by Elodie Colt
The guards shoved us roughly inside, all the time aiming guns at us in a warning gesture. One of them put some tape around Cole’s ankles making sure his ability was rendered useless.
“Where is Haylie Bryceland?” I demanded, but other than a bored look, I received no answer before they left, slamming the door shut behind us. “Fuck!” I cussed, banging my head on the wall behind me.
“Well, this didn’t go as planned,” Cole commented dryly.
“Not helping, Cole,” I hissed through clenched teeth before addressing Lisa, “Do you feel her somewhere nearby?”
“No, but I think I feel Phil.”
“So, he really switched sides,” Chris mumbled, a hint of hurt in his voice.
“Seems like it.”
Scott started to sniff again, lowering his nose to the mattress. After a few attempts, he moved to the other side, bending over Cole’s crotch to smell the pillow.
“Okay, doggy, you’re going too far,” Cole warned, scooting back to put distance between his pants and Scott’s head. Scott ignored him before straightening again.
“Haylie was here,” he concluded.
“What?” I shrieked, my eyes jumping to the bloodstained wall at the same time as my heart nearly exploded in my chest. Scott followed my gaze and stood up to sniff along the wall.
“It’s not hers.”
“Are you sure?”
Scott’s look was firm. “One hundred percent. I know her scent, trust me.”
I nodded and sighed in relief. If this had been her blood coating the wall, I would have lost it for sure.
Scott walked over to the cot we occupied, inhaling the scent there also. “And this reeks of Cassie. Which is kind of weird,” he added with a frown on his face.
“Why?”
“Because this smells exactly like her, not like the strange scent I got from her the last few weeks.”
“What does that mean?” Scott just shook his head, not knowing the answer to my question.
“Do you think Haylie did this?” Chris asked in astonishment, eyeing the brutal hole in the ground.
“I doubt her ability has developed so fast. She didn’t have any training since the Awakening,” I mused, although I wasn’t sure considering how easily she’d let the ceiling of her room collapse.
Lisa’s hand suddenly clamped on my shoulder, her voice frightened. “Phil.”
As if on cue, the numerous locks outside clicked, and the door swung inward. Phil walked in, followed by Dorian and an unfamiliar, small girl with blonde hair.
“You bloody bastard,” I snapped, furious. Lisa’s grip on me tightened trying to keep me from lurching forward and showing him just how painful a Fighter’s punch could be. I wouldn’t have come far, though, because the two Fighter guards trailing behind them had their guns at the ready.
“Now, now,” Dorian cooed in his usual amused voice. “Let’s stay civilized here.”
“Shut up, you sick fuck!” Dorian’s smile only widened, but my attention was on Phil. “How could you? We were your family. Jimmy was like a father to you. He gave you a home. A life!”
Phil just scoffed, waggling a hand in the air as if flicking away a fly. “A life?” he mocked. “The only thing I was allowed to do was surveillance duty day in and day out. He never allowed me to go on missions.”
“Because you weren’t ready,” Chris interjected, his voice grave.
“Bullshit,” Phil exclaimed, clearly enraged. “He treated me like shit. I was always cast out, and since that damn bitch of a Natural showed up on the radar, it only got worse!” My nostrils flared in fury as I listened to Phil’s maniac rambling.
“Calm down, Phil,” Dorian interjected, putting a hand on his shoulder. Phil swallowed hard, his eyes throwing daggers at me. “You’re not their puppet anymore.”
“No. Now he’s yours,” Scott threw in.
“On the contrary. Phil plays an important part in what we’re doing here.”
“And what’s that exactly?” I spat, seething inside. “Collecting Naturals as test subjects for a stupid serum so you can make money?”
Dorian grinned, bathing in the glory of having the upper hand. “I take it the doctor spilled the beans?” I remained silent, but Dorian seemed to know the answer. I wouldn’t have said a thing about Doctor Simmons, but honestly, I didn’t care if Dorian unleashed his wrath on him or not. If it weren’t for him, Haylie wouldn’t be in danger right now.
