by Trudi Jaye
The last two men turn when he noisily falls to the ground and their eyes widen when they see me standing in the darkness. I don’t have time to get his gun, so I wait.
They glance at each other, and then both rush me at once. They probably expect me to run, but I hold my ground, my hands ready.
I’m relaxed, calm and ready to kick ass.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I sidestep the first guy and land a kick to the other guy’s side. He goes down heavily, clutching his side. They’re both dressed in the same black shirt and trousers as all the others, with the Earthbound symbol on their shoulders. One guy is taller and has long hair in a ponytail down his back. He’s the one lying on the ground wishing I hadn’t kicked him. The other guy is shorter, more solid. He also looks smarter, and I edge warily around him as he considers his next move. By this point, he’s realized I’ve taken out three of the others and I’m not just easy fodder. He glances up the hill to where the truck is rolling slowly down, making as much noise as possible. Agent Barnes is doing an excellent job of distraction. I kick my opponent in the leg, and he stumbles away.
I hear him growl, and then the solid guy charges, and I sidestep, targeting a punch to the neck as he goes by. I miss, but get his shoulder, a bundle of hard muscle, instead. It probably hurt my hand more than his shoulder, and I flick it to alleviate the pain. I turn quickly, trying to keep both men inside my line of sight. The guy on the ground has pulled himself to his feet, his face a mask of anger. His ponytail is all messed up. He moves forward quickly, aiming a punch toward my face, and I block him, punching his gut and then striking a front kick to his knee. I hear something crack, and he goes down, screaming in pain, holding his knee.
I move back and look around for the other guy, but I’m too late. One thick arm slides around my neck, and he holds me against his chest with the other. The arm around my throat tightens, blocking my airways. I can’t breathe. Immediately I punch backward with my elbow and he grunts, but doesn’t let go. I kick, use my elbows, fingers, and even my head, but he has me securely positioned and he’s much stronger than I am. He must be some kind of mountain or stone supernatural.
He contracts his arm even more. I gasp for breath, but it’s all blocked off and I’m seeing stars. By this point, I’m grabbing at his arms ineffectually. I try reaching out along the spell web, but it’s too late. My mind is already unable to think, unable to use the spell web, unable to fight.
This is it. I’m taken out in my first proper fight, by some goon using brute force. It’s a situation I should have known better than to get into. I kick out again, and I know I hurt him, but I can’t make him let go.
An explosion echoes through the night, and my captor jerks. For a moment, we both hold still, and then I feel liquid dripping down the side and back of my head. My ears are ringing and I’m having trouble standing up straight. I recognize the smell before anything else. Blood and gunpowder. My captor falls forward, taking me with him. He lands half on top of me, trapping me under his body. His grip around my throat loosens and I breathe in for the first time in what seems like forever. It hurts like hell, but it’s all I can think of at first, getting that next breath into my body.
Eventually, I attempt to push his body off mine. His body is like a damn stone and I’m too weak. I can’t budge him. Panic flares. I’m close to the edge, and I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. It’s been a tough night, and this is the last straw. I can’t handle anymore. All I want to do is curl up and cry. I can feel the tears on my face, mingling with the blood of the dead man lying on top of me.
I hear the truck stop nearby, and a door opens. “Are you coming?” asks Agent Barnes, his voice sounding like it’s an effort to even open his mouth, let alone form the words.
“Gimme a sec,” I rasp out. Jeff would have said that was a relief, me not being able to talk. He also would have told me to get my lazy butt up off the ground and keep going. I groan, knowing I can’t just lie here. Jeff and Si would say it’s a waste of all their training. And they’d be right.
“I can’t help you,” says Agent Barnes.
“I know.” I take a deep breath, the air still hurting as it follows my windpipe down to my lungs. Then I summon every piece of my remaining strength and push at the massive body on top of me. I bend my legs and shove with the soles of my feet, and eventually the dead weight moves. Once I get him at an angle, it’s easier to roll him off. I stand and then kick him, hard. Once, twice, a third time. I can feel a thick liquid dripping down my face and I don’t have to touch it to know it’s blood and maybe brains. My feet stumble toward the trucks blocking the road. I have to get out of there fast.
