Defiance

by R. S. Broadhead

  It felt weird. Maybe I had feelings for her. I had never thought about her in any other way, but protecting her. Things were different now. She was an adult, physically close to the same age as me. There’s no way she would fall for someone like me. Fear me, yes. Deal with me, yes. But anything more, I doubted it. I couldn’t help but to think about what if she did. This wouldn’t end good. A Reaper couldn’t be with a human. We were from two different worlds. One of us would end up with a broken heart, shattered in a million pieces. But I didn’t want to think about any of that now. Nothing had ever felt this right, even if I was on the floor. If this was what I got after twenty years of being locked up, I would do it over again a heart beat.

  The door hitting the wall woke us the next morning. “Cade!” Ryker screamed.

  I jerked up, rolling to my side, preparing to fight. “What?” I asked.

  Izzy sat up, her hair tousled.

  “Ryker!”

  He was quiet as he drank in the sight. “Oh, nothing. I just woke up and didn’t see you, so I thought you left. I was worried. I guess I didn’t need to be, huh? Gonna be leaving some of your clothes behind to add to the pile?” He winked at me, giving me a nod of approval.

  I threw a pillow at him as he retreated behind the door just in time. I lay back, stretching, trying to calm down from the heart attack he almost gave me. I looked over at Izzy, who was staring a hole in me. “Good morning.” I smiled at her, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on Ryker’s comment about the clothes.

  “Good morning,” she said, shyly. Her eyes explored my face as if it were the first time she really saw me.

  “We should get a move on, I guess.” I really didn’t want to get up, but I needed to get us on the road before someone caught up.

  “Do we have to?”

  “Yeah.” I caught her eyes raking across my body, which made my cheeks burn. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you out front.” I walked out of the room, closing the door, only to be met by Ryker’s smiling face from the recliner.

  “So how was it? Must have been pretty bad if she kicked you to the floor afterward. I knew you were crushing hard on that girl. I could tell by the way you looked at her.”

  I rolled my eyes, taking my clothes off the counter in the bathroom before going into the living room to face his comments. “Nothing to tell you about. We didn’t do anything but talk and sleep.” I quickly got dressed.

  “Is that what you call it?”

  “Ryker,” I said his name sternly, giving him a no nonsense expression. “Nothing happened. Leave it alone.”

  “You take all the fun out of everything.” He crossed his arms, leaning back into the chair.

  “We need to get moving.” Something told me the morning was going to be less than pleasant.

  Sixteen

  After Izzy packed a small backpack, we left the apartment. The second we stepped out of the building I realized I forgot to check from the window before we came down. I knew that was a huge mistake. Something startled me. A light breeze, barely even noticeable, carried their scent. My back went inflexible as my feet faltered. I searched the surrounding roofs like a cat hunting. Two heads peaked from beyond a metal shaft emerging from a building across from Izzy’s apartment. I snatched her arm and pulled her into the awning of the building before she reached the sidewalk. Ryker followed suit.

  Once we were hidden, I released her arm. “What the crap? That hurt!” She rubbed her arm as if massaging the pain.

  Ryker’s thick brows pulled together. “What gives?” He moved to the side to let a couple go by. The revolving doors from the building sent a burst of cool air around us. The sweet scent of the large floral arrangement placed on a round table just inside the lobby surrounded me. However, there was no way it could overtake the pungent smell of the Reapers staking out on the rooftop.

  “Reapers,” I said as I took a stealthy look around the corner.

  The color drained from both their faces. She sunk back against the wall. “But you’re Reapers, right? Can’t you just talk to them?” Izzy asked. “You have to talk to them, Cade.” She reached for me, pulling on the hood of my suit. “Make them see I’m not anything special. I’m not anything special…” Her lips trembled.

  My fingertips grazed her chin. “We’ll figure a way out of this. Don’t worry.”

  “How many?” Ryker asked, pushing me back so he could look for himself. He let out a low whistle as he drank in the sight. “At least ten. All Stalkers,” he answered himself.

