Keira Grim: The Final Breath Chronicles Book Two

by V. B. Marlowe

  "What are you doing here?" Bram asked from behind me. His sudden presence startled me.

  The three boys entered and stood in front of the television. Their agitated expressions told me that this wasn't a friendly visit.

  "What am I doing here?" Colden asked. "See, my friends and I came to collect the blood from the body of Mr. Julius Greer. We received a call from Lawson that you were completing the job, so we showed up to collect the blood immediately. We only have the timeframe of thirty minutes to an hour before the blood is useless. We need it for transfusions. The only problem with that was there was no dead body to get blood from because Mr. Greer was still walking around."

  "And?" Bram asked.

  "And?" Tate repeated, stepping forward. "Why didn't you do your job?"

  "I don't answer to you," Bram replied. "I don't even know you."

  Chase came down the stairs and stood next to Bram.

  Colden narrowed his eyes at Bram. "You do understand that if we don't get that blood from humans, we'll get it from your sister, right? Or don't you care about her anymore?"

  Bram snarled. "Get the hell out of here. We're not murderers like you."

  "Call us what you want," Eilam said, "but you're being really stupid. We took care of Julius ourselves. He's dead whether or not you killed him. The only difference is that Naomi's still not free because you didn't do what you were supposed to."

  Colden dropped an envelope onto the coffee table. "This is your next assignment. If you want Naomi freed, you better complete it, otherwise we have no use for you. We'll send you right back to Nowhere."

  Colden, Eilam, and Tate let themselves out , and Chase grabbed the envelope from the table.

  "What are you doing?" Bram asked.

  "He's right. We should have done it. That man's dead anyway , and we failed Naomi. I should have just done it and gotten it over with."

  Bram stood. "Chase—"

  Chase held his hands up. "No, I'm going tonight. Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

  Bram ended up driving Chase two hours away to complete the hit. I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to get Naomi back, but not like this. I wished the boys would have given it a little more time. Maybe we could have come up with something.

  At about three AM the following morning, I was awakened by the sound of the garage door opening. Chase's bedroom door slammed as I entered the hallway. Bram was just coming up the stairs.

  I yawned. "What happened?"

  Bram shrugged. "I couldn't go in with him. Once we got there I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. He did it though."

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. There was no going back for Chase now. He was officially a murderer.

  "At least we should get Naomi back now," Bram added.

  "Yeah." Naomi had been through so much already. I hoped that Dunstan held up his end of the bargain and would let her go. "Good night."

  "Good night," Bram replied. We closed the doors to our bedrooms.

  I was relieved that Bram had taken no part in the murder, but Chase… I would never be able to look at my friend the same way again.

  12

  Colden came for us the next morning. To be on the safe side, Dunstan wanted us to receive more blood every three days. This time we were supposed to be bringing Naomi back with us.

  One of the doctors had just tied the rubber strip around my arm when Colden's brother Nigel came through the door.

  "Nigel, what's the matter?" Dunstan sounded alarmed.

  "It's Litropolis. The Watchers are flipping it upside down. Destroying homes. Beating Grims in the street. We barely made it back over the wall."

  I sat up and rolled down my sleeve. "Why? Why are they doing that?"

  "Dunningham thinks they're hiding you," Nigel answered.

  My heart sank. Those Grims had nothing to do with me running away. They probably didn't even know that I had gone through their city.

  Dunstan ran his hand over his head. "Okay. Bring Naomi. They need to get back now."

  "But what about—" I began.

  Dunstan shook his head and pushed us toward the chamber. There was only enough room for Chase, Bram, and I to fit.

  "I'll send Colden right after you with your sister," Dunstan told Bram.

  Bram was about to object, but there was no time to argue. The chamber door sealed us inside. Bram kicked the door. "Dammit! I knew we shoouldn't have trusted him."

  "Calm down. She'll be right behind us. Don't worry." I believed Dunstan would keep his word.

  The chamber transported three houses down from our home on Birch Street. A few minutes after we reached the house, Colden appeared with Naomi leaning on his shoulder. She looked only a little better than the last time I'd seen her.

  Immediately , Chase and I both took an arm and led her to the couch. I thought a flight of stairs might have been to o much for her in her condition.

  Bram looked at his sister, then at Colden. "Thanks a lot. Thanks you for almost killing her."

  Colden pointed his finger in Bram's face. "Hey—she would be dead if it wasn't for us. Be grateful for that."

  "Thank you, Colden," I said to relieve the tension. "Really, we appreciate it."

  He glared at Bram. "Just make sure you do your job."

  "I think I already made it clear that I don't take orders from you. Now, if you'll excuse us. Thanks."

  Colden reached for the door and let himself out. As I propped a pillow beneath Naomi's head, I wondered if Chase and Colden would ever get along.

  After a few days of going back and forth, Bram had recruited ten more Grims bringing our total to fourteen.

  On our fifth morning in the real world, I woke up to an unsettling sight—several boys jumping from the rooftop. Bram stood in the yard , encouraging the foolishness.

  Ashton, a boy who lived two streets over from me in Farrington, stood at the edge of the roof. I stood next to Colden , who was in the yard watching. Ashton took several steps backward, then ran to the edge of the roof. Only this time he didn't stop. He jumped.

