by Vicki Leigh
“Now we let the humans clean up our mess,” one of the men answered. “And in a few days, the whole country will be infected. All it takes is a little of this blood in an open wound as small as a pinprick. I bet you half the country will be dead in a few months.” Oh no. “Let’s go.”
Richard’s followers ran out the back door, laughing and clapping one another on the back. Heat burned my face, and my hands clenched. They just slaughtered hundreds of people, and they were celebrating. Those wankers were going to get what was coming to them.
I waited until the room was so silent I could hear the air conditioner running. Keeping my hands on Kayla so she remained invisible, I turned just enough to survey the rest of the room. The shooters were gone, but the sight before me left me shivering.
Children, teens, and adults, male and female, piled on top of one another throughout the room, covered in blood. Not all of it their own. Some stared at the ceiling with glassy eyes, others lay face down, and some were still wrapped in the arms of their loved ones.
“Oh my God,” Kayla said, her voice shaking.
Her fear shot me full of adrenaline. I went visible and took her face in my hands. “Are you all right?”
Her gaze flicked around the room, unable to linger on one body too long. She dug her nails into my arms again.
“Kayla, are you hurt?” I asked more forcefully.
Catching my stare, she shook her head and sat up, her eyes filling with tears. Kayla tucked her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her shins. She jumped when one of the corpses slid off another.
“Stay here,” I said, then stood and knelt next to one of the bodies. It was a woman in her thirties. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, her lips slightly parted. My stomach caught in my throat, and I let out a short puff of air before ripping her shirt where the bullet had gone through.
I jerked back, cringing. Dark, spidery veins covered her torso, originating from her wound. Around it, her skin was black. Like the arrow that had pierced me, the bullets must have been laced with poison. Damn. That was why they’d chosen machine guns over all the elements at their disposal. Even the blood of the dead could be carriers for Margaret’s disease.
I dug my nails into my palms. We were too late. Richard’s apocalypse had begun.
Jumping up, I caught a glimpse of a small, silver box. Slowly, I stepped around the dead bodies then crouched next to it. On the cube were the same markings as the bracelet Alan had slapped on my wrist. This was how they’d kept me from evaporating without Richard being present.
Knowing it wouldn’t be long before the police arrived, I returned to Kayla. She stared at a single spot on the floor and trembled from head to toe. I held her face in my hands.
“We need to get out of here, love. Come on.”
She didn’t respond.
“Baby, I need you to get up.”
She didn’t move.
I ran a hand down my face. Not good. I lifted Kayla into my arms and carried her, invisible, out one of the building’s side doors. When we were far enough from the building to be free of the spell box’s range, I evaporated to the parking garage.
Seth and Tabbi were already there. Tabbi’s eyes matched the color of her red hair.
Guys, talk to me, I sent to the rest of my team as I motioned for Seth to open one of the van’s passenger doors. I sat Kayla in one of the seats. She turned sideways and curled into a ball.
Sam’s hit, Nolan said. One of Trishna’s recruits is coming to get us.
Seth and I stared at each other. My heart raced, and my eyes burned. Stay with her, I replied. Promise me you won’t leave her side.
Yeah, of course.
A male voice I didn’t recognize—it had to be one of the recruits—called out to us: Team, Bartholomew’s asking everyone to please return to Caelum immediately. Stay away from the big cities, and keep your eyes, ears, and minds open. Travel slowly, and do not—I repeat, do not—evaporate or stop near the gate to Caelum until you’re one hundred percent sure you haven’t been followed.
Why hadn’t Trishna sent that message?
Ivan popped in. “Abigail’s dead.”
Seconds later, Lian and Shawn showed up. Both were bloody, but neither appeared to be injured. I let out a huge breath. Thank God most of us had made it out unscathed.
Lian ran into Ivan’s arms. He dropped his face into her black hair, muttering in Russian.
“Let’s move,” Shawn said, sliding into the driver’s seat.
Nodding, I climbed into the middle of the van, opposite Kayla, then Lian and Ivan snuggled into the back, next to Tabbi. Seth joined Shawn up front, and we raced out of the parking garage.
