I looked at Brian and he shrugged. His face creased in concern, and before any of us could say anything, Paul had our bags and was ushering Anna over to one of the rooms.
‘It’s awesome to see you guys again,’ he was saying. ‘Things have been hellish with you gone, come on, I’ll show you the rooms.’
Anna’s head turned and her wide-eyes pleaded for help. I couldn’t suppress the grin spreading across my face, and she narrowed her eyes, her mind no doubt plotting revenge.
‘Sorry about that,’ Brian sighed.
‘Is he okay?’ I asked.
My memories of Paul weren’t pleasant. We had never been friendly, especially hugging buddies. Greystone changed him, the events there hadn’t agreed with any of us, but Paul had found it more difficult than the rest of us. He had tried to take over the group, sinking to dangerous lows to do so. To top it off, he lost his son, and a woman named Grace, a spy undercover for my father, had been drugging him.
‘I don’t know,’ Brian replied and sighed. ‘Before Greystone happened he’d been a good guy, had a bit of a temper right enough, but he was a good Dad. Now, I barely recognise him. He’s overcompensating for something.’
Brian shook his head and walked over to the line of computers. He turned a chair there and sat down, rubbing his eyes with his fists.
‘Are you okay, son?’ Chris asked.
‘Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be alright. He wasn’t joking, my Dad, things have gotten worse,’ Brian sighed.
‘Yeah we noticed,’ I said.
‘No,’ Brian whispered, ‘you haven’t.’
I frowned, and Chris planted himself on a couch off to our left that faced the windows.
‘Is it just you and your Dad?’ he said.
‘That’s what I meant by worse,’ Brian replied. ‘The five of us, me, my Dad, you, Lucas and Anna; we’re the only ones left.’
‘What? What about the other survivors?’ I asked.
Brian stood and walked over to the window. He stared at his reflection and turned back to us.
‘They’re dead, Lucas,’ he said. ‘Someone is hunting us down, and killing the survivors of Greystone.’
The Promise
We remained silent as Brian recounted the events of their time after Greystone. It wasn’t a long story. They had gotten out and split. Some wanted to go straight to the police, to blow the whistle on my father and his travesties, but Brian and Paul had come to the same conclusion we had. Undeterred, they left, and Paul, Brian and the others looked for somewhere to seek refuge until a clearer plan was formed.
‘We never thought anything would happen to them,’ Brian sighed, guilt lacing his voice. ‘The ones who went to the police, I mean. We’d just thought no one would believe a word they said, and that they’d be churned back out onto the streets.’
‘What happened?’ Chris asked.
Brian took his seat again.
‘The rest of us bunked in an abandoned building,’ he said. ‘There were a lot of us wounded remember, and we were afraid to go to any hospitals, so we tried to pull together as much money as we could from what we’d been able to escape with. As you can imagine, that wasn’t much.
‘A few died there, in the building. So we moved on, I know, it’s horrible, but we couldn’t stay there. Then we just wandered. Two weeks passed and we were looking for food. I was in a store when I caught the news on television. A few bodies had turned up in alleyways with no ID, and no one had come forward for them. It was chalked up to drug abuse, but I recognised them, and they weren’t drug addicts.’
‘Let me guess,’ I said, ‘they were the ones who went for help.’
‘Yep,’ Brian spat. ‘The news report said they had overdosed, but none of them were addicts.’
He stood again and started to pace, agitated and haunted.
‘I rushed back to tell the others and they panicked, big time. A few ran away, and the rest of us decided to find someplace further out from the main part of the city,’ Brian recounted.
‘How did you get here?’ I asked.
‘Word on the street,’ he laughed. ‘Some homeless had heard that this place was abandoned and free to use. So we travelled with them, well, up until we were cornered by police.’
He stopped pacing and his face grimaced before glazing over.
