Wasteland

by Lynn Rush

  “Beka.” I shook her by the shoulder. My chest constricted under the pressure of an invisible vise. Air. I needed air.

  Her eyes fluttered open. Blood trailed the side of her face, over her high cheekbones. “I’m okay.”

  Abraham reached down, and she grabbed his hand, then mine. “Let’s go.”

  We burst through the door, Abraham leading, Beka following, and I stumbled behind. The door at the top of the stairwell burst open.

  The bright sunlight set off a rainbow of blue, red, and yellow in my vision. I groped for the railing to stay upright. The cold metal slipped through my fingers. My shoulder crashed into the wall. My chest stung, consumed with fire.

  My brand.

  Darkness curved the corners of my vision. A roar ripped through my throat. My heart erupted, shooting fire-hot blood into my chest. It brought me to my knees, inches from freedom. The choker tightened. My hands gripped the doorframe, chest heaving, and I leaned forward expecting lava to pour from my mouth.

  “David,” Beka yelled. She raced toward me. I found her eyes.

  Her face began to fade into darkness. “No. Don’t leave.” My throat stung. I was right. This had all been a nightmare. A torture Master designed to break me.

  “Fight, David. Fight it.” She cupped my cheeks and, surprisingly, the blaze receded. “Look at me.”

  “You’re disappearing. Don’t go, Beka. Even if you’re a dream, don’t go. Please stay.”

  “No. No I’m not a dream.” Her silky lips brushed my cheek. “You feel that?”

  I nodded into her hands, searching for more.

  “I’m here. We’re together. Don’t let the darkness take you. We’re almost there. Just a little more running.”

  “It hurts.”

  “I know. Fight, David. You did it before. You can do it. It’ll be over soon.”

  “Never over.” My throat constricted. I reached for the collar but it was gone. Only the burn remained.

  “Get up, David.” She looked behind her. “Russell. Help me.”

  A strong hand threaded my arm and heaved me up. “Get up, Demon. It’s time to run,” Russell said.

  They maneuvered me onto the roof and into the bright sunshine. Flames scorched. The contract was still activated. The flame intensified each step further from Master’s homestead. My legs moved, I wasn’t quite sure how, but they did. They carried me to the edge of the roof.

  We had to have been fifteen stories up, and the closest building over twenty feet away. Abraham stood on the other roof. He waved us to him.

  Had he jumped?

  Beka’s hands on me disappeared. “Hold him,” she said.

  I glanced over my shoulder. She backed up five feet as if she were about to take a running start to jump over the ledge.

  “Wait,” I said.

  “It’s okay, David. Trust us.” Russell slapped my back. “Get ready.”

  “For what?” The wind gushed out of my lungs as someone collided with my back. Two thin arms wove beneath my armpits and held me against softness. My nose twitched at the fragrance of lilac.

  Beka’s cheek nuzzled mine. “My David,” she whispered.

  But what confused me more were the white wings above us. I looked down. My feet dangled above an alley, and I neared the roof where Abraham stood.

  His legs bent, as if he readied himself to receive me. Beka dove at him, and her wings flapped like capes in wind. We slowed to approach. She released her grip on me, and I fell the last five feet.

  My bare feet skidded in the gravelly rooftop floor, but Abraham’s strong hands clamping my arm kept me upright.

  I shaded my eyes. Beka hovered a few feet above us, hands on her hips. She winked as her body jerked with each flap of her divine, snow-white wings.

  “Beka,” I whispered.

  “Hi, David.” She fluttered to the ground two feet from me. “A lot has changed since we last saw one another.”

  CHAPTER 29

  The gravel dug into my knees as they met the ground, my full body weight behind them. Beka had wings. They’d plucked me from Master’s possession and had my contract.

  Must be a trick.

  “Let’s go. He’s too heavy for me to carry far, we must get back to Jessica,” Beka waved to Abraham. “Go ready the car.”

  He bowed and scurried away.

  Pellets of sand and rock bounced off my back, and I spun. Russell skidded to a stop a foot beside me.

