If It Kills Me

by Jason D. Morrow

  Evelyn felt a tap on her shoulder. “There’s a Screven guard coming,” Sarah said, pointing to the right entrance.

  “Take care of it,” Evelyn said through bared teeth. “That’s what I brought you here for.”

  Jeffery was sweating and shaking, obviously nervous about the entire situation. Evelyn suddenly realized that she might have recruited these two before they were ready for such a thing. This was new to all of them, but these two were showing it pretty badly.

  Evelyn held the rifle steady as she looked through the scope, focusing the crosshairs on Jeremiah. She could hear Sarah pull out her knife. She could hear the soft surprise as the knife sunk into the guard’s throat and he fell to the floor. But that was the last thing she heard before the door behind them exploded with such force it knocked her forward into the wall. Her finger squeezed the trigger involuntarily, but the bullet landed far from the intended target.

  Dropping the rifle, she fell to her back as more gunshots exploded through the air. Evelyn could see nothing but dust and debris until Sarah fell next to her with a bullet hole in her head and several in her chest. She was already dead.

  Evelyn struggled to roll to her right and grab her gun, but a boot caught the side of her cheek and she slumped to the ground. Looking up she could see a whole group of Screven guards around the watchtower. Screams belted out from below at the sound of gunfire. Jeffrey was also on the ground. Why wasn’t he teleporting out of here? Why didn’t he save himself? He was going to die if he didn’t go. Evelyn also accepted that she was about to die as well. And she would die a failure. At least she had tried. At least she had given it her all. Emerging from the group of Screven guards was Tristan. He smiled at her and shook his head. Evelyn just closed her eyes to accept whatever was to come. She winced as another boot kicked the side of her head.

  She didn’t open her eyes again until she felt cold water being dumped over her entire body. The feeling was such a shock she almost thought she wouldn’t be able to take a breath. She was in a dark room but for a window in the corner that let in a small amount of light. She could see that there were several guards in the room just staring at her.

  Her wrists had been tied behind her back and she had been forced to lie on her stomach. She felt miserable.

  With her right cheek smushed against the cold floor, she saw Jeffery in the same position. Blood trickled down the side of his head and mouth, but he was awake. Tears flowed from his eyes. He must have seen Sarah die. Evelyn knew the feeling well. A door opened at the other end of the room and a man walked in, flanked by two more guards. He motioned for someone to pull the two prisoners up to their knees. Evelyn felt the pain shoot through her shoulder blades as the guard wrenched her upward.

  Someone turned on a light that illuminated Jeremiah’s face. He wore no sunglasses or hat. His familiar flowery smell took over the room and, for the first time in her life, Evelyn thought it was better than the rest of the smells around her. His droopy eyes fixed on her and he shook his head slowly.

  “What has it been, twenty years?” he asked.

  “Twenty-two,” Evelyn said, setting her jaw firmly.

  Jeremiah nodded. “I have to say, Evelyn, twenty-two years is a long time to wait to kill someone.”

  “I know,” she said.

  “Why now? Why not so many years ago? How has it taken you this long to come up with a plan?”

  Evelyn didn’t answer him. There was no answer. The truth was, there had never been an opportunity to kill Jeremiah since she had last seen him. She had spent too much time trying to build up a life in the village of Salem. She never knew where Jeremiah would be. She suspected Sudyka eventually. She had been surprised that it had taken him this long to finally get there. When she learned of his coming, she knew it was time to strike.

  Her eyes glanced over at Jeffrey who was on his knees and still crying. She felt sick that she had gotten him and Sarah into all this. She couldn’t believe Sarah had been killed so quickly and easily. She still couldn’t understand why Jeffrey was still here. He had no reason to stay. He needed to leave or he was going to die. Evelyn had already accepted her fate.

  “So, what’s your plan?” Evelyn asked. “You going to eat me like the cannibal you are?”

  Jeremiah stared at her for a long moment, and then turned to his guards. “I want you all to leave the room,” he said. The guards hesitated a moment, but soon it was only Jeffrey, Evelyn, and Jeremiah. Evelyn knew what this was. Jeremiah was ready to speak candidly and didn’t want his guards to know what he was talking about.