‘All hell broke loose. It was odd, at first we had no idea what was happening, and then they attacked. They attacked only us. The other homeless people got away but we were their targets,’ Brian whispered. ‘There was a lot of blood, a lot of screaming. It was like we’d never left Greystone at all, and then I realised, the creatures in Greystone had had their fates forced on them, whereas these men and women killing us had a choice.’
He spat at his feet and returned to his seat again. We all sat in silence for a while, my mind worked overtime. Something was chewing at me, it felt like I should have seen something, that there were dots to connect. Then it dawned on me. The police had done this to them. On someone’s orders the survivors of Greystone had been hunted down and killed. My father was an influential man within his own group, but to have bodies governed by a higher power kill innocent men and women, that in itself, was a major pointer.
I started piecing together the things that had seemed so far apart from one another, the attempt on our lives, the mysterious group who wanted my blood, as well as the attempts on Paul and Brian’s lives. They were all connected, all committed by the same force. It was so simple. I cursed myself for missing it before.
‘I know who’s behind this,’ I whispered, and Brian and Chris turned to face me. ‘Think about it. Who would lose the most if the events of Greystone got out to the public?’
‘Your Dad?’ Brian asked.
Chris shook his head, ‘No, the government. Richard Bishop wouldn’t give a rat’s arse if it came out. He’s already done what he wanted.’
‘Exactly, the government, they’re the only ones with the motive behind attacking the survivors, to keep it from exploding in their faces. Covering up the deaths and making them vanish in the blink of an eye, only they could do that without drawing suspicion,’ I growled. ‘Then there’s us.’
Chris’s forehead folded into confusion, then flattened with recognition. I nodded at him.
‘What?’ Brian asked.
‘You saw the news today,’ Chris answered. ‘How it looked as if we’d murdered an innocent man. How we’re being blamed for the destruction of Greystone. You’re right, Lucas, it’s so simple.’
‘What’s simple?’ Brian flustered.
‘That man?’ I said. ‘He tried to kill us. He tried to run us over, deliberately. He was also after a sample of my blood. Who would want the power I possess, while eradicating all evidence of their fault?’
‘And add in the fact that now our faces are all over the news, that we’re the city’s most wanted criminals,’ Chris added. ‘If we’re caught, who gains?’
Brian thought it over. His hazel eyes widened, and like me, he cursed out loud at our stupidity.
‘Chris, you said we couldn’t rat out my father because the government wouldn’t want their fingerprints shown to the world. Maybe you’re right. Maybe they’re going to extreme lengths to keep it quiet,’ I said. ‘But what if they realised my father could succeed in Greystone? What if the reason they created my father’s division in the first place finally came to fruition?’
‘They’d stop at nothing to get their hands on it, or in this case, you,’ Chris replied, nodding. ‘Our own government are hunting us down. The people sworn to protect us are picking us off, one by one.’
‘It looks like we know who Bonnie was working for,’ I spat. ‘The reason they didn’t intervene in Greystone wasn’t just because they were afraid. No, they didn’t intervene because they hoped my father would succeed, and if he did, they could swoop in, steal the results.
‘And if it ever came to light their involvement, they’d pin the blame on my Dad, the leader of an ex-government division.’
*
Eventually, Anna and Paul returned. We filled them in, their faces lighting up with the same realisation ours had. The dots had finally connected.
‘But even if they did pin the blame on your Dad, Lucas, they would still have to reveal they had had a hand in it to start with,’ Anna finally said.
‘Yeah but, the events in Greystone had occurred after they had disavowed Lucas’s father,’ Chris put in. ‘It gives the government plausible deniability. Plus, with the successful results of the experiment, they’d be able to create an army of advanced soldiers. How are the public going to overcome that?’
‘But they don’t have those results,’ I said. ‘So they’re removing the survivors, and hunting for me.’
‘What’s your father’s plan in all of this?’ Brian asked.
I shook my head. I had no idea what his endgame was, only that my father seemed to be ahead of us all.
‘Enough for tonight,’ Paul chimed in and I jumped, I had almost forgotten he was there. ‘You guys look shattered. Get some sleep.’
