The Ending Series: The Complete Series

by Lindsey Fairleigh

  Holding up his hand, he said, “Wait. You spoke to them, and they responded? All of them?”

  I nodded again, feeling too much like an oversized bobble head.

  MG closed his eyes and massaged his temples with his fingers, seeming to focus his thoughts. When he finally spoke, he sounded apprehensive. “And you’re certain that woman heard you?”

  “Yes, absolutely. And Jason too, even though I didn’t really mean to speak in his head.” I felt more than a little proud of my rapidly increasing control over my Ability. After I did something once—like call the horde of woodland creatures—it was easy to repeat. I hadn’t had the chance to practice, but I was fairly certain it would be that way with human minds as well.

  MG whispered something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like “Fuck” and began methodically mauling his croissant. “Do you think you can do the same things with people?”

  “What do you mean?” His darkening mood confused me.

  “Can you communicate with hundreds of human minds at the same time? Can they talk back?”

  “Probably,” I said, raising one shoulder. I knew from his reaction it was the wrong answer.

  Sounding completely resigned, he said, “I’ve come across quite a few people with Abilities similar to yours, but none is as powerful. None can hear responses. You have to be careful. You might be one of the most important people left alive, and we can’t risk your death.” After a deep breath he added, “Dani, you need to go to the Colony. You’ll be safer there than you are on your own.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I told him.

  “Is that where you are?” I grumbled to the nearly clean stall floor. Would I go to the Colony if MG was there?

  Thinking about going to Colorado to meet MG in person was oddly alluring. In my loneliness, he was the only person I’d really interacted with. He’d earned my trust by comforting me—listening to my struggles and helping me with my exciting new Ability. And above all else, the thought of hurting him with my presence didn’t muddle my insides like it did with Jason, Chris, or Zoe. Plus, he was acutely attractive and had made his interest known, which might lead to some pleasant diversions down the road.

  For some reason though, the thought of sleeping with anyone besides Cam or Jason made me feel sick. Cam was gone, but Jason wasn’t. Not that it even matters…I might as well be his little sister. He doesn’t want me. He never has and never will.

  “Maybe I’ll just stay here forever,” I told Wings as I passed her stall and headed further into the stable. I’d taken to speaking out loud when mentally communicating with my non-human friends—somehow, it helped me feel less alone.

  “Yes. Good. Stay with family,” Wings responded, poking her head through her open stall doorway. Of course, she didn’t actually say “family,” though that was how my mind interpreted it. Instead, it was a jumble of images and feelings revolving around our motley group of animals.

  Oddly, her suggestion didn’t sound too bad. The heavy workload around the ranch made the days pass quickly, and the animals offered a certain level of comfortable companionship, especially since we were able to communicate in a rather unconventional fashion. I could become a post-apocalyptic pioneer—living off the land and growing old with nature as my only solace. It would be a hard life but peaceful in its own way.

  “Sounds lonely,” a male voice said from the far entrance to the stable.

  I swung around, pointing the shovel at the intruder. Recognizing the man’s friendly face, I gasped, “Ky?”

  “In the flesh.” As he approached, another man entered through the open door. His striking resemblance to Ky—smooth, angular facial features and straight, jet-black hair—barely prepared me for my friend’s next words. “That’s my brother, Ben.”

  “Your brother?” Shocked, I dropped my impromptu weapon. It clanged loudly on the cement floor.

  Ky stopped a few feet in front of me. “Yep. He found us at our house back in Fort Bragg. He was…surprised, to say the least.”

  I nodded and then leapt forward, throwing myself into Ky’s arms. “I missed you!” I exclaimed, willing myself not to cry. I hadn’t known what had happened to Jason and Chris after the whole Cece incident, but if Ky was okay, it was likely that they were as well. “I miss you guys so much!”

  Ky wrapped his arms around me. “Me too, D. Me too.”

  A moment later, I released him and approached his brother. I extended my hand and said, “I’m Dani. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” he replied, shaking my hand quickly. His voice, unlike Ky’s, was tinged with the faintest Japanese accent. “You’ve caused quite a fuss. You’re…different than I expected.”

