Shocked (Electric Series)

by Harvell, Casey

  Strong hands lift me from the ground and before I realize who it is I begin to swat at them.

  “Stop, Kat. It’s just me.” Lucas’ voice calms me a little. “Let me help you.” I stop resisting and let him scoop me up. We move and I can’t bring myself to care where we’re going. I can’t bring myself to care about anything.

  Eventually we stop. Lucas places me onto something and I notice that he carries my bags along with me. I take in my surroundings and realize he’s taken me to the edge of the camp, away from everything. Just what I wish for.

  Endure

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Lucas asks when I progress from bawling to sniffling. I bite my lip to keep the waterworks from beginning all over again. I consider letting it all out. “I mean, you don’t have to.” He continues when I don’t answer. “But if you need to talk, I’m here.”

  “Thanks,” the monotone of my voice mirrors the numbness protecting my heart.

  “Hey.” Lucas catches my chin with his finger and pulls my face towards him. “I lied. You do need to tell me. Cuz it’s killing me to see you like this.”

  He can only imagine. Right then the numbness cracks and the pain returns full force. I stare into his eyes and it makes me wonder. If it were Lucas waiting for me would he have betrayed me? Maybe this is why Mason is my first boyfriend. This pain is unbearable.

  Only because it’s Lucas (and he saves me yet again) do I will my lips to move and recount the news Mason drops on me. I explain how Mason takes me to the beach. How we have a lovely picnic and spend the afternoon basking in the bright, warm sunlight. How everything is so perfect.

  It almost feels like a bad dream, but it cuts much too deeply for that to be possible. I swallow back the nausea and continue. “Then he asks me if anything happened between you and me on our way here.” Lucas’ eyes darken. “There was this look on his face when I answered, this awful guilty look, and I just knew.” My eyes fill with those damn tears again. I don’t know how there are any left right now. “He, he…” Sobs take over again.

  “It’s okay, Kat. You don’t have to say it.” Lucas says softly.

  “No,” I sniffle and steel my spine, “I really do. He said it—she didn’t mean anything. That he thought I was dead. Like that’s supposed to make it okay or something. When they were in the convoy, I guess…so soon after I left.” My voice trembles over the next words. “They thought they were going to die, he said, and they didn’t want to die virgins. Then,” I scoff. “Then he actually tells me that he didn’t have to tell me.” I look at Lucas and plead for some kind of understanding. “How am I supposed to react, huh? Just what does he expect of me?”

  Lucas doesn’t say anything because at this point I’m sobbing again. Instead he pulls me into his lap and lets me cry until there are no more tears.

  It can be hours or minutes later: my sense of time is left somewhere on that horrible, beautiful beach. When Lucas shifts me to one side I find myself clutching his shirt, unwilling to move.

  He chuckles softly. “I’m just moving because my legs asleep, sorry. You don’t have to get up.”

  “No, I’m sorry.” Now I do sit up and release his tear-stained shirt from my grasp. “You should be sleeping. We’re leaving early tomorrow.”

  His eyebrows raise, “What about you? You need rest too—probably more than any of us.”

  I shake my head. “I’ll be fine here. It’s too late to wake up Brie and Jared, or the Captain for a new room.”

  “I’m not leaving you out here alone. Either you crash in my room or we stay out here together. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He smiles and gets the first real smile out of me since before.

  A crack of thunder and a downpour of rain make the decision for me. I shriek and grab my backpack. Lucas grabs my duffle bag and we race back towards the center of the camp.

  Sleep doesn’t really come. I lie very still and keep my breathing even well past the time I’m sure that Lucas is sleeping. He’s on the floor between his bed (which he insists I take) and the door.

  Tomorrow will be here soon whether I’m ready for it or not. In a few measly hours we leave to go on the rescue mission. Is it even possible for me to be in such a close proximity of Mason now? Will the Captain make him stay behind if I ask him to? Can I even do that to Mason?