  My heart caught in my throat. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. Ashton landed on his feet and then tumbled over. The other two boys, Shiva and Kuro, who were already lying on the lawn , slapped him high five.

  "What are they doing?" I asked.

  "This is what your boyfriend here taught them. How to act like idiots. They're totally out of control here. And to think, you guys call us Foragers and animals. My people would never behave like this."

  I wanted to correct him and tell him that Bram was not my boyfriend, there were no such things as boyfriends in Nowhere, but that didn't seem important at the moment. Gunther was poised on the roof and ready for his jump.

  "Come on, Gunther!" Bram called, encouraging this ridiculous behavior.

  That was all Gunther needed, encouragement from Bram. He grinned. Without bothering to give himself a running start, he jumped from the roof, tucking his legs in front of him. As predicted, he landed on the ground on his tailbone.

  "Owwwwwww!" he wailed. The other boys, laughing, gathered around him. I knew his fall had to hurt, but I had no sympathy for him.

  I looked at Bram. "Really? You think this is a good idea?"

  He shrugged. "What's the big deal? We're Grims. They're not going to die. The worst that can happen is that they'll get hurt if they jump wrong."

  "Yeah, or paralyzed," I added.

  Bram looked more serious. "Look, I thought it looked fun so I wanted to try it. It's not my fault they like to do everything I do."

  I rolled my eyes and walked past the boys on the lawn and I shook my head. If only he could use his powers for good.

  Inside, the house was a lot different from what it had been a few days ago. It was more crowded and a mess. Several boys were sitting in the living room , lounging on couches and watching television. Scythes were carelessly strewn about like winter coats.

  "Hey, Keira!" they greeted me, holding up soda cans and root beer bottles.
It was only ten o'clock in the morning.

  Bram stepped up behind me. "Yeah, things are getting a little crazy , . but it's cool."

  Yes, to him. I had absolutely no plans to live like a wild animal.

  I ran upstairs to find Naomi. I knew she felt the same way as me. I knocked on the door of her bedroom and let myself in. "The boys are jumping off the roof."

  She looked at the roof and grinned. "Is that what that noise was ? . " Her smile faded. "Keir, it's crazy here. Bram and these boys he brought over—totally out of control. I think it's because they've been under such strict rules for so long, now that they have a little freedom, they don't know how to act. On top of not knowing what to do with their newfound freedom, they get bored. There's no structure here and I've learned that boredom can lead people to do stupid things. They watch repeats of this show called Jackass and try to do the stunts they see on there."

  I sighed. "Have you spoken to Chase ? . I haven't seen him all morning."

  Naomi looked down and shrugged. "Chase is different. This business with Lawson is getting to him. He acts like it doesn't bother him, but I know it does. I also know that he felt he had to do it for me and I hate that."

  That was a topic I had been hoping to avoid. Lawson gave us an assignment , and one of the boys carried it out. They didn't want to go through with it at the beginning, but Dunstan convinced them. Now they did it and came back like it was nothing. No one says anything about it. I know we were all supposed to be pulling our weight, but I wanted nothing to do with it.

  Unlike Naomi, I wasn't emotionally attached to humans, but that didn't mean I wanted to murder them. Besides, it wasn't a Grim's place to do that.

  13

  It was sunset before I realized the only thing I had said to Bram all day had been a reprimand. I didn't like leaving tension between us. Things would be different for us now that we were beginning a new life. I wasn't sure where our relationship stood or where it could go. The last thing I wanted to do was act like his mother.

  I searched the crowded house for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Chase. I knew that Bram liked being outside, especially in the darkness, so I checked the backyard. I found him sitting on a bench on the side of the house, sharpening a stick with a knife. I sat beside him. "Hey."

  "Hey," he replied.

  I laughed and nudged him in the side. He smiled at me , and I leaned back against the bench. Those kinds of smiles were rare from Bram—he usually wore a mischievous grin.

  I sank into the seat and looked up into the large oak tree that stood in the yard. The night was beautiful, but a little warmer than I was used to. A small amount of moonlight crept through the branches.

  I looked at Bram. "What were you thinking about? And don't tell me nothing."

  "I was wondering if we're doing the right thing, and if we are, how am I going to pull this off?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Somebody has to be in charge here. Someone has to establish some order. I have to make sure Lawson's orders are carried out. Some of us don't want to do it, some of us do. I have to make sure everyone eats and is taken care of. I have to worry about…"

  "What?"

  "How we're going to live. I mean literally live. We've drawn the line in the sand. We can't go back to Nowhere without being executed or thrown into Gattica. We won't get assignments , and we won't earn any more years."

  I had thought about that every night when I couldn't sleep. "But we'll live, Bram. We all have plenty of years accumulated. I'd rather live hundreds of years the way I want to live them than thousands being a slave to the Covenant. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life being his wife."

  We were both quiet for a minute until Bram broke the silence. "I never thought I'd see Grims so ready to kill. I haven't even had to go on any hits. Adrian, Amaro, and Gannon—the three of them, they go out like it's some party and come back with their trophies. The thing is, the more Grims we bring over, the more human bodies we need for transfusions."

