“I came back to make sure you are alive, Joe. Frankly, I am pleasantly surprised that you are. Looks like you tricked another person into taking care of you.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m alive. If you came here to insult me, you can go ahead and leave.” I demand.
Just as she always does, Jess encourages my strength and nerve.
“Touchy, touchy.” Dominic clicks his tongue. “We are family, remember?”
“And the last time you saw me, you knocked me unconscious.”
My heart pounds and I focus all of my energy on hiding this from him. I need to be strong.
“And the time before that, you broke my nose. Water under the bridge, Joe.” Dominic nonchalantly shrugs.
I pause and consider him. Dominic whistles a familiar tune.
At the break in the conversation, Jess steps forward again and grabs my hand. I know she’s doing it to help steady me. Dominic wordlessly observes this moment, mouth clenching. I move my hand back to encourage her to step behind me again. She either ignores me or doesn’t realize what I’m trying to get her to do. I assume the former.
He may be an ass, but he’s right. He’s my brother and we’re family. If Dominic is willing to forgive and move forward, surely I can as well.
“Where have you been then?” I want to get some answers. It’s what my mother would have wanted. And deep down, it’s what I’ve always really wanted.
“I wandered around for awhile—honestly, pretty upset with you—but eventually found my way back home. I had to see, you know?” Dominic pauses for dramatic effect and I finally give in.
“Who all made it? Have you seen Ian?” I ask.
“Ian? I remember now. He was your classmate that had the audacity to blame the genetic engineers for his sister’s death.” Dominic smirks. “I saw him a week ago.”
I let out the breath I had been holding in relief.
“What about everyone else?” Jess reminds him.
“There have been no survivors from our governing board. Our Territory Leader, along with the other upper politicians, is dead. There is only an exclusive group of us within genetic engineering. There are some exceptions, of course, but everyone must serve a purpose—now more than ever.”
“What’s it like there?” I ask, trying to picture how much everything must have changed.
“You are lucky I got you out in time. Potentia is completely overrun. I was close to desperation when a group of genetic engineers found me. They had secured the laboratory and were maintaining security. They are researching to try and turn this whole mess around.”
Curiosity obviously gets the better of Jess and she momentarily forgets her hatred for my brother. “They’re looking for a cure?”
Dominic nods, amused by her reaction. “I have been helping them, but we hit a dead end, so I decided to take a break and come check on you.”
“What did you get stuck on?” I ask.
“Oh, Joe, why would I waste both of our times in an attempt to explain something that, in the end, is not going to make sense to you?” Color floods my cheeks when I take in his insult. “Since you are on this side of the lake, I assume you have synced up with your friends?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Yes. Why?”
Dominic quickly responds, “The only reason you’re alive today is because I got you out of the territory. Stop treating me like the enemy.”
His outer appearance looks like the opposite of what’s going on inside me. Whereas he seems so sure of himself, I’m full of conflict and doubt.
“I’m sorry, Dominic. We’ve been staying over at their cabin for the last couple of weeks. Carly was with us until a few days ago. She didn’t make it.”
“So it is just the four of you?”
As soon as Dominic asks this question, Jess tightens her grip on my hand.
I nod and he continues. “I have not seen either of them in a long time. Let’s go say hello.”
“What are you doing here?” Jess asks one more time.
Dominic jumps down from the rock and stands directly in front of us. I look up at him.
He shrugs and says, “I will tell you on the way to the cabin.”
He motions for us to lead.
Jess narrows her eyes at him.
“Okay, I will go first. I remember the way,” Dominic says and chuckles at her.
He takes a big step forward and heads in the direction of the cabin. Jess and I follow behind him.
She leans in and whispers so quietly in my ear that I’m almost not sure she’s actually speaking. “Don’t trust him.”
I nod slightly and address Dominic. “Are you going to tell us why you’re here?”
Dominic glances back at me with a smug look on his face. “Are you really that curious?”
“Just answer the damn question,” Jess says.
“Temper, temper. Someone needs to teach you some respect,” he says, mask temporarily falling again. My stomach turns at that comment. “Like I said before, right after I left Grandmother and Grandfather’s house, I was really upset. I didn’t know what to do by myself so I drove the car back west. I regretted leaving the territory with you and Mother so I went back there.”
Jess glances over as she notices my body tense and says, “Careful.”
I’m not sure who she is warning.
“You asked for what I’ve been doing so that’s what I’m telling you. Don’t ask for the truth and then get upset when I give it to you,” he says.
Dominic walks a few more paces before returning to his story. It bothers me how intrigued I am.
“I’m not saying this to be hurtful, but just to be honest. You and Mother were always weak. I should have stuck, from the beginning, with the people with proven track records for being successful.”
“Are you saying you regret saving your mother and brother?” Jess asks.
Dominic gives her an annoyed look. “Listen, you’re missing the point of the story.”
“And what’s the point then?” My patience is dwindling rapidly.
“If the two of you will stop interrupting me, I’ll get to it.”
