Dante, Karlton, and I stood next to one of the cars. Nick, Isaiah, Brandon and Carson hovered nearby. It was clear none of us wanted to be away from Whitney. It killed me to think of going in another car. Without her. What if something happened along the way? How would I get to her?
“I’m going with you,” I said to Karlton, infusing my power into my voice. At once, his eyes took on a glazed quality and he nodded.
“We don’t all fit,” Nick said, his voice coming out a croak. He faced me and grabbed my shoulders. “I’m trusting you with her. Don’t lose us. Do you understand?”
He was going to take the other car.
“I won’t.”
I never broke a promise.
23
Whitney
Something tugged me backward, as if I’d been picked up by the shoulders and dragged through the air like some demented kite. I cried out, reaching for my mother, but she just stood staring at me, as though I’d suddenly become a foreign object she couldn’t quite recognize.
What was happening? Where was I going?
Light faded into blackness and then finally back into light again. I couldn’t breathe. Everything hurt. My body seized. I tried and failed to open my eyes. Why was everything so hard? Why?
But then I felt them… my six. Their essences moved through me like I’d ingested their very souls into my own. There was so much peace with them, akin only to what I’d felt when I was with my mother.
I quit trying to open my eyes.
There would be time for that later.
I just needed to sleep.
This had been the strangest dream ever.
24
Brandon
I didn’t know how I’d closed the circuit; I just knew that if I couldn’t, I would never see Whitney again. And I wasn’t sure I had anything but this lifetime to look forward to. I’d died once and stayed here. If there was an afterlife and she went to it, there was no guarantee I could join her.
I couldn’t lose her, not yet. She needed to have a long healthy life and I was going to be selfish and keep her here if I could.
I took a swig of the cold water Carson handed me and stared off into space. I wasn’t even sure exactly where we were anymore. This was a hospital they—whoever these people were—converted into some kind of lab. It felt medical, and that was all that I knew.
We were hustled into a group of rooms, all connecting, and told to wait. For what, I didn’t know. They had Whitney and the fact Dante wasn’t burning the place down meant he must have felt that the chances they could help her were still strong.
“We need to make a plan.” Isaiah walked to the window, staring outside. “We need a plan to grab Whit as soon as she’s better and get out of here, fast.”
“You heard Karlton,” Dante said. “What he gave her was a quick fix. It’s going to take time. You should have let me come alone.”
“Wasn’t happening,” Carson said. “We had to come with you. We’re stronger together.”
“I don’t like this either,” John agreed. “But I’m with Carson. At least this way we stand a chance. You’re a strong guy, Dante, but we don’t know how many of them are here.”
The door opened, and a young woman stood there. “Whitney’s stabilized. But we need Dr. Shelley now.”
I moved in front of him. “For what?”
Her eyes widened, and she took a step back. “I—I don’t know. He just told me to come get him. He’s in his office.”
Dante pushed me aside. “All right.”
“I’ll come with you,” I said right away.
“Dr. Karlton just wants him,” the girl said.
“Too bad,” I answered, but she was suddenly flanked by two Controlled. They weren’t in bad shape. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say they’d been turned recently. The girl stepped back again, clearly nervous to be in such close contact with them.
“If you refuse, I’m supposed to tell you that there are also Controlled guarding Whitney.” She seemed apologetic, but that did nothing to cool my anger.
“What?” Nick yelled. “You left her alone with zombies? Are you insane?”
“Enough.” Dante’s voice cut through the arguing like a knife. “Bring my friends to Whitlee. I’ll come with you.”
Her shoulders slumped with relief, and I wondered what kind of power Karlton held. “Thank you.” Perhaps she didn’t want to be here either.
We approached her, and the Controlled blinked. I’d never seen that before. For a moment, his milky blue eyes held an awareness, but it was swept away a second later.
She led us out of the room and down the hall. I studied each room as we passed by it. Some of the doors were barricaded, and through the safety glass, I could see Controlled pacing. In other rooms, though, people lay in hospital beds, hooked up to IVs and monitors.
“I think this was a rehab,” Dante said.
“Yes,” the girl answered. “The hospital was looted and burned, but this place had enough to get us going. Here.” She pointed down the hall. Sure enough, two looming Controlled stood in front of a door.
I recognized one right away and took off. “Get him away from her!” I yelled, grabbing Mace by the collar and pushing him away. The bigger man stumbled, but once righted, lumbered back to his place.
He wore the same clothes that Whitney had killed him in.
“You can go in.” She opened the door. Whitney lay on the bed, as pale as the sheets tucked around her. But her chest rose and fell with each breath.
I turned. Dante stared past me at her, but as if he could feel me watching him, he glanced at me. “She’s alive.”
I nodded, anxious to be inside, touching her and holding her hand in mine.
“Keep her that way,” he said.
I couldn’t focus on his order. Of course I would do everything in my power to keep her alive. We all would. But this was Mace and he might have the glazed look of the Controlled in his eyes, but he was still evil. In whatever form we found Mace, he was dangerous as hell. And it couldn’t be an accident he was here guarding Whit—considering she’d killed him.
