Forever - 02

by Lauren Burd

  He was so close it appeared as if he might kiss her. A few seconds ticked by before he glanced up at me. His eyes contained a mixture of anger, sadness, and guilt.

  “Call the detective. See if we’re allowed into your mom’s house. No, call your dad first. Tell him you need to get something from the house.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Just do it,” he ordered.

  I grabbed my phone.

  “Hello, Alina.” I heard the concern in his voice.

  “Hey Dad. I was just wondering if we’re allowed in Mom’s house again.”

  “Yes. They released it the day you got here. I’m sorry. I should have told you, but with everything going on, it slipped my mind. Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I just wanted to get Mom’s lotion. Her skin is getting pretty dry.”

  “Can’t you just buy another bottle?”

  “It’s like a hundred and twenty bucks.” Mom thought if it wasn’t expensive it couldn’t possibly work.

  “Oh, I forgot about that. Do you think you could wait until I’m finished speaking with Dr. Smith before leaving?”

  “Sure.” I wanted to get moving, and Samuel appeared impatient, but the last thing I wanted was to alarm my dad. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  “Dad will be down in a few minutes, and then we can go.”

  Samuel nodded.

  “Why do we need to go by my mom’s house?”

  “There’s something I wanted to check out but—”

  A nurse walked in, and he clamped his mouth shut.

  “Hello,” the nurse said in a bright voice. “I just came by to check Ms. Taylor’s temperature and make sure she’s comfortable.”

  I moved out of the young nurse’s way. She went through the usual motions of checking the lines, hanging a new bag of saline and making sure all the monitors and machines were functioning properly. Then, she checked my mom’s temperature. Her eyes bulged slightly before she could recover. She smiled over at me before sticking the thermometer back in my mom’s ear. She checked the readout a second time.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  She nodded. “I think the thermometer’s broken. I’m just going to grab another one.”

  I nodded, but something felt off. Returning to my mom’s side, I put my hand on her cheek. It felt as though it was on fire, but maybe my change in temperature just made it feel that way. After all, my dad’s skin felt uncomfortably warm to me, too, but he hadn’t complained of a fever. I glanced over my shoulder at Samuel, who stared out the window. Tension rolled off of him.

  The nurse returned carrying a new thermometer, and an older nurse accompanied her. They both smiled, but then went straight to work. The young nurse stuck the instrument in my mom’s ear again, and they waited for it to beep. They didn’t seem very happy when they saw the reading.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked again.

  “Your mother is running a bit of a temperature. We’re just going to cool her off a little,” the older nurse answered.

  She gave some orders to the younger nurse, who quickly left the room. The younger one returned a moment later with a cooling blanket, which they put it on my mom. The older nurse left, leaving the younger nurse to monitor my mom’s temperature. When the older nurse returned a few minutes later, my dad was with her. He looked tense.

  “Dad,” I said in relief. “What’s going on?”

  “They think your Mom may have had a brain bleed. That’s why she’s spiking a fever. As soon as they get it under control, they’re going to have to take her down for a CAT scan.”

  “What do you think it is?”

  Worry was etched into every line on his face. “She’ll be fine. You know your mom. She just likes to be the center of attention.”

  I tried to appear unconcerned, but it was a sad attempt. Samuel put his arm around me.

  Another nurse and Dr. Smith soon joined us in the small room. The doctor began to give orders, and I watched as the worry lines deepened on my dad’s face. Without warning, an alarm sounded. The medical professionals froze for one brief second to stare at the machine monitoring Mom’s heart; it showed a flat line. A second later, Dr. Smith started to bark orders. A nurse pressed a button on the wall, and the room was soon filled to bursting. Someone pushed medicine into Mom’s IV, and another nurse pulled my mom’s gown and the cooling blanket off of her.

  I watched in stunned silence as they worked on my mom’s lifeless body. At one point, they managed to get her heart pumping again, but it was a short-lived victory. They redoubled their efforts, but I began to lose hope.

  After an hour, I couldn’t watch anymore. “Stop,” I whispered, stepping out of Samuel’s embrace but still holding his hand for support. “Stop,” I begged.

  My dad glanced at me, pain and discomfort evident on every feature of his face. He took me in his arms and repeated my instructions. “That’s enough.”

  “Time of death is fourteen thirty-eight,” Dr. Smith said in a defeated voice.

  Unexpected Visitor

  We drove my dad back to the condo. I made some soup that we all pushed around in the bowls but it never passed our lips. Eventually, my dad got up and went to the guest room. After I was sure he was asleep, I took the keys to my mom’s house so Samuel and I could head over there and search for her lawyer’s number.

  I felt weird when we pulled into the drive at my mom’s house. The house felt abandoned. Yellow police tape was stuck to the edge of the door frame like a forgotten streamer. The grass was several inches high. I was sure if I checked the mail box there would be a notice from the Home Owners’ Association with a fine attached.

  “I’m going to wait in the car,” Samuel said.

  “What? Why?”

  “I don’t want to get in the way. Just go inside and check everything, pay close attention to any unfamiliar smells.”

  I rolled my eyes. “There have probably been twenty people in and out of the house since the attack.”

