Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy

by P. Anastasia

  People…

  But the streets below were empty. In big cities, especially, evenings were typically plagued by rush hour at the very least. Let alone early bar-hoppers and dinner dates out in force. Something was too peaceful about the place. Deserted. Silent. Only whispers of the breeze and muffled coos of pigeons filtered by.

  “Don’t let Solus out of sight,” I warned. The hairs on my skin perked and a wave of static energy flitted over me. “Heads up!” The sky above us split open and a scorching white light shone down. A hazy, warped barrier manifested around the perimeter of the rooftop, boxing us in so we couldn’t escape.

  Not that we had that choice to begin with.

  I lifted a hand to my brow to shield my eyes from the light. A figure appeared in the distance.

  Judas?

  “Give us back the child,” he said, the lights on his mask flickering fervently. “It is for your own good that we confiscate him.”

  “You screwed us!” I growled. “You messed with our bracelets so you could abduct us again, you bastard.”

  “It was necessary,” he replied flatly. “I did not harm you.”

  “We almost died! Alice and I were going to die up there and you were going to let us!” I adjusted my grasp on Lucy.

  Judas tipped his head to the side. “A minor casualty.”

  “Minor?” Brian pushed past me. “You call murdering the mother of your last chance at survival minor?”

  “We had the child in our possession at the time.”

  “Was that your plan all along then? To get back Solus once you found out what he could do and then exterminate the rest of us?”

  “It was not… my plan,” Judas said.

  “Now that’s a load of crap,” I interrupted, releasing Lucy to the ground so she could stand beside me. I took up her hand instead. “You already told us about how you all think as one. That’s why when one of your kind passes, you all feel it. Or was that all bullshit, too?”

  “I am only the communicator,” Judas defended. “I do as I am told to do and speak what is requested of me.”

  “So you’re a drone.” I sneered. “A mindless, insignificant drone.”

  “I suggest you give the child over now,” Judas pressed, his voice stern and his gaze piercing. “We will not tolerate hesitation.”

  “There has to be another way!” Alice cut in, bringing Solus close to her side. “You can’t just take our child away from us. Not again! Isn’t there some way we can work together? Some kind of compromise? Please?”

  Brian stepped up. “Alice, no! There’s no compromising with them. They don’t care about us. They only care about themselves.”

  “But they’re dying, too, Brian. If we can help them—”

  “They infected your mom, for God’s sake, Alice! They kept our child a secret and then nearly got you and David killed. Why would you want to do anything to help them?”

  “Because we’re not like them,” she said. “Right?”

  “He’s right, Alice,” I said, glancing down at Lucy and then across at Solus. “They don’t care about us. They don’t even understand what it is to be alive. The Prism tried to help, but they could only do so much and now… this is our fight. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my daughter and your son.” I looked at Judas and took in a deep breath. “Judas, you’re not taking that kid.”

  Yellow light heated my chest and I let Lucy’s fingers slip from mine so I could clench my fists and focus.

  “You cannot resist,” Judas said. “We created you. The light cannot be turned against us.”

  “We’ll see about that.” I flexed my fingers and willed golden forks of energy through my body, down my arms. My hands. My fingers. Powerful sparks leached up through my skin, radiating warmth.

  Judas robotically raised a hand and fanned out his fingers. “You are strong, Tracker,” he said. “But only as strong as your Healer keeps you.”

  A wisp of chemical green light pulsed beneath his skin.

  My body began to shake and my arm raised involuntarily. My fingers pried apart against my will, fanning out in front of me. “No! No! No!”

  Amber light exuded from every pore and fluorescence consumed me, enveloping me in a blast of heat and color.

  “David, stop!” Kareena screeched.

  “I can’t! Shit! Something’s wrong! It’s… burning. I can’t control it! Get away from me! All of you! Hurry!”

  I gritted my teeth and arched back, convulsing as tiny threads of light painfully ripped across my flesh. Wild lightning arced around me and an explosion of vivid yellow fireworks stung my retinas.

