EVO Nation: EVO Nation Series: Book One (science fiction/ urban fantasy)

by K. J. Chapman

I grind my teeth. “Was this all about money?” My thoughts are becoming a little clearer. They’re forming in my mind, but feel funny as they leave my mouth.

  “I got you out, didn’t I? Anyway, I don’t have to explain myself to a child,” she replies, and then leaves the room.

  I hear her ask Isaac for alcohol, and there is a banging of cupboards before she returns with a half full bottle of cheap vodka. She splashes it over her hands, and then glugs it over my arm. My flesh feels like it is on fire. I yell out. She’s enjoying it too much for my liking.

  “Now this really is going to hurt,” she says, taking tweezers out of the green box. “I can see the bullet, so it should be quick.”

  I take a breath as she eases the tweezers inside the wound. I can’t help but scream out. Grabbing my elbow, she inserts the tweezers again. Bile rises in my throat and the tears flow. Pull yourself together, Teddie. I clench my teeth, focussing all my energy on not crying out. Sobbing has made my voice sound weak and hoarse and my muffled groans don’t sound like mine. I know everyone can hear me as the low mumble of conversation from outside has ceased.

  “Come on,” Yvette coaxes the bullet.

  I press my teeth into my good hand to stifle another yelp, and then the door opens. Adam strides in. He sits beside me on the bed, wrapping his arms around my neck. My face is clammy, and I’m sat in my bra, but I don’t care. I silently sob into his shoulder until the bullet comes away.

  Yvette drops it into his hand. “That’s the worst bit done,” she says. “She’s lucky. It’s a good wound as far as bullet wounds go. She’ll only need a few stitches.”

  Isaac’s deathly white face peers around the door. “Here’s a needle and thread. I hope you don’t mind purple,” he says to me.

  I rub away the wetness from my cheeks and force a smile. “Purple is good.”

  ***

  Yvette gives me three stitches. She isn’t particularly gentle, but she is fast and the pain is over quickly. I emerge from the bedroom with Adam to steady me. Yana sits huddled with Haydn, and Golding rubs at his hands anxiously. When they see me the mood lightens, and I smile to let them know I’m okay.

  Boyd hands me a bottle of water. “Can’t offer you anything stronger I’m afraid,” he says.

  “Thank you,” I say. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know your first name.”

  “It’s Eamonn, but that’s my Sunday name. Everyone just calls me Boyd.” His hair is military short and his dark eyes aren’t nearly as daunting when he smiles.

  “I didn’t know you were EVO. What is your ability, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I’m Non-EVO. Just a regular Joe,” says Boyd.

  He doesn’t seem bothered, and I have to admit that I’m envious of both Boyd and Adam. What I wouldn’t give to be Non- EVO right now.

  “And this is Adam Lovick,” Isaac interrupts.

  It’s the first time I have heard the name Lovick. It never occurred to me to ask Adam his surname before. There’s a lot I don’t know about him.

  “Not quite what we were expecting,” Boyd says to Adam, shaking his hand. “Yvette led us to believe you were more TORO than, well... normal.”

  Yvette tends to Haydn’s knee and doesn’t even look over at the mention of her name. I guess she knows that we need her. Having a doctor around is kind of a necessity at the moment.

  Boyd pulls a curtain back to peer out the window.

  “Stop doing that, you’re setting my teeth on edge. She’ll be here any minute,” says Isaac.

  “Who will?” I ask.

  The sound of an engine approaches outside and Boyd rushes to the door. A brunette woman drives a van toward us at full speed. Boyd waves at her and she screeches to a stop beside him. As he opens the door, she wraps her arms around him, kissing him passionately.

  “Thank god,” she says. “If I had arrived and you weren’t here I don’t know what I would have done.” As Boyd holds her, her brown hair slowly changes to a caramel, and then to a dirty blonde.

  “Wow,” says Golding, from right beside me.

  My eyes are not playing tricks on me, he saw it too. She is EVO for sure. The woman is similar in age to Boyd and has a handsome face; strong and measured.

  Isaac walks over to her and gives her a hug. “It’s good to see you, Maggie,” he says.

  Yvette scoffs out loud and rolls her eyes. “Maggie,” she says in acknowledgement.

