“I’m sorry, okay,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Can I just go home? Please?”
“You’re right Micah,” I said, eying him cautiously. “I know you want to get home, and that’s what we are going to do. We just have to take it slow and be careful, okay?”
“Right, okay, whatever,” Micah said, sagging further into himself, as he turned and stormed off ahead.
“What the hell was all that about?” Falisha shook her head.
“He’s just tired, you guys, and worried about his mom,” Riley said, rubbing her eyes. “Let’s just go, okay?”
She raced up to Micah’s side and tried to hold his hand but he kept his eyes forward, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. After a few seconds, Riley absorbed the rejection and busied her hands with the straps of her backpack. I got that he was worried about his mom, but Micah’s sudden attitude towards Riley was really starting to piss me off. I was trying to be patient with him, but the ache in my chest was making that very difficult.
“Focus,” Zander said, grabbing my arm gently before I could open my mouth.
The pull grew stronger with every step forward and I anxiously rubbed at my chest trying to ease that ache. Bella was on edge, her ears flicking forward and back as we trudged silently along. Despite her best efforts, Micah was refusing to talk to Riley (or anyone else, for that matter). After a few blocks, she gave up and fell back to walk next to Falisha.
By the time we reached his street, Micah had already pulled ahead by half a block. As annoyed as I was with his piss-poor attitude and disrespectful treatment of Riley, I could not fault his single-minded determination reach his family.
We had just turned onto his road, when that invisible force hit me like a punch in the gut. My body and mind waged war on each other, one urging me forward and the other telling me to run away. Zander visibly flinched at my side, his forehead creasing with worry.
“Go,” I said.
He took off running and quickly caught up to Micah, but stayed a step behind to give him space. I picked up the pace as well, until I was walking between Riley and Falisha. I hooked my knife onto Zander’s belt, for easy access, and slid my arms through each of theirs, keeping them close. Bella trotted ahead a few yards, frantically sniffing the air.
“What’s going on?” Riley asked.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “Just stay close, okay, and if I say run, you run.”
“Liv?” she whispered, her voice shaking as her eyes darted around blindly.
“It’s okay, Ry,” I said, squeezing her arm. “Just do me a favor and get your knife out, just in case.”
“Okay.” Her hands shook as she slid the lime green handle from the side pocket of her hot pink backpack. “What about Micah?”
“Zander is with him,” I choked out, trying to overcome the pain that lanced through me as we crossed the street onto Micah’s block. “He’ll be fine.”
It felt like something was trying to rip through my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on my other senses, the sound of my feet on the pavement, the taste of smoke and the impending storm that lingered in the air, but it didn’t help. My fingers and toes started tingling, and my head began to throb. I shifted my focus to my breathing. In through the nose, out through mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth. The ache only intensified.
“To hell with it,” I yelled, releasing both of their arms as I took off. “Come on!”
Falisha and Riley huffed at my heels, struggling to keep pace. We caught up, just as Micah came to a stop in front of a small blue house surrounded by a white picket fence. His hands rested on the top of the gate, his head hung low, his breathing rapid and shallow.
“Micah?” Zander placed his hand on his cousin’s shoulder.
“I can’t, Z.” When he lifted his head, there were tears in his eyes. “My mom. What if…”
“We’ll go together,” Zander said, reaching for the latch on the gate.
Zander gently nudged Micah behind him and took the lead. My heart leaped up into my throat as I fought the urge to jump in front of him, but Bella must have read my mind. The second it was open she darted ahead, slipping past Zander and through the front door.
“Bella,” he lunged after her, catching nothing but a hand full of shadow.
“Stay here,” I said to Riley and Falisha.
“No way,” they said together.
“Damn it,” I hissed. We didn’t have time to argue and I wouldn’t have won anyway. “Fine, just stay back and be careful.”
I grabbed my knife from my belt and flicked open the blade, holding it out in front of me. Falisha and Riley followed suit, brandishing their neon kitchen knives and staying close behind. Sweat dripped down my forehead and rolled off my eyelashes. I wanted desperately to brush it away, but I was afraid to lower my guard for even a second. The thrum in my chest intensified as we inched our way further into the house. When we reached the base of the stairs, I stopped and held my finger to my lips.