The city was in absolute chaos. Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks flew past us. Helicopters soared above, and news crews parked on every corner. People stood on sidewalks, screaming, crying, and clinging to one another. And in sections where many had congregated—like Franklin Square—dead bodies lined the streets, sidewalks, and grass.
Shawn flicked on the radio.
“About twenty minutes ago, across the United States, several major cities were hit in what the president is now calling a massive terrorist attack. Thousands are presumed dead, but the official count will not be available for several days. If you have family or friends in any of these following cities, please contact your local authorities if you cannot reach them: Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Houston, Denver, Indianapolis—”
A loud wail filled the van as Kayla broke down. She covered her face and sobbed.
“Turn the radio off,” I said, hopping out of my seat to kneel at her feet. I squeezed between her knees, rubbed her arms, and spoke as gently as I could. “Hey, you’re coming out of shock. You need to try to calm down.”
Kayla shook her head, gripping her stomach as she rocked. “They’re all dead. Even the little kids. And my dad… He’s the one… All those people…” As she moaned loudly, her shoulders curled over her chest.
I pulled her to me, and she dug her face into the side of my neck, pulling handfuls of my shirt into her fists. Kayla sobbed, drenching my skin with her tears. I swallowed deep, blinking hard. For weeks, she’d tried so hard to stay strong. There’d been crying, but nothing like this. Her compassionate heart must not have been able to take any more.
I closed my eyes, rubbed her back, and stroked her hair. The sight of all those bodies had made me sick, and I’d seen a lot of death. For Kayla to have been witness to genocide… I’d give my right hand to reach into her mind and remove the memory of all those bodies, all that blood, and all those wicked screams.
Kayla rocked in my arms, gripping my shirt tighter and gasping for air.
Baby, breathe, I said, kissing her temple.
“Daniel, bring her back here so she can lie down,” Lian said. “We’ll switch seats.”
Crouching to protect their heads, Lian and Ivan maneuvered through the van to the other captain’s chair, and when Lian was on his lap, I ushered Kayla to the back. Tabbi moved to the seat opposite Lian and Ivan, and then Kayla lay across the bench, placing her head in my lap. She curled into the fetal position and cried through closed lips. I draped an arm over her shoulders and twined my fingers with hers. With the other hand, I stroked her hair. Ti amo, rosa mia.
There was no point in trying to convince her everything would be all right. We’d had a chance to stop all of this, and we’d failed. I clenched my jaw, swallowing nausea. My body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, and I sunk into the seat, hopelessness filling every vein—like there was no point in leaving this van again.
With my fingertips moving rhythmically through Kayla’s hair, I tipped my head back, closing my eyes. I let the sound of the tires on pavement flood my senses and closed out every thought and emotion that passed through me. Feeling hurt too much, like knives digging into my gut. Shut down, there was only the hum of the van, the beat of my heart, and the warmth of Kayla’s soft hand in mine.
Eventually, her cries turned into sniffles, and then she was silent. I glanced down. Kayla’s eyes were red and swollen, but the hard lines in her forehead had softened with her slumber. Knowing I couldn’t turn myself off from the world forever, I used the quiet time to check in with Nolan.
How’s Sam?
We’re in Caelum, but it’s not looking good. His voice was quiet and sad, each word drawn out like he didn’t want to admit the truth. Trishna’s sick, he continued, like you were. One of the other healers was able to close Sam’s wounds, but now Sam’s feverish, too.
I grimaced and dug my nails into my free hand. I’d dreaded the possibility of infecting Trishna, and now her poor health was my fault. To know Samantha was ill, also… At least they hadn’t seized and died like Richard’s Catcher, Alan. Richard said after three days, they’d wake. I’d have to bank on that.
Keep Sam comfortable, I said. Hopefully she’ll wake soon. We’ll be there as fast as we can.
Yeah, well, you guys might want to stay quarantined when you get to a hotel, no matter what Bartholomew says. At least for the night. Apparently, this poison shit is more contagious than we thought. There are at least twenty people on cots in here, and two have died.