“What am I missing?” John asked me, coming to my side.
I sighed. “Whit killed him. He tormented her for years. This is the guy who tortured her back in Roanoke. She blamed herself for your second death because she was dealing with him instead of saving you.”
He scrunched up his nose. “No way could she have saved me. I’ll talk to her about it when she’s better. That’s like blaming you for getting kidnapped in the first place.”
I sighed. Thanks for that. I hadn’t considered my own fault in that and now that little chestnut banged around in my head.
Isaiah laughed. “And there would be John’s foot in mouth disease rearing its ugly head.”
“What did I do?” He looked between us.
For the moment, Mace was contained. He would stay that way or I’d stick a stake through him and attach him to the door where he could live permanently displayed like a live zombie over a fireplace.
“What’s wrong with her?” Carson asked, placing his hand on Whit’s forehead. “She feels cooler.”
“It’s a flu.” Dr. Karlton entered the room. “One I designed, specifically. I see the irony here. The good news is that she will survive this because you got her to me. Otherwise, she’d be dead. So all of this is fortuitous. Dante, you’re with me.”
“Hold on.” I was sick to death of being dragged around. It was time to take control of our life. “You made this flu? What the fuck is the matter with you?”
He shrugged. “Illness is money. Population control is money. There is still fortune to be made in this new world. She’ll get better now. She only lived this long because of whatever weird psychic circuit you’re in.”
“Let me tell you something, Dr. Karlton, you’ll pay for this. You will know pain the likes of which you could never imagine. Before this is over, you will suffer. I can promise you that.”
The man blinked rapidly,
the only indication he’d heard me at all. “Come along, Dante. There’s fun to be had.”
Dante shot me a look that spoke volumes. He hated this. We were all stuck for the moment. But it would only be that long. A moment. Then vengeance.
25
Whitney
The sheets were cool against my body and the mattress soft. My eyes popped open as I processed the sensations. I hadn’t been comfortable since we’d had to leave our cottage.
Something was wrong.
Fluorescent lights buzzed above my head, an incessant noise that would turn the ache behind my eyes into a full-blown throb. Where was I? Where were the guys?
Anxiety made my heart pound, and I struggled to sit.
“Whoa.” Nick’s voice washed over me and just like that, I was okay. “Relax, Whitney. We’ve got you. You’re safe.”
It took a moment to focus on his face. Why was that? The world was still blurry, and I had to blink, over and over, to clear my sight. Nick was clear, but his edges were smudged, and everything around him was fuzzy.
I lifted my hands to rub my eyes, and felt a tug on the back of my hand. Like with Nick, it took me too long to figure out what I was seeing.
“Whitney.” John’s voice. But I couldn’t find him. In the direction of his voice was an outline, a shadow, but that was all I could make out.
“John?” I squinted and rubbed my eyes with shaking hands. I could feel myself descending into panic. The shadow moved closer and his features became clearer. I could see his worry, the way his eyebrows drew together and the downturn to his mouth.
“What’s wrong?” He knew it was something else, something not related to waking up in an unfamiliar room.
“Whit?” Brandon was here? I studied the room, my gaze flitting from corner to corner as I tried to pinpoint and identify each person.
“Are you all here?” My voice trembled, and I swallowed, trying to steady myself. “I can’t see you all.”
The room went silent except for the buzz and beeping of machines.
“You can’t see me?” Isaiah asked.
I tracked the sound of his voice with my eyes, but no, I couldn’t see him. “Oh God.” I couldn’t survive in this world if I couldn’t see. I couldn’t protect myself, and worse, I couldn’t protect the people I love.
“It’s going to be okay,” Brandon said. “You’ve been so sick, and you’re still getting well. Just relax and breathe. We’re all here, and we’re all okay.”
His words prompted me to let out the breath I’d been holding. With a laugh, I shook my head. “Okay.” I sucked in a breath and let it out again. “Okay.” I let myself sink back into the pillow and closed my eyes, trying to make sense of what Brandon had said. I was sick, but I was better now. Just not… all better.
“Tell me what’s happening,” John said. His voice was deep and commanding. I had to answer.
“She can’t see,” Nick answered. He took my hands and kissed them before resting his head on our clasped hands. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
He turned his head to study me. This close I could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes. “I can see,” I explained. “But not far away. I can’t see the room.” John was at the end of the bed. Isaiah next to him. Carson… “Where’s Carson?”
“I’m here.” He was in the nebulous space somewhere beyond the end of the bed. No. He came into focus from the side; he must have been standing behind Brandon.
“And Dante?” I wanted to account for all of them and surely Dante would know what was happening here. Why hadn’t he said anything yet?
Isaiah leaned over and kissed my cheek. “He’s not here right this second, but he’s okay and I don’t want you to worry about it. Okay?”
“Now why don’t I believe that? Where are we?”
“All things we’re going to explain,” Isaiah answered again. “Later.”
The door opened and someone entered the room. It was a few moments before I could even tell it was a woman, and it wasn’t someone I’d ever seen before. An older woman, with graying hair and dark brown eyes stared at me. “Whitney, I’m Doctor Monroe. I work here with Doctor Karlton.”
