Only The Dead Don't Die (Book 3): Last State

by Popovich, A. D.

  Luther paced from window to window. “Kum-ba-ya . . .” Luther sing-songed over and over.

  “Wait, how do you know Scarlett?” Justin turned to Mindy.

  “I hear her name in my dreams. Something to do with the color, red,” Mindy said mysteriously.

  Zac butted in. “Do you see anyone else in your dreams?”

  “Uh—” Mindy looked around the room at everyone as if unsure to go on. “I used to see a mystical woman with silvery-luminescent hair. When I had lost all hope. Pregnant and alone. She always urged me to believe . . .”

  Ella had often heard “Believe” whispered during her deepest, darkest moments.

  “We all know the Silver Lady,” Twila insisted. But everyone ignored the child.

  “Do you know about the magical tea?” Ella pursued. Justin rolled his eyes at her from the corner of the room. Justin had to know the tea was authentic. It had saved him. But she understood; people conveniently disregarded events that challenged their beliefs. Raised as a devout Catholic, her beliefs had been tested the day her normal life had ended so brutally. The day she had lost her family. She had learned then that regardless of the religion’s name, it all came down to Heaven versus Hell, translated to good vs. evil. And the evil was winning.

  “A silver lady . . . special powers. Y’all need to settle down. Ol’ Luther here is getting spooked.”

  “Its monoatomic properties heal. Uh, more like restructures the DNA,” Ella said simply to their astounded faces.

  Justin shook his head furiously. “Has everyone gone cray-cray?”

  Twila shouted, “You have to listen to me. All of us have special abilities!”

  Justin rolled his eyes again, Dean and Luther eyed each other, and Zac shifted from foot to foot. The tension in the room had turned ugly.

  “You!” Twila pointed to Justin. “You see ones and zeros.”

  “Moi?” Justin questioned with his best comical smirk.

  “I know you do,” Twila insisted. “I don’t understand it, but it means you’re getting cosmic downloads.”

  “Like, I’m a computer geek. It’s just binary code,” Justin explained.

  Twila shook her head emphatically. “Sometimes, you live in the computer.”

  “Okay, okay. When I hack around the darkside of the web, sometimes, it’s like I astral-travel into cyberspace and fly amongst the ones and zeros. That’s where I found the fetuses living in perpetual animation. They harvest the life-saving fluid for the Elites.”

  Ella and the new girl shared a terrorizing stare.

  “And there’s this other thing,” Justin continued. “I think it’s called eidetic memory. I can recall vivid scenes from my mind at will. Even after only seeing it for a few seconds. Sorta like a photographic memory, only in 3D.”

  “And you.” Twila pointed to Zac. “You find us. Souls like me, Scarlett, Ella, and them.” Twila pointed to Mindy and the baby. “We’re Lightworkers and Starseeds,” she whispered.

  “Starseeds and Lightworkers . . .” Luther kumbaya’d louder.

  Zac looked uncomfortable, glancing from person to person. “I thought it was too much of a coincidence.” Zac paused as if debating to go further. “Twila’s right. My gift, besides finding damsels in distress, I see pathways to safety. Along with waterways, like the rivers and creeks. It’s the only reason I survived all those trips from California to Last State without losing a single person.”

  “I see what you all are referring to,” Dean said next. “For me, it’s my gut instinct, followed with the most reasonable course of action. My gut always seems to have something to say. When I listen to it, things go smoother. How else would an old geezer like me make it this far?”

  “What about you?” Justin turned to Mindy.

  “I never thought of it as a special ability. But when I’m in danger, I can do anything to save my child. I envision an invisible barrier around me. I call it Invisibility. It’s also like I can access a higher realm of consciousness to find the peace I need to live another day with the guilt I carry for bringing a child into this world.”

  Ella’s heart skipped a beat. “Ah! That’s exactly how I feel,” Ella exclaimed. “And my intuition is always shouting at me.” Memories of her knocking down the zombie demons from the runaway carriage still haunted her. Ella had saved mijo then.

