Where’s Jerry? The thought burned her mind suddenly. She was so used to seeing him always next to Peter or Skull, the two of them looking comically grotesque together with Jerry’s head barely reaching Skull’s shoulder. She remembered his call, she was astonished and frustrated from it. Then she was angry at Chad’s words and at him kissing her, and after that, at herself letting him do it. Then was the bloody roof, and Chuck with his squad, all so cocky and brave, twenty against the two of them. And she was enraged to the point of madness, obscurely glad about the impending battle, ready to tear apart anyone who would stand in her way. The all-consuming urge to kill, kill each of them, snap their necks, kick their ribs in, cut them into pieces, driving everything else out of her. And she did, though not as well as she could do without having to protect anybody, but she did get some of that out, some of those bastards broken. Then there was a vortex of feelings: dread when Jane almost got killed, shock when Chad jumped off the roof, surprise at his sacrifice, dread again when picturing him dead, and more surprise when she saw him fly. Bitterness and guts-deep disappointment when he rejected the whole Sky Ghosts’ agenda… More anger toward herself at the realization what shallow concerns filled her head when she didn’t know if the others were safe or even close to it. She was about to fall apart when she saw their building swarm with Beasts, but she went on, and the necessity to find Marco gave her some strength. And then she almost died along with him, and there was no feelings already at that point, and she finally gave up.
But then Chad was there.
The thought burned her mind again, and she sucked in a breath. She had been numb enough by that time not to care if she would regret letting him hold her afterward. And now they took him away, almost killing the last of her friends who were intact in the process. It felt like the last string inside her had torn, and there was nothing left to keep her whole. She wanted to lie down, to curl up on her bed and press her forehead to her knees; no, she wanted to vanish, to dissolve in this dim light, these walls, and never talk to anybody again.
She realized she was at the staircase now, not remembering how she got there or what the floor was, so she just kept staggering up the stairs. There were no Beasts, and she doubted they just lost interest after retrieving Chad and Dave. Most likely, they were ordered to leave the place. It meant Eugene didn’t intend to eliminate them all, just to show that he was able to do so.
A big white number three loomed on the wall in front of her, and she paused involuntarily before opening the door. Was it ruined, too? Were there bodies, blood, broken furniture around? Her room would be demolished, no doubt. It just had to be, with all her luck.
She pulled at the handle, and it felt like the door was made out of stone. The lights were bright in the hall, and her eyebrows went up when she didn’t find any bodies or heaps of broken chairs there. Of course, it was obvious that the battle had not left this floor out, but it seemed the upper one took most of the damage.
She crossed the hall slowly, glancing around. Some of the doors were open and cracked, the marble floor was dirty, the walls smeared with blood. Turning at the corner, she half-expected to see the door of her room hanging open, all their things thrown out, her bras dangling from the ceiling, but it was closed. Already at the threshold, she glanced to the left – Marco’s door hung on one hinge, a head-shaped hole in it. He must have been in his room when the Beasts came, she thought. At least, he had given them a good welcome.
She turned the knob and pulled her door open. The lights were off, and as she clicked the switch, she almost found some energy to get surprised again – the room was absolutely intact. The door swung shut behind her, and she leaned against it, letting out a shuddering breath. Finally, she was alone. Being in her room like this, she could almost pretend nothing had happened. That there were no Chad and Dave, no battles, no victims. Except that it wasn’t true, and she could feel all her losses so deep in her bones that she didn’t think she would ever be able to sleep, to close her eyes and not see Peter’s pale face or Ryan’s scarlet hair or Chad as he stood on that roof, shell-shocked and frantic.
Her back sheath jabbed into her spine, and she unbuckled it angrily with disobedient fingers and tossed it to the floor, sliding down the door and sitting right there, at the threshold. Images were flashing in her mind as she stared sightlessly ahead, hugging her knees and begging for them to stop, to get out of her head, to leave her alone at last. For a moment she regretted she wasn’t like normal people, couldn’t just pass out after all she had seen that night. She grimaced, trying for a rueful smile and failing. This was all Eugene, even the way she felt now – God, she wanted to be like humans.
She leaned back against the door with a ragged sigh. Eugene, Eugene, there must be a way to kill you, right? To capture you and make you starve until you’re weak, until your shield is gone, and there’s only a fine sharp knife waiting for you. And nobody would come. No one cares about you, I bet.
She remembered being in his office. She shouldn’t have left without trying to kill him right there and then. Certainly, he wouldn’t expect an attack in his own building. She could have stopped it all, she thought. Just a tiny chance, but still. And she only stayed in that air duct.
Her head snapped upright suddenly. One single picture froze before her eyes, sending a pulse of weak excitement through her body as she felt her heart give a jolt. A white rectangle of paper covered in a net of lines. Eugene’s building plan.
She grabbed the doorknob, pulling herself up, and staggered to the vanity table. It must have been somewhere in her drawer still, she knew she put it there. The drawer rolled open, flew out of its slides, and clattered to the floor. She rummaged through the papers with trembling hands – there it was, folded in two, the source of her desperate plan. A corner of her mouth twitched in a ghost of a rueful sneer. Time to pay, Eugene, she thought darkly and got to her feet, dragging herself to the bathroom.