Agent Barnes shot him in the head. I stumble as I think it through. If he’d been off by an inch, he would have killed me. As it is, I feel woozy and unstable. I put one hand to my head, wondering if I’ve been shot and don’t realize it. But there’s nothing there except another man’s blood and gore.
The only way to deal with it is to block it out and get on with saving ourselves. That’s what Jeff would have said.
I climb into the big flashy SUV; the keys are still in the ignition. As I back it off the road, each movement makes my aching muscles scream. I consider taking the SUV, but I know Bertha’s capabilities, and I know nothing about this vehicle. It’s probably got a tracker on it as well. I shove it in gear, and jump out as it starts rolling toward the forest on one side.
Agent Barnes is waiting in the truck, and I stumble toward him, trying to get my breathing under control and my head in focus. He’s managed to get himself across to the passenger seat, and I head around to the driver’s side. By the time I climb into the cab, I’m calmer, and I re-start the engine.
“Thanks,” I say. “I would have died if you hadn’t taken that shot.” I want to shout at him, tell him my ears are still ringing. But I don’t.
He nods, saying nothing.
We go through the roadblock and continue down the old track. Turning onto the highway, I drive automatically, trying to put as much distance between us and the Earthbound as I can. Beside me, Agent Barnes slumps in his seat, the seatbelt the only thing holding him up.
He needs medical attention, and I can’t give it to him. Not properly. I can’t take him to a hospital. He’s become a casualty in the hidden war between myself and the Earthbound.
There’s only one option that I can think of, but it means driving south for several hours. I shake my arms out. I don’t know if I can stay awake that long, but I’m going to try.
The first few hours are uneventful. As the sun is rising in the distance, I turn on Bertha’s radio, trying to keep myself awake.
The news comes on at the top of the hour.
“This just in: an emergency lockdown is in place around the town of Keepsake and the Whitlow Forest area. Civilians are asked to stay away while emergency personnel hunt for a dangerous escaped convict. Described as a slight half-Asian woman with long hair, Mei Walker is considered to be armed and dangerous. She is driving an old blue pickup truck, registration 47C 72N2. Do not approach. I repeat, do not approach, she is armed and dangerous.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
My hands shake on the steering wheel and I glance around me on the highway. The morning sunrise brightens the landscape even as I watch. The truck is visible to everyone with two eyes and a radio to listen to. Anyone could call in my whereabouts to the Earthbound now, even humans. Previously, I only had to worry about supernaturals phoning me in for the bounty; but now, apparently, the Earthbound are going wider.
They’re more desperate.
It’s getting closer to my twentieth birthday.
I don’t even know precisely what is going to happen when I turn twenty, or why the Earthbound feel so sure I’m going to harm the spell web. It’s like I’m being blamed for a crime I didn’t commit. The knowledge burns at my insides.
If I knew more, perhaps I could make better decisions. This is the one thing I’ve fought consistently with Si and Je
ff over. I’m convinced they’ve always known who and what I am, but they chose not to tell me.
It’s hard not to feel some satisfaction that I was right. This wouldn’t be such a mess now if they’d just told me. I’d have some idea where to go, what to do. I don’t have them here to look after me anymore, and the secrets they kept have gone with them.
I slam the steering wheel with the palm of one hand. What the hell am I going to do? I can’t drive another hour in this damn pickup truck if there’s a national bulletin out on it. And Agent Barnes is breathing shallowly beside me; he’s not going to survive much longer. I bite my lip, thinking hard. Who else could I go to, who’s close? I drive past the Giant Chicken advertising a BBQ restaurant at the Ramsgate turnoff, and a name pops into my mind. Rupert. I shake my head and immediately decide against it. He hates me. He’ll hate me more when he discovers Jeff is dead. I tap my finger on the steering wheel, trying to think of an alternative.
