Reality Hero

by Ashlynn Monroe

  Do I go to one sister and risk losing the other? Zane cursed himself for leaving his search for Dina. If it was a trap he was damned, but after seeing what was happening to Ella, he couldn’t leave her with those men another minute. Zane had been in the lab before. The same room where he’d spent his most harrowing moments as a child, clinging weakly to life.

  Chapter 18

  Time elapsed around Ella, and after awhile, she felt as if she wanted to try to reach her friends again. She’d never been telepathic before, but it seemed she was now. She hoped Hazel Eyes wasn’t blocking her thoughts somehow. Closing her eyes, she visualized Zane. She saw through his eyes for a moment. It was dark, and he was looking for her. He was not completely back to being himself. His pain and frustration radiated out of his mind. She did not want to die at the hands of the predecessors of the monsters that mutated her.

  “Zane, help me. I need you. I’m in the lab. Come to me.”

  Ella felt as if Zane heard her, but she wasn’t one hundred percent sure. She focused on her sister’s face, remembering Dina’s voice. With all her determination, she called out to Dina. She knew her sister felt her call, and the desperate plea for help. The echo of Dina’s confusion touched Ella’s thoughts. She wasn’t able to get through as clearly. Ian’s electrical force interfered. Dina wasn’t in any position to help her, but Ella wanted her to know she was still alive.

  Cold caused Ella to shiver. She sent her thoughts out, trying to reach Hazel Eyes. She pushed her mind at him as hard as she could. He was blocking her out effectively. She pounded angrily on the box.

  “I thought you have control over her?” one of the soldiers asked.

  “She’s still in the box, isn’t she? I’m keeping her from escaping. I can’t make her happy about it,” Hazel Eyes replied.

  She heard the muffled reply, but it didn’t do anything except irritate her.

  Hours passed before they finally took her out of the box. When Ella saw the room, she screamed in terror. Agony coursed through her blood with the adrenaline. She’d suspected they were bringing her there, but seeing it was terrible. She’d promised herself she’d never see this place again, but there she was. They’d brought her back to the dungeon. Everything was almost exactly as she remembered. She began having trouble breathing. Ella struggled, trying with all her might to turn into anything—vapor, liquid, even acid, she didn’t care. She just wanted to escape.

  When she stared angrily at Hazel Eyes, he looked away. Hate filled her as she gazed at the cold-hearted traitor. He was helping the very people he despised. Ella tried to send her thoughts out to Zane, but panic made it hard to focus. She needed him more than she’d ever needed anything in her life. If he’d just pop in and pop out with her, she’d be okay.

  She needed to find some way to get rid of Hazel Eyes. If he could hinder her abilities, he could do the same to Zane. It would be terrible if they were both trapped, at the mercy of these men. For a moment, she could feel Zane’s indecision. He wanted to go after her sister very badly, and she felt the guilt of knowing that she’d taken rescue away from Dina. If Dina were careful, she’d be safe. These men wanted to take her apart like a puzzle. She felt their dark intentions with her new ability, and it made her sick. The gangly one with the lazy eye was really eyeing her up. He liked pain, and she knew he was going to enjoy what they intended far more than in a scientific manner. Cringing, she closed her eyes. If she lived through this, she’d definitely need to see her therapist again.

  Zane understood what she needed. As soon as she got rid of Hazel Eyes, she’d call for him. It became almost impossible not to call for Zane when the first man grabbed her and pulled her to an exam table. They began to strap her down, and she desperately fought to look at Hazel Eyes. She sent her fear to him in waves of the memories of what happened to her and her friends. He looked away from her. She knew he wasn’t going to help her. She silently begged him for release, but he was unresponsive to her pleas.

  One of the scientists took a scalpel from the tray of instruments at his side. She saw the shiny metal and squirmed. He grabbed her hand. She realized with horror the dissection was beginning, and she was going to be awake for the whole thing. He began to press the sharp tool against the base of her pinkie finger. Ella screamed, bucking, as he removed the appendage. Pain left her on the verge of losing consciousness. She was bleeding and another one of the men caught the blood in a beaker.

