He started to laugh, the sound nearly soothing my nerves in the middle of the dense forest. He began to laugh so hard that he had to bend over, placing his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath and then began to cough. Now I was confused, slight irritation licking at the very edges of my already frayed emotions.
“What the Hell is so funny?” I asked, chaotic and wanting to laugh, trying so desperately to keep a smile from spreading over my lips. The laughter was contagious, but I held myself back as all the other things I was feeling at the moment took precedence.
He stood upright, trying to suppress another bout of giggles as he stared at me, clearing his throat before speaking. “I’m sorry. It’s just hard to believe you were raised by her and have never held one before now. Your mother isn’t a woman anyone wants to mess with.”
“Well, I guess that wasn’t the life she wanted for us, so she never exposed us to them,” I assumed as I shrugged. I scoped him out from head to toe, taking in his lean muscles and broad chest, all black military uniform, and the sly predator I knew existed underneath. I smiled sheepishly and asked, “Can you show me?”
“Definitely.” He stalked in my direction, and I turned back toward the tree as I felt his hand graze my waist and move to the holster at my hip, causing my breath to catch in my throat at his proximity. My mother may have said he had a dark past, but who didn’t now? Out of the corner of my eye I had seen Julius become antsy and uncomfortable, turning away from us to walk back toward the others. Sorrow grew in my chest as I saw his back moving farther away; feeling a piece of me go with him. I knew even our relationship had changed as the events unfolded around us.
Ryder removed the gun from the holster and held it in both hands, arms around my still form as I watched his hands gripping it softly just to show me. His right hand was gripping it, his index finger not even hovering over the trigger, and his left hand resting underneath the butt of it in a display intended to teach me.
“This is how you’re going to hold it,” he said, loosening his grip on the gun as I reached up to mirror what he had just done. I did it perfectly. “Good, now, I don’t suggest touching the trigger until you’re actually going to shoot something. Just let it hover like I did. Don’t want to shoot anyone on accident.”
“Trust me, if I’m going to shoot anyone it won’t be by accident.”
I laughed and felt his chest rise and fall against my back as he took in a deep, shaky breath. His hands weren’t shaking as he touched me, adjusting my posture thoughtfully and I followed him, picking it up quickly. I felt his heart beating wildly against my back the entire time. I would’ve said something about it if it weren’t for the fact that mine was racing just as fast and hard, vibrating through my entire body. I felt his warm breath on my neck as his lips softly grazed my earlobe. So gently that I almost doubted it happened at all.
“Stop it or you’ll make me lose my concentration,” I said as I resisted the urge to turn around and kiss him in front of everyone. I didn’t care any longer, but I was trying to learn something that could be useful and inside I was still questioning him. My heart and mind raced in tandem with each other. Did I trust him? Should I trust him? Because now I wasn’t only trusting him with my life, but my heart as well, and both were precious. When he did it again, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest, sending ripples of tension through my body and causing my gut to clench. His hands were on my hips, and I could feel his warm breath in my ear as he breathed in deep, his chest moving against my back along with my own ragged inhales.
“You want to fire off a round? Just so you know what to expect?” he whispered in my ear like it was a secret no one else needed to know. “It holds fifteen rounds including the one in the chamber so you can keep track of your rounds if we’re attacked again before we make it to headquarters, but it’s not like we don’t have more in the cases.”
I nodded, showing that I understood and said, “Well, then, show me how.” I felt his lips curve up into a smile against my ear and his body shift around mine.
“That’s my girl.” He used his finger to graze over a small switch on the side of the gun just above the grip and explained, “This is the safety. Flip it down to turn it off, but don’t turn it off unless you are prepared to shoot.”
“Alright.”
“Then all you have to do is take aim,” he shifted my posture to aim at the dead center of the large knot in the tree’s trunk, “and pull the trigger.”
“That’s it?” I asked as my eyebrows arched in speculation at the ease of the weapon’s use. I had assumed it was easy enough, but never imagined it was like this.
He nodded at my shoulder and replied, “Yes, that’s it. It’s easier than it looks. A lot easier than the guns from the time before the wall, that’s for sure.”
“No shit,” I breathed, looking at the gun wrapped in our hands. Not that I had even seen one before.
He backed away, and I felt an absence there when he did, but then he came to my side and watched me considerably.
“Now what?” I asked as my let my eyes follow him as he moved to stand beside the wide trunk of the tree in front of me. It had to be at least ten yards from my current position, and my heart was beginning to race even more as he considered the tree for a moment and then stood in front of it, the knot in the tree just above his head, and grinned conspicuously.
“Now you aim at the knot above me and hit it dead center,” he said as he pointed above his head at the knot of wood that twirled in a delicate swirl, meeting at a point in the center. The point he wanted me to hit without having any experience with guns whatsoever. Was he serious? When he stood there and watched me, waiting for me to aim and fire, I knew he was. Insane was more the word for it as he beamed.
I shook my head in disbelief. How could he trust me so explicitly when I had never even held a gun before? I lowered the gun, so it was pointing down at the ground and watched him in shock as his smile only grew wider.