  I wasn't too surprised. We had been trained not to care about humans ; , that was just part of our philosophy. "I guess they just think differently."

  "Are you scared?" Bram asked.

  I wondered if he was asking me that because that wa ' s the way he felt. "Not scared in the sense that I'm frightened. I guess I'm a little afraid because I'm not sure what will happen next."

  Bram nodded. "Yeah, I can see that, but the not knowing is actually the part I like. Our lives won't be so predictable anymore. Still, I want to train our Grims."

  "In what?"

  "Combat."

  "Bram, we've never had to fight. We've never had to worry about anything like that."

  "I know, but things are different now. This is new to us and we don't know what's going to happen so we need to be prepared for everything." Bram took a deep breath. "Tonight I'm going to bring Dorian over. And Josh." My heart dropped. "No! No way, Bram! If you guys get caught, Dunningham will kill them. I don't want anything to happen to my little brother."

  "And you think I want something to happen to mine? I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think this was perfectly safe. I've brought all the others over the wall to make sure it was safe before taking them. Dorian and Josh are dying to come, Keira. And really, do you want them to be there when all this stuff goes down?"

  "What stuff?"

  "I don't know. Dunstan keeps secrets just like his brother, but I have a strong feeling he's not content being a banished outcast for the rest of his life. And we both know that the people of Litropolis and the Outskirts have been on the edge for a long time. Something's going to happen."

  I heard a door close. A moment later , Colden emerged from behind the house. "We're back," he announced.

  "That's nice," Bram said nonchalantly.

  Colden walked over until he was standing before us. "This isn't going to work."

  "What?" Bram asked.

  "Some aren't doing their part. Lawson's list is getting longer and longer , and we're falling behind. There's a job in another state. That's going to take days. Some guys are still working—"

  "Don't call it working," Bram interrupted him. "Call it what it is. You guys are murdering people."

  Colden rolled his eyes. "Hey, all I do is show up afterward and collect the blood. The point is, jobs are now taking us longer. Some of us are working around the clock. If everyone were to pitch in, the load would be much easier."

  Bram focused on sharpening the point of the stick. "Everybody's not okay with doing that, Colden. I told them that if they didn't want to do it, they didn't have to. I'm not going to force this on them."

  "I don't care. That's what they signed up for when they came over here. This isn't a free ride. Why should some of us do the work and everyone benefit?"

  "I'm not killing anyone," I said quietly.

  "You have to," Colden said.

  Bram stood up. "Who's going to make anybody do anything? Huh? You? We could take you out in a minute. Remember, you're mortal, Forager."

  "Don't call me that," Colden said through clenched teeth. "Don't forget. Whatever I am, your sister is too."

  Bram's jaw twitched.

  "What do you want to be called?" I asked.

  Bram glared at me, but I didn't think it was right for us to call them a name they didn't like.

  "We call ourselves hybrids," Colden answered.

  "Go away," Bram ordered.

  Colden glared at him. "I'll leave when I'm done talking."

  I needed to step in before things got out of control. Bram had a monster of a temper and I could tell that Colden's wasn't much better. I pushed Bram back toward the bench and he reluctantly sat down. "What do you need to say, Colden?"

  He knelt on the ground. For the first time I spotted a rusted knife strapped to his belt. "We have a golden opportunity here , and you're not taking advantage of it. You don't know what it feels like to starve. To watch your family starve. To watch the people you love shrivel up and die. We ca
n change that. We can have real homes, clothes, food on our table three meals a day. Lawson gives us everything we ask for. All we have to do is make a list of what we need , and it's delivered to us right away. And for what? All we have to do is get rid of undesirables. People who don't deserve to live anyway."

  "That's not our call," I told him. "It's not for us to say who deserves to live or die. I think you tell yourself they deserve it so you'll feel better, but you know it's wrong. It's not what Grims do."

  "I'm not a Grim. Dunningham has made it very clear that no one in the Outskirts is a Grim. We're not branded. We're not bound by any Covenant. I'm going to do whatever is going to benefit my people."

  "What does that have to do with us?" Bram asked.

  Colden sighed and stood. "I don't know. That's up to you. You want to be owned by Dunningham for the rest of your lives? Be forced to marry a person you hardly know and be bound to them for life? You can be executed at his whim. He threw Naomi in prison. He was going to kill her if it weren't for Doyle. You want to spend the rest of your life working for him until he chooses when it's time for you to expire and he stops sending you on assignments?"

  Bram leaned forward. "None of that matters because we can't go back anyways. Not after this. Nowhere's not an option anymore."

  "Okay, then," Colden said. "That's all the more reason to make life here the best we can. This is home now, like it or not, and I'm not going to keep working my ass off for you guys to sit around and do nothing. It's not going to work like that."

  Bram stood and Colden rose from his crouching position. I braced myself, wondering how I would be able to break up a fight between them.

  Bram held a knife in one hand and the sharpened stick in the other. "You don't tell me what to do, rodent. You're a mutt, a half-breed, an outcast. My sister's a Grim. She has the brand on her shoulder. You don't call any shots around here."