Seven Psychics

by J. C. Diem

  “Whoa,” Kala said as she moved in to inspect the target. “You almost tore his head off.”

  “I guess I don’t know my own strength,” Flynn quipped.

  “Stay in the SUV this time,” Mark told me. He looked back over his shoulder several times to make sure I obeyed him before heading into the alley. I’d handled myself ok so far, but he didn’t want me to see any more corpses than was absolutely necessary. I appreciated his concern, but I was pretty sure nothing could be worse than seeing Greed’s dismembered body.

  I continued to listen in as he disappeared from my sight to verify that Wrath was dead. “Well done,” he said to Flynn and called the Cleanup Crew.

  A few minutes later, the dark gray van of the mysterious Crew arrived. The same two men jogged into the alley and returned a short while later carrying a body. Peering through the windscreen, I could make out Wrath’s face even at this distance. His head hung at an unnatural angle and bruises mottled his skin. His neck wasn’t just broken, it had been crushed.

  Seeing all four agents emerge from the alley, I climbed into the back before they reached the SUV. Kala was in high spirits as she slid in beside me. “Mark told us that you made some kind of miracle shot and stopped a cop from massacring a bunch of civilians,” she said with a grin.

  “It wasn’t that great a shot,” I denied modestly with an awkward shrug, knowing it was a lie.

  “Not for you, maybe,” Flynn said as he buckled himself in. “We’d all be ecstatic if we made a shot like that.”

  “Maybe I can get my Dad to visit the compound one day and give you some pointers,” I joked. “He taught me everything he knows after all.”

  Garrett’s eyes flicked to me briefly in the rearview mirror, but I avoided his gaze. He might not remember what had happened between us, but the details were burned into my memory forever. If my father ever found out about our sexual encounter, Reece would be doomed to suffer a long and violent death.

  “Do we head back to base or stay in Denver and hunt for Lust?” Garrett asked his boss.

  “We’ll head back to base,” Mark decided. “She’ll know Wrath is dead and that we’ll be after her next. I imagine she’ll lay low for a few days.”

  Nodding his agreement, Reece propelled the SUV into motion. He snatched a few more glances at me in the mirror and I could almost sense his puzzlement. I was doing my best to avoid him and he was picking up on it. I thought he’d be happy that I was no longer staring at him constantly. To the contrary, he didn’t seem happy about it at all.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Just as Mark had predicted, Lust stayed under the radar. Based on what we’d seen of the other telepaths’ behavior, she’d eventually crack. Using their powers became more and more addictive and she’d slip up sooner or later.

  Another two weeks passed before we received word that she was up to her old tricks again. I hoped we could track her down and stop her soon, because I’d planned on enlisting in the army by now. At least I was gaining some real-life training before embarking on my career as a soldier.

  Finally, Agent Steel called us into the living area after receiving a call from his informant once more. Feeling feverish again, I took a seat between Kala and Flynn on the couch. My mysterious illness still hadn’t faded completely and it seemed to be getting worse again. I alternated between feeling too hot and too cold. I’d managed to keep my strange sickness to myself so far and hoped the team would be too busy to notice until after this was all over.

  “I’ve just heard that Lust has unleashed her powers on an entire apartment complex this time,” Mark informed us. “Pack a fresh change of clothes for a couple of nights. We’re going to make a concerted effort to track her down and take care of her before she has the chance to disappear again.”

  “I call dibs on her,” Walker said and Reece and Flynn rounded on her.

  Bailey shook his head and put his hand on his hips. “No way! You know the rules; whoever spots her first gets to finish her.”

  “I agree,” Reece said.

  “I think I should be the one to take her down,” I said to the astonishment of everyone. “She’s too dangerous to get close to and it would be safer for me to shoot her from a distance.” I knew that better than anyone. Lust had managed to bamboozle the strongest member of the squad with little trouble. If Garrett couldn’t withstand her powers then it was doubtful that any of them could.

  Checking his watch impatiently, Mark cut off any further arguments. “Let’s find her first and then we can decide who gets to kill her.” His glance at me betrayed that he was disturbed at how emotionless I was at the prospect of killing another human being. Having my mind invaded by Gluttony could have accounted for my lack of remorse for taking his life, but I shouldn’t have been so blasé about murdering someone else. I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but I didn’t think I’d feel any guilt at all when I put a bullet through her black heart.

  At least I wasn’t going to be left behind this time. Mark hadn’t liked leaving me all alone in the compound the last time they’d gone after Lust. He seemed to think I’d be safer if I stayed with the squad. Based on what’d happened when Garrett had turned up so unexpectedly, I wasn’t sure I’d be safe anywhere. A thrill raced down my spine at the prospect of him falling beneath Lust’s compulsion again. I pushed the mental image of our naked limbs entwined away before my face could flame.

  Following the others upstairs, I entered my room and stuffed a couple of changes of clothes into a duffle bag. The backpack seemed to be far lighter than usual when I retrieved it from the closet. I checked to make sure that I hadn’t removed any of the parts or my ammo in another sleepwalking daze. Everything was there, so it was a mystery why the bag was so light.

