Light Within Me

by Fall, Carly

  Hudson shrugged his shoulders. “Noah, if you felt love and pleasure, and you turned fully human and began to age, guess what? The Colonists are still going to be here. Their offspring are still going to be here, and they will and are having offspring. It’s a never-ending cycle that we can’t stop, man. We let the evil loose on this planet, and no matter how hard we hunt them down, they will produce more evil. If not this generation then the next. So turning human, aging, and enjoying yourself after two hundred and eleven years of nothing but business with someone you love? I say go for it.”

  Noah still didn’t know what to say. They were silent for a moment and just looked at each other.

  “Let’s go home, my friend,” Hudson said quietly, putting his hand on Noah’s shoulder.

  “I think my knee’s busted,” Noah said as he limped back to the car.

  “Well,” Hudson said, “the way my fucking rib feels, I hope you got a rattlesnake up your pants gnawing on your balls as well.”

  Chapter 22

  Abby was back to feeling like a teenage girl, and frankly, she hated it. She felt her heart grow wings, flutter in her chest, and begin to breathe on hope. She didn’t want to hope. Her relationship, if you could call it that, with Noah had lasted exactly two days the last time. Two days. Who was to say that on day three he wouldn’t bail on her again?

  As she paced her apartment, she thought of everything that had happened tonight and cursed her boss for not mentioning the ball was a black-and-white affair. What a dumbass. How could he forget that? And she showed up in a red gown. She had looked like cranberry juice spilled on a white couch.

  Hudson had been an interesting distraction. Between trips to the bar and the dance floor, he had questioned her relentlessly about her life. He was even worse than Noah with the need for information. She had noticed how he kept one eye on Noah, and when he was certain Noah was watching, he would kiss her hand, or plant a small kiss on her cheek. None of it had been sexual; it had been as if she were with a family member or something. He was caring, kind, and interested in her, but not in a way that would indicate a sexual interest.

  Now Noah, on the other hand, made his intentions very clear. She had almost dropped to her knees with that kiss and the way his body pressed up against hers, trapping her against the wall. She could still smell him. He was raw, overbearing power.

  She found the differences in Hudson and Noah interesting. Hudson was sleek sex. She imagined some people might think of a Porsche or Ferrari if she were to say “sleek sex.” He was shiny, put together, and expensive. Noah was not. Noah was raw power. If she stuck to the car analogy, she thought of a big four-by-four pickup. Or maybe a tank. He was driven, hard, and didn’t have many bells and whistles. What you saw was what you got. And she found that terribly sexy.

  As she paced her apartment, she noticed Neptune staring out the big picture window. She couldn’t see out of it because of the lights on in her apartment and the darkness outside, but apparently he had found something that caught his interest. She watched him for a moment, thinking how easily cats were amused. All of a sudden, he let out a growl, arched his back, and hissed. He then jumped off the windowsill and took off for his hiding place, the hall closet.

  It scared the hell out of her, and she ran to close the curtains, locking out whatever was out there. Since the curtains were just filmy white pieces of nothing, it didn’t do any good. She tried to get a grip, because she was certain that her heart would beat itself right out the front of her chest. She noticed that her front door wasn’t locked, then ran over and threw the deadbolt in place.

  As she stood in the middle of her apartment, listening for anything out of the ordinary, she berated herself for letting Neptune scare her. It had probably been a loose dog that had gotten too close to the building. Having said that, the hairs on the back of her neck were still tingling, her whole body primed with fear. She took some deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She knew she was totally overreacting and chided herself about it. She went straight to her bedroom that only had a small window. She would read a little bit before bed and hopefully be able to quell her uneasiness with a good book.

  Chapter 23

  The Colonist watched as she paced back and forth in her apartment. He had been watching her for weeks now, ever since she had stolen from him. She had taken something he needed, something that he wanted, and she would pay for it. He was simply waiting for the right time to collect what she owed.

  Which was her life.

  You didn’t fuck around with a Colonist. Not that she had any idea what a Colonist was, but that was beside the point.

  He had never liked her to begin with. She always thought she was better than him, looking down at him as if he were a piece of trash. He couldn’t wait to watch the fear in her eyes when he came to collect.

  He probably would have killed her tonight if it wasn’t for that damn cat. She usually wasn’t too careful with the doors, and he could have slipped right in. But he wanted to kill her during the day.

  He had been in her apartment while she was at work, just looking around. He had gone through some of her papers, looked in her closet, gone through her drawers. He even drank one of her sodas. He liked to know the people he killed. He liked to watch the horror on their faces as he revealed the most intimate details of their lives. The last victim, the woman in Carson City, Nevada, had told him that he had to be Satan himself when he spewed the balance of her savings account.

  No, he wasn’t Satan. Some would say he was much worse.

  Of course, there were similarities. He had nothing but evil running through his veins. He wasn’t above torture or causing extreme pain. He had hate in his heart, and he only felt totally alive when he killed. He didn’t know Satan personally, but he guessed if he were to ever meet the guy they would be great friends.

  The difference between him and Satan was that humans could keep Satan away by leading good, decent, lives or through religion and prayer.