  “Guys, guys, I consider myself a New Ager. But this is wacked,” Justin blurted. “If the Gods were bestowing special powers, why’d we get such lame ones? I mean, I’d take Wolverine, The Silver Surfer, Plastic Man, and—”

  Twila interrupted. “They gave us little secret ones so the Ancient Ones wouldn’t notice us when the End Times started.”

  “Think what she means to say,” Dean translated, “these abilities had to be subtle to stay off their radar. Like a plane flying really low to remain undetected.”

  Ella thought about it. What Dean said made sense.

  Luther raised his hand. “Just a side note. Ol’ Luther here thinks ya’ll be trippin’ on some rancid moonshine. This business of special powers—”

  Twila ran up to Luther. “Silly, Luther, you are more powerful than all of us. Only you don’t remember. In your past lives, you were a powerful Voudon witch doctor!”

  Luther backed into the coffee table. The Tiffany-looking glass lamp tipped over. Luther tried to catch it before it fell to the floor. The lamp seemed to pause in mid-air for a fraction of a second before it crashed to the floor, shattering into shards in slow motion. Everyone looked at Luther as if he had tried to telepathically stop the lamp from falling.

  “Nope. That was not me! Forget about that crazy Voodoo shit,” Luther rambled.

  Ella and Twila giggled.

  “Excuse my French,” Luther apologized.

  “Voudon is just a religion. It has good souls and bad souls like all religions,” Twila said in a voice beyond her years.

  That was weird. How would Twila know about Voodoo? Ella never knew what Twila was going to say next. But, she was an adorable child, always overdramatizing. Sort of like Justin, Ella thought.

  “Dude, I met this insane Voodoo lady. Mama something. Uh, Mama L—”

  “Mama LaVie,” Twila finished.

  Luther’s darker than dark complexion went charcoal-gray. Maybe Ella felt it more than saw it.

  “Mama LaVie?” Luther croaked.

  “Yes, your aunt,” Twila insisted.

  “She would have to be ninety-something. My uncle told me she died years ago.” Luther’s flustered face gave her goosebumps.

  “She had to hide. The Ancient Ones destroyed most of the Lightworkers,” Twila said.

  “Dude,” Justin moaned. “She dragged me into her booth at the Zhetto Market. You should visit her. She might be able to explain what’s going on?”

  Luther shook his head. “That’s a big hell no.”

  Dean cleared his throat, taking the floor. “The point now being, we need to accept things as they are. Whether we believe it or not. Things are different. For instance, what do you think is more unbelievable, people turning into man-eating creatures or these so-called special abilities?” Dean had turned their impossible conversation around as if it were plausible. “The point is we have to—”

  “Save Scarlett,” Zac whispered.

  Ella’s heart thudded. OMG, Zac loves her!

  “Guys, guys, Krasinski and Lopez just took off in the truck?” Justin gaped.

  “Hell’s bells, they probably think we went loony.” Dean chuckled.

  “Ya think?” Luther snarked.

  Twila turned to Zac. “You gotta save Mommy. I can’t, ’cause Justin broke my Merkaba.” Twila pouted.

  “Your w-w-what?” Justin spluttered. He looked mortified by her accusation.

  “My magical star crystal. Shari taught us the power of crystal meditation. Crystals magnify the crystalline energies within us, connecting us to the multiverse,” Twila explained.

  Justin responded with a raised-eyebrow smirk. “Whatever. But I am super so
rry. The crystal was so hot—it jumped right out of my hand.”

  “Because, silly”—Twila crossed her eyes—“everyone knows you aren’t supposed to touch someone’s crystal before cleansing it.”

  “Actually, the crystals do help. They help visualize the answers we need. Manifestation,” Ella said.

  “I’m so scared for Mommy. When I was in the cabin, I saw her crying. But then she saw me and blocked me out. She doesn’t want me to see her ’cause then they can see me. It’s such a scary dark place.” Twila shivered.

  “Come sit with me.” Ella patted the couch. She wasn’t sure how Zac would take this, but she had to try. “Zac, since you can see routes. What if, you meditated with a crystal and focused on a path to find Scarlett?”

