by P. Anastasia
David listened intently.
“But today, shit hit the fan and I realized I did need someone,” I added. “I… needed you.”
“That’s the truth, then?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then that’s all I needed to hear,” he replied softly, a small beam of admiration coiling the corner of his lips.
A weight suddenly lifted from my heart.
But the satisfaction couldn’t last.
I looked upon the dark brown and black lines crackling through the light inside David’s chest. “David.” I took a deep breath. “There’s… something else.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Remember back when I told you about the darkness I saw discoloring your fluorescence?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “What about it?”
“Well, I can’t pretend not to see it anymore… and I won’t let you pretend it’s not there.”
“I knew something wasn’t right,” he whispered.
“Y-you did?”
“Yes,” he continued. “I know what it means, too. Things haven’t been right for a while and I had a feeling something was… wrong. Whatever it is, it’s killing me. I have no idea how much time I have and you know I’m not one to ask for help, but I’d be a fool to think I didn’t need yours now.”
Chapter 1
The ghoulish ash-colored thing watched me intently, sizing me up with its shallow grey eyes. Sleek white hair fell past its bony shoulders, and although its small, sloped nose and familiar facial features made it look human, it was anything but.
I reached for my gun, grasping the grip feebly, but relinquished the idea because my limbs were weak and heavy.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, trying to raise my voice. It was nearly impossible. I coughed, my lungs straining to take in air.
“Well?” I asked again, wheezing. “What do you—”
“We have an assignment for you,” it said, its intonation robotic and stale. The thing approached me and reached out a hand.
I took a step back. “Don’t come near me!” My hands were fists. The thing sure as hell wasn’t going to touch me. “Whatever you are, I want you to put me back where I was. I don’t want any part of whatever it is you’re doing. Leave me alone!”
“Your kind refer to us as the Saviors,” it continued, cutting into me with its stiff, judgmental gaze. “We are searching for a cure for a virus that is destroying our species. Humans have genetically compatible DNA, which we can bind with our own in an effort to develop such a cure.”
Saviors?
“This is crazy,” I said, scanning over more of the things standing behind the speaking one. “I’m not letting you do anything to me.” I took another step back and grunted. Something stopped me—a wall I couldn’t see.
“It is too late for that,” the thing continued, approaching.
I was ready to take a swing at it, but something inside warned me to stay cool. I didn’t need an alien pissed off at me.
“We have an offer for you,” it added. “We are aware of the one you call Lucy. Your—”
“Don’t you lay a goddamn hand on her!” I lunged at the thing, but an invisible blow to the chest propelled me backward. I hit the ground. Hard. Lost my breath. I struggled to come to my feet.
“You cannot tell us who to choose,” it said coldly.
I coughed hard and wiped my lips with the back of my hand. A splash of blood colored my knuckles. What the hell? “What did you do to me?”
It forced a flattened hand out and a burst of fiery heat welled in my chest. I looked down and saw sparks of yellow light radiating from my sternum up to my collarbone.
“Shit,” I said, the word caught in a labored breath. I lifted my shaking hands and watched golden vines of riveting color flicker in my veins, leaching through the surface of my skin. I gasped and rubbed my arm frantically with my other hand in a futile attempt to wipe the alien light away. Heat forked through my body, making me sick. Nauseated. “What have you done to me?”
“You now carry a compatible strain of our genetic material,” it replied.
“No!” I staggered back, slamming into the invisible wall and getting the wind knocked out of me. I doubled over, holding out trembling hands, watching streaks of vibrant yellow-gold light pulsate down through my fingertips, fueled by a burning core of energy erupting inside me. “You… can’t do this to me. You can’t…” My heart pumped so fast, it made my chest ache.
“Do not fight it, or the pain will increase.”
“What…” I could hardly speak. “What… do you want from me?” Every breath stung.
“There are others out there who must be punished for disobeying our commands. We have granted you the ability to find and reprimand them.”
“Who are these people and what have they done?” I straightened up and tried to slow my breathing. The bright yellow light and heat were dissipating from my skin and the sharp prickling faded.
The thing took a few steps closer and I swallowed hard, lifting my chin and rolling my shoulders back. The alien towered a few inches over me. One of its grey hands reached toward my head and I flinched as cold fingers pressed to my temple.
Everything went black.
A group of teens walked together through a darkened city street. A boy, a short, skinny young girl tangled on his arm, and a slightly older, more mature-looking girl dragging behind them. Each of them glowed with intense neon light. Blue. Green. Pink.
The pink one kept pointing and the green one ran ahead to each of the targets.
She was touching people—starting them? Is that what they call it?
The green one pressed her hand against another person and a ball of white light ignited inside them. The blue one followed, guarding them vigilantly, his left arm ablaze with azure light.
Next, they were standing in a small circle, their arms crossed. Silent. Angry? They weren’t going to do anything else the Saviors had asked of them. They didn’t want to be part of it anymore.
