Broken (Book 3 of The Guardian Interviews)

by Michael Clary

  Can I tell you something?

  “Of course you can. That’s why I’m here.”

  It’s the intelligent ones that you have to worry about. Only intelligent beings can be vindictive. The zombies are dangerous. There’s no doubt about that. If just one of them escaped El Paso, the entire country, the entire world would be in danger.

  But a zombie isn’t capable of seeking revenge. Only intelligent creatures are truly capable of intentionally hitting you where it really hurts. Only intelligent beings are vile enough to open fire upon a group of innocent people.

  My wife had been gravely injured. That was something that never should have happened. It was a mistake we never made again. Nowadays, we expect the smart ones to be vindictive.

  Each and every member of the entire team’s family is now protected. If something goes wrong, if for any reason we feel they might be threatened, a bubble of safety is instantly projected around them.

  I can’t tell you a whole lot about our methods. That’s top secret, but I’m sure you remember how fast we were able to react when Kingsley killed Lucy.

  “I do remember that.”

  I believe I told you that I thought Hardin probably kept tabs on all our families. Well, he does. I just didn’t want to go into too much detail at the time. Our security measures were put in place because of what happened to Skie that evening. It just isn’t really something that I like to talk about.

  “I understand.”

  I’ll tell you what happened, but just so you know, I’m far from proud of many things I did that night. The beginning was pretty confusing. We never expected to be attacked. El Paso was the dangerous place, and we weren’t in El Paso.

  The gunmen had locked us all in the banquet hall. The doors were made of metal and covered in wood. None of us had any idea we were even being locked in. We were too busy drinking and partying. Hell, we were so drunk it took us a while to just react to being shot at.

  After the first girl died, I shoved Skie under the cover of a solid table that I flipped on its side. Keeping her out of harm’s way was the best I could do for her. At least, that’s what I thought at the time. Ivana was with her. I even placed Georgie there to protect them.

  “What did you do?”

  I went to go kill all the assassins.

  There was a slight pause as Jaxon stared at the floor before locking eyes with me once again.

  Did my wife really describe her gunshot wound as a rosebud?

  “Yes.”

  Jaxon was quiet for a moment. His eyes were once again fixed in a hard stare upon the floor. Merrick left my side and padded softly to him. She gently reached up with a paw and scratched at his leg until he relaxed and reached down to pet the top of her head.

  Sorry.

  “There’s no need to apologize.”

  Okay.

  It took us a little bit to regroup. It also took us a bit to get our hands on some firearms. Still, one by one we armed up and went after them. By the time I realized Georgie was under heavy fire, I was under some pretty heavy fire myself.

  Javie was next to me. He took a few rounds in his hip and went down. I couldn’t do anything for him either. If I broke cover, I’d be shot. If the shooters broke cover, I’d shoot them. It was pretty much a stalemate.

  Fortunately, Dudley and Nick weren’t pinned down. Those two were the ones that saved most of the people. They just went around the room shooting down any assassin that was firing upon the partygoers. It still took them some time to get to us. The killers fought back immediately when they realized Dudley and Nick were picking them off one after another instead of fighting alongside Javie and me, so they had their own nasty and bloody fight.

  At some point, Nick shot at one of the large windows then threw a chair through the cracked glass. The people now had an escape route, and they were fleeing the attack.

  While all that was going on, I managed to shoot down two more of the assassins, but I also took a round in my stomach. It hurt like a bitch, but I couldn’t afford to fix the damage while I was under fire. As soon as Dudley found me, I ducked down to see how badly I’d been hit while he took over shooting for me.

  It wasn’t the worst wound I’d ever seen, and it was nothing compared to how badly Javie had been hit. He was bleeding like a stuck pig. His features were pale, and he wasn’t even trying to staunch the flow of blood.

  I crawled over to him, ripped off a piece of tablecloth and pressed the white material against his wound. The tablecloth turned red with blood almost immediately. I turned him slightly and noticed that one of the bullets had struck him in the lower back.