“What about Cassie?” Chris wanted to know. “How did you get her to work for you? How long has she been deceiving us?”
Dorian’s eyes glided to Chris, a mischievous grin playing on his face. “That’s the question, isn’t it? I’m afraid I have more urgent matters that require my attention, so…”
I growled from deep within my chest, my patience running low. “Where is she?” I boomed, and this time, Lisa couldn’t hold me back from jumping in front of Dorian’s face. Two guns quickly cocked, pointing at me and daring me to make another move.
I watched Dorian’s reaction closely. Rage crossed his features for a second before he composed himself and folded his hands in front of him.
“Out of your reach, but you’ll meet her soon enough. In what condition she’ll be in, I can’t assure you, though.”
I lurched forward, determined to wrap my shackled hands around his neck and choke him until he wheezed his last breath before his windpipe exploded under my fingers, but a guard bopped his gun on my head with a force that made me kiss the nearest wall. Lisa shrieked in horror, and I shook my head in an attempt to make the black dots splotching my vision disappear.
“Careful, Dylan,” Dorian droned in a bored voice as if warning me not to cross the street as long as the lights were red. “Next time, I’ll order him to shoot you in the shoulder, and then we’ll see how much Fighter strength is left in you.” I kept quiet, mainly because the hit on my head gave me one hell of a headache.
“Now. Let’s see what we’ve got here.” Dorian let his eyes swerve over the rest of my crew, finally resting on Lisa. “Ah, the famous Watcher. You’re certainly one of a kind, eh?” He squatted down in front of her, looking into her unseeing eyes. “I think I might keep you. You could train some of my Watchers,” he mused before standing up and addressing the guards. “Dispose of the rest except for these two.” He nodded at Lisa and me. “I could use a Fighter like him.”
“If you think I’ll work for you, you’re dead wrong,” I clarified, wiping away the blood running down my jaw.
“Oh, but I think you will. If you want me not to harm your precious Natural, that is.”
Another growl formed in my chest. I knew he was just playing with my temper, but damn, I couldn’t seem to help myself. “Keep your hands off her, you sick son of a bitch!”
Dorian laughed at my raging outburst. “I’ve been called worse.” He gave a short nod to the two guards who cocked their guns, aiming them at Scott and Cole. My heartbeat accelerated, and I sensed the Bluster overtaking me. I wouldn’t try to keep control this time. I didn’t have any other option left.
Just before the last wave of fury overwhelmed me, taking me to that point of no return, the girl who had kept quiet all the time jumped in front of Dorian, hands raised in a sign of peace.
“Dorian, please, don’t do this,” she pleaded in a soft and quivering voice. I didn’t know who she was, but it appeared she disagreed with Dorian’s decision.
Dorian’s jaw clenched, and his eyes fell upon her with malice. “Don’t interfere in things you don’t understand, Gabby.”
“Dorian, listen. This isn’t how—”
Before I could realize what was happening, Dorian’s arm swung in a high arc, and he hit the girl with the back of his hand straight across the face. Her slender body didn’t withstand his strength, and she flew across the room, hitting the ground hard until skidding to a stop at Scott’s feet.
Scott rushed to her aid, trying to help her up with his shackled hands. The girl’s hand flew to her mouth wiping
away the blood pouring from her split lip. Her head whipped up to glare at Dorian, her face a mask of horror.
Dorian’s features remained hard as stone, and his voice was as dead as his eyes when he said, “Don’t ever question me again, sister.”
The girl—Gabby—seemed to be too shocked to retort while Scott rubbed her shoulders comfortingly, making sure she was okay. Something buzzed, and Dorian pulled out a beeper from his pockets. He frowned and scratched his chin.
“You’re lucky. There’s a matter I need to take care of immediately. Gabby, you’re needed in the lab,” he added with a darker tone that didn’t leave any room for questions. Gabby rose tentatively, hand covering her mouth, and trotted toward Dorian in defeat.
