Her eyes shot open, pupils dilated, staring at him but unable to focus as the nightmare still held her within its grip.
“Lexia, it’s just a dream.”
She sucked in a ragged breath, her eyes widening further. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, it’s real.”
“What’s real? Lexia, calm down. Talk to me.” He couldn’t help the tremor of fear in his voice; Lexia brought out the strongest of emotions within him. He shook her again, desperate to wake her from the darkness of her dreams. “Lex.”
“He’s coming. Linc’s coming.” Her words were a haunted whisper, fear and longing within each syllable.
Going suddenly slack in his hands, Derrick shook her again, feeling the edge of his panic take hold.
“Stop, I’m awake,” Lexia moaned, her words drawn out and sleepy. “What’s the matter?” she asked, squinting at him.
“You were having a dream.” He released his grip on her shoulders.
Closing her eyes again, Lexia replied, “I don’t have dreams, Derrick. I have nightmares.”
“You said Lin-he was coming.”
When she looked at him again, Derrick felt the pain within her eyes as if it were his own. “He’s not coming, Derrick. I’ve destroyed him, like I destroy everything else.”
“That’s not true,” Derrick argued.
Lexia cut him off. “What time is it?” She rolled over.
“Early, why?”
Reaching for the clock on the bedside table, Lexia angled it toward her, read the numbers, and jumped up. “Damn it. I overslept!”
“Lexia, you have three hours before you need to be anywhere,” Derrick stated, a frown marring his forehead.
Lexia paced the room, not hearing a word he said.
“Lexia, stop,” Derrick ordered, standing in her path.
“You don’t understand. I should have left by now.” Her voice was desperate.
“Left where? You’re making no sense.”
“The compound. I need to run.” She said the word ‘need’ as if it were a life or death situation.
She was right; he didn’t understand. He didn’t understand why she’d put herself and others in danger over something so trivial. As he looked at her now, he couldn’t understand how he’d not noticed how undone she’d become. He was supposed to be protecting her, keeping her safe, and here she was falling apart over missing a simple run.
“Lexia, you cannot keep leaving the compound. Lucy will find out.”
“You don’t understand,” Lexia said sadly.
Softening his voice, Derrick said, “Help me understand.”
Turning away from him, she sat in the nearby chair and spoke as she stared at the floor. “It’s the only way I can cope. When I run, I’m running away from every torment, every death, and every life I need to save. I run until I can’t think anymore, until my body hurts so much my mind just shuts down. I need those few minutes when I climb the tree on the top of the hill. I sit there, my lungs burning as I drag in ragged breathes, my whole body exhausted beyond compare, and there’s this moment. When the sun just passes the mountains, its warm orange rays fill the world with light. For just a few blissful seconds, I don’t think of the death I’ve caused, or the people I need to save. I just look at the beauty around me and it gets me through another day.”
With a heavy sigh, Derrick sat down, dragging her beside him. “Why didn’t you tell me how hard things were?”
“Because it wouldn’t have helped, Derrick. This is it. This is my life until I find a way to end it. I just need that moment. I know it sounds silly, but I…I just…it’s when I feel closest to him. I’m in his world, seeing the beauty of it. It breathes life back into me, gives me the strength to fight another day.”
“There is no need to fight today. Follow your schedule as you always have. It is probably best. Lucy was bound to notice your absences before long. It’s just one day.”
She looked as if she wanted to say more, but as always, she shut him down and he was left to guessing her thoughts. It’s just one day. But even Derrick knew how hard one day could be to get through. In the beginning, when he missed his young wife every second, of every day, one day had felt like an eternity. When the realization had hit that he’d never go home again, never see his wife, or his unborn child, he’d wanted to die. He’d tried. Though Lucy saw to it that he never did. Lucy Hunter ensured he lived out every day of his miserable, cursed life because if he didn’t, his wife and his child would die.
He’d never even met her, his daughter. He only knew the baby was a she because Lucy had told him. Hope had been only eight weeks pregnant when he’d signed up, when he was told he’d been chosen for a select program. He’d been excited he would be able to provide the life his wife and child deserved, but then came the hunters.
Derrick suppressed a shiver, pushing down the memories of those first dark days. He didn’t want to remember what it was like battling that darkness, clinging onto the good and the hope. It was much easier to live this life without feelings, without hope. Yet now there was Lexia. She’d awoken what had long since been buried.
He wasn’t sure why he said his next words, maybe it was because she was around the same age as his daughter. “I have a daughter. She’d be around your age now.”
Lexia looked at him, not saying a word, expressing every thought with just a squeeze of his hand. “I don’t understand why no one has fought against this. Why does everyone just fall into line?”
“You must understand, Lex, in the beginning, many did and it was a bloodbath. When the government decided to exterminate the very program they created, we were all as good as dead, but Lucy saved us. She managed to manipulate and corrupt just enough people to keep us alive. Many of the elite feel they owe her their life, and in a way, they do.”
“She’s so twisted, Derrick. There is so much hate and bitterness inside of her. She won’t be happy until the streets run with blood. I just don’t understand how someone can become so…unhuman.”
