by Jill Sanders
He closed his eyes. If there was any ounce of power in him, he called to it now. He felt an urgency to find her, but nothing more.
Slowly he took deep breaths and tried to focus on thinking about only her. He felt a slow buzz travel up his legs, through his arms, and settle over his heart. He felt a pulse, then opened his eyes and somehow knew the direction to run.
His mind called to her, screamed for her as he felt pain shoot through his entire body, knowing that it was her pain he was feeling.
Feel me, he called out to her mind. I’m coming. Fight it. Fight for me.
Chapter Nineteen
Xtina tried to fight. She’d known they’d been there but hadn’t thought they would return so soon. She’d fallen asleep in Mike’s arms and then had woken when arms tightened around her. A hand had covered her mouth as she’d felt a prick in her neck.
The drugs had caused her entire body to lock up, her eyes frozen open. She’d tried to kick and fight, but couldn’t move. A white cloak had been wrapped around her naked body and she’d been carried out of the house.
Her face was covered as her body was carried for what seemed like hours.
She remained paralyzed until the cold blade of a sharp knife pressed against her breast. Her body jerked slightly at the feeling of the metal against her bare skin.
“Our mother has returned,” the voice she’d come to dread spoke above her. Her eyes refused to focus but she could see the outline of William Ray hovering above her as his knife slid slowly across her bare chest. The dribble of blood shone in the firelight. She glanced around and couldn’t feel her power at all. The drugs. The same ones they had used to bind her last time, in Arizona.
“Mike,” she cried out, trying to send what she had to him. She screamed when the blade slid once more across her skin and more blood oozed out of her.
“Our mother has returned to show us the way,” William cried out. She could hear several other of his close followers chanting the same thing over and over again in Latin.
She knew the message well. “Mother oh Mother, show us what is to be done.”
She wasn’t a seer or an oracle, but these people didn’t care. Once William had found out about her powers, he’d changed from a loving boyfriend to the money- and power-hungry person he was now. He had made it very clear that he would do anything to gain her power. She had the scars to prove it.
She cried out again when he leaned down and drew her bloody breast into his mouth and sucked the red liquid into his mouth. When he leaned up again, his face was covered in her blood and she screamed again. She’d escaped this crazy before, but now… Her mind cried again for Mike.
At one point, in her fogginess, she had imagined she’d heard Rose, but now all was quiet.
Her eyes opened and she watched his dark eyes scanning his audience.
“This is just the beginning,” he continued, his preaching voice ringing out, vibrating back to him. It was then that she looked around and realized where they were. “We shall take our mother back with us and begin a new chapter. One where our children will be seekers of the truth. With this power, we shall be ready for what is to come.”
Cheers erupted, causing more echoes to vibrate through the hidden bunker.
“Billy.” She coughed, trying to clear the drugs from her body. “Don’t do this.”
His dark eyes moved down to hers. “You should have never left,” he hissed next to her ear. “I told you, you’re mine and always will be.” His hand covered her breast and she felt bile roll in her stomach. “You’ll be the mother to my children, children who will usher this world to the next.” He smiled, showing off the perfect teeth she’d actually enjoyed looking at once.
She’d been so young and naive when she’d fallen for the leader of the Humanist Society. It hadn’t bothered her that he’d been almost ten years her senior or that he’d been married twice before. She’d been so busy looking for an escape from her parents’ crazy religious hold that she’d fallen right into a crazier one.
“You can’t do this.” She tried to think of a way out of it. She silently sent all her energy once more towards Michael. Please, she begged in her mind, find me.
“We have to move quickly,” William said, his hands going up to quiet the group. “Everything is ready; we’ve prepared for this. You each know what needs to be done.” She heard most of the small group of people start to leave the room.
She felt her body being lifted. She was still unable to move due to the drugs in her system, and she wondered how long it would be before they started dosing her regularly like they had last time.
“Please,” she cried out. “Water.” It was a stall tactic, but it had always worked before. They wanted her contained but alive and well.
She was laid back down, while a bottle of liquid was produced. She knew it would be clean, void of any chemicals, as would any food they would feed her. The only foreign substance allowed in her body now was the mixture of natural herbs and roots that kept her under their power.
The water helped release some of the hold the drugs had on her and she shot what was remaining of her power towards Mike. She didn’t know if she was doing any good.
She continued to swallow the water, then felt something deep inside shift. Her mind opened and she felt someone else, someone new. Like white lights turning on in the darkness, her mind cleared.
She called out to each one, screaming for help, showing them the room she was in, the red metal door, the number of people she’d seen, William.
She heard the door shut behind the last follower and realized she was now alone with William once more. Knowing what it meant, she started to fight, but this time when the needle slipped into her skin, she knew, without a doubt, that they would come to save her. The power was too great for them to ignore or deny. Something greater than her had been awakened.
***
Mike stood in the field and watched a group of heavily armed people move around, loading a dark van of supplies.
He wondered if they had been there that day he’d searched the place. He’d scoured the place from top to bottom. How had he missed them?