  “Shut up, Ben,” Ky told his brother.

  Turning my attention back to Ky, I asked, “How’d you find me?”

  “Remember what I said about the weird feelings I was having?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, with Cece, I could feel her anger and hatred building up until she did all that stupid shit. Now it’s happening with you, except you’re giving off sadness instead of anger. I’m not sure how, but I recognized the sadness as coming from you, and it got stronger the closer I came to you—led me straight to you. And…it feels like you’re about to do something really stupid.”

  “Well I’m not going to kill myself or anything,” I said defensively.

  Ky looked at his brother, who nodded. Seriously? Did he really think I was suicidal? And what’s with the need for brotherly confirmation?

  “No, but whatever you’re thinking of doing, it’ll leave you very unhappy, even if you don’t realize it now. That’s why I can feel the negativity—the sadness—pouring off you.”

  Pondering his assessment, I realized he was right. I’d been considering becoming a hermit, forsaking human contact altogether. Cutting out Zoe and Jason, Chris, and even Ky, would leave me miserable for the rest of my life. I could survive surrounded by only my four-legged friends, but in the end, death would seem like a relief.

  But I can’t go back. I didn’t want to be alone, but I also couldn’t stand the possibility that I might endanger my friends again. Damn rocks and hard places!

  Ky continued, “Come with me and Ben. We’ll take you back with us.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “But Jason and Chris…they almost got killed because of me. I saw—”

  “What’d you see?” Ky asked, narrowing his eyes.

  Biting my lower lip, I sighed. “I saw Cece go after Jason and Chris at my grandma’s house.”

  After looking at his brother again and receiving another nod, Ky whistled. “So it’s true. Jason said he heard you, said he was sure you were out behind the house somewhere.”

  I brushed his words aside. “You abandoned them! That bitch and her sycophants nearly murdered them and you weren’t there!”

  Ky held his hands out in front of him and stepped closer. “Dani, you have to understand. Jason made us stay at his place while he and Chris checked your house. Cece and her idiots followed him…they were supposed to be looking for gas. The rest of us…we didn’t know what they were doing. We were just following Jason’s orders.”

  “Oh,” I said, my anger instantly dissipating.

  “You don’t have to worry about her going after you or anyone else. She’s long gone. So are John and the rest of her flock, and good fucking riddance! I’m pretty sure she’s actually controlling them, and not just with her pu—” Ky stopped talking and cleared his throat. “I mean, I think she’s like me…but her thing is controlling dumbshits who are stupid enough to touch her.” Ky shook his head in annoyance and continued, “The only shitty part about them leaving is that they took the Humvees and everything that was in ‘em.”

  I had suspected as much—that Cece was gone—and felt immense relief. It was short-lived. My stomach knotted as I registered the implications of Cece being able to control other people. How many can she control? How does she do it? And now she’s out there somewhere…


  “Please come back. If you don’t, I’m not sure how much longer the rest of us can stand Jason. He was a cold son of a bitch before. Now he’s rabid. He’s crazy moody, especially when he’s drinking. And by moody, I mean completely unreasonable. He’s becoming impossible to—”

  At his words, fury began coursing through my veins. I tried to contain it, but seeped out anyway. “And what would you do? Betray him? Abandon him? Attack him? You’re just like her!”

  “Holy. Shit.” Ky stared at me with wide, wonder-filled eyes. “No,” he said tentatively in my mind. “I’ll stand by him. I promise…Is this real?”

  Clenching my jaw, I nodded sharply. Remotely, I registered the confirmation that I could hear human responses telepathically.

  “What’s going on?” Ben asked.

  Ky shook his head. “It’s impossible.”

  “Oh, but your thing is possible? Don’t be such a hypocrite.”

  “She can…she can…,” Ky stammered.

  “I can talk in his mind. In anyone’s. I guess you could call me a telepath.” I finished pointedly.