Dominic takes a deep breath to steady himself and we pass one of our snares. He examines it for a moment and laughs. “What are you trying to catch? That’s too big to catch any rabbits around here. You need to shrink the trap.” He shakes his head in disbelief and keeps moving.
“Anyway, I made it back to Potentia. To be truthful, I was not very hopeful when I got back. There were so many of the Letum swarming the streets. I was lucky and got spotted. The other genetic engineers came in a vehicle and took me back to the laboratories.”
He cringes. “The smell is horrible in the territory. They have installed heavy-duty air purifiers in the building, but outside of it…it’s just the worst.” He stops and looks back at us. “You know why they smell so bad, right?”
The two of us reluctantly shake our heads. Despite her clear disdain for Dominic, Jess is interested in his story and what he’s learned.
Dominic’s eyes light up with excitement. “The infection operates within the body’s endocrine system and once it is introduced into the blood system, it turns the body against itself and it starts to consume itself. Their bodies are decomposing with every passing moment. That is why we think they attack us—for their own survival. It is actually quite interesting.”
“Yes, fascinating,” I say. I’m disturbed at the whole idea.
Dominic continues his monologue. “Obviously, everyone was ecstatic for me to show up and greeted me with open arms.”
Of all the things that have changed, his arrogance has not.
“So since then, I have been working with the team to figure out what has caused this epidemic.”
“But you said you’re stuck. What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Is it really that hard to believe I wanted to check up on you?” Dominic looks slightly offended. “Despite everything, you are my brother. We share genetics. Not as much as I would like, b
ut we still came from the same two people. That makes you extremely important to me.”
I ignore the slight alarm in my head and hear what I want to. He cares and is acknowledging the bond we share. I look over at Jess with a small smile on my face. Her eyebrows furrow and a frown is etched on her mouth.
Before I can fully interpret her look, a familiar voice calls out, “Ya’ll finally back? You’re not very quiet walkers.” Andrew’s voice sounds slightly less pained than before. Killing the Letum must have helped.
Chris continues, “It took ya’ll a really long time to check the snares.”
“A very long time,” Andrew says. “Ya’ll can’t make me an uncle this young.”
Dominic raises an eyebrow. I break eye contact by looking at the ground.
Jess leans in and embraces me. It startles me, but I return her hug. I do my best to tune out Dominic’s snort.
Jess breathes into my ear. “Be careful. He’s up to something.”
Just as stealthily, I whisper back, “He’s my brother,” and pull away from her.
Ever so slightly, she shakes her head. I turn to my brother and take a step forward.
We pass into the view of the cabin. Smoke rises in the distance from the Letum’s last journey. Shock quickly takes over both Chris and Andrew’s face when they spot Dominic. Dominic chuckles quietly in amusement.
“We ran into him in the woods,” I say unnecessarily.
“I am very pleased to see the two of you still alive,” Dominic says. He sounds so sincere. Why would he be happy to see them? He never seemed to even acknowledge their existence while growing up.
“Thanks?” Andrew says in response. He’s just as surprised at Dominic’s concern for his well-being.
Dominic smiles and whistles the same tune he did when he ran into us to begin with. I struggle to remember where it came from. After the second time through the tune, a tree branch snaps behind us.
Jess cusses.
“Do not be an idiot. Do not be a hero. Elliot and Jess, walk toward Andrew and Chris,” Dominic says. “If you run, you will be shot.”
I peek behind us. There’s another tall figure with a weapon aimed at us. I look back to Dominic. He’s pulled out a gun from his waistband. He uses it to motion us to get closer to Andrew and Chris. I can’t think of another option, so I take a step toward them to follow into our own trap.
Chapter Sixteen
“Why?” I ask.
I’m an idiot. Why did I trust him and bring him back here? I shouldn’t be so desperate for his approval that I let him take advantage of me over and over again. It’s an endless cycle.
“I told you, you are my brother. Like I said, we share genetics. I need you,” Dominic answers. His tone is very straightforward. “I need to be protected by this virus and you are the closest genetic match to me.”
I don’t understand the correlation between them. “Why does that matter?” I ask.
He shrugs his shoulders. “I need to run tests on you so I can understand how to protect myself.”
My voice cracks as I take in his words. “What sort of tests?”
He answers with a smirk. “Some basic genetic testing. It is nothing too painful.”
I take a deep breath in relief.
His smirk widens and he continues, “However, the tests will conclude with the virus being introduced to your system to force you to turn into one of the Letum.”
I have no words. The shock of his actions overshadows the fear that follows with his words. I let myself believe we could be a team and he betrayed me in an instant. I have no value to him as a person. All I am is a body he can run experiments on.
“How could you do this to your own brother?” Jess hisses at him.
Dominic studies Jess before answering. “It’s actually quite simple. Humanity needs me more than him. I have the opportunity to find a cure whereas my brother is simply lucky to still be alive at this point. This is his opportunity to serve society.”
Jess shakes her head in disgust. I shift my gaze toward Chris and Andrew. Their expressions of fear are a perfect match. Both of their hands are in the air and they look between the different weapons in a frantic motion.
