Type X

by M. A. Phipps

  As the distance between us increases, Nolan stops once to look back over his shoulder. Our eyes meet as his final words to me carry through the air.

  “Wynter . . . say hello to your father for me.”

  Turning away, he waves his hand, and my heart drops when the order I’ve been dreading finally arrives. The sound of it is like a gunshot in the silence.

  “Kill them,” he growls.

  A guttural grunt resonates in my throat as the hard toe of a boot comes into contact with the back of my legs. My knees buckle, and I collapse into the dirt, now in the vulnerable position they want me in. Pinning my arms behind my back, rough hands clasp my wrists together.

  Gritting my teeth, I come to terms with my weakness. My eyes burn as the same two questions consume my every thought.

  How could I have allowed us to wind up like this?

  Why the hell did I just sit by and watch things get to this point?

  Shaking my head, I shift my hands, feeling my fingers rub together as I work to loosen the fresh restraints binding my wrists. Every attempt ends in failure—a reminder of the consequences of my inaction.

  My lips tremble as I take a deep breath. There’s only one way out of this. Only one way to undo the mistakes that got us here in the first place. My mistakes.

  However, unleashing my power could lead to the exact outcome I’ve been hoping to avoid. After all, I know what will happen if I try to fight back—if I try to get out of this.

  My eyes dart between Ezra and Jenner.

  All it takes is one wrong move and they’ll both be dead.

  I watch as they’re also forced onto their knees, just far enough away from me that I don’t feel close to them. Too far away for me to reach out one last time. To touch their faces.

  To apologize.

  I consider my options in the minimal time we have left. Heavy footsteps plod along the overgrown earth behind me. Three sets echo back in my ears. One armed guard per hostage.

  It feels as if Nolan left hours ago. I’m surprised he didn’t stick around to see us executed. To make sure the deed is done. I suppose it doesn’t matter because, either way, he’s getting what he wants. A country in the palm of his hand and the one person hindering him forced out of the picture.

  My eyes stare ahead as I revert to the detached persona of the monster living inside of me, doing whatever is necessary to avoid fear, especially when its grasp could crush me at any second.

  I glance at the ground before turning my gaze to the exterior of the farmhouse. In these final moments, this will be the image that sticks with me.

  A feeling of rebellion forms a bubble in my chest. This can’t be it. I’ve seen the future. I know what awaits—assuming that path still stands in front of me.

  This can’t be it.

  Can’t it? a voice in the back of my head asks me. Can’t the future be changed?

  I’ve wondered that question more times than I can count. If I believed that it couldn’t, I wouldn’t have gone to the lengths I did to keep myself away from the people I care about. If I didn’t think the future could be changed, I would’ve spent what remaining time I had left with the two people in this world who mean everything to me.

  Every step that I’ve taken has been to alter the grim fate that belongs not only to me but to the entire world. Still, a shadow of doubt forces me to recognize the apprehension that’s plagued me since I first began to regain my memories.

  What if the future can’t be changed? Even worse, what if by taking an altered path to avoid what I’ve seen, I have inadvertently caused the very future I wished to avoid?

  I’m not sure I’ll ever know the answer to that. So for now, there’s only one question I have to ask myself.

  Will our lives end here?

  I focus on where Ezra and Jenner kneel beside me. Although I don’t look at their faces, I can feel their fear—just as I can feel the strength they’re both attempting to build up around it. To act brave in the face of death, even though they don’t have to.

  My jaw tenses as my teeth grind together. A resolution forms in my brain as I finally come to a decision, and the helplessness I felt before washes away—lifting off my shoulders once I reconcile myself with what must be done.

  No more inaction.

  No more waiting.

  No more allowing anyone else to decide my future.

  Regardless of what awaits, I refuse to let them do this to us. I will not let Ezra and Jenner die because of me.

  In spite of remembering who I was before, I’d be lying if I said I’m not different as a result of everything I was forced to do. I’ve changed. Monster or not, I accept it because that change will be what saves us now.

  My ears prick up at the sound of a muffled conversation between our would-be executioners. Readying myself, I listen to every word, searching for the perfect moment to strike.

  If this is going to work, I need to be sure of where they are.

  “Which one do you want?” The voice of the man who speaks is deep and unfamiliar to me.

  My body goes rigid when I sense one of the guards. His footsteps reverberate through the ground like the faint ripple of an earthquake. The aftershock ceases when he stops less than a foot away from me.

  “I’ll take the girl,” he answers.

  A strangled breath catches in my throat.

  Quinn.

  Considering why he left the State, I’m surprised that he volunteered for this. Then again, a part of me can understand why he’d jump at the chance to do it.

  “Fine,” the first man barks. “I’ll take care of this one.”

  My heart catches in my chest when the guard chooses his target. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him bring his face close to Ezra’s ear. His rumbling voice whispers a string of venomous words, which carry along the breeze in a gentle croon, allowing me to hear them.

  “You and your girlfriend can go out together.”

  Ezra’s hands ball into fists as his entire body shakes with rage and fear. Something tells me he would kill that man if he was able to.