  The more important question is whether or not I’ll be able to focus with him there. Will I be able to make the right decisions with him there distracting me? My own preference aside, what’s the best choice to successfully complete this mission?

  In my heart I know the answer. I know what has to be done. I creep out of the bed and over Lucas, grabbing some clothes from my duffle bag on the way. I may as well take a shower while I can since any hope of sleep is long gone.

  I crank the water’s as hot as it goes and scorches my skin. It doesn’t hurt more than the pain inside me. When I finish dressing my skin is still pink from the water. At least it helps my red puffy eyes blend in a little more.

  By the time I step back into the room (and over Lucas) the sun glows softly through the shade. I slip on my boots before I wake Lucas and tell him to go to the bed. He mumbles something incoherent, but gets up and flops down on the mattress.

  The maze of hallways is eerily quiet. I soften my steps so my boots don’t sound so loudly and echo down them. It doesn’t take long to reach the Captain’s office. The doors locked and there’s no answer when I knock. I decide to wait him out rather than hunt him down and sink down against the door with my knees to my chest. Soon footsteps sound from the end of the hall.

  “Kat, is that you?” Dr. Ford calls. Before I have a chance to answer he moves closer. “What’s wrong?”

  It’s silly to think that my appearance will go without notice. “Would it be okay if we wait for Captain Jennings to get here too? I don’t know if I can tell the story more than once.”

  He nods and surprises me by dropping on the floor beside me. We sit in silence for a few more minutes before more footsteps sound and Captain Jennings approaches. He looks at us for a moment and takes stock of my emotional state. Captain Jennings reaches out a hand to me and pulls me up.

  “Here,” He hands me a cup in his hand while Dr. Ford gets to his feet. “You look like you need this more than I do.”

  I grab the Styrofoam cup in acceptance and wait while Captain Jennings unlocks the door.

  I explain everything (thankfully with much more control than with Lucas.) Dr. Ford drags me to his lab while Captain Jennings informs Mason that he’ll be sitting this mission out. He won’t be happy with the news or with me for spilling the beans. It’s not my fault I’m incapable of looking or acting normal right now. At least I won’t have to see the look of betrayal on his face. Captain Jennings assures me he’ll be keep Mason busy and under supervision until our departure.

  Dr. Ford quickly does some basic tests. They’re medical things, not his usual scientist stuff. He’s qualified for both so it’s not completely surprising. My blood pressure and temperature appear to be to his satisfaction. After a few more procedures he looks at me.

  “You’re dehydrated. You need to take more fluids.” He moves to a mini fridge and pulls out a sports drink that he tosses me. “Start with that. It’s probably from all the loss of fluids and you need to be in top form out there.”

  “Thanks,” I open it and take a long swig.

  “Kat,” Dr. Ford rubs his hand on the back of his head. “I want you to know that if you ever need anything I’m here.”

  “I know doc, thanks.” My smile’s sincere.

  “Just know that you’ll always have someone in your corner. I promise.”

  A rap on the door indicates it’s time to move. Dr. Ford and Captain Jennings walk me to the area I suit up in. This time I only grab the jacket. It seems silly in this heat though it’ll surely come in handy later.

  Brie’s waiting when I step out. B’s with her and I crouch down to cuddle him. Brie freaks out and is talking a mile a minu
te. She bombards me with questions as to why Mason’s so upset and not here suiting up with us.

  “What the hell’s going on?” She finishes and cradles her belly while she tries to catch her breath. I help her towards a nearby bench and sit her down. I make sure she’s steady before I sit next to her.

  “Better?”

  “Yeah, thanks,” she says. “It’s hard to breath with a person sitting on your diaphragm twenty-four seven.”

  “I can’t even imagine.” I say and then jump when her belly moves.

  She laughs. “It’s okay, that’s nothing. This baby does flips at night that are insane.” Then her face grows serious again. “Now stop changing the subject. What’s going on?”

  Brie’s every bit as furious as me while I recount the tale. “If you want, I can totally have Jared kick his ass. Once this baby comes out I might just do it myself.”

