She dug her fingers into the gravel texture beneath her, and using all the energy she could muster, pulled her body along the ground, moving as fast as possible to get as far away from Gideon as she could. Thunder clapped and rain pelted the ground, already washing away what little evidence of her presence remained.
Hope staggered to her feet on the rare occasion, but soon after would tumble back down, slamming her knees against the cold concrete in the process. Her bones ached, she was sure she was scraping skin from bone, and some of her nails broke off.
Sometimes she was sure she was moving in circles, other times she didn’t think she was moving, but she continued.
Hope believed she was already dead at times, but the one constant reminder that she wasn’t, was that hard icy ground, cutting her skin, tearing her apart, shredding her clothes. And the pain that continued to wrack her body.
Hope paused and in her dizzying movements, placed a palm between her legs when warm liquid slid along her thigh. Thinking her water broke, she glanced down. Blood. Her world blurred beneath tears and rain.
She crawled until the last bits of energy drained from her and labor hit full on, demanding her to push the baby out. Hope didn’t know how far she’d traveled, but she had a strong hunch she was far enough from where she started that she would be okay. It wasn’t as if she could go any further. Her world grew dark and her throat was sticky and wet, she was sure she was on her last breath.
Hope struggled out of her pants and underwear that were soaked through from all the blood. The last of her energy waned and her body cramped, untold pressure pressed inside the top of her stomach, begging her to shove. Her slick fingers helped the baby from her womb. She caught sight of him before she tunneled into darkness.
With Gideon and her child’s death, she swore into that night that Gideon was the last man she’d ever love, and she would never help a world that would leave her like this to die alone. Who would allow her child to die.
Kaden ripped away her remaining link to humanity. To all the good inside of her that cared about this world. She was wrong about them. Once, she told Gideon, “I still believe people will be there for one another in the end.”
Where were they now?
Nowhere.
As she died, she shut out the whispers for good.
I will never listen to you again.
TWENTY THREE
HOPE FINISHED HER STORY, struggling to keep the pain from tearing her apart. “There are a lot of people who want me dead, Ronin. Some who see me as a savior for their world—which I’m not—and many more who want to cut me open so they can study me. Others who—” she snorted, “—think they can impregnate me and try that process again.”
Realizing she was getting off course, Hope cleared her throat. “Many people want something from me. That’s what I’ve learned. This world can burn in hell before I help it anymore. I tried that once and the world turned its back on me. I was left to die alone. I don't owe this forsaken place anything. I’m uninterested in helping them. I am being hunted. By the worst of the worst. The question is, which evil gets to me first. Still think you should stay and help? You’ll sign your death warrant.”
For almost half an hour after Hope finished her story, Ronin stared through the wood covering the window without saying a word. His back was to Hope. His fingers dug into his arms.
Hope believed she was alone that day she died. She hadn’t been alone, had she? Cayla had come. When Hope needed someone, there came one. One who brought her to this place they were now.
The room filled with silence. When Ronin was sure he could control the rage that gripped him, he turned. Hope seemed so frail, lost, and alone. It took all his effort to keep what little calm remained. He would die before he allowed anyone to take her apart, to cage her.
Ronin sat next to Hope on the bed. He studied her face, reveling in the flawless skin, save for the mark on her neck. A mark that only showed if she raised that stubborn chin in defiance. Hope fidgeted under his watchful eye.
“I don’t think anyone could underestimate it, or you, after hearing that story.” Ronin thought on it for a moment and then asked, “Why have you never told Cayla?”
Hope shrugged and glanced toward the hallway, “I’ve never told anyone before. It’s a waste of time. I was hoping you’d hear it and leave.”
Ronin was taken aback. “Give me more credit than that.”
Hope turned back and smirked. “Why? Because you’ve proven yourself to be such a good friend of mine? Everyone leaves.”
Ronin refused to let her get away with the attitude. “As if you’ve given me reason to be a friend? It's not so easy to get along with you. You don’t make it easy.”
