Seven Psychics

by J. C. Diem

  Trying to be subtle about it, I turned my head slightly so I could watch Garrett from the corner of my eye. He was graceful for someone with such a solid build. Far leaner than his adversary, Bailey was also well muscled. He was fast and agile, but he couldn’t match Reece’s speed or raw power.

  Kala cleared her throat pointedly and I flushed bright red for the millionth time. “I know, I know,” I muttered. “Try to ignore the eye candy.”

  Walker’s grin disappeared when Mark’s cell phone rang. He was in the communications room and the shrill sound carried down the stairs to us. He turned and looked down through the window with his phone pressed to his ear. His expression spoke volumes and Kala went into motion without needing to be told to. “We’re up,” she called to the guys and ran for the stairs.

  Agent Steel was still on his phone receiving details when we jogged past him on our way to our rooms. I grabbed my backpack and checked the hallway to make sure I wasn’t about to blunder into anyone this time. I didn’t want to be knocked on my ass again.

  Mark was waiting for us when we trooped into the coms room. Everyone but Agent Steel was now wearing civilian clothing so we wouldn’t stand out quite so much. Mark wore a haunted look that told me this next trip to the city wasn’t going to be like the others. Whatever had happened this time was going to be bad.

  When his gaze went to me and lingered thoughtfully, Reece shook his head in disbelief. “I hope you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking,” he warned his boss.

  I had a feeling I knew what Agent Steel was contemplating and a chill that felt a lot like fear sank into my bones.

  Letting out a weary sigh, Mark scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m afraid that this next target will be too risky for even you three to take down by hand. I’ve seen the evidence of what he can do and it isn’t pretty.”

  Kala looked from Mark to Reece to me then back to Mark again. “Please tell me you’re not going to get Alexis to drop this guy?”

  Bailey didn’t look too happy about it either. He moved closer until our shoulders were brushing. It was a protective gesture and he probably wasn’t even aware that he was making it. “Why is this psychic too dangerous for us to handle?” No one wanted me to have to step up and take action. I was only supposed to be used a last resort.

  Moving over to the computer table, Mark brought up some photos that he’d just been sent by his contact. “See for yourselves.” A second later, the images were displayed in all of their gory splendor on the wall monitors.

  My face drained of blood when I beheld a food court littered with corpses. Tables and chairs had been overturned, either by the victims or survivors that had fled before they could be caught up in the attack. Over a dozen men, women and children lay in pools of food, vomit and blood. It wasn’t hard to tell what had killed the fallen. Their stomachs were grotesquely distended from forced overeating.

  A lone man sat on a white plastic chair in the middle of the carnage. He was thin to the point of emaciation and had hollow cheeks and deeply set eyes. He wore a creepy, knowing smile that deepened the chill in my bones. “I guess that must be Gluttony,” I said in a faint voice. Walker and Bailey moved to flank me, each took an elbow just in case I keeled over. “I’m ok,” I said and stiffened my spine. “Really, I’m fine.” I tried to dredge up a smile and failed dismally. It wouldn’t have been believable anyway. No one could smile after seeing something as horrible as the images that were on display.

  “She’s not ready for this,” Garett said. “Look at her! She practically fainted from seeing a few photos!”

  His tone was harsh enough to make me flinch. His hands went to his hips and his contempt was palpable. Reece’s utter doubt about my ability to handle this mission had the opposite effect to what he hoped would happen. Instead of fleeing in tears like the child he thought I was, I turned to Mark. “I can take him down, Agent Steel.”

  “We can take him down,” Garrett countered, pointing at himself and his fellow agents. “Just like we did with the first two psychics.”

  Mark’s gaze went back to the photos on screen and he shook his head. “Gluttony is different from the others. He’s one of the three psychics that have precognitive flashes. There’s a good chance that he’ll see us coming and that he’ll be ready for us. His particular form of mind control is far too dangerous for you to get close to him. There are some compulsions you can ignore easily, but I’m not sure anyone could resist the command to feed with complete abandon.”

  A look passed between the younger squad members as they shared an unspoken thought. Their silent communication made me feel like an outsider once again and reminded me that I wasn’t truly a part of their team and never would be.

  “What made Gluttony come out of hiding all of a sudden?” Kala asked, breaking the tension that had begun to build. “Why kill so many people in such a public place?”

  Mark shut the computer down and motioned for us to follow him to the stairs. I wasn’t unhappy to see the screens go dark and for the hideous images to disappear. They might be gone from my sight, but they were burned into my memory.

  “The psychics were imprisoned for a long time,” Mark said. “It’s possible that he went crazy during his incarceration and that he isn’t capable of thinking rationally anymore. We’ll probably never know what triggered this attack.”

  Gluttony’s eyes had been too deeply set to make out what color they were, but I’d caught a hint of madness in them that made me believe that Mark could be right. The telepath had snapped and now he was going to cause as much damage as possible before he was eliminated. None of the cops would be able to get close enough to stop him. They couldn’t possibly know what they were dealing with. They wouldn’t send in a sniper of their own until they’d figured out what had caused the deaths.