  The number caught me off guard. I pushed his shoulder back to take another look. “Shit. There was only two when I saw them. There’s no telling how many are around here. We need to get away from here and fast.”

  “What’s the point?” Izzy asked. She slid down until she sat on the grungy concrete. Her shoulders slumped forward and she sighed heavily through her nose as she kicked at a piece of darkened gum using the toe of her sneaker. “They’ll find us wherever we go.”

  I stared at her for several seconds, not really sure what to say. It did seem that was how this would play out. We were severally outnumbered. Why was this girl so valuable? Despite my reservations about our survival, they needed to believe we could make it or they would give up like she was trying to. I kneeled in front of her, picking her chin up. Her skin was warm and soft like silk. It was such a normal gesture in a not so normal situation. A lock of hair fell into her eyes as she stared at me, waiting. Uncertainty swelled in my chest. I had to choose the right words. “We will make it. All those years of thinking you were dead…I’m not going to let them take you. This is my promise to you.” I let those words sink in.

  Her bottom lip quivered before she sucked it into her mouth in an attempt to hide it from me. “I’m scared. Like incomprehensibly scared. I can’t think straight about anything.” Her skin seemed paler, the normal rosy hue vacant. She grabbed my hand, wrapping her fingers in between mine. I clutched her hold, not wanting to let go. In this moment she was safe. The way I wanted her to stay.

  “There’s more of them up there now,” Ryker said, interrupting our moment. The reality of his words indicated it was time to face the inevitable. Reapers were made to carry out death anyway possible. No one ran from it. No one could hide from it. It would always find you, even if it took years. I didn’t want to do either of those things. I wanted to go to war.

  I helped Izzy stand even though I could tell she wanted to resist. She pushed a mess of wavy hair away from her face. The humidity and sweat had ruined her straightened hair and brought back the curls I remembered. I cast a glance out to the street, my eyes roaming the tops of the surrounding buildings. Pools of sunlight cascaded through tiny puffs of clouds, covering the streets in a warm honey glow. It would be mid-day soon.

  “Ryker.”

  “Yeah.” His voice was close. I turned, nearly crashing face first into him. “Sorry,” he said, looking down, a humorous glint in his eyes.

  “I think it’s time you get a try at one of those cars.”

  His mouth dropped and for a moment I thought he went into shock. I waved a hand in front of his glassy- eyed stare. “It’s about damn time,” he finally said, snapping back to reality. He paced before the opening of the awning with a finger tapping his chin. “Which to pick?” He stopped and pointed at one with a round roof, like a half moon. Fuzzy dice dangled from the review mirror and the back glass was decorated with pink stickers. “That one looks nice. It’s all colorful and shit.”

  Izzy walked over to stand beside him, staring at his line of sight. “If you’re going to steal a car at least pick something better than a Beetle.”

  Ryker rolled his eyes scathingly as he assessed the car again. “They all do the same thing, don’t they? Just different shapes and colors for human pleasure?”

  She nearly choked. “No, sweetie,” she said, tapping his arm like a small child. Ryker glanced down at her touch and smiled. He gave me a scandalous expression followed by a wink. “Pick something with power. All these cars have diff
erent engine sizes, which determines how fast they go, and their handling is essential too.”

  He placed his hand on top of hers, making an unfamiliar heat seem to rise and pulsate through my pores. “Well, which do you suggest?” he asked, batting his thick lashes down at her. He was milking this for all it was worth.

  “Just hurry. We don’t have all day,” I spat, my voice thick with tension. I wanted to rip them apart. Didn’t they understand we didn’t have all day to gawk at all the little human toys that sat along side the street?

  Izzy wrinkled her nose, shaking her head as the curls swayed around her face. Why would anyone ever want to hurt her? Once again I found myself in a fogged stupor, much like I was when I saw her through the window of the coffee shop. “How about that one?” She pointed to a slick black car that was low to the ground. It reminded me of a deadly animal, waiting to attack innocent prey.

  “Very nice. Not as colorful as the other one, but I guess it’ll do,” Ryker said. He jumped up on his tiptoes, flaying his arms out as he danced back and forth. “Finally, going to get to drive a car!”

