by Faulks, Kim
“I’m giving you five seconds before I call the police.” Dad dug into his pocket.
Steel shone as the killer pulled out his gun. “Now we’re only going to do this once, Senator. Don’t make me ask again.”
Force rose from the chair, leaving it to rock behind her.
“I know you and Doctor Bishop remained close friends. I also know he sent you copies of his notebooks. But I’m not here for them. I’m here for what’s not written in the pages. I’m here for what he told you in secret. Where is the girl, Senator? That’s all we want. Where is Fail Safe?”
There was silence. Just a heartbeat of nothing before she answered. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The movement was barely there. The gunman’s hand swept up, steel glinted under the lights as he squeezed the trigger.
The crack was deafening. The phone in Dad’s hand tore free and hit the ground. Crimson bloomed at his thigh.
Mom’s scream filled my ears.
And a crack of thunder answered.
I lunged, grabbing Dad’s arm as he crumpled to the floor.
“Stop! Stop this!” Mom’s screamed.
The metallic scent of blood filled my nose. I stared at his thigh, pressing my hand to the wound. Warmth slipped between my fingers. “Dad…Dad!”
“Seems like I have poor aim today,” the piece of fucking shit murmured. “I won’t make that mistake next time. The girl, Leah. Tell me where he’s hidden her and this all goes away.”
“I don’t know!” Mom screamed. “I don’t know about any girl!”
“You should’ve listened to the threats.” The killer lifted his gun, taking aim. “You should’ve taken the bribes. You pushed us out into the open. You wanted the entire world to know who you are? Now everyone is going to know about the Senator who killed her own family.”
Rage ripped free as the darkened windows flickered white. The boom of lightning was instant, standing the hairs on my arms as I shoved up from the ground.
Flashes filled my head and the roar followed.
White lights flickering…
Boom…boom…boom…
Blood…so much blood…
BEAST.
Their screams were muffled.
Everything was muffled.
ANIMAL.
“I need you to go now, Mom.” My words were a whisper. “I need you get Dad and leave.”
NOT HUMAN.
I closed my eyes.
WEAPON…
KILL…
KILL FOR US…
The air hummed with rage.
And underneath it…the TICK…TICK…TICK…
“Spark, no,” Mom pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”
My fingers trembled as I opened my eyes.
But she didn’t understand…I did.
I couldn’t stop myself, even if I tried.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Mom. But I will, do you understand what I’m telling you? I can’t stop.” Tears welled in my eyes. “It won’t go away.”
The boom of lightning hit the ground outside the house as I stepped forward. “It never goes away.”
The scent of Cool Water turned sickly in the air. My ears popped with the deafening sound of thunder. The man who called himself father stumbled backwards, and slapped his hands over his ears.
“Give it to them!” Dad roared clutching his own ears. “Leah, for Christ’s sake, tell them what they want to know!”
Mom’s skin was white in the neon glare. “I made a promise.” Mom reached for him. “God help me, I made a promise.”
“They’ll kill us!” Dad roared and lifted bloody fingers in the air. “They’ll fucking kill us all!”
Death was carried on the wind…
A death I never wanted…a death I’d die to prevent…
That sharp, bitter scent of ozone crawled through my nose to burrow in my veins. The ticking in my head grew louder.
It was all I could hear.
Dad jerked away as she grabbed him.
TICK…TICK…TICK…
Lightning flared, growing brighter inside my head. “I can’t stop it! I can’t stop the ticking anymore.”
“That’s not me.” Force took a step backwards. “I don’t know who that is, but that’s not me.”
TICK…
BEAST…
TICK…
ANIMAL…
I stumbled, as a nerve flared at my temple. “No…no! Get the fuck away from me…get the fuck away!” Nails pierced the flesh of my palm. The sting was instant. But it wasn’t enough…not near enough. Not to cut through the voice inside my head—not to kill that cold hungry need.
TICK…
KILL…
I raised my hand. Bright crimson blood ran over the meat of my palm as I swung. The slap gnashed my teeth and cracking through my head. I closed my eyes as my cheek pulsed with fire, please…please just go away…just leave me alone. Leave her alone.
The ground trembled as lightning struck. Windows cracked as the house shuddered.
I turned then, to stare at Mom. “Just stay here, okay?” The words were a whimper. I lifted my hand, my fingers dancing as blood dripped from my fingers. “Just stay right here, Mom. Please Momma…please just stay right here.”
“Spark, please honey. Let me help you…” Pain flared in her eyes. “Let me…”
A whimper tore from my throat sounding weak and wounded. She froze as I stepped toward the open door. Call it down…call the power into me. It was all I could do. “I love you,” I cried. “I love you so much, but I need you to stay here.”
I left them behind. Mom, staring at me as though I was abandoning them, and Dad in a pool of his own blood. My feet moved on their own as the lightning called me.
“Spark!” Dad roared as I stepped through the open door.
Two other gunmen were on the ground, hands clasped over their ears, their faces bathed in white as energy raced. “You should’ve stayed away,” I murmured as I passed. “You should’ve stayed far…far away.”
Run.