  “The police believe that they are dealing with some kind of contaminant that has been released in the food court,” Mark told us when we were buckled into the SUV. “They suspect that the man seated in the middle of the disaster is behind the attack, but they aren’t going to move against him until they have more information. That will take several hours and I want us to be in and out before they try to send someone in to negotiate with him.”

  I was strangely calm during the drive to Denver. It was a clear, warm day and the cloudless sky seemed to stretch forever. My life was about to change and I’d never be the same person again once I pulled the trigger.

  My contemplation came to an end when we finally arrived at the latest crime scene. Police had cordoned off an entire block this time. News of the disturbance had spread and friends and family of the deceased were huddled near the barriers, desperate for news of their loved ones. Dozens of people were still trapped in the mall and no one had any idea of what was going on inside.

  The courtyard was towards the back of the building and we circled around the crowd rather than heading for the main entrance. The last thing we wanted to do was to draw attention to ourselves.

  Agent Steel flashed his ID and talked his way past a frazzled police officer who was guarding a side entrance. The whole team had moved to surround me, hiding me from sight so no one could see how young I was. Escorting a minor directly into the danger zone would be frowned on by most authorities. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a choice this time.

  A police officer was hunkered down behind a sign advertising shampoo at the far end of the hall. The photo of a woman joyfully washing her hair behind him seemed highly inappropriate considering the grim circumstances that we were facing. His gun was in his hand, and it was shaking badly enough that I hoped his safety was on. He took frequent glances from behind the sign towards the disaster area.

  Mark wisely cleared his throat to warn the cop that we were approaching. The officer started and spun around with his gun raised. Garrett instinctively stepped in front of me, shielding me from harm with his body. I peered over his shoulder to see the cop motioning for us to stay put.

  Scrambling across the floor on
his hands and knees, he stood once he was out of sight of the food court. “How did you get in here?” he hissed. He was African-American, not much taller than me and was somewhere in his thirties. His forehead was coated with nervous sweat and he armed the moisture away with an already damp sleeve.

  “We’re Federal Agents,” Mark explained. “We’ve been sent in to disable the threat.”

  The officer scanned our faces and saw me peeking over Reece’s shoulder. “I highly doubt that she’s a Federal Agent,” he said with heavy scorn. “I’ll give you to the count of five to get the hell out of here, or I’ll have you forcibly removed from the building.”

  Ignoring the cop, I searched for a vantage point and spotted a balcony above us. It would be far safer to take down the mark from up high. “Where are the stairs to the second level?” I asked him.

  “That’s it, you’re out of here,” he growled and reached for his radio to call for backup.

  Reece’s hand flashed out and clamped around the officer’s arm hard enough to make him grimace in pain. “Where are the stairs?” he asked coldly.

  Whatever he saw in Garrett’s eyes made the cop swallow audibly. “They’re around the corner to the left,” he said weakly and pointed towards the far end of the hall where he’d been keeping watch on our target.

  I’d be briefly exposed to Gluttony during the climb, but it was a risk that I’d have to take. I shook my head when the whole team moved to follow me. “You’ll just be a distraction. It will be best if I go up there alone.”

  Reece made a noise of disagreement. “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re not going alone. I’m going with you.”

  “Yeah, that’s a great idea,” Kala snorted. “Since, out of all of us, you’re obviously the least distracting person to her.” Her sarcasm couldn’t quite hide her concern. She stood next to me protectively, like a big sister looking out for her younger sibling.

  Knowing Reece well, Mark didn’t try to argue with him. “There’s no shame if you can’t pull the trigger, Lexi,” he said. “Garrett can take the shot if you find you can’t.”

  His tone was kind and he meant every word, but his short speech wasn’t necessary. “I’ll be able to take the shot,” I said bleakly and started down the hall. No one had ever used my gun but me before and I intended it to stay that way.

  Garrett shielded me again as we sidled out from the hallway into the open area. There was little cover in the middle of the mall and we kept close to the wall. People trapped inside the nearby stores stared at us, silently beseeching us to save them. I could hear some of the survivors sobbing quietly as they kept out of sight and did their best to remain unnoticed and to stay alive.

  Finding the stairs right where the cop had said they’d be, we quickly climbed up to the second floor. I was relieved to turn the corner and to be out of the psychic’s sight. We emerged onto a wide balcony and a quick glance around confirmed that it would be an excellent location to take the shot from. I had an unobstructed view of the floor below and of the food court at the far end.

  From this far away, the bodies lying on the ground might have been dolls that had been discarded by a spoiled toddler. There were far more than only a dozen people sprawled on the ground now. Some of the fallen wore the uniforms of police officers and security guards. Most were unmoving, either unconscious or dead. A few men and women were still alive and were frantically gorging themselves on whatever food they could find. My stomach flopped over and I had to clamp down hard on my panic at the thought of being forced to eat until my stomach literally burst.