  “Wow, that’s a big jump, My Lady. Not all of us have your wings, you know.”

  “Come. Let’s get him downstairs.”

  “First. Let’s see the true David. Can’t have you walking through a business office all fanged-out and red-skinned.” Russell rested his hand on my shoulder.

  I stood, ordering my human half to come forward. The demon refused to let go, thriving on the pain the contract elicited. Claws ripped at my heart, wanting to get out. To extinguish the goodness surrounding me.

  I used Russell’s shoulder to anchor myself against the riot inside my chest.

  “You can do it,” Beka whispered.

  Her hand stroked the side of my face, leaving a wake of cool comfort.

  “Let me see my David.” She smiled, creasing the skin at the corner of her eyes.

  Finally my human half broke through. Russell held me steady. “You okay now?”

  I nodded. “Where are we?”

  “Sunny California. Top of an office building.” Russell led me to the door on the roof with Beka close by, wings still out.

  The fifteen-foot wingspan cast a long shadow around her. She bent at her knees, reached beside the door and pulled out a bag. “Here.” She tossed it to Russell.

  He snatched the parcel mid-air and let go of me. He unzipped the bag and presented a dark cotton shirt. “Here, put this on. Damn, we forgot shoes.”

  Russell’s speech was different. Modern. Reminded me of the shows I’d watched on the airplane at the start of this ordeal. “How long have I been gone?”

  “We’ll stick to the stairwell. It’s only seven stories. Unlikely we will run into anyone, but still.” Beka said, leaving my question hanging, unanswered. She drew in a long breath through her nose, and her wings folded until I no longer saw the white feathers behind her. “We’re almost there. Are you doing okay?”

  I nodded. The fire strangled my throat and licked the insides of my chest. I wanted to corral Beka into my arms, but I didn’t dare. I fought the demon’s rage so much I didn’t trust my control.

  “Hurry,” she said. “Looks like he’s going to burst a vein.”

  Russell ducked and looked behind him. “Demons on the rooftop over there. Time to go.”

  They shoved me through the doorway, and we stumbled down the first three flights of stairs with only our heavy breathing and clanking shoes bouncing off the cement walls. My lungs seared with each breath I took, as if I breathed fire instead of air.

  Despite not being in the darkness of solitary, the pain portion of punishment raged. Maybe I had a chance of surviving it if Beka stayed near. Her touch soothed me before. But she said it would be over soon. How?

  They guided me to a stop before the last door.

  “David,” Russell said. “This leads to the main floor. We have to get through the lobby. Can you make it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Stay between us.” Beka presented her open palm. “Hold only my hand, though, so it doesn’t look like we’re both supporting you.” Her fingers combed my hair, and she slid behind me. More tugging followed.

  “My Queen, the hair stylist.” Russell rolled his eyes.

  “We must get this mess under control. He can’t go in there looking like a beast. We only have a couple hundred feet to the exit.”

  “Can’t hide that beastly smell, though,” Russell said.

  “Smell?” I asked.

  “Your senses are not working very well yet, are they?” Russell teased.

  “They have been bombarded suddenly, they are a mess within me.” I
analyzed him through hazy eyes. “Vision is starting to sharpen, and you are still just as ugly as I remember.”

  He grunted.

  “But you do look different. How long has it been since I last saw you?”

  Beka appeared before me again, closer this time. “We’ll tell you everything later. Okay, stand up straight.”

  “Hard to.”

  “I know. You can do it, David.”

  Her long, blond hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a black, long-sleeved fitted shirt, with black stretchy pants and dark shoes. Her hair was longer, and her emerald eyes clouded. Dark circles cradled her eyes like she hadn’t slept in many moons.

  “Where are your wings?”

  “In hiding. Don’t need them now. Take my hand.” She reached for me. “Let’s go, Russell.”

  He cranked the door open and more brightness accosted my nerves. Beka tugged my hand, and I moved forward, standing as straight as possible, fighting the urge to shade my eyes.

  Windows made up the entire three-story high walls. Through the glass, zooming cars filled the streets. Inside the building, people scurried back and forth, their shoes clacking and squeaking against the marble floor. The noise echoed in my head like a gong.