  They couldn’t, however, keep him away. No matter how good, how decent, how pure a person was he could get to them. He could get to anyone he chose, and that was his power. He relished tracking his prey, the weeks leading up to the kill when he got to know his victims, and then the kill itself was the most amazing feeling he had ever experienced.

  He had killed on his own planet once, and he had been killing on this planet for two hundred and eleven years, killing a total of one hundred and forty-seven people. The sheer pleasure from it never failed to surprise him.

  This kill would be different, though. Usually he picked his victims at random. He would just be walking down the street, see a face, and the urge to kill exploded in him. He would then begin watching that person and learning their lives, as well as the lives of their neighbors. For instance, he knew that this kill should take place in the middle of the day around lunchtime. None of her fellow apartment dwellers in the building were home during that time, but she usually came home for lunch. It would be a wonderful afternoon with her.

  She had stolen something that he wanted, something that he needed, and she would pay.

  As he watched the lights go out in the apartment, he sighed. Yes, she would learn her lesson soon enough. You don’t take from him, and you don’t mess with a Colonist.

  Chapter 24

  Abby woke to a buzzing noise. She thought maybe she had forgotten to turn off her alarm clock for her Saturday sleep-in, but the buzzing continued even when she slammed on the sleep button.

  She realized it was coming from her front door. She decided to ignore it, and then remembered that Noah had called late last night and said he would be at her front door at 9:00 a.m. She looked at the clock: 9:05 a.m. Shit!

  She flew out of bed and grabbed her orange robe. Neptune was right behind her as she ran for the door. She pushed the buzzer to let the front door to the vestibule open, then opened her door.

  Noah came in carrying coffee and a bag of something, a worried look plastered on his face.

&nbs
p; “I was getting ready to bust down some doors when you didn’t answer for . . .” he checked his watch, “three minutes.” He looked her over from head to toe.

  “I’m sorry,” she said groggily. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  He nodded, and she stepped back to let him in. “Why didn’t you sleep well?”

  She smiled. “Just a visit from the boogeyman from my imagination.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you certain? There wasn’t anything wrong? I’m probably being a little overprotective here, but I see a lot of bad stuff in my line of work.”

  She thought back to last night and how silly it all seemed now. She had been frightened because of her cat, and then her imagination had taken over. It felt like she was being watched, and she had heard every creak and groan of the old house.

  “Certain. Just an overactive imagination.”

  He handed her a cup of coffee and told her he brought bagels and cream cheese from a mom-and-pop place that made everything, including the cream cheese, from scratch. Neptune greeted him with meows and purrs, winding himself in-between Noah’s legs as if he were greeting a long-lost friend who he had missed terribly.

  They sat down at the table to eat. Abby realized that she had skipped dinner the previous night and inhaled two bagels. They were beyond delicious.

  A huge clapping of thunder made Abby jump and sent Neptune for the hall closet.

  “I didn’t know we’re expecting rain,” she said.

  Noah nodded. “Weatherman said it was going to be crappy weather all day. Perfect day for staying inside and doing nothing.”

  Abby thought about that. A whole day. Alone. With Noah. Whatever would they do? She felt a blush creep across her face as she thought of the options.

  “Do you like Rambo?” Noah asked. “There’s a marathon on today. Thought maybe we could catch some of it.”

  Abby smiled. She did indeed like Rambo. She loved all the action movies from the eighties. Rambo, Die Hard, Rocky, Indiana Jones.

  Another clap of thunder came from above, and the rain began to fall quietly, but quickly whipped against the window.

  “Sounds perfect,” she said.

  Noah was thrilled when Abby said she was good with watching movies all day because he was exhausted.

  After getting back to the silo, both he and Hudson had needed to visit Cohen. Cohen had the ability to heal others of his race quickly and painlessly by using his energy to travel into a body and mend wounds.

  Cohen had asked how they both ended up being hurt, and neither Noah nor Hudson had offered up any information.

  After his healing session, Noah took a shower. He thought a lot about what Hudson had said. He got it, and what Hudson said made a lot of sense; however, he just couldn’t see himself saying fuck it and letting his SR44 form go. Duty, honor, and revenge had driven him for a long time, and it wasn’t something that he could, or would, just give up overnight. Maybe the name for it was pride. He felt like if he gave up his SR44 form, the Colonists won. Game over. His time on Earth would be short, and theirs would continue to be long. He was too proud to be defeated.

  When he had gotten out of the shower, exhaustion overcame him, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. But as often was the case, what he wanted didn’t amount to a pile of shit.

  His phone rang. Cursing, he answered. It was the sheriff from a small town called Lovelock, which was about an hour northeast of Fernley. Noah had never talked to the man, but the sheriff told him he was friends with a detective in Carson City, and the detective had given the sheriff Noah’s number because he thought Noah would be interested in what they found.

  Of course, it wasn’t anything nice, like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

  They had found a body. A woman, her throat slit.

  “My buddy in Carson said that you might be interested because it’s quite . . . well, it’s very tidy. Not any other stabbing, just a slice across the throat.”

  Noah cursed again and wondered if his vocabulary would soon be limited to only the choice words. It sounded as if their Colonist number seven had claimed another victim.