It was all I knew. I punched my feet into the concrete, and lunged toward the trees. I called the power, called it into me. I’d die before I hurt her…die before I let the ticking free.
TICK…
TICK…
TICK…
Pebbles bruised my feet. Branches clawed my face. Agony ripped through my head, and welled in my chest. I couldn’t breathe…couldn’t think.
Pressure built inside me. Coiling like a snake ready to strike. I ducked my head and pushed through the trees. White light forked overhead as I stumbled out into the open. I’d call it down. I’d call it into me.
I’d be the white light, like I’d done all those years ago.
I’d save her.
I’d save her.
Something snagged my arm, wrenching me close.
Mom was a blur in the dark. “I can protect you.” She stepped closer. “I can keep you safe.”
I jerked away from her and stumbled backwards. “No…no…no…no. Get away from me.”
She jerked her gaze over her shoulder, and then to me once more. Slow steps, tiny slow steps kicking up the dirt. I flinched with the sound, terror tearing me apart from the inside.
“I can help you. Please, honey…please let me help you.”
“You can’t.” I stumbled backwards. “Don’t you get that? You can’t help me. You can’t save me. I’m…not… Momma. I’m not good…”
Agony lashed her face. I hurt her, no matter how much I tried I still hurt her…over and over again. I shook my head and turned my back on her.
“Chris will know what to do,” her panic words spilled free. “We can go to him. He’ll take us to the girl.”
The peal of thunder trembled the earth.
Power raced through my body as a spear tore from the sky.
“I love you,” Mom whispered as the light swallowed her. “I’ll always love you.”
She was gone in the white out.
&
nbsp; A blinding light right in front of me.
My heart thundered…
I lunged forward into that haze of light.
Energy raced through my body, tearing thorough my head.
The world was a blur, carving me open to spill white.
My screams were swallowed, until there was nothing.
No light.
No Mom.
No screams.
And no ticking…
Finley
The Hummer roared along the highway.
Shadowed trees whipped past.
White lines were all I saw now, blurring out into the endless nothing.
Lightning cracked the night sky, spreading like fingers before it faded.
We were close.
I glanced down at the map sitting on the dash and focused on the road. “You’re sure this is quicker?”
Mavi glanced my way. “You’ve asked me that ten times already. The answer’s still the same.”
A nerve twitched at the corner of my eye. I licked my lips, focusing on the white lines. But in my head, all I saw was blood. “Try the Senator again.”
Mavi picked up my phone, skimmed his thumb across the screen and pressed the button. Even from here I could hear her voice—Hi, you’ve reached Leah Williams. I’m not available—before the call ended.
I ground my jaw and focused on the road, pushing the monstrous four by four harder. Tires squealed as I took the corner close.
We bounced, hit the shoulder of the road but kept on moving.
What the machine lacked in speed, it made up for in brute force.
Lakeside 20. The sign whipped past. My pulse ratcheted a little higher.
Mavi shifted on the seat beside me. We had no weapons…nothing more than the power in our veins. I glanced at him as he stretched out his fingers and clenched his fists and thunder rocked the air.
The deep snarl slipped through the vents as lightning came again, cleaving the sky. I felt that tremble in the pit of my stomach. We were close…she called me. Mavi shifted forward on the seat.
No, she called us.
A savage peal of thunder rocked the car. My heart lunged, slamming against my ribs.
“Jesus.” Mavi flinched and grabbed the dash as the sky raged and flickered white.
I winced at the blur and turned the wheel nosing the Hummer toward the strike. So close now, I could feel her under my skin, feel her desperation and her fear.
Black bled to grey as the first drops of rain smacked the windshield. I hit the wipers as we speared into Lakeside. Traffic lights flared red, but I never stopped, never slowed, just pushed the accelerator as the neon bolt shattered the dark.
Spark
I cracked open my eyes to the darkness.
Dirt in my mouth.
Ears filled with a hum.
Lightning flickered overhead, careful now…warning.
Flickers of memories in the white. The gunman. Blood on Dad’s thigh…Mom. Mom was running with me. Panic flared as the bitter scent of scorched earth invaded.
I don’t want to hurt you, my own words invaded. But I will, do you understand me? I will…
My heart boomed.
The ticking in my head was gone now. Thoughts as silent as the grave, like a sickening eerie calm after the storm.
Black underneath me, grass burned down to the dirt. I punched the ground and shoved upwards.
“Mom?” Pain flared with the word, burning and raw in the back of my throat. But Mom. Mom was here.
Chris will know what to do. We can go to him. He’ll take us to the girl. A chill tore along my arms as I shoved upwards and tried to stand. Black all around me, the trees, the sky…my heart.
A shape on the ground, bare pale skin. “Mom.”
I clawed the blackened earth, bare feet slipped on the ash. Pain flared through my knees as I hit the ground. Hands numb, feet heavy. Moving too slowly...
“Mom?” She was still…so still.
I shoved forward, clawing the ground as I scurried. Her shirt was blown open, bra now a blackened mess. But underneath she was perfect and pale.
Fingers skimmed her arm. I stared into her face. Her eyes were wide, staring up into the sky. “Mom, Mom…”
Skin cool to the touch. I jerked away and whimpered. Her fingers were outstretched.
