The man stumbled back, tripping over Jack and crashing into the opposite wall.
Without a backward glance, Jack and I fled. We tore down the hallway, out the front door, across the wide gravel driveway, and through the door at one end of the stable. The horses whinnied and stomped as we sped by the first few stalls.
“Be quiet, please! The bad man can’t know I’m here!” Instantly, the building fell silent but for the sound of my bare feet slapping on the cement floor.
Just as I sidestepped into the fourth stall on the right, an ominous screech sounded from the door at the far end of the building—the door I never used because of its rusty hinges. I smiled grimly. He didn’t know my exact location, but I knew his.
I also knew the next stall down housed almost all of the ranch tools, each a potential weapon. If I can just get to them… I studied the darkness, weighing its density, and decided I could probably make it without the Crazy seeing me. It’s now or never. I breathed in and out once, twice, then held the third breath and slipped out of the stall as quietly as possible. Jack followed me, quiet as a shadow.
The few seconds it took me to reach the next stall seemed to last for days. Shaking with adrenaline, I ducked through the open doorway and searched the barely visible walls for some sort of weapon. Unfortunately, grabbing anything would make too much noise and dissolve my only advantage. Trying not to panic, I squeezed my hands into tight fists and took several deep, steadying breaths.
Quietly, but not quietly enough, the man passed by the empty stalls and unknowingly neared my hiding place.
Desperate, I begged the horses, “I need a distraction!” In an explosion of noise, they began kicking the walls and neighing loudly.
I seized the nearest shovel, the same one I’d nearly accosted Ky with, and gripped it tightly in my sweaty hands as I crept closer to the main aisle. Pausing, I told the animals, “Quiet now.” Stillness settled in the dark building.
Faintly, I heard the man resume his slow, shuffling pace, unaware of the danger awaiting him—unaware of me. As he drew closer, I coiled to strike, my muscles trembling with tension and fear. Besides my shovel, I realized my Ability could also be used as a weapon, repercussions be damned.
“Stop!” I shouted in the man’s head. His clothing rustled as he froze mid-step and looked around.
“Damn voices,” he grumbled and continued creeping along. “Leave me alone!”
Crap! He’s still coming!
Frantically, I opened my mind and begged anyone or anything, “Help! Please! I’m being attacked by an insane man. Please help me! Please!” I felt thousands of minds connect with mine, human and otherwise, draining me of energy almost instantly. Terrified, I broke the connections. What the hell did I just do? Adrenaline seemed to be the only thing keeping me standing.
Seconds later, the man moved into sight, all of the horses in the stable thrashed and cried. Other animals scratched and banged on the walls from outside the building. The man looked around, hearing a commotion his eyes couldn’t identify in the darkness.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, I stepped away from the wall and swung the shovel like a baseball bat. The dull, dirty metal rang out like a church bell when it impacted his skull, causing the handle to vibrate painfully in my grip.
Immediately, he crumpled.
Seconds later, my legs gave out and I followed him to the cold cement floor. Using my Ability on such a massive scale had weakened me, and adrenaline could only last for so long—I could feel my hold on consciousness slipping.
I wasn’t sure if the man was dead, but it didn’t matter. I was unable to make my muscles listen to my brain’s orders to stand up and flee. My head was pounding, and I was shivering, both from cold and from terror.
I curled into the fetal position, letting myself be soothed by Jack’s sniffing and whining. I could feel other furry things—some small and some as large as my dog—nuzzling me. They surrounded me with their warmth, cutting through the aching chill that had seeped into my bones, and I slipped comfortably into unconsciousness.
“So…what should we do?” an indistinct female voice asked.
Angrily, a man replied, “I don’t fucking know!”
“They’re not going to hurt her…at least I don’t think they are. Jack wouldn’t just stand there if he thought she was in danger,” another man said.
“I still think we should shoot ‘em. They’re obviously dangerous. Look what they did to that guy! They tore him apart!” a shrill voice said.