  I panicked. Slapping Javie in the face brought him around. I told him to keep pressure on the wound, and I crawled away to find some water.

  Nick ran into me as I scurried here and there in an attempt to find a pitcher of water that hadn’t been spilled or shot to hell. He grabbed my ankle to get my attention, and I almost stabbed him in the face.

  I told him what had happened to Javie. I told him to look for a water source. My voice was loud, and I realized that the screaming and gunfire had stopped. I crawled to my feet.

  Dudley was pointing out the window.

  The remaining gunman had fled the scene after killing seventy-four innocent partygoers and secret service agents.

  That’s when I heard Ivana crying for help.

  My blood went cold. My stomach dropped, and a horrible feeling crept up my spine. My legs were jelly as I ran to her. I didn’t know if it was because of my wounds or my fear.

  She was kneeling over Georgie and a somewhat smaller form. My mind refused to accept what my eyes were seeing. I just stood there staring down at them.

  “Jaxon,” Ivana cried. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.”

  She moved away slightly, and I saw my wife’s face. I was sure she was dead. She had to be dead. The damage was too great. There was too much blood. The wound was in the middle of her chest.

  I don’t remember grabbing Skie. I don’t even remember moving, but somehow I had dropped to my knees and scooped her up in my arms. Blood from the wound in my arm was dripping down upon her dress as I squeezed her body against mine. There was a noise. I had no idea where it was coming from but it sounded like a long moan that wouldn’t end. I really wanted the noise to stop, instead it grew louder and louder. Eventually it turned into a scream, and I realized that it was coming from me.

  After that, I only saw red.

  There was no thought except destruction. There was no meaning in the entire world except vengeance. I wanted blood. I wanted to rip apart anyone or anything that had a connection to what had just happened.

  The scream became a growl.

  The growl became a roar.

  Dudley was in front of me. Behind him, Nick was carrying Javie. Dudley’s eyes were wide with fear. He was shouting something at me; I couldn’t hear him over the noises I was making. Then he was trying to take Skie away from me. I fought against him, and Ivana tried to hold me back.

  Dudley pointed to the window. I finally understood. There was grass outside. Natural things will heal us. I ran through the broken window. Dudley followed with Georgie. I heard gunshots and saw flashing lights in the distance. The police had finally arrived.

  I placed my wife down on the grass, and waited for something to happen. She’s been touched by the Guardian’s power but not nearly as much as the team. She won’t age, but she’s not any stronger, and she certainly doesn’t heal like the rest of us.

  The grass didn’t move.

  It didn’t cover her body and heal her wounds. I could already feel the tendrils creeping up my legs in an attempt to heal the damage on my body but they did nothing for Skie. Water began to pour over her chest. I looked up, and saw that Ivana had found a hose.

  I pushed my wife’s damp hair out of her face and made room for the spray of water. I started talking to Skie.

  “Don’t you leave me,” I begged. “Don’t go, baby. I’ll get you
out of this. I’ll get you someplace safe. Come back to me.”

  I started crying. No, that’s not true. I started bawling. Horrible wracking sobs that were so loud they hurt my chest as they poured out of me. My wife wasn’t moving. She wasn’t responding. She was limp in my arms. Her hand was cold against mine.

  Dudley had his arms around me. He was trying to pull me away. I wouldn’t budge. I just kept rocking my wife’s still form back and forth. I also kept screaming. A terrible rage that alternated violently with an intense sadness kept pouring forth. I couldn’t control it. I was a slave to its power. I never once checked her pulse. I never once laid my head against her blood soaked dress and attempted to hear a heartbeat.

  The paramedics arrived, and I was still holding my wife while Ivana poured water over her wound. It was a struggle for them to get her out of my arms. I’m pretty sure I hit a few of them before Dudley and Nick helped hold me down.

  “I’ve got a pulse,” a paramedic announced.