  Izzy inserted herself between the two of us. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Has he ever driven anything like a car before?”

  I rubbed my palm across my forehead, wishing I could avoid that question. “No.”

  She threw her hands up as her head rolled back. Her eyes snapped back to me as if she were waiting on a different answer. When I shrugged, she stormed away. I stared at her back, unsure why she was suddenly so angry. “I can drive the car,” she said without turning around.

  “No one is taking this away from me,” Ryker said, suddenly at full attention. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to drive something like this?”

  Izzy gave in. “Fine. Just…please be careful. I don’t want them to see us.”

  He balled his fist, pulling it into his body with the bend of his elbow. “Okay. I’m ready to do this. Hard-On, come to me,” Ryker said, clasping his hands together, rubbing them around.

  “Hard-On?” I asked. “What the hell is that?”

  “It’s what I’m calling my future car over there.”

  Izzy erupted into a fit of giggles behind us, grabbing at her sides before doubling over. We both turned to her, wondering what was so funny. “Ryker, where did you hear that name?” she asked, barely able to get the words out.

  He looked at me for answers. I shrugged. “I heard some dude say he had a badass Hard-On that the girls loved when we were walking down the sidewalk. Obviously, he’s talking about his car, right?” That made her laugh even harder. She reached back, holding the wall for support. When she didn’t respond, he waved her actions off and turned back to the street. “Ready to get out of here?”

  “Yep. Now move it.” I crossed my arms as he darted out onto the sidewalk, carefully avoiding people. He paused once he reached the street, staying low between two parked cars.

  “Do you think this is going to work?” Izzy asked, stepping up beside me, whipping tears from her face.

  I panicked, grabbing her arms. “Are you hurt?” I asked, studying her face, searching for the reason why she was crying.

  She jerked her arms away gently. “That’s what happens when you laugh that hard. I take it that’s never happened to you?” My heart rate slowed as I took a few calming breathes.

  “No.” My eyes dropped to the ground. My answer made me feel weird. Sad. Like I was missing out on something.

  She laced her fingers through mine. “I’m sure it will one day.” I forced myself to look away and refocused on Ryker, who had now made it to the car. He tugged on the handle.

  “For the record, I just didn’t want you to go out there in case anything happened. I wanted to keep you close to me.” Her cheeks turned a deep red. Before I could say another word, glass shattered. Ryker flung the door open, spraying glass out onto the street as he dusted the driver’s seat off. The car alarm screamed, echoing off the tall buildings surrounding us. “Shit.” I looked up as every Stalker stared down in the direction of the car. A few seconds later, the car purred to life. The tires squealed, sending smoke barreling around the body and out into the street like a poisonous gas, however it sat unmoving. A second later, it tore back in reverse, crashing into the Beetle Ryker drooled over. After pushing it a few feet back, it shot forward, pulling the Beetle’s bumper off along with it. The wheel turned, shooting out onto the street, earning a well-deserved horn from an oncoming vehicle. “Okay, maybe this wasn’t the best idea. At least they don’t know who’s in the car. They’re not going to move just because someone doesn’t know how to drive.”

  “Hey! That’s my fucking car,” a muscular guy yelled as he ran toward the street. He waved an arm around, which looked more like a tree trunk blowing in the wind. The car stopped, seconds before hitting an elderly woman walking her dog. She slammed her purse across the hood, yelling. The owner of the car reached the driver’s side and yanked the door opened. Ryker kicked out, sending him sprawling across the asphalt. The beefed up guy rolled over, holding his leg. It dangled just below the knee. The fibula projected through the skin, turning his leg bright red as blood poured from the wound.

  I glanced up, hoping they hadn’t seen who was in the car. The Stalkers were at full attention. They started disappearing from the ledge, meaning they were coming. “We got to move. They’ve seen him.”

  “Cade, there’s a big one at the car,” Izzy hissed. I was shocked she could see him. No other humans could. Odd. A Stalker, practically dwarfing Ryker, had him pinned to the car, but he was still landing a few punches. Blood squirted from the Stalker’s nose as one punch split it with a sickening pop. Ryker took an elbow to the temple, which caused his head to roll to the side before being tossed down. He rolled over to his side as the Stalker reached for him. Using a handful of Ryker’s shirt, he picked him up, his feet dangling like flopping fish out of water.