  His eyes meet mine, and for the first time since we met, I see true terror in his gaze. A loud breath rises from his lungs, and I can sense the apology that lingers on his tongue. The worry that he’s let me down.

  I jerk my head in a slight gesture of disagreement.

  “Don’t be afraid,” I breathe. My words are nearly silent.

  Inhaling, I close my eyes, prepared to do what has to be done.

  Three soft clicks resound in my ears as the safety is turned off on the guns aimed at each of our heads. My heart races as I call up every ounce of power I have, focusing the building pressure on the guards positioned behind us. Uncertainty twists my gut, but I force it away, determined to fight—determined to be the monster how ever many times it takes to keep us safe. Hope blossoms behind any remaining doubt.

  Hope that we’ll walk away from this alive.

  I breathe in once again. However, just as I’m about to unleash hell on our captors, an unexpected scenario flashes through my thoughts. Having concentrated my attention on the guards for the past few moments, I’m able to see it with perfect clarity.

  A smile pulls at my lips.

  A sudden, deafening gunshot causes an unbearable ringing in my right ear. My eyes snap open and dart toward Ezra before turning to the body on the ground just behind him.

  The man guarding Jenner releases a confused, stuttering breath. “What—”

  Another shot. I only look at his body long enough to see the blood dribbling from the hole in his forehead.

  Ezra, Jenner, and I turn at the same instant, fixing each of our unblinking gazes on Quinn. He doesn’t return our questioning stares or offer any explanation.

  Instead, he leans down to unbind my hands.

  “I still don’t like you,” he mutters under his breath.

  A quiet laugh escapes my lungs as a rush of relief soaks into every muscle of my body. I had hoped for this. I even tried to instiga
te it by pointing out the flaws in his argument for helping PHOENIX.

  Never once did I actually think he would take the bait.

  As soon as my hands are free, I stumble over to Ezra. Falling to my knees behind him, I quickly work to liberate his wrists.

  “Are you okay?” I whisper.

  As I reposition myself in front of him, my fingers grip his face, searching for any lasting damage in the depths of his hazel eyes. He looks back at me and nods, no longer shaken by our near death experience.

  Quinn releases Jenner, and soon, we’re all on our feet. We stand in an awkward group, ignoring the two dead bodies beside us and wondering where to go from here.

  The confusion is more apparent on Jenner’s face than anyone else’s.

  “Am I missing something here?” The marks from his restraints are red and raw, and he takes turns gingerly rubbing each wrist as he speaks.

  Ezra takes a protective step in front of me, fixing the full force of his stare on Quinn. “Why help us?” he asks him.

  The ex-Enforcer looks at the ground as if ashamed. “She was right,” he says, allowing his eyes to drift to mine. “I can’t live with it.”

  Ezra and Jenner exchange bewildered glances, but neither push the subject any further. At this point, they’re probably just glad to have someone on our side. An unexpected ally to be sure but an effective one at least.

  The four of us huddle together, trying to decide on a course of action.

  “What now?” Ezra wonders, looking to me for guidance.

  “First, we have to go back for Rai. We can’t just leave her there, especially not with Richter.”

  He and Jenner both nod their heads in agreement.

  “We need to get to the tunnels, then,” Jenner chimes in. “It’s the quickest way to Zone 1.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  We all glance at Quinn as a cloud of tension descends around us. If he’s going to reject our ideas, he damn well better offer up an alternative.

  His brow wrinkles as a hint of annoyance casts a shadow across his eyes. “Nolan has them monitored. He plans to move citizens underground until peace can be established, and with the chaos happening up top, everyone in PHOENIX is being utilized. There won’t be a single unmanned route we can use.”

  “If peace can be established,” Jenner grumbles. “The State has pissed off a lot of people.” He casts an apologetic look at me before adding, “No offense.”

  “None taken,” I mutter back.

  Ezra lets out an irritable growl. “Okay, so how do we get in?”

  Once again, we all turn to Quinn. As an ex-Enforcer, he’ll know the Heart better than any of us—even better than Ezra and Jenner, who spent so much of their time traversing the tunnels.

  “There is one way, but it’ll be heavily guarded and will require a bit of . . .” He hesitates for a moment before meeting my gaze. “Force.”

  “Now you want me to use my powers?”

  “Kill a few to save many. I don’t like it, but it’s the only way in. Maybe once we’re there, we can find a way to stop this.”

  No one argues with that. Besides, it’s not as if we have any other choice right now. If we’re going to save Rai and put a stop to what’s happening, then we’re going to have to get into the Heart, one way or another.

  Ezra takes hold of my hand as if seeking my permission since so much of this depends on my abilities. The look on his face tells me that if I say I’m on board with it, he’ll be right there with me, standing by my side.

  I glance at Jenner, who smiles back.

  “We’re with you,” he says.

  Nodding my head, I focus on Quinn. Embracing my part in this, I say the only words I can.

  “Show us the way.”

  Grunting in acknowledgment, he holsters his gun and bends to retrieve the weapons from the two bodies beside us. Tossing them to Ezra and Jenner, he signals for us to move.

  “We’ll have to make our way there as quickly as possible since we have no other option except to go on foot. Stay close and follow me.”