“Zander?” I whispered, listening into the darkness.
Nothing.
“Zander,” I said, a bit louder as my feet hit the bottom step.
A faint growl rumbled from somewhere above us, followed by a high-pitched screech that raked through my mind like nails on the chalkboard. Bella was up there, somewhere, barking erratically as heavy footsteps shook the ceiling overhead.
“No!” Micah’s shouts echoed through the halls above. “No, stop!”
“Micah!” Riley shoved past me and bolted up the stairs.
More heavy stomps echoed between the walls, followed by more screams. A loud bang shook the house like a wrecking ball. I sprinted up the stairs after Riley, with the sounds of Micah’s screams and Bella’s frantic barking bouncing all around me. We rushed down the hallway, to the big bedroom at the end of the hall. I slid past Riley and burst through the door just in time to see Zander’s body go flying across the room.
It was as if time had slowed and I watched helplessly as Zander’s eyes widened in shock, his arms and legs flailing at his sides. He hit with a thud, five feet from the ground, his back slamming mercilessly into the solid wall. His face went slack and his eyes rolled back in his head. His limp body fell in a heap onto the carpet, broken plaster and shards of wood rained down onto him.
“God, Mom, stop please,” Micah screamed.
He was backed into the corner of the room, his green knife practically glowing as he slashed it around in front of him. Bella’s barking continued, muffled only by the thin closet door next to him. Micah looked completely terrified. Riley lunged forward, but I held her back as a black figure streaked past me like a shot in the dark. It skittered on all fours and came to a halt as Micah tumbled back against the wall, boxed in.
“Stay back,” Micah said, but he was not talking to the creature. He was talking to me.
The animal slunk low to the ground, slowly inching towards him, growling low in its chest. Bella barked, and though I didn’t see her, I could feel she was close. I slid my way past the door and into the room. To my left was a tall dresser, covered in knick-knacks and little statues. I grabbed a ceramic cat and chucked it across the room in Micah’s direction.
The kitty miraculously hit its target and the creature wheeled around, its sights now set on me. I stepped forward and Falisha and Riley ran past me to where Zander lay motionless on the floor. A low rumble echoed through the bedroom. The creature crept toward me and slowly raised itself onto two feet.
“Don’t hurt her, Liv!” Micah was sobbing, as he inched his way out of the corner. “Mom, please!”
“Stay there, Micah,” I hissed, still holding my knife out in front of me.
“It’s me, Mom. It’s Micah,” he whimpered, rounding the corner of the bed. “Please, Mom, you have to stop this. Mom!”
The creatures eyes were black as night. It sniffed the air and hissed at me from behind the veil of blood-soaked, wavy, blond hair that hung in its face. A thin white nig
htgown hung in shreds from her chest, exposing the scorched skin on her breasts and stomach. Her lips were all but gone and her teeth were exposed down to the gum. Her fingernails were caked with blood though I had no idea if it was her own or someone else’s. Blisters and oozing pustules erupted all over her arms and legs.
“Easy now,” I said, holding my hands up.
Her head tilted to the side and she studied me with a predatory stare. She growled in the back of her throat, her black eyes boring into mine, and suddenly Gunther’s final moments started to make sense.
It’s too late.
“Micah, stay back,” I said, my heart sinking as the ache in my chest leveled. “That thing is not your mom, anymore.”
“No,” Micah shouted. “Mom, please!”
Micah continued to yell at his mother, but she neither saw nor heard him. The moment her jet-black eyes were set on me, it was as if nothing else existed. I rounded the corner of the dresser, crouched low, and backed away so she couldn’t flank me. I held my knife out though my hands were shaking as she slowly stalked towards me. Her head jerked and twitched, tilting from side to side as she sized me up. Suddenly, the hum in my chest stopped and my instincts took over.
“Stop!” I yelled, standing tall. My voice rumbled with strength I was not aware I possessed. The creature ducked its head.