“Keep walking. That’s it, Joe. Don’t try anything,” Dominic says to remind me to join them. “Although, Jess, you can come stand by me.”
The other man holding a gun at us barks laughter and sneers. Using his free hand, he grabs his crotch and licks his lips. My stomach turns.
Jess and I make eye contact and I know what I have to do. I can’t let Dominic get ahold of her.
I stop moving and Jess reacts and does the same. I do a slight motion with my hand to get her to keep moving. She looks at me in question. I repeat the motion. This time, she takes a step toward our friends.
“What are you doing?” The man shifts his gun to point at me.
“Joe…” Dominic says. “What did I say?”
I take a deep breath to steady myself. I turn around to face Dominic. He looks back at me with an amused expression. His smug look angers me more than I thought possible. I reach in my back pocket and pull out the gun Andrew gave me earlier. Dominic’s expression changes to shock when my weapon points at him. Very quickly, his mask returns to hide his thoughts.
The man bellows, “Drop it.”
“Stand down, Phillip,” Dominic orders his companion. Phillip remains tense, yet moves his finger off the trigger. Slowly, he lowers his weapon and continues to glare at me.
Dominic redirects his attention to me once he’s been obeyed. “If you shoot at me—notice I say if because I doubt you could actually hit me—we’ll kill all of your friends, just like I did with Ian when he begged us for help. Did he really think I would forget his accusations so easily?” Dominic spits out, trying to unnerve me further.
Ian’s green eyes pierce through my memories. How could Dominic be so petty to enact revenge over a differing mindset? Dominic doesn’t deserve to be here when people like Ian and Carly aren’t anymore.
I maintain my position, trying to remember everything my grandfather taught me about shooting guns.
Chris exclaims behind me, “What are you doing?”
I ignore Chris and keep my focus on Dominic.
Dominic tilts his head. “Yes, what are you doing? Being completely honest, I am surprised you had the bravery to threaten me. But what can you possibly gain from pointing a weapon at me?” He seems genuinely curious.
Adrenaline courses through my body. “You’re right, if I shoot you, your friend is just going to retaliate and kill us.”
“So drop your gun,” Phillip demands. His eyes dart between my brother and me.
Dominic brings back all of my childhood memories. He brought all of the pain and misery of my life before and it greets me like an old enemy. Every time I was told I should have been aborted. Every laughter, every judgment, and every single time I felt worthless and pathetic. I take my gun off of Dominic and angle it toward my head.
Jess gasps and her footsteps speed back to me.
Phillip raises his gun and shifts his aim toward her.
I ignore Jess and address myself to my brother. “If I shoot you, I can’t really win. But if I shoot myself at least you can’t win.”
“You really think I believe you would kill yourself?” He’s trying very hard to appear unconcerned, yet a small stutter in his voice gives him away. Phillip looks to him nervously for instructions.
“You do believe me. You need me alive. You need someone to run your experiments on. With me dead, your survival chances diminish.” My heart pounds in my chest. My hands are sweaty and I worry that I’m going to drop the gun. I tighten my grip and stare back. My body is full of resolve. There are some realities I refuse to accept.
Dominic clenches his jaw and squares his shoulders. “I’m not letting you go.”
“Then let them go,” I say. “If you let them go, I’ll come. As soon as they’re out of sight, I’ll drop my weapon and let you take me back to P
otentia.”
My brother and I maintain eye contact. Each of us gauges the other’s willpower.
There’s a touch on my back and Jess whispers in my ear. “I’m not letting you go with him.”
I don’t want to go with him either, but if there is a chance I can spare Jess, I have to take it.
A big smile crosses Dominic’s face and it’s even more alarming than his weapon pointed at me. “Fine,” he says, “I’ll give you a choice. You can let one of them go. We’re taking you and two others with us. You get to make the decision which one lives.”
“No, all three or I shoot myself,” I try again.
“You can choose one person to walk away. If you shoot yourself, you’re right, that will not do me much good. But I’ll be able to comfort myself with the fact that I can make three of your closest friends’ lives miserable until I kill them,” Dominic says. He’s regained control.
I look back at Chris and Andrew in desperation, begging them to understand. They nod and give me permission to doom them.
“Jess leaves,” I say and seal the fate of my childhood friends.
“Very well, Jess, you may leave. I would do it quickly before I change my mind.” Dominic’s smug look has reestablished itself.
Jess leans in to kiss me on the cheek. “Don’t give up hope.”
I nod slightly.
She addresses Dominic this time and says, “One day you’re going to look back on your life and realize how truly small and pathetic you are.”
He chuckles and says, “I will tell that to myself as I am injecting your little boyfriend and his two companions with the virus.”
Jess spits in his direction and sprints away without another word. My chest tightens at the sight of her leaving. I wish we could have had a real good-bye. At least she’s getting away. Dominic won’t get the opportunity to touch her.
She fades into the trees and soon, I can’t even pretend to hear her steps. I do as promised and drop the weapon. Dominic walks up to me and kicks the gun away. He punches me in the stomach and I fall to the ground, gasping for breath.
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