Final Impact: A Dystopian Trilogy (BOUND Book 3)

by Doug McGovern

  Nobody speaks for a moment as we all look at Isabelle, hoping she will communicate on our behalf. How would we even speak to this woman? “We are here to ask your assistance,” Isabelle says. She sounds less firm than she always has with us. The difference is, this woman has just as much—if not more—power than Isabelle whereas we are below Isabelle.

  I never once felt as if Ruby was superior to me, but that is the sharp contrast between the two women’s personalities. Ruby was powerful and she was confident enough in her power to allow us the luxury of comfort around her. Isabelle wants us to know she’s powerful, whether she is really as much as she claims or not. “I didn’t ask you what you wanted. I asked who you were,” the woman says. I am shocked by the gentleness in her tone despite the demanding words. Isabelle seems taken aback.

  “You mean our names?” Isabelle asks.

  “There is great power in a name. It is your title—the one you were given at birth and will never be completely rid of. So I would like to know them. Then I would like to hear your proposition,” the woman says.

  The sphere of water lowers her to the ground as if it is controlling her and not the other way around, but I know differently. “I am Jo,” I state, taking a step forward. This was initially my cause and I cannot expect others to run it on my behalf. “And we really need your help,” I say.

  The woman looks at me and the water miraculously lowers to the concrete beneath her feet and sets in puddles. It seems like a waste of fresh water in my opinion, though I cannot determine how there is fresh water in this town while not anywhere else. “My name is Jane,” she says. Her Chinese face doesn’t at all seem to indicate a lack of English speaking abilities. “Please tell me what I can do.”

  Her pleasantries do not seem anything like they were with Isabelle, as Jane seems much more professional, talking to me. I can’t help but wonder if Isabelle sees herself as powerful, yet is unable to hold her power when surrounded by her equals. “A lot has happened to my earth, somewhat because of our own ignorance and pollutions, but largely because of a foreign life force that came to our planet and spread an otherworldly sickness. We came here initially to ask for help in our fight against Szorians, but it seems you can assist us in many more ways, as well.” I watch as she moves closer to me, fluid as the water which she controls.

  “I will not help you fight. I will help your cause because of the initiative you took to seek me out and survive in the process, but I will not fight,” she says. I need not ask why she refuses to fight, for I already know the reason. She is a peaceful being and she doesn’t believe in fighting or killing. By watching her demeanor and peaceful tone, it would take a truly ignorant being to miss her peaceful cues.

  “We,” I point at Jebadyah, Isabelle, Hayden and me, “will do the fighting if you help us in whatever way you can. If it means peacefully holding the Szorians away from our group, we will take whatever you are willing to give. And aside from that, I would very much like to hear how your ability works. I believe it could be greatly useful to the rest of the survivors and us.”

  Jane stares at me for a moment, likely contemplating whether or not to believe us. She truly needs to understand we will not pressure her to do anything she does not believe in doing. We will take what she is willing to give and nothing more. “Have you been told of our customs of not revealing our abilities?” Jane asks with a furrowed brow.

  “I feel as though those customs can be muted between allies,” I reply.

  “I have yet to decide whether or not we are allies. As of right now, you are complete strangers to me,” Jane protests, but her demeanor becomes less guarded. I was expecting it to be more difficult to convince her to trust us, especially in the world in which we live. Betrayals are as common as finding a dead body.

  “If that is so, don’t tell us. I am simply suggesting that you do. Knowing what you can do will not create any sort of immunity to your unique gifts. We would like to know only how these gifts can benefit ourselves and our friends. I am encouraging you not to divulge if you do not feel comfortable,” I tell Jane. “But please, at least give us a chance.”

  With a hesitant nod, I know I have her agreement. With this addition, I am convinced we may be ready to face the Szorians, after all.

  *****

  Chapter 24

  Mary

  When Mary realizes what Jo and the others are doing, it is too late for her to join along. Even if she knew sooner, she wasn’t sure she would be able to mentally handle facing another royal. Not yet, at least. After Elijah’s comfort, Mary is confident she can face another royal.

