“I will go provide help elsewhere,” Josephine says, walking in a direction away from both me and Noah. I merely sigh and shake my head. I don’t want to pick favorites, but I am thrilled we found her and her mate. They are essential to our cause, and I am confident they will do whatever needs to be done despite the circumstances.
We go about our strategy and part through the woods extremely soon after announcing our direction. As promised, Josephine and Noah are on the front lines along with Jebadyah and Abdul. Abner, another warrior who has fought alongside Josephine for quite a long time before even coming to our planet, stands near her, likely keeping her and Noah grounded. Without a clear-headed, reasonable person to ground her, Josephine is the type of girl to make rash decisions without a second thought. From what I have seen, he is an amazing fighter, just like Josephine.
I take up the tail alongside Hayden and another two warriors, but my job isn’t simply to walk. I attempt to navigate us in the correct direction from the tail of the group, leading around major roadways and cities. I haven’t seen anyone get sick from being around so many corpses yet, but I am confident it will happen. We cannot afford illness at this point in our journey. We are too close to accomplishing our goal to attain such an avoidable setback.
As we grow nearer and I am finally met with the stench that surrounds any populated area, I place the map in my backpack. “We follow the smell from here,” I tell Hayden. It’s nearly impossible to navigate the woods with a map, but I can typically get us in the general vicinity of the area for which we are looking.
I’m so eager to meet this last Nectorian that I stop paying attention to my surroundings. I have no doubt that the rest of the Nectorian are acutely aware of the happenings around them, but somehow, we miss the clouds forming on the horizon—dark and thick with liquid. It isn’t until they cover the sun above us that we finally take notice, but it is far too late at this point.
“We need to take cover right now,” I shout. I can see the town. It is so close that I know our only option is to run, but the problem is evident. If the acidic rain touches our skin, how will we survive to complete the mission? The most important thing is survival, and the quickly approaching rain is making even that a struggle. “Run,” I shout, taking off in a dead sprint toward the town before me. It is truly irrelevant how close it is. If the rain beats us there, we are all as good as dead.
I hardly notice that I am now in front of everyone in the group. My panic sets me apart from them. I have seen the result of the rains, and I would be surprised if the warriors haven’t. It will tear them apart, leaving burns at each point of contact, and nothing but shelter can stop it. I grow nearer, the stench becoming a distant thought in my mind. My heart is pounding, and my fear grows as my ears detect a single drop, thick and black, hitting the pavement at my feet.
We have mere seconds, if that, to take cover. Any contact could potentially be fatal, and I have not yet found cover for myself or my group. Do we even have a chance at this point? I don’t know why the question continuously runs through my mind, but I kick it out with a vengeance. We can make it. I know we can.
A shout of pain reaches my ear next as the drops of liquid splash around me haphazardly. My eyes lock on the door nearest to us and I pray with all my might that I make it in time. I believe some of the warriors found somewhere to take cover, because only a few people’s footsteps now follow me and I know that one set belongs to Hayden.
Pained cries sound behind me and I flinch at the sound, knowing there isn’t anything I can do. I make sure to cover my exposed skin with the fabric of my shirt as I run and I finally feel a drop land right on top of my sleeve. I peel the fabric from my skin, not slowing my pace in the least. “Almost there,” I shout. I reach for the door handle, though I am still a few feet away.
Step after step, drip after drip, and shout after shout, I grab ahold of the handle and twist. A small awning covers Hayden and me as we reach the door and he doesn’t hesitate. He lifts his leg and kicks the door in. We scramble inside and the people who were following us do the same. I immediately peel my shirt off my body and lay it on the ground. I felt only one drop land on me, but I can’t allow the acid to touch my skin.
I wiggle out of my backpack and find minor damage on it, as well. The acid burned a few holes in the top of the surface, but everything inside is still secure. Somehow, I remained unharmed. I turn to see who followed us inside and I find three people, not including Hayden, who looks equally as unharmed. Arlen, Ryan and Carson stand near the doorway, Ryan crumbled on the floor in agony. Carson is holding the back of his neck, but looks more concerned about Ryan. Arlen, the only other warrior aside from Hayden, is on his knees beside Ryan’s twitching and grueling form.
