“Umph,” Jake grunted. His eyes shot wide as his back hit the grass and I landed in a heap on top of him.
“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” I said, scrambling off and to my feet. “Son of a—Jake, did I crush you?”
“Jesus, Liv,” Jake wheezed. He pushed himself into a sitting position, holding his stomach as he struggled to catch his breath. “Where’s…the fire?”
“Where the hell is everyone?” I asked, scanning the yard as I helped Jake to his feet.
“They went to a movie!” Jake snapped, shaking his head. He rustled the dead grass from his hair and dusted himself off. “Riley and Zander are in the big barn. Micah was snooping around upstairs last I knew, and Miss Thing is probably still sleeping. Not sure about your three-legged friend but everyone else is alive and accounted for. We have found some really cool stuff, actually. You should—”
“Jake,” I cut him off, rubbing at the pain in my chest as I looked around.
“Oh, shit,” he said, all color draining from his face. “Where? Where is it coming from?”
“I don’t know for sure. I didn’t feel much until I got closer to the outside,” I said, looking past him. “It seems like maybe it gets stronger as I get closer?”
“Makes sense,” he said.
“It was like this when I found Gunther, and—”
“And Micah’s mom. Right,” he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “Okay, let’s see…heightened senses, hive mentality, alpha beacon instinct, and now proximity impulse?”
“What are you thinking?” I asked.
Jake started pacing, a sure sign he was deep in thought. I watched for signs of trouble and listened to Jake muttering to himself as I absently rubbed at my sternum. In the short time I had known Jake, I had learned it was best not to interrupt his genius while he was cyphering.
“Fishing!” He stopped so suddenly, his tennis shoes slid in the gravel.
“What,” I asked, scowling at him. “Jake, what the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s just like fishing…but, you are the fish,” Jake’s enthusiasm in this situation confused me nearly as much as his fishing reference. “Okay, so the hook is already there and there’s nothing we can do about that right now. You have to stop fighting the hook or it will tear you up. Just relax, find your center or whatever, and just let it reel you in.”
“My center? You mean like meditation?” My voice dripped with sarcasm. “Jake, I really don’t think—.”
“Would you just close your damn eyes,” he stomped, then quickly adjusted his tone. “Please, Liv. Just try it, okay? Humor me and close your eyes.”
“Ugh, fine.” My hand dove into my pocket, flexing rhythmically around the handle of my knife. I inhaled sharply and forced the air out of my lungs in a huff as I closed my eyes.
“Good. Okay, now breathe deeply.” Jake instructed. “Inhale…hold it. Then exhale, letting your breath out slowly.”
I took a deep breath, concentrating on the feeling of the air leaving my lungs.
“Great. I’m right here, Liv.” I felt his hands on my shoulders, steadying me as he continued in a soft airy voice. “Shut everything else out. Focus on the pull.”
Breathe in….breathe out.
Breathe in….breathe out.
“Center yourself on that feeling,” he whispered. “When you find it, wrap your arms around it. Let it take you to the place where you feel at peace.”
In….out.
“Accept it,” he said, sounding farther away. “Will yourself to be calm and just follow the line as it pulls you toward the destination.”
“Mmhmm,” I inhaled again, slow and deep, following the hot crisp air as it stung its way through my lungs and filled my chest.
The ground beneath my feet sank away and Jake’s voice faded. I felt my feet moving as I wandered further into the emptiness. It was dark here, but I welcomed its cool embrace. After a moment, I heard tribal drums set against the music of high tide. I followed the echoes. The ground softened, my feet sifting through the smooth white sands below. A pale pink sunset appeared in the distance, illuminating my path as I inched closer to the where the waves met the shore.
Inhale.
Exhale.
At the water’s edge, I sank my toes into the wet sand, reveling in the coolness as it molded itself around my bare feet. The water retreated, taking the pearl-white sand away with it, and I wondered how I had gotten here.