Brian nodded and stood up, stretching his arms and legs.
‘We can talk more in the morning,’ he said.
‘Wait,’ Anna stood from the couch we sat on. ‘You still haven’t told us how you found us, or how you managed to get all this from nothing?’
She pointed at the bank of computers.
‘He didn’t tell you?’ Paul said, beaming. ‘My son is quite the computer whiz, aren’t you? Tell them, go on tell them.’
Chris looked up intrigued and Anna looked sceptical.
‘Yeah,’ Brian chuckled. ‘When we managed to get here we found a busted laptop in one of the rooms. I’m pretty good with them, so I patched it up and, well, did some things to get by.’
‘Things?’ I asked incredulous.
‘Illegal things,’ Paul laughed proudly.
He has changed.
‘I hacked some money into an account I set up and used it to keep us alive, and you know, get more equipment to help us,’ Brian said and shrugged his shoulders. ‘I bypassed the security on a few hotels after seeing you on the news the first time. After a bit I found a name and credit card listed to someone who was from Greystone and after that it wasn’t hard. I got lucky’
‘We got lucky you mean,’ I said in awe. ‘If you hadn’t managed that and we had missed what was on the news, we might have been too late in leaving that hotel.’
Brian blushed and shrugged again.
‘And you covered your tracks alright?’ Chris wondered.
‘He’s good,’ Paul answered, ‘really good.’
Chris stared at Brian.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘No one’s gonna track me.’
Brian smiled, and he and Paul turned to leave.
‘One more thing,’ Chris called. ‘Can you take a look at this?’
He pulled a small plastic object from his pocket, and I was surprised to see the USB drive we had taken earlier that day. Chris placed it in Brian’s hand, and Brian agreed to take a look at it in the morning. Then, the door closed, and Paul and his son went to their own rooms.
‘I’ll take the room on the left,’ Chris said, his mouth opening into a yawn as he walked away. ‘See you guys in the morning.’
Anna and I said goodnight, and we headed for the room Paul had shown Anna earlier. It was large, just when I thought the room had ended, the darkness gave way to another part. Thankfully, the light from the city beyond the windows lit up the space enough for us to see. The stone walls held similar paintings as the hall we’d come through, and old dust-ridden wood drawers and wardrobes sat around the place. The bed lay at the back, beside a door that led to a bathroom about half the size of the room.
Anna took my hand as she slouched over to the bed. Her eyes drooped, and she yawned. I stopped her, and lifted her into my arms. A laugh escaped her lips as she ran her hands through my hair.
‘I can walk you know,’ she said.
‘I know,’ I replied. ‘I’m just trying to be gentlemanly.’
We both laughed, and I sat her on the bed. I climbed on and faced her, sitting cross-legged.
‘We still have one more thing to talk about,’ Anna whispered, as if someone hid in the shadows, desperate for our secrets.
I looked around, the thought electrifying the hairs on my body.
‘It’s alright,’ Anna said taking my hand. ‘Paul and Brian have been giving the homeless money. The only thing they ask for in return is that they stay away from this floor. The way Paul tells it, they’re more than happy to do so.’
‘Paul,’ I said. ‘Do you think he’s alright?’
‘Lucas,’ Anna whispered, ‘we need to talk.’
I nodded and squeezed her hand. There was an elephant in the room, and it had to be dealt with.
‘I’m keeping it,’ Anna suddenly said, ‘no matter what.’
‘You think I don’t want it?’ I whispered, taken aback.
She shook her head, and a tear made its way down her cheek.
‘I don’t mean that, Lucas,’ she replied. ‘I mean, I know you. You’re always trying to do your best for everyone, to stop them having to go through pain. This though, I want this. Richard, he’s already taken everything from us, but-’
‘Not this,’ I cut her off. ‘I’m with you on this Anna. I promise you, this is ours. No one, not anyone will take this from us. I promise.’
The beautiful woman in front of me nodded and wrapped her arms around me. I latched on, running through my head what I’d just said. I was terrified, but I was honest. My father had failed in his role, but I wouldn’t.