The dynamics between those three are unusual and the last thing I would have expected when looking for a warrior. Arlen is bound with Ryan and Carson’s mate died near the beginning of the rains. While I expected Arlen and Ryan to be close, I never would have anticipated the relationship that takes place between Ryan and Carson.
Much like Arlen, Ryan is all muscles and has the athletic build that someone would find on a college football player, which of course Ryan was. Carson, on the other hand, reminds me a lot of Mary. He is brilliant and retains information well. His mind is not an information trap like Mary’s, but it holds a lot of useful facts. So of course, Ryan and Carson are together.
“How many times did Ryan get hit?” I ask. Seeing the toughest human in the group withering in pain takes something out of me. Carson and Arlen each give me an odd look and Hayden steps in front of me. Hayden lifts his own untainted shirt over his head and puts it over mine. I realize quickly I am standing in only my sports bra and I bask in the warmth of Hayden’s shirt.
“How can we help?” Hayden asks Arlen, who looks to be struggling with healing Ryan’s wounds. I know firsthand how excellent Hayden is at healing. I haven’t yet seen anyone else in action.
“I can’t heal him right,” Arlen grinds from between his teeth. “I’ve never had this issue.”
Hayden drops beside Ryan and I pull Carson to my side, placing my hand over top of the hand he has on the back of his neck. He short cut hair makes it much easier to see the acid burn. “Why don’t you tell them you were hit, too?” I ask. The burn is red and gaping, blood slowly running from it. I’m afraid of what the rain will do now that it is inside of his system. If a single drop has the ability to corrode an entire ocean, what can it do to a human? There is nothing we can do now but wait.
“I am not burned nearly as bad as Ryan,” he replies through his teeth. I can hardly imagine the pain he must be enduring.
I turn to Hayden, planning to usher him over here and heal Carson really quickly, but when I see Ryan still withering in pain, I stop myself. Why is it not working? I take a small step in their direction and see Ryan’s wounds beginning to close, but they can’t be healed completely. “What’s going on?” I ask, placing a hand on Hayden’s shoulder.
“It should be easy. It’s just a transfer of energy, but I can’t get enough of my energy through to him. Neither can Arlen, and they are mates,” he replies, shaking his head and continuing to try.
“Maybe it’s the rain. It’s possible you can’t heal injuries instilled by the rain,” I state. It’s the first injury Hayden has been unable to heal, so I am shocked and trying to justify it.
“Go look for first aid,” Hayden orders. I look at Carson and he nods. We look around the residential house in which we are inhabiting and head out of the room, looking for anything which may help. The house looks almost as though it is used, which should have been the first hint that something was odd.
Carson and I make our way up the stairs carefully, making sure that none of them collapse as we walk, though they are steady and fairly new looking. At the very top of the stairs is a bathroom and I lead, going straight for the cabinet above the sink. Carson opens the drawers and we sift through everything, not finding so much as a single bandage or crea
m. “There has to be something,” Carson says exasperatedly. I can’t imagine seeing the person I love go through what Ryan is.
“There is nothing for you,” I hear from outside the bathroom. By the time I snap my head in the man’s direction, Carson is being thrown from the room and I back up fearfully. I don’t think to reach for the Glock in my waistband before the man grabs ahold of me and drags me from the bathroom by my hair.
I open my mouth to scream, but the man throws a hand over it, so my agonizing calls for Hayden are muted. Somehow, Carson must have hit his head, because the wiry guy is lying on the floor unconscious as the man drags me through the upper part of the house. “What are you? Szorian?” he asks, throwing me into the wall at the end of the hallway. My hip narrowly avoids a door handle and my body slams into the wall and falls to the floor.
I am beyond thankful for the missed door handle. “No,” I screech. “Hayden,” I shout, tears in my voice. I feel for my Glock, but it is no longer there. It had fallen out on the other side of the hallway, near Carson.
“There aren’t any human women left, so what are you?” He shouts, grabbing me by Hayden’s shirt and lifting me off of my feet. Judging by his strength and height, I am willing to assume he is a warrior.
