“I’m not in a rush to get that off you just yet. As we speak a Hunter is being captured by the best bounty hunter I’ve ever met. But there’s still one more piece to be found. Tell me, Calli, where can I find Maetha the witch?”
“I don’t know. She doesn’t really have a location if you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t know what you mean.”
“She just kind of appears when she wants to. I don’t know how to contact her.” I finally unlocked the cuffs and placed them in the tray and watched as it slid through the door. I noticed the hinges were on the outside of the door, the door handle locked on the outside and a dead bolt had been installed for added security.
I listened as Justin’s footsteps left my door and faded away down the hall. The sound of the ocean outside my window drew me in its direction. I walked to it and found I was able to open it two inches before the blocking mechanism stopped it; fresh air at least. The vantage point out the window was limited; mainly just ocean directly below and it seemed the building was built on a sheer cliff. Escaping from the window was not an option.
I sat on my rock hard bed and pondered my situation. I wondered if Justin was working alone and if this whole production was a small step in the larger picture of the shards reuniting within me.
I heard gentle tappings outside the window after about a half hour and got up and walked over to check it out. I couldn’t believe what I found; Brand was clinging to the exterior of the building with a smile on his face.
“Brand?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you holding onto out there?”
“Well, not much, to be honest. It’s taken me a long time to find the weak bricks around my window that would allow me to escape. But I can tell you there is no way into your cell from out here.”
“Go back to your room and figure out some other way to get Justin to open your door.”
“You talk as if I’m the cleverest guy on earth. Yet I still can’t figure out how to get you to go out with me.”
“Brand!”
“Alright. It’s not like I have anything else to do… go wait in your cell, Brand. Go save the world, Brand.” I heard him muttering as he moved along the wall to his window.
I sat back and waited for Brand to come to my door.
I heard Justin walking down the hall and stop by Brand’s door. Justin shouted at Brand but I couldn’t tell what was being said. Then I heard footsteps near my door and Justin’s voice on my intercom. He sounded irritated.
“Calli, I know I told you I’d keep your friend alive but he’s hell-bent on jumping to his death from his window. I really don’t care if he does or not, but—”
I could hear background yelling over the intercom as Justin spoke. Brand was yelling very convincingly, “Don’t come any closer or I’ll jump!”
A light bulb clicked on in my head; Brand was putting his Performing Arts major to good use. I would as well. “Don’t let him jump! If he dies you’ll never get the amulet from me!”
All that I heard from Justin was a grunt of disgust. “Fine.”
I heard some noise and what sounded like pleading and then footsteps nearing my door. I could hear Brand saying, “You said I could see Calli! Where’s Calli?!”
Justin answered, “Shut up! Keep walking.”
A couple minutes went by in silence and then my door was unlocked and Brand entered my cell sans shirt. “Miss me?”
“Like the plague. Where’s Justin?”
“He’s a little tied up at the moment.”
“What happened to your shirt?”
“It’s a little tied up at the moment.”
“What did you do?”
“Does it really matter? Let’s get out of here while we can.”
“Not yet, we have to rescue the others.”
“Who? What are you talking about?”
“The other amulet wearers from the other clans are here too. We have to find them.”
“They’re probably in the other locked rooms. Come on! We need to hurry before the guards come.” Brand pulled on my hand leading me down the hallway.
“I found one!” I opened the door and found Charles Rhondell sitting on his bed looking surprised to see me. I motioned with my hand for him to follow and he immediately stood and walked forward. Brand had opened another door and Curtis Shultz from the Seers Clan exited the room. He walked briskly toward Charles and was about to embrace him in a hug when I yelled, “No! Don’t! If your amulets touch the diamond pieces will be drawn together like magnets and break out of the glass casings and you’ll die.” I turned to Brand and said, “There’s got to be one more; Clara Winter, the Runners’ leader.”
“Over there,” Brand pointed to a door at the end of the hall and we hurried down to it. He opened the door and I walked past him into the room. The room was much smaller than the others and the bed looked more like a hospital bed than the uncomfortable cots in the other rooms. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Chris Harding, not Clara Winter, lay in the bed with his wrists tied to the bed-railings and both of his legs angled in unnatural directions and obviously broken. He looked extremely weak as he opened his eyes and blinked to clear his vision.
I stood still, frozen in awe of the moment. I stepped into the light, walked to his bedside, placed my hands on his legs and willed his bones to heal. I slid my hands up and down his legs one at a time until the knitting completed. I brought my attention up to his face and beheld his astonished expression. I carefully leaned down, held my amulet to my chest with my right hand and pressed my right cheek against his left as I wrapped my left arm across his body.
“I knew you’d come, Calli,” Chris whispered in my ear and my whole body shivered with awareness.
Brand walked over to the other side of the bed and untied the bond on Chris’s right wrist while I freed his left hand. I brought his hand up to my mouth and kissed the back of it lovingly.
“So, are we getting out of here or what?” Brand interrupted the tender moment.
“Wait outside, Brand.” I ordered him.