“She created this program, Lex. I think at first she only wanted to create soldiers who weren’t so easily broken. Brave, fearless men and women who could fight for this country and survive through it. But with power comes a price, and the price is a darkness most can’t fight. When they closed the program down, she was already struggling with that darkness. I think she felt abandoned. The government helped her create the hunters and then they just threw them away. That’s what changed her into who she is today. It was the final straw that pushed her to let go of her humanity.”
Lexia suddenly jumped up. “That’s it!” she exclaimed.
Derrick just looked at her confused.
“Don’t you see, Derrick? I’ve always wondered what her goal was and now I see it! Why didn’t you tell me these things earlier? She wants her revenge. She wants a solider so strong that the government regrets ever throwing her away. She’s not interested in running the country. She just wants to make them pay for what they did. Who funded the program when it first started? Who made the choice to shut it down?”
“I’ve no idea,” Derrick replied, feeling on edge. He’d seen that look in her eyes before, that determined fire.
“I need to find out! That will be who she targets, and I need to know who lost the most from this program ending. There’s more than Lucy pulling the strings. I bet you there is someone within the government right now plotting right along with my mother, just waiting for the right moment to strike.”
“Lexia, wait. You have no idea if any of that is true. Please don’t go getting yourself killed.”
She wasn’t listening to him though. Sparking something inside of her, he gave her a reason to keep going. She pushed him toward the door, muttering about needing a shower and going to speak to Sarah. Derrick had no chance to protest, to try to convince her to stop this craziness. She had him out the room within seconds and he was left staring at the door as she shut it in his face.
Over the next two weeks, Lexia was in
a world of her own. She followed her schedule to plan, never missed a training session but her thoughts were elsewhere. With each passing day, she looked more and more tired. Dark circles formed under her eyes and she’d lost weight. She looked as if she hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in a long time.
Derrick tried to talk to her. He said he only wanted to help but she knocked him back every time, telling him he was safer not knowing.
So Derrick chose to do the one thing he could help her with…Alice. The anger and resentment Alice felt toward Lexia was twisting her mind. Every time Lexia came within sight of Alice, he saw the agony she felt. Each snide remark and nasty comment was like a knife to Lexia’s heart.
“Alice,” he called sharply across the training center as she piled out with the rest of her unit.
“Yes?” she replied.
Derrick waited until Alice had reached him before speaking again. “You are to have extra training sessions with me every morning before breakfast. I will see you here at five hundred hours.”
“What, why?” she whined.
“Because you have an excess amount of anger running through you and I want to put it to better use,” he replied calmly.
“Did Lex- Maura put you up to this?” she yelled, releasing her agitation and pent up anger.
Derrick spoke slowly, venom lacing his words as he replied, “Lexia has nothing to do with this. I’ve simply had enough of you blaming her for what has been done to you.”
He left her standing there looking stunned and lost. Just before the door closed behind him, he heard the faintest of whispers, “You called her Lexia.”
Chapter 21
For two weeks, Lexia had been patient. She’d kept to her schedule but during the early hours of the morning, she’d been following Lucy. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Lucy used the same route Lexia had to leave the compound. She’d tramp through the forest to the building Lexia had followed her to those few weeks earlier.
Now, Lexia glanced at her watch, waiting for shift change. She was standing by the door waiting to escape into the early evening. It would still be light so she had to get to the fence, under it and reach the cover of the trees in the few minutes it took for the guards to change. Getting back would have to wait until midnight when the skeleton crew took over and the exit was conveniently left unguarded.
When she’d first stumbled across her escape, she’d wondered why no one had noticed a weakness in the compound’s defense, but now she knew, and she wondered just how long Lucy had been making these trips.
Her blood raced with excitement as she dived for the fence, her skin scraping the ground as she rolled beneath the chain mesh. The freedom of the forest sizzled through her veins and for a brief moment, she smiled and fantasized this was just an ordinary day, and she was running through the trails near her home.
The wolves had moved away from the compound since she’d spoken to them. She suspected they didn’t trust her even though she’d delivered Sahara unharmed. Finding them took her more time than she’d have liked. She’d be having no sleep tonight by the time she’d made the trek back to the compound.
Resting for a minute, her hands on her knees, Lexia dragged some much-needed oxygen into her lungs and calmed her thoughts, opening her mind up to the life around her, feeling for the life forces of the alpha pack.
A laugh left her as she felt one nearby. Standing, she peered through the darkness but was unable to see him. “How long have you been watching me try to find you? Does it amuse you wearing me out?”
Grey’s voice spoke from her right but still she couldn’t see him. “I wanted to make sure you were alone.”
“I’m alone. No other hunter would be foolish enough to venture this far into the forest at night.”
“You may have been followed,” he replied from the darkness.
“Unlikely, and even so, they’d have never kept up, and now will be wandering the forest trying to find their way home.”
“So why is it you can run this land, hunter?”
Lexia smiled into the shadows, knowing he could see her. “Because I was trained by a panther, not by a hunter. This is my home as much as yours. I wonder if you could scale the trees as well as me?”
Grey stepped into her view, laughing. “I’m no cat.” He stopped a few feet away. “What is it you need, Lexia?”
“A distraction.”
