I break the silence this time. “What’s out here?”
“It could be a hunting cabin,” says Patrick. “I know that Raul and his dad used to go hunting a lot.” Looking over his shoulder toward the way we came, he continues, “It makes sense. Otherwise, why would there be a path?”
“Let’s just keep going,” I say. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
As soon as the shack comes into view, I realize that Eric isn’t here to help “dim” my focus. There’s still a five-minute drive ahead, but I know that I’ll be blind if I can’t figure out how to “turn off” my ability. In a near panic, I reach over and grab Patrick’s arm.
“What?” he asks. “We’re almost there. What are you doing?”
“I’m still zoomed in,” I say, a little tight-lipped. “I don’t know how to stop it.” I can feel my pulse pounding in my head, and I bite my lip to keep calm. “It’s so bright, and Eric’s not here. I don’t know what to do.”
Briefly taking his eyes off the path, he looks at me and says matter-of-factly, “If you can turn it on, then you can turn it off.”
My breathing quickens, and I tighten my grip on his arm.
“Stop acting like a baby,” he says, “and figure out what you need to do.”
I close my eyes and try to slow my breathing. “Ok,” I say, trying to calm myself. “Maybe it’s like meditation. I just need to breathe and relax.”
I remember listening to a YouTube recording last year when I was having trouble falling asleep. I think about the lady’s words and tell myself to “relax my toes, relax my ankles, relax my legs.” Once I tell myself to relax my neck and chin, I’m ready to try to open my eyes.
I crack the left lid slightly and peer out. A giggle of glee escapes my lips when I realize that my vision has returned to normal.
“Good?” asks Patrick.
I turn to look at him and smile when there’s no glowing outline shining back at me. With a sigh of relief, I reply, “Good.”
“Perfect timing,” he says. “Because we’re here.”
Out the front windshield I see a weather-beaten, wood cabin with two small windows and a warped front porch. A small stack of logs sits to the left of the door, and a cast iron skillet hangs from the outer wall.
I jump from the car before Patrick comes to a complete stop and scream for my friends. “Raul! Kat! We’re here! We’re here!”
I fly up the three little steps leading to the porch, try lifting the latch, and begin pounding on the door. “Raul! Open up! It’s me! Everything’s ok now.” I beat harder on the door. “Raul! Open the door! We can go home now.”
No one moves inside the cabin, so I squeeze harder on the latch. When it still doesn’t move, I cross over to the small window and look in. The area is dark, but the morning light reveals a small room with a couple of chairs, a table, and fireplace.
I peer across the space and see Kat lying on a bed. Standing beside her, with a shocked expression, is Raul.
I tap on the window to get his attention. “Raul! It’s me! You can open the door now. It’s safe.”
Patrick joins me on the porch, and we both watch as Raul reaches up to rub his neck and stretch his back.
“What’s he doing?” asks Patrick. “Why isn’t he opening the door?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s in shock or something. Who knows what all he’s seen, and he’s got to be tired from carrying Kat all this way.” I tap on the window again. “Raul? Won’t you please open the door?”
After what feels like forever, Raul slowly walks across the room and lifts the latch. The door opens a crack, and I push my way in. Throwing my arms around his neck, I pull him to me and hug tightly. His hands caress my back as he returns the embrace.
“I was so worried,” I say. “I’m so glad you’re ok.”
Releasing him, I push back on his shoulders and look at his face. “How’s Kat?”
I turn toward the bed before he can reply. Patrick has already reached Kat and is feeling her pulse. I rush to the opposite side of the bed and grab her hand. “Kat?” I lightly squeeze her fingers and then look at Raul. “What happened to her?”
His response is robotic and short. “Head wound.”
I frown, place her hand upon her stomach, then sit on the cot and begin a gentle examination of my friend. As I slip my hand beneath her head to feel for any blood or swelling, Patrick stands and approaches Raul. “There are a few things in the back seat of the car that need to be moved into the trunk,” says Patrick. “Can you help me? Then we’ll load up Kat and take her to your house.”