  Woozy from the shock of it all, she heard them discussing how they wanted to see if they could detect anything that was different in her skin and bone that allowed her to transform into liquid. The man took the blood that he’d collected over to a microscope and a waiting centrifuge. Another began to bandage her hand. The gangly one pushed him away and took over. He pressed down on the wound, and Ella screamed. Several of them looked up, but for the most part, they were completely unconcerned with her torment.

  She sent one last thought to Hazel Eyes. “Please kill me before they really get into what they’re doing. I’d rather not be alive for what they have planned. If you won’t save me, at least have mercy.”

  Hazel Eyes seemed disturbed, very disturbed. The gangly man finished what he was doing and took the scalpel in his hand. Ella whimpered. He sliced a section of skin about four inches long out of her arm. She screamed. He carelessly tossed the specimen on the table and grabbed up his sutures. She could see the glee he took in sewing her up, making it hurt as much as possible. His eyes sparkled. His erection poked her shoulder. Clearly, what he was doing to her sexually excited him, and she wanted to throw up. She could see Hazel Eyes knew it too. Ella looked at him—beseeching him to kill her. He abruptly left the room. Ella threw her thoughts out as loudly as she could to Zane.

  Zane materialized right next to the table where she lay. He took hold of her shoulders. A second later, he held her in her own apartment. They were safe.

  * * * *

  Caspian returned to the chaos of the laboratory. She was gone. He felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment. He’d never been in the same space with someone like him and he felt an instant connection to the beautiful woman. He wasn’t such a bastard that he’d have let the SSEP do what they wanted with her after they’d begun cutting. Seeing the disgusting abuse gave her story credibility. The SSEP—Spiritual Science Enhancement Project—recruited him after his mother died. He’d been seventeen and angry. They’d claimed they were trying to right the wrongs from the past. Seeing them hurting the girl didn’t seem right to him.

  He could control others. He received the promise that if he helped them capture two of their subjects, then they could develop a process to reverse what he’d been born with. He agreed. When he’d first felt the power in the small woman, it astounded him. She’d embraced what happened to her and he could feel how it had become a part of her.

  She might have held the secret to his cure, but he couldn’t stand by and watch an innocent woman tortured just for his own selfish needs. The scientist were freaking out.

  He held up his hands. “I have no idea how she managed to break my hold on her. I want those answers as badly as you do,” Caspian lied. He wondered if he’d ever see the woman again. He hoped not…the next time he might be tempted to let them find a cure.

  * * * *

  Ella clung to Zane. He cradled her protectively. She hurt. The mystery man haunted her. She didn’t know if he’d let her go on purpose, but she was grateful to be free. Shuddering, she let Zane hold her tighter. She was so glad he’d saved her, but she immediately thought of Dina. They had to get her away from Ian before he snapped or hurt her. She just hoped her sister hadn’t been raped. She’d cut the little bastard’s balls off if he’d touched Dina. Her eyes met Zane’s. She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know he was thinking the same thing.

  Chapter 19

  Dina hadn’t heard from her sister again. She wondered if it truly had been her imagination, or if her sister was already dead. Maybe Ella was haunting her. Ian hadn’t returned, a
nd Dina shoved a chair under the doorknob in hopes it’d deter Ian from being her wakeup call in the morning. Dina couldn’t sleep. For hours she lay tossing and turning. She got up and out of her bed. Just for the sake of trying, she went over to the door and moved the chair.

  Turning the knob, she almost cried out when it opened for her. She wasn’t sure if this was a trick, but she peeked out carefully. Unsure of the sudden freedom, Dina quickly bolted from the room. She didn’t want to risk the precious moments to grab clothing or shoes, so she went running barefoot in the cotton pajamas down the long, dark hall.