  A short, dark-haired girl took a second look at me, and her mouth dropped open. Despite being at least seven inches shorter, she managed to glare down her nose, at me. I wore a dark cotton t-shirt, clean, still creased as if just bought from a store. Dark splotches spotted my worn jeans, though. The ends were frayed, and I was barefoot.

  I’d take a second look at myself as well.

  Russell walked a step in front, as if to shield people from the sight of me. Beka stayed directly to my side, her hand clasped with mine. I’d missed the warmth of her touch. Yet now, her touch was cool. Calming.

  “Hold on. What’s going on here?” a deep voice rumbled. I couldn’t see past Russell.

  “Just taking the trash out,” Russell said.

  “Pardon me?”

  “If you idiots would do your job a bit better, you wouldn’t let the homeless get up to the VP’s office.” Russell waved toward me. “Now, excuse me, he’s rather rank, and I would like to escort him out.”

  A short pause. Beka’s grip intensified. A radio crackled. “Let me check with—”

  “Check with who? We’re fifteen feet from the doors, let us pass and we’ll be on our way.”

  “The person trespassed, we have to call the authorities.”

  “Already did that.” Russell tilted his head forward. “Like I said, I’m taking care of this, back off.”

  I finally got a view of the guy who had been talking. Tall, broad shoulders. The overhead florescent lights bounced off his shaved head. His shoes squeaked as he stepped aside. Another security guard, dressed in identical dark army fatigues, stood behind a marble desk fifteen feet away. He tapped his finger to his ear. The guard near us did the same.

  We must be at a banking establishment to warrant such security.

  Beka led me forward.

  Tall, metal pillars on each side of a narrow passage separated by a horizontal bar stood ten feet before us. A woman slid a thin, white card beneath a scanner. The light on the top of the pillars beeped and flashed green. She pressed her waist against the bar, and it shifted, letting her by. The contraption beeped and flashed red once she was through.

  I’d seen something similar in an underground place called a subway in New York.

  The beeps rang in my ears like a bell tower. The incinerator in my chest ignited again, and I couldn’t stop the flinch before the tension engulfed my spine.

  “I’m going to have to see some ID please.” The guard put his arm out, blocking Russell.

  “Sorry. No time.” With lightning speed, Russell’s open palm smashed into the guard’s chin. His head snapped back, and he stumbled. But while he did, he reached for his sidearm.

  A dull rumble resonated, the beast desperate to emerge and rip his throat out, but Beka’s firm hand grabbed my elbow and urged me onward.

  “Jump.”

  I faced forward and saw what she meant. The scanning mechanism was our hurdle. I bent my legs and lunged. With Beka’s added strength and her massive wingspan I managed to clear the contraption.

  Screams erupted, but I couldn’t focus on any of them. I must keep the beast within me quiet. My nails hardened and darkened.

  “Hold on, David,” Beka said as we descended to the floor. “There’s Abraham, see him?”

  The tall Guardian stood by the curb, near a shiny, black vehicle. I’d never seen one so long. The back door was propped open. He stood with hands clasped in front of him and wore face-filling, reflective glasses. His long hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and he donned a tuxedo.

  A group of five females hovered near him, watching, but the stoic Guardian faced straight ahead. Russell burst through the first set of glass doors. “Hurry up, they’re closing in.”

  Seven guards swarmed the desk. Three more had gotten through the scanning mechanism, and they sprinted toward us, boots chirping against the slick, marble floor.

  My heart pounded as my dark-nailed hand pressed against the glass, keeping the door open. Beka pushed me through first and followed close.

  Russell propped the second set of doors open with his foot, waving me forward. I ran out, bursting into the brightness of day. I clamped my hands over my eyes, dizzy with neon- blue spots tracing the corner of my vision. The windows of the building must have been tinted, because the daylight singed my retinas.

  A hand squeezing each elbow, Beka and Russell ushered me toward the car. Abraham darted around to the driver’s side. Russell pushed me in. My head rammed into the handle of the opposite door. That elicited another lament as the burn flamed again. Too much was happening at once.