“You can’t be serious,” I nearly shouted, bringing all attention to us. I felt each pair of eyes on my back as I stood there and continued to shake my head, refusing to do what he was asking of me. He shouldn’t trust me like this. We barely knew each other, and I had zero experience with weapons. Well, except for them being pointed and fired in my direction.
“I’m dead serious…”
I interrupted him. “Yeah, as in, you’ll possibly wind up dead if I do this. I’ve never even touched one of these before now. You are insane. Don’t they do mental health checks before they let you into the military? Because either someone messed up when they let you in there or my mother has more pull then I give her credit for.”
Laughter from the group started, but I never took my eyes off of Ryder.
“That kind of insanity runs rampant amongst this bunch, girl. Your mother has the pull to get even Noah in there,” Ajax boomed with laughter from behind me. Even more hysterics broke out. The chatter behind me died down when Ryder didn’t move, his green eyes watching me intently as he willed me to aim for the knot and shoot.
“I may hurt you,” I said, pouring every ounce of sincerity that I could get into those four words. I wanted him to know that the trust he was putting in me was too much, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it. But I didn’t just mean at that moment. I meant at any moment, any time, any place.
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he answered.
I had a feeling he had understood my meaning when he spoke those words. A ripple of energy ran through me that permeated the air between us and I was certain he was speaking the truth. Even then I hesitated. My arms refused to move to even aim the firearm.
“Oh come on, shoot him!” Noah yelled at us, Famke making a whooping sound to egg me on.
I stared into Ryder’s profound and sparkling green eyes, thinking that if I accidentally killed him, that it
would be the last time I would ever see them so full of life and amusement at my expense. I took a deep breath in and let it out, raising the gun slowly and aiming at the knot in the tree resting just above his beautiful head of dark hair. I felt my power rise and build within me as the anxiety took hold and I swallowed, taking another steadying breath and lining up the shot just like Ryder had just shown me. I was terrified, if terrified was even the correct word for what I felt. My heart hammered, and sweat broke out over my flesh, my breathing becoming ragged and shallow.
“You can do it, Mila,” my mother called, followed by the same words from Caius, but the accolades didn’t help my confidence, especially if something was underneath the surface I wasn’t aware of. Something sinister. Something I pushed out of my mind in an attempt to concentrate.
Silence overcame the forest, only the chattering of birds and insects the lone sound beside my own thudding heartbeat in my ears. One was still ringing slightly while the other took in no noise at all. I blew out another breath through pursed lips as I turned off the safety just as Ryder had shown me, my gut clenching again as a solid pit of anxiety formed in my belly.
“You can do this, you can do this,” I whispered to myself as I aimed at the knot just above his head and aimed as perfectly as I could. My power aim was crucial normally, but this type of aim was different. It was real and with my gift, I could imagine what I was seeing and project it. Not like this where it was real and solid. “Just do it. You know you can.”
I was giving myself a pep talk, stalling and hoping they would decide I didn’t have to do it, but I knew with absolute certainty Ryder wouldn’t let me off the hook until I had fired at least one shot to show that I could indeed handle the gun. My eyes met his and he winked at me, reassuring me that I could hit my target and that he wasn’t afraid. That he trusted me. Shouldn’t I impart that kind of faith with him as well? Trust him with my life? Maybe I should.
I looked back to the knot, lined up the shot, and squeezed the trigger. The shot rang out, echoing off of the trees and through the empty air, silencing everything around us. The ringing in my left ear got even louder, and I ignored the pain that came with it. The kick wasn’t as bad as I had expected and it caused the gun to pull back just a fraction as the bullet exploded from the barrel. When I looked up, lowering the gun to point on the ground and turning the safety back on so I didn’t accidentally shoot myself in the foot. And I was shocked at what I saw.
A perfectly round entry point showed in the dead center of the knot of the tree, a small amount of sap oozing from it as I looked on in disbelief. I, someone who had never even held a gun before, was a perfect shot on the first try, and I believed I was as surprised as everyone else. No one said a word, but, when I stared at Ryder’s face, there was a broad smile there, and his body was jittery like he was attempting to hold in his excitement. He knew I could do it so why couldn’t I have that kind of faith in myself? I wanted to say it was because of what I had done to my friend at the insistence and threats of Emerson King. That had to have been the reason. My confidence in myself was shaken beyond repair as a result. Whoops and hollers started behind me, and I heard slaps of flesh as I was sure high fives were being exchanged to celebrate my small victory.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Famke cried. “Talk about a natural.”
“She’s more like you than I thought,” Doctor Aserov said, no doubt to my mother who possibly ignored her. Knowing my mom, probably with an eye roll and a sigh as well.
I turned around and watched her as she grinned from ear to ear; proud of her daughter who she was certain was nothing like her and everything like her father. As far as I knew, my dad didn’t like weapons or violence, and that was how I had been for years until the circumstances made me change my opinion on the subject. Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes, delighted smiles, or jaw dropping shock. Noah was the first to walk up to me, his hand up to give me a high five as the rest of them hung back. Noah was the most personable out of them all as far as I could see and I didn’t mind him. Not even a little bit, even though his dark eyes should’ve made me feel intimidated. But the way he beamed at me made him so relatable. A friendship was forming between us quickly.
