Voice trembling, I said, “Fine. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt her, okay?”
He gestured with his head toward the area over his shoulder. “That way.”
I sidestepped the two of them and began walking, unsure of where, exactly, Thellius was taking Tabitha and me. All I knew was that none of this would end well. And now, because of my stupidity, I had also put my mom’s life in danger.
Other agents ran up on us, but stopped short when they caught sight of Thellius with the gun. Enoch, the man who stopped Dom the first time I came to the Ministry, materialized in a cluster of older men standing in one of the doorways to my left. His eyelids disappeared as soon as he noticed Thellius and what he was doing. Jaw slack and brows furrowing, he glanced around at his friends.
“This is a disgrace!” Enoch bellowed. “This is not how we operate, Thellius!”
Murmurs of agreement resonated through the small group.
“Silence!” Thellius ordered. “As long as I am commander of this institution, I will handle the Ministry’s state of affairs as I see fit.”
Enoch inched closer, standing at the front of the crowd and studying Thellius’ semiautomatic handgun with a cautious gaze. “And we understand that you are our leader, but I loathe to remind you that the council makes all decisions, whether you finalize them or not.” He advanced a couple of feet. “And right now, I believe the decision is unanimous.”
Thellius wavered, his weight shifting from one leg to another. His eyes quickly darted around the corridor, not settling on any one thing. Behind his pupils, there was careful calculation. He weighed his options. Would he put another hole in my mom, or would he yield to the councilmen? I hoped for the latter, but the former caused my stomach to surge into my throat.
“You are right, my friend,” said Thellius. “The decision is unanimous.” He raised his arm, pointed the gun at Enoch’s head, and pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
“Holy shit!” I squealed, dropping to my knees and struggling to catch my breath. Cowering on the ground, I covered my head, as if that would protect me from a bullet. This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. If Thellius was this reckless with one of his own, he would definitely kill Tabitha. Or me. Or maybe even both. Clenching my teeth, I fought to regain my focus, but the cement floor was a complete blur through my tears.
Peering up through my lashes, Enoch’s lifeless eyes stared back at me—a bitter reminder that I could be in his place at any given moment, if I wasn’t cautious. His blood-spattered face was a mere four feet from mine. The opening in his forehead steadily oozed, which only added to the growing, red puddle underneath his skull. I wanted to scream. I wanted to vomit. But nothing—not even a noise—escaped my lips.
“Get up,” Thellius commanded.
Gradually, I rose to my feet and turned around, in the direction we originally traveled. My stomach sprang forward, like there was something inside me craving release. Don’t be sick, I told myself. Not now.
The hallways merged together, creating one very lengthy walk to wherever Thellius was taking us. Miniature vibrations tremored up and down my legs, and I wasn’t positive I could stand for much longer. Glancing over my shoulder, Thellius was a few feet behind me, with Tabitha in tow. But there was one thing disturbing me even more: nobody followed us. Nobody else made a single attempt to help. We were completely alone with a madman.
“Turn here,” Thellius instructed.
Since there was only one open hallway, I assumed that’s where he meant for me to go. An oak door waited for us at the end of the passage. Reaching the entry, I extended my hand, but Thellius stopped me.
“Here,” he said, dropping the gun in my hand before I could object. He breezed past, still lugging Tabitha.
The room in front of me was lined with mahogany bookshelves, stray stacks of paper all over the floor, and Dom. He sat behind a desk, stone-faced. His eyes followed my every move, but his gaze held about as much expression as Enoch’s after he was shot. It was as if his soul had been sucked out, and I stared at the remnants of his former self.
Several other agents were gathered around the small area, waiting for us to join them. Thellius released Tabitha and joined the group, leaving her to stand off to the side.
As I neared the center of the room, Dom robotically stood up. Thellius whispered in his ear, and then Dom addressed me. “Kearly Ashling, do you admit to using your imagination on more than one occasion, and even after you were told to stop?”
My brows rutted. “Of course, but you already—”
“Furthermore,” he continued, interrupting me, “do you admit to evading the Ministry, harming agents when you resisted arrest, and killing Enoch?”
“What? No, I didn’t kill him!”
“Then, who did?”
“Thellius,” I said, though my pitch was off. “He shot him.”
They all laughed.
“My dear girl,” Thellius said while attempting to hide his amusement, “you’re still carrying the gun.”
Oh, my God. I stared down at my hand. I’d been too preoccupied with Dom, with trying to decipher his expression, to pay attention to what was right in front of me. Thellius knew Dom would be my distraction. He set me up. “And you had, like, twenty witnesses who saw you shoot Enoch,” I retorted.
Thellius spread his arms wide, palms facing upward. “Where are they?”
This was ridiculous. “They ran from you, afraid for their lives!”
“She’s telling the truth,” said Tabitha. “I was there, being held hostage by this man.” She pointed at Thellius.
Although his face wasn’t completely void of expression, Thellius wasn’t enjoying himself as much as he was ten seconds ago. His grin faltered, and the glimmer in his eyes bordered on wicked rather than cheerful.
“Such utter nonsense,” he stated. “Do you see how the Dreamers are manipulative creatures, who must be exterminated?”
What are we? Pests?
Thellius continued, and the agents nodded as he went along. “This is what you all have been trained for. This very moment. Do not be deceived by the Dreamers; they hold no power over you. It is you who holds power over them.”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but who knew what they’d do to me if I was caught. Instead, I mumbled, “Bunch of brainwashed morons,” and gently set the gun down on the desk.
One of Dom’s eyebrows arched higher than the other. “So, you have nothing to say for yourself?” He stared at me, but he wasn’t in there. Not the Dom I knew.
“What the hell did they do to you?” I whispered.
He didn’t respond to my question. Instead, he answered, “Kearly Ashling, you are in direct violation of the Ministry’s orders, listed as a fugitive and a murderer, and the only punishment fit for you is a complete wipe.”
My eyelids were nonexistent. “Complete wipe?”
Dom smirked. “Julian will be handling your memories; I only have the ability to erase imaginations. Where is Julian, anyway?”
Thellius barked, “Who cares? Finish this, so I can clean up the mess she’s made.”
What the hell did they do to Dom in such a short time? My eyes pooled with tears, and I wiped them. Just a few hours ago, we were excited to eat food and take a hot shower. Now, our lives were officially over. And in the same amount of time, I wouldn’t remember being here, or having this conversation.
“Dom,” I choked out. A steady stream of warm tears cascaded down my cheeks. At this point, I didn’t care who saw me. “Listen to me. If you’re in there, don’t give up. Whatever you do, just…don’t give up.”
Kearly, said a voice inside my head. Rafe! He was alive? I controlled my inner conflict; Dom and the others observed me with watchful eyes. Don’t be fooled by Dom’s actions. I’ll take care of Julian, and Dom will fake wiping your imagination. Cooperate. Pretend you’re in pain.