  She sits on the couch, mentally preparing herself for what is to come, but as they return rather quickly and Bosco stares at the door as they walk inside, she realizes she may have been wrong. Elijah’s warm hand embraces hers quickly and gently and Mary’s anguish evaporates. It’s just her and Elijah.

  Isabelle stands near Ross and Red sits on the floor beside Bosco. Mary is familiar with them. Mary knows Jo and Hayden as they walk through the door. The other faces in the room are foreign and tight with distrust for Ross. If only they knew him the way Mary does. Then they would know he is here to help, not hurt.

  “This is Jane,” Jo says as they walk through the door. “She is royal.”

  Mary watches as Jane’s movement mirrors fluidity and grace which she has never seen. Jane’s waist-length black hair and different colored skin contrast her navy blue robe, satin and free of stain and tears. Mary wonders how anyone can have clothing that looks so unworn. She had not seen anyone in anything but scrubs and filth since the rains, so the fact that Jane looks bathed and hygienic comes as a shock to Mary and surely everyone else.

  “Another one? Are they just coming out of the woodwork now? I thought you guys were rare or something,” Ross says to Jane rudely.

  “Ross, she is here to help,” Jo snaps. “And unlike most royals, she revealed her abilities to our cause.” It is apparent that Jo is sending a blow toward Isabelle, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

  “What can she do?” Mary asks, looking at Jane. Mary can’t begin to imagine the possibilities.

  “You have a shielded child,” Jane says, looking at Red. Red’s expression is pensive and contemplative. It is obvious that Red has grown in a difficult world judging by her lack of excitement when faced with new people. “That is an impressive gift.”

  Jo ignores Jane’s statement and replies to Mary. “Jane can influence water,” Jo explains. Judging by her expression, it is evident she is holding something back.

  “It’s too bad that there isn’t much of that,” Jebadyah says pessimistically. Mary doesn’t know the man or his name, but she doesn’t appreciate his lack of optimism. Controlling water could prove to be useful, though there isn’t much of it.

  “That’s not all,” Jo says, looking at Jane for the go ahead. Though it looks to pain her, Jane nods and allows Jo to continue. Hayden takes a step closer to Jo discreetly and Mary seems to be the only one to notice. “Jane can control H2O. The liquid that falls from our skies is a different compound. It is H2O, but with additional compounds included.”

  “So she can’t control the goo?” The female warrior asks. Mary is mesmerized by her for some reason. She is as strong as Mary wishes to one day become. She is as fearless and brave as Hayden, on his journey to find Jo. The woman is admirable.

  “That is the thing, she can’t control the goo, but she can separate the water inside,” Jo says. Mary is confused and she is sure everyone else is, as well. The woman can separate the compounds of the water?

  “Allow me to show you,” Jane says, looking out the front door. At first, Mary doesn’t notice anything, but after a moment, water begins flooding the room. Mary jumps backward, off of the couch and away from Elijah. He follows and blocks her with his body, but as the water grazes their skin, clear and fresh, it doesn’t burn their skin.

  “What?” Mary says, staring at the liquid in astonishment.

  “By separating the prope
rties of the water from the poison, she makes it drinkable and usable again.” Mary looks around at all of the shocked faces and knows that hers must mirror them. If this means what it seems to mean, Jane may have just swayed the odds of this battle to the good side. With water on their side…

  “Isabelle, I know you don’t want to tell us your gift, but we need to know we can count on you. We are all allies here,” Mary says to Isabelle, who stands with a neutral expression on her face. It is almost as if she is unaffected by Jane’s ability, though she has never before met the woman.

  “I cannot reveal that to you,” she says stubbornly. Elijah, to Mary’s surprise, steps forward and faces her.

  “Izzy, this is important. I trust these people. They are warriors who will serve you until their last breath. Even Ross is loyal. You can see how much he loves Mary and the others. He has a connection to the child and the dog. He won’t betray us. I understand knowledge is power, but we could use all the power we can get, and knowing that you have our back is important. I will not reveal it, but you should,” Elijah gently urges.