Patrick starts toward the door, and Raul speaks, “Why are you here?”
With his hand on the knob, Patrick turns to explain. “We got back early this morning, and it was too late to return to the commune, so I went inside your house. After helping the others, Mya found you two. I offered to drive her out here to get you. She could see that you were carrying Kat. I thought a car would help.” Then gesturing to Kat, he asks, “What happened last night?”
Raul begins walking toward the door. “Let’s go clean out your car, and I’ll fill you in.”
The boys leave, and I continue to try to wake Kat. Her eyelids flutter a couple of times, but she doesn’t rouse. “Kat, I need you to wake up,” I command. “Katrina Miller. Open your eyes right now.”
Again, the lids spasm, but never fully open. “Keep trying,” I say. “We’ll go home real soon. You can see your dad and Matthew. I don’t know what all you saw last night, but your dad is going to be just fine.”
I lean over and whisper into her ear, “Emily’s at the house. You won’t believe it Kat, but she’s got some new abilities too. She’ll get you all fixed up as soon as she sees you.”
I reclaim her hand and rub small circles across her knuckles. Alarmed by a loud noise outside, I spin toward the entry. A form stumbles across the threshold, slams the door, and positions the lock. Fear colors my voice, “What’s happening? Where’s Patrick?...Raul?”
A weak voice from the bed echoes my distress, “Raul?”
My mouth hangs open in both anxiety and surprise. I quickly glance down at my friend and see her eyes open. Her hand reaches outward, and she repeats her call. “Raul.”
“Yes, he’s here,” I say, bending down so she can see my face. “But something’s happening. Stay right here.”
I scoot off the bed and run to my boyfriend. Grabbing his arm, I ask, “What is it? Are you ok? Who’s out there?”
Raul brusquely grabs my upper arms. “Why did you come here? You couldn’t just stay away. Now you’re going to die too.”
A startled gasp clogs my throat. “No,” I choke out. “No, we’re going home. I’ll do something. I’ll protect us.”
His grip tightens, and I try to wiggle away. “You’re hurting me. Let go.”
I lift my chin and look into Raul’s eyes. Gone is the lively twinkle that used to sparkle down at me. Now, I see only emotionless, dark orbs staring back.
“You were always different,” he murmurs, more to himself than me. “You never demanded a lot of notice, you were happy being in the background. Those others needed people to look at them and gossip. They created all sorts of spectacles and fuss so that everyone would give them attention.”
He clenches his hands a bit more and gives me a shake. “So, I gave them attention. Now, all of Harrow talks about them.”
Still struggling to be free of his grasp, my brow furrows in confusion, and my eyes squint. “What? Who are you talking about? Raul, let go. We need to help Patrick.”
“He’s dead.”
“WHAT!”
A gasp from behind me sounds as Kat struggles to sit up.
“Please, Raul,” she whispers. “Please stop.”
“This is all your fault!” he screams at her. “You’re just like the others. Emotionally needy and always drawing attention to yourself. You just had to have Mya’s attention. She’s always running to you, always protectin
g you.”
Like a forgotten toy, Raul flings me aside and advances on Kat. “Before abandoning me last night, Mya told me to give you attention. I’m giving you the same attention as I gave Maisy and Sarah. Too bad for you, the town is much smaller since the flare, so there won’t be as many people talking about your death, but you’ve got Mya’s attention now, so you can wallow in that.”
Pushing myself up from the floor, I run across the room and position myself between the two. “Raul, stop. You can’t mean what you’re saying. Kat’s our friend. You don’t want to hurt her.”
For a moment, my eyes lock with the kind and funny boy who I love. “I would’ve done anything for you,” he says. “I should’ve gotten Eric’s power. I’m your protector. I even killed those men for you.”
Raul’s train of thought is all over the place, and he’s taking credit for killing everybody in town. “What men? The ones from the garden? You think you killed them?” I ask. “But you were hurt; you were knocked unconscious. You couldn’t have done it.”