  Maggie ignores her and heads in our direction.

  “Everyone, this is my fiancée, Dr Maggie Ross. She is a Chromokin. Maggie, this is Haydn Smith, Yana Adamenko, Golding Kersey, Teddie Leason, and Adam Lovick,” he says.

  Her eyes fall on Adam and she pulls his uniform collar to the side. There is a short stitched wound just above his collar bone. It’s the first time I’ve seen it.

  “I removed his tracker yesterday,” Yvette says, with a close lipped smile.

  “Why bother when he was never supposed to come with us?” I ask. The woman just grates on me.

  Adam takes my hand and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Isaac. Why do I feel like our relationship or whatever this is, is not part of their plan? Tough shit, plans change.

  “I couldn’t have them tracking him around Facility One and jeopardising the escape plan,” she states, with arrogant indifference.

  Maggie glares at her with hatred as strong as mine. “And this?” she asks, pointing to my dressing.

  “I was shot,” I say.

  “May I?” She peels off the dressing.

  “There’s no need. I’ve seen to it,” Yvette interrupts. “I’m sure it’s up to your standards considering what I had to work with.”

  I could laugh at her petty snipes. There is some beef between the two of them and it is kind of fun to watch it unfold.

  “Then you won’t mind me looking, will you?” says Maggie, coolly. I like her already. “It’s clean. It’ll do, but your pupils are extremely dilated.”

  “She had a funny turn in the chopper, so I stuck her with an adrenaline pen,” says Yvette.

  “We need to get going— now,” says Isaac, climbing into the van.

  Maggie nods and sticks my dressing back in place. “I’ll get you some antibiotic as soon as we arrive,” she says to me. “I’ve got fish and chips in the back. It’s going to be a long drive to Cornwall.”

  “Where exactly are we now?” asks Haydn.

  “Scotland,” says Adam.

  Why Cornwall? We could go anywhere, and yet the fates have decided that returning to my home land, and the place of my father’s death, is our only option. On the plus side, I might see Shana and ruin her day.

  “We need to get as far away from here as possible,” says Boyd.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The van is more of a mini bus, and the smell of fish and chips is overwhelming in a good way. The windows are curtained in gaudy, floral fabrics that were more than likely made in the seventies.

  Choosing the back window seat, I draw the curtain. Adam takes the seat beside me, throwing a blanket over the both of us.

  Golding stays near the front with Isaac, who keeps glancing back in my direction. Yana and Haydn sit directly behind them. Yvette is the only one near to us on the three berth seat, but she spreads out and rolls into the chair to sleep.

  Maggie drives and Boyd sits up front with her. She has changed her hair colour back to dark brown, and although it’s not particularly sunny, she wears sunglasses. No one talks much. We just stuff our faces, and one by one I watch them slowly drift to sleep.

  Adam keeps handing me chips, watching me to make sure I eat them. The seats are narrow and his thigh presses against mine. It’s ridiculous to feel giddy over something so innocent, but I do regardless. His are man’s thighs, solid and strong. We finish the chips quickly, and he scrunches up the paper, chucking it into the carrier bag hanging from Yvette’s seat.

  “I was hoping you would miss,” I say, sniggering.

  He gives me a cheeky look that I’ve not seen him make before.
I like it, I like it a lot.

  “And let you think I’m a crap throw,” he says.

  I study his lips and how they purse when he speaks. I want to kiss him again, but I’m not sure if I should. Now the adrenaline is wearing off, and I’m not thinking I could die at any minute, I’m not as brave as I had been in the supply room.

  An awkward few moments pass. I look away and fuss with the curtain. When I look back again he is still watching me with that deep in thought, lowered brow expression he has mastered. He leans in and kisses me. It’s slow and soft- not like our urgent kiss- our first kiss. Now, I know we are still on the same page.

  Isaac is watching. He quickly looks back to Golding and pretends to be deep in conversation. Adam notices too, but he doesn’t mention it. I’m not embarrassed. If my Dad, Rob, was here I’d be horrified to know he’d seen me kissing someone, but Isaac isn’t my Dad as far as I’m concerned.

  “You should sleep,” Adam says, putting his arm around my shoulders, carefully avoiding my bad arm.

