Luke stood and wrapped the berries in a leaf. "I'm game to go too."
"Sorry, Bro, you need to rest and let that foot heal."
"I'm fine. I swear."
Hunter slapped him on the back. "Next time, once you're healed. We've got it covered today."
Lucy and Hunter headed into the forest, leaving Luke standing there like a rejected puppy. Lucy felt bad, but he'd never be able to keep up, let alone hunt prey, and they couldn't afford for him to further injure himself. He'd need to be fully recovered for the mission, once they figured out a way to escape.
They pushed through brush, dodging vines and hanging branches.
Hunter made a sound that reminded Lucy of a cat hiss and flicked a leaf away from his face. "Green, green and more green. I'm sick of it. I hate the color green."
"If it weren't for the vampire bugs bent on sucking me dry, I'd love it. It's pretty. Besides, your eyes are green."
"Yeah, so? Doesn't mean I have to like the color."
His eyes were the most beautiful shade of green she'd ever seen—like priceless emeralds—but she held her tongue. No sense in looking even more like a love-sick teenager. "So what's your favorite color?"
He whacked at another branch. "Black."
"Black's not a color."
"Fine, Miss Picky. Brown."
"Seriously? Nobody likes brown." Talk about the most boring color ever.
"Brown is a great color. The earth is brown. Chocolate is brown. Aren't girls supposed to love chocolate? Besides, your eyes are brown, and they're pretty gorgeous."
Well, that was sweet... and kind of gag-inducing. The conversation started to sound like a scene in a romance novel with sparkly vampires, and a horrible thought hit her. What if he was the kind of guy who read sappy romances and used those lines to hit on girls? The idea was so preposterous she laughed out loud.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Just wondering how you became such a ladies' man."
"That's easy. I was born this way. It's all natural, baby."
Yeah, right. "What's your favorite food?"
"Pizza, the meat lover's kind. What, are we playing twenty questions here?"
Another mosquito—fortunately not giant-sized like some of the other bugs in the valley—landed on her arm and prepared for a meal. She squashed it and wiped away the splattered blood. Wonder whose blood that belonged to? "No. I'm just trying to learn more about you. You don't talk about yourself or your past much."
"You'd like me to, wouldn't you?"
"Well, yeah."
Hunter stopped, and Lucy bumped into him. He caught her around the waist, but then pulled back to look at her. "Let me ask you a question. Do you like talking about your past?"
Lucy considered. She'd never had to talk about her past before, to anyone. "Actually, no, I don't."
Hunter's pupils dilated and his green eyes looked even brighter. "We're not our past, Lucy. It influences us, sure, but even then we choose how it shapes us. One guy can grow up with alcoholic parents and become one himself, while another guy raised in the same family dynamic becomes a therapist who helps hundreds conquer their addictions. The past is just a collection of shady memories strung together by emotion. Nothing more. The choices of the moment make us who we are, not what happened to us as children. We are the values we choose to live by in the present. The past isn't important beyond the lessons we learn from it."
He locked eyes with her, as if trying to tell her something very important with just a look. "You won't learn anything real about me by exploring my past. You'll get to know me better by observing the kind of man I am now."
She wondered if he had secrets he was ashamed of, but then decided it didn't matter. His words made sense. She couldn't be judged by the life she'd lived at Rent-A-Kid. That life didn't define her, or speak to all of who she was on the inside. At least, she hoped it didn't. But her choices, they did speak to her character. What would her recent choices say about her?
They broke through the thick foliage and neared a cliff that reached high into the sky. Lucy craned her neck and looked up. "Maybe we could climb out?"
She didn't have to see the look on Hunter's face to know that climbing was preposterous. Even if they'd been skilled mountaineers, they would have found it impossible.
Hunter grabbed her hand and led her to the left, walking along the cliff face. "Maybe we'll find a way out of the valley if we follow this far enough."
She squeezed his hand. "Maybe, but doubtful. The answer is likely more complex, otherwise why wouldn't Mr. K just tell us?"