  Chapter 29

  The searing sensation ebbed. I regained control of my body and doubled over to rest my hands on my knees and let out an exhausted breath.

  “Guys?”

  I looked up. Things came into focus and my eyes grazed over a dark blur down in front of me. I blinked a few more times.

  It was Brian, sprawled out on the ground, face down.

  Motionless.

  “Brian?” I took a step closer. “Brian!”

  Not even his fingers twitched.

  “Lucy! Where are you?” I swerved around. She was behind me, standing close to Solus.

  “Brian!” Alice screamed at the sight of Brian’s body. She ran to his side and fell to her knees beside him. I followed and helped her lift him and turn him over onto his back. His face was dashed with black lines of charred skin.

  “Brian?” Alice’s breath shuddered.

  I bent down close to his face, turning my head so my ear was just above his lips.

  Silence.

  I pressed my fingers against his wrist. No pulse.

  “David! What happened to him!?” Alice looked at me with terrified, widened eyes. “David!”

  “I… I think he’s… dead.”

  She gasped so hard, she choked and started to cough. “What? No.” She clasped his face in her hands. “Brian, wake up!” Her fingers combed through his hair. “This can’t be happening!”

  Kareena came up behind me.

  “Alice…” Kareena squeaked, her quaking fingers pressing into my shoulder. “Alice, he’s… right. Brian’s—”

  “Shut up!” Alice glared at her. “You don’t know that!”

  “Yes. Yes, I do,” she replied, her voice breaking. Lip trembling. She lowered herself to his side and took his other hand into hers, grasping it fondly. “His light… it’s gone. I can’t see it in him anymore. Oh, God.”

  “No. You don’t know what you’re taking about, Kareena.” Alice sniffed loudly, congestion getting to her as tears rained down her face.

  She was right. I couldn’t see a trace of his essence around him. All of his blue light had… vanished.

  “David, please move.” Kareena nudged me. I shuffled out of the way and let the girls have their space.

  “Get away from him,” Alice growled, glaring at Kareena.

  “No!” Kareena brought his hand closer to her chest. “I have just as much right to be with him as you!”

  “You didn’t even care about him,” Alice muttered. “You just wanted something you couldn’t have.”

  “That’s not true!” Kareena scoffed. “That’s not true at all!”

  “Girls, come on!” I tried to pry in.

  “You’ve always been his perfect little plaything,” Kareena sneered. “I didn’t have a goddamn chance because of you. And now, you have him!” She pointed a stiff, trembling finger at Solus. “And I don’t have shit! I have nothing and I can never have anything because of this god… damn… curse. You’re just a lucky little bitch who got what she wanted. I’ve got news for you, Alice. It wasn’t bullshit. I loved Brian, and I would have given him anything if he would have just…” She paused to catch her breath and wipe a stream of tears from her cheeks. “If he would have just given me a chance.”

  So that was the truth? I meant nothing to her?

  Nothing
at all?

  Alice bared her teeth. “You’re so full of it, Kareena. Do you hear yourself? I didn’t get what I wanted. If I had, Brian wouldn’t be dead, we’d be safe at home, and my best friend wouldn’t have become the victim of this disease we’re carrying. You say you’d have done anything for him, but that’s a lie. I didn’t ask for Solus, but he’s here now and I love him with everything I am. Brian did, too. Could you love that child like I do? No. Because the only person you’ve ever loved was yourself!”

  Kareena’s eyes widened, a spark of pink fire dashed up her face and she lunged at Alice.

  “No!” I grabbed Kareena by her shoulders and pulled her back. “No. This isn’t about either of you.” She wriggled and jerked around, flailing at my face while trying to get free. I pulled her to her feet and turned her to face Judas. “Right now, it’s about them—the Saviors—and what they did to us. It’s his fault Brian’s dead. This isn’t about your feelings for Brian.” Kareena stopped struggling and went limp in my arms, panting hard. Choppy gasps for breath made her body shake. “Brian would want us to protect each other—to protect Solus. We need to rescue our own asses from this shit or there will be no world left to save.”