Hope shrugged. “I get harder. Not like anyone gives me reason to be nice to them. They treat me like shit because of my existence. Would you be friendly-friendly?”
Ronin had to give her that. He knew how that went. He shook his head. “You really have given up hope on people, haven’t you?”
Hope snorted. “No shit, Sherlock.”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic.”
“Sure do. Sarcastic is my middle name, didn’t ya know that?”
Ronin enjoyed her moxie, but refused to show it. Instead, he opted for a stern look. “You have to trust someone again. Otherwise, if you keep running, you’ll run out of people to run from.”
Hope laughed, but her hand flew to her mouth and she cut it off, glancing over to the door. She was hoping not to wake Cayla. Proof the girl had humanity left in her. Proof . . . that she could love.
“You’re kidding, right?” she asked. “This world is going to the pits and you think I need a motivational speech? Do you trust anyone? Answer me that and then I will tell you, you’re full of shit. You don’t trust anyone, no more than I do.”
It was Ronin’s turn to shrug. “The difference is that I’ve gathered the only way for me to help you is to trust you.”
Hope gaped at him. “For what?”
“I have to trust that you won’t run when the bullets fly, and disappear on us. If I can’t? You’ll only live up to the belief. I know you won’t do that to Cayla. You act as if you’re heartless and feel nothing, but I’ve seen how you look at her. You won’t hurt her.”
Hope shook her head, getting anxious over the touching moment. “Don’t trust me, Ronin. Don’t trust me at all. I’ll leave you both in an instant if I can. Don’t—”
“Put that on you?” he finished for her. “You won’t, Hope. You won’t hurt her because you love her. I trust you. So run away to prove me wrong. We both know you’ll come back to her. Besides,” he said, leaning closer, unable to resist provoking her, “we both know I’ll be able to find you, wherever you go, and I will drag you kicking and screaming, right back.”
Being so close to her, Ronin noticed the bruises had faded from her face. Such advanced healing for anyone who claimed they were human, or Amaranthine.
Ronin couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to kiss her. Sitting so close to her made him think of doing that. It had been a long time since he’d been attracted to a woman.
Hope smelled like warm sunshine, yet something about her was so familiar. As though he’d known her in another life. Her scent reminded him of his youth, when he’d slip out and enjoy the breeze on a warm summer day at the lake with his friends. Or of sitting on his porch after mowing the lawn, feeling the warmth of the sun beating hard against his skin.
Noticing how uncomfortable it made her for him to sit so close amused him further. Could it be that he wasn’t the only one who found the other intriguing? It would explain why she leaned back against the wall to place more distance between them. She crossed her arms.
“I don’t like you.”
Ronin smiled. “That is what’s decent about you, Hope. You speak what’s on your mind. Nobody has to wonder where they stand with you. Should I point out that you didn’t disagree?”
Hope stuck out her tongue. “No. And it’
s not true.”
“As much as you try to be hateful to people and push them away, I think I see why Cayla works so hard to protect you. You have a spark.”
Hope snorted. “I’m just one big electrical current.”
Ronin tapped her on the nose before he stood up. “You’re a frustratingly beautiful woman. You’re nothing but trouble in all sense of the word. There is a reason you didn’t die out there. There is a reason you had to suffer so much. Don’t think I don’t notice the cuts that magically heal on their own, the bruises that fade in less time than normal. There is something going on. Maybe you don’t understand what it is, and you need someone to help you to.”
Hope stared at him to make sure he saw her roll her eyes. “Don’t call me beautiful. We’re not friends. We’ll never be friends. I’ll run and I’ll leave you without a second thought. The moment the opportunity presents itself. Promise ya.”
Ronin smiled again. He got under her skin. For a change, he got to see the real Hope. The reason Cayla was so interested in saving her became clear. This girl, this woman, whatever she was, was everything this world needed. She was the hope of the future. There was nobody, or nothing, like Hope out there.
