by Aral Bereux
Julianna listened.
‘No. Keep your eyes open, wouldn’t put it past Caden to pull another rabbit from his hat.’
‘I’m more worried about Daniel.’
‘Don’t,’ Taris said. ‘He won’t be running far with a bullet in his leg. Lieutenant Peters, on the other hand, well I didn’t see that one coming.’
Doug shrugged. Julianna listened, knowing the story if Doug died. The Senate would hang in the balance, a situation Taris welcomed, one which Doug feared. His position would be on a precipice. Old-school walkers were few since the rise of the camps. Most retaliated, most were killed. The Senate relied on her family to keep creatures like Taris in check.
Doug must know this, surely.
Julianna coughed; with it, a spray of blood flitted. The slow rise of blood to the top and her lungs crackled under the pressure. She licked at the salt on her lips.
‘Maybe he never made it to the RV, Tazzie.’ She knew he hated the reference. Her nickname for him came from a Warner Brothers cartoon. The Tasmanian devil’s frantic spinning at a rabbit had reminded her of his temper, and so she had named him Tazzie that evening after one of his regular explosions.
‘Jillie, Jillie, Jillie, you know he had a hand in tearing your precious family apart? He gave the orders for your initiation.’ He was getting back at her. ‘Had it all planned.’ He lowered his glasses again before taking them away. ‘Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re new to him. He knows you very well. He knows who you are.’
They lingered in each other’s death stares until the Jeep hit another bump. He returned his glasses so he could face the brunt of the wind whipping around them.
‘But I still choose him over you.’
Taris let out a small, amused noise. ‘Why does he choose you, though?’ He smirked. ‘I wonder, huh.’
The Jeep drove on and the air thickened with mist. A cold sweat broke across her face again. Her body was working in overdrive to pump what little blood she had left. As she closed her eyes, the slightest of whispers entered her mind. Staying in the same space was too hard. Her mind was restless at the secret Taris mocked her with.
The whisper came in a wave. It was dark and powerful and she felt immersed in its presence. It swept her away into her mind, coaxing her to sleep.
It was telling her to rest. He was telling her to hold on.
Chapter 15
0120 HOURS.
WEST CAMP.
Daniel sat in the trees, watching for his chance. Waiting and praying for the guards to move quickly. They were dragging Caden across the ground to the last Jeep after his beating, held under the arms as they flanked him while his head hung low and his legs trailed in the dirt.
Daniel eyed the bike, with the keys still hanging in the ignition. His broken ankle and bullet wound made it hard to move through the trees quickly, and with the binding cuffs, he couldn’t heal himself.
He moved a little, his foot dragging behind, hurting like hell as it made a sweeping sound against the ground when he hit it behind the bike. The guard holding Caden swung his gun in his direction. Caden fell onto the ground and lifted his cuffed hands to the blood on his forehead. Daniel watched the cut close, pulling its blood back in as Caden struggled to rid himself of the injury. Daniel knew Caden had his own plans.
The second guard used his rifle’s laser to scan the trees beyond his partner. The red beam bounded along the branches and grass. Daniel ducked its reach, swinging his broken cuff against the side of the bike with a dull thud-clap-clap. His free hand grabbed the metal tightly, beckoning for it to shush. He crouched between the trees as the noise echoed to his predator’s senses. The rifle readied with a click of the safety release.
The portable radio hissed from the Jeep and the guard beside Caden reached over the door. ‘Go for Bravo.’
The guard apologized for his disobedience over the air and lifted Caden as he yelled for his partner. ‘The Commander wants us at the RV yesterday. Let’s go. We need to move this prisoner before he has our ass.’
The rifle lowered and the laser hit the ground.
‘I swear I saw someone out there.’
‘Ghosts,’ his partner teased.
Caden shrugged at the suggestion with his head low. ‘They’re here to collect for their misfortunes, men. Heard them every night I camped here.’ His bound hands raised and Daniel watched, as they became a solid weapon.