"Not sure. Maybe he's just messing with us because he's lonely and doesn't want us to leave. Can you imagine what it must be like for him here?"
To her horror, Lucy realized that she hadn't given much thought to what Mr. K's day-to-day life was like, with no one to talk to, no way to leave. "I don't think he'd deliberately keep us here. He's not like that."
Hunter responded sadly, "You don't know what people can become if put in the right—or wrong—circumstances. Desperation is a powerful incentive."
She did know what people could become, having experienced some pretty scary shit, but she refused to believe that of Mr. K. She focused instead on following the cliff as it curved ahead of them. It didn't lead to an exit of any kind, but it did put them on the edge of a small lake fed by a waterfall. Lucy had an overwhelming urge to jump in and get clean. Her body odor and greasy hair made her want to crawl out of her own skin, especially with Hunter so close.
"Check it out. Nature's shower. I need to get clean, will you stand watch?"
He waggled his eyebrow in excitement. "I'd love to stand and watch! Better yet, I could use a shower myself."
She swatted him in the chest. "You're not watching or joining. Now turn around and look elsewhere."
"You can't boss me around. You're not my boss. You're not even an agent."
"Maybe not, but I'm a lady. And thou shalt not gaze upon me. Also, I can kick your ass—and don't think I won't if I catch you peeking."
Hunter's snicker followed her as she made her way to the water. She reached to pull off her shirt, but turned first and waved her arm. "Shoo. Go occupy yourself some other way. Keep an eye out for killer ants or something."
"Fine."
He mumbled something about "women" and "tease" and "torture,"' but Lucy chose to ignore him as she undressed and slipped into the cool water. All of her muscles relaxed as she let herself float and soak. Her body drifted toward the waterfall, and she found a place to stand under the pouring water that washed the filth from her body.
But the water cleansed more than her body. Her mind latched onto the conversation she'd just had with Hunter, and she thought about her past choices and experiences: Sam impregnated and taken to the clinic while Lucy stood by, helpless to do anything; her mother, Ana, dying at the hands of Dr. Pana while Lucy once again did nothing; the force-fed drugs at Rent-A-Kid that kept her complacent and numb.
Adam escaping from his prison only to die moments later. The Seeker attacking Mary's mind during the first failed escape attempt at Rent-A-Kid.
Mr. Black beating Lucy so badly she nearly died.
Lucy shooting Robert, killing him.
All of her sins, her fears, her helplessness... the water pulled it from her like a baptism. Each new moment meant she could take a new path, a new way to live. She couldn't change what had happened, but she could decide how it shaped her present and future.
She ran her hands through her hair and over her body, cleaning herself as best she could and enjoying the lightness she felt with the release of so much guilt and fear. She didn't know if she could sustain this internal freedom, but she would try.
When her fingers began to prune, she realized Hunter might get worried. She could have scaled the rocks back to shore, but without shoes on, she chose to enjoy the swim instead. For the first time in a long time, she felt happy, but still very hungry.
Once her foot found the bottom, she yelled, "N
o peeking," and climbed out to retrieve her clothing. One sniff, and she wished she could wear anything else. Putting on dirty clothes seemed to defeat the purpose of a bath. Still, she couldn't walk around naked, so she pulled her shirt and pants over her damp body.
Something moved on the rock next to her—a lizard about the size of her arm, if she included its tail.
The creature looked at her, then scurried over the rocks and behind the waterfall, where it sat, scales shimmering like hidden jewels. She guessed that lizard, if cooked long enough, would probably just taste like chewy chicken.
With a salivating mouth, she zipped and buttoned up, then laced-up her shoes, grabbed her gun and knife, and stalked off after what could be dinner. No point calling Hunter. The lizard would be gone by then. This should just take a sec.
Water splashed off the rocks, spraying her with droplets and making footing slippery, but she continued until she stood behind the waterfall. A giant cavern loomed before her, carved into the sharp black rock of the cliff. The walls glinted, smooth and dangerous, like obsidian. The lizard slithered over part of a rock that jutted from the wall, then stopped and stared at her.