“What? I practically shouted. Why were we with Dante’s old boss? The evil man who did all the terrible experiments…
She ignored me. “How are you feeling?”
“She can’t see well.” That was Brandon who spoke. I didn’t know that I’d ever heard such hostility in his voice before.
“That’s a side effect of the medicine she was given. It’ll pass in time.” I didn’t like her. I didn’t like her matter-of-factness or that she could say she worked with Dr. Karlton without gagging.
She should have been horrified.
“You made a medicine with a side effect of blindness and I’m supposed to trust you?” I asked.
Dr. Monroe didn’t answer, but put her stethoscope around her neck and listened to me breathe. “Again,” she said, moving it to my back. “Your lungs are clear.” Sighing, she met my gaze. “It will wear off, but it keeps people from running away as soon as they feel better.”
“That’s fucked up,” Nick said.
The woman tucked her hair behind her ears. “It’s smart.” Crossing her arms, she stared him down. “Dr. Karlton is one of the most brilliant men in the world. And it’s because of him that you’re alive.” She pinned me with an angry glare. “You should be thankful.”
“Where’s Dante?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Dr. Shelley is working with Dr. Karlton for the near future. And he’s not going to be interrupted.”
“Get me out of this bed,” I said to Nick and anyone else who could still see. “Dante!” I yelled. “Dante!”
“Hush!” Dr. Monroe reached for me like she was going to cover my mouth with her hand, but Brandon blocked her.
“Whitney.” His eyes were wide, imploring me to listen. “You can’t move yet. Please.” He gripped my hands and squeezed them. “I’ve watched you die one too many times.”
I let out a breath. Dammit. “I want to see Dante.”
“You’re in no position to make demands,” Dr. Monroe said. “And I’m less inclined to give you what you want now than I was when I entered this room. You’re wasting my time, and if I have to put you in a medically induced coma not to waste Dr. Karlton’s and Dr. Shelley’s—”
“You touch her and I’ll kill you,” Nick said. The other guys moved between me and the doctor, pushing her away from the bed.
“Right.” I couldn’t see the woman anymore, but I could hear her angry voice. “I’ll speak with Dr. Shelley. He wants an update about her condition, and then we’ll be sending you on your way.”
“I’m not leaving without Dante,” I said.
No one answered.
They had to know this. There could be no question that we all left together. No one was left behind.
No matter what.
26
Carson
The doctor spared us a short glance and then she spun on her heel and left.
“You make quite a first impression, Whit,” Nick joked, but it fell flat. She’d hit on the very thing that had been going around and around in my mind.
How were we going to get out of here with Dante?
They wanted us to leave. Great. I was ready to be gone. But by now, I knew Whitney better than anyone and what she said was the truth. The only way she’d be leaving here was with Dante.
And if she didn’t leave—we didn’t leave. “Isaiah, let’s get back to that idea you had about planning an escape.”
He nodded. “I want to. But I need to really have a look around. I think I’m going to accidentally get lost. Anyone want to accidentally get lost with me?”
I did. “I’m in. Whitney, you need to try to relax. For now, Dante is safe. I get that you want us all together. We all want that, I assure you. No one is leaving without Dante.”
I followed Isaiah out of the room, passing Mace who guarded the door even as we closed it b
ehind us. I shot Isaiah a look and he nodded. Mace made no move to stop us leaving. That told me a lot. The man wasn’t there to keep Isaiah or me inside. No, he was solely there for Whitney. Why? Why was she more… concerning or valuable to them?
If I’d been back in my life before death I’d have made an argument about it in my mind. Your Honor, there is more than circumstantial evidence. There is firsthand account that the Controlled named Mace was there for the sole purpose of…
I couldn’t figure out the end to the sentence, but I would. Why was guarding Whit so much more important than keeping the rest of us inside? It wasn’t like they wanted her to stay. They were kicking us all out. It must have had to do with Dante. It always had to do with Dante. Poor guy. He’d kept us all alive, or the closest thing to it, for so long just on the sheer strength of his will and a little know-how.
Now we needed to do the same for him.
“This way.” Isaiah picked up speed, taking the next turn to the left. “I used to visit my mother in a place like this. She wasn’t well, mentally. Maybe that’s why she took on my stepfather. I don’t know, and I’m not going to speculate right now. Anyway, I’m sure we’re going to reach a place where we can’t go any farther. The trick will be to figure out how to get through that. It’ll be where the nurse used to sit buzzing people in and out. I could be wrong but this seems like a similar set up. Hell, maybe it’s the same place. I really don’t know one place from another anymore. It’s like that time before I died is starting to fade.”
I turned to him, his words a startling statement that banged around in my mind. “Really? That isn’t happening to me yet.”
Isaiah shook his head. “I’m out a lot longer than you are, kid.”
I rolled my eyes at the name. In life, Zero wasn’t much older than me. I might even be older. But yes, he’d died earlier and escaped Dex sooner than I had. Was I going to lose the sense of my life before?
Thunder Rolling Page 10