His clenched fists made a perfect swinging motion into the officer holding the radio. It connected into his chin. The large body slumped down against the side of the vehicle, knocked him out cold. The cuffs bound most of his abilities, but his fighting spirit was enraged. He dropped his foot down on the unconscious man’s head. The neck snapped back and lolled to one side as Caden kicked again.
The lone patrol guard standing in front of the bike swung his rifle in Caden’s direction with the trigger under his finger. Caden shielded his squinting eyes at the torchlight and lasers as the guard inched nervously forward.
The guard crossed Daniel’s path. Quietly, he followed. The guard startled at the cuff chain around his throat. Escape was impossible. The guard clawed at the chain, at his slow suffocation under the force.
Daniel pulled the swinging cuff taut with his free hand, jerking it back until the officer dropped. The guard fell back, taking Daniel with him, pinning him down under his dead, heavy mass. Daniel was locked with his injured legs, unable to leverage any chance of moving.
‘A little help here,’ Daniel called, his arms trying to push the weight to one side.
Caden reluctantly kicked the corpse away. ‘Really? You show up now?’ Caden said coolly. ‘So fucking typical of you, man.’
Daniel propped himself up on his hands before leaning onto the bike behind him. ‘Hey, I just kept your sorry ass from being incarcerated, you dumb fuck.’
‘You’re right.’ Caden said. He held his cuffed hands in Daniel’s direction. ‘Totally sorry, old friend. The keys are in his shirt pocket, right side.’
Daniel stared at the large officer lying spread-eagled on the ground, eyes staring at the sky. He started searching the pockets.
Caden glared at him. ‘Why bother when I told you where they were?’
‘I should leave you here,’ Daniel said and unlocked his swinging cuff first. The metal bracelet dropped to the ground and a surge of power moved through him again. ‘You had a clean shot before he stabbed her.’
‘Where were you?’ Caden snapped, snatching the keys and struggling with the first lock. The key slipped, but he grabbed it against his leg before it dropped into the thick of the undergrowth. ‘You watch the show for kicks?’ The cuffs fell free. He felt the same freedom and let out a long breath. ‘Enjoy seeing her gutted?’
‘In case you missed, I’m a little fucked up right now.’
Caden raised his fist. It came down, hard and fast, twice, with complete accuracy and effectiveness. He hit Daniel in the face, sending him into the ground. Daniel raised his hand in defense and Caden backed off with his fist still raised.
‘You arrogant piece of shit! You were there and did nothing.’ He paced. ‘You fucking...fuck you!’ he yelled. ‘Fuck you!’
Daniel’s hand reddened in fresh blood from his broken nose. ‘Fuck, Cade. You really wanna fight me when we should be hunting that prick down?’
Caden pushed his hands through his hair. The oil and dirt mixed with Daniel’s blood between his fingers. He paced some more, chanting to himself. He needed to get a grip, needed to calm the fuck down, as his brother would say. Needed to focus.
Then Julianna crossed his mind again and the guilt flooded back. She was bleeding to death as he contemplated settling an old family debt. He dropped beside the officer and confiscated the weapons while cursing Daniel under his breath.
‘You need my help on this one, Caden. You can’t go it alone.’ Daniel wiped the blood from his nose and searched the ground. He found what he was looking for – it had fallen from the grip of the guard he had
choked to death. The Sig Sauer, black and clean, rested in the grass in his view. He grabbed it, holstering it between his belt and skin before Caden jumped on that one as well. Caden can put up with the Glock. Daniel smiled to himself.
Caden jumped the rifle into his grip scowled Daniel leaning against the bike. He was covered head to toe in blood; he’d already received a decent beating, and he’d just added to it. The punch wasn’t in the scope of a fair fight.
Caden nodded. ‘Can you walk?’
Daniel shrugged. Caden rolled his eyes before laying the weapons in the back of the Jeep. ‘I can’t believe I’m fucking doing this.’
He sauntered over, moody and wanting to move on, but he kneeled beside Daniel and lifted his ankle. Clasping his hand around the tendons popping out, exposing their bloody sinew, he healed it with a force that made Daniel retract. Daniel bit his bottom lip and hit his head against the bike as the pain seared though his entire lower body and the skin regenerated. Caden repeated the process for the bullet hole.