I mentally thanked Dylan for his relentless every-fucking-day training that had increased my stamina as I pushed my feet into the rough ground, trying to take regular breaths through my nose and mouth. The sun was scorching hot, standing high in the sky, but its rays filled me with strength after being caged in for so long. I felt their warmness seeping into my skin and energizing my cells like a charging battery. It came with the DNA, I guess.
After we got a good head start, the Hunters finally managed to break through our makeshift barricade, determined to hunt us down. Cassie, who was the better shooter, quickly drew her gun, hitting two Hunters with the remaining bullets in her rifle and killing the enemy in a heartbeat. A Racer got too close, though, crashing into Cassie and starting to rain down punches to her face. I came to her aid, but he dodged my kicks faster than I could react. At some point, I managed to drive my fist into his jaw. Surprisingly, the guy dropped dead like a sack after I’d crushed half his skull with my ability turned on.
“Well, that was effective,” was all Cassie said before rolling the twice-as-heavy guy off her with a grunt.
Eventually, Dorian sent his people with jeeps to chase us on four wheels. This time, I was sure he’d succeed, but again, my ability came forth in its full glory. Without giving it another thought, I extended my hands, drew up my energy, and blasted it in the direction of the two vehicles while enhancing gravity.
I had no idea what it would accomplish, but the result made my chin nearly drop to the ground. It was like watching an action movie in 3D as both jeeps’ front tires burst under the sudden amplified weight. The drivers hit the brakes simultaneously, which only enhanced the momentum, making the back wheels shoot high and the vehicles spiral through the air. Both landed with a loud crash, skidding to a halt on their roofs.
I was too shocked to move, watching as smoke rose, and one of the poor guys tried to wriggle out the broken side window.
“Leave him. He won’t come after us,” Cassie pointed out, urging me on with a hand on my elbow.
We hadn’t encountered any living creature since then. Chances were high Dorian wouldn’t give up his hunting mission so soon, so either his next troops were already on our tail, or he just let us be, knowing we were sentenced to death out here anyway.
Cassie ran next to me at the same tempo, now back to her old form again. Now and then, she threw glances over her back, anxious we were being followed, but it seemed we’d gotten rid of our chasers. For now, anyway.
After another mile or so, we hurled behind a rock providing cover to catch our breaths. Cassie retrieved the bottles of water and handed me one. I moaned in satisfaction as the water ran down my throat, not caring that it was lukewarm by now, and I forced myself to stop before emptying it completely. Swirling the last drops inside the bottle, I eyed them warily.
Cassie let her head fall back against the hard stone before declaring in a deflated tone, “We need to find water.”
I kept silent, my gaze drifting over to the forest. Thorny bushes and huge conifers with gnarly branches growing on dry soil expanded in front of us. Finding a river would certainly be a challenge, but I didn’t dare give up hope. The past had taught me that a lot of things were possible, which I’d already deemed futile.
“Let’s see to it that we reach the forest before it gets dark,” Cassie suggested, and although I could have done with a few more minutes of rest, I willed my body up, swallowing laboriously in an attempt to moisten my parched throat.
By the time we finally entered the cooling shadows of the forest, my muscles burned, and my lungs felt like bursting from my frantic panting. Cassie stopped next to a tree, leaning against the trunk as she, too, caught her breath. From there on, we slowed our pace, falling into an easy lope.
We dodged trees and sidestepped treacherous branches as we went deeper into the woods, the dense canopy dulling the rays of light filtering through. My spirits dropped as I thought about how little time we had left until dusk fell. It would be pitch black in here when night finally set, decreasing our chances of finding water.
After what seemed like forever, and twilight had already settled over the trees, Cassie stopped abruptly in front of me, prompting me to bump into her.
“Wha—”
She lifted a hand, silencing me. “Do you hear that?” she whispered. I strained my ears, but other than my pumping heart, I didn’t pick up anything unusual. “Water,” Cassie clarified, sprinting forward in anticipation. I followed her until I finally heard it, too—the faint rush of a river.