Woosh…woosh…
The waves danced and swirled back out to sea. My eyes tracked their path, landing on a small ship silhouetted against the rosy sunrise in the distance. A warm feeling gathered inside of me, condensing until it formed a fine point of pure energy in my chest. My entire being was sparked with the anxious inertia of a gun waiting to fire.
“Gotcha,” I whispered as a million tiny explosions went off in my chest, sending a rush of power to my fingers and toes and tickling past everything in between.
My eyes shot open and I spun on my heel, tracking the pull as it shifted. The beach was gone and the maze of rusted metal lingered ahead. I bolted toward the barn, undaunted. The energy in my chest thrummed with increased frequency as I dodged and weaved through the smattering of faded wood and aged metal. I pushed myself off a pile of concrete pavers and leaped over a rusty hand plow. I adjusted my position in mid-air to avoid a stack of rusty hand tools, and landed lightly on the balls of my feet, next to the deadly flamingos.
“Liv, wait,” Jake yelled from somewhere far behind me.
“It’s coming from the barn,” I screamed over my shoulder as I darted past a mountain of mismatched dining chairs.
I cleared the junk field and slammed into the petrified wood of the barn door. It groaned in protest but swung open far enough that I could slip through sideways. Aside from a few random rays of sunlight creeping through the missing slats in the walls, the barn was almost entirely dark.
I placed my hand against the rough wood wall and focused on the feeling in my chest. It was coming from the far corner of the barn, behind a towering pile of oil-soaked railroad ties…where the sounds of my friends’ voices echoed back to me.
“Riley!” I yelled, waiting for my eyes to adjust before moving forward. “Zander?”
“Back here, Liv,” Zander said.
“Oh my God, Liv, I thought you were going to sleep all day,” Riley chuckled from the shadows beyond, oblivious to the dangers I was sensing. “Come check this out. Zander found the coolest—.”
“Don’t move,” I yelled, cutting her off. “Stay there. I’m coming.”
I carefully ducked around a couple of fallen beams and made my way further into the barn. The pull was insistent and undeniable, but instead of being painful, it was heavy— more focused.
I switched the knife to my left hand, grabbed a pitchfork from a pile of discarded farm tools, and held it over my shoulder like a spear. My free hand gripped the handle of my knife as I rounded the corner of the ceiling-high pile of oily timbers. A large section of the barn’s roof was missing, directly over the clearing where Zander and Riley stood. Riley’s eyes bulged as I stepped into the pool of light it provided.
“What the hell?” she said, stepping back.
“What is it?” Zander asked, immediately pulling out the Ruger and shifting defensively.
“Liv?” Riley’s eyes shot around the room, as Zander shifted in front of her. “Liv, what’s going on?”
I closed the knife and put it in my pocket, then held my finger to my lips. I motioned for Zander to lower his gun, which he did begrudgingly though he kept his finger on the trigger guard at his side. Our eyes locked and I motioned for them to stay put. Zander took a step forward, but I stopped him again and placed my hand on my heart. Zander held his hand to his chest and shook his head in confusion.
“Guys?” Riley whispered grabbing onto the back of Zander’s shirt. “Could someone please tell me what is going on? You are seriously freaking me out with all the sign language and weapon slingi
ng.”
I held my hand up halting her words and closed my eyes again, focusing on the beacon in my chest. It was coming from behind us. I slowly turned and took a step toward what looked like an old tack room opposite the main chamber. It was difficult to see with the sunlight confusing my night vision, but I could just make out the silhouettes of an old western style saddle, a few bridles and some crops hanging on hooks just inside the open doorway. I took a step closer and the pull rose into my throat.
I stepped back and it lowered into my chest again.
“Liv, talk to me,” Zander hissed.
“We’re not alone,” I whispered back, still facing the tack room.
“Son of a—Oww!” Jake’s voice was swallowed up by the sound of metal clanking to the ground. A few seconds later, he stumbled past the wall of timbers and into the sunlight looking disheveled and more than a little worried. “Jesus, Liv. I damn near killed myself trying to catch up with you. Was it—?”