Every atom in my body turned to stone. Maybe Seth and Tabbi were safe; I didn’t think either of them had come in contact with anyone. I looked up at Lian and Shawn. But both of them had. And Ivan had come in contact with the poison, too, the moment he touched his girlfriend. Lian was covered in blood.
We needed to check for any possible contamination—and fast.
“Pull over,” I said.
“Why?” Shawn asked.
“Because you could be sick.”
Tabbi flipped her head around to look at me, and Shawn pulled off the side of the road. I nudged Kayla awake and told everyone to climb out of the van. By now, the sun was dropping, and above the trees, the sky was a beautiful shade of orangey-pink. Funny how lovely the world could be when it was so close to possibly ending.
“What’s going on, Daniel?” Ivan asked.
“Everyone, look at yourselves. Do you have any open wounds?”
They checked their bodies for marks—and, of course, Seth spun like a dog chasing its tail—but we didn’t get very far. “One of the bullets grazed me before I could take Shawn invisible, but it didn’t bleed much,” Lian said.
My mouth dried. Damn. I’d really hoped we’d managed to avoid being scathed. “Where?”
“My shoulder,” she replied.
I approached her, eyeing Ivan for permission to check. When he nodded, I raised her sleeve. Near where her collarbone met her left shoulder blade, a small scratch cut her pale skin. From the wound twisted small lines of dark veins.
Ivan’s breath caught, and my heart leaped into my throat.
“Is that…” Tabbi started.
I nodded. “Lian’s been poisoned. We need to find a hotel. Now.”
e stopped at the nearest Super 8 off the turnpike and paid for two adjacent rooms. Lian was adamant she was fine and didn’t need to stop, but Ivan’s worry for her was visible in every deep line on his face. He wouldn’t contradict her, but I knew if this were Kayla, I’d want to keep her comfortable until I was sure she wouldn’t succumb to seizing.
After getting keys for the two rooms, Ivan and Lian took one while the rest of us squeezed into the other. Not truly understanding how Margaret’s virus worked, the last thing we wanted was for anyone to stay with Lian—except Ivan, who refused to leave her alone.
As soon as I dropped my bag off, I visited her. Not like I could get sick again. Our rooms opened to the outside, and a wave of humidity suffocated me as I crossed to next door.
Lian yelled at Ivan in her native language as I entered the room. Spotting me, she continued in English. Chinese dialects were of the few languages I couldn’t speak. “You, too, Daniel. We don’t need to stop for me.”
I waved her over. “Let me see your shoulder.”
She’d changed into a tank top, and even from the doorway, the dark veins were like tattoos across her chest. Unlike when Richard’s Dreamcatcher had come in contact with the poison, Lian wasn’t sickening quickly. Maybe she’d combat the illness, fall into a coma, and wake up three days later. But she’d also just been grazed, which meant she may not have had as much poison enter her system. Her reaction might just be delayed. I didn’t let my fear show as she neared me, though my stomach felt crushed like a tin can under an elephant’s foot.
Up close, sweat covered her face, and the skin around her eyes had darkened. She might not get as sick as I had, but she was still going to feel miserable. I moved her shoulder, turning it slightly so I could get a better look. She winced.
“Ivan, I don’t want you touching this. Keep an eye on her, but don’t come in contact with her blood,” I said.
“But there’s not even a scratch on my body,” he replied.
“I don’t care. Apparently it doesn’t take much more than a wound the size of pinprick to be susceptible. I can’t risk you getting sick, too.”
He groaned.
“This is ridiculous,” Lian said. “You’re being too concerned. I’m fine.” As if on cue, her eyelids drooped, and her legs buckled. I caught her before she could collapse.
“Gospodi, Lian!” Ivan rushed to her side.
I lifted her onto one of the beds. “Cold rag, Ivan. Hurry.” Lian’s forehead was on fire.