“Back off!” I spat, taking a step forward.
She cringed as if the sound of my voice caused her physical pain and took a step back. Her head cocked to the side, and she squinted her inky eyes at me, gnashing her teeth together in a futile effort to resist.
“I said,” I took two more steps and squared my shoulders. “Back…the hell…off!
She hissed at me but dropped herself back down onto all fours and lowered her gaze. Her blood soaked hair draped over her face to the floor, leaving red streaks across the beige carpet as she backed away from me.
“What the hell?” Falisha shrieked, shattering whatever spell I had over Micah’s mom, and all hell broke loose.
In a flash, the creature wheeled around, bared her teeth and leaped through the air towards my friends. Micah lunged at the same time, intercepting the attack. His body collided with his mother’s in a tangle of limbs and teeth and they rolled to the floor a few feet away. The monster came out on top and lashed at him with hooked fingers and gnashing teeth.
I tried to move, but my feet were frozen in place. I launched my knife at her. It flew through the air, head over hilt, and sank deep into the flesh of her back. She didn’t even flinch.
Shit, shit, shit!
I couldn’t move. The pull…it was pushing now, holding me back.
“Mom, no,” Micah hissed through gritted teeth.
He had hold of her wrists, desperately trying to fend off her superior strength. Her jaws snapped at him, and blood and spittle dribbled down into his pinched up face. Her legs were locked around his hips as she thrashed and fought against his waning grasp. Her face was just inches from his neck and he was struggling to keep her at bay.
She lunged forward again, teeth bared, a wild look in her eyes. I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye and a loud explosion echoed through the room with a bang.
The smell of sulfur and burning flesh assailed my nose as black splatter painted the floral wallpaper. The creature stopped thrashing and slumped down onto Micah, her arms splayed limply at her sides. Her wild hair fanned out over Micah’s face as the last bit of life drained from her thrashing body.
Suddenly the ache in my chest was gone. There was no pull, no push…just nothing. There was only the ringing in my ears, the desperate sound of Bella’s barking and Micah’s muffled sobs as he tried to wrestle his mother’s body off of him.
“What….the hell…was that?” Jake stood in the doorway, his mom’s handgun held out and still smoking in his hand.
Chapter 29
Picket Fences
“No, no, no,” Micah was pleading as his mother’s disfigured body flopped to the floor. “Mom, wake up. Wake. Up!”
He smoothed what was left of her nightgown, then slicked her bloody hair back from her face, as a pool of red-black blood formed around what was left of her skull. His body shook and he rocked back and forth on his knees as he stared down at her limp and bloodied corpse.
“Please…God, no.” His tears sliced flesh colored trenches through the field of tarry blood on his face.
“Micah, I’m—” I gently touched his shoulder, but he shirked away and turned on me.
“Don’t! Don’t you fucking touch me,” he snapped, and then went back to rocking silently over his mother’s body.
There was nothing I could say or do in that moment to console my friend, aside from giving him some space. His pain was raw and warranted. The second I turned away, my eyes landed on the heap that was Zander’s listless form and I rushed to his side. Riley saw me approach and traded places with me, turning her attention to Micah. I called after her. “Go easy, okay, Ry?”
She nodded and tiptoed slowly to where Micah sat, cradling his mother’s blood-soaked body. He did not acknowledge her presence, but she didn’t seem to mind. She simply stood by his side and said nothing as he cried helplessly over the woman who had given him life.
“He’s got a pulse and he’s breathing okay,” Falisha said as I lowered myself to the floor. “I think he’s just knocked out.”
Sure enough, as soon as I touched my hand to his face, his brow furrowed and he began to stir. “Liv…Mic?”
“Shh. Take it easy Zan,” I tried to sooth him.
Zander’s eyes went wide as he scrambled onto his elbows and shuffled back until he slammed into the same wall that had rendered him unconscious. “What—how did you? Micah!”
“It’s okay,” I dashed to his side again and smoothed his hair from his face. Bella was barking furiously now, her claws scraping from inside the closet door. I had to raise my voice to be heard over her panicked frenzy. “He’s fine. Everyone is fine, you just took a nasty— fall.”
