Hayden feels as the draining of his energy slowly ceases and the pressure on his chest decreases drastically. He takes a deep breath and brings himself to his hands and knees, so much energy gone that he can’t put up much more of a fight. Keeping his metallic form intact is wearing on him, which has never before been an issue, no matter how much energy he has lost.
“If he is alive, the others will sense him. They will trust him and walk right into their own deaths,” the man says in English. Hayden knows what this means. He is bait and the Nectorian who they are after will most definitely fight. “But until then, I think we can all treat ourselves.”
They continue draining him, beyond the point of holding his natural form and beyond the point of maintaining a fighting chance. He hopes only that the Nectorian they are after won’t fall for the trap in which he is involved.
*****
Chapter 10
Mary
Neither Mary nor Ross knows when it is safe to come back down the tree. Neither knows if another wave of Szorians is coming or if it is standard practice for two waves to sweep an area, the second with huge man-hunting beasts. Were they native to wherever the Szorians are from or were the monsters bred here on Earth? Mary knows that she had never seen anything nearly as terrifying.
“Down?” Red asks impatiently. She had been silent as a rock until Mary spoke, but now she is voicing her concerns.
“Give it another few minutes just in case,” Mary tells the child. “Do you want to move?”
Red shakes her head and Mary meets Ross’s eyes. He seems shocked, but Mary can’t understand why. “Ross?” She asks, hesitation evident in her tone.
“They should have felt me up here,” he says.
“It’s possible that they just overlooked you. They seemed really busy trying to contain the beasts, so I wouldn’t put it past them,” Mary comforts.
“No, Mary. I feel them inside my soul whenever they are near. A shiver runs down my spine and I can physically sense that they are near. It’s an unavoidable feeling and there is no way they could have missed it. They had to know I was here,” he says nervously. “But they didn’t stop and they are out of range now. What happened?”
“They must have missed you. If they knew you were here, they would have stopped for sure,” Mary reassures once again.
“And those beasts should have sniffed out Bosco. Bosco should have been torn to shreds.” Ross briefly looks at Red and realizes that he needs to filter himself. “Those beasts were merciless. They had no morals and looked like they could shred through a concrete wall with their bare teeth in a matter of seconds.”
“Doggy,” Red says with a broad smile and small giggle. Mary looks down at the child and feels something pull at her heartstrings—a hunch of sorts.
“Did you protect us, honey?” she asks. Red, of course, doesn’t answer and instead grabs ahold of Mary’s hair and runs her little hands through it expertly for such a small child, hardly pulling any strands. “That’s impossible,” Mary says with a chuckle, holding Red closer to herself and hugging her. Just because Red’s mom had an ability to see the future does not mean that Red will have any special abilities. She hadn’t even turned into a metallic being, making it almost difficult to believe that she was even born from a Nectorian. If Mary hadn’t seen it, she might not believe that Ruby was Red’s biological mother.
“How are we going to warn Jo and Hayden, let alone find them?” Mary asks Ross.
“If you were Mary, looking to enact revenge of the Szorians for killing your sister, what would you do?” Ross asks. Mary has always been intelligent, but the inconsistencies and differences in people's thoughts make it impossible to predict what an unstable girl may attempt. Mary shakes her head, having no idea where to begin. If she were in the situation, she would think logically and find a way to make the killers suffer while ensuring her own survival.
As far as Charlie’s death is concerned, Mary is sure that Jo would give her life without thought to see the death of even one Szorian—a life for a life. “She would be going after the Szorians, but she’d be risking herself in the process. Her thoughts are unstable and without someone to stabilize them, she will get herself killed soon.”
“So how will she best go after them?” Ross asks, allowing Mary to solve this riddle on her own. Mary may very well be the most intelligent person left alive, but in times of trauma and fear, she needs guidance and an anchor. Ross is providing both of those things.
Mary looks around and her gaze lands on the beaten-down trail only feet from Bosco, on the other side of the high grasses. The Szorians leave a clear path in their wake. “She would follow them,” Mary whispers, making her way out of the tree and setting Red on the ground. The child doesn’t hesitate to begin running around. Bosco tilts his head and watches as Ross exits the tree, taking caution to avoid looking at Charlie’s burial. “But the plants regenerate so quickly. Without expert tracking abilities, we won’t ever find the first set of Szorian tracks.”
Ross shakes his head. “Why do we need them if we have the second set?”
Mary opens her mouth to argue his logic, but stops. If the second set of Szorians were following the first to be sure all survivors are eliminated, it means they must be taking a very similar route. “So, do we follow them?” she asks, glancing at Red, who is sitting beside the dog. Mary is surprised that Bosco doesn’t snap at the child as he has been for everyone else. Maybe the dog shares Charlie’s loving nature toward children.
“If you believe Jo would have followed the first wave, the best way to find her would be to follow the second, correct?” Ross asks.
“But we are to assume that the Szorians are traveling at the same rate and Jo will stay between. Hayden would remain between, as well. How will we ever catch up to them?” Mary asks. Ross shrugs and Mary leans back onto the tree. And if we do follow them to wherever they are heading, what if there is no shelter and the rains come? We will all die without shelter.”
