Forty finishes off the last attendant with a knife to the back of the head as Alex explains, “They came at us a few minutes after you all left. Wires at the ready. The neckties tried to intervene, but there’re only two left with us.”
I look around and see one fish dead, Thirty-nine hovering over her body with tears in his black eyes. The man half of the blade couple looks worse for wear, but he’ll live. Other than that, we all seem whole.
“What the fuck were you doin?” I growl at my woman.
Alannah pops her head up and glares at me.
“Savin’ our son. Fighting for people who are fighting for me. Stayin’ alive,” she growls.
“Love you,” I respond, causing her to roll her eyes.
“They got me first,” Alex says in a pained voice, tipping his head back to show a nasty cut circling his throat. No blood of course. “Your woman went berserk on the guy.”
“Did anyone try to choke you?” I whisper in a menacing tone.
She nods and lifts her neck. There’s no sign of trauma, but I guess there was at one point.
“Alex saved me,” she says sweetly to my friend.
“Just payin’ back the favor, Alannah.”
“We can’t leave you all over here alone again,” I state, looking to the dragons for ideas.
Thirty-five and Thirty-six are standing guard, searching the hallway for another attack while Thirty-seven is making out with the necktie.
“Relationships based on intense experiences never work.”
Chann and Speed have that shit wrong, but hearing my friend’s voice in my head brings a smirk to my lips.
“Hey, lover-boy,” I call out, stopping the heated moment.
Thirty-seven presses another firm kiss to her lips before looking at me with that cocky grin.
“What is it, rookie?”
“Five of us can crawl through the tunnel, but we need to move ten people back through. I’m not leavin’ them here for another attack.”
“I’ll carry her,” Alannah announces, nodding at Thirty-seven’s necktie.
“Doc,” I try to admonish her, but she’s not having it.
She presses her lips to mine before crawling out of my arms.
“If I wrap my hands and knees, I can crawl on my own,” the desert suggest.
I nod, and they start stripping the closest bodies. All three vests, Forty, the male blade and Alex choose to crawl on their own too. We decide they should go first. They’ll move quicker than we will.
I’m taking Thirty-nine. He looks like he’s ready to give up. He’s tired and emotionally overwhelmed. Thirty-five is taking the blizzard. Thirty-six is taking the female blade. Thirty-seven is taking the last necktie. That’s all of us accounted for.
Once the brave bearers move into the hot tunnel, shouts of pain ricochet around the space. They’ll make it through, but the burns may end them before we’re able to escape. Once the painful cries fade in the distance the dragons move into the tunnel.
Alannah drops to all fours, and the necktie climbs on her back. I fucking hate this. But my strong tiger steels her spine and moves forward as though this is the easiest thing she’s ever done. The heat is going to be excruciating on the necktie’s calves, her almost instant whimpers are evidence of that.
My woman shushes her and talks sweetly as she moves forward into the darkness. Thirty-nine and I follow closely behind. He hasn’t said anything and his sweet smile is missing.
“I thought we were safe here,” he whispers about halfway through our journey.
“That’s what they wanted. Don’t feel guilty,” I respond as kindly as my gruff voice will allow.
“Are you going to leave us once we’re out of here?” he asks timidly.
“Fuck no,” I scoff.
I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m sure as shit not abandoning a bunch of people with no memories. I’ll keep us all together until I find out who they are, or they remember. Other than that, I really have no fucking clue what to do.
“You’re a good man, Kane. Thank you for coming to save us,” he says in that sweet way he has about him that’s almost child-like.
“You’re the good one here. I’m just tryin’ to survive,” I correct him.
“Don’t lie,” he admonishes me.
“I don’t. It causes cancer,” I deadpan.
He snickers a little against my neck as we finish our journey. I’m relieved to find everyone whole and no attendants waiting for us. Thirty-nine jumps off me and runs to the fish we brought over earlier, comforting her as she weeps for their lost friend.