Inside it, she threw open the medicine cabinet door and fumbled for a bottle of caffeine pills. She used them when she didn’t feel well, a few times in a year, maybe. Unscrewing the lid, she took out two, no, three, turned on the water and swallowed them, making herself keep the water down with an effort. There was very little time.
She dashed outside, knocking the bottle over and making the pills spill on the floor and out, to the room, like white round bugs. In fact, there was no time, and Jane could show up any second. The wardrobe door flew open as she unzipped her jacket and unbuckled her pants. Somewhere there, in the back, was a new set of gear, which she had hidden long ago for an emergency. Raking out everything that was stacked inside, she could feel it before she saw it, the thick leathery material clinging to her fingers.
She kicked off her boots and pants and put on the new pair. As her heavy weapons belt slid into its place, she pulled a clean T-shirt over her head and then the jacket. All her knives were left in the ruined set of gear, and she cursed, kneeling beside it and pulling hastily some of them out. She remembered there were plenty in the wardrobe and turned back to it, picking a few short ones because she had run out of them during the battle downtown.
She packed a flashlight, too, and some bandages, because her plan included one hundred percent possibility that she would get injured. Then she bent down and snatched the piece of paper with the building plan off the floor. Folding it into a small rectangle, she paced over to the vanity and rummaged for a hair band. She would need extra focus, and there was no time for the hair getting in her eyes.
She paused there, at the mirror, after she brushed her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail. Was it her? Making rash decisions, getting hysterical, abandoning her friends, her sister? She looked herself in the eyes and saw that there was nothing left. No sense. It must have gone through that hole in her chest along with everything else.
She bent down and took her katana. Sliding the straps into their loops and buckling them up, she kept looking at her face, pinched and devastated to the point of complete blankness. No, i
t wasn’t her. Everything had changed, and maybe she couldn’t keep up with it, but she still was good at making people regret they had ever crossed her way.
The caffeine was working: she could already feel its warm buzz in her veins, could see how sharp everything was around her. Only her hands were still a bit unsteady as she laced the boots back on. The room was a mess now, but she didn’t care. She dashed to the window and threw it open, only to pause as the fresh air blew over her, bringing a crystal clarity along with it.
She was sure of her plan, but at that moment something caught in her chest, making her stop and look back, get the last glimpse of the place she called home. Somewhere down there were Peter and Marco and Ryan, all hurt or even dying. She could feel them now, all of them, as if some invisible strings connected them with her. And one more, the strongest one, pulling her back, telling her, Come on, don’t be stupid. You have to stay with her. This isn’t the right way to fix things. But she wasn’t going to fix anything, just to put an end to it, and do some justice in the process if she got lucky.
She took off abruptly, darting through the black gape of the window before the bitterness and the finality of the idea overwhelmed her. Because one more second, and she just wouldn’t be able to do it.
Chapter 21
Jane dragged herself across the hall, heading to her room. It was quiet on the floor. Everybody was still downstairs, helping to clear the wreckage or just slouching about, not knowing what to do next. She hoped to find Pain in their room, because her sister didn’t seem to be going upstairs to drag heavy stuff around. More likely, she wanted to be alone.
She rounded the corner right when someone burst through the hallway window, landing with a stomp and startling her. Immediately, her body shifted into a defensive posture, and her hand went to her belt, but then the man before her raised his head.
“Gosh, Skull! You scared me to death!” she exclaimed resentfully.
“Sorry,” he boomed, straightening his shoulders, which blocked almost the whole corridor. “Peter has called for Pain, is she here?” he asked.
“Must be,” she shrugged, turning the knob and opening the door.
And stopping right there.
The lights inside were on, the room’s floor strewn with papers and clothes, some pills spilled near the bathroom, and Pain was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh my God…” she whispered, stepping inside. Wait, don’t panic, she can be in the bathroom. Jane dashed there, already knowing that her sister wouldn’t leave the door open as she showered. She grabbed the handle, swinging herself inside – empty, of course.
“She’s gone…” She looked back at Skull, and he frowned, shifting uneasily at the threshold.
“Where?”
“Oh God, she’s gone for him!”
“Who?”
“Eugene! She’s after Eugene! Because he took Chad and Dave!”
“What??” For the first time, she saw astonishment on his face. “Alone? No, she’s not that crazy.”
“I know it, I know her!” Jane’s hands began to tremble. “She’s exactly that crazy. I knew she would do it!” she exclaimed and darted to the wardrobe, snatching daggers and knives mechanically out of the drawer and stuffing them into her belt. “I’m gonna go after her. Don’t tell Peter anything. Tell him you couldn’t find her.”
“You’re not going anywhere. Are you nuts?” he enquired in disbelief.
Jane was rummaging in her pockets now, shaking out the cash Peter had given them and some other things that she didn’t need. Skull only watched her dubiously, as if he couldn’t believe she was going to follow her sister right to their enemies’ headquarters.
She turned to the exit, facing him.
“I’ll do what I can, just don’t tell Peter about it. He will worry,” she said, intending to leave, but he blocked her path.