“Shhh…” the rest of us all said together.
“God, Sorry,” Jake whispered, his eyes shooting around the room as he slunk over next to Riley. “Did they find it?”
“Find what?” Riley whispered. “Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?”
I shook out my shoulders and took a deep breath, refocusing on the thrum in my chest. I followed as it pulled me forward and the closer I got to the tack room, the higher it rose into my throat. After a few steps, my head started buzzing with it, forcing my neck to crane back until I was looking up.
Just above the ceiling of the tack room, was the last few angled rafters that remained of the barn’s original structure. I peered into the darkness, cupping my hands around my eyes. I caught a faint glint of two green disks of light reflecting back at me against the ceiling’s shadows. I focused on them intently as they moved closer to the edge of the beams.
“Easy. It’s okay,” I whispered, slowly lowering my pitchfork to the ground. I felt Zander shift a step closer to me, a soft growl emanating from deep in his chest.
“Liv, what the hell are you doing?” Jake squeaked, barely above a whisper.
“Come on down from there,” I whispered, holding my hand back to halt my friends. “It’s okay. You are safe.”
A distinct click to my right told me Zander had removed the safety from the gun. The two glowing circles disappeared, as a soft hiss echoed down from the rafters.
“Zander, lower the gun,” I said.
“Liv,” Zander growled, “That’s not—.”
“Zander, please,” I said, keeping my eyes trained on the shadows.
“Damn it,” he swore under his breath, but from the corner of my eye I saw him lower the gun to his side. After a moment, the hissing stopped and the eyes reappeared, slowly inching back to the edge of the tack-room’s roof. A second later, it was flying through the air toward us.
Chapter 33
Leader of the Pack
The creature descended upon us from the shadows above, sailing through the air with grace and speed. A fraction of a second later, it landed softly at my feet in the patch of light. Riley screamed and Zander lunged forward, but I stopped him at my side.
“Wait,” I said, my hand across Zander’s chest as it rose and fell frantically. “Jake, is that—?”
“I think so,” Jake said, his voice shaking. “That’s Johnnie…or at least it was.”
The leech did not rise from its crouched position on the barn floor but cowered at my feet, shaking like an abused animal. Its hands lay flat on the ground as he crept forward, his head still pressed into the dirt. The tattered remains of his dingy denim overalls scraped along the rough concrete floor, leaving a shallow trail in the muck behind him. His skin, like the others we had seen, was blackened in most places, but there were no raw patches or blisters— only a thick hide that appeared to be solid like armor. Like Zander’s arm.
“Liv, don’t,” Zander cautioned, his concern for me barely in check.
“Look at him, Zander,” I said, gesturing down to the trembling mass of blackened flesh at my feet. “He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, he’s just scared.”
“I think she’s right, Z,” Jake said, taking a cautious step forward. “Look at his posturing. That is a classic act of submission.”
“Maybe, but we can’t afford to be wrong here,” Zander said. “You saw how aggressive Micah’s mom was, and Gunther— he said they were monsters. There is no way to know for sure what that thing wants, or what it is capable of.”
“What he is capable of,” Jake said.
“What?” Zander’s brows knit together in confusion, but he held his gun steady.
“He,” Jake repeated. “You said it. Johnnie is not an it. Micah’s mom, your aunt, was not an it.”
“Jake, I—,” Zander started.
“I get it. People always fear what they don’t understand,” Jake’s eyes glistened as he stared down Johnnie. “I hate to break it to you, Zander, but you are no different than him. He was just a normal person. A person that was infected, just like the two of you were. He didn’t choose this.”
“He’s not like the others, Zan,” I said, lowering myself to the ground a few feet from Johnnie. “I can feel it.”
“All I’m saying is we should err on the side of caution until we know more,” Zander said, his voice going up an octave.
Zander stepped forward until his feet were firmly planted at my side. His proximity created a palpable tension in the air that caused the hairs on my arm to stand on end. Johnnie seemed to sense it as well and shifted lower to the ground. He raised his head just enough to make eye contact with me, before focusing in on Zander.
