, and I won’t be able to rest until he knows.”
“Of course,” he replied, wiping his cheeks dry. “I promise you, I’ll see him right after I leave here and deliver your message.”
“Thank you. It means everything to me.”
“I know how much he means to you, and it’s the least I can do.” He leaned forward and took my hand in his; the regret in his eyes filled the room with sadness.
“Don’t apologize. I know you, and know you wouldn’t have put me at risk if it was your choice. I don’t blame you.”
He quickly wiped another tear down his cheek. “And your forgiveness means everything to me.”
I smiled and nodded. “How have you been?” I attempted to change the subject. “The last time I saw you, you’d been shot and were heading back to the bunker. How are you even walking?”
“The wound was minor, in and out, like yours. We’ve been very lucky.”
“We have,” I agreed. “I’ve meant to ask about Danielle. Is she really okay?”
“She’s fine, just fine—well taken care of. They’ve been careful to keep her in good health, knowing how important she is. In the short time she’s been here, she’s gained about ten pounds. You probably wouldn’t recognize her.” A smile lifted on the corners of his lips.
“The scientists have been working day and night to see if they can come up with the cure. When the others arrived with the original ARV-3 serum, they had a twenty-four-hour meeting, then started working on the cure. They are very close, and seem hopeful they’ll have an antidote to the Arvy bite soon.”
“How long?” Having a cure could be big. A game changer.
“They aren’t sure. They’ve come close, but not close enough. It could be days, weeks, or even months.”
“We don’t have months,” I noted, obviously.
“I know. Which is why we must pray it comes soon,” he replied, patting my hand. “Now get some rest. A doctor will be in shortly.”
“Am I in the medical wing?”
“You’re in the private medical wing. This room is at the end of the hall, heavily guarded.”
“Heavily guarded against whom?” I asked, rolling my eyes and smirking.
“They are trying to avoid either a rescue or escape. They need you alive and strong.”
“Yeah, well, the only one who would rescue me is locked up, and I clearly won’t be going anywhere for a while.” I moved and winced at the pain shooting through my chest and down my arm.
“Rest, Abi. Don’t move. I’ll go see if I can find the doctor.”
I nodded, trying to find a comfortable position.
“I’ll pay Finn a visit and will be back later. I promise.”
“You’re the only friend I have in here.”
“Don’t be so sure of that.” He winked, then walked out.
As he stepped out, I noticed a guard at the door, holding a gun. Dr. Simon addressed another, on the opposite side, one I couldn’t see. My inner eyes rolled, thinking of how they were wasting guards who could be used elsewhere. I mean, seriously. Where the hell was I going in my condition? I couldn’t even sit up.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. It took a little longer than usual, but within a few minutes, I was floating outside my body. I didn’t take time to look around, as I needed to catch up with Dr. Simon.
I pushed myself as far as I could, the golden cord following behind me, until I saw him walking down the hall.
Dr. Simon was slow, but he was also an older man who didn’t have a time restraint. Hopefully, I’d make it to the cell during this trip, even if I were pulled back early, so I could find it again later. I just had to see Finn, and know he was okay.
I tried to take mental pictures of our journey, lefts and rights, and doorways. I hoped I could find it again.
Then, he came to another double door with one guard standing in front of it. This man was large, and armed with an AR-15. Dr. Simon showed him his card, and the man let him pass. We came into a bright h
allway with a bunch of rooms. This wasn’t a jail cell like I’d seen in the movies, these were rooms.
Dr. Simon continued to the middle of the hallway and stopped at the door on his right. Room eleven. On the wall was a small pin pad. He swiped his card down the side and punched in the numbers seven-seven-seven. Jeez, Dr. Simon. That was complex.
The door unlocked and slid open. I followed him inside, and could already feel the tug.
No. Not yet.
On the left side of the room was a door to a bathroom, and on the right, there was a bed that looked like it hadn’t been used. There was even a tray of food, uneaten.
At the back of the room sat a figure, hunched over on the floor. His legs were pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, and his forehead was resting on his knees.
“Finn Armstrong?” Dr. Simon addressed him.
Finn lifted his head, and my heart broke. He looked so miserable. His hair was a disheveled mess, his eyes were tired with dark circles under them, and they were bloodshot. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Finn, my name is Dr. Simon.”
Finn’s eyes narrowed. “I know who you are.” He then rested his head back on his knees. “What do you want?”
The tug was getting stronger.
I pushed closer and wished I could sink between Finn’s legs, and feel his arms wrap around me.
“I was with Abi a few minutes ago,” Dr. Simon said.
Finn’s head shot up, his eyes widened. “How is she?”
“She’ll recover, with time. She just woke up and sent me here with a message.”
I couldn’t hold on. The damn golden cord was retracting me backward, and quickly. “No,” I screamed. “Finn!” I opened my eyes, to see a man in a white robe standing at my bedside, staring at me. I screamed and instinctually shot up.
Bad move. I fell back down, as excruciating pain shot through my body.
“I’m so sorry to have scared you. My name is Dr. Bennett.” He was an older man; thin, with white hair and beard. His hands were trembling. “I just stepped in, and was going to check your vitals and see if you needed any pain medicine.”