  He took my face in his hands. “I know you can do this.”

  “What exactly am I supposed to look for?”

  “I don’t want to say because it might influence you.”

  I had a feeling about what I was supposed to be searching for, but it still would have been nice for him to give me a hint. Sighing, I opened the car door.

  On the front door were several police seals with initials I assumed belonged to Detective Johnson. Judging from the thickness of the stack of stickers, they’d been replaced several times, but all of the seals had been cut. I unlocked the door and, closing my eyes and holding my breath, opened it.

  I took a deep breath, letting the scents wash over and through me. My eyes popped open as the unmistakable scent of an Immortal slammed into me. Worse, I knew the scent, and it was far too fresh. In a blur of motion, he was on me.

  “You’re safe,” Duncan said, pinning me to his chest.

  I was speechless. A part of me was happy to see him, but the other part quickly gained control.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice cold.

  He seemed confused. “I came to make sure you were safe.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  He released me from his forced embrace and just stared at me. Before he could give me an answer, the door opened. Samuel’s eyes locked on Duncan. In one fluid motion, he threw the door closed and grabbed Duncan by the throat. Samuel slammed Duncan against the wall, holding him up until his feet dangled several inches off the floor. I had no doubt of Samuel’s intent as he squeezed Duncan’s throat. Duncan didn’t struggle or try to break Samuel’s hold.

  “Stop, Samuel,” I whispered, still in shock from his entrance. He didn’t show any sign that he heard me. “Stop,” I repeated, louder.

  Duncan’s eyes rolled up into his head and spit foamed out of the corner of his mouth. I grabbed Samuel’s arm and pulled. It took almost every ounce of strength I had, but he released him.
Duncan slid down the wall and fell into a heap on the floor, gasping for air.

  “What are you doing?” Samuel asked, hurt and anger stirring the storm in his eyes.

  “Stopping you from doing something you’ll regret.” I checked Duncan’s pulse. It raced behind the thin membrane of his skin, which was turning blue from lack of oxygen. His neck held bruises in the shape of Samuel’s fingers. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked as if his windpipe had been crushed.

  “Let’s get him to the car.”

  Samuel didn’t move. I wasn’t going to watch someone else die today. I started to get up, but Duncan grabbed my wrist, shaking his head.

  “Are you crazy? You can’t breathe. If we don’t get you to the hospital…” My words were choked off by emotion.

  “I’ll… be… fine,” he croaked, coughing up blood in the process.

  “Get your hands off her,” Samuel said through clenched teeth.

  My eyes flicked up to meet his, but Duncan released my wrist. I couldn’t believe how stubborn they were being. It was absolutely ridiculous.

  “Fine,” I said, seething. “The two of you want to kill each other. Go ahead. I have enough to deal with.” I swallowed hard, trying not to lose what little control I had left.

  Both sets of eyes widened, Samuel’s in hurt and Duncan’s in shock. I didn’t have the time or patience for their petty fight.

  “I’m sorry,” Duncan said. His voice already sounded stronger. “I wouldn’t have come, but…” A fit of coughing stopped him. It also stopped me from leaving.

  “Why did you come?” I asked.

  Duncan used the wall to help him get to his feet. The bruising on his neck was already disappearing, and his neck was returning to its normal shape. I realized he wasn’t concerned about getting to the hospital because it would take a lot more than a crushed windpipe to kill him.

  “I came to warn you.”

  “Warn us about what?” Samuel asked, not bothering to conceal the malice in his voice.

  “It’s a pretty long story.”

  “We have some time,” I said. Samuel gave me an impatient look.

  “I’m not sure how much you know, so I guess I should start at the beginning.” He took a deep breath before continuing.

  “Thanos is fascinated by possibilities. He likes to see how people react to the virus. I’ve even seen him infect those who have no chance of survival just to watch. He sends out Hunters like you would send a pack of dogs to flush out quail. Once a possibility has been spotted, he’ll send someone out as bait. That’s why we met.

  “I was supposed to get you interested in me and bring you home to meet my family. That way, when you went missing, no one would think anything of it.”

  “What does Thanos do once he has someone?” I asked nervously, wondering how close I had come to being another body piled at Thanos’s feet.

  “It depends. If they become a Cast Out, or if they survive intact but have no special abilities, he and the other Archons set up a hunt. If they survive intact and have a special ability, like accelerated healing or increased strength, he lets them live. The only catch is they have to serve him should the need arise.”

  “Is that why you stayed with him for so long?”

  Duncan nodded.

  “None of this explains why you came here,” Samuel said, sounding annoyed.

  Duncan ground his teeth together. “Thanos has everyone tested once they change to see if they have any strengths.”

  I remembered all the tests Dr. Williams had put me through shortly after I awoke from the infection. He said at the time they were to make sure I didn’t have any bad side effects from the illness other than the amnesia. I also recalled my reaction to the vials he had me smell.

  I gasped. “Thanos knows I’m a Hunter.”

  Duncan nodded. “It gets worse. Dr. Williams found something during the testing that made Thanos very anxious. He ordered me to kill you. I couldn’t do it, though. So, I made other plans.