  “No, it’s okay. If I wanted to hurt him, well…” I give her a knowing look.

  “I guess so,” she agrees. “He still deserves it though.”

  “Yeah, he probably does.”

  “You know, I should beat you up too for not coming to wake me up last night.” Brie scolds.

  “I thought about it, but your sleeping for two now.” I point to her belly to confirm my statement. “You need your rest.”

  “Then where’d you go?”

  I recount the rest of my night and she puts her hand in mine. “Lucas seems like a good friend.” She observes.

  “Yeah, he is. He’s reliable.” Before I can say anything else, Captain Jennings calls my name. I give B a big hug and move to Brie. “Time to go.”

  She hugs me hard. “Be careful, okay? Come back safe.”

  “Promise,” I release her and rub her belly. “Take care of B for me. Don’t let Mason take him if you can. I should be back soon.”

  “I’ll keep him close.”

  It’s hard to walk away from the two of them. If I don’t go do what I can to stop the spread of infection, everyone here will be in danger. Everyone everywhere will be in danger.

  To my relief Lucas waits among the rest of the team: a familiar face in a host of unfamiliar ones. There’s only one other girl. She has dark hair and a hard expression. She’s almost pretty if not so rough looking. The other seven team members are all men. Every last one of them (excluding me and Lucas) are rigidly strict. Their eyes hold tinges of anxiety and fear. We set out to accomplish what every other team has fails and the weight of it gets heavier as we go.

  This time will be different because they’ll have something they don’t have before. A weapon of unmatchable force: Me. What’s worse? A teensy part off me is looking forward to it. All of this anger and hurt that envelope me yearns for release…begs for it.

  Does that make me a horrible person? Sometimes I think that it does. It certainly won’t be the first time that I question my own humanity. I’ve taken human lives before—granted they weren’t exactly good people—but they were people. It is plain unrealistic to believe that I won’t have to do it again: because when the time comes I will.

  The call that we’re ready to load sounds. We walk to the army helicopters that will be transporting us. They’re five total. Lucas grabs my hand and pulls me towards the center one. The other female soldier and one of the males follow and climb in with us. The blades spin loudly above us while the pressure and wind jostle us about and disorient everything. I swallow hard. I’ve never flown before.

  Through all the commotion Lucas manages to secure me to a handle with a looped seatbelt contraption. Nobody else seems to bother with it. I happily grasp it, glad to have something to keep me steady.

  Next thing I know my stomach drops and a feeling of weightlessness takes over. The ground below us shrinks and we’re in the air.

  Evil

  Once my stomach finds a place to rest comfortably inside me (after the flying has stabilized somewhat) it’s actually kind of nice. The view is incredible: this otherwise unattainable bird’s eye vision of the hills and valley’s below. It starts getting colder as we go. When we cross the line into Carch’s territory no one says anything. It becomes obvious enough when everyone’s suddenly on edge. Their demeanor set changes to fully anxious. Their eyes look out in every direction around us. All of them except for Lucas. He catches my eye and winks.

  The helicopters start their descent and once again my stomach hits my toes. We land and our team moves quickly to the edge of the clearing.

  “We go about two clicks east. There will be a guarded refugee camp according to our intel and satellite images. We’re unsure of the conditions we may find—just so you’re all prepared. Any survivors that can be moved safely will be brought to the helicopters. Everyone ready?”

  We nod in unison and begin to move. Lucas tries to hand me a pistol but I shake my head. It’s safer for all of us this way. Sort of.

  The lights and fences come into view first. The smell is putrid: sour and filthy, death and sickness, human waste and who knows what else. The place looks like a broken down prison. It’s certainly not fit for people to live in.

  Rage for Carch fills me. She’s the reason I know I’ll kill again. One day I will find her. When I do, for myself and the good of mankind I’ll ensure she can never hurt anyone again.