‘Your face looks prettier that way.’ He pointed and stood back up, grabbing Daniel’s hand to help him stand.
‘Gee whiz, Cade. Thanks, son, owe you one.’ Daniel paused. ‘Indebted, really I am.’ He looked at Julianna’s bike, more efficient for eluding capture.
‘You’re riding pillion,’ Caden demanded.
He grabbed the Glock and knife from the Jeep, eyeballing Daniel the entire time, knowing he got the better sidearm. The rifle was abandoned. They’d have enough to carry with Julianna between them, and he doubted her bike would ride okay with them all anyway. Leaving Daniel once the mission was accomplished was tempting, but Julianna’s face hovered over him in a scowl. Yes, she was in his head all right – one fucking kiss and he was what his brother called ‘pussy-whipped.’
Never in a million years would he be chasing some girl with Daniel Rae, never in a million years.
‘Get on.’ He started the bike. ‘If we’re doing this, we’re doing it now. Not waiting for your sorry ass, Danny.’
They moved quickly through the trees until they came to the road where Caden propped. The road stretched out in both directions, and only a few birds settling above made a complaint as the last of the rain rolled from their feathers.
Daniel’s hands rested between them and Caden screwed up his nose. They’d need to be quick; they’d need to reach the car before it reached the camp, and they had a lot of ground to cover for that to happen.
He revved the bike, jolting Daniel behind. Caden looked down at the hands circling his waist with a disgust that made his skin crawl, and he pushed them away violently after he increased their speed. The bike was a fast one, after all. He smiled at her choice of machine as they bolted down the highway. The road blurred and Julianna’s image sitting on the bike behind him near the river sharpened. He’d wanted to take her then and there – and he would have if it hadn’t been for the fever and the gunshots that had disrupted their attention.
Nice thought, and he felt a rough shove between his shoulders for the privilege. Daniel had tapped into his mind. He looked back with a cunning smile while Daniel glared.
They propped on the large rise amongst the trees, and from there they measured the distance to the only vehicle on the highway. The taillights flashed and the car pulled to the side of the road with Taris walking to the rear. His blonde hair was the only thing they could make out in the distant darkness.
‘Checking on her,’ Daniel mumbled.
‘She’s not good if he’s checking,’ Caden said. ‘Not when he’s this close to camp.’
Caden negotiated the difficult terrain as he rolled the bike down the hill, trying to close the space as much as he could without detection. The engine was off, but it meant cutting the brakes, too. He rolled down the steep hill, turning the bike to avoid the bigger of the obstacles. He jumped a ditch, bumped a rock, and slammed his feet into the ground as a fallen tree branch appeared through the mist and the dark.
Daniel cursed.
Caden searched the road. It was clear for them to continue. The Jeep was their only threat. The towers, even if the snipers made them, wouldn’t have the range. He maneuvered around the fallen stump and ducked a branch, leaving Daniel’s face to collect it. He’d leave it at that. The last deserved punch; he’d leave the rest to the girl for when the truth arrived.
The thought pinched at the same time a hidden ditch bounced Daniel on the back. He supposed Daniel concerned himself with Julianna, too, but concern had no place in a mission like this. He locked his emotions away to where they truly belonged, toying with throwing the key away.
Can’t do that, she’s too pretty.
Pussy-whipped, his brother mocked.
The Jeep pulled out.
Caden pushed the bike to its limit as he leaned into the handlebars with Daniel leaning with him. Under the force, riding one-handed with a pillion was a challenge, but he pulled his new Glock and raised it steadily, taking the bike downhill. When Daniel aimed his gun and pulled the trigger beside his ear without warning. Caden had about all he could take.
The bike swerved, but so did the car in front, as it hit a side ditch, ejecting one of its passengers onto the road. The officer screamed, his skin lubricating the slide against the ground as he skidded along. Caden squinted against the wind. They kept moving. The driver slumped forward and Caden raised his head higher to see.
‘Fuck me!’ Caden yelled. ‘I think you just took out Doug Cathan.’