“Shut up, Holly! You’re not helping!” the first speaker ordered. She continued in a softer volume, “I think they’re protecting her.”
“I agree,” said a new voice. “I think we should wait until she wakes up.”
“And if she doesn’t? What then? We just leave her behind this…this…wall of animals?” the angry man asked.
What the hell is going on? Who are they talking about? Why am I so hot? What’s poking me? Wait…where’s the Crazy? Did I kill him?
“Look! I think she’s moving!” one of the voices claimed.
Me? Are they talking about me?
Suddenly, my eyes popped open, and I gaped in astonishment at what I saw in the darkness around me. I was surrounded by a barrier of pacing creatures, including several coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and a gigantic cougar. And, of course, faithful Jack was among the animals protecting me from the people I’d overheard. I felt like a planet being orbited by a deadly belt of fur, teeth, and claws.
Beyond the fierce predators, a small crowd of familiar people with flashlights watched with a variety of expressions. Ky and Ben were sharing a look of wonder. Holly was scowling at Dalton and Hunter, whose faces were blank. Chris was smiling. But it was Jason who captured my attention. The look in his eyes made him appear slightly more savage than the wild creatures circling me.
I sat up slowly and immediately felt dozens of small, furry bodies wiggle and readjust themselves around me. Instead of panicking, which would’ve been normal, and frankly, would’ve made me feel less like a mutant-ninja-animal-whisperer, I smiled at the mass of rabbits, mink, and cats curled up on and around me. Without them, I would have frozen to death, having passed out on the cement floor of an unheated building in the dead of winter. The animals had kept me warm—the wonders of a living blanket.
As Jason took a step closer, my protective guard abruptly stilled, forming a solid, threatening shield intent on one thing—keeping him away from me. Jason paused with one foot forward, his muscles twitching with the need to keep moving.
“Let him pass!” I ordered. A narrow, Jason-sized gap opened between the cougar and a pair of foxes. The three animals separated and sat patiently, looking like stone lions guarding the entryway to a castle.
“No way! Did you guys see that?” Holly blurted.
But everyone ignored her, instead staring in shock at the obedient animals…everyone except Jason. He lurched forward through the makeshift gateway and dislodged a handful of the smaller creatures huddled around me as he crouched at my side. The common cats were the most displeased, hissing and groaning in feline irritation.
“Are you hurt?” he implored, scanning me from head to toe and back again before his eyes met mine. His desperation stole my breath. I wished I had Zoe’s Ability so I could understand what he was desperate for.
“I…I don’t think so. Jason, I—NO!” I shouted suddenly, snapping my head to the right. Holly had raised her pistol and was aiming it at the cougar, whose muscles were tensed to pounce. Everyone froze, animals included.
“Ow,” Ky said, shaking his head. “Was it really necessary to shout so loud in our heads too?”
I hunched, leaning away from Jason, away from everyone. “Sorry. I guess I got a little excited…” At least Holly had lowered her gun.
Before the situation spiraled out of control and someone—or something—got hurt, I dismissed my furry defenders. To my surprise, each nuzzled part of my body before leaving, even the cougar. I felt
like a piece of land claimed by dozens of property owners. Delightful…
After the last undomesticated animal had left the stable, Chris rushed to my side, displacing Jason, who stood and began pacing.
“What the hell just happened?” Holly screeched. “You guys saw that right? That was, like…a cougar or something! What if she sicks it on one of us next?”
Jason halted and spun to face her. “Shut the fuck up, Holly,” he ordered harshly. “Ky, find the lights in this place,” he added before he gathered everyone but Chris around him and began giving hushed, emphatic orders.
Chris and I both squinted when the overhead lights came on, and she continued patting and prodding me everywhere in her search for injuries. She was very thorough.
“Hey!” I exclaimed as she pressed against my ribs beneath my breasts. “I like you Chris but not that much.”
“Calm down, hon. I’m just making sure nothing’s broken.”
“Well you don’t need to feel me up in the process. I’m okay. I promise.”