  Mary is surprised to know that Elijah has known her ability all along, but pleased with his loyalty to Isabelle. She wants nothing more than to be surrounded by loyal people, even if everyone’s loyalties lie with each other and not specifically her.

  Isabelle looks around for a moment and then looks to the floor. “Okay,” she agrees, lifting her gaze to Elijah. She grabs the back of his neck and places their foreheads together. With that motion, Mary’s heart drops in what she can best define as jealousy. She knows they are bound and that makes them close, but seeing Isabelle touch him in such a way is difficult.

  “I project myself. I can send an invisible part of myself ahead to monitor my surroundings. It makes my senses keen and aware of Szorians as well as my own kind. I am sensitive to all kinds of energy and very rarely allow myself to become distracted. Meeting you, Mary, was one of the few times I was not aware of my surroundings,” Isabelle states. I stare at her and then around the room.

  “I think we may have a chance,” Jo states, and Mary agrees fullheartedly.

  With three royals, Jo’s precise sharpshooting ability, the Szorians weakened state and plenty of people attuned to fighting, Mary feels confident with their small army.

  *****

  Chapter 25

  Jo Leigh

  It is not a difficult plan to set. We know which direction the Szorians are heading and judging by the timeframe, we are also confident we know where they are going to go, so we decided to intercept their path. In theory, this plan was fullproof. In actuality, as we sit in the trees and wait for the Szorians, I begin doubting myself and my decision. Any number of things could have changed the path of the Szorians.

  I sit high in a tree, almost a blip in the sky from the ground. My location was perfectly chosen to give me a maximum range on the sniper rifle which Hayden and a few other warriors provided for me. I’m tied down to the huge branch and lying on my stomach, staring through the scope of my weapon. I’ve been ready for three hours and I’m becoming impatient, but they have to be coming.

  According to the plan, I sit up here and snipe down each of the beasts as soon as they are in range. When I give the signal, everyone else will come and terminate the Szorians. Red is sitting on the other side of the giant branch, tied down tightly and blocking our signal from the Szorians. “Why are we hiding?” she keeps asking with her childlike tone and mispronounced words.

  “Honey you need to be quiet for a little while. The bad guys are coming,” I continue to reply. So we wait.

  And wait.

  And, to no surprise, wait a little bit longer.

  But when a twig snaps, my fingers, eyes and arms act in reflex and I hone my sights as far in the distance as possible. When they are in sight, I will take the shots. I stare blindly for a few seconds before whispering to Red. “Okay baby, don’t make a sound.”

  She is a good kid. She’s little and looks to be no more than three years old, but when I say to be quiet, I can hardly tell that she is there. I hear Bosco jump to his feet on the ground below and make sure my sights are set and adjusted. It takes mere seconds for me to spot them. The beasts cause me to hold my breath for a moment in both fright and disgust. They are huge, hulking creatures which look like nothing I have ever seen. I am thoroughly disgusted, but after a moment, I line my first shot.

  There are three of them--big--and just as Mary described. They have long dagger-like teeth and they look vicious and marred from previous fights. It will take more than a single bullet to kill each of them without a doubt.

  So without any further hesitation, I cock my rifle, line the shot, and as I exhale, I take the long shot, hitting my mark between the eyes. I expect the creature to jump and snarl without restraint, but it drops dead nearly immediately. The other two beasts begin howling in anguish and jumping around frantically, pulling the Szorians who have them contained. I temporarily believe the beasts will tear the Szorians apart, but when they both turn in my direction and seemingly peer into my soul, I cock my weapon and aim once again, a slight shake to my motion.

  When I exhale and pull the trigger this time, a bullet soars past the beast’s head and implants itself into a Szorian. And the beasts charge.