  “You must understand the surprise I had when I saw that you could read my thoughts,” Jeremiah said. “To have held my hand for a few seconds and know almost everything about me.”

  “A few things stood out,” Evelyn said.

  “I imagine they did,” he said. A corner of his mouth turned upward as he thought to himself.

  “Particularly the part about what you wanted with me. What you wanted with Mark. What you did to Willow. How it affected my mother. The world. Don’t you see what has happened because of you? How can you accept it without guilt? That’s why I hate you so much. I can understand that you killed Mark. I can understand that you’ve done so many things, but I’ve seen inside you. What disturbs me the most was that you had never once felt guilty about any of it. How?”

  As if only to add to her accusations, Jeremiah smiled at her. “It’s one big experiment to me.”

  “You’re insane.”

  Jeremiah nodded. “Perhaps. I don’t think a sane person could do everything that I’ve done. And on top of that, I don’t think a sane person could stand to profit from it. Or maybe it’s not a sanity issue. Maybe it’s that I don’t see the difference between right and wrong. I understand the concept of it; I just don’t feel it like you do. And I don’t care to either. Right and wrong stifles what a person can do.”

  “For a reason,” Evelyn said.

  “I’ve always blended the black and white. I protect so many people. I kill so many people. It’s all a bit…grey.” He laughed at his own sick joke. “But of course, I protect them from the very thing I created. On top of that, I often send the greyskins to villages so they will come to me for help.”

  Evelyn lifted her head and stared daggers into Jeremiah.

  “Oh yes,” he continued. “I don’t want to go to these villages and ask if they need my help. I want them to come to me. If they come to me, they are more inclined to take on my laws. It’s more difficult for them to get out of our agreement. Ultimately, I’m the one with all the power.”

  “How could you…? What…?”

  Jeremiah laughed. “Trucks full of blood. You make a trail of blood, a greyskin will follow it to wherever it leads. It’s quite simple.”

  Evelyn shook her head. “You might as well go ahead and kill me,” Evelyn said. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to find a way to kill you. It will happen. So just do it now and save yourself the headache.”

  “Oh I will,” Jeremiah said, pointing to Jeffrey. “But first, I want you to tell me who he is and what is his power?”

  “Why, you want to steal his power too?”

  Jeremiah didn’t answer.

  “He doesn’t have one,” Evelyn said. “I’m the only one.”

  “What about the girl that was shot in the head?” Jeremiah asked. “She didn’t have one either?”

  “No.”

  “I think you’re lying to me,” he said, “but I don’t expect to get a straight answer from you anyway.” He sighed and pulled out a pistol from his belt. “This has been a long time coming. I thought you might have lived a long life in a village somewhere, hopefully forgetting about your lover, and actually moving on with your life. Instead you brooded for the past twenty years and now you’re facing the other end of a gun.” He pointed the gun at her face and she drew a deep breath as she closed her eyes tight.

  Suddenly, she opened them wide. “Wait!” she nearly shouted. She looked over at Jeffrey a
nd then back at Jeremiah. “You took Mark away from me. He was the man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. At least let me kiss Jeffrey for the last time.”

  Jeremiah’s eyebrows shot forward. “Him?” he looked at Jeffrey.

  Evelyn nodded quickly. “You owe me that at least.”

  Jeremiah said nothing, but looked more annoyed than anything else. He walked over to Jeffrey and grabbed him by the back of the collar, forcing him in front of Evelyn. Jeffrey faced Evelyn, tears still falling, but his eyes were more aware.

  Jeremiah pointed the gun at them and motioned for Jeffrey to move closer to Evelyn. “You see, this is poetic. In a way, I am merciful,” he said. “I once took away your love, but I didn’t take love away from you.”

  “You may have long life,” Evelyn said, “but you can still be killed.”

  “I don’t anticipate that anytime soon,” Jeremiah said.

  Evelyn leaned forward on her knees and set her head against Jeffrey like a hug without use of her arms. She stared at Jeremiah.