I help Alannah to her feet as Thirty-seven cradles his pain-ridden necktie to his sweaty chest. My woman is heaving as she leans against my chest, drenched in the necktie’s sweat. I cradle her bump, needing to feel my son’s kicks. He dutifully provides me the reassurance I need. Good boy.
“That was a workout,” Alannah gasps out.
“Did good, Doc,” I compliment her, pressing my lips to her hair.
I gaze down into her electric blue eyes and get lost in her love until she clears her throat. “They’re waiting for you to lead them.”
I look up from the trance I’ve been in to see all eyes on us. It’s time to make the final push. I take a deep breath, kiss the shit out of Alannah and tuck her beneath my arm before announcing, “This is it. We climb outta here and make our way to the nearest town. They’ll be waiting for us up there. I’m guessing it’ll be guns this time so the vests will take the lead. We stick together. Don’t let ’em separate us. We’re stronger than they are. They’re scared of our power, and it’s time to show these fuckers they were right to fear us.”
Hoots and applause fill the concrete room as we prepare for our final battle. Even though as I look at the faces around me, I realize this is only the beginning of our war. A war I’m not sure we’ll win. But I’ll be proud to fight alongside the bearers.
The Warrior Shields.
All of us are climbing toward freedom. The vest I carried through the tunnel is ahead of me, deciding he wanted to take the lead so I could protect Alannah, instead of being in the first firing line. I agreed easily.
So my head is a rung below his feet with Alannah trailing me. The other vests are beneath her. We’ll use ourselves to hold off any attacks until we can pull the rest of the bearers out to safety. I should have let Alannah stay with Alex and the dragons. But Alex’s hands are fucked up from crawling through the tunnel. He can’t bleed, but he sure as fuck can burn. I can hear him groaning and grunting as he climbs up the rebar.
The dragons are tired from our tunnel excursion. The heat exhaustion mixed with dehydration has taken a toll on their bodies. I’m solid, feeling pretty fucking good actually, so I’m keeping Alannah with me this time.
The hatch above us is a classic emergency hatch about three and a half feet in diameter with a wheel lock. The vest is currently cranking the wheel with little luck in getting it to move. I immediately start to think they disabled it from the outside. That we’ve come all this way and have no hope of escape. Then a rusty squeak reverberates around us, and I realize it’s just old.
“Comin’ up,” I warn him.
There’s not enough room for both of us on the eighteen-inch rungs, so he moves half of his body off to the side as I climb up next to him. I’m taller so I can leave both my feet a rung below his, giving me more leverage to work with.
The vest grabs one side, and I take the other as we force the wheel to inch open. My arms are shaking, and the vest’s hands are bleeding from the exertion we’re using, but it’s working. The sound screaming from the metal on metal is deafening. We’re not sneaking out of here.
The last turn gives easily, and the vest’s grip slips. He loses his footing and begins to fall backward, flailing his arms. Alannah shouts when she sees the vest about to plunge several hundred feet to his death. I grasp the top rung, shoot my free hand out and snag his wrist. The weight of him almost jerks my body off the rebar, b
ut I force my fingers to remain clutched tight.
I help swing him back to the ladder, not letting him go until he’s completely secure.
“Shit,” he huffs. “Thanks, Kane.”
I nod at him. I just saved a cop’s life. I never thought that would happen in my lifetime. But saving him means I’m now going to be first out of the hole.
I crack my neck from side to side and heave the hatch open. Then I wait. I don’t pop my head out or make any other movements. I do suck in a giant breath of fresh, crisp air and relish the cleansing feeling in my lungs.
I wait for a solid minute before I decide I’m willing to venture out into the world I’ve been absent from for six months.
I place my hands on cool, flat rock covered in dust and heave my body out of the hole. Instantly, I’m scanning the area for attendants. But I’m alone. Only the sound of my breathing and birds chirping fill the air as I spin.
Canyon Nine is in a canyon. Shocking.
I’m surrounded by amber-colored smooth rock beneath my feet, nothing but a sheer drop and the horizon in front of me where the reds and golds of the sunrise are just beginning to crest. Behind me is a lush forest of aspens, birches and oaks. It’s breathtaking. I stand in silence waiting for something to ruin this freeing moment, but nothing happens. We’re alone.