  I ran. Everything was happening too fast. Izzy’s pounding strides thudded against the concrete beside me, but all I could see was Ryker’s face becoming mush. The Stalker’s strikes hammered down repeatedly. Red covered his fist, and it speckled his face like someone sprayed him with a water hose that pumped blood. I slammed into his thick body, ignoring its momentum. His ribs shattered against my blow. I heard each one as it splintered down the middle before fully breaking. He slid across the ground, the roughness of its surface grating layers of skin clean off his left side until the tissue was exposed. He stopped when his skull landed against the sidewalk, cracking it. My chest heaved as anger billowed through my limbs, blinding any notion of reasonable thought.

  Izzy dragged Ryker back toward the black car. She fell as the anguish brought tears down her face. Joining her, I threw him over my shoulder. Once at the passenger side of the car, I opened the door and placed him inside. One of his eyelids was ripped in two. His nose was swollen and had a noticeable lean to it. Blood trickled from it running into his already bloody mouth.

  “Get in,” Izzy shouted as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “Please,” she begged when she realized my hesitation. She reached for my arm, but I pushed her away. I wasn’t in the right place to be around her at that moment, unable to take my eyes from Ryker.

  “If I’m not able to join you in the next sixty seconds leave.”

  “You said you’d make sure I was safe. That you wanted me near you.” I could practically hear the words I spoke earlier, but what she didn’t understand was that was exactly what I was attempting to do. Within seconds these Stalkers would be on this car. If they survived, they would be able to stalk us wherever we went. There would be no escaping. They had her scent now.

  Their footsteps slowed to a stop as I slammed the door closed, leaving Izzy bawling. “Time to give up, Cadeus. You’re outnumbered. Even with stealing the blood from Theo’s Demoral tattoo we’d take you down before you got all of us.” The leader crossed his arms, waiting for my response.

  “Is that right?” I glanced around at the twenty or more
Stalkers surrounding me, my eyes flinted to the growing crowd on the sidewalks. I’m sure they were getting a real show thinking I was talking to myself in the middle of the street. “What if I don’t give up?” I locked eyes with him, clenching my jaw. The scythe burned through my clothes, scolding my flesh.

  “We have orders to kill you and Ryker, but take the girl in.”

  “I can’t let you do either of those things.” I snatched the scythe off my back, locking it into place and swung out, daring them to come at me.

  They pulled out hand held scythes about half the size of mine. A flick of the leader’s eyes meant the fight was starting. A Stalker close to me lunged into the air. His weapon was poised above his head, ready to strike me dead. Others followed, coming at me from all angles. I dipped, impaling the first attacker in mid- air. I pulled out, ripping him in half.

  I took a few steps back, rolling over the hood of the car, leaving a dent. I needed to get them away from there before any tried to get to Izzy or Ryker. Four swiftly jumped over the car, pursuing me. I tossed my weapon up, grabbing a street sign, as one heaved their scythe toward me. I dropped back down, catching my scythe. The closet one caught the back handle, breaking his jaw and sending him back into the other three.

  Two others were at my back. One snatched at my hood, causing a slight rasp of the material ripping. I rolled, tucked, and delivered a body shot. He doubled over as the other one hit me in the eye. My vision speckled as I gouged his eyes out. I delivered two more body shots to the first Stalker before I crushed his chest with the handle of my scythe. Before turning my attention elsewhere, I decapitated the one whose eyes I destroyed.

  Pop! Pop!

  Two gunshots rang out.

  “No! Cade!”

  I glanced back. Three stalkers were at the car. If only human weapons could kill them. Anger poured over me, causing me to tingle. I gritted my teeth, plowing through the four I had knocked down earlier, slicing their throats in the process. I kicked another one in the side, dropping him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, snapping it. I had to get to the car. I couldn’t let them take her. I gasped for breath.