  To my surprise, Ben simply nodded, accepting my claim without argument or exclamation. I studied him. What can he do? What about Jason? What about all the people Zo’s with? Holy crap…what about all of the Survivors?! My friends and I needed to stick together.

  “I’ll come back,” I said definitively.

  Ky and Ben just stared at me, and we stood in awkward silence.

  “So…I’m surprised Jason didn’t come with you.”

  “He doesn’t know we’re here,” they said in unison.

  Interesting. “I will come back…tomorrow.” Ky looked baffled, so I explained, “I have some issues I need to sort out. Personal things. And, well, I can’t do it around Chris…she’ll get in my head and try to do it for me. I need to do it.” I paused, wondering how exactly I would sort out my feelings for Jason by morning.

  “Ky, promise me you won’t tell Jason where I am.” I stared into his brown eyes, and sensing his reluctance, willed him to give in.

  Hesitantly, Ky nodded. “Fine. I won’t tell him…today. But, I’m telling him first thing in the morning. You should probably be ready for him to storm up here…”

  “Great…,” I said unenthusiastically. An angry Jason…what a great way to start the day. I took my sudden apprehension out on Ben, who was nodding, again. “Why do you keep nodding?” I demanded, glaring at him.

  Wide-eyed, Ben said, “Oh, I…umm…I can tell when people are lying—you’re not.”

  Huh. “That’s useful.”

  He shrugged. “It can be kind of annoying. You’d be surprised how frequently people lie about stupid things.”

  “I can imagine.” Looking outside, I noticed it was dusk. “You guys should get going. You know how the Crazies like to come out and play at night.” I stepped forward to give Ben a brief hug. “I’m glad he found you alive.” Ky’s hug was longer, punctuated by an eager “I’ll see you soon”.

  A timid surge of joy shot through me. Finally, things were looking up.

  JANUARY

  34

  DANI

  I‘d been sleeping, but I was suddenly awake. I blinked, letting my eyes focus in the darkness. I was staring up at a post and beam ceiling, and it took me a moment to remember where I was—the front room of the ranch house. Grudgingly, I sat and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The couch was warm beneath me, beckoning me to stretch out and fall back asleep, but there was something nagging the very edge of my memory. I had the vague impression that Jack had been in my dreams, showing me…something. Something important.

  Hackles raised, Jack slowly backed through the doorway from the hall, triggering my memory of the dream.

  The front door.

  The doorknob.

  Jiggling…just like I could hear it doing at that moment.

  Oh crap! I thought, piecing it all together. Somebody was breaking in, and the only doorway from my makeshift bedroom led to the same hall as the front door. I was in major trouble.

  I had just enough time to scramble off the couch and crouch by the doorway with Jack next to me before I heard the front door crash open. I panicked as I realized my gun was on the couch on the opposite side of the room—I’d stowed it under my pillow before falling asleep. Idiot!

  Maybe I can hide. Maybe they’ll pass me by. Maybe…

  The hallway’s hardwood floor creaked under the intruder’s footsteps, the sound growing closer with every passing second. I held my breath as Jack moved into the center of the room, snarling ferociously.

  “No Jack! What are you doing?”

  “Help you,” he responded solemnly. “Run away.”

  I didn’t have time to protest or even move before the man stomped up the hall and through the doorway. Focused completely on my vicious dog, he didn’t notice me flattened against the wall beside the doorframe. As Jack strung him further into the room toward the couch, and unfortunately my gun, I slowly inched closer to the hallway. When I placed my right foot in the doorway, the worn wood floor moaned. Horrified, I froze. I held my breath and looked over my shoulder at the man.

  His eyes met mine.

  Forgetting Jack, he lunged at me and shoved me back-first into the hallway wall. I hit it with a thud, knocking several picture frames to the floor. Glass shattered around my bare feet, but I’d hit my head so hard that I couldn’t stop myself from staggering. A shard sliced into my heel right before the intruder’s hurtling body slammed against mine. He smelled of rancid sweat and stale cigarette smoke, and his bloodshot eyes glinted wildly. He was definitely a Crazy.