  I stopped struggling.

  “What?” I asked. “What did he say?”

  Dudley was wiping tears out of his eyes.

  “They found a pulse,” Dudley said. “It’s not over yet.”

  I remember seeing them pull Javie and Georgie out of the grass that had grown around them. I remember driving in a car towards the hospital. They wouldn’t allow me in the ambulance. I was too out of control and way too dangerous for something like that.

  I don’t know who drove me. Nick was beside me the entire way. Ivana rode with Skie, and Dudley rode with Georgie and Javie.

  Doctors came up to me in the emergency ward. They wanted to fix the damage to my stomach and arm. I told them to leave me alone, and when they didn’t listen I shoved them away.

  Eventually Dudley and Nick were forced to stand next to me. They did this so that no one would approach me and get hurt. Through a little window on a pale door I watched as doctors and nurses attempted to save my wife’s life.

  You see, I don’t talk about her much but Skie is my life. She means the world to me. I adore her. Her smile brightens my day. When I’ve been out killing monsters and fighting for my life her voice is the beacon I need to find my way home, to get up and fight harder so that I can hold her one more time. I need her. I absolutely one hundred percent need her.

  Tears began to softly fall from the General’s eyes.

  Excuse me.

  “No need.”

  It was a tough time.

  “I can only imagine.”

  Finally, a doctor came out of the room, and walked over to me.

  “You’re her husband?” The doctor asked.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “We were able to remove the bullet,” the doctor said. “But she has extensive damage to her heart and one lung. Somehow, some of that damage seems to have healed, which is probably why she’s still alive, but in all honesty I don’t think she’ll make it through the night.”

  The words hit me like a runaway freight train. Dudley began to ask questions. Ivana began to ask questions. I stood there as still as a statue. My heart was running wild in my chest. I wanted to scream. I closed my eyes in an attempt to calm myself down. My hands began to shake.

  I could hear the doctor telling everyone that the wound was fatal. I could hear him spelling it out for Ivana so that she wouldn’t cling to any false hopes. My wife was going to die. I had failed her. I had saved so many people, but I couldn’t save my own wife. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t acceptable.

  My eyes opened.

  I saw the doctor backing away. He’d given his best effort towards my wife, and he was now allowing nature to take its course. I was on him in an instant. My friends were too shocked to react as I grabbed the man by the back of the neck, and marched him into the room in which they had been working on my wife.

  I dragged him to her dying body, and I forced him to look at her.

  “Do you know who I am?” I asked.

  “Yes,” the doctor answered.

  “This is my wife,” I growled.

  There were nurses in the room. They ran out almost immediately. Security rushed forward to replace them. I heard them coming down the hall. I saw Nick and Dudley stop them at the door. They were buying me time.

  “I understand that she’s your wife, sir,” the doctor said. “I’ve done my best for her…”

  “Your best isn’t good enough,” I snarled and shoved the doctor against the nearest wall. He bounced off, and would have hit the floor but instead I caught him with my arm. Fingers that were barely under control wrapped around his throat, and I lifted him in the air. His feet and hands scrambled against the wall behind him.

  “If she dies,” I whispered in his ear after he had stopped struggling. “I’ll kill you. I will find you, and I kill you. If you have a family, I’ll kill them as well. Your wife and your children will feel my pain…”

  “Jaxon, please,” Ivana cried out from behind me. I squeezed harder on the doctors neck. I felt a soft hand touch my arm. I turned and looked into Ivana’s face. She looked so sad I melted. I dropped the doctor, and left the room.

  Nick and Dudley immediately followed me. They kept the security away. I honestly don’t know where I was headed. I just knew I had to move away before someone got hurt.

  Miriam appeared before me.

  I don’t know where she came from; she was just suddenly right in front of me and grabbing my arms.

  “Hope is not yet lost,” Miriam announced.