“But, we don’t have much time—”
“Go.” I pointed to the door where the others filled the doorway. Brand turned on his heel and stomped out of the room and I turned my attention back to Chris. “You’re very weak.”
“I feel much better now.” He smiled up at me.
“How long have you been here?”
“Not long. I knew you’d come, but I still don’t believe you’re here or that you healed me. You’re wearing an amulet, I see, that’s how you were able to fix my legs.”
“Come on, I’ve got you.” I helped him sit up.
Brand came back in the room to assist me in helping him out of bed. Once out in the hall, I noticed the others were also a little worse for wear. Charles and Curtis were weakened from the lack of food, the continual drugging and the inability to heal themselves. I was able to heal myself because of the diamond in my heart but I’d used my excess energy to heal Chris’s legs and didn’t feel it would be wise to weaken myself any further by increasing their strength.
“We have to hurry,” Brand said rather frazzled. “It’s not easy getting past the guards.”
I knew he must be repeating and knows we are about to be discovered. We all hurried down the hall and stopped just before the corner. Brand motioned for us to stand against the wall. My back was to a closed door and I could hear a muffled voice on the other side. At first I wondered if it was the Hunter Justin said was going to be arriving and perhaps we needed to rescue also, but the more I listened to the voice I realized it was actually Justin’s voice. He sounded as if he was gagged. I figured that must have been what Brand’s shirt was tying up.
Brand put his hand up signaling an approaching guard. We heard footsteps coming closer from around the corner and I watched Brand bob his head in time with each step, counting and plotting his attack. The moment the tip of the guard’s boot came into view Brand leaped forward and punched his fist directly into the unsuspec
ting guard’s temple taking him down with one single and quite impressive hit.
Charles promptly commended Brand on his hit and I wondered how many repeats he had done. We rounded the corner and quietly proceeded down the next hall. Brand put his hand up again to bring us to a halt and motioned us against the wall. As we stood there in silence, I listened to the surrounding sounds; the buzzing of the fluorescent light above our heads, the flush of a toilet and the casual whistling of a man who’d just finished his business.
The door near Brand opened and in a swift and flawless attack, Brand delivered a groin kick followed by an uppercut to the jaw which knocked the guard out cold. Brand dragged the guard back into the bathroom and came back out toting the guard’s gun and closed the door.
Chris whispered in my ear, “Where did you find this guy?”
Curtis and Charles were in awe of Brand’s skills. Brand pointed down the hall to the exit and said, “There’s one more outside the door. Let’s go.”
The door was solid with no windows and I knew the others must be wondering how he knew but no one spoke up. We all came to a halt at the door and watched as Brand opened the door quickly, without looking he rammed the butt of the gun out around to doorframe dropping the last guard.
Curtis and Charles couldn’t contain themselves any longer. “Alright, young man, what kind of power do you possess?”
“No time right now, we have to get to a safer place.” Brand bent down and removed the guard’s jacket and put it on. Now he looked like a military man with his AK-47 and all. “We only have about an hour before the Demons will be out and we need to find a safe place to hide.”
If only I’d brought my Demon devices we could have been safe, I thought.
Brand and I helped Chris walk while Curtis and Charles followed closely behind. I glanced into the future to see if I’d be able to determine where we should hide but all I could see was the interior of the building and us huddled around a dim glowing fire. The abandoned wharf must have been a shipping/manufacturing company at one time but was now the perfect hideout for Justin & Co.
The sun peeked from behind the buildings as we walked and I listened to the others talk about potential hiding locations. We all agreed that we should find a building that was not connected to the main complex for added protection. As we rounded a corner we found a possible building. I left Chris’s side and followed Charles inside. I could tell right away this would be our hideout; it was the room I’d already seen.
Everyone else entered the building and as a team we used old cardboard to cover the windows. Curtis had found a bag of grilling charcoal that could be used as a heat source and I decided I would need to leave and find some food and water for everyone.
Chapter 12 - Revelations
It wasn’t easy leaving the group; in fact it was hell! I didn’t want to do it but knew I was the only one who could.
As I ran toward the lights on the horizon, toward civilization, I realized I’d have to shoplift because I didn’t have any money on me and this bothered me. I wasn’t a thief; yet, my companions needed nourishment and I had no other way of providing for them.
The first store I came upon was a small gas station/convenience store. I entered the busy store and pulled a small shopping basket from the stack. I strolled through the aisles looking for the best nutrition choices settling on sports drinks, beef jerky, assorted nuts and chocolate bars. I also grabbed a flashlight with batteries. When a customer entered the store to pay for his gas, I ran out the door. It made me wonder what it would look like on the surveillance cameras; to see a streak or a flash of something.
I found a payphone and made a collect call to Beth.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Beth, it’s Calli, I need your help.”
“Calli, where are you? You’re in big trouble! Why did you steal the Healers' amulet?”
“It’s not what you think, Beth. Come on, you know me better than that. I don’t have time to explain right now.”
“I’ve been assigned to bring you to the council, along with Brand. Now, tell me where you are.”
“No, I won’t be doing that. I thought you were my friend, Beth.”
“Let me come get you and we can get this all straightened out.”