“Of course I could,” he snarls and leans in toward me. “I killed them and then charged the boulder. Mr. Miller figured it out and asked me about it yesterday. I couldn’t have him smearing my family’s good name to everyone. Then I remembered that you asked me to kill Kat.”
I shake my head vehemently and grimace while I take a few steps backward to distance myself from Raul. The back of my knees hit the cot, and I reach out a hand to steady myself. “No,” I say forcefully. “No, I would never ask that.”
A crazy grin lifts the corners of his mouth, and he nods. “Yes. You did. As you left, you told me to give her attention. So, I did…and I will.”
“You’re just tired, Raul. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Oh, I know,” he sneers. “But don’t you worry. You and I’ll have some time alone real soon.”
Before I can respond, his hand shoots out and slaps me across the face. My neck snaps to the left, and I scream, just as his foot slams into my right ankle and sweeps my feet from underneath me. My head is about to impact the floor, when he suddenly grabs my arm, yanks me upward, and throws me across the room into the small table. Over his shoulder, he calls out, “I’ll give you more attention in a minute.”
I grasp my stinging cheek and scream, “Raul!” When he doesn’t respond, I try to stand; but my ankle can’t bear the weight, and I collapse onto the broken bits of wood.
Kat attempts to flee from the cot, but she lacks the strength. I drag myself across the floor, watching as Raul kneels above her and encircles her throat with his large hands. Her fingers flex and claw at his arms and cheeks, but he isn’t fazed.
Broken glass suddenly flies across the room, and a hand reaches through the small window by the front door. Raul pauses in his attack to watch Patrick lift the lock and rush inside the shed.
Like a wannabe linebacker, Patrick slams into Raul and knocks him off the bed. The boys lock arms and begin a frenzied roll on the floor.
Having the advantage of size, Raul quickly gains the upper hand, climbs to his feet, and grips the smaller boy by the neck. After lifting Patrick high into the air, Raul snarls and throws him to the ground, like spiking a football.
Patrick’s body slowly crumples into a pile and remains motionless. Raul wipes his arm across his face while walking past me and prepares to re-engage with Kat.
With a swiftness that I didn’t know I have, I reach out and grab his ankle. Before he can kick me away, I summon my electricity and send a stunning voltage up his leg.
Raul’s body begins to spasm, but I maintain my hold. His head jerks backward, and his jaw drops. My arm shakes in unison with his leg, but I don’t let go, until urine travels down the front of his pants and hits my hand. Without my energy to keep him upright, Raul’s body collapses.
For several minutes, I lay on the ground gasping for breath and trying to wrap my head around what just happened. My boyfriend is a killer.
I know it’s a double standard to think that it’s ok for me to kill people, yet it’s bad for Raul to do it. I get it; a killer is still a killer.
But, I killed only in self-defense. Raul stalked those girls. He strangled them and staged them for the entire town to see. To top it off, he planned to kill Kat and me too. I don’t think that’s something that I can rationalize into being an acceptable action.
Movement on the bed brings me out of my heartache, and I lift my head. Kat is struggling to slide off the bed toward me. “Stay there,” I say. “You’re hurt. Let me check on Patrick.”
My ankle is beginning to swell, but all the trauma that I’ve endured has made me almost numb to the pain. I crawl across the floor until I’m next to Patrick. As gently as I can, I reach out and inspect his body for broken bones.
The hair on the back of his head is matted with blood, and a bruise is forming on his face. With much effort, I tug his body away from the wall and lay him flat on the floor. “Patrick,” I call out. “Patrick, please wake up. We need to get out of here, and I can’t carry you.”
He moans, and tears of relief fill my eyes. “Patrick, you’re such a jerk,” I say facetiously. “I can’t believe you just risked your life for us. You took on Raul…I guess, maybe we’re friends now, huh?”
I lift the bottom of his shirt and attempt to tear off a strip to wrap around his head. His eyes open, and his hand slowly raises. “This is my best shirt,” he swats at me and says, “don’t do that.”
Happy that he’s awake, I raise both hands in surrender. “I’m just glad I don’t have to drag your heavy butt outta here.”