  I think I sagged just a bit. That’s all I could really do. I mean, I probably would have dropped to the floor, but the woman is pretty damn strong.

  “Do you hear me, Jaxon?” Miriam demanded. “Hope is not yet lost.”

  Her words gave me no comfort. I knew she spoke with the best of intentions but she hadn’t seen Skie. She didn’t hold her still form and feel the warmth leave her body. My wife was gone. Nothing would bring her back, and Miriam was no doctor.

  Dudley’s phone rang.

  “Answer it,” Miriam ordered.

  Dudley did as she asked. He spoke for a few moments with whoever was on the other line, and when he hung up he seemed angry.

  “That was Hardin,” Dudley announced. “He said that five of the shooters have been apprehended. High winds at the local airport are keeping the Presidents plane from taking off, so the shooters are being re-routed to Roswell in order to keep both parties away from each other. He wasn’t sure where they’re flying to after they drive to Roswell but right now they are being held at the police station while they await transport.”

  “So what?” Nick questioned.

  “He said that some of his government contacts are warning him that something’s in the wind, whatever that means. He wants us to find out who’s behind the shooting ASAP. He sounds a bit worried, but he wouldn’t elaborate on anything.”

  “Then let’s go to the police headquarters and talk to the shooters,” Nick said.

  We borrowed Miriam’s car and hauled ass to the station. Everyone looked at me sort of funny when I announced that I was going as well. It wasn’t because I didn’t care about my wife; I just needed to do something. The rage was burning a hole in my chest. I was having a difficult time keeping myself under control.

  Maybe I was also a coward.

  “Why would you say that?”

  I think a part of me just refused to say goodbye. A part of me wanted to run away from the pain. I couldn’t stand the thought of spending another minute in that hospital. I couldn’t stand the way everyone stared at me.

  The police force in Ruidoso is pretty small. There were only a couple cops in the entire station when we showed up. Most of the force was probably at the banquet hall doing whatever it is that police do when a mass shooting takes place.

  The two cops were shocked to see us walk into the reception area wearing our bloody clothes. I held my badge up to the nearest of them and demanded to see the shooters.

  “Just a minute,” the cop said before vanis
hing down the hall.

  I didn’t like the way the remaining cop sized us up as if we were something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

  “You got something to say?” I asked him.

  Before the man could reply, his buddy came back with four other men. They weren’t cops. Their cheap black suits reeked of Government but they didn’t give me a secret service vibe. They seemed a bit more on the sinister side.

  “I’m the one that has something to say,” the leader of the group announced.

  I didn’t like the situation, and I didn’t like the man’s face either. He seemed as if he were trying to take charge of things.

  “You know who I am?” I asked.

  His men flanked out around the room.

  “I do indeed,” the man smiled. “I have some questions for you boys. Why don’t we go on back to the sheriff’s office and have ourselves a nice chat?”

  He made the mistake of grabbing me by the arm. I was apparently wrong. The man wasn’t trying to take control of the situation. He thought he already had control.

  I jerked my arm away from his grasp and punched him in the sternum. It wasn’t my hardest punch but it was enough to put him on the floor. The three other men responded immediately. Each of them reached into their jackets for their pistols.

  Unfortunately, they never faced off against anyone like us before. Not a single weapon cleared leather before all of the men were down and out.

  The two cops never moved.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I asked the one with the attitude.

  “Not sure,” Mr. Attitude replied. “Those government assholes came in about twenty minutes ago and took charge of the entire station. They sent the surviving secret service agents out of town and put the Police Department on traffic control around the banquet hall. A more impolite bunch of people I never did meet. The chief tried to make some calls and find out who they were, but whoever he called wouldn’t tell him anything other than to give them whatever they wanted. The Chief was so pissed he up and went home for the night.”

  “Where are the shooters?” I asked.

  “They were shipped out a few minutes before you got here. They’re in a black SUV, guarded by four more of those agent fellows you just beat the snot out of. I think I heard something about Roswell.”