  “When you die, I hope I’m there,” Evelyn said. “I hope I get to see it.”

  The look on Jeremiah’s face showed his confusion until Evelyn and Jeffrey vanished into thin air.

  It was like a whirlwind, sweeping the two of them into the air. Everything was a blur with wind whipping, and clothes flapping all around them. Finally, Evelyn landed on her knees and fell forward into the dirt. She couldn’t believe how lucky they had been. When she looked up, she saw that they were in the middle of nowhere with dirt all around them for miles. Jeffrey was on the ground, face to the heavens, still crying his eyes out. Sarah had been his love and she had died for a failed cause. Jeremiah still walked on the Earth, gaining power.

  Evelyn knew it would be a long time before she could attempt to kill Jeremiah again. She would need more power to take him down. She needed more Starborns. The world needed more Starborns.

  Eventually they were able to free themselves from the ropes and made their way back to the village of Salem. She knew that Jeremiah would ultimately come to Salem and try to make it one of his colonies. She hoped that she would be ready. She couldn’t do it on her own, however. She was going to need a lot of help.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  WHEN I WAKE up, I feel like my head has been run over by a truck. Blood trickles out of my nose and has already left spots on my shirt. I don’t think I have been out for very long. The dream I just had felt like it took forever though. I shake my head, thinking of Evelyn. In a way, I can’t help but feel she’s just using the rest of us so she can get back at Jeremiah for the things he’s done. But then I think that’s not such a bad thing. Jeremiah deserves to die. He needs to die. I’ll help Evelyn in any way that I can. But first I’ve got to get out of this rope.

  My stomach sinks at the thought of Commander Green traipsing around Springhill. How long has he been here? The thought hits me like a lightning bolt. He must have made himself invisible and gotten into the back of the truck with Christopher and Sadie. I can’t believe he’s been around here all that time. How much did he see? How much did he hear from us? Does he know about Christopher being a healer?

  I think about the kitchen drawers, specifically the one with the knives. Slowly, I call the sharpest one to me. I let the knife float behind me and to my wrists at a gentle pace, careful to be very precise with the knife’s movements. When I’m confident that the blade is up against the rope and not hovering above an important vein, I command it to pull downward.

  Instantly the rope drops to the floor and I fall forward onto my knees. I turn and grab the knife to cut my ankles loose from the knot. Once I’m free, I bolt out the door. The heavy rain leaves no tracks to tell me where Green might have gone. Walking out into the mud, the first thing I notice are the three elders. Bill and Linda stand over Austin, doing everything they can to keep him alive it seems. I sprint to where they are. A large gash in Austin’s chest and the pool of blood mixed with rain and mud around his body tells me that Commander Green has been here.

  I fall to my knees next to him. His squinted eyes stare into mine. “What happened?” I ask.

  Bill shakes his head. “I don’t know. The Screven guards got out of the Tower. The satellite is broken. People are missing. We were walking and Austin just fell to the ground.”

  “We thought he was shot at first,” Linda says.

  “But we didn’t hear anything,” Bill finishes. “And it looks like a knife wound.”

  “Get him into my house,” I tell them. “There’s a hunter here. He’s very powerful. Lock yourselves in. Do what you can to save Austin.”

  Bill and Linda don’t wait for me to say it twice. With haste, they carry him toward the house and shut the door behind them. I have no time to linger. I have to get to the others.

  My legs carry me as fast as they can to the Tower because I know that’s where Aaron will be. I rush through the bottom door and up the stairs. I’m breathless once I reach the top room, but relieved to see Danny, Evelyn, and Aaron sitting in front of the radio talking to someone.

  “…not as many as the herd at Salem, but plenty to have fun with.”

  “How could that be possible?” Danny nearly yells.

  “Trucks,” I say through labored breaths. “Trails of blood.”

  “There’s blood all over the ground. It’s as if the greyskins are just following the scent.”

  Aaron turns to look at me. “How did you know that?”

  I nod at Evelyn. “I’ve learned a lot in the past few days.” I can feel blood drip out my nose, sliding to my shirt more easily because of my wet skin.