Despite her not saying it, he was getting to her as much as she was to him, but she fought it well. Hope wanted to make sure he understood how much she hated him because she needed to hear herself say it, to make herself believe it.
Ronin liked knowing he was earning her trust. He gave her a curt nod. “You convince yourself as much as you need.” He couldn’t resist goading her. “Maybe it’s not Cayla who keeps you around.” He smirked and crossed the room. “You’ll come back if you run. We both know you will.”
He left her bedroom and she mumbled behind him, “No I won’t.” He could imagine her clenching her teeth and leaning back against the wall, crossing her arms all over again.
The next morning, Ronin, Cayla, and Hope got back on the road without a problem. The next days of travel proved mostly uneventful. Their caravan stopped for a break at the Zone Eight and Zone Six border.
The group who assisted them would go no farther, explaining that the roads ahead were unsafe. Far rougher and much more dangerous. Not just from being overtaken by the surrounding plant life, but a mixture of groups had cropped up. Some even belonged to Darrok. All the zones surrounding Canada had become that way. Did he know of their plans? Or did Darrok simply desire to make his presence felt over a wider expanse?
Many new settlements and safe houses were built inside the borders of Canada since it was known to be a safe zone. That would change soon enough if Darrok had anything to do with it. They couldn’t escape his reach forever. Darrok’s groups lined the border, waiting to capture people for SlaPets. The rich loved hiring the people Darrok found, to tend to their needs.
Slavery was abolished in the 1800’s, but capturing a human being and forcing them to become a SlaPet was never covered. That happened because even under duress, if you asked a SlaPet if they were a prisoner, if they didn’t want it, if they were a slave; the SlaPet would tell you they weren’t a SlaPet. And yes, they wanted the life they had.
The SlaPet loved being a pet to their owners because they were paid—barely anything and money that went out the door to expenses for them. The SlaPet was treated so wonderfully—when they were released from their chains and allowed to eat. They never had any problem to report—because they’d be killed if they said otherwise.
The owners had learned how to keep the SlaPets fed enough to pass the tests that doctors performed on them to make sure they were taken care of. Darrok paid off the doctors. That, and the doctors were scared to death they would become a SlaPet if they didn’t pass the person taking the test.
Who wanted those health tests performed? Why did they bother since they were fake? She never had given it much thought, figuring it was a ruse by Darrok to fool the humans of the world into believing he too, answered to a higher power, which was all a scheme.
A scheme to make them believe that he was under strict orders to make sure people were taken care of when those same people were clear prisoners, or pets of the Associates. Oh how the Associates loved playing with the female SlaPets when found. One position nobody hoped for.
Zone Eight had become one of the worst places to travel because it was much easier to traverse into Zone Two through that zone. The zone had become a thoroughfare for a while. Many people hoped to cross into Zone Two, hoping for a fresh start. And there were just as many who wanted to make sure they didn’t.
Hope watched the scenery pass by through the windows in the vehicle, blurring into nothing while they drove the highway that would lead them through Seattle. Her heart sunk when they entered Zone Eight, and as they progressed, she pulled further inside herself. The loss of optimism settled deep inside like a heavy burden on her shoulders, dragging her down.
The vehicle bounced over the broken highways and roadways as Ronin drove. He swerved to avoid dead vehicles, keeping a quick pace, as they couldn’t afford to slow below the necessary speed.
A few times, Hope glared at Ronin for throwing her over the backseat, but he shrugged and reminded her they couldn’t afford to slow down. The vehicle had no seatbelts for her to brace herself with so she spread her legs out and situated her body in the center of the seat, trying to maintain a center of gravity.
The windows were open and the scent of death grew stronger beneath the foggy haze of Seattle on their approach, making their eyes water and gag. There were no blue skies, no sun, and they couldn’t hear any birds. The roadways became worse as they went on, which forced Ronin to slow the vehicle further. His grip tightened on the wheel and his back grew tense.