  A second later, Jack attacked him. As he tore at the Crazy with teeth and claws, I attacked with knees and hands. My few self-defense lessons kicked in, possibly saving my life. I rammed a knee into his groin, then smacked his left ear with my open hand. I wasn’t sure if I’d actually landed the blows on purpose or if they’d been a random result of my frantic flailing. Regardless, insanity had hindered his physical prowess, and he was unable to block my strikes.

  The man stumbled back, tripping over Jack and crashing into the opposite wall.

  Without a backward glance, Jack and I fled. We tore down the hallway, out the front door, across the wide gravel driveway, and through the door at one end of the stable. The horses whinnied and stomped as we sped by the first few stalls.

  “Be quiet, please! The bad man can’t know I’m here!” Instantly, the building fell silent but for the sound of my bare feet slapping on the cement floor.

  Just as I sidestepped into the fourth stall on the right, an ominous screech sounded from the door at the far end of the building—the door I never used because of its rusty hinges. I smiled grimly. He didn’t know my exact location, but I knew his.

  I also knew the next stall down housed almost all of the ranch tools, each a potential weapon. If I can just get to them… I studied the darkness, weighing its density, and decided I could probably make it without the Crazy seeing me. It’s now or never. I breathed in and out once, twice, then held the third breath and slipped out of the stall as quietly as possible. Jack followed me, quiet as a shadow.

  The few seconds it took me to reach the next stall seemed to last for days. Shaking with adrenaline, I ducked through the open doorway and searched the barely visible walls for some sort of weapon. Unfortunately, grabbing anything would make too much noise and dissolve my only advantage. Trying not to panic, I squeezed my hands into tight fists and took several deep, steadying breaths.

  Quietly, but not quietly enough, the man passed by the empty stalls and unknowingly neared my hiding place.

  Desperate, I begged the horses, “I need a distraction!” In an explosion of noise, they began kicking the walls and neighing loudly.

  I seized the nearest shovel, the same one I’d nearly accosted Ky with, and gripped it tightly in my sweaty hands as I crept closer to the main aisle. Pausing, I told the animals, “Quiet now.” Stillness settled in the dark building.

&n
bsp; Faintly, I heard the man resume his slow, shuffling pace, unaware of the danger awaiting him—unaware of me. As he drew closer, I coiled to strike, my muscles trembling with tension and fear. Besides my shovel, I realized my Ability could also be used as a weapon, repercussions be damned.

  “Stop!” I shouted in the man’s head. His clothing rustled as he froze mid-step and looked around.

  “Damn voices,” he grumbled and continued creeping along. “Leave me alone!”

  Crap! He’s still coming!

  Frantically, I opened my mind and begged anyone or anything, “Help! Please! I’m being attacked by an insane man. Please help me! Please!” I felt thousands of minds connect with mine, human and otherwise, draining me of energy almost instantly. Terrified, I broke the connections. What the hell did I just do? Adrenaline seemed to be the only thing keeping me standing.

  Seconds later, the man moved into sight, all of the horses in the stable thrashed and cried. Other animals scratched and banged on the walls from outside the building. The man looked around, hearing a commotion his eyes couldn’t identify in the darkness.

  Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, I stepped away from the wall and swung the shovel like a baseball bat. The dull, dirty metal rang out like a church bell when it impacted his skull, causing the handle to vibrate painfully in my grip.

  Immediately, he crumpled.

  Seconds later, my legs gave out and I followed him to the cold cement floor. Using my Ability on such a massive scale had weakened me, and adrenaline could only last for so long—I could feel my hold on consciousness slipping.

  I wasn’t sure if the man was dead, but it didn’t matter. I was unable to make my muscles listen to my brain’s orders to stand up and flee. My head was pounding, and I was shivering, both from cold and from terror.

  I curled into the fetal position, letting myself be soothed by Jack’s sniffing and whining. I could feel other furry things—some small and some as large as my dog—nuzzling me. They surrounded me with their warmth, cutting through the aching chill that had seeped into my bones, and I slipped comfortably into unconsciousness.