“Listen, don’t be stupid! Wait a little until we gather everybody, and we’ll all go after her,” he suggested, shrugging his heavy shoulders.
“No, I can’t wait. I gotta go, you gather the others if you want.” She pushed him in the chest, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“You’ll get yourself killed, Jane,” he hissed, his face just a few inches away from her now. And even this close up his eyes looked completely black, she thought.
“She’s my sister, Skull.”
He pulled away, exhaling.
“Imagine it was your sister.”
“I never had one,” his accent got heavier, and she wondered if he was nervous. Skull and nerves were two things existing in separate universes.
“You have us.” She placed her hand on his chest again, and this time it was steady. “Let me go if you want her back,” she almost whispered.
He blew out an angry breath. She was right about it, he knew it, and he was never able to argue, so he just stared into her eyes from above. Pain could be reckless sometimes, and without a backup, she was in extreme danger, that much was obvious. But still, letting Jane go seemed like the stupidest thing to do. She raised her eyebrows and shifted on her spot nervously, waiting for his reply. He could gather her into his bosom if he wanted to. So small and so determined, he thought, feeling the muscles in his jaw work as he fought with himself.
“Fine,” he snapped at last. “Go. I’ll try to help you two desperados.” He sighed and swore in Spanish. He was so going to regret this.
Jane beamed, springing to peck a light kiss on his scarred cheek.
“You’re the best!”
His eyebrows shot upward, and his look turned incredulous as he watched her hurry to the window. How could she be so carefree, was there no fear in that girl at all??
She took off, leaving two words to hang in the air after her: “See ya!” And then she was swallowed up by the darkness outside.
Skull shook his head, coming outside and closing the door behind him. So small and so annoying.
*
Pain landed on the roof softly, keeping away from the lights that shone there. It was just a reflex: up here the night was too quiet, too deserted for anyone to see her. The sun would rise in a couple of hours, she thought, looking at the fallen guard wistfully. He was still alive, and blood was pouring from his pierced throat. Bad, bad throw, she scolded herself, stepping over the other Beast who was already dead.
She had avoided approaching the roof so that the two guards wouldn’t notice her. She had assessed the wind and hovered in the air, staying far enough so she would mingle with the sky. Then she had thrown two daggers that flew like bullets, making the guards startle and clutch at their necks. And now she headed straight to the vent shaft.
It was closed with a heavy grid, which was welded to the frame, so she examined it for a minute, deciding about the best way to open it. If Marco was with her, he would just rip it off, she thought absently and headed to a superstructure, spotting a suitable bar. She had to wrench it off the side of some pole, but that was easy. Then she went back to the shaft and drove it between the grid and its frame. She pushed down on it, her face creasing with tension, but the grid didn’t move at all, and she let go, cursing.
“Can’t get in without my help, just like I thought,” a laughing voice sounded from behind her.
She jumped back, startled.
“Dammit! What the hell are you doing here??” she snapped, and surprise pierced her voice before she could hold it back.
Jane came up to the shaft, peering down curiously.
“Saving your butt. If we push on it together, it might break,” she said, shrugging.
“No, you don’t understand. Why the hell are you here? You’re supposed to be home! Now go back there, or I’ll drag you across the city myself,” Pain threatened, flashing her eyes at her sister.
Jane turned on her then, disbelief flooding her face, making her cheeks redden. She stepped forward, and Pain took a step back involuntarily.
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not gonna sit at home, letting you go alone and die here because of your recklessne
ss and self-involvement. You had no right to leave without telling me. You owe me that much after all we’ve been through. You should have had some faith in me!” she hissed, stabbing her index finger into her sister’s chest.
Pain stiffened, not blinking. Jane never fought with her like this. They argued, they even yelled at each other sometimes, but she never sounded so genuinely mad. They never had a real reason for it, because they always had the same opinions about important things. They worked together their whole lives, but it was the first time Pain wasn’t going to win.
She swallowed a lump in her throat.
“It was my decision, not yours. I’m not stupid, I ain’t going to get out of here alive. But I’ll do everything I can to kill the bastard. And I want a good reason for doing this, so please go home, there’s no reason for you to be here,” she responded calmly, but it was hard to keep her voice from shaking.
“Go home??” Jane exclaimed. “Go home? How can I go home, knowing what you’re about to do? Did you think about me when you planned this, how I would live with this? Guess what, you didn’t! Because it’s not about me or Eugene, it’s about Chad now! And I understand, I understand it all, and I want to save them, too! So please, just admit it and let me help you! We did it so many times! Maybe this one will turn out alright, too,” she said desperately, and Pain sucked in a sharp breath, stiffening all over.
“That’s not true,” she said defensively, trying to zip up her jacket with a trembling hand. “I’m just sick of Eugene messing up with our lives all the time, that’s all.”
“So sick that you’re ready to get yourself killed? Don’t try to fool me. You’ve never made rash decisions, your head is always cool with stuff like this! You’re just upset you haven’t saved Chad, so upset that you don’t want to live with it. And it’s totally okay, so let’s go and try to save him before it’s too late,” she said with finality.
Sky Ghosts: All for One (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1) Page 32