Adrenaline raced through Lucy as she pulled her knife out and eyed the reptile. From the corner of her eye, she spotted another lizard about the same size scurrying into a dark corner. Two would be good, especially with three of them to feed, but she focused on the one in front of her first. She could go after the other one later.
A deep breath, and she pounced. The lizard darted away, but she grabbed its tail. Yes! Oh crap. The tail hung from her hand, still wiggling despite having detached from the rest of the reptile.
"Ew!" She tossed it aside and watched it slither. Tailless, the lizard scurried deeper into the cave, as did the other one that had been waiting in the shadow. Another section to the cavern must open out back there.
She followed them into the dark, when a roar erupted from the blackness.
A pair of yellow eyes ringed in red came into view. Big eyes. A huge lizard emerged, bigger even than the beetles, its head and body filling the cavern. It reared back, exposing a pulsing red chest. Lucy could almost feel the beat of its heart beneath the skin. Hard green scales covered the rest of the reptile, making it look impenetrable.
The beast fell onto its stomach and hissed, looking pissed. Lucy suddenly realized why. The little ones—if they could be called little—must have been its babies. And when momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy. Least of all Lucy.
She jammed her knife into its sheath, pulled out her gun and aimed at the thing's chest, though she didn't have the same line of fire as a moment ago. The lizard's large eyes drew hers into a trance she couldn't break free of.
Just pull the trigger, Lucy. You can do this. Come on. Just shoot. This isn't Robert. It's not the alligator. It's not your brother. It's something that wants to kill you. Just shoot it, damn it!
The gun wavered in her hand, her trigger finger tightening and releasing as if uncertain of which command to obey.
In that hesitation, the lizard charged at her through the cavern. Lucy fired—her finger taking over on instinct—over and over.
It pulled back onto its hind legs and moaned, the sound echoing from the walls. Lucy didn't stop firing until her gun ran out of bullets.
The lizard dropped its head and stilled.
Lucy sighed in relief and swiped at a tear running down her cheek. She'd done what she had to do to survive.
A twitch caught her eye. Lizard tails could twitch after they'd been severed, but did whole dead lizards also twitch?
Maybe or maybe not, but she was pretty sure they didn't get up and pounce!
Lucy shrieked and jumped out of the way just as the very not dead lizard leaped at her. With a pounding heart, she sprinted over the rocks and through the waterfall.
Hunter stood on the shore, looking for her. "Lucy, what's wrong? What's that sound?"
"Hunter, no. Run!" She stumbled over rocks. "Run, now!"
He didn't move. "What? What are we—"
The lizard burst through the waterfall, spraying them both with droplets.
"Oh, crap." Hunter grabbed Lucy's hand to help her over a rock, and they both took off at full speed.
They'd almost reached the forest when the lizard jumped over their heads and landed in front of them. They stopped. Lucy's heart pounded in her chest, and fear surged through her. The lizard whipped its tail at them.
Hunter pulled at Lucy and screamed, "Roll."
She somersaulted under the tail, and Hunter did the same.
Another sweep of the tail and another roll.
They couldn't keep this up. "Maybe we could run it off a cliff."
"We're in a valley," Hunter reminded her. "No cliffs."
"Right. Lose it in the forest?"
The deadly tail nearly clipped Lucy in the shoulder. She fell to the ground, panting.
Hunter nodded. "Let's try."
Once the tail swept around again, they tried to skirt around the beast and run toward the forest, but the lizard stood on its back legs and slashed at them with sharp claws. Lucy dove to one side and Hunter to the other.
Hunter stood just as the lizard's tail lashed toward him.
"Hunter, no! Watch out."
Lucy's warning came too late. The tail sent Hunter flying into a tree. A sob broke through Lucy's lips as she ran toward him. Just as she was about to reach him, the lizard struck.
Pain. Pain like nothing she'd ever felt before flared across her back. She'd been shot, beaten, left for dead, but nothing hurt like this. It burned as if someone were pouring acid down her spine.