Johnnie’s black eyes glared up at Zander. His blackened shoulders tensed as a low rumble echoed from his throat. He shifted his weight back until his feet were beneath him. The muscles in Johnnie’s back twitched and jumped as if he were ready to pounce.
“Umm, guys,” Riley said, her voice shaking. “I don’t mean to be like politically incorrect, or insensitive or whatever, but can we maybe have this conversation after we put Liv’s scary new leech friend on a leash?”
“I got this,” I said. “Everybody, back up, okay? I don’t want to scare him.”
“She doesn’t want to scare him,” Jake snorted nervously and made his way to Riley’s side.
Zander’s eyes shone down at me, their warmth shadowed in worry. From my crouched position, I looked up at him, then reached over and gently squeezed his calf. Even now, the familiar tingle of electricity tickled my fingertips. I smiled up at him and nodded reassuringly.
“It’s okay,” I whispered.
“Jesus, Liv. Just…just be careful for Christ’s sake.” Zander lightly traced my jaw with his index finger, sending a rush of crackling heat across my face as he slowly backed away.
Johnnie was still as a statue, save for the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Something inside me tickled at the edges of my mind, creating the sudden urge to protect— to defend. Much to my surprise, it seemed these instincts were not only for my friends at my back, but for the creature crouched in front of me. Somehow, I knew that he was scared and confused. What baffled me now, was what had made him decide to trust me? I didn’t have the slightest idea how to communicate with leeches, only that they were drawn to me, and I to them.
“Okay, ummm.” I ran my fingers through my scalp, at a loss.
“You got this, Liv,” Jake whispered his encouragement.
“Johnnie?” I spoke softly, as if to a child or maybe a puppy? “Hey…you.”
I looked over my shoulder. Zander’s forehead was creased with worry, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he ground his teeth. Riley shifted back and forth as if torn between running to help me and running away. Jake, however, was beaming with excitement, his curiosity and fascination nearly bubbling over.
“Okay, I don’t know if you can understand me or not, but I sort of need you to— could you maybe just,” I drew a blank, and glared back at m
y friends. “Jesus, how the hell am I supposed to do this? I don’t speak Zombie.”
“Focus, Liv,” Jake said firmly. “You got this.”
Johnnie’s head cocked to the side and he peered up at me as if trying to figure me out. It was an odd gesture, but somehow it settled my nerves a bit.
Be strong and trust your instincts. Don’t back down unless the situation calls for it. If you are not the dominant predator, you will be the prey.
It seemed like ages since the baritone timber of my father’s voice had echoed through my mind and I nearly buckled under the weight of my relief. I swallowed back the lump in my throat, blinked away the tears, and rose to my feet.
“Up,” I said, in a voice more steady than I felt. “Get up.”
His head rose from the floor, his eyes shining up at me like a pool of jet-black ink. I snapped my fingers in front of me, and his eyes focused on my hand.
“Good. Now, stand.” I said firmly, slowly raising my hand upward.
His eyes tracked my hand and his body followed. He slowly perched on the balls of his feet, supporting himself on his hands. He crouched there, like a runner on the starting block, eyes locked on me as if nothing else existed.
“Back,” I said, calmly.
I took a big step toward him, my hands raised as a barrier between us. He lowered his head but kept his eyes fixed on mine, steadily backing away as I moved toward him. Like a magnet repelled by a like charge, he retreated, matching the length of my strides.
“Oh my God, Liv.” Even at a whisper, Jake’s excitement was unmistakable. “It’s working.”
“Shhhh!” Zander and Riley hissed at him in unison.
“Get ready, Zander,” I said.
I motioned towards the door and Zander slid past me, scooping up a two-by-four up off the ground. Johnnie’s last step back took him over the threshold and into the shadows of the tack room. The second he crossed the barrier Zander slammed the door shut after him, slid the board under the handle, and wedged it into the ground.
Killshot (Icarus Series Book 1) Page 30