But eventually I sigh. Rupert might just be the only person who can keep Agent Barnes alive. He might even have another vehicle I can use. I need to get over the fact that he hates me and do what’s best for Agent Barnes. I change lanes and get off at the next exit. Then I get back onto the highway and drive to the Giant Chicken motorway sign.
Ramsgate is a strange and intriguing town. It’s full of supernaturals, so we usually avoid it, but I’ve been once or twice to visit. Rupert’s an old friend of Jeff’s, they go back a long way, and there’s a bit of life-saving thrown in there somewhere. I don’t know who saved whom, but it hardly matters at this point.
I’m not sure how he’s going to take Jeff’s death. Other than to be pissed at me. He blames me whenever they have a fight. My knuckles turn white as my fingers tighten on the steering wheel. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to tell him.
I drive through the small town, trying to act casual and not notice how everyone is staring at my truck. How many people actually listen to the radio these days? Surely not that many.
Rupert’s place is on the other side of town, an old run-down farm that looks almost deserted. He’s a druid, born and raised in Ireland by a mysterious society that trained him in all the healing arts. He could fix Agent Barnes with one arm tied behind his back, if he agrees. Jeff always refused to tell me what caused Rupert to land here, miles from home, bitter and angry at the world, but I’m pretty sure it was bad. He now wastes most of his time looking for gold in the nearby mountains. He’s always said the farm is a front for his gold business.
I park Bertha outside the old metal gate and give Agent Barnes a shake on the arm. He groggily opens his eyes, and I manage to carry him through the gate and down the short track to Rupert’s house. It looks deserted, almost a ruin, but I know better than to be fooled.
“Rupert! Come out. I need your help,” I yell, my voice low and rusty. As I stand on the semi-rotten deck, a face peeks out one of the dirty windows. “I saw you! Open the door, or I’m going to break it down.” I swallow hard over the pain in my throat from my near-death experience.
I wouldn’t speak like this to just anyone, but Rupert and I have a history of hating each other. He’s also got a thick skin, so normal talk won’t get through to him. You’ve really got to lay on the charm.
Nothing else moves in the house for a full minute. I clear my throat. “Okay then. I’m gonna do it. Your damn door is coming down.” I lift my foot for a kick, Agent Barnes still dangling off my side.
The door opens, and a tall, thin, red-haired shaggy-looking man stands in the frame. He’s wearing jeans and a dirty white t-shirt. “What the hell are you doing here? Your name and face are all over the human media. You’re gonna lead them all to me.” His face is red and puffy, and he’s holding a tissue in one hand.
“Have you been crying?” I ask, pushing my way past him into the dark and damp hallway.
“Is it true? Jeff’s dead?”
I lay Barnes on the sofa and turn to Rupert. Tears swim in my eyes, and I can only bring myself to nod. I swallow hard despite the pain it causes my throat.
“Si too?”
Another nod.
“What the hell happened?”
I gesture to Barnes. “He led them to us. I don’t think he meant to, but he had a tracking spell inserted under his subconscious. Jeff thought he’d been sent by someone trustworthy.” I shrug.
“You’re going to lead them to me.” It’s not a question.
“I need you to heal him. I’ll leave as soon as it’s done.” I look at Rupert, tears swimming in my eyes. “You can say I forced you to do it at gunpoint.”
He shakes his head. “No. You have to leave. You’ve set me up for a world of trouble as it is, coming here like this.”
“You have to,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm.
“The Earthbound will ask me questions. Questions I can’t answer.” Rupert’s face is a mask of anguish now. “Jeff was my friend, a good friend. He saved me more than once. But he’s dead, like I always said he would be, because of you.”
My knees go weak and I only just manage to hold myself up. He’s not saying anything that’s not true. “This isn’t about me. This is about an agent who is caught up in something he didn’t understand. Don’t let him die.” I take a step toward Rupert, and I see the fear flash in his eyes.
I stop. He’s afraid of me? “Just heal him quickly, and we’ll be on our way.”
“You’ll need more than a quick healing from me to save him.”