  Alice sniffed and wiped her face on her arm. “He’s right,” she said, panting. “It’s all their fault.”

  Now that everyone’s attention was back on him, Judas spoke again. “This is your final opportunity to do as we have asked without punishment.” His head twitched and a subtle, fleeting look of discomfort swept over his face.

  “Without punishment?” I repeated, still holding Kareena’s shaking body close. “You killed Brian, you asshole!”

  “You are the one who disposed of your own Healer,” Judas remarked.

  My jaw tightened. The bastard was playing mind games.

  “No. It wasn’t you,” Alice said in a strained voice. “He made you do it, David.”

  “They are growing impatient,” Judas added. “Give us the child. Now.” He reached a hand out toward Solus, who ducked down behind me, beside Lucy.

  What do I do?

  What would Brian have done? Probably rushed in, guns blazing.

  That reminded me. I didn’t have my gun, and I didn’t even know how to take down a Savior.

  Damn it!

  I couldn’t let them take Solus. He was my only chance at survival.

  Judas took a step closer.

  “You tricked us!” Alice roared. The uncharacteristically sharp pitch sent a jolt of fear up my spine.

  She flashed a bloodthirsty glare and bolted, bowling into him with all of her weight and sending him crashing to the ground. He made a feeble attempt to push her off while her fingers clamped onto the edges of his blinking silver mask. She grunted and strained, working her fingertips beneath the edges to pry it from his face. The shimmering metal mask tumbled across the ground, clinking softly against the concrete.

  Judas began to wheeze.

  Alice locked onto his lanky arms and neon green light glinted through her veins. It raced down toward her fingertips like a lit fuse, sparking and crackling through her bloodstream. It made contact with the Savior’s skintight suit and he jerked uncontrollably as if a seizure spell had awakened his body. His spine arched and his brow rose and furrowed with twisted, restrained agony.

  “Alice, no!” Kareena pulled away from me. “Alice!” She ran over and grabbed Alice by the shoulders to pull her off Judas. “Stop!”

  “Let go of me!” Alice screeched, forcing Kareena’s hands from her shoulders and readjusting her grip on the convulsing Savior.

  “You don’t want to kill him!” Kareena screamed. The panic in her voice made my throat tighten.

  “How do you know?” Alice replied hoarsely. “Why shouldn’t I kill him for what he did to us? For what he did to Brian!?” Radioactive bursts of color resonated through his clothing, illuminating his bones with sickening flashes of green light.

  “You can’t!” Kareena insisted, reaching out toward Alice, but hesitating in fear of being lashed out at again. “You don’t want to have his blood on your hands!”

  “He needs to pay,” Alice replied.

  The Savior squirmed beneath her weight. Forks of blazing fluorescence invaded his face and his grey eyes changed color as they opened wide.

  “I killed Taylor!” Kareena cried.

  “What?” Alice instantly released the Savior and turned her head. “What do you mean? I thought…” She glanced at me. “I thought David killed him.”

  We’d never told the others exactly what had happened. I took the heat when Brian had asked. “Yes. Kareena… killed Taylor.” The lump in my throat made it difficult to swallow. “But she had to.” I approached Alice. “He was going to kill us both otherwise and he had me… trapped. I couldn’t do anything to fight back so she did what she had to do and… she shot him.”

  “And I still feel like shit because of it,” Kareena said. “Let him go, Alice. You’ll feel better without his blood on your hands. I mean it.”

  “It’s true,” I added. “You don’t need someone’s death haunting you forever.”

  “But… he… they…” She looked around, inhaling short, sharp breaths.

  “I know, Alice.” I reached down and helped bring her to her feet.