  “What happened to you?” Evelyn said as she stepped up to me.

  “I’m going up to the roof,” Aaron announced absently. “I’ve got to get the satellite working so we can see where these greyskins are coming in from.” On his way out, he smashes a big red button, sounding an alarm across the entire village.

  Danny bends over and switches the microphone over to the village speaker system. “Attention,” he says. “Greyskins are coming, people. Get to your hiding spots and hold tight. If you’ve got a weapon, use it. If you don’t…I don’t know, do what you have to do.” He switches the microphone back to the radio. “Heather, get back here as fast as you can.”

  “I’ll be there in a sec.”

  “Commander Green,” I say to Evelyn. “He’s here. Invisibility.”

  “Jeremiah’s hunter?” Danny asks.

  I nod.

  “We’re out of time,” Evelyn says. “If he’s been here any time at all he knows about Christopher.” She slaps a hand to her head. “That’s why the greyskins are here,” she says.

  “What?”

  “They are to keep us busy while Commander Green nabs Christopher and sneaks out. Do you know where he is?”

  I take a step back and shut my eyes. I think of Christopher. He’s in a familiar place. He’s next to Sadie, Grandma, and Jake, and several other villagers. They’re in one of the tree houses. What are they doing there? People haven’t had enough time to get there since Danny’s announcement. I turn my vision to look over Christopher’s shoulder and can see Screven guards holding up machine guns, keeping them all inside. These are the same guards that we had locked in the bottom of the Tower, and these are all the villagers that have been missing since earlier this morning.

  Commander Green, in full visibility, looks up at Christopher and whispers to one of the guards. My thoughts switch to Commander Green. Having been punched in the face by him, I know I’ll be able to follow him too.

  “Get me a truck,” he says to the guard. He turns to another one closer to the tree house. “If anyone tries to move, shoot them unless it’s him.” He points directly at Christopher when he says this. “We don’t move until the greyskins get here. I’m taking him with me.”

  I open my eyes. “They’re at the tree houses,” I say to Evelyn and Danny.

  A loud crash bursts through the door as Aaron announces that he’s
fixed the satellite. He rushes to the screen and flips a switch. It’s still a hazy mess when he first turns it on, but then he changes it to register heat. I gasp when I see hundreds of greyskins right on top of Springhill.

  “They’re here!” Danny yells out.

  “If only we’d gotten that wall built in time,” Aaron says.

  “Well, there’s no time to waste,” Evelyn snaps, “Get out there and do what you all do best. We’ve seen bigger herds than this.”

  Danny is already out the door. Aaron stands and reaches out to touch my cheek. His touch is always a comforting one, especially in the face of danger.

  He takes a deep breath as he looks me in the eyes deeply.

  I know what he wants to say. Part of me wants him to say it. I know that he wants to kiss me. Part of me wants him to.

  He puts his hand behind my neck and pulls me forward. His lips touch my forehead and he pulls me in tighter. “Be careful out there,” he says.

  I don’t want him to let go of me, but he has to. Without another look, he’s out the door.

  “No time for greyskin fighting,” Evelyn says. “You’ve got to get Commander Green before he takes Christopher.”

  I take a deep breath, trying to figure out exactly how this can be done.

  “Keep your wits about you, Mora,” Evelyn says. “If you can’t see him, look through his eyes.”

  She reaches under the console and pulls out a small box. Opening the box, she pulls out a pistol and makes her way to the door. “Go.”

  Nodding to her, I run down the stairs and finally make it to the outside of the Tower. Greyskins are rushing through the parts of the wall that aren’t finished yet. Danny stands ready with a giant limb he must have broken off a tree. Suddenly, Heather is standing right next to him, knives ready. Aaron stands about twenty feet from the others. The thunder is deafening as he calls multiple lightning bolts into his chest. It’s a bright spectacle that draws most of the greyskins toward him. Other villagers that hadn’t been trapped by the Screven guards come out with whatever kind of weapon they can. The people of Springhill are no strangers to these attacks.