He was squatting behind a tree when the images flashed quickly behind his eyes, almost knocking him on his ass.
Red door, seven people, Xtina screaming for help.
He held on to the trunk of the tree to steady himself. What the hell? He shook his head and watched as two men pulled the van closer to the door.
He’d searched everywhere, except that first red metal door, which had been locked. The same door that Xtina had convulsed outside of.
At his count, there were six of them, which meant only one was still inside. The group continued to load up the van slowly, hindered only by the darkness of the night, since they weren’t using flashlights.
His mind snapped to the cover over the silo and sent a silent prayer that there wasn’t someone guarding it. He moved to the open field, staying as low as he could. He’d just found the opening, when he heard footsteps behind him.
“Well,” Jacob said, rushing up behind him, “are you going to stand here all night or are we going to do this?” The man was wearing black sweat pants and a sweatshirt, like he’d just climbed out of bed and thrown on the first thing that he’d found.
Mike was thankful that he had his gun strapped to his waist. “How…?” he started to ask.
“You felt it, too,” his brother said quickly, then knelt at the small opening of the silo. “Damn.” He looked up at him. “Do you think you can squeeze through?”
Mike set his gun and flashlight down, then tried, putting his legs in first. “The ladder should be…” He felt the top rung with his foot. “Got it.” He smiled. “Hand me my gun when I’m down.” Jacob nodded, then held on to his hands as he helped him wiggle through the opening. “Then get help.” He looked up into his brother’s eyes.
“Already done. I called it in before coming here myself.”
Mike nodded and moved until his shoulders clea
red the heavy door. When his fingers wrapped around the top rung, he released a breath. “I’m in.” He held his hand out and took his weapon. He tucked it in his back pocket and took the flashlight Jacob held out for him.
Jacob called, “I’m coming in after you.”
Mike quickly made it down the rungs, then watched as Jacob came in, much like he had.
When they both reached the bottom, both of their feet were soaked.
“This way,” he called out as he made his way towards the staircase. He could hear Jacob following him. They made their way up the stairs, down the maze of tunnels until he stopped just at the long end of the last hallway.
“Down there, they have to be at the end of this one, off to the right, there’s a…”
“Red metal door,” Jacob stated, which had Mike glancing at him.
“Yeah.” He turned back to scan the darkness. “Later, we’re going to have to have a talk.”
“Yeah.” Jacob pulled out his weapon. “Lead the way.”
Mike pushed off, listening for any sounds, but heard nothing.
When they turned the last corner, he flipped off his flashlight and the darkness was almost blinding. Soon, though, he could see the flicker of candlelight coming from under the red door.
“We have one chance at this,” he said, then he heard voices above and knew that the police were battling their own fight upstairs.
Jacob glanced up and Mike could see the worry flash behind his eyes. “Go. By my count, there’s only one left in here with Xtina.”
Jacob didn’t hesitate, but took off up the stairs at a quick pace.
Mike hoped that the metal door had muffled some of the noises from above, so that when he opened it, he wouldn’t be walking into a trap.
When he kicked open the door, he was disappointed when a spray of bullets hit around him and pain shot out in several places on his body.
His left side was on fire, as was his upper thigh, causing him to duck quickly behind the thick cement wall.
“You’re surrounded,” he called out as he pulled the rest of his body from the opening.
“There can only be one ending,” a man’s voice called out. “One in which our mother is returned to us.” More bullets struck the hallway and bounced off the metal door or imbedded themselves in the cement walls. “She’s mine. She is a part of me. She’s my bride, the mother to my children,”
Later, Mike thought, he would have to find out what that meant, but for now, all he wanted was to know if Xtina was safe.
“If you’ve hurt her,” he called out.
“I would never!” More shots shouted out.
Just then Mike’s phone chimed and he glanced down. It was the alarm he’d set to mark when his nightly visitor would be arriving. He leaned his head back against the cold cement wall and thought of how his life had taken such a drastic turn since that first night over a year ago when he’d first been woken up by his ghost.
“What the…” More shots sounded, followed by a loud scream. “Go away!” He heard the gun cock, but then heard the telltale sounds of an empty chamber as the man continued to pull the trigger repeatedly.
Mike didn’t hesitate. He rolled into the doorway, his gun drawn before him.
He didn’t have to search the dark room for the man, since his ghost was hovering directly in front of him, hovering over Xtina’s naked body as she lay on a large wood table.
Aiming his gun, Mike watched as the man started reloading his gun. Without hesitating, Mike fired off two shots, straight through the man’s heart.
He fell backwards, a shocked look in his eyes. He’d seen that look before, on his partner’s face so many years ago. He felt every muscle in his body relax, knowing the man wouldn’t be getting up again.
He watched as the misty figure turned to him, her dark eyes turning soft as she glanced down at him. Then, with a slight smile, she disappeared into thin air.
It was then that the pain surfaced. He groaned as he rolled over and jumped to his feet. When he reached Xtina’s side, he wrapped the white cloak around her body, taking stock of the small cuts along her bare skin. They weren’t deep enough to need stitches, and he figured they could be dealt with after he got her outside.