“The rains are a risk we have to take. We took the same risk when trekking up the mountain to find a camp we knew nothing about. Everything is a calculated risk, especially when it comes to either Szorians or cannibals. The rains are something we have to learn to live with,” Ross says.
“I can’t take those kinds of risks with Red,” Mary says, shaking her head adamantly.
“Everything is a risk,” Ross says. Mary knows that what he’s saying is the truth, but is trying to find Jo an unnecessary risk to take with a child in tow? She left in grief without thinking about what would become of Mary or Red. She left without seeing that her sister was properly buried. Jo just left, so is tracking her down worth the warning or will she accomplish her suicide mission before Mary finds her?
“We need to decide soon,” Ross says firmly. All signs of emotion in his voice have evaporated since Charlie’s death, but Mary can’t blame him. For all she knows, she could be the same way. Red has helped her through her loss in a way that nobody else would have been able to. “If we wait too long, the trail will go cold.”
“We can go,” Mary says with a nod, “but we have another problem. We went to get supplies, but when I thought that I lost Red, I left them behind. We have almost nothing left and I can’t take Red with me—not when the Szorians are so close. I can’t keep her safe, especially if I’m faced with a Szorian.” Mary doesn’t mention she brought Red with her last time because she had no other option. Ross was unstable and Mary would not have trusted him to keep Red safe.
She is still hesitant to trust Ross with such a responsibility, but she is confident Ross cares for Red, even if only because Charlie used to care for the girl.
“We can’t split up. If one of us leaves the trail, we won’t find each other again. These woods are too dense and finding our way back would be nearly impossible,” Ross says.
“I can find my way back,” Mary promises, slinging her dropped bag over her shoulder. It’s not heavy after leaving so many supplies behind. “Keep Red with you an
d keep her safe. I will be back for her, no matter what happens. Trust that.”
Ross nods, looking at Red and Bosco. “It won’t be easy,” he says.
“Nothing is easy anymore. This should at least be manageable.” Mary can’t even convince herself fully, but it has to be done. Without supplies, Red will starve and Ross won’t be able to care for her. But if they all go to find supplies instead of following the Szorians, they will never find Jo and warn her about the beasts approaching. There is nothing easy about the entire ordeal, but this is the only thing that Mary can think to do.
“Don’t get yourself killed and make sure to find us,” Ross says, glancing at Charlie’s grave. Mary nods in agreement and makes her way toward Red.
“Honey,” Mary starts, looking into Red’s deep brown eyes, so full of trust and love that her heart melts. “Stay with Ross until I get back, but I promise I will be back. It may just be a little while. Listen to him, all right?”
Red throws her arms around Mary and she returns her embrace fullheartedly. There is no way Mary will lose them. She can’t go the rest of her life without one of those hugs. In fact, she can’t go long without being in the presence of her soul mate’s little girl, so she knows undoubtedly that she will be back.
Nothing can keep her away for long.
*****
Chapter 11
Jo Leigh
I reach for the door handle, but one of the brothers pulls me back, shaking his head. Around me everyone else stands stiff and silent, sharing the knowledge of what’s going on without saying a word. With four Nectorians in the room and only three humans, including myself, I know I can ask over half of the people what is happening.
“Nectorian?” I ask, already knowing there is one nearby. “How close?”
“Close—really close,” Jebadyah responds.
“We need to leave right now,” Abdul says firmly, looking at the others around us. “We gave you a fair offer, but we have overstayed our welcome and you have used far more time than you were given. We will be on our way,” Abdul says, growing nearer to the door.
“I wish the best of luck to each of you, but we will not be caught in the crossfire,” I say. As I reach for the door handle, a large and full mass throws itself in front of me. I strain my neck, in a way that I have only ever had to do with Hayden, and meet the hardened gaze of the warrior. “Lee,” I warn. What exactly am I warning? What can I even do against an alien, let alone a warrior who can control my mind without any hesitation.
“I tried to tell you that you couldn’t leave, but you can’t listen. You are all always the same—trying to jump out of harm’s way and avoid the fight that has been overdue for centuries,” he chastises, taking a small step in my direction, putting us chest to chest—or rather face to chest. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t intimidated.
“Why would you try to keep us here when you know we will be slaughtered if we sought to fight one—let alone multiple Szorians?” I ask, not backing down from his dominant posture. The man is used to immediate submission, so I have no doubt that my protest is rocking him to his core and making him feel profoundly angry. Maybe I have a death wish and maybe I am just simply stupid, but holding my ground is far easier than it has ever been before.
“Jo,” Jebadyah warns, pulling me a small step backward. Why would they expect me to submit to someone as cruel as this warrior?
“Lee, please don’t do this. They are good people and I can tell they plan on standing for their beliefs. They have a valid point,” the kind kid says—Alex, I believe his name is.