  Two team members move to cut holes in the fence. They wear gloves, but when the touch the metal of their tool to the wire of the fence sparks jump like a bug in a zapper. They reach to try again and I stop them with a hand to their shoulders. I haven’t the need to charge up like this since I was struck by lightning—but that doesn’t mean I can’t. Heck, the extra juice may come in handy. The other’s watch in fascination while I raise my palms a foot away from the wire and suck all of the energy into me. It’s beyond exhilarating. I stumble when I back away and let them cut the wire. We have to be quick before someone resets the fuse or whatever to fix it. Lucas grabs my arm to steady me. He doesn’t let go until we’re through the fence.

  The place gets a solid twelve on the creep-o-meter scale. Seriously, if this place isn’t cursed, it will be surprising. The evil here is palpable.

  Stains cover the concrete blocks of the building in every hue. I stare at the building and it seems impossible to breach. The doors appear made of solid steel and the windows are all covered with metal grates.

  Everyone around me stops when an arm shoots up and I don’t have a chance to wonder further. They crouch to the ground. Lucas tugs me down with the rest of them and puts a finger to his lips telling me to keep quiet. Something moves up ahead and I crane my neck for a better look. The figure moves away and more hand gestures are made. I look at Lucas, unsure as to what’s going on.

  Lucas moves his head close to mine. “It’s going to be bad up ahead. Be ready.”

  I nod my understanding and take a deep breath. I move. Control’s the key here. Blasting an enemy’s one thing, blasting a refugee’s something that can’t happen. The fighting can be heard before I even round the corner of the building.

  It’s been a while, but once you have been through some form of battle, you don’t really ever forget it. The glow from the enemy’s weapons ignites around us. The infectious fog looks different from the original form it’s based off of. The fog surrounds us while the enemy soldiers relax—obviously having done this before successfully. I smile and yell. “Get down!” My team complies.

  The energy that courses through me itches to get out. Control is a little harder because of it, but not impossible. I start with a soft stream and face my palms out to coax the energy into the fog. It disintegrates quickly. I carefully look beyond the fog to the enemies who stare in wonder and memorize their positions. I use the energy from their fence to my advantage and crank the power up a few notches. I send a stream of energy to each of them.

  This is a little new for me. I’ve streamed the energy before, but not like this. It’s completely in my control. It’s the first time I’ve let loose a stream and contained it. Throwing the spheres is too risky h
ere. Two more enemy men charge through the door of the building and I zap them too. It’s easier every time. I wonder what else I can do if I try.

  My team moves to their feet and we push forward together. Two of our men move to the sides of the door. One moves to open it when bullets rip through it. The fog seeps through the crack. How can they be so careless with the lives inside?

  A quick zap dissipates the fog. I create a sphere with just enough force to stun someone for a short while and hold it lightly in my palms. My team member catches onto my plan quickly and cracks the door open once more for me to roll it inside. There’s a rumble and burst of light. We move.

  Inside is dimly lit. Maybe eight men lay unconscious on the floor. A few members of our team move to secure them while the rest of us move forward. Adrenaline courses through me while as secure room after room. By the last one the enemy men all surrender.

  I look at Lucas in confusion. “I thought there were people here?”

  Lucas turns to one of the now captive soldiers. “Where are they?”

  The man looks warily at the others in the room but doesn’t say anything. Lucas nods and another member of our swiftly hits the man in the stomach. He drops to his knees and gasps for air.

  “I’ll ask again, where are they?” Lucas repeats.

  Still nothing. Lucas nods again and just before the man can be hit another of the captives shouts out. “Downstairs. They’re all downstairs. It’ll be easier to get to them if you take those keys.” He says and juts his chin towards the door where a ring of keys hang.

  I don’t stick around to see any more of their violent question and answer session. The keys from the door jingle when I shove them in my jacket pocket and move towards a door with a picture of a stairway next to it. Lucas and a few other team members are right behind me.

  The door creaks open into darkness. The others hit their flashlights, spattering the darkness with constantly moving light. It makes it hard to focus so I create a glowing orb like the one we found so useful in the cave. This one is slightly larger. Everyone’s lights click off and to their credit they only stare for a moment.