“Then hurry up and do what you can!” My voice rises, cracking in the middle, and I feel the anger pulling at me. Si and Jeff’s deaths have me closer to the edge than I’ve ever been in my life. I don’t need this kind of aggravation.
Rupert looks at me for a second, indecision in his eyes. The fear has been buried again, and I’m relieved. I don’t like to think I scare people and that perhaps the Earthbound are right about me.
Rupert walks over to Agent Barnes and rolls him onto his back. He stares down at him, as if memorizing his face.
“Hurry up,” I say. “If you don’t get on with it, you’re going to be caught up in the middle of something you might not survive either.”
Rupert scowls at me, but does as I say. “Don’t think I’m going to heal you too,” he mutters as he places his hands on the agent’s head. I don’t care, as long as he makes Agent Barnes better. I’m not going to have another death hanging around my neck if I can help it.
Rupert closes his eyes and starts chanting a spell under his breath. I know it’s possible to do the magic without the words, so I figure he’s just doing it for effect. Before long, the wispy cloud-like particles of a healing spell surround the agent. It’s strongest around his bullet wound and is almost like a living thing, the way it moves forward and backward, trying to find an entrance that will allow it to enter. It sinks slowly into his body, and soon Rupert starts shaking from the effort.
This is no more than I expected. Whenever Si did this kind of healing, it took a massive amount out of him, and I always had a feeling he was much stronger than he let on. Rupert the stupid druid is probably going to have to take to his bed for a week after this. I hope he has a good hideaway, because the Earthbound will close in on us pretty quickly given the looks we got coming into town.
At first, I stand at the entrance to the living room, glaring at Rupert, making sure he doesn’t try anything. But the feeling of something dripping down my neck reminds me I have blood all over me. The bathroom is just down the hall, and I run my head under the shower, trying to get the worst of it out. My hair and face are soaked, but I feel better. Then I notice a large blood stain on the shoulder of my shirt. It’s too much, I can’t leave it there. I take off my top and wash it under the tap, then wring it out. I check all the cupboards and find a hair dryer, drying the top as much as I can. Luckily, it’s black, so it’s hard to see the damp bits. Then I head back out into the living room to check on the druid. He’s still standing over Barnes in exactly the same stance as when I left.<
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I sigh and resume my vigil, watching the healing process. When the doorbell rings, I jump. Rupert doesn’t acknowledge he’s heard anything, so, heart pounding, I creep over to the door and look through the peephole. Three people wait on the doorstep. I know two of them, but even then I hesitate. Surely I shouldn’t open the door?
“We know you’re in there, Mei. You may as well open the door. We’re not going to turn you in,” says a tall willowy woman with long blonde hair and too much makeup. Melinda is a water supernatural like me, but she’s been on land so long, she’s forgotten how to swim. She gave it all up for the man standing next to her. Herman is handsome, I’ll give him that. He’s tall, dark eyed, and his smile could knock people out. And often does. He’s got some kind of persuasion ability and can hypnotize humans, tricking them into doing whatever he wants. His powers are hit and miss with supernaturals.
More of Jeff’s buddies, people he’s met over the years. Mostly he’s saved them from being captured or put down by the SIG. It was part of his problem as a younger agent, and why he was assigned to me.
I open the door, and they immediately crowd into the hallway. Melinda crushes me into an overly tight hug, and I squirm, trying to back away. She doesn’t let go, and despite my strength, I’m pretty much trapped until she decides to stop.
“Is it true? Did the Earthbound kill Jeff and Si?” Her voice is breathy and seductive.
I nod.
She turns to the third person. “I told you. They can’t be trusted.”
He’s a short, unassuming, middle-aged man, with brown hair, and glasses over his brown eyes. He looks ordinary, and immediately I’m suspicious. Si used to look like that a lot. “You’re a chameleon,” I say.
He nods. “I knew Si and the other Protectors who were tasked with looking after you.”
My heart jumps into my throat, and I wonder what he thinks. All five of my Protectors are now dead because of me. I can only stare at him.