She swore in Mandarin then screamed, squirming and reaching to scratch the wound on her arm. I grabbed her hand and held it at her side before her nails could dig into the open skin. Again, she screamed, and Ivan returned with the cold washrag, pressing it to her forehead. Lian locked eyes with him. I could tell by the way his eyes fell that they spoke telepathically. Then her lids fluttered shut, and her hand fell limp in mine. As fast as I’d passed out in Caelum, Lian had, too.
Ivan leaned forward, his dark eyes full of tears, and kissed his girlfriend on the forehead. I rested Lian’s hand on her stomach and touched my friend’s shoulder.
“She’s going to be all right,” I said. “Don’t give up on her.”
He nodded, his gaze never leaving Lian’s face. Seeing him filled me with an image of what Kayla must’ve looked like when I’d been unconscious. I ground my teeth. No one should ever have to watch a loved one suffer.
“Here, Ivan,” Kayla said from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. She set an ice bucket on the nightstand. The outside was frosted, and water filled the container. “It helps if you have cold water next to the bed so you can keep the rag chilled. I froze the outside to keep it cold for a while.”
Ivan nodded, brushing Lian’s hair from her face. A corner of my mouth twitched, wanting to smile, but my heart hurt too much. My friends were in so much pain. Instead, I sunk into the mattress, praying this war ended soon.
Kayla touched my arm. “Come on. Let’s go next door.”
I nodded, patting Ivan’s shoulder again, and rose from the bed. In the doorway, Seth and Tabbi stood, their hands grasped like siblings, and near the window, Shawn watched, his dark face ashen. I turned to Kayla. “Do you know the warding spells?”
She nodded. “I already put them up. Nightmares can’t get in.”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I drew her close and kissed the side of her head. We followed the others out of the room, pulling the door shut behind us. Seth, Tabbi, and Shawn entered the adjacent room, but when Kayla trailed behind them, I let go.
“I need a minute,” I said, my fingers twitching. The longing for a punching bag was overwhelming.
Kayla narrowed her eyes and shut the door to the other room, staying outside with me.
I sighed.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I simply need to clear my head. Join the others.”
She rubbed her arms. “It’s okay. I don’t mind being out here with you.” But her gaze darted across the parking lot. The way she’d handled herself with Ivan and Lian told me she’d calmed
since the attack in Philadelphia, but she was still as frightened as I was—though I hated to admit it.
“I was going to go for a jog. Sure you want to stay with me?” I asked. Truth was: I probably would’ve ended up punching trees or shattering car windshields to calm my anger and my nerves. But a good, long run would do the trick, too. Except, with Kayla beside me, I wouldn’t be able to sprint until I vomited. She wouldn’t last that long.
Kayla bit her lip. “Can we maybe just talk or something?”
I sighed; I hated talking. Punching things was much more satisfying. “Yeah, all right. But first sign of Nightmares, we race back to the room.”
She nodded.
Eyeing a spot of grass next to the motel’s parking lot, I took Kayla’s hand in mine and walked until we reached the lawn. Together, we plopped on the earth and lay on our backs, staring at the clear, dark blue sky.
“I’m sure Lian will be fine,” Kayla said.
I agreed but didn’t reply. There was no point. Even when Lian recovered, thousands of people would continue to fall ill or die. Richard had doomed the world to a terrible fate, and we’d done nothing to stop him. Lian would simply wake to more death and destruction. She deserved so much better.
“I talked to Nolan,” she continued. “He said lots of people were getting sick in Caelum. What do we do now?”
I flinched at the mention of Nolan’s name, remembering I still kept his secret from Kayla. But now was not the time to share it, even if I wanted to. She’d gone through too many emotions today. “I don’t know. Bartholomew’s called us back, so after we check in, we keep up the search for Richard, I guess. We try to stop whatever he’s planning next.”
Her hand stiffened in mine. A warm, summer breeze blew across my body, and lightning bugs danced above us. Kayla stared at the sky, an arm behind her head. Moonlight glistened in her watery eyes. I ran my fingertips along her neck, untucking a long strand of dark hair from her cleavage.
“We will end this,” I said, moving my gaze from her chest before I got carried away. “I can promise you that. One way or another, Richard will get what he deserves.”
