“Much tougher,” he said with an exaggerated nod.
“You’re lying through your teeth.”
“Maybe.”
I giggled, which earned me another one of those heart-melting smiles of his. Why the heck was someone like him in a place like this? Back in school, he’d always struck me as a nice guy. He kept to himself a lot, actually. Of course, I was also in “a place like this,” so what did that say about me? Way to be a judgy-McJudgerson, Kerrigan.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Ethan’s eyebrows scrunched together, and he took a quick breath. When I gave him a small nod, he continued, “You don’t have to answer, obviously, but . . . well, why are you here? You don’t exactly strike me as the type to have behavior problems, or whatever.”
And apparently I’d found myself a mind-reader. His eyes focused on mine, and while one look into them told me I could trust him, this wasn’t really something I preferred to broadcast to the world. Though, Dr. Fowler had outed my craziness just a few minutes earlier. And Danny did say everyone knew that I “saw things.” Blah. Way to make me feel more psychotic than I already do.
“Haven’t you heard?” I finally answered with mock seriousness. “I’m crazy.”
He gave me an “oh please” kind of look, so I rolled my eyes and let out a long breath. It was all or nothing with this guy.
“I have these dreams, and they’re really realistic. Sometimes, they’re too realistic. That’s what landed me here.” I paused, wondering if I should keep going. He didn’t seem to be scared away yet, so maybe he wasn’t too put off by my nuttiness.
“There’s something else.” He studied my face, and I couldn’t get over the intensity of his stare; it was like he could see through me. I guess in a way, he could. It was the second time he’d called me out on my vagueness, after all.
“I freaked out in class one day.” I looked to my hands, which were folded in my lap. “I saw fire . . . and I actually felt . . .”
Tears pricked my eyes. I paused, terrified I’d turn into a sobbing basket case in front of him. He shifted and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. It wasn’t some sleazy guy move, but one meant for comfort. And I kind of loved him for it at that moment.
“A few weeks ago, I started dreaming of everyone dying: me, my parents, my sister. And that day in class, I thought it was really about to happen. I thought that was the end.”
“Back when we were in school together,” he said only loud enough for me to hear, “I noticed you space out once in a while. I just thought you were daydreaming or something.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” I said. My gaze flickered to Dr. Fowler. “Now, I’m not so sure.” Maybe it was more. Maybe there really was something wrong with my brain.
His hold on me tightened slightly, and instead of fighting the tears, I let them slip down my cheeks. There was no point in trying to hide it. He knew the truth—the gist of it, anyway. And I had a feeling no one else in the room really gave a crap about me crying. Heck, Nate and Danny would probably laugh about it in the morning once we got out of there. If we got out of there.
“For what it’s worth,” Ethan continued, “I never thought you were crazy. I still don’t.”
“That actually means a lot,” I whispered. I rested my head on his shoulder. “Thank you.” And with that, my eyelids fluttered close. I felt no embarrassment with him. I felt no uncertainty. In fact, even with the chaos of the previous few minutes, I actually felt safe.
I was asleep within seconds.
~*o*~
A radio crackling to life startled me awake some time later. The fact that it was static waking me up, rather than a nightmare, was a welcome change. Either I was too exhausted to dream, or . . . actually, considering I’d barely slept more than a few hours per night in recent days, my bets were on exhaustion.
Ethan was snoring lightly to my right, with his head relaxed back against the wall. Tweedledee and Tweedledum were sprawled out on the floor in front of us, dead to the world. Haven was still in a little ball in the corner. Dr. Fowler fiddled with a small radio that rested on a storage shelf, and, doing my best not to disturb Ethan, I reluctantly removed his arm from my shoulder and stood. He looked so peaceful—the last thing I wanted to do was wake him. I had a strange feeling we wouldn’t be getting much sleep after tonight.
I padded over to where the doctor worked with the radio’s antenna, but all I heard was more static. He briefly glanced up when he noticed my presence, but shifted his eyes back to the radio.
“You should be resting, Ms. Monroe.”
I stopped an inch or so away from him and crossed my arms in front of my chest. A chill had settled over the room in the time I’d been sleeping. I wished there was a way I could go grab a hoodie or something, but that probably wasn’t the brightest idea. Not after what’d happened to Nate.
“You woke me,” I said with a nod toward the radio. “What time is it?”
His gaze flickered back to mine again, and he gave up on the radio with a sigh. He looked at his watch and headed toward the far side of the room, away from the hearing range of those sleeping. “It’s just after two in the morning,” he said as I followed him. He took a seat on the floor, and I sat down in front of him, crossing my legs.
“How much longer do you think we’re going to be down here?” I asked.
He stared at me for a beat before replying. “I don’t have an answer for you. I was trying to get that blasted thing going” —he pointed to the radio— “to get an indication as to what may be going on out there. Truthfully, I’m not sure I want to know.”
“We can’t stay down here forever,” I said, my anxiety rising at the mere thought of being trapped. “And I want to know what happened to everyone else. I want to check on my family. Don’t you have people you want to check on?”