  The car jolted. Through the open door, I saw a guard catch Beka by the shoulder. She cranked her free arm, connecting her elbow with the man’s temple. I crawled to the door to help, but Russell nailed the man in the jaw. He went down.

  Beka dove into the car. Her shoulder collided with my stomach, and we fell into the seat. Air whistled from my lungs.

  The car jostled again.

  Russell jumped in. “Go. Go. Go.”

  The car jerked forward, and my body slammed against the soft seat. Beka rolled off but stayed close. Our shoulders touched as she settled back, her chest heaving.

  I gasped for breath trying to cool the fire and fill my lungs. Russell sat off to the right on a long, padded seat. Dark, tinted windows, running several feet long, lined the side of the vehicle. A TV screen in the corner against the back end of the car. A narrow sink with glasses clanked, tucked beneath the TV. Straight ahead, separated by plastic, I saw the back of Abraham’s head.

  Tall buildings and people zoomed by me, but all I wanted to see was Beka.

  She sat, staring at me with wide eyes, her head leaning on the headrest of the seat we shared. I relaxed into the leather. The discomfort faded from my consciousness as I absorbed the sight of her face.

  I swiped my knuckle along her cheek, wiping away a crimson splotch marring her skin. She leaned into my touch. Her scent flooded me, and I swallowed the ache. Her thumb swirled the skin below my eye, leaving a wake of coolness.

  Her touch doused the flames.

  “I’ve finally found you,” she whispered.

  An inch separated our faces.

  “How long have I been gone?” I buried my fingers in her hair.

  “Doesn’t matter. We’re together now.” Her lips captured my mouth.

  A wave of coolness infused my body as if I’d been submerged in an ice bath. She chased away the blaze of the demon trying to burst out of me. Of my punishment. She was really here. Holding me. Kissing me. I gripped her silky hair and angled her for deeper access.

  My Beka.

  Her lips swept across my cheek, and she buried her face in my neck. She settled onto my lap. “Finally.” Her breath teased the hair on my neck.

/>   I combed my dirty fingers through her silky strands, reveling the touch. It had grown so long. Gentle kisses peppered my neck.

  “Careful, My Lady. He is still demon.” Russell coughed. “We have to get to Jessica first.”

  A grumble from Beka’s mouth vibrated along my neck. She tilted her head. “Soon, my angel,” she whispered. “Rest now, I will keep you cool, and we will get you some food.”

  She settled next to me, keeping one arm around my shoulders. She guided me close to her and wrapped her other arm around me, cradling me. Darkness tugged at my vision. Fatigue weighed my body down.

  “How long?” I wanted to stay awake and look at my Beka’s perfect face. I had so many questions, but my tired brain couldn’t pick one to ask.

  Beka’s sweet breath washed over me. “It’s been a long, thirty-five years without you, my angel. But I’ve finally found you.”

  CHAPTER 30

  Squealing tires and a quick jerk forward ripped through a peaceful, cool, darkness. Gone was the bright sunlight. My demon eyesight allowed me to see trees whizzing by. Streaks of light cut through the darkness beside us as a vehicle approached, inches from ours. It veered, ramming into the side of the car. I crashed into Beka.

  “Open the moon roof, let me out,” Beka yelled.

  I grabbed her wrist. “No. We stay together.”

  She winked. “I’ll just be gone a minute. Need to deal with this car trying to push us off the cliff.”

  “The cliff?” Behind her lay a black void. Not even treetops.

  Russell pressed the buttons on the door handle, and the moon roof whizzed open. Another wave of whining metal rang out as the SUV collided with ours again, jostling me to the side.

  “Beka. No.”

  She reached for the open window, but I immediately saw what she meant to do when feathers began to protrude from a long slit in her shirt.

  They inched out while her hands gripped the sides of the open roof. She closed her eyes. The wings hastened in their mission. Soft feathers stroked my face, but she curled them close to her body. Amazing how things so big hid within her small body.