  “Thank you, that’s what I’ve been trying to say this whole time.” Twila kissed Ella’s cheek. “I’ll always love you.”

  Ella smiled. “Shari’s crystals are still in the cabin. I use them when I’m having false labor contractions.” Ella didn’t expect them to understand.

  “Might as well give it a shot, Zac. It’s not like we have anything to lose,” Dean said, surprising her. Dean had always been the most conservative one. He must be changing too.

  “Hey, I’m game,” Zac agreed without questioning.

  “Better fetch those crystals before it gets dark,” Dean said. “Son of a gun, I can’t believe Lopez took off. Krasinski, yes, but not Lopez.”

  Luther reloaded his Glock. “I’ll go with y’all to the cabin in case there’s trouble.”

  “I wanna go.” Twila scurried to her feet.

  “Please stay with me.” Ella smiled. “I don’t want to be alone.” Twila cuddled next to her. It made her feel like a mother again. She couldn’t wait to hold her son.

  Ella fantasized everything was going to be fine. They would find Scarlett and live happily ever after. Well, that was what she told herself as a dark shadow emerged from the mirror over the fireplace mantle. She shut her eyes, refusing to acknowledge it. She hadn’t told anyone about the ghastly images she sometimes saw in mirrors. It definitely was not a special gift.

  Chapter 34

  Zac Padilla sat cross-legged on the pillow-covered floor, sipping Ella’s special tea. He tried remembering all the tips Ella and Twila had blurted to him. “Turn off your rational brain. Relax and wait for the elusive moment just before sleep,” they had coached. Easier said than done. Since the Nano Com-trail flu, he had slept with one eye open, always ready for trouble, which he attributed to his survival.

  Dean, Justin, and Luther had promised to remain on high-alert and inform him if the Enforcers returned. Meanwhile, the CLOSED sign on the lodge’s front door should deter any customers. He didn’t exactly relish harboring a shitload of fugitives. After checking in with his handler, he had requested an updated Persons of Interest report.

  Smugglers often freelanced as bounty hunters, another reason they had to keep their guard up. What if Krasinski or Lopez sold them out in exchange for their freedoms? Women and children were worth millions. Smugglers still searched the Lost States for women and children like prospectors during the Gold Rush era only with a much less success and survival rate.

  According to the report, Justin was branded a traitor. Luther was registered as a Class-Z citizen. Ella had perished in a horde attack, but there was a reward for her remains. Twila and Scarlett were listed as missing. Dean wasn’t on the report, but he was still considered an illegal. As for Mindy and the baby, he didn’t want to think about what was in store for them should Last State learn of their existence.

  Luther and Dean were easier to explain. He would just add them to his team. Zac’s connections gave him more flexibility than the average citizen. Ironically, he was the actual criminal, and yet he was the only one who wasn’t a wanted man. His digital Elite status had cost him millions, keeping him perpetually indebted to the people he supplied. But it wouldn’t protect him if he was accused of being a traitor. The Elites would disavow him with a flick of a cigarette if things went sideways.

  The only thing going for him was the smuggler life provided opportunities to explore the Lost States of America in search of Shangri-La. In some ways, Zac was more ensnared by Last State’s hypocrisy than most citizens. He knew names and faces of the corrupted Elites. He had wined and dined with many of them before the pandemic. Perhaps it was why they trusted him. His safety was only ensured if he kept his mouth shut and provided the contraband . . . until the day he disappeared into the sunset. With Scarlett. It was the inspiration motivating him to find a way out of his impossible predicament.

  No doubt Zac’s handler would soon request his presence at the capitol to explain the loss of the helicopters. Once the brief interrogation was completed, they would send him on his next mission. Last State had plenty of Black Hawks wasting away on the tarmacs. Helicopter pilots—they were a touchy subject. They were becoming harder to find. They didn’t have enough skilled citizens to replace them. Last State should have thought of it before it sealed off the borders.