I can see for miles, and there’s not a car or person in sight. The forest is too dense to be hiding vehicles. We made it.
I crouch down and extend my hand to the vest, yanking him up. He gasps when he catches sight of the beauty around us, but I ignore him, waiting for Alannah to make the climb. When her tiny palm lands in mine, I swiftly pull her into my arms, knocking the breath from her.
She gets a look at the view and loses her breath all over again. I continue to hold her as each bearer emerges from the hatch. Every reaction is different, yet the same. Awe isn’t the same experience for each person in life. The bearers are no exception.
I only put Alannah down in order to help Alex out of the hole. He’s bringing up the rear and struggling with his hands. I have to grab him under his armpits to heave him out, and when I do, the man crumbles against my chest.
I lower him to the ground, and Alannah jumps into to doctor mode, unwrapping his wounded skin and re-wrapping it with fresh strips of fabric she stuffed in her pockets before we made the climb.
When she’s done, Alannah cups his cheeks and kisses his forehead.
“Look,” she encourages him, indicating with her chin toward the sun peeking up over the far side of the canyon.
The glowing ball looks close enough to touch. The chill of the morning air warms as the sun moves higher and higher while we all sit in silence watching.
Alannah sits next to Alex, and I flop beside her, tucking her against my body while cradling her bump.
We made it. We fucking made it.
Of course you did. I hear Sorcha’s confident voice whisper. Behind you.
The first shot rings out as I hear my mother’s warning. I throw Alannah and Alex to the ground, covering them with my body as bearers scream and vests try to shield them while others run for cover in the forest.
Rock and dust sprinkle the air as bullets pierce the canyon. I can’t see where the shooters are. My back is toward the action and I’m not moving to look. Alex is wrapped around Alannah’s tiny frame, and I’m around his. They’re safe beneath me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life in this position if it ensures we stay alive.
I turn my head to the left hearing footsteps thudding toward us while rapid succession fire from assault rifles echoes around the once serene canyon.
The blade couple is pinned down. Too far away for any of the vests to protect, but close enough to witness the male blade being a good man, as the attendant—I’m guessing they’re attendants since they’re in masks and camo—approaches them ordering them to stop running. They don’t, and when the fucker opens fire, the male blade throws his woman to the ground, shielding her with his body as he’s riddled with bullets. He locked eyes with me before he did it, acknowledging he was sacrificing himself in order to save her. Asking me to keep her safe.
The female blade flips his dying body off hers, sobbing hysterically as the gunfire calms. His body jerks and sprays blood before he goes still. She sputters and pleads for him to hang on, but he’s gone.
“No!” she wails, throwing her body on top of his.
“Let me up,” Alannah demands. “I can help!”
“He’s gone, Doc,” I seethe.
She nods stiffly into Alex’s chest, pissed she’s helpless to do her job.
“Forty-two,” Dr. Sadist’s voice calls out from behind me as the tension turns me to stone. “I’ve got J and Bethany here. I suggest you stand up so you can see what you’ve caused.”
“Don’t,” Alex growls. “She’s gonna kill ’em anyway.”
He’s right. I don’t have any intention of moving. She’ll have to do better than that.
“You had me fooled for a while. I thought this cold, uncaring murderer was gone.” Her voice isn’t moving any closer as she tries to goad me. “Kill Thirty-nine and the dragons,” she commands.
I’m on my feet before I tell myself to move. The cop vest who was hovering over a desert and a fish pulls Alannah beneath his body as I spin to face Dr. Sadist. I don’t look at her though. I assess the shooters. Different men perched within the lush green tree-covered backdrop. There are no vehicles in sight. They’ve been waiting for us in the forest. I should have checked. I was distracted by the calm. A mistake I’ll never make again.