“I got this.” Falisha rose to her feet, giving Micah and his mother a wide berth on her way to release Bella from the closet. “I’ll let her out, before she busts the door down.”
“What happened?” Zander grunted, rubbing the back of his head. His blackened hand was pressed firmly to his ribs, a few of which were probably broken based on the way he had hit the wall.
“Yes, Liv,” Jake took a knee next to me, the smoking gun still in his hand. His voice was, little more than a squeak. “What the hell did happen, and what on Earth was that thing?”
“That,” I said, pointing at the creature’s dead body, “used to be Micah’s mom.”
“What?” Jake shrieked, all color draining from his face.
“She was infected,” I said, lowering myself into a seated position. “Gunther called them leeches—he begged me not to let him become a monster, but I didn’t know what he meant until now. You guys, he looked just like her; the blackened and burned skin, those nasty blisters…and you saw her eyes, right? Gunther’s went that same empty shade of black just before—.”
“Before what, Liv?” Jake narrowed his eyes at me.
“Before I killed him,” I said, my eyes dropping to the floor.
“Wait, what?” Jake said. “You told us he died. You never mentioned killing him.”
“He was infected, Jake,” I whispered, bracing myself as Bella came bounding towards me, “just like Micah’s mom. He was dying.”
“Oh my God,” Jake’s hand shot to his mouth.
“He begged me to end his suffering; said that he was too far gone. He didn’t want to become a monster. That,” I said, pointing to the blackened body at Micah’s feet, “is what he meant.”
“So, with Gunther the pull stopped—” Zander was rubbing his chest.
“It stopped when he died, didn’t it,” Jake asked.
“Yes, and I think we felt it again, as we got closer to Micah’s house because we were getting closer to her.” I rose to my feet, dustin
g myself off as I turned to face the blackened corpse on the other side of the room. Riley’s eyes met mine, and she made her way over to us with a confused and terrified look on her face.
“What the hell is going on?” Riley asked, looking back over her shoulder at Micah as she approached. She leaned in and whispered. “Is that thing really his mom?”
“I think so,” I said, my eyes stinging as a lump formed in my throat.
“That was his mom?” Jake muttered to himself.
“She was ready for us, Liv,” Zander said, clutching his ribs as he stood. “It’s like she knew we were coming.”
“Maybe it works both ways,” Falisha said. “I mean, you said it’s like you can feel them, right? So who’s to say they don’t feel you too?”
“Oh, God,” Jake said, staring down at the gun in his shaky hand. “That was his mom.”
“Liv, she had us cornered, growling and snapping.” Deep creases sliced across Zander’s forehead. “Micah was trying to talk to it, to her, but it was like she didn’t recognize him. She just lashed out at him like a wild animal. Then Bella jumped in and tried to fight her off, but Micah grabbed her collar, dragged her back, and shoved her into the closet. The next thing I know, I see your face as I am flying across the room and everything goes dark.”
“I tried to get to you, but when she went after Micah, I panicked,” I said. “As soon as I had her attention, it was like she was glued to me. At first, I thought she was going to attack, but then, I don’t know— I just had this feeling and I went with it. I screamed at her, and she just backed down, like bowed almost. It was so weird.”
“Holy shit,” Jake said, his eyes wide.
“Yeah,” Zander agreed. “But how did you take her down, Liv?”
“I didn’t,” I said, pointing to Jake. “He did.”
“But…but, I had to,” Jake protested, setting the gun down and backing away as if it had burned his hand. “It, I mean she, was going to kill Micah, and Liv was just—God, what have I done? I killed his mom, you guys!”
“You did the right thing, Jake. She wouldn’t have stopped with her son. She would have killed all of us.” I cut him off and grabbed his hand. “And you’re right, I don’t know what happened. I was just stuck, like there was a force field around her and I couldn’t get through it. I wanted to go to them, to do something, but I just stood there, frozen. Guys, I threw my knife straight into her back and she barely felt it.”
Killshot (Icarus Series Book 1) Page 25