  Shrugging my extra strength off as something to do with my ongoing illness, I shouldered both bags and raced after the others. I took the stairs two at a time and was right behind Kala when she opened the door to the hallway. No one had to save me from a fall this time. My coordination seemed to have improved a lot during the past few weeks. Maybe being around the agents was rubbing off on me. The training sessions must have been helping with my reflexes and motor skills.

  A feeling of suppressed excitement filled the van during the drive to Denver. We’d made this trip many times during the past eight weeks, but this time it was different. We had just one more psychic to put a stop to and we were all eager to finish the job.

  Reece drove with his customary speed, following the directions as the robotic GPS voice gave them. I was no longer frightened by his aggressive driving techniques. As Kala had told me during our very first trip to the city, Garrett had excellent reflexes and we were in no danger of crashing.

  The apartment building where our quarry had caused havoc was in a fairly prosperous area. Expensive cars were parked on the street. Houses and yards were large and well maintained. Apartment buildings were few and far between. Once again, police officers had erected barriers to keep onlookers away from the three-story building. Cops wisely stayed well clear of the area. They’d learned not to get too close when dealing with the inexplicable events that kept occurring throughout their city.

  Garrett parked half a block away and Mark didn’t bother to caution us this time. We all knew how dangerous Lust was. Reece couldn’t remember what had happened when he’d come face to face with the psychic, or even if he’d seen her at all. I was the only one who knew for sure that he’d met her and I wasn’t about to confess how I’d come about that knowledge. I was both relieved and saddened that he had no recollection of that night, but my relief was stronger. I couldn’t imagine how soul destroying it would be to both of us if he ever remembered what had occurred between us on my eighteenth birthday.

  Watching Garrett jog towards the apartment building with his usual lithe grace, I forced myself to look away. If all went well, I would soon be on my way back to Texas and I’d never see any of them again. The thought instantly depressed me. I was goin
g to miss them all when I left and I almost wished I didn’t have to go.

  Agent Steel climbed into the driver’s seat and switched his earbud on. I shifted to the front as well and we listened to the reports coming from the squad. All three agents had picked up signs of their quarry and headed in three different directions. They spent the entire afternoon searching the area, but came up empty. The psychic was too smart to lead them straight to her lair. Her trail always petered out abruptly a few blocks away from wherever she’d unleashed her powers on her helpless victims.

  Mark called everyone back once the sun went down. We returned to the same hotel that we’d stayed at last time and had dinner in the restaurant downstairs. Garrett, Walker and Bailey were disheartened, but they weren’t ready to give up yet. They wanted to head back out once we’d finished eating.

  “We have to be methodical about our search,” Mark said before anyone could push away from the table and head for the door. “I’ve divided the city into quadrants and I’ve marked the areas that we’ve already searched.” He pulled several folded maps out of an inner pocket of his jacket.

  Everyone took a map and studied it intently. He’d used an orange highlighter to mark the areas that had already been searched. He’d also drawn a red line around the neighborhoods that he’d designated for each member of his team.

  “Reece, you take the northern quadrant,” Mark ordered. “Kala, you take the western side. Flynn, you can take the southern section. Lexi and I will patrol the eastern side.”

  Orange highlighter covered half of the eastern section, indicating areas that had already been searched. Neither Mark nor I had the same tracking skills that the others possessed, but we still had eyes and ears and we weren’t completely useless.

  “Check in every hour, unless you find her, of course,” Agent Steel commanded. “I’ll drop you off at your designated areas then Alexis and I will head out on our search.” The sun had set long ago, but it was still early enough that I didn’t feel tired. I didn’t mind staying out all night if I had to, but I wasn’t sure how much help I’d be once the urge to sleep came over me.

  My concerns that I’d become too tired to be of any help turned out to be invalid. Several hours passed and I remained wide awake. Mark drove slowly along streets that all seemed to blend together after a while. Our windows were down and we were listening for any sounds that might hint that Lust had used her powers again. I wrinkled my nose as the putrid reek of rotten food wafted inside. My sense of smell seemed to be getting sharper for some strange reason. I held my breath until we left the stench behind.

  Mark was blinking owlishly in an attempt to stay awake, but I felt as fresh as if I’d spent the day sleeping. When the SUV turned the corner, the moon became visible and I stared up at it dreamily. It was almost full again. Tomorrow night it would be back to its full strength once more. I’d never been particularly drawn to the moon before, yet it held a strange fascination for me tonight. It seemed far clearer than usual and I could make out dips and hollows on the surface that I’d never noticed before.

  I dimly heard Mark speaking and he had to call my name twice before I turned to him. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

  Taking my dreamy expression as a sign of exhaustion, Mark repeated himself. “I think we should call it a night.”

  “Ok,” I agreed, even though I was pretty sure I could continue to search until dawn.

  Kala wasn’t in the room when I opened the door. All three agents were still out searching the streets. Feeling slightly guilty that I wasn’t with them, I took a long shower. Wrapping a towel around me, I blow dried my hair so it wouldn’t become a tangled mess when I slept, I stared at the bite marks on my naked shoulders in the mirror. One was so old that it had almost faded, but the much newer scar was eerily similar to it, if far less savage. The only difference was that Garrett had left two sets of teeth marks and my other shoulder had only one.