  “Crime scene is already cleaned up, but if you want to come and take a look at it in the morning, I can meet you there.”

  Noah had looked at the clock next to the bed that called his name, begging him to slip between the silk sheets and let it comfort him. 11:00 p.m. Between the fight with Hudson and the healing, the night had pretty much been eaten up. He had closed his eyes and cringed when he told Abby he would be late. But the crime scene could be a lead to the Colonist, and he couldn’t let a lead slip by.

  He had told the sheriff that he would very much appreciate access to the crime scene in the morning, and said he would be there just after dawn. And would the man mind sending over the pictures of the crime scene? After the sheriff assured him it wouldn’t be a problem, Noah hung up and dialed Hudson.

  “You’re coming with me to Lovelock in the morning,” he had growled into the phone.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Are you taking me out to the desert to bury my body?’

  “No, it’s tempting, but I already have one dead body to deal with. Sounds like our Colonist did the dirty deed.”

  Hudson sighed. “How very exciting for us,” he’d said, not sounding excited at all.

  “Agreed. See you right after dawn.”

  They had driven to Lovelock in silence.

  He looked over at Hudson, who was dressed in a gray silk suit with a black shirt opened at the collar. He had a thick silver chain around his neck, and his thick, black hair was pulled back into its standard ponytail down to the middle of his shoulder blades. On anyone else, the whole get-up would have screamed pimp, but on Hudson it was nothing but class.

  Noah looked down at the jeans he had pulled out of the dirty clothes hamper, his black-and-red Affliction shirt, and his black leather boots and jacket. He ran a hand through his hair. Sometimes he wished he had some class like Hudson, but other times he couldn’t imagine the work that went into dressing like that. It had taken him all of ten seconds to decide what to wear this morning. He only had one condition—it had to be somewhat clean. When your wardrobe consisted of nothing but jeans, T-shirts, and boots, getting dressed was painless and efficient. Beyond that, it was too much time to invest.

  They had met the sheriff at the crime scene and did a quick look-around. Handshakes were exchanged, war stories told, promises to keep in touch were given, and the sheriff left. Noah and Hudson split up and looked around the neighborhood, trying to get a clue on where their guy had come from or gone to.

  Noah walked the sidewalk slowly. In the past, they had found the black ash on plants where the killer had accidentally brushed across them, and sometimes they had found footprints. The footprints were actually how they had found their good buddy Jack the Ripper. That asshole had been careless, certain he would be able to outsmart humans and the Six Saviors. Saddam Hussein was the same. That guy left the black stuff with every step he took. The Six Saviors had been surprised that humans couldn’t see it because it was so thick. However, it was also the stuff that led them to his hiding place. The Colonist seemed to produce it just before and after killing, which put them in their heightened state. And everyone knew Saddam had killed a lot.

  His cell phone went off. “Tell me something good,” Noah had said, still walking and scanning sidewalk.

  “I found partial footprints that end at a curb. I’d bet your left nut he got into a car here and took off. I’m looking at a security camera right now outside the building. If Talin can get into the feed . . .” Hudson had trailed off.

  “Why aren’t you betting your left nut?”

  “I don’t bet my nuts. Always someone else’s.”

  Messed up, but smart. Good to know your bases were covered if you were wrong. “Is Talin still at the silo?”

  “Don’t know, Noah.”

  “All right. Call him. G
ive him the address, and if he’s out somewhere, tell him to get his ass back to the silo and get on that feed.”

  “Got it.”

  Noah had gotten back to the silo at exactly 8:00 a.m., which was just enough time to drop Hudson off and make his way to Reno for the revised 9:00 a.m. meeting time he had promised when he called Abby. He remembered her hesitancy when he had called last night, and he remembered his desperation as he tried to convince her that yes, he would be there, just a couple of hours later.

  So yeah, back to this morning. Coffee was a must. Bagels were a luxury he wasn’t going to do without.

  When Abby said she was tired and happy to lounge on the couch all day, he doubted there was a happier male in the universe. He felt like he had just a little more energy than a dead man.

  They had ordered pizza for lunch and done nothing but talk, laugh, and watch Rambo movies. Noah had snuck in a kiss or two. He thought of the way she tasted and wanted to get back between her legs. He could honestly drive her to orgasm for hours, and he couldn’t imagine anything that would make him happier than doing just that. He figured that making that move wasn’t conclusive with the whole give-me-another-chance-to-be-a-good-boy-and-not-an-asshole-thing he was trying to work on.

  Halfway through the second Rambo movie, his eyelids grew heavy, ready to descend. He pulled off the blanket from the back of the couch and lay down, taking Abby with him. Spooning her from behind, and loved the way her body fit with his. He wrapped his big arm around her waist and nestled his nose in her hair. He listened to her soft sigh and decided it conveyed contentment. The pitter-patter of the rain outside along with the low hum of the TV lulled him even further. He didn’t have time to fight it. Sleep rolled up on him like a tornado and sucked him down like a Hoover.

  He woke in the late afternoon, Abby sleeping next to him, still curled into his body. He and Abby were definitely not of the party crowd today.