  We keep low to the ground as we progress through the fields. The occasional gunshot can be heard in the distance, and we have to take cover multiple times, fearing we’ve been spotted by one enemy or the other.

  The State.

  PHOENIX.

  They’re both the same to us now.

  By the time we reach the outskirts of the Heart, it’s nightfall. The black walls of the city stand a short distance away with a massive gated entrance in full view of where we’re hidden.

  I’ve never seen it up-close before. Prior to being taken by the DSD, I never even ventured any farther than Zone 2. Looking at it now and knowing what I know, I’m surprised there’s even a gate here at all.

  Why construct a way out if no one is ever allowed to leave?

  My eyes scan the obstacle ahead. Barbed wire lines the top of the wall, and high towers stand on each side of the reinforced steel doors. The entire operation is heavily manned, but it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.

  Quinn waves his hand, gesturing for us to follow him. Crouching to the ground, he leads us to a new position behind an armored convoy truck a few feet away. We press our bodies against the large tires to stay out of view of the blinding spotlight passing by every thirty seconds or so. Leaning in close, he provides a detailed breakdown of what we’re up against.

  “Lookouts are positioned in the turrets,” he whispers. “See those small protrusions?” Reaching across my chest, he points to the window-like holes within the walls. “Snipers.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I breathe. “I’ll be able to sense them.”

  Quinn looks at me, but I don’t return his gaze.

  I shift my body to move out from behind the truck. However, before I can stand, a strong hand grips my arm, holding me back. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Ezra staring up at me.

  “Be careful,” he begs.

  One corner of my mouth twitches into a slight, reassuring smile. Then, without another word, I step out into the open.

  The noises around me are faint and indistinct. Even though I’m aware of yelling voices, the only sound I can make out is my own steady breathing. Each inhalation drums in my ears as if I’m submerged underwater. In many ways, I might as well be.

  The dirt crunches beneath my feet as my body inches forward. The spotlight never relents, shining down on me like some physical force intent on trapping me in its grasp. Unafraid, I stare up into its glow, for once wanting the world to see me for what I am.

  “Freeze!” a voice calls.

  I take a step, ignoring it. I’m almost there now. The gates will be within my reach at any moment.

  “Stop!”

  I keep moving, never once allowing myself to look away from the light.

  “I said stop!” the voice shouts again.

  A bullet grazes the dirt roughly an inch from my right foot. In a sluggish daze, I fix my eyes on the ground. It calls to mind something similar that occurred back when I was still fully consumed by the monster. That incident seems like it happened years ago now, and yet, the monster is still here.

  Now, we have molded together into one complete being.

  Taking a deep breath, I turn my attention to the wall in front of me. I glance between the turrets positioned on each side of the gates before locking my gaze on the small openings Quinn warned me about.

  Snipers, I remind myself.

  My tongue trails across my lower lip as I resume my march forward. Another side of me creeps to the surface, taking over, but I don’t fight against it.

  This is the only way.

  Bullets hail down around my body like rain, and seconds later, drop into the dirt with a thousand dull clunks. Dozens of panicked voices tear through the otherwise silent night as the Enforcers blocking our way attempt whatever they believe it will take to stop me.

  They know who I am. I can tell by the genuine fear on their faces.

  Regardless, I don
’t hold back.

  My body barely exhausts even a fraction of my power. Although I’m sorry for what I’m doing, I’m aware that I’m no better than Nolan—killing my own countrymen to achieve my own end. I have to keep telling myself, it’s just as Quinn said.

  Kill a few to save many.

  As much as I don’t like it, this is necessary. If we don’t make it past here, then we’ll never be able to stop the further slaughter that awaits.

  If we don’t move past these gates, we’ll never be able to save Rai.

  The shouting grows louder as I focus every last bit of energy on the Enforcers guarding the wall. Each snapping neck reverberates in my ears, stabbing me with regret over the innocent lives I’m responsible for ending.

  “Kill a few to save many,” I whisper to myself.

  Thinking only of what has to be done, I push my self-condemnation aside, forcing it deep into a dark abyss along with the other guilt I’ve accumulated over the years. It lumps together, weighing like a tumor in the base of my heart.

  Silence descends like a blanket, covering everything. Streams of residual gunfire smoke billow in an ominous wave through the air, casting a thick haze across the bodies littering the ground. The gleam of the lingering spotlight only emphasizes this aura of death, making it clear that no one has survived.

  Shifting my feet, I widen my stance, latching my eyes onto the reinforced steel gate. A surge of pressure swells up inside of me, pushing against my insides as it fills every inch of my body. With a loud grunt, I urge it out in a wave of power—targeting the large doors.

  The screaming metal pierces the hush as it’s ripped from its hinges. Landing at my feet in a crumpled heap, it kicks up a veil of dust, causing the particles to graze against my skin like flakes of snow.

  I turn my head when I sense the others approaching. Ezra and Jenner stare at me, and I can feel the heat from their combined gazes burning into the back of my head. I keep my eyes trained ahead, refusing to look at them—not wanting to witness their unavoidable horror.