“I’m human,” I cry, grabbing his wrists and kicking at his legs. “We were looking for you,” I tell him, praying that he is indeed the warrior who we were looking for.
He takes a moment and looks at me, then at the unconscious boy behind me. Something must click in his mind, because he drops me quickly and I hit the floor with a thud. I have no doubt that the right side of my body will be covered in bruises after being thrown into a wall, but I am thankful he finally put me down.
Behind him, I hear footsteps echo up the stairs and lean against the wall with a deep breath. “You are human,” he says, shocked. He looks toward the stairs and when Hayden emerges, the man stares at him with wide eyes. “Shit.”
I watch as Hayden glances at Carson and then takes in my appearance. I’m sure I am not only flustered and a disaster, but I also look terrified. And the man before me knows that not even I will be able to stop Hayden as he rushes toward the man in a rage. After all, he did throw me into a wall and cause me immense physical pain. A small part of me wants to see Hayden cause this man some irreversible damage. But while that is true, another part of me knows that we need him to help us. “Hayden,” I whisper. Hayden doesn’t so much as slow down as he barrels into the man.
As soon as the throws the first punch, I say his name louder and more firmly. He halts and looks at me before another unfamiliar voice joins in. “Stop. You’re hurting him,” another man shouts, coming out of a bedroom on the opposite side of the hallway.
“West, go,” the man beneath Hayden says. I glare at the new addition to the hallway.
“Wait, you stay. You heard me screaming and didn’t bother to come help?” I shout at him. I pull my crumpled body from the floor and charge in West’s direction. “What the hell, man?”
“Stop, everyone just stop,” Carson mumbles from the ground. I swear I have never whipped around so quickly. “Get along.” And then he falls unconscious once more, likely for the best. I have no doubt that he has a splitting headache.
I stand between everyone and grab at my hair, massaging my scalp gently. Hayden notices and looks back at the man before him, with malice in his eyes. “Hayden, get over here,” I order. I need someone to keep me upright until I can completely feel my side. Hayden, fortunately, listens and wraps me in his arms, standing between my assailant and me. “What’s your name?” I ask him.
“Kruze, ma’am. I apologize. I didn’t realize that you were a human or mated to another one of us. I would have never…” he stops mid-sentence and pulls himself from the floor. “I told West that you were a Szorian and to stay hidden. I didn’t want him to get hurt. I’m so sorry.” He rubs his jaw where Hayden landed an impressive combo of punches.
“We of all people understand,” I say. I can feel Hayden’s scowl as it remains on Kruze. I know for a fact he doesn’t appreciate my passiveness. “If the situation were reversed, we would have done the same thing. So, I assume West is your mate?” I ask.
“You would assume correctly,” Kruze says. I realize we have had so many new faces in our lives that remembering their names will be anything but easy, but I’ll do my best.
“Well, we have a proposition for you,” I say. “Why don’t you two come downstairs and we can explain?” I reach down and grab my Glock 22, holding my right side. The pain is already shooting through me, but I know it will get worse. As I slip the gun in my waistband and everyone goes downstairs, Kruze carrying Carson and expecting another hard punch, Hayden pulls me back.
We’re left alone at the top of the stairs and as he lays his hands on my side, his brow furrows. I assume he is trying to heal me, but I don’t feel the usual warmth that accompanies being healed. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Jo Leigh,” he begins, shaking his head. “I can’t heal you either.” My heart drops and I look into his galaxy eyes that hold a panic which I have never seen within them before. What is happening?
*****
Chapter 18
Mary
Mary and her unusual clique spend a month tracking Jo and Hayden, who they assume must have found one another in such a long period of time. After all, they are getting close. As Mary grows closer, the tracks expand and one set turns into two. Two tracks then become multiplied. Unfortunately, trekking in the woods behind them is not a good way to determine the number of people in Jo’s new group.
And Mary would be lying if she said she was not hurt that Jo found a new group instead of remaining alongside her and Ross.