  Reece drew me closer to the wall where we’d be out of sight until I was ready. I was sure my face was pale, but I pretended to be composed as I hunkered down and removed my rifle from my backpack. I didn’t bother to attach the stands this time. The metal railing would be a suitable brace for my weapon. Garrett radiated calm as I prepared my rifle. The process took only a couple of minutes and my hands moved automatically to piece the gun together and to load it with several bullets. If my aim was true, then only one round would be necessary. The extra bullets were just a precautionary measure.

  Standing, I took a step towards the railing and looked at Garrett in confusion when he caught my arm. “What?” I asked almost impatiently. I was ready to do this, so why was he stopping me? I was as composed and focused as I could be, considering that I was about to take my first life.

  “You should take your jacket off,” he said.

  I realized I was wearing my bright red jacket and felt like a fool for not remembering it sooner. Drawing the attention of a crazy telepath was the last thing I wanted to do so I handed Reece my weapon and slid my jacket off.

  Seeing the anguish in Garrett’s eyes, I tugged the rifle out of his grip when he didn’t relinquish it immediately. I knew what he was thinking, that it should be him taking the shot rather than an underage civilian like me. This was what I’d been trained for and I was going to complete my task whether he thought I was up to it or not.

  Stepping over to the glass barrier, I rested my rifle on the railing and peered through the scope. The target hadn’t moved since the photo had been taken of him several hours earlier. He still sat in the same white plastic chair and surveyed his victims with a small, knowing smile. It seemed ironic that Gluttony would be so thin. He was more interested in forcing others to eat than in consuming food himself. He also wasn’t overly concerned about the state of his wardrobe. He wore ratty sneakers, a torn pair of gray sweatpants and a matching sweater. His clothes were ill fitting and might have been stolen from a dead hobo for all I knew.

  A flash of precognition warned Gluttony that he was in danger and his insane eyes flashed upwards to me. Through the scope, I saw that they were a soft grey-green that would have been quite pretty if they hadn’t belonged to a crazed murderer.

  His grin disappeared and a look of intense concentration took over. A foreign presence probed at my mind, telling me to drop my gun and to stuff myself full of food. It wasn’t easy to ignore the command, but he couldn’t quite grasp control of me. My training helped to override his insidious compulsion. Shifting my aim away from his face to his chest helped to banish his order. Looking into his eyes seemed to have strengthened his hold on me.

  I held my breath, pulled the trigger and watched the bullet slam into the psychic’s heart. The force was enough to send him flying backwards out of his chair. Tumbling along the floor, he came to rest beside the body of one of his victims. One arm was flung around the dead woman’s waist in a parody of the compassion that he’d been incapable of feeling while he’d been alive.

  Screams from the people still trapped below rang out as the sharp crack of my rifle rebounded around the mall. I didn’t need to view the body to know that the target was dead. Relieved cries came from the people who no longer felt the need to gorge themselves. They were an added clue that my shot had been true. Gluttony’s victims snapped out of their compulsion the moment that he died. Sloth’s victims had been different, probably because they’d already been deeply unconscious. We’d heard that it had taken a few hours for the female that Kala had found to awaken from her unnatural slumber.

  Turning my back to the glass wall, I slid to the ground. My rifle was clamped between my knees and I shuddered in reaction to what had just happened. Reece knelt beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. It was rare for him to voluntarily touch me and my heart rate instantly tripled. If I’d been wearing a heart monitor, it would have bleeped loudly to betray my body’s reaction to his nearness. As always, a flush started to creep up my face.

  “The first kill is always the hardest,” he said almost gently. “Believe it or not, it gets easier with time.”

  He thought I was breaking down over killing another human being, but he was wrong about that. I was freaking out over something entirely different. “He was in my mind,” I said. “I felt this insidious compulsion to eat and eat and eat.” My breath hitched, but I refused to be a girl and to give in to my tears.

 
“How did you resist him?” Garrett asked. Up this close, I could make out golden flecks in his brown eyes.

  His gaze sharpened with interest as he waited for my answer. I wasn’t sure why it was so important to him, but I did my best to try to explain it. “My father trained me well,” I replied. “Achieving my objective was more important than obeying Gluttony’s command.” Remembering how close I’d come to obeying him, I shivered. “I think I was on the outer edge of his reach. If I’d been any closer, he’d have had me for sure.”

  Frowning at my answer, Reece turned his head towards the stairs. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps and guessed that the rest of the team was coming to check up on us. Garrett stood and moved away from me before his team appeared in the stairwell. Kala already gave him a hard enough time about being the object of my crush. He didn’t need to add more fuel for her to taunt him with and I didn’t need any more comments about my inability to ignore the eye candy.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twelve

  Mark hurried over and knelt beside me when he saw me sitting on the ground. Now that Reece had moved away, my blush began to fade. I was pale and shaky, but I was holding it together. The urge to have a hysterical crying fit had thankfully faded. I was pretty sure my father would have been proud of the way I’d comported myself so far. It was going to be tough to break the news to him that I’d taken down my first living target.

  “The telepaths appear to have a greater range than we thought,” Garrett said before Mark could bombard me with questions about the state of my mind.

  “How can you tell?” Mark asked.

  “He was in my head,” I answered, still feeling haunted by the invasion. “I shot him before his compulsion could take me over completely.”