Her eyes were locked in the open position, giving him quite a scare, but he could feel a pulse and her chest rose and fell with steady breaths.
“You’re okay,” he assured her. “I’m here.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips as tears slid down his face and fell onto hers.
She blinked, then he felt her arms wrap around his shoulders.
“Mike.” His name came out as a whisper.
“I’m here,” he cried out. “It’s over.” He lifted her gently, feeling the pain shoot through his leg and side, but ignoring them.
“Mike,” she said again, her arms falling from his shoulders.
“Shh, I’ve got you.” He paused outside the door and listened above. The night had grown silent and he wondered suddenly if Jacob was okay.
“It’s all clear up here,” someone called out. “We’re sending help down to you.”
“No,” he called out, “we’re coming up.” He doubted he would be able to make it up the flights of stairs himself, but he wanted to no matter what.
“Mike,” she cried out, until he looked down at her.
“What?” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “We’ll be out of here soon.”
“No.” She shook her head slightly. “I… I can’t hold it back any more.”
“What?” He shifted her so he could bring her closer to him.
“My love for you,” she said softly as tears streamed down her face. “I know I’m not supposed to have a happy ever after, it wasn’t in my cards, but…”
He shook his head. “That’s just plain silly. Everyone deserves happiness.”
“No, not me. I’m… different.” Her arms once more came around him as he started climbing the stairs slowly. “It was always going to end in tragedy.”
He pulled her close. “Tonight didn’t. We’re safe.”
She closed her eyes as he made the last turn and started the final set of stairs. His leg was starting to go numb, but he knew it was his task alone to bring her out of the darkness.
“Mike.” She brushed a hand along the side of his face. “I can’t deny it any longer. No matter what happens, I don’t care anymore. Whatever comes, know that I will always love you.”
He stopped at the top of the stairs, the fresh air hitting them both from the open door. His breathing was labored and he was pretty sure he was on the verge of passing out, but he wanted to hold on to the moment and stepped out into the cold winter night.
“Xtina, I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. Even before we met. I would do anything to protect you. To ensure that you have a long, healthy, happy life… with me.” He smiled as Jacob rushed over to him. He leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips before he felt himself spinning out of control and fading off into the darkness he’d been fighting off.
Chapter Twenty
Xtina felt herself falling and cried out, but then she was lifted and caught with strong arms.
“Easy,” Jacob’s voice called out. “Someone help. I’ve got you.”
“Mike?” she asked, wishing her body would respond to her commands. Instead, she lay in Jacob’s arms, useless.
“He’s out. Help is on the way.” She felt him shift and then lay her down gently. “Here,” he called out.
Rose rushed over and started covering her face with kisses. Jacob pulled the dog away gently. “Easy, she’s okay,” he reassured the dog as someone pulled her back.
Xtina turned her head and watched as Jacob worked on Mike. His hands came away covered in blood, causing her to finally be able to move in fear.
She turned over and reached out for Mike’s hand, a few inches from her own. When their hands touched, power flowed between them and she closed her eyes, willing every last ounce of energy into him to allow him
to fight.
When she woke next, she was in a soft bed, warm and safe.
“There you are,” Jessie said, leaning over her, looking down at her. “You scared the shit out of me.” Her friend sat next to her and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes.
“Sorry,” she said. Her throat burned slightly. Then it all came back to her. “Mike?” She tried to sit up.
“Easy.” Jess held her down. “He’s in surgery. They’re pulling the bullet out of his leg.”
“How…” She started to say, then ended up having a coughing fit.
“Here, drink some water.” Jess held up a glass with a straw. She sucked up the liquid and sighed when it cooled her throat.
“How is he?” she asked after a moment.
“I’m not sure. His folks wanted to see you, if you’re up for it?”
Xtina nodded slightly. She shifted, noticing for the first time that she had bandages over the cuts on her skin. She wrapped the hospital gown tighter around her and pulled the blankets up as Jessie piled another pillow behind her head.
“Thanks,” she said before taking another sip of water.
“I saw it, you know.” Jess sat down again next to her. “The message.” She closed her eyes. “The red door, the seven people, the pain.” Tears fell from her friend’s face and dropped on their joined hands.
“I’m… sorry.” She shook her head.
“No, don’t be. I know you sent them. I didn’t understand, but I came, when you called.” She smiled, then laughed. “Talk about some crazy shit.”
Xtina chuckled, then held still when pain shot out from her ribs.
“Oh yeah, the doctor said you have a bruised rib or two.”
“Thanks for the warning.” She moaned and held her chest.
“Sorry.” Jessie stood up. “We’ll talk later, when we’re all together.”
“Who?” she asked, feeling her energy fade.
Jess shook her head. “You won’t believe me if I tell you anyway.” She walked towards the door. “Let’s just say, you’re more powerful than even you knew.” She turned to go, then turned back to her. “Don’t scare me like that again,” she warned, then she smiled and walked out.