The most surprising thing is the fact that Ross and Isabelle have been getting along relatively well. “Who would have thought that those two would become friends?” Elijah asks, nudging Mary as they hike down a steep hill.
“I wouldn’t consider this friendship,” Mary says with a furrowed brow. She watches as Ross and Isabelle lead side by side, but she can still feel the slight tension between them. It is obvious to Mary that Isabelle has a history with Szorians, even if that is not Ross’s fault. When a child gets bitten by a dog, he typically remains afraid of dogs. It’s an instinctual thing, so Mary finds it hard to believe that Isabelle had gotten over her instinct so easily.
“Isabelle doesn’t turn her back on people who she doesn’t trust completely,” he states. Mary takes in Isabelle’s posture and shakes her head.
“She isn’t turning her back on him. Look, she is still angled to keep an eye on him,” Mary explains. One thing she did notice is that Isabelle always has her back turned on Elijah, and only has it turned on Mary when Elijah is with her. She evidently trusts neither Mary nor Ross.
But really, what can Mary do with a child who demands constant supervision? Red runs rampantly around everyone alike; Ross, Mary, Isabelle and Elijah are all simply playthings in the child’s eyes. Even though Isabelle seems like a cold woman, it is obvious that she has a warm spot in her heart for Red. Who wouldn’t love the little red-headed child? And Mary is almost positive she has caught Isabelle feeding Bosco scraps of her own food on top of what Ross already gives him.
And, of course, Elijah loves Red like his own child, which is one of the most attractive things in Mary’s eyes. Mary watches as he eyes Isabelle and a bubble forms in her chest, pressing on her heart and making her stomach do incredible things. She isn’t sure if this feeling is jealousy, as she has never experienced it to this extent.
They walk in silence for a small amount of time, which is what most of their days include. Speaking isn’t a necessity and Mary doesn’t bother doing it much of the time. She is more of a silent observer and it has always been that way. “Are you and Ross together?” Elijah asks spontaneously. Mary’s eyebrows spring up and she shoots her full attention to Elijah.
“What do you mean, together?” she asks, confused. “We’ve been together si
nce this cannibal situation a while back.”
Elijah shakes his head, grabbing the back of his neck and standing a little taller, as if specifying will embarrass him. “Not like that,” he says with a deep chuckle. The sound of his laughter sends shivers down Mary’s spine. She knows they are not soul mates, but there is no doubt she has a physical attraction to a man that she hardly knows. “Are you intimate with him?”
The bluntness of his question causes Mary to choke on her own fluids. Ross, undoubtedly hearing the sound, whips his head around to witness her coughing fit. Mary realizes how unlikely it was for him to ask such a question, especially since he is traveling with a woman of his own. Ross’s protective nature may very well be the answer that Elijah was not hoping to receive, so Mary replies. “Ross and I are very far from sexual partners. We are friends who work well together and are in a very similar situation.”
Elijah doesn’t say anything and Mary wonders whether or not she should reciprocate the question. Before she is able, Isabelle whips around, ruining Mary’s momentary gull. “Look in the skies,” she tells Elijah, with wide eyes.
Everyone looks to the sky with furrowed brows and confusion evident on their faces. Mary sees the darkening of the horizon in the direction they are heading, but realizes that it is not yet close enough to mean anything terrible. “Where is the nearest city?” Ross asks, noticing the same thing. “Or even the nearest shelter?”
Isabelle shrugs exasperatedly. They have all been so mesmerized on finding Jo and her newfound group that they hadn’t paid attention to where they were heading. “It can’t be too far. There is a distinct odor and humans sought some sort of shelter before dying and leaving their rotting corpses as a beacon.”
“We don’t have time to talk. Ross, grab Red. We need to run,” Mary tells him, knowing that Ross may be the strongest person in the group.
As expected, Ross does as he is asked and they take off running in the direction of the rains. The decision is either exceedingly ignorant or the only thing that will keep them alive. Mary notices that Isabelle continues to follow Jo’s tracks, but she doesn’t argue. They are close, so if Jo makes it, they should make it.
Final Impact: A Dystopian Trilogy (BOUND Book 3) Page 9