“I don’t have much family these days. And no, we can’t stay down here forever.” He sighed again. “But you saw what happened to Nate when he so much as opened that door. We can’t risk that, either.” As if on cue, another bang sounded above us, making me flinch.
“Dr. Fowler,” I said after a pause, “I need to ask you something.” He gestured for me to continue. “You said this guy—Bennett—thinks he’s ‘the chosen one,’ or whatever.”
“Yes.”
“But why? Why him? What makes him so special?”
“I only know so much,” he replied. “There’s limited information that can be found on all of this. But, from what I do know, there’s only a certain sort of person who has the capability of opening these scrolls. This person is known as a visionary.”
“A visionary,” I repeated, testing the word. “And what is that, exactly?”
He gave a small nod in my direction, and another chill shot through my body. This time, it wasn’t due to the frigid temperature of the room. “Me?” I pointed to my chest. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a unique girl, Ms. Monroe,” he said without breaking his gaze for a second. “You see things, events that have yet to take place, but you don’t quite understand them. Am I correct?”
Narrowing my eyes, I nodded. “How do you know?”
“Well, as your group therapy leader, it’s my job to know why you’re here. But I also know you’re not crazy, as so many others may have led you to believe. You’re gifted. There’s a substantial difference between the two.”
I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “And he’s like me?”
“It was prophesied that a male visionary would be born to the Andreas lineage,” Dr. Fowler continued in a strange tone. I assumed that was my “yes.” “That visionary would be destined to be the bearer of the scrolls, and ultimately, the bringer of the apocalypse.”
“There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”
He paused, regarding me for a long moment before tilting his head to the side. “I wish I knew more, dear girl. But right now, your knowledge of all this matches mine. I do know, howev
er, that visionaries are practically unheard of in this day and age. It’s a gift that has faded with time itself.”
“How can it be stopped?” Ethan’s groggy voice startled me, and he plopped down beside me. His eyelids were heavy; we must have woken him up with our conversation. Oops. “You said earlier that all this can be stopped. How?”
“Yeah, Doc. Fill us in.” Danny dropped down on my other side and gave me a lopsided grin. “How you doin’ at this fine hour, pretty girl?”
I rolled my eyes and looked back to the doctor, whose gaze scanned over the three us. “I don’t know for certain,” he said, which earned him a scoff from Danny. Dr. Fowler glared at him. “I have a contact a couple towns away. Susan used to work here alongside me, back when Bennett was a patient. She’s the one who’s well-versed in all of this. She’s done much more research than I have. The problem is actually getting to her at this point.”
“And how’s this going to work?” Ethan asked. “How are we supposed to get a hold of her if the radios don’t even work?”
Dr. Fowler gave him a regretful look, but before he could answer, the radio crackled to life. We turned our attention to it, and seconds later, the static faded. The silence in the room was deafening while the four of us waited for something, anything, to happen. And when it finally did, the person’s voice made my heart skip a beat.
Chapter 4
“Testing. Testing.”
I knew that voice. I wasn’t sure how, and I wasn’t sure from where, but something about it was both uncanny and unsettling.
Nate walked up behind us, letting out a loud yawn that was drowned out by more static. I glanced over as Haven approached our circle, too. She stared at the radio with wide eyes, fear etched in her features. I understood that fear. This all still seemed too eerie, too far-fetched, to even be real.
“You okay?” Ethan asked me, another round of static erupting from the radio.
“Yeah,” I said. “I think so. It’s just . . .” I looked back to the radio, which had gone silent again. “There’s something about that voice, but I can’t place it. It’s kind of freaking me out, to be honest.”
“Good evening, everyone.” The man’s smooth voice echoed throughout the small room, silencing me.
“I know it’s late,” he continued, “and I know that you’re frightened and confused, and rightly so. I’m here to help you with those fears. My name is Bennett Andreas, and I’ve made it my duty to see you through this trying time.”
“Dear heavens,” Dr. Fowler murmured. I glanced at him, then back to the radio. So, this was him. I instinctively moved closer to the source of the voice, feeling drawn to it, in a way. It commanded my attention more than any voice had before.
It terrified me.
“I know you all must have an abundance of questions. I assure you, I have answers. I know this is a frightening time in our world. I’m in a position to offer a safe haven for those of you who choose to accept my offer. But as with any offer, there is a price. Of course, I’m sure you’ll all agree it is a small price to pay for survival.”
There it was again—survival. I’d been hoping Dr. Fowler was just full of it earlier. This was becoming more real by the minute, and it made my blood run cold.
“I reside in a secluded location nestled deep in the Cumberland Plateau, in Kentucky. On your maps, you’ll find a small city by the name of Middlesboro in this mountainous area—my estate is just north. My home is clear of most of the technology to which you’ve grown so accustomed. I like it that way—I prefer it that way. It provides a sense of peace that can’t be experienced otherwise. And I’d like to share this peacefulness, this sanctuary, with all of you listening.
“Now, I understand this is quite a trek for many of you. However, I do believe that, as with anything in life, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Chances are that where you are now, destruction surrounds you. Here, you’ll find running water, all the food you’ll possibly need, and a bed for each person. There is plenty of room for anyone who seeks refuge. On that note, there is a small window of time in which you’re allowed to act. You must come soon.