“Keep your eyes open. Too much crap along the roads, so we won’t be speeding through here. I’d wreck the vehicle and we need to keep moving. If you see anything, speak up.” Ronin straightened even more in the front seat and Hope studied him.
Was she beginning to trust him? Yes, she was. Odd. Her attention moved from his back to the rearview mirror and their eyes locked. Hope adjusted her body to stare out the windows, clenching her jaw. She couldn’t allow him to get to her. She had to keep her distance, no matter what. There was no way on this planet she would trust him. Trusting someone got both of you killed.
The first patch of Seattle came into view. Hope shook her head when she saw the crumpled stadium that once held football games with sold out crowds. Now it appeared as if someone had lit a bomb in the middle of the structure. Most of the sides had dissolved, the top had long since fallen in, and weeds had taken over the walls, as well as the surrounding parking lot. Hope couldn’t bear to look at it, and closed her eyes until they passed.
Ronin slammed his foot on the break and the vehicle jerked. Hope flew forward into the seats.
“What the hell!” Hope shoved away from the seat.
Ronin smirked up at the mirror. “That’s how you pay attention?”
“That’s how you drive?” Hope righted herself in the seat and fixed her clothes.
He shrugged and pointed in front of them. “We’ll have to backtrack. Know any side streets around here to bypass the area?”
Hope scooted to the edge of the seat to see through the front window. A massive pile of rubble lay on the highway. One of the taller buildings had collapsed and vehicles jutted out at all angles underneath. More vehicles had smashed into the side and backs of the vehicles trapped when the building fell.
A cold chill passed through Hope. People had been in those cars, alive. A lump formed in her throat and she glanced around the once beautiful Interstate 5.
All the buildings had collapsed in one form or another. The building that fell and destroyed that section of road used to be the Two Union Square building. Once the third tallest skyscraper in Seattle, now it was a pile of rubble preventing them from continuing.
The buildings around them would make it difficult to find a clean street to get through, as they all appeared similar to the Union Building an
d the old CenturyLink Field. If there were actual streets along the back roads anymore, they too, could be nothing but rubble.
Hope took a deep breath and sighed. She wouldn’t meet Ronin’s gaze. “If, and that’s a big if, there are any side streets anymore? Then we can turn around—if you can—and take the exit for Seneca Street, which will take us to Fifth Avenue, and then Denny Way. We can get back on further down past all the buildings. That is if the streets are marked. If not, I still remember them and can point them out. We can ride the back roads further down the interstate and get back on further down, or ride the water out of Seattle.”
Hope looked at Cayla and Ronin. They were staring at her as though she were speaking gibberish. Hope went back to studying the building in front of her.
“Do you know what you’re saying?” Cayla asked, which took Hope out of the trance she was in. She glanced at them both again and gave a slight smile, which held no warmth.
“Yes. The most obvious path would be the backstreets I mentioned. However, a slower road, but one I’m guessing wouldn’t have as many problems, would be State Route 202, then taking that to Highway 9, and then the border. No buildings to crash on roadways. Everyone used to use I-5 and I-405 back in the day, but before they were popular, Highway 9 was a major highway. I think we’d have a better chance there.”
Hope held up her hands, and poked at each finger. “There are more places to hide. There are more exits, more cover. I’m hoping the trees haven’t taken over. It won’t be clearer, or faster than this one, but if we have a chance, it’s on nine. We’ll stay away from the major cities. I know the roads off nine that lead back to this one, so that’s your choice, but my gut says nine.”
Ronin maneuvered the vehicle around while she talked, weaving through the vehicles to where they came from. “Then if that’s what your gut says, that’s the road we’ll take. You know this place better than we do. But Hope?”
Hope sat back and pointed at the upcoming exit. Ronin nodded and she asked, “What?”
Hope of the Future Page 17