  I fit nicely into his nook, that little space between his underarm and ribs, and I rest my head on his chest. There is his heartbeat again. I close my eyes and focus on it until it’s the only thing I can hear.

  ***

  A hand shakes my knee and I awake to Isaac smiling at me. We share a surreal, awkward moment where neither of us knows what to say to the other.

  Adam starts awake beside me, instinctively putting his hand on his gun. “Is everything alright?” he asks in a sleepy voice.

  “We’re here,” Isaac says, looking away from me. He heads to the front of the van to wake Haydn.

  I’ve slept for the entire journey and I’m still exhausted. My neck aches and my right leg has gone to sleep. Adam stretches in his seat, and everyone starts to move and mumble, and get to their feet.

  Outside a fog has settled and it’s raining a fine, mizzle rain. The grass under foot is swamped. Adam wraps an arm around my waist to lift me over the mud on to a gravelly footpath. It’s not particularly windy, but there is a roaring sound all around us. The air smells of the sea. We’re definitely in Cornwall. Where in Cornwall I’m not sure? I lick my lips, tasting salt, and I push thoughts of the sea out of my head. Could my Dad be out there?

  The van’s headlights cut through the fog, and a derelict house stands alone amongst an area of overgrown grass and gorse bushes. A light switches on from inside. I’m surprised to see that it has electric for a crumbling, shell of a building.

  “What is this place? Golding asks. He is the first to venture through the mud towards the light.

  “This is our safe house. There is someone waiting for you inside,” Isaac says.

  Golding’s eye bulge in the headlights. “You mean... Norah? Norah!” he shouts, sprinting for the front door.

  The door swings open and a lady rushes out. She looks to be in her late sixties, early seventies with bobbed, white hair that is slick back from her face. Her make-up is immaculate and her jewellery expensive. She carries herself with an impressive air.

  “Oh my darling boy,” she says, taking Golding into her arms. “I thought we had lost you. When Isaac called to say you were in that horrid place...” She smacks him around the back of the head with a swift hand.

  “Ow!”

  “If you hadn’t taken that money and crashed that bloody boat, then none of this would have happened. What have we told you about drawing attention to yourself?” she scolds. He apologises, and she pulls him into an embrace again. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

  Isaac steps forward and kisses Norah on the cheek. It’s an awkward, static moment between the two of them. He takes my hand before I can refuse and pulls me forward. “Mum, I want you to meet someone.”

  Mum? She’s my Grandmother. My brain is frying itself with information overload. She eyes me up and down, giving me a look like she has just sucked on a lemon. Not a great first impression.

  “Really, Isaac? They’re just getting younger and younger. What is this some kind of mid-life crisis?”

  Golding snorts, and the heat of embarrassment reaches my ears.

  “Jesus Christ, Mother. This is Theyda,” he snaps.

  She swallows hard, her breath stalling. “Theyda?” she whispers.

  I nod. “Everyone calls me Teddie.”

  Norah rushes forward to wrap her arms around me. She smells amazing. I’m not sure how to react, but I allow her to hold me close. I feel like I’m dirtying up her flawless clothes, but she doesn’t seem fazed.

  “Teddie, this is your Grandmother,” says Isaac, once she releases me.

  “Oh no, Darling, please call me Norah. I don’t look old enough to be anyone’s Grandmother,” she says with a wink. Then, she hugs me again. “How I’ve longed to meet you.” She holds me at an arm’s length and tuts to herself. “Were you in that awful place too? What have they done to you? Anyway, you’re here now,” she says. She grabs Golding’s scrubs to bring us both into an embrace.

  I wish I knew what to say or how to act. She is a stranger to me. I search for Adam over her shoulder. He is only a few feet away and he gives me a wink.

  Norah follows my gaze over her shoulder. “And who is this?” she asks. She has seen my smile.

  “This is Adam.”

  Adam takes Norah’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “A pleasure,” she says, smiling. “I can see why she likes you.”

  My face has turned scarlet. Norah is perceptive. I see where Golding gets his bluntness from.

  “Can we deal with the introductions inside?” asks Boyd, shielding his head from the fat raindrops that have started falling.