The ground crashed into her face. Her shirt dangled off her body in bloody shreds. A sticky wetness spread across her back and over her arms. Everything blurred and moved in and out of focus.
"Lucy! Oh my God, no!" Hunter's voice seemed far away, but he stood close to her, lean and tall and strong.
She wanted to reach for him, to hold him, but she couldn't move. Why didn't he come to her?
His eyes changed—his pupils turned into slits and the green in his eyes glowed with fire. Muscles coiled, and he ran and jumped toward the lizard.
Lucy tried to stop him, to warn him, only she couldn't talk through the pain.
Hunter dodged the lizard's tail and claws with such speed that Lucy thought she was blinking in and out of consciousness. The reptile took another swipe at him, claws dripping with Lucy's blood, and Hunter hit the ground and slid beneath its legs. Lucy had the random thought that he'd be really good at baseball, especially stealing bases.
He jumped up behind the lizard with such grace that he almost flew, and drew his sword from his pack. It extended into full size and cut off the lizard's tail in one clean cut.
The beast's roar filled the valley, and it spun with a viciousness that scared the hell out of Lucy, but Hunter dodged and stayed low. When the lizard turned back toward him, he jumped on it the way a cat might jump onto a fence—so fluid and graceful.
He scurried toward the reptile's head and raised his sword. Just as he was about to impale the lizard's brain, it shook its head and sent Hunter flying forward, over Lucy, where he landed with a thump.
No no no no no! No one could have survived that. No one.
Lucy cried, and the lizard locked its gaze with hers and stalked forward, ready to finish what it had started.
She tried to crawl away, but couldn't move. Her hands felt swollen and slow as she reached for her gun. Blood pooled around her, leaving her dizzy and weak.
The lizard charged with another roar, and Lucy knew the end had come. She didn't want her last thought to be of a giant, mutant, tailless creature bent on killing her, so with the last of her strength, she forced herself to turn toward Hunter—the man she might have fallen in love with, given just a little more time.
Instead of his crushed body, she saw him running toward her, sword in hand. As he approached, he leaped into the air in a way that no human would have been capable
of, and landed in front of her right as the lizard's mouth opened to eat her.
The sword glinted in the sun as he thrust it into the beast's pulsing red heart.
The earth shook as the lizard crashed to the ground with a moan. Then it was still.
Hunter pulled his blade free, wiped the blood onto the grass, and minimized and re-sheathed it. He did it all so fast, Lucy could barely track his movements before her eyes closed.
She heard him approach. "Lucy. Oh Lucy."
Her shirt hung in tatters, and somewhere in her mind that should have bothered her, but she didn't care. And Hunter, for once, didn't notice.
He pulled off his own shirt and draped it over her chest, then lifted her in his arms and carried her back toward camp.
With each step and bump, the pain tore into her, but she refused to make a noise. "Hunter...." She tried to speak, but couldn't finish the sentence. Everything seemed so far away, so....
Hunter looked at her, his eyes normal now. "You'll be okay. I'll make sure of it."
Her eyes closed, and she smiled. She believed him, and despite the burning, never-ending pain, warmth flowed into her—not just from the sphere this time, but from something else. Someone else.
She felt Hunter's presence inside her as she surrendered to the darkness.
Chapter 90 – Drake
The purple liquid coated Drake's throat as it made its way down and through his body, recharging the small spark of power still buried deep inside of him. His strength surged, muscles firing up, and the cobwebs in his mind cleared away to give him greater focus. No high accompanied this dose, unlike the blue drug, but he relished the natural high that came with his powers.
The truck he hid in shook, and he braced himself against the metal walls. They should be near the quarantine area now. He'd easily found a truck heading in with supplies. A small sip of the drug had been enough to give him the power to compel the driver to let him in the back and forget about him.
They'd been on the road for about thirty minutes. Canned goods rattled around him, and Drake took a deep breath and willed his body to relax. He wanted to jump out of the truck and hitch a ride to Washington to be with Sam, but he had to help Toby first. The CDC had announced that, tonight, they'd move everyone from the quarantine zone to a more secure location—a more secret location.
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