The guards fled for cover. Daniel and Caden raised their guns, scattering bullets until those running, dropped. The bike slid up to the Jeep spraying dirt in the panic and Caden’s adrenaline pumped as he scanned across the zone and cut the engine.
Doug Cathan’s body slumped over the wheel with a large hole bored into the back of his skull. Brain matter decorated the steering wheel and an ink blot of blood patterned across the windshield. Taris was gone. Caden scanned again, searching for the blonde hair against the night sky. His eyes narrowed. An owl flew across his vision, a snake moved under a rock, the tower lights shone, a single blade of grass grabbed his attention, but no Taris.
Gunshots fired. He glanced in their direction and watched Daniel follow the crawling guards as they clawed at the road with their legs dragging behind, both in a blind panic. The spray of bullets had maimed them both, and Daniel was toying with them. Caden bent under the Jeep, looking for Taris. He was definitely gone.
He peered over the door. There was nothing else inside but for the knife on the passenger seat that he grabbed.
The double tap Daniel aimed at the crawling patrol, echoed. His eyes met with Daniel’s as he rushed to the back of the Jeep. His shoulders lifted and Daniel responded likewise from down the road. The noise would bring unwanted attention.
Caden unfastened the tray gate. Blood rushed out, flowing over the edge as it freed from the metal wall. He stood back, watching it miss his boots to splash against the ground. He grabbed her crumpled legs, pulling quickly to slide her limp body over the edge and into his arms.
‘C Mads has got you now, sweetheart,’ he said. Stay with me, darlin’. She blinked heavily.
Daniel wheeled the bike closer and Caden sat Julianna gently in her brother’s embrace. Caden touched her neck gently for a pulse barely there.
‘We need to get the hell out of here,’ Caden said.
He hastily swung his leg over the already crowded bike and turned the key. Julianna didn’t complain, she just closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his back.
More birds flew and wildlife scurried as the bike slipped in the gravel before gripping onto the interstate road stretching before them. Caden gunned it, aiming for as much distance between them and the camp as possible. There was no time to look back; he needed to be quick. He needed to find somewhere safe so he could help her.
Daniel precariously balanced on the back while holding Julianna. The suffocation of two men pressing against her triggered her eyes open.
‘We’re lo
sing her, Caden!’ Daniel yelled over the howling wind. ‘We need to stop.’
She closed her eyes again. Her hands fell away and swung beside Caden’s legs, dangling freely as she rested her cheek against his back again. Daniel lifted her heavy arms into her lap and held them there as she slept.
‘Not here!’ Caden yelled back.
‘I’m telling you we need to stop now!’ Daniel responded. ‘She’s dying!’
The bike skidded off the road, picking up a fierce speed against the dirt track, rousing her with the bumps along the way. Caden glanced back briefly, but he had to return to the track. He needed to concentrate and her head rising was enough to reassure him. The cold wind whipped across them and her hair flowed back with it.
Concentrate, Cade, make us disappear.
The trees closed around them, bending as they rode past, sheltering them. The sky couldn’t be seen between any two branches; where they were going was dark enough that the devil would fear it himself.
A whimper reached his ears and tugged at what was left of his heart; her first noise made since they had taken her back. He glanced again, this time to Daniel and the darkness behind them. Daniel was helping.
Good for something. I taught him well.
The trees closed in more and the track disappeared.
Finally, they were safe.
Chapter 16
0140 HOURS.
THE WOODLANDS.
The bike moved into the cover Caden had created with Daniel. The gears changed down, tugging the bike as it did, dying it into a halt. The engine cut to the silence of the night world taking over
The kickstand lowered. The bike tilted and the men gently lifted and then lowered Julianna into the cool grass. The stars twinkled above when she opened her eyes. The overhead branches danced in the wind, making them wink at her each time they swayed. Left and right, up and down, bobbing along, with each move blocking each star she focused on.
Caden knelt over her. He said nothing. Their eyes met and behind him the stars turned black. The sky was gone. The world was gone. Her eyes widened. From where she rested in the soft grass, all she could see was blackness and shadows that were even darker, dance against it. Caden lifted her singlet from her wounds and stared.