  She saw a staircase and began to run down it until she heard voices. Dina stopped and shrank into the darkness. It was Ian and the spandex sisters. She could see them from her vantage point. One of them looked brutalized. Bite marks and bruises covered her face. What have you done? She couldn’t tell, but she believed it was the same girl she’d seen him kissing after supper. Guilt and fear rushed over her at once. Oh God, did I push him hard enough to unhinge him? Is it my fault that girl took such a beating? Will he hurt me like that if he catches me out of my room?

  Now she was positive someone had unlocked the door. She wondered just how much control he really held over the women he kept like pets. Dina waited until she heard the voices moving away. Quietly, she rushed down the stairs, running across the cold, ceramic floor. Joy filled her heart when she found the door. Unfortunately, she also found the guard. She crouched down knowing if he turned slightly he’d see her.

  She noticed a vase filled with pebbles. Grabbing one of the pebbles, she threw it as hard as she could behind the guard. He turned, looking for the noise. She threw a second pebble. He began to walk toward the sound. Wow, I can’t believe that worked. Dina opened the door and went running out into the night. Fresh air hit her face. She realized she was in unpopulated woodland.

  Dina began to sprint with everything she had. The path was dark, and she regretted not wearing shoes. She didn’t let the pain in her feet stop her. Fear pushed her to her limit of endurance. Glancing back into the darkness, she saw nothing. A sense of triumph gathered in her heart as she kept going. Someone had to be around. She saw lights and ducked until she realized they were headlights. Looking up the hill, her eyes widened. She stood just yards from a highway. Dina began to run as fast as she could. If she could just get there, someone would stop for her. She could get a ride back to Diamond City—to safety. She’d find Zane and help her sister.

  Focused on her goal, she didn’t hear the man come out of the darkness behind her. He grabbed her forcefully, spinning her around. It was one of Ian’s dark-suited guards. Ian had them guarding the perimeter. She regretted her haste in running for the highway. Struggling with the brute, her head hit his glasses, and they went hurling off his face. Dina saw the electricity running through the empty sockets. He was dead—an animated corpse doing Ian’s bidding. She screamed before she could stop herself. Dina struggled even more frantically as the zombie held her. Ian was more of a monster than she’d ever realized. In that moment, she recognized he was entirely beyond hope. She kicked the man in his groin. Because he was dead, it did no harm to him and only made her toe hurt.

  She’d have to do something before he took her back to Ian. She grabbed a tree branch and held firmly it as he tried to carry her back to the mansion. He tugged her free, but she still held a long piece of the branch. Without thought to the danger, she rammed the branch into the electrified eye socket. Wobbling, the zombie dropped her, and she rolled away. It held its face and stumbled around blindly.

  Scrambling up the hill, Dina made it to the highway. She ran along the side of the road, waving her hands and screaming for help. No one stopped. She began to run after cars and trucks, still screaming. Finally, a semi truck stopped, and a thin man opened the passenger door for her.

  “Are you okay, little lady? Do you need a ride?”

  He could’ve been Jack the Ripper for all Dina knew, but in that moment, everything she’d ever heard about not talking to strangers didn’t matter anymore. She scrambled as quickly as she could into the truck, slammed her door, and locked it.

  “Go! For God’s sake, go!”

  He saw her fear and shifted the gears. They lurched forward with a rumble of the engine and click of the gears. Dina watched the side mirror for a long time, but the zombie hadn’t followed her up the hill, and neither had Ian. Whoever unlocked her door had saved her life. Shivering, she thought of the many dark-suited, quiet guards. Are they all zombies? Oh, Ian, how many people have you killed?

  She turned to her rescuer. “Thank you so much. I don’t care where you’re going as long as it is far away from here.”

  He nodded and gave her a strange look as he noticed her pajamas and bare feet. “You must’ve been in a helluva hurry.”

  “Yes, I barely made it to the highway. There’s a man in those woods who was going to hurt me. Are you going near Diamond City?”

  “This load delivers just beyond it, so I go right through the heart of the city.”

  “I’d like you to drop me off anywhere there. Thank you so much.”