I don’t count the bodies on the ground or look at the faces of my fallen brethren. Some of the bearers made it to the trees, but I can hear them being hunted. This is a clusterfuck. But one I’m comfortable in. Death and murder don’t put me off. I’m fueled by the smell of gun smoke still clinging thickly to the air around me.
“This has been an impressive display. And while I understand your desire to escape, it’s time to end this farce. You’re my property, bought and paid for. There’s nowhere to run where I won’t find you,” Dr. Sadist threatens as her grey hair whips in the wind, brown eyes glaring furiously at me.
I cock my head to the side, assessing her bravado. She still believes she’s the one with the power.
“Not a great incentive for me to keep you alive,” I scoff.
A few attendants have their assault rifles trained on me. I’m not sure why. They know they can’t hurt me. I fight rolling my eyes as I continue to stalk my prey.
She snaps her fingers and two men armed with handguns trained on Bethany and Jeff emerge from the trees, holding the barrels snugly at the base of their skulls.
Both Jeff and Bethany looked unharmed for the most part. Jeff has a little dried blood on his white scrubs. Probably from the small wound at the corner of his mouth which is now scabbed and beginning to bruise.
Bethany’s mousy brown hair is a mess around her tear-stained face. She’s shaking from head to toe as she hesitantly makes her way toward Dr. Sadist. But there’s no sign of trauma to her body.
“Kill ’em,” I grunt, pushing Dr. Sadist to make a move so I can get a better idea of what I’m dealing with. “Anyone who has anything to do with you and what you’ve done is just another body to add to my count.”
“You don’t mean that,” she responds with a hint of worry in her voice.
She has no clue what type of man I am. She wanted a pure shield and instead she got a murdering psychopath.
“Don’t I?” I ask coolly and continue walking toward her.
She steels her spine even though she takes a step in retreat.
“Are you sure you’re willing to play this game?” she questions with a menacing tone.
“I’ve been playing it and winning for months. No point stopping now.”
I pick up my pace as she looks to the men holding the hostages. She nods shakily, and the man holding his gun on Bethany puts a round through the back of her head. I don’t flinch. I don’t
respond to the screams of the bearers. My focus is intent on Dr. Sadist and the rising pulse beating in her neck that’s calling out to me to end its pulsing.
“I…wait.” She starts to panic when her stupid plan doesn’t work.
The thing that people don’t consider about me is, once I’m close enough, if you try to take me out, the bullets will ricochet and kill the person closest to me given the right distance. The same distance I’m standing from this bitch right now.
I haven’t seen Deacon yet. He’s here, waiting in the cover of the trees like a pussy no doubt. There are fifteen guns trained on us. Most of the bearers will die if they start to shoot. But those of us that live won’t stop until every Canyon Nine employee takes their last breath.
We’re ending this shit.
“What is it I’m waiting for?” I ask her in a smarmy voice, filled with promises of agony.
“I have the answers you want,” she rattles off quickly.
“Funny, I don’t have any fuckin’ questions for you.”
“You want to know why you’re like this. You’ve wanted to know since you were a small child. I can answer that question and so many more,” she pleads her case, flicking her eyes around in fear.
“See that’s where a cunt like you really is lost on me. You think I give a shit about why I’m a bearer? You murdered my mother. You stole me from my life. You took my woman. You threatened to kill her. And you put my son in harm’s way. The only motherfuckin’ question I have for you is, how long do you think you can stay alive?”
“I told you this was a bad idea,” Deacon’s voice rings out from beyond the trees. “He’s not like them, Davina.”
I ignore him, paying close attention to my soon to be victim. Her cheeks are flushed, glowing from the rising sun. Her hands are clasped tightly in front of her, pulling and fidgeting against each other. There’s a slight sheen of sweat misting her forehead. And her entire body is fighting the tremors beginning to take over her frame.
“If you touch me, they will slaughter every bearer,” she says confidently.
A single shot sounds from behind me and Alannah’s ear-piercing scream follows instantly. I spin to find the cop vest slumped over limply on top of her, an attendant with the barrel of his rifle pressed to the back of his head.
Misunderstood Miracles Page 18