With the wolves on board, Lexia had only one more person to see, and she knew he’d be very unhappy with her plan.
“You’re going to what?” he hissed, trying to be pissed off and quiet at the same time.
“I’m going to break into her office. Well, technically, I won’t be breaking into anywhere, since I’ll be inside before the door closes.”
“What if she comes back?”
“I’ve watched her for the past two weeks, Derrick. She takes one hour every time, and the wolves are going to keep her busy anyway. She’ll be lucky to make it back before lunch.”
“There are so many more things that could go wrong. Lucy could call for back up. She might not leave the compound at all, and she could have cameras in her office.”
“She won’t have cameras inside and there would be no need for her to check anyway. I won’t take anything. I’m purely there to look.”
“I don’t like it, Lex.”
“You don’t have to like it!” Lexia snapped. “All I need you to do is the morning training, and if shit hits the fan, get Alice out. That’s it. So will you or not?”
With a huge sigh and another glare, Derrick agreed.
Now all Lexia had left to do was wait. Luckily, it was Sunday. By lunch, her sleepless night was catching up to her, so she spent the free afternoon sleeping. It felt like she’d only just dropped off when she was woken by a quick, urgent knock.
“It’s open,” she called, expecting it to be Derrick. “I’m not listening to your protests, Derrick. I’m shattered,” she mumbled her head in the pillow.
The door clicked closed. “It’s not Derrick.”
“Sarah,” Lexia gasped. Feeling suddenly awake, she sat up. “Take a seat,” Lexia gestured toward the sofa and chairs on the other side of the room. Getting off the bed, she continued, “Sorry, I’ve not had much sleep lately. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I’m leaving this afternoon, but I just found out something very interesting.”
Lexia took the seat opposite Sarah. “I’m listening.”
“I had one of my contacts dig into the history of the hunter program. It turns out an investor outside of the government bankrolled most of the first project. When the hunter program was shut down, he lost everything.”
“Who is this guy?”
“His name is Ethan Wake. He runs a small investment firm now. He comes from old money, Lexia, but his reputation has never recovered. It just seems to me he’d be the kind of guy interested in getting revenge. Lucy has to get her money from somewhere.”
“Can you find out more?”
“I’m sorry. If I dig deeper, someone is bound to find out.”
“Okay. Thanks, leave it with me.”
“I’ll be back in a fortnight. I’m going to try find out who Lucy’s contacts are within the government.”
“Get me the names, Sarah, and I’ll take care of the rest. How’s the cure coming along?” Lexia asked. If she was going to bring an end to Lucy’s plans, she’d need someone looking out for the hundreds of hunters trapped here.
Sarah looked sheepish before digging a needle and tubes from her bag. “That’s what else I came here for. I was hoping you’d donate some blood. It may be the key I’m looking for.”
“Sure.” Lexia sat quietly while Sarah set up what she needed. Pricking her skin with the needle, she filled tube after tube. “I need to know you have enough power to help these people, Sarah. I can’t bring down the whole structure if every hunter dies along with it.”
“I have friends in high places, Lexia, but they are cowards. They’ll only act if they kn
ow they can win.”
Even though Lexia was exhausted, she couldn’t sleep that night. Tossing and turning, her mind went over every piece of information she had and every hurdle she had to overcome. There were too many obstacles and not enough information. Lexia had no choice but to keep digging. Lucy had set Lexia on this path of no return when she’d turned Alice; however, Lexia planned on her only finding out when she had nowhere left to run.
Her alarm went off far too quickly. Sneaking from her room, Lexia padded quietly toward Lucy’s office and waited for her to emerge. The hardest part of her plan was getting from her hiding place, and inside the office in the few seconds it took for the door to close, all without Lucy noticing.
Lucy was nothing if not punctual. Her door opened at exactly 4:00 am. The second her back was turned, Lexia ran for the door, her fingers touching the edge seconds before it slid shut. Not daring to breathe, Lexia pushed the door opened a few centimeters more and slipped inside, allowing the door to close.
Listening, Lexia waited for Lucy’s footsteps to grow distant, only they were growing nearer.
Fuck! Scanning the room, there was nowhere for her to hide. Her heart hammered in her ears, each frightened beat a countdown to her death. Lexia flattened her back to the wall as the door swung open, nearly hitting her in the face. Lucy dashed in, picked something up and left before the door had even started to close.
It took a few minutes for Lexia to breathe again. With her back still plastered to the wall, she tried to calm herself. Jesus, I’ve not been that frightened in a while.
Shaking her head, Lexia focused on the job at hand: finding information. The first few drawers she came across held files on the hunters. She flicked through them until she came across Derrick’s. There wasn’t much she didn’t already know, except for an address and the names of his wife and child. He never spoke of them, apart from mentioning he had a daughter the other day. Derrick had always referred to his wife and daughter as ‘my family.’ Lexia had presumed he’d meant parents and siblings. Derrick didn’t look old enough to have a daughter near her age. Flipping back to the first page, she noted his age, thirty-seven. She must have been pregnant when he enlisted. Has he even seen his daughter?
Holocaust (The Deadwood Hunter Series Book 3) Page 12