“Of course,” Cassie muttered dryly as she halted next to a cliff.
Groaning inwardly, I assessed the area. A river flowed freely at the bottom about twenty yards below us. I let my eyes swerve over the shore but couldn’t find any path leading down, and the steep rocks were impossible to climb.
“We’re so screwed,” I huffed, dragging a hand over my sweaty face.
Cassie turned to look at me, but the light was too dim to make out her expression. Nevertheless, I had the notion I wouldn’t like what she was going to say next, and her words proved me right.
“I thought you were the parkour chick.”
“The what?”
Cassie shrugged. “That’s what the students in the compound call you. Heard you made some pretty good stunts.”
I eyed the high trees looming over the shore and the branches extending over the river with sharp rocks dotting the ground here and there. I was a decent climber and jumper, but there was no path that would allow a flawless crossing.
I shook my head vehemently. No fucking way was this going to work.
Cassie rolled her eyes as if annoyed. “I saw you swinging a mace like a tennis ball, flipping over two jeeps with a swipe of your hand, and sending one guy into the afterlife with one single punch to the head. When will you finally see what you’re able to do?”
I was still shaking my head. “This is different. I’m exhausted, my feet are killing me, and it’s too dark to make out details. One wrong move, and I’ll be gone for good.”
“You can wield gravity. This is your power so fucking learn how to use it. Technically, you should be able to hover over the ground should you fall.” My head wouldn’t stop moving from left to right. “Okay, so what?” she snapped, crossing her arms. “You’re gonna lie down and wait to die of thirst?” Well, when she put it that way…
Never give up, Haylie. Promise me. You won’t ever give up, do you understand?
Dylan’s words from when we’d shared one of our intense moments rang in my ear. I’d promised him, so how could I give up now?
Inhaling deeply and praying for courage, I shrugged out of my jacket, throwing it in Cassie’s face. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered as I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants, preparing for the impossible.
“Drink. You’ll need it.” I downed the remaining contents of my water bottle, stuffing hers and mine under the waistband of my pants. “Just remember… if you fall, we’re both dead.”
“Thanks for the motivating words, Cassie.”
Adjusting my hair clip to make sure my hair would stay in place, I walked over to the nearest tree. Grabbing the trunk, I stomped my feet into the bark, pushing my body up until I was at level with the first branch towering over the c
liff. Grabbing it, I heaved myself up and straightened carefully.
“Great,” I muttered as I allowed myself a glance down, quickly lifting my gaze again.
“You should be the last one to be afraid of heights.” Cassie gave off one of her most useful comments.
“I’m not afraid of heights,” I hissed, keeping my eyes on the branch and extending my arms to maintain balance. “I’m gonna strangle her should I come out of this alive…” I muttered to myself.
“I heard that.”
“Good.”
Deliberately setting one foot in front of the other, I crossed the branch’s length until it became too thin to bear my weight. Crouching low, I clamped my legs around it like a monkey, letting my body swing one-eighty degrees until I could untangle them again, holding my weight with my hands. There were just a few inches left between my toes and the branch beneath me, but it was enough to make my heart race in panic.
Don’t slip. Just don’t slip…
When I was sure it was safe to uncurl my fingers, I loosened my grip and landed on the next one. It started to vibrate dangerously, and I gasped, extending my hands to maintain balance. Thankfully, I found my stability quickly.
Breathe… You can do this…
Lifting my head, I looked up at Cassie who gave me an approving nod. Unfortunately for me, the tree was short of branches, and the trunk was too wide to climb down to the bottom. This left me with the only option to jump to the next tree, using its branch to swing and then land on a rocky alcove behind. Theoretically, that was.
Biting my lip, I gauged the distance. I had to conquer about five yards, not to mention I needed to jump high enough to reach the branch.
You can do this. You can do this, I repeated to calm my racing heart.
Briefly closing my eyes, I tapped into my power and waited until complex lines and curves appeared in front of my mental eye, providing me with all the physical data I needed. Feeling for the particles in my system, I turned them upward before leaping.