The last thing I expect is the slap that echoes throughout the room and the red mark stretched across Alex’s left cheek, placed upon the skin by the palm of his soul mate. “Stay in place and don’t argue my orders. This order involves them to stay and you have done enough to prevent that from happening. Don’t doublecross me again or a slap isn’t all you will receive.” Lee’s voice echoes from the walls and causes Alex to take a step back and cowers. Having a mate like him, I am shocked that he was courageous enough to warn us, even if the warning didn’t have the desired effect.
Alex’s father doesn’t so much as look at his son, but an expression of disgust is apparent on the father’s face—disgust not directed at the Szorian who caused his son pain, but at the son who did nothing more than stand for what he believes in. I am so shocked that I find it difficult to move. As the anger wells inside of me, I don’t speak and do nothing more than clench my fists. How could a father and a soul mate be so cruel?
“Why are you trying to keep us here? Is there any reason or is it your goal to get us killed?” I ask. By trying to be humane, we are awarded this madness.
“They want to fight, but they need more help,” Abdul growls, stepping forward and standing his ground beside me. Jebadyah doesn’t move and I assume he is stuck in his spot, frozen with shock. I can easily understand why.
I don’t bother looking at Lee, but I glance at the other Szorian in the room who stands alongside Alex’s dad. “You all survived,” I say, shaking my head. “And you are trying to get yourself killed now? What did they take from you that can’t be replaced? Was it a family member? Was it a lover?” I shout at them. If the Nectorian was close before, my voice is undoubtedly leading it directly to us. “Because by staying here, you are offering them your life, too. We can’t take on the crowd by ourselves, and with one warrior, if we do face them, we are all as good as dead. Is that what you want? To kill yourselves?”
Alex looks terrified, but he seemed terrified for our sake far before we were officially trapped here. I can’t understand how he became connected to such monsters when it is apparent that he is far from the monster they have tried to create. His father, on the other hand, seems to fall right into line with the rest of the cruel people in the room.
“We plan to fight the Szorians and this is the first opportunity which has arisen. We can’t trust a few incompetent buffoons who believe that they can conquer an entire species without losing anything in the process,” Alex’s dad says.
“What have you lost?” I ask, raising my brow. “And I’m not talking about to the rains or any of the natural disasters that took everything from each of us. What have the Szorians taken from you?” He looks shocked to be asked such a question and he doesn’t respond. I look around the room and find two more familiar expressions, but Alex’s is the only deeply wounded one. “What about you guys?” I ask Alex’s dad and his soul mate. “Because I’m willing to bet the only one who lost someone important to him is Alex.”
It’s a calculated risk to point my finger at Alex when I don’t know for sure, but my hunch pays off when he nods. “My fiancée,” he says with a small nod. Lee looks at him in disgust and I can see his palm twitching. Without a second thought, I jump in front of Alex and take the slap that was meant for him.
It burns, but not nearly as bad as the slap of my sister’s death, which still echoes inside of me. A mere slap to the face means nothing to me at this point. “Who are you to decide all of our deaths when you haven’t even lost anything,” I scold Lee. I’m close enough that he could take another blow or snap my neck in a split second—and I know that he would like to—but he wants the Szorians to be destroyed almost as much as me, and I’m sure I’ve convinced him of our shared goal.
“We can’t let you go without knowing for sure you will fight alongside us, even if you are some distance away,” the nearly silent Szorian says from beside Alex’s father.
“Renly, this is not for you to decide,” Lee snaps at the other Nectorian. It seems that everyone by Alex’s father disagrees with Lee’s ways and I wonder if I can use that to our advantage.
“Lee, you do not decide who my group and I plan to fight for or against, and we sure as hell will not fight alongside someone like you. My offer to take you with us is revoked, but we will fight your battle when we are ready. A suicide mission is not the way to go,” I say one last time.
Jebadyah steps to the other side
of me, sensing my decision to fight our way out of this house if necessary. Abdul steps back to the side on which he recently inhabited. “He won’t change his mind,” Alex says to us. I push him behind us, knowing that Lee won’t like his tone of voice.
“This is the last chance,” I tell Lee. “Let us leave, or we will make sure the Szorians destroy all of you.” I wonder if he catches my bluff. I can’t ensure the demise of four inhumane individuals, though it is tempting to try.
Jebadyah and Abdul stand a little taller, ready to put on a great fight to get ourselves out of here. “I can give you the location of three former associates—all warriors who have kept in contact. I don’t know if they have survived to this point, but I will let you go only if you plan to fight against the Szorians,” Lee says. His apparent three-sixth tells me all I need to know. He knows if we put up a fight, we will ruin his chances of defeating, or even coming close to defeating, the Szorians. He can’t risk it.
“We’ll take them,” I say. Lee grabs a pen from his chest pocket of his shirt and a business card-looking paper. I gawk as he writes something on the business card and hands it to me. Who keeps a business card and a pen in their pocket during an apocalypse, unless of course he knew we were coming and what we were after.
But that’s impossible.
“Let’s go,” I tell Abdul and Jebadyah, reaching for the door. Jebadyah grabs my arm and pulls me back, staring at the door.
“They did this on purpose. It’s already too late,” he whispers. “They are right outside.”
Final Impact: A Dystopian Trilogy (BOUND Book 3) Page 5