  Touching the mark that Reece had made, I remembered what it had felt like to have his hands and mouth on my skin. I couldn’t imagine letting anyone else touch me after being in his arms. He might think of me as an annoying child, but I didn’t feel like a kid anymore. He’d probably have a party when I left, but I’d be leaving Colorado with a broken heart.

  Dressing in a singlet and shorts, I lay down on the narrow single bed, closed my eyes and eventually fell asleep. When I did, I dreamt of running beneath the moon.

  A knock on the door woke me several hours later. My face was bathed in sweat and I’d thrown my sheet and light blanket off at some stage during the night.

  “Alexis!” Mark called through the door. “Are you awake?”

  “Yes!” I called back. I was now anyway.

  “Meet me downstairs in the restaurant for breakfast in fifteen minutes.”

  “Ok!” I called loudly enough to almost give myself a headache.

  Climbing out of bed, I stumbled into the bathroom. Kala’s bed was still neat and tidy. It was troubling that she hadn’t come back from her search yet. Mark hadn’t sounded worried, so I had to assume that his team was alive and well.

  One look at my reflection was enough to force me to take a cold shower. My face was flushed, my skin was sweaty and purple crescents darkened the flesh beneath my eyes. If Mark saw me in this condition, he’d call off the hunt and take me straight to a doctor. A couple of minutes beneath the chilly spray cooled me down and I started to shiver as soon as I turned the water off.

  Dressing in a white tank top and jeans, I chose my military style khaki jacket this time. It didn’t stand out as much as the red leather jacket that I’d worn the night before. Clenching my teeth to stop them from chattering, I made myself presentable with a touch of makeup and headed downstairs.

  Mark spied me when I entered the restaurant and waved me over to his table. He looked very lonely sitting there by himself without his team surrounding him. I took a seat across from him and saw that he’d already ordered for me. He was observant enough to know the type of cereal that I preferred. He’d also ordered me a large mug of coffee that I didn’t really want for once. We ate in silence and he occasionally stopped eating and gazed into the distance. It took me a while to realize his earbud was already in place and that he was listening to updates from his agents.

  Only when we finished our breakfast and were driving away from the hotel did I realize that I’d left my earbud in my red jacket. Mark wore a heavy frown as he negotiated his way through the early morning traffic towards our designated search zone. I doubted I’d become separated from him for very long during our search and I didn’t mention my missing coms gear.

  As the day wore on, Mark heard increasingly frustrated reports from his team as they searched in vain for their target. Wherever Lust was hiding, she’d covered her tracks too well. From time to time, he cast sidelong glances at me. I remained quiet and had turned dreamy again. He caught me shivering a couple of times and adjusted the air conditioning so it wasn’t quite so cool. I hoped my mystery illness would go away soon. I was tired of my internal temperature being so schizophrenic.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Mark and I stopped for lunch in a small café and I felt much better after eating a burger and fries. My fever seemed to have abated again and I was filled with energy once more. Instead of dissipating, my vitality increased as the afternoon wore on.

  We didn’t have any luck and dusk was only two hours away when Mark contacted his team and advised them that he was calling a halt to our search. I took the opportunity to take a bathroom break since we had a long journey back to the base.

  Public bathrooms weren’t my favorite places and this one seemed to be far smellier than usual. The gas station restroom looked clean enough, but the sour scent of human waste was cloying. A strong odor of bleach tried to mask it, but instead simply heightened the stench.

  Washing my hands, I thumped down on the button on the top of the soap dispenser with a little too much force. It tore free from the
wall, landed in the sink and pink soap spurted everywhere. I leaped back just in time to avoid the splatter. Luckily, I was the only person in the room, so I scooped up the container and set in on the counter. Cleaning the mess up as best I could, I dried my hands and scurried out before anyone could come along and see the damage that I’d caused.

  A familiar face caught my attention when I emerged from the bathroom. Long blonde hair hid most of the woman’s features, but I was sure I’d seen her before. Her lush body was encased in a figure hugging midnight blue dress. Her knee high black boots had four inch spike heels that I’d no doubt break an ankle in if I’d tried to wear them. She cast a look backwards over her shoulder just before she turned the corner and my heart almost stopped. Either this woman was a dead ringer for our target, or Lust was only a block away from me.

  There was too much traffic to try to run across the road and Mark wouldn’t be able to hear me even if I shouted for him. I’d left my cell phone back at the base and had no way to contact him. Torn with indecision, I decided to follow the blonde and see if I could trail her to her lair. She was on foot and it made sense that her hideout would be somewhere close by. If Wrath had been telling the truth, then I shouldn’t show up on her internal radar and she wouldn’t even realize she was being shadowed.

  Jogging to the corner, I peeked around it to see her disappearing into a side street. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I fast walked to the next corner and caught a flash of vibrant blue fabric at the far end of the street.

  My quarry managed to move out of sight each time I came close to catching up to her. I didn’t realize how far I’d walked until the houses disappeared and warehouses began to take over. I eventually spied the blonde entering a derelict building and knew that this would be my best chance to take down the last remaining psychic.