  “Let your mind go blank.” It sounded like Twila. Can she hear my thoughts? Was it possible? The child was gifted. He had known it since the day he had found her in an abandoned country house in Northern California. She had greeted him with, “I’ve been waiting for you for so long. She said you’re supposed to take me to my new mommy.” Of all things, Ravers riding my ass and hordes tracking me. And I find a child in the middle of nowhere. His thoughts drifted to that day—

  “Shhh,” Twila scolded.

  Startled, Zac opened his eyes and glanced around the candle-lit room, complete with burning sage and spacey music playing softly in the background. No one else was there. Scores of crystals adorned the room: clear ones, pink ones, purple ones, blue ones. The translucent pearly-white selenite towers seemed to call to him. Enchanted him.

  He reached for one of the shimmering selenite towers catching the candlelight. Its silky-soft striations caressed his palm. A peacefulness settled over him. His brain stopped its normal bullet-train speed. He reached for the rest of the towers surrounding him, placing them against his body. He held the two remaining selenites in his hands and stared blankly at them.

  A gentle bubbly sensation energized his fingertips. It traveled to his hands, igniting them with the warm tranquility of a crackling fire on the banks of a frosty babbling creek. The wondrous medley of fire and ice enthralled him without discomfort. The intense energy spiraled from the base of his spine to the top of his head. It flowed through his arms to the soles of his feet. His head tingled with bliss while his entire body buzzed. It was a great rush, but he wasn’t having any angelic visions.

  On impulse, he held two towers to his head, one to the middle of his forehead and one to the back of his neck. He ordered his mind to retreat. From out of nowhere, a pulsating force surged through as if recharging every cell in his body.

  Panic tempted him, for he was always in complete control of his body. But the peacefulness intrigued him, and he continued. A loud snap in his inner hearing took him by surprise. Something had pulled away from his body. A detachment. Fascinating, he thought. He imagined his soul floating above him. He savored the serenity. He never wanted to leave. He understood why monks meditated for days. It was awe-inspiring if one could obtain that stillness of consciousness.

  “Find Mommy,” an annoying voice disrupted his dreamy, between-state of cognizance.

  Twila was right; he needed to focus. He envisioned Scarlett. How he loved the raven-haired beauty. She was the epitome of the perfect woman, the musings of his mind dreamt of when he let himself fall prey to such foolishness.

  “Scarlett, are you—alive?” he whispered. His forehead quivered uncontrollably. He went with it, letting the energy take him where it wanted.

  Nothing happened.

  “This is ridiculous,” he scoffed.

  “Zac! Is that you?” It was Scarlett, her voice thick with anguish.

  “Mommy!” Twila interrupted.

&nbs
p; He finally accepted that he was hearing, not with his ears but with his mind. He focused his strength, instead of letting the energies whisk him along the flighty feel-good high. “Where are you?” Zac asked silently.

  “Lost in darkness,” she answered in a faraway whisper, which sounded more like his imagination.

  “Where are you?” Zac asked again, concentrating harder. The power of love exploded through him. He burst through the confinements of his physical body. A cord of silvery light floated in front of him. He followed its luminous trail, soaring through the air, flying over the plains. Seconds later, he stopped at the smuggler’s tunnel he used. A labyrinth of tunnel offshoots sprouted into view.

  “Closer,” Scarlett beckoned.

  He glided through a twisted maze of dark corridors. This can’t be right. I must be dreaming. He lurched to a halt. Scarlett was trapped in a contraption made of human bones. Her pain bled into his heart. Something was coming. Something malevolent. With his thermal-like vision, he peered through the loamy walls. A horde of X-strain dug feverously through a maze of tunnels. There was only one reason for it. It flashed like a strobe light in his mind. They wanted Scarlett!

  A scream. Had it been his or Scarlett’s? He bolted out of his meditation. Twila and Ella burst into the room with the men right behind them.

  Twila was beside him, hugging him. “You found her!”

  “Dude, are you okay?” Justin garbled.

  “I don’t expect you to believe me, but a translucent silvery-blue cord led me straight to her. And then—” He tried to stand only to stumble back onto the pillows.

  “Easy now,” Dean said while Luther shook his head with apparent apprehension.

  “But, do you know where she is?” Twila shouted with a tear-streaked face. “All I see is darkness and death.”