Neither did I.
The bright white room came into focus again and I squinted, grimacing from the sting of the instant lighting change.
“They are no longer following our commands,” the Savior said, stiffly. “You must control them—force them back into submission.”
“If you’re so powerful, why don’t you do it yourself?” I groaned and rubbed my eyes with my palms.
“No. We have chosen you to carry out this task.”
I looked up at the thing. Its empty grey eyes were fixated on me.
“Why should I do this for you?” I asked, gritting my teeth. “Why do I have to do anything for you?”
“The one you call Lucy,” it started, and I tensed up, “she is important to you. Correct?”
I didn’t even know how to answer that. If I said yes, it would know the truth, but if I didn’t say anything at all, it was just as bad.
“Yes. Yes, she is. She’s just a little girl. Keep your hands off her.”
“We have decided not to start her if you do as we ask,” it replied.
“And… if I don’t help you with these kids?” My voice was trembling now as I fought back rising fears.
“We will subject her to the light, as well. She is a close genetic match to your DNA, and that is highly sought after by those working to find the cure. We could use her for our studies, but will sacrifice the option if it makes you compliant.”
I wanted to say no. I wanted to lunge at the creature again, drive a fist into its sickeningly grey head and find out just how resilient it really was.
Pull the trigger.
Put an end to it—whatever it was.
But something inside me knew it wasn’t possible. The whole thing was a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.
My eyes reeled opened and I gasped.
The room eased into focus; the light of dawn filtered in through the concrete pillars of the parking garage.
Kareena was asleep, curled up close to me, the curves of her warm body fitting against mine and my nose buried in wild lengths of her silky, ebony hair. I had one arm bent somewhat uncomfortably beneath my head—tingling now—and the other draped over her waist. Our fingers were loosely entwined.
Heat radiated from her. The rugged scent of dirty skin and sweat. A deep breath brought me back to reality and tamed my anxiety. Kareena had only begun to taste the true dangers in life, and yet, she’d already shown grit in the line of fire. That was something I appreciated about her. Admired.
Although I liked feeling her close, and I was fairly certain the feeling was mutual, I think the need ended there. Last night, she had reluctantly requested I stay with her while she slept—her pride getting in the way of her attempts to sooth her distress.
She was afraid the Saviors would take her again, even though the Prism assured her they couldn’t. She also feared Taylor would somehow rise from the grave and force her back into the torture of constant confusion and memory loss. Regardless, I offered to do what I could to bring her any kind of peace. After what she had done for me, I felt like I owed her. Yes, I’d put my own neck on the line for her, too, but for her to do the same for me was… unexpected.
I carefully slipped my fingers out from between hers and dragged a gentle stroke up her arm, avoiding the dark line of burnt skin circling her wrist—the scar she’d acquired when she saved my life. Having declined Brian’s healing touch, it was beginning to mend on its own now.
She stirred, a faint sigh escaping her lips as she pushed back into me, nuzzling her face against the bunched-up coat beneath her head. I withdrew my other arm and shook it to relieve the numbness. Then I got up from the floor and walked over to the door.
Outside of the maintenance room, I lit a cigarette and watched it burn, the subtle yellow-orange embers vaguely mirroring my own vivid color. I still couldn’t believe the Saviors had infected Lucy, and how if it weren’t for Kareena trying to melt my brain a while back, I probably never would have found out.
Then again, I couldn’t believe it was happening at all—that aliens were screwing with us, threatening our existence, and that I, three others like me, and a new race of aliens I knew damn near nothing about, were the only ones who could do anything to try to stop our complete annihilation.
Chapter 2
“You’re worried about your sister, aren’t you?” Kareena asked, coming up behind me. She rested her forearms on the concrete overhang and looked out at the empty streets below.
“Yeah.” I released a puff of smoke with my reply. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she replied. “I just wanted to say… I get it. I’m worried, too—about my parents. You know, Brian and Alice may have each other, but it doesn’t make them immune. We’re all missing someone, I think.”
“I know.” I inhaled through my cigarette. “But I think I need to go back to her. I need to make sure she’s safe.”
“Safe?” Kareena turned to look me in the eye. “I thought she was with someone you trusted?”
“She is.” I shrugged. “But I don’t trust anyone more than I trust myself when it comes to Lucy’s safety. I just… have a feeling shit’s about to hit the fan, and I need to know I can protect her.”
“You can protect her by keeping her out of this, David.”
Her words rubbed me the wrong way.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I snuffed out my cigarette on the concrete guardrail and flicked it over the side. “That I can’t take care of my goddamn—”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”
“Then what did you mean?” I rested my hands on my belt. “And keep it down before you wake the others.”
“I’m just saying the Saviors are probably going to try to find a way to circumvent what the Prism did for us, and Lucy is likely going to be better off out of the line of fire.”