She puckered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “You’ve got a pretty nasty cut on your heel…how’d that happen?”
I thought for a moment, recalling all that had happened after the Crazy had broken in. Part of me couldn’t believe I was still alive. “I stepped on the glass from a broken picture frame…it was when he, um, attacked me in the house,” I explained, my voice trembling a little.
Chris gently squeezed my shoulder. “Worst decision he ever made, huh?,” she said, but it was her touch more than her words that soothed me. Damn…I love her Ability. “Just give me a few minutes to get you patched up, and then I think you and Jason should have a little chat…clear the air…”
I groaned. “Is he mad?” I asked tentatively, watching Jason pace up and down the stable aisle. He reminded me of the cougar who’d watched over me so closely during my loss of consciousness.
Chris barked a laugh and said, “Hon, mad doesn’t come close. The email from his sister telling him why you left…that didn’t really go over so well…”
“Oh.” I looked down at my hands, feeling miserable.
Chris left my side momentarily to retrieve a first aid kit from her pack. I flinched when she cleaned the stinging cut on my heel, but felt lucky that it wasn’t deep enough to need stitches. After dropping some antibiotics in my palm and handing me a water bottle, she said, “So, I’m gonna clear everyone outta here…start setting up in the house. Can you and Jason please try not to kill each other?”
I gave her a flat look.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” she said, rising. She walked away without a backward glance.
I sighed, trying—and failing—not to look at the glistening skeleton about a dozen feet away. The Crazy’s corpse had been picked clean…mostly. There were still pieces of bloody clothing and globs of hair. I struggled to make my mind reconcile the horrific sight with the man who’d attacked me only hours before. With unexpected pity, I hoped it had been the blow from the shovel that had killed him, not the animals tearing him apart alive. It was too horrible a fate to wish on anyone…well, except Cece, maybe…
Picking myself up off the freezing floor, I hurried away from both the ghastly scene and my vengeful thoughts, ignoring the throb in my heel. Unfortunately, I was instead approaching Jason and a confrontation I was nearly as eager to avoid as my attacker’s decimated remains.
I fell in step behind Jason as he strode away. “Jason?” I asked meekly. He halted abruptly, and I bumped into his back with an “Oomph!”
While I regained my balance and some modicum of decorum, Jason turned to face me. I took several hasty steps backward. Everything about him was stiff—his clenched fists, his taut neck muscles, and his unusually thin lips. Silently, he stared at me, though it felt more like getting a full-body MRI.
“Jason, I—”
“You what?” he exploded, stalking toward me.
I backed up, my pace increasing with his, my sore heel forgotten. Though my mouth opened, no words came out. I was struck dumb by the waves of sheer fury emanating from him. It was how I imagined I had looked when I’d confronted him about moving Cam’s body.
“You left without a word. You came to my room. You said goodnight. And you knew you were leaving,” he said coldly, his tone like a thin layer of ice encapsulating an inferno. “Zoe didn’t give me your message until the next fucking night. I spent a whole day not knowing what’d happened to you, not knowing if you were dead. And then my sister tells me about Cece’s goddamn note. You didn’t tell me!” he yelled, still pushing me back with the force of his anger. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped you.”
“You could’ve died!” I screamed back. “I was trying to protect you!”
“I can protect myself!”
I scoffed. “Sure, like you protected yourself at Grams’s house?” As soon as the words were out, I wished I could catch them and stuff them back down my throat.
“How’d you…you were there! I knew it!” After a brief pause he lowered his voice and added, “You made her leave, didn’t you? What’d you do?” Each word was pronounced precisely, making his quietness more ominous than his earlier yelling.
Gulping in the suddenly scarce air, I explained, “I spoke in…her mind. I…threatened her…if she didn’t…” Backing into the rusty door, I whispered, “I couldn’t let her do it, Jason. I couldn’t lose you.”