  “We usually spread out our kills and the bodies to make it nearly impossible for us to be found out. I suggested to Thanos that we make plans to go visit your dad. That way, the paper trail would lead away from us. Your father lives in a major city with a lot of gang activity so you would be just another body. He agreed and gave me your passport, which was really my goal.

  “Next, I made arrangements for Samuel to escape. I knew he would never leave without you, especially after I betrayed him. I also knew he would protect you with his life should my plan fail, which it nearly did, when you knocked over the figurine that night. Lucina heard it and woke up, and I only barely managed to get her back into her room.

  “Once the two of you were safely away, I made my escape as well. It would only be a couple hours before they knew I was behind everything, and I didn’t think Thanos would be so forgiving a second time.”

  “A second time?” I asked.

  Duncan blushed slightly. “I was supposed to give regular reports to Lucina, but after I got to know you, my calls became less frequent. Pretty soon I stopped accepting her calls. That’s why she came here. She knew I was getting ready to abandon my post.”

  A derisive laugh escaped from Samuel. “You expect us to believe this was all your plan.”

  Duncan smirked. “I don’t expect you to believe anything. It’s Alina I’m concerned about.”

  Both men turned their attention to me. I stood there, considering my response. “I believe you.” Duncan had a triumphant smile on his face, and Samuel looked as if I had betrayed him. “I have another question, though. Why are you here in Gainesville in my mom’s house?”

  It was Samuel’s turn to smile and Duncan’s turn to be uncomfortable.

  “After your escape, I stuck around long enough to find out what they were planning. At first, they were going to send someone to attack your father, but Lucina told them that wouldn’t be enough. Sure you would go to help your father, but there was nothing in Los Angeles to guarantee you would stay. If they attacked your mother, though, your father would probably come, and there would be the added benefit of all your friends hanging around.”

  I swallowed my disgust and said nothing. It was hard to believe that anyone could be so cold and calculated.

  “I tried to get here as fast as I could, but I ran into a Hunter and a couple of guards in Paris. So by the time I got here, it was already too late. I took out the guard dogs and Hunter, but it won’t be long until they send more. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Thanos had humans here to keep watch.”

  I sat in stunned silence. My mom was dead. Everyone else I cared about was in danger of being attacked, infected, or killed. What was I supposed to do?

  “If I go back…” I held up my hand before Samuel or Duncan could interrupt. “Will Thanos leave everyone else alone?”

  “No,” Duncan answered. “He might say he will, but he’ll tell you anything you want to hear if it will get you back.”

  “What can we do to keep everyone else safe?”

  Duncan glanced down. “Nothing. All I did was buy us some time, but it’s running out.”

  I tried to think as Samuel and Duncan began to discuss our predicament. Killing myself probably wouldn’t work. If Thanos was as vicious as Duncan and Ethan claimed, he might have everyone I care about killed out of spite. If only we had some sort of leverage.

  “Do you know why Thanos wants me dead?” I interrupted the heated words Samuel and Duncan were flinging at each other.

  Duncan shook his head. “I tried to find out, but I ran out of time.”

  “Do you know how to contact any of the other Archons?”

  Both Samuel and Duncan shook their heads. I grimaced. Ethan knew how to reach the other Archons, but there was no way to contact him safely. So I threw out that plan.

  “There’s only one solution.” Samuel and Duncan waited for me to finish. “We have to kill Thanos.”

  “Are you insane?” Samuel asked.

  “There’s no other logical sol
ution. If we wait here, we might as well paint big targets on our backs. If we run away, my friends and family will be killed or used as bait. We can’t go to the Archons for help because… one, we don’t know how to contact them, and two, even if we could get in touch with them, we don’t know if they would help. And three, they sound as sadistic as Thanos and will most likely kill us even if we managed to get to them. The only option left is to kill Thanos.”

  “Talking about killing someone and actually doing it are two very different things,” Duncan said. “Not to mention getting to Thanos is much easier said than done.”

  “We have something he wants,” I said.

  “No,” Samuel chimed in. “We are not using you as bait.”

  “I have to agree with him on this one. It’s too much of a risk.”

  “If you guys have a better idea, I’m all ears.” They exchanged a look but said nothing. “Okay, then. About how much time do you think we have until Thanos sends more people?”

  Duncan shrugged. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t stick around more than a day or two.”

  I nodded. “Can you get Duncan a new passport by tomorrow?”

  “I think so,” Samuel answered grudgingly.

  “What are you planning?” Duncan asked.

  “Nothing at the moment, I just want to be prepared.”

  “What are you going to do about Detective Johnson?” Samuel asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll figure out something. The main problem isn’t her; it’s the funeral. It’s not like I can skip out on it.”

  “Funeral?” Duncan asked.

  “Her mom died a few hours ago,” Samuel answered softly.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s fine. We better see if we can get her lawyer’s number,” I said, brushing off his condolences and swallowing my growing grief.

  I went to my mom’s office to search. Her computer was gone, along with several very expensive knickknacks. Most of the papers in the desk were also missing, probably sitting in a file at the sheriff’s department. Luckily, I found a collection of business cards in her middle drawer.

  “I found it. Now, let’s get out of here.”