“But you don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. “They’ve been using her as leverage from the beginning. If they can’t get to me directly, she may be their next target. I can’t let anything happen to her.”
Her brow crinkled. “Oh, shit. Are you saying they’re going to go after our families next?”
“No. Only the ones they want.”
“Like Peter,” Brian said, appearing from around the corner of the maintenance room, walking toward us.
I shot Kareena an angry glance. I really didn’t need Brian on my ass this early in the morning.
“Who’s Peter?” I asked, trying to stay composed. Brian had calmed down since our last confrontation, so I had to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“The son of the people who were taking care of me while we were working through the custody case so I could stay with Alice and her mom. He was infected, too, but we never started him. At least, Alice never did.”
“They’ve already proven they don’t need her for all of them,” I added. “They didn’t need her to start me or Taylor, apparently.”
“True.” Brian cleared his throat. “So, where to?” he asked.
“What?” I cocked my head. Was he asking me for advice?
He shrugged and looked off to the side. “You’re the oldest one here. What do you think we should do now?”
Kareena cracked a smile.
The kid’s attitude had changed since I had last offered him a suggestion. Not that I minded, but Brian needed to be strong. I couldn’t have him breaking down in the middle of all of this.
“Are you… okay?” I asked. His gaze met mine and he nodded.
“Yeah. I’m fine. I just know we’re kind of screwed right now and I, um. I—”
“I get it,” I interrupted. He was uncomfortable enough. “I understand, Brian, and I appreciate you asking for my thoughts.”
“He wants to go get his sister,” Kareena interjected. I shot her a bitter glance. “What?” she replied with a shrug. “They need to know. We’re in this together, remember?”
I didn’t want her telling them about my business, at least not until I had a plan—which I didn’t.
“Is she in danger?” Brian asked, perking up, his voice seeming as though he really was concerned.
“Maybe. I don’t know for sure, but… I told you guys a while back that the Saviors were using her as leverage to get me to hurt you. I don’t know what they might do to her if they think I’ve gone rogue. I need to go find her.”
Brian mulled over the idea for several moments. “Well, where is she right now?” he asked.
“Back home. New York.”
“We can all go with you,” Kareena suggested, nudging me gently in the elbow. “That way, we’ll be safer. Right, Brian?”
Brian looked back toward the maintenance room—where Alice must have still been asleep. “I… guess.” He chewed his lip.
“I’ll go alone,” I said, grabbing Kareena’s hand.
“What? Why?” She squeezed back, surprised. “David, seriously, what the hell are you thinking? Going without us… I mean…”
“David?” Brian came a little closer. “We’ll go with you if you want us to. There’s no point in us splitting up right now. Not until we know what’s going on.”
“It will be easier if I go by myself, Kareena,” I said, trying to reassure her. “Really.” I looked back at Brian. “I can be back in two or three days probably.”
“How are we going to keep this up without you?” she asked. “We’re… kind of broke, and this place isn’t going to be safe forever.”
“I’ll make sure you’re set for a few days before I go. Alright?”
“Are you sure, man?” Brian continued, fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable. “I mean… we can go with you. It’s okay. I won’t—”
“No. No,” I stopped him. “I’ll be fine. Been on my own for this long, after all.”
“Alright then. I’m going to wake up Alice and tell her what’s going on, okay? Don�
��t leave yet.”
“I won’t. Gotta get my shit together. Mentally, at least.”
Brian went back to the maintenance room.
Kareena squeezed my hand even harder.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Why are you going alone?” She furrowed her brow at me. “Seriously?”
“Because it will be safer for us all,” I answered, wriggling my hand free of her uncomfortably tight grasp. “Seriously.”
She scoffed and crossed her arms. “You’re a real dick, too, sometimes. You know that?”
“And it’s only bothering you now?” I raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes.
“Shut up.”
“Sorry. Anyway, I’ll try to set something up for all of you before I go so you’ll be safe for the time being. We can work out a place to meet if something happens. As far as money goes, though, I… don’t really know what we’re going to do—”
“I can handle it,” she said beneath her breath.
“What?” It caught me off guard. She wasn’t the type to offer to take responsibility. At least, she never came across that way to me.
“I can help take care of the others for a few days,” she clarified, bringing a hand up to her face and brushing a fingertip briefly over the diamond stud in her left nostril. “I-I can sell this.”
I didn’t know it was a real diamond. Imagining Kareena without the prismatic sparkle on her nose seemed hard. It was pretty on her. But times were tough and unless I robbed another convenience store—probably not going to happen—we were going to need money.
“It’s worth a lot,” she continued. “I know it is, but… I don’t know shit about pawning stuff.”
“I do.” I put my hand on her shoulder and looked into her bright, leafy-green eyes. The color was unusual—otherworldly. “I’ll make sure no one screws you over and that you get a fair price for it. Okay?”