He stopped inches from me, his toes nearly touching mine. “I almost killed her. Multiple times. Fuck Dani, I should have! But Chris and Ky might’ve…If I’d screwed up, Cece and the others would’ve gone after them, maybe killed them.” He turned and walked several steps away, hiding whatever unwanted emotions plagued him.
“Jason, I’m—”
When he faced me, his outward composure had returned. He was, once again, the emotionless statue I’d come to know so well. Quietly, he said, “You should have told me about the note when you first read it. We could have figured it out together.”
“I know.” It was simple, but true. The realization may have come slowly, but I knew that whatever happened, whatever threat loomed ahead, Jason and I would face it together. The meaning of together was still a great unknown. Friends? More? But he needed to know that—to know I believed in him…depended on him…trusted him. “I’m so sorry, Jason. I won’t leave you again.”
His momentary composure abruptly disintegrated, revealing frustration and anger, as well as hope and joy. And above all else, desire. In two purposeful strides he was on me, his hands forcing my shoulders against the door as his lips devoured mine. He was relentless, stroking my tongue with his as soon as our bodies met. It was unlike any kiss I’d ever experienced—devoid of thought or reason, purely based on mutual need. If Jason had continued kissing me forever, I would’ve gladly obliged. But, of course, he didn’t.
Seconds after restraining me, he pulled back and spun away. “FUCK!” he shouted, punching the wooden slats between two empty stalls before striding off.
Date: January 1, 7:15 AM
From: Danielle O’Connor
To: Zoe Cartwright
Subject: Surprise...I’m alive!
Zo,
Happy New Year? Let’s try that again...HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I’m back with Jason and the group, or what’s left of them. So, obviously I didn’t get myself killed when I went off on my own. Yes, I was stupid. Yes, I’m sorry. Yes, I promise to consult with you before I do something so drastic again. I’m really really really REALLY sorry. Really. I hope you’ll forgive me someday.
So, this is crazy (pun intended)…I’ve been staying at the Riders’ Ranch, and I sort of had a Crazy attack me last night. I also sort of killed him…I’m not really sure how I feel about that. Jason and the others ended up finding me shortly afterwards because I called them to me…with my mind. Yeah...I kind of have an Ability like you do (according the MG, these Abilities are popping up all over the place), except mine’s totally different from yours. Y
ou know, if I hadn’t known about yours before all my weirdness started happening, I probably still wouldn’t believe it was real. But it is. So here goes...
I’m telepathic.
It’s serious craziness. Mind to mind talk with people and, I swear I’ll hit you if you start laughing when you read this, animals. I sent out this massive mind message to anyone and everything in the area when the Crazy came after me. I actually had wild animals come to my aid. Totally ridiculous, I know. They ate him, by the way. Gross. But at least I’m alive, right?
Also, you should know that the Cece faction has departed indefinitely. I don’t know if Jason already told you about that. They took all of our vehicles and most of the equipment. I have no idea where they’ve gone, which is kind of scary because Cece seems to have some sort of mind control power over her minions. Anyway, she almost killed Jason and Chris, and if I see her again, I’ll kill her…or at least I’ll try. That’s right…I’m a badass...sort of. Not really. But whatever.
And now for the really bad news...an email is really the worst possible way to tell you this, but I have to. Grams and your dad didn’t survive. I’m so sorry, Zo. I’m not handling it all that well either. Grams left a note before she died letting me know she’d found your dad. He’d already passed. He was holding a picture of you and Jason with a message scrawled on the back, as well as a key on a chain. Grams left both items for me, so I’ll pass them on to Jason…when I tell him…about your dad. I’m procrastinating, you see. He’s been a little difficult in the few hours we’ve been under the same roof. I guess he’s still a little pissed about the whole running away thing. I really am sorry about your dad, Zo. I wish I could be with you right now.
I’m eager (understatement of the year) to hear about what’s been going on in your neck of the woods ever since I made my failed attempt at being a pioneer woman. Won’t happen again, by the way. I’m just not made for the lone ranger kind of life. I hope you’re safe. Oh, and Jason kissed me.
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