While Patrick struggles to sit up, I crawl to the bed. Using my left foot, I lever myself upward and collapse beside Kat, then wrap my arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re ok,” I say. “Think you can walk?”
She swallows and reaches up to rub her neck. I can’t see any bruising, but I know it’s there. A tiny sound whispers from her throat as she bobs her head up and down. She’s lucky that Raul didn’t crush her windpipe before Patrick distracted him.
I place her arm over my shoulder and take ahold of her hand. “We can help each other stand and get out to the car. It’ll be slow, but we’ll make it.”
Just as we start to rise, I sense movement from Raul and begin frantically pulling on Kat’s arm. “Now! We’ve got to move now!”
Like an injured animal that’s ready to strike, Raul climbs to his feet and lets out a fierce growl. Shivers run down my arms and legs, causing me to lose my balance, and we fall back onto the bed.
“WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME, MYA!” he roars.
I raise my hand and turn my palm toward him. “I don’t want to hurt you Raul. Just let us leave.”
He lunges forward a step and grabs a nearby chair for support. “You already hurt me. You’re a bad girlfriend. Now, it’s time. I’m going to give you a little attention.”
Raul stands tall and rolls his shoulders backward. His fists are clenched, and his face is bright red. His chest heaves with a deep inhale, and in a burst of motion, he charges.
Milliseconds pass, and I fear what I must now do. I blink, and he’s nearly upon me. I throw my other hand into the air and hope that he’ll stop. Beside me, Kat also extends her arms, and together we scream, “Noooo!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
A powerful force erupts inside the small cabin. Like a contained tornado, deafening winds spin around the room causing all loose debris to fly through the air. The initial thrust of the explosion pummels into Patrick. Still seated on the floor, his eyes widen in fear just before the commanding current flings his arms apart and sends him sliding into a corner.
The backlash of wind steals my breath and plasters me to the bed. My arms cement to the itchy, green blanket, as my hips press firmly into the mattress. The gale’s intensity bends my knees and pushes my feet backward, while it lifts my hair and tugs at my scalp.
Beside me, Kat is also pinned. Like an Irish dancer, her arms remain firmly at her sides, while her
dark curls bounce wildly above her head. From my peripheral vision, I see that her sight is glued to the center of the cabin.
The primary intensity of the burst is directed at Raul. He has become an indoor skydiver, with his body lifting easily from the ground and flying upward. The blood drains from his face, and his arms and legs flail in the air. Opening his mouth to scream, he’s silenced quickly, as the wind coats his tongue and steals all sound. In an instant, the airstream shifts, bouncing Raul up and sideways, passing him around like a soccer ball, until finally hurling him into the fireplace.
The air settles, and once again, I’m able to move. Kat is staring at the ceiling, and I see puddling in her eyes. Propping myself up on my right elbow, I lean over to get her attention. “I think it’s over now,” I whisper in relief.
She blinks, and the tears slowly drain toward her ears. Her bottom lip trembles, and the tears come faster. “Is he dead?”
Across the room, Raul’s wrecked body lies awkwardly upon the fireplace hearth. His right arm and leg are trapped beneath his torso, and his left appendages are nothing more than broken twigs. His head rests upon the iron grate, but the odd angle leaves his lifeless eyes gazing up through the flue.
“Yes,” I say bluntly. “I believe he’s dead, this time.”
She dips her chin repetitively and rolls over onto her side. Pulling her legs into a child’s pose, she covers her face with both hands and weeps.
I glance over my shoulder to study Raul’s twisted body. He was my first crush. He made me feel special, and he made me laugh. I went to sleep each night dreaming of him, and I imagined growing old together and still holding hands.
After a bit, I turn my gaze to Patrick. He’s seated against the wall with his legs stretched out now, but he hasn’t moved from the corner. His arms rest in his lap, and his head leans backward. Through narrowed eyes, he looks at me. After a few seconds, his eyebrows raise in silent communication. They ask, “Can we go?”
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