“I had a feeling about you, and boy do I love it when I’m right?” he said as I raised my hand and received his light-hearted gesture of congratulations and a job well done. He held onto it and brought it down to his chest to rest over his heart like we had known each other for years.
My brow furrowed in misunderstanding as I looked into his eyes, noticing the small crow’s feet that appeared there. “What do you mean you had a feeling about me?”
“I knew you’d be a good fit,” he replied as he shrugged. “And I know you can save us all. That much I know for sure.”
“I think you guys have too much invested in me. I’m not so sure of myself. How can you guys be?”
“I can’t say I wasn’t skeptical at first, but after watching you kill those men to defend all of us and the display with the gun I have been converted. You’ll make an excellent addition to the Fallen Paradigm.” His grin widened.
“The Fallen Paradigm?” I asked, my eyebrows rising in interest and amusement.
“Yes,” my mother said as she came to stand beside Noah and myself. Noah dropped my hand and took a step back so he could see us both as we chatted. “After your father. Well, has a lot to do with him and his favorite epic poem I told you about in my message. It’s about Adam and Eve’s fall from God’s grace, losing the Garden of Eden forever because of greed. It also talks about the war in Heaven when the angels fell.”
“What does that have to do with what we are?” I asked as confusion overtook me.
“Well, the angels are unique. A creation of a higher power. Your kind is exceptional in a lot the same way, possessing something no one else does. They had fallen from God’s love and light as you have fallen from the face of society. And that will be remedied.”
“Okay, so I understand the Fallen reference now, but Paradigm?” I asked. “What exactly is that about?”
“You’re unique. All of you. Nature’s prototype of a new design, hence Paradigm,” Doctor Aserov explained as she made her way to us. Her white coat was filthy, but still made her look like a hero in the middle of the forest, standing out among the emerald of the woods. She was wearing the same flats she had been, and her dark blue dress underneath had been torn slightly right above her knees around the edges, but she still looked radiant. Even after the running, the walking, and the danger. “This isn’t a religious cause by any means, but the name was fitting considering the circumstances, and it honors your father in a way.”
“But we can’t go on to explain much more here. We need to get to headquarters where everything can be explained to the fullest extent. We even have visual aids,” my mother said as she beamed with pride at her accomplishment. “And new toys just for all of you.”
“New toys? Like what?” Julius said from a short distance, his voice rising in curiosity.
“Trust me, you’d rather me show you than tell. Now, come on guys. Let’s move.”
Without another word, we piled all of the supplies into the Humvee and everyone that was going to ride piled inside, the rest of us following as the Humvee rolled along at an even pace that we could easily keep up with. I looked back at the fresh grave where Liam lay, thinking one day that could possibly be me. And maybe sooner than anyone thought.
Chapter
FIVE
We had been walking for a while, trying to reach the headquarters of the Fallen Paradigm without incident, but I knew that wouldn’t last long. King’s men were after us, and I was certain they were hot on our tail, but if we kept moving we could at least stave them off for a little while, and I was hoping it would help. The dark was beginning to close in on us as the sun set in the distance, barely being able to see the beautiful
pinks of the setting orb through the thick brush of the encroaching forest. The adrenaline from the attack and the use of my power was beginning to fade, causing my feet to drag and the slight chill taking the air causing goose bumps to form on my skin. The shaking in my limbs was only becoming worse as we walked along. I rubbed my arms in an attempt to bring some warmth back to them, but it did no good, so I crossed my arms and huddled around myself as I stalked through the dense brush and fallen leaves at my feet.
Ryder was walking about fifteen feet away, give or take a foot or two, with his gun in the holster and his hand on the grip, watching everything like a lithe predator on the hunt and everything around him was suspicious. The others walked in a scattered and strategic placement in front of, around, and behind the Humvee to keep those inside as safe as we possibly could. Doctor Aserov had been placed inside with the wounded so she could examine them and patch them up, my mother refused to take a place in relative safety to make sure she was alright after the missile had overturned their Humvee. My mom was a tough woman, which I knew full well. The others seemed to be learning despite knowing her for so long already. And it turned out I was just as hard to hurt as she was, the thought made me smile at the fact that I was more like my mother than even I previously believed.
Footsteps approached from my back, and I turned to see Julius moving toward me. He had been placed toward the back of our small convoy so he could watch my back to ensure my safety, but I hated to tell them that I seemed to be the strongest and most formidable in the entire group. Even against Ryder, who had no ability at all, but was lethal and cunning from his experience inside King’s regime. He knew how they operated which was an advantage the rest of us didn’t have. Julius came up beside me and grinned as I watched him, taking in the goose bumps on my arms despite the exertion. He eyed Ryder so far to my right and decided against whatever action he had been planning when he saw the goose bumps.
The Pursuit (The Permutation Archives Book 2) Page 5