  He pulled a picture off the visor above his head and handed it to her. She saw a young woman in the picture. The girl looked happy. She was smiling and holding a puppy.

  “That’s my daughter. She can’t be much younger than you. If she was ever in need of help, I sure hope someone would help her. You’re safe with me, and I’ll drop you anywhere you want. Do you need to call anyone?”

  “Actually, I’d like to call a friend.”

  His hand went to his shirt pocket, and he pulled out a slim, old-fashioned, flip phone. “Here’s my phone. Go ahead and make the call.”

  She took the phone and dialed Zane’s cell. It rang, and she thought it was going to kick over to voicemail until she heard his gruff voice. “Hello.”

  “Zane, it’s me. I’m okay. I got away from Ian.”

  “Thank God. How did you manage it, and where are you? I don’t recognize this number.”

  “I’m on my way into the city. A truck driver picked me up. I’m safe, and I’ll have him drop me at the stoplights right in the center of the city. You won’t be able to miss me. I’ll be the barefoot woman in pajamas.”

  “Do you want me to meet you on the highway?”

  “No, it’s all right. I’ll see you in about an hour. Looks like we’re about sixty miles away yet. We have to go after Ella. Bring me some clothes. We need to go right away. They have her.”

  “I have her. I was able to get her out. I’ve been there before.”

  “Thank God. Is she all right?” Dina clutched the phone tightly. Her vision went blurry and tears tickled her cheeks.

  “Yes, she’s resting. It wasn’t easy for her.”

  “Are you sure she’s okay?”

  “When she wakes up I’ll let her know you’re all right. She wanted to go after you, but she’s hurt. She’ll mend, but they did some permanent damage.”

  “How permanent?”

  “She lost a finger, but that’s all.”

  “What do you mean that’s all? Oh God, my poor Ella. Why didn’t you take her to the hospital?”

  “We didn’t have the finger, so there wasn’t any point. She’s already healing. By morning, it’ll just be a scarred nub.”

  Dina chocked out a sob.

  “Don’t cry,” he whispered. “I swear to you she will have her vengeance. Do you hear me, Dina? We will all watch him suffer.”

  She nodded, sobbing, then realized he couldn’t hear a nod. “Okay,” she whispered. “Zane?”

  “Yes, Dina?”

  “I love you, and I’m sorry.”

  He paused for a moment. “I love you too, baby. Don’t be sorry. Just don’t try to tell me what’s good for me again. If I was a regular guy, I could die just crossing the street. No one is promised a tomorrow, so don’t waste today. I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll leave a note for Ella in case she wakes up.”

  “Thank you.”

 
; “If you need me call,” he said.

  She ended the call and handed the phone back to the truck driver.

  “Sounds like you’ve had quite a time,” the man said. “Are you involved with dangerous people?”

  “No, I’m involved with wonderful people who are interesting to dangerous people.”

  He grunted, and they didn’t speak for a long while.

  “My daughter is the first person in my family to go to college.” The man’s eyes misted a bit, even though he did his best to hide it.

  “You must be very proud.”

  “Proud isn’t even the right word. I’m in awe of that little girl. I used to take her on long hauls in the summers. She’d tell me all about what she’d learned in school, and what she wanted to be when she grew up. Hell, when she said a doctor, I always thought it was just kid talk. Now I’m going to have a daughter who’s a real honest to God doctor.”

  “Your daughter is very lucky to have you. It must be wonderful to know someone is so proud of your choices.”

  “I’m sure your daddy feels the same way.”

  Dina just gave him a little half smile. She’d learned long ago never to tell people she didn’t have parents. It always brought up too many questions, and bad memories.

  When she saw the intersection, she felt scared to get out of the warm safety of the truck. The fatherly man made her feel secure. Zane’s car pulled up across the road. Relief filled her and she scrambled to get out of the truck, afraid he might not see her.

  “You gonna be all right, little lady?”

  Dina nodded. “Thanks for helping me. Tell your daughter she’s damn lucky.”