I never wanted to hurt her. Never wanted to cause her pain. She blurred in the darkness, nothing more than exposed breasts and one eye.
I reached out, grasping the edges of her shirt and tugged them together. She’d wake up now. She’d be okay. “I need you to wake up now. Mom, please.”
A twig snapped in the trees behind me. My heart smashed as I jerked my gaze over my shoulder and stared into the dark.
A flare of white in the sky…slipping away now. I turned back and reached for her hand. She hadn’t wanted me—tears slipped down my cheek—not at first.
I love you. I’ll always love you.
Her fingers didn’t curl, lifeless eyes stared.
The snap of a twig came again, only this time louder.
“I’m sorry.” Blood bloomed in the back of my throat. “I’m so sorry.”
I shoved up from the ground and stumbled. The faded scent of cologne carried on the wind. Something rustled in the tree line. I backed away, feet slipping on the scorch marks, until I turned and ran.
My heart pounded, filling my head with a roar. Bare feet pounded the grass and rocks as I scurried, heading for the other side of the clearing. My breath burned as I gulped and sprinted.
Movement darted in the distance. Dark shapes. I ducked and speared through the gap in the trees, rushing headlong into the dark.
Thin branches lashed my face. I threw my hand out and was hit from behind. Something grasped my wrist. A scream building, building…building.
A weight fell on top of me, buckling my knees. Something warm over my mouth as I crashed to the ground. A grunt filled my ears, deep, guttural.
Twigs and leaves tangled in my hair as he pushed me to the ground. He pressed his hand over my mouth, his whisper a rush in my ear. “Quiet, or they’ll hear you.”
My heart was booming, smothering the sound. But underneath the roar, something thrashed through the forest.
Warmth against my body, holding me under. Still he never moved only waited. Footsteps…a snarl in the dark. I scanned the darkness, searching for the sound.
His grip on my mouth eased, fingers widened. I turned my head. Hard jaw, kind face. He stared into my eyes, his own…pleading. One nod of his head was all I needed.
I mirrored the movement and the gaps between his fingers widened. Shadows haunted the forest, barely enough light to see. I caught the movement as he lifted his hand, exposing his wrist to me.
Black numbers. Black numbers tattooed like mine. My eyes widened. I flinched. Panic turned to desperate hope. He wasn’t here to hurt me…only to help.
He held a finger to his lips and then pointed toward the sound. Two. Two fingers. Two people. He motioned in front of us, his lips parting to mouth the word quiet.
My heart was booming, tearing from my chest to claw into my throat. I let out a shuddery breath and nodded. He pushed against the ground, the weight of his body easing off me.
Leaves barely made a sound as he rose and held out his hand. Trust. The need rose inside me. I glanced back the way I’d come. Mom. Mom was back there. I shook my head and his brow narrowed.
He didn’t understand. How could he? My Mom…my mom…I dropped my hand beside me, his hand hung empty in the air. Leaves crunched under my body as I moved.
He watched me, helpless and desperate as I rose and took a step backwards. The sounds were gone from the trees, leaving me alone. “I’m sorry.”
I turned from him, took a step as something big moved through the trees.
“Get down!” My savior tackled me from behind.
There was a grunt and then a roar. I dropped to the ground as two men raced toward us. They were a blur, two men charging toward us.
I rolled, scrambled, nails dug into the earth and I shot forward as the brutal impact echoed behind me.
“Get the fuck off me!” one of them screamed.
Blows echoed in response. The sickening sounds were savage and brutal as someone hit the ground. Breaths burned in my chest as I tried to follow the movement. “Stop…please stop!”
“He’s here to kill you,” one grunted.
“He’s lying.” My defender shoved up from the ground, sucked in a hard breath and watched them. “Get out of here. Hide.”
The two stilled. Shadows moved as they glanced my way. “You’re here to hurt her.”
“I’m here to protect her!” he spat. “You’re here to hurt her.”
The big guy dropped his fist, and then straightened. “No, we’re not. Who the fuck are you?” His thick southern accent was raw and harsh.
“None of your fucking business, that’s who.” My guardian sucked in a breath, lifted his hand to swipe his mouth. “Don’t trust them, Spark.”
I flinched. “You know my name?”
“I showed you,” he answered, never once taking his eyes off them and lifted his hand.
I couldn’t see his wrist in the darkness. The numbers nothing more than a blur. The two others glanced to his wrist. The big guy with the accent lifted his arm. “I’ll see your tattoo and raise you another.”
“And another,” the other murmured at the big guy’s side. He reached up, snagged the sleeve of a jacket and yanked.
Black numbers glared against pale skin.
“You’re here for me?” I took a step closer, thunder rumbled.
“Looks like we all are,” the big guy growled.
“I don’t think so.” My protector stepped toward me. “We don’t even know you.”
The guy with the accent glanced at me. “You don’t know him either.”
It was a tug of war, one versus the other. Coldness sank into my feet as I stepped backwards.
“Wait,” one of them called as I turned and lunged.
I knew this forest, knew these trees. I’d been running here my entire life. Footsteps thundered behind me as they followed.
“Spark!” my protector called.