  “Of course,” says Norah, laughing. “But I doubt you’ll find much difference in there. Isaac you’ve really out done yourself with this hovel.”

  I allow her to lead me inside into a kitchen area. There is a sink and one work surface. The rest of the cupboards have either been stolen or disintegrated. The floor is a bare concrete that has a green moss stain to it. Someone has tried to clean; there isn’t any dust or cobwebs which is something I suppose. The only new items in the room are a camping hob and white plastic garden furniture. The table is stacked with disposable plates and cutlery, and the chairs have been positioned around it in a vain attempt to create an eating area.

  Everyone has the same look of distaste on their faces. Perhaps, it is due to the mouldy, rotten smell that appears to seep from the walls.

  “Can we go back to the caravan now,” Golding snorts.

  “It may not look much, but it’s safe. We have electric from the generator and running water. This is base now until we figure out our next move,” says Isaac.

  No one questions him. They know as well as I do that we have no other option, and at least he’s trying to be proactive.

  “We have five bedrooms and two receptions rooms. I’ll sleep in the van, but someone’s still going to have to share. You two girls, perhaps?” he says to me and Yana.

  Adam looks at me and my heart thumps in my chest. I’m not sure if I’m ready to share a room, a bed with him, or am I? I’ve never shared a bed with anybody, ever. Is he waiting for me to say something?

  “I can share with Haydn, if that’s okay?” Yana says, sheepishly.

  Haydn’s face flushes red, and Golding sniggers in my ear.

  Isaac nods. “Maggie and Boyd, you’re in the lounge. Mum, you can take the back reception room. That leaves the rest of you to fight over the bedrooms upstairs. I suggest Yana and Haydn take the master. The downstairs toilet doesn’t work, but there is a bathroom upstairs with a working toilet and a bath. Sorry, but that’s all we got. There is a tap shower attachment in the bath, but seeing as there are so many of us let’s keep showers to five minutes a person to save on hot water.”

  He disappears through the door at the far end of the kitchen and returns with a pile of sleeping bags. “Take one each, except those who are sharing. They’re all doubles,” he says, dropping them onto the table. Everyone grabs a sl
eeping bag and Adam is left with a pink one. He looks cute, six foot three and clutching a pink sleeping bag. I take it from him and give him my navy one.

  Isaac disappears out of the kitchen again and we follow. He shows Maggie and Boyd into the first door in the hallway, and Norah heads into the second. The rest of us traipse up the stairs. None of the house is carpeted and the floorboards are rough and splintered. We pass the bathroom. At a glance it looks gross, although it smells of bleach, the tile grout is black and the floorboards are covered in dark water stains.

  Yana and Haydn head into the biggest bedroom, and Yvette takes the one right next door. Isaac shows Golding in to the box room much to his annoyance. None of the rooms have beds or furniture, not that I’d want to sleep on a mouldy, bug infested mattress.

  Adam and I follow Isaac a little further down the hallway, and he shows me into a good size room, with peeling pink wallpaper. There is a wood effect vinyl lay on the floor. He smiles a little awkwardly. I know he has kept this room for me. It is reasonably clean and looks nicer than the others.

  “So, that’s you,” he says to Adam, pointing to the door next to mine. Adam thanks him and walks inside leaving Isaac and I alone.

  Moonlight streams through the bare windows. The rain sounds louder as it batters the cracked single glazing, and wind howls through what I assume to be an attic above.

  Isaac helps me stretch out my sleeping bag, and then retreats to the door. We awkwardly stare at each other for a few moments. I desperately want to break the silence, but I haven’t a clue what to say to him.

  “Come down when you’re ready for something to eat,” is all he says, and he leaves the room.

  I knock on Adam’s open door and let myself into his small room. The ceiling is painted black with yellow moons. It makes the room look even smaller and more depressing.

  “This is surreal,” I sigh, flopping onto his sleeping bag.

  He lies down beside me and I wonder whether I should have been so quick to jump on his bed. He takes my hand and we both stare at the ugly ceiling in silence.

  “What now?” I ask.

  Adam shrugs. “Just go with the flow, I suppose.” He sits up, dragging me up with him. “Whatever happens we stick together, okay?”