  Judas rolled onto his stomach, came to his knees, and scrambled to scoop up his mask from the ground. He coughed violently as he frantically worked to reattach it over his mouth and nose. It clicked into place with a small strap over his ears. He sat back on his heels and closed his eyes, coughing still, wheezing, and struggling to take in his next breath. The mask may have muffled the painful heaving sounds, but they still made my skin crawl.

  Alice dashed away to go sit beside Brian and began sobbing again.

  “Leave us alone,” I said to Judas. My hands were sweating. I wasn’t one to beg for anything, but grief over Brian’s death had worn me thin. “Please, leave us alone.”

  There was a tug at my shirt and I glanced down.

  Solus.

  “What is it?”

  He looked solemnly back at his parents and then gestured for me to let him go to the Savior.

  “No! You can’t go with him!” I shouted after him as he jaunted toward Judas regardless. My muscles were too burned out for me to catch him before he was out of reach.

  My breath caught in my lungs.

  When he got to the Savior, he paused and tilted his head to the side, watching Judas’ facial expression change as their gazes met.

  “So-Solus,” Alice called out in a tired, mousey voice, stretching a shaking arm out toward him. “No.”

  Solus approached Judas and lifted his tiny pale hands until they made contact with Judas’ temples.

  An outburst of anger and then agony distorted Judas’ expression. He gasped and his eyes grew wide and fearful. “Agh!” The Savior bent over and clutched his head, choking on shallow breaths.

  Solus lowered his hands to his sides and quietly watched as the alien started to shake.

  Judas strained to breathe, panting harder now and heaving in breaths even though his mask was reattached and blinking. His brow wrinkled. His head twitched and he let out a loud groan of pain, lifting his face toward the sky.

  His face came back down and he glanced at Brian’s body. “No. No,” he muttered, wrapping his arms around himself and rocking back and forth in place. He uttered something I couldn’t understand, whined, and cupped his face in his hands again. Long locks of tangled, platinum white hair draped over his shoulders.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  Solus turned his head and frowned. His pale cheeks were turning pink and his eyes glimmered with tears.

  Judas shook his head and gasped for air, stretching his bony fingers feebly out toward Solus. “What have you done to me?” he asked, the expression on his face mirroring the boy’s.

  Solus sternly pointed a finger at his father’s body.

  Judas c
leared his throat. “I’m… sorry,” he strained, his ashen lips curving downward. Then he hung his head low and hunched over, still shaking uncontrollably. “We… are sorry.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood and I froze in anticipation. The warped field of light around us faded and Judas disappeared in a flash of white.

  “Oh, shit.” I wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Are they gone?” Kareena asked, circling around to search the perimeter of the rooftop.

  “I… think they are,” I replied.

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that,” I repeated. “Alice?” I looked back. She and Solus were huddled together near Brian.

  “Jesus, I’m sorry, Alice,” I said. My chest tightened at the sight of his lifeless body. “I never thought… I didn’t mean… I mean—”

  “It’s okay,” she said softly, lifting him up to rest his head in her lap. “Oh, Brian…” She bent over to hug him and started to moan uncontrollably. The sounds of her fervent tears made my face tighten.

  Maybe I didn’t know him like she did, but I didn’t want him to die. The kid was brave as hell. The world could use more people like him. More guys as responsible as him at his age.

  I sat beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re here for you, Alice,” I said. “I know I can’t change things, but I’m here.”

  “Thank you.” She sniffled without looking up.

  Lucy peeked over our heads and let out a whimper.

  “You’d think if he were the Healer, he could have survived anything,” Kareena said. “But… he couldn’t.”

  “Yeah.”

  A weird expression swept over Solus’ face and he inhaled sharply. He came to his feet and nudged me anxiously.

  “What? What is it?”

  He reached for my hand, so I gave it to him.

  Then he looked up at Kareena and stretched out an arm toward her, waving his hand impatiently.

  “Give him your hand,” I said.

  She did. “What does he want?” she asked as Solus tugged her to come down onto her knees beside him. We knelt there next to Brian for a few moments, watching Solus intently as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and grasped our fingers tighter.