“The world is in a state of chaos, citizens, and this chaos will only build with the coming days. I urge you to make your choices now, and to choose wisely. Come, and you will have safety from this insanity. You will have peace. Security. I assure you of this. Please, relay this message to your friends. To your families. I would hate to see another life lost in these dark times. For those who have loved ones in other areas of the world, please, don’t panic. I have men—my council, if you will—dispatched to the corners of the globe, providing similar sanctuary for those in need.”
“One thing he forgot to mention,” Danny said with a disgusted look on his face. “That he’s behind the entire thing in the first place. The bastard had to have known—why else would he have people spread out across the world? It’s a damn set-up.”
And with that, even the most cynical of us had been convinced. Danny was right in that it reeked of something planned to perfection. But I still couldn’t wrap my head around all this. It was too much—way too much. My hands shook, and I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
“I have one final thing to address,” Bennett said. The room fell silent again as we waited. I could practically feel the tension pouring off Dr. Fowler while he paced across the short distance of the room.
“I speak to one person, and one person alone. Kerrigan, if you are out there, I truly hope you’re listening.”
Though my heart had been racing seconds before, it now seemed to come to a complete standstill. I felt everyone’s eyes on me, but all I could focus on was the small black radio. He couldn’t possibly be speaking to me. There had to be hundreds of other Kerrigans out there, right?
“You may not know me, but I know you. I only wish I knew you better. We’re a lot alike, you and I. And there’s so very much I’d like to share with you. So much you need to know.”
His voice had taken a weird turn. Now, it sounded desperate. He knew me. Somehow, he knew me. Yes, his voice was familiar, but how? I didn’t know anyone named Bennett, or anyone who lived in Kentucky, for that matter.
“Please, join the others in their journey to my safe haven,” he continued. “If you’re having trouble remembering me, I leave you with one word: exousia.” He drawled the last word, making it sound like it was something he lived and breathed. And, without warning, the familiar feeling hit me.
My vision blurred until the room faded, and I was left staring into nothingness. My knees buckled and threatened to give out, but as the blood rushed to my brain, another reality presented itself.
Before me stood a boy who couldn’t be more than a few years old. I was tiny—too small to even move on my own. I stared up at him from the floor, feeling an immense sense of admiration as I gazed at his face. Dark hair fell into translucent blue eyes, and when his gaze met mine, a mischievous smirk came to his lips. People shouted somewhere around us, and even though he didn’t seem bothered at all, the tension made me want to cry. As if sensing this, the boy knelt directly in front of me.
“Shh,” he said. “Don’t cry. Nicholas won’t let them take you.” His eyes darted to the side, then back to me. “He taught me a new word today,” the boy continued. “Can you say ‘exousia,’ Callia? Isn’t it cool? It means—”
“Kerrigan!” someone shouted. My body shook violently, and my head lurched forward with force.
I blinked, and just like that, the boy was gone. I stood face-to-face with a different boy, one whose warm chocolate eyes were a welcome change from the piercing blue I’d been staring into.
“Is she okay?” a soft voice asked from behind.
I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat while reality—true reality—settled back into my mind. The room was dark and cold, with no more light than the lantern shining in my face. A thin sheen of sweat covered me, and I licked my lips to relieve the dry, cracked feeling.
“I think so,” Ethan
said in a low voice. With his hands on my shoulders, his gaze didn’t waver for a second. Slowly, my pulse started to calm. “Are you okay?”
“Exousia,” I said, repeating the word from my daydream, or vision, or whatever the hell it was. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. “What’s it mean?”
“Authority over mankind.” Dr. Fowler stepped into my line of sight, his face void of emotion as he stared at me. “Superiority to other beings. It’s Greek. I believe the correct question is, what does it mean to you, Kerrigan? And just how do you know Bennett Andreas?”
My mouth opened, then closed as I tried to formulate some sort of answer, but failed. “I have no clue,” I whispered. I blinked away tears that sprang to my eyes and shook my head. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
Dr. Fowler continued to stare at me for what felt like an eternity. Finally, after what could have been either minutes or mere seconds, he nodded and looked around the room. I released a deep breath, but it didn’t free me from the coil of anxiety in my gut. What was going on here? Did I know this Bennett guy? Who was Callia? And Nicholas? Instead of answers, all I had were more questions. Plus, my visions were always snapshots of the future, never the past. What gives?
“This is no good,” Dr. Fowler said. “Somehow, you have a connection to Bennett.” Yeah, a connection to a sociopath bent on world domination. Fabulous. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know that we need to get out of here. I need to get to Susan. She’ll help me figure out where to go from here.”
“Who’s Susan?” Danny asked.
“My contact,” Dr. Fowler replied. “She lives a good two, maybe three day walk from here. It’s imperative for me to get moving.”
“Walk?” Nate said. “What the hell? You expect us to walk for two damn days to see some woman we don’t even know? And what about, I don’t know, taking a car? Like normal people?”
Kingdom Come Page 3