  From there, almost everything is a blur. I fire a couple more shots, hitting the beasts in places that won’t do much damage. I manage one more shot between the eyes before they are finally among us—one monster still standing and minimally wounded. I release the high-pitched whistle that the team has been waiting to hear and line the beast in my sights once more. Everyone drops from the trees like trained assassins ready to battle, but Ross lands directly in front of the mongrel. Ross is in front of my shot, so unless he moves, I can’t take it.

  It doesn’t take long before the beast rears back and drool falls from its long dagger-like teeth. “Ross, move,” I whisper under my breath. The monster rears back and growls before breaking from the Szorians grasp and rushing toward Ross. Nothing can prepare me for what is happening as the beast lunges at Ross and Ross stands defenseless.

  I rearrange myself and place my finger on the trigger, waiting for the moment that shot aligns itself, but something happens that sends my heart racing. Bosco, whom I had not noticed until now, is charging toward Ross and ready to attack. The last living part of Charlie is preparing to save her soul mate.

  The creature lands on top of Ross and snaps its jaws in his face as he lays beneath its claws and holds it at bay with his strained arms. Finally, I find the right shot and pull the trigger, but not before Bosco springs from the ground and slams into the beast with all of his might, both of them going tumbling around in a vicious battle. My bullet soars through the air and hits its mark, despite all the anticipated movement.

  My glance shoots to Bosco, but as he walks toward Ross, I turn my attention elsewhere, knowing that bullets will be of great assistance.

  As expected, nobody is able to transform into their true forms aside from the two royals fighting below. Isabelle is engaging in a hand-to-hand battle and Jane is allowing her control of water to do the work for her. Everyone else is fighting the human way. This is the proof we needed to support the fact that the Nectorians and Szorians are indeed turning human after all.

  I take a deep breath and use my weapon to assist those who need it, but the team has the brunt of the battle covered on their own and it is over almost as quickly as it started. The humans stood back and the warriors fought with everything in them. “Was it really that easy?” I ask myself. I turn to Red, who is covering her ears with each of her hands, likely to block out the sound of the bullets flying through the air and the gun exploding with power and sound.

  “Red, baby,” I say, undoing the knots that hold me in the tree and reaching for her. “It’s over.” Red smiles and looks at the ground below her, likely thrilled to get down. I don’t anticipate her expression to drop so dramatically.

  “Doggie,” she says with a sniffle.
Confused at first, I look to the ground below us and my heart sinks.

  “No,” I plead. I throw Red over my back quickly and rush to the bottom of the tree, sitting her on the ground beside Mary, who is staring at Bosco with an expression of denial. “Bosco,” I whisper, dropping to my knees and running my hand through his beautiful coat. He turns his eyes to me—one brown and one bright blue. They are the eyes with which my sister fell in love.

  “The—the animal got him,” Ross says, but we all know what happened. I can’t tell where the blood is seeping through his coat, but I feel it on my hands as I pet him and I know there is nothing we can do.

  I drop to the ground and lay beside him as he pants for breath. I continue stroking him until his last breath leaves his lips and for a brief moment, I wish I could take the dog’s place. I look around and realize he is the only friendly casualty of this battle, but his loss hits harder than almost anyone else’s would have. Ross falls backward against a tree and his eyes well with tears as he faces the same fact I’m struggling to accept.

  Bosco was the last piece of Charlie and now he is gone, too.

  *****

  Chapter 26

  Jo Leigh

  The funeral is four days later. Most people don’t bother attending the funeral for a pet, but my original group comes and mourns alongside me. They understand the importance. They understand the pain which we had gone through together. Hayden stands behind me, wrapping me in his arms and Mary and Red stand on the other side of the tombstone beside Ross. As I look around at the people who have become my family, I am shocked to realize there are only five of us left.

  From the beginning, I have continued meeting and losing new people but Mary, Red, Ross, Hayden and I are the constants.

  There isn’t much to say to the dog which has accompanied my sister through the literal apocalypse and then stuck by our side after her death. He died too young. He died bravely. There are so many things I could say, but silence is more fitting.