“I’ll straighten it out on my own. Bye, Beth.”
I ended the call and began my journey back to the others with a heavy heart. I tried to convince myself that Beth was only being a responsible leader and not currently sitting in jail like I’d seen in the vision on the roof of the motel. She was embracing life and justice, and right now the evidence showed I was on the wrong side of right. I couldn’t blame her anyway, because I’d already seen this day in her future where she would be chasing me. Maetha was right when she said I needed to learn how to read my visions better.
It wasn’t easy running with the groceries. The basket was heavy due to the drinks and awkward to carry while running and if I stopped too quickly the contents of the basket would fly out just like the crash test dummies who weren’t wearing their seat belts. It was a confirmation in the laws of physics.
Before returning to the others, I stopped by Justin’s compound and saw him through a window talking to his injured guards. It dawned on me that his guards were unaltered men. I wondered if Justin understood the advantage of having Unaltereds in his employ or if it was just a fluke? More importantly, did the guards even know or understand who they were being ordered to search for? It didn’t seem plausible to me that Justin would have learned about Unaltereds as only a limited number of individuals on earth knew about them; Freedom being one of them.
I hurried back to the group.
The moment I’d closed the door behind me, Chris embraced me tightly. A sharp pain ripped through my chest and I pushed him away dropping the basket of groceries and clutching my chest.
“What is it, Calli?”
“The diamonds cannot get too close together or else they’ll break out of the glass.” I remembered he didn’t know I had a piece within my heart. “Take the food to the others and ration it out, please.”
He left and I slid down the wall and sat on the floor willing my heart to heal. My mind replayed Maetha’s words that someday all the shards will reunite within me. It’s the way it is and it cannot be prevented, but if this is the kind of pain I can expect, then no thanks!
Brand came over to me and knelt down. “Calli, you and I need to talk.” I didn’t like his attitude. Something had happened while I was gone, something that disturbed him greatly.
“Alright. What do you want to know?”
He pointed at my amulet. “All these necklaces everyone wears used to be one whole diamond that you carried on your person a couple years ago; how come you never told me about that? I thought you trusted me?”
“Brand, look, there’s plenty I didn’t tell you and there’s plenty I’m not going to tell you. It doesn’t mean I don’t trust you. Now you know as much as everyone else concerning me and the diamond but they don’t know anything about you. Should we tell them what your abilities are?”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want them knowing all that I can do.”
“Bingo. Neither do I.”
“Well, we’re going to have to tell them something because they already questioned me about my mind. They wondered why they can’t read it or see my future.”
“Yeah, I know. The diamond shard gives each wearer a little of all the powers and intensifies their existing power.”
“That’s why you were able to run away from the Healers; you were wearing their amulet.”
“Well, yes, but not entirely.”
“Well, what would happen if I wore one?”
I thought about that long and hard and came to the conclusion that if he wore an amulet he might be able to use his powers to manipulate outcomes on a much grander scale, but until his heart was in the right direction it would most likely be misused.
“I don’t
know, Brand. For now we need to help the others. I can heal their weaknesses and injuries but I need you to keep a lookout for Justin’s search party.” I didn’t really; I already knew we’d be safe here all night long. I just wanted him to drop the subject for now.
I walked over to Curtis and Charles and sat next to them as they drank their sports drinks. “I can help heal you if you like. You are both very weak and I don’t suppose you have energy to spare in healing each other.”
“We do not want to drain your energy, Calli.” Charles spoke.
“I’ll only give what I can spare.”
“Alright then.”
I felt into Charles’ body and rejuvenated his blood with oxygen. The drug that Justin used was one that slowed the body’s natural system, so I cleansed Charles’ body of the drug. Right away his energy increased. I did the same to Curtis and removed the drug from his body.
“Thank you.” They both said in unison.
I smiled and looked across the room at Chris and Brand talking and I read their lips.
Brand said, “Oh, I can’t say I haven’t tried to win her over, but dude, her heart belongs to someone else.”
Curtis asked me, “Why is his future so muddled?”
Charles added, “Yes, why? I’ve never seen a mind like his before.”
“If you look too long into his mind you’ll get a headache,” I said, issuing a well advised warning.
I stood and walked over to Chris and Brand. I knelt in front of Chris and took one of his hands in mine to feel inside his body for the invasive drug. I looked into his eyes and he into mine and Brand’s mouth gaped open in realization.
“He’s your guy, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, and you better give us a moment before he kicks your ass, Brand.”
Brand smacked Chris on the shoulder. “Dude, her heart belongs to you.”
“Go, Brand.” I ordered him to leave. He stood and left us alone. “Chris, I need to remove the last of the drug from your system. Just relax.”
Chris laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes relaxing his whole body allowing me access to his entire being. Frankly, I was caught off guard that he’d open himself so completely but I quickly grasped his absolute trust. The intimate moment brought tears to my eyes; tears of happiness and joy, tears of love. It had been so long since the last time I’d seen Chris that I paused for a moment to appreciate the circumstances before I extracted the drug from his body.
Unaltered #2_A Diamond in my Heart Page 15