I won’t be like him. I’ll stop him, I’ll keep us safe.
We crawled into bed, and Anna passed into sleep in a matter of minutes. I, on the other hand, stayed awake.
I promise.
The Training
‘Rise and shine!’ Chris shouted as his arms vigorously shook me.
‘Whatthehellareyoudoing,’ I moaned.
I sat up and dug my fists into my eyes. When I opened them, I was greeted by Chris’s face. Behind him, the windows showed the red hue of sunrise. I groaned again.
‘Aren’t you superhuman nowadays?’ Chris chuckled.
‘That doesn’t mean I don’t need sleep,’ I growled.
He gave me another shake and I swiped his arms away. Anna roused slowly at my side. She gave Chris a look I was glad not to be on the receiving end of, and shifted till she sat beside me.
‘Please tell me the city’s fallen victim to Lucas’s father,’ Anna muttered. ‘If it hasn’t, then you should run, because I will hunt you down.’
‘I need to borrow Lucas for a bit,’ Chris replied.
I squinted up at his face.
‘At this time?’ I said.
He nodded and walked towards the door.
‘Get up and ready, then meet me in my room,’ he said.
Once he’d left the room I swore. Anna looked at me, her eyes half-closed and shrugged. She rolled back over, and before I knew it, she was asleep again. I got up and changed into clean clothes before heading into the bathroom. I cleaned my teeth and slouched back into the bedroom, kissed Anna on the forehead, and went in search of Chris.
When I reached the room outside, I heard the rattle of a computer’s keyboard. With his back to me, Brian faced a laptop in front of him, a steaming mug of coffee by his side. I brightened at the prospect of caffeine, and wandered over to the bank of computers.
‘Morning,’ I said, eyeing his coffee enviously.
‘Hey,’ Brian replied, his face lifted from the screen, before it shot back down.
‘You doing?’ I asked.
‘I’m taking a look at that drive you guys gave me,’ he sighed, ‘although, it has some serious security measures on it.’
I frowned at the laptop’s screen; a jumbled array of letters that didn’t equate to any known words filled it.
‘Security measures?’ I said.
‘Yeah,’ Brian nodded. ‘
Pretty decent ones too, where did you get this?’
‘Off the man that tried to kill us,’ I replied, ‘you know the one we’re being suspected of murdering.’
‘Then whatever’s on it might be important,’ Brian mused. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll crack it. I think Chris was looking for you.’
‘Yeah, I noticed,’ I sighed. ‘You think I could get a cup of that-’
‘Lucas,’ Chris cut me off from the doorway of his room. ‘Come on.’
I sighed and moved away from Brian. I headed over to Chris, who tapped his foot on the ground. We entered his room, and for the most part, it matched mine and Anna’s with its wooden floors and brick walls with faded pictures. It was slightly smaller though, with a door leading to a room ours didn’t have. Chris motioned to follow him there.
‘What’s with the early wake-up call, Chris?’ I asked.
‘We need to talk,’ he replied. ‘Plus, I hoped we could get some training in as well.’
‘Some huh?’ I moaned.
He stopped before the door we were headed for and turned. His mouth was a thin line, and his demeanour was sombre.
‘I thought it’d be a good idea to get some training in, you know, some exercise,’ Chris said. ‘You’ll see.’
He opened the door to a room filled with equipment. There were weights and treadmills lining the wall, with other apparatus I didn’t have a name for thrown in too. The middle of the room was open and empty, with a slightly springy floor that Chris manoeuvred us onto. He then stood a few feet in front of me. I was slightly confused, and I waited for Chris to speak, when instead, he lunged.
His fist shot through the air. Before I could move, it connected with my jaw and knocked me off balance. I hit the floor, when a foot collided with my side. There wasn’t any pain, just a heavy force where Chris’s strikes hit, but a startled cry escaped my lips anyway.
Child of Recklessness (Trials of Strength Book 2) Page 3