Final Life: Book One in the Transhuman Chronicles

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  "You’re back where you belong," Tavion whispered in my ear through Trent's lips. "Me and you, just like old times." He kissed my earlobe. A burning blast shot through my skin. I shuddered, and tried to yank away, but he held me tight.

  I stared at Jan, hoping she’d blink, take a breath, but she didn’t. Despair filled me because I knew I was next. All of my deaths had led me here, to my final life—life number nine. But I was not about to let him have me that easy. I raised my arm, rammed my elbow into Trent's body, and brought my foot down on his as hard as I could. I broke away and started running through the desert. His howling laughter filled the air. "There’s nowhere to go, Marked One!"

  He was probably right, but I kept running anyway. Out of nowhere I crashed into something—Trent. He had appeared in my path, his eyes black, his face scowling. He raised his hand, right in front of my face, and formed a fist. I stepped back, my muscles tensed, my gut clenched. Black mist wrapped around his fingers. He opened his hand and blasted black vapor at me. It struck me like a head-on collision. I flew through the air and landed flat on my back. Blood filled my mouth.

  Trent’s tennis shoes thudded on the ground as he approached. I scraped together two handfuls of the gritty red sand, ready to throw it in his face. With a laugh, he stood over me, jerked my arm, and pulled me to my feet. A yelp shot out of me and tears blurred my vision.

  I yanked my arm away, and threw the sand. In a flash, he raised his hand and stopped the sand mid-air. The tiny grains fell to the ground. "You’re a fighter," he said with a smile. "I like that."

  I glanced at Jan’s dead body. Her death was on me, but I guess it didn’t matter since I was next. My mind called out to Farrell. Where are you?

  A crackling streak of white lightning filled the air and shot across the red sky. "Looks like our company is here," Tavion said with a smile. "Right on time."

  The lightning filled the sky before streaking down to the ground in a gold flash. I shielded my eyes until the brilliance faded. When I brought my hands down, Tavion took hold of my arm again and brought me closer. He stroked my hair, as if I was a pet or something. He even kissed the top of my head.

  Farrell looked me over, making sure I was okay. "Release her," he said to Tavion.

  "As you wish." Tavion said.

  He let go of my arm. Afraid to make any sudden movement, and too weak to bolt, I slowly made my way to Farrell’s outstretched hand. When our hands met, he pulled me behind him.

  A deep menacing laugh erupted from Trent’s lips, a laughter that grew loud and forceful then morphed into a growl.

  Farrell and I backed away. A trembling thunder shook beneath our feet. The growling from Trent echoed all around us until the deep black mist blasted out of Trent’s chest. Farrell stayed in front of me like a shield as the mist took shape from the bottom up—Tavion.

  He stood a foot taller than Farrell. He wore dark black pants and a dark black long-sleeved shirt. His thin body looked almost skeletal, his cheeks hollow enough to resemble a corpse. His pale skin against his dark clothes made him look like death. Even his short white hair blended in with his skin.

  Trent’s body slumped to the floor. I lurched forward to get him, but Farrell held me back. "Not yet," he whispered. "When I say."

  Tavion eyed us. "So Walker, here we are, again. It’s good to see you. You look well. And your pet, I like her. It will be a shame to kill her. Again."

  "Not this time, Tavion," Farrell said.

  Tavion kicked Trent hard in the gut. I covered my mouth, muffling a gasp.

  "What’s this? The Marked One likes this human?" he laughed, his black gaze landing on me before returning to Farrell. He kicked Trent again. "What do you think of that, Walker?" Tavion lifted his head in laughter again.

  "Run for Trent when Tavion is out of the way," whispered Farrell. Before I could say anything, Farrell charged full-on. A white sparkling glow erupted from his body. He crashed into Tavion amid booming thunder. Black and white sparks exploded in the air.

  I raced to Trent, grabbed his arms, and pulled him to a cluster of rocks just big enough to hide behind. His pulse was strong, but his face was white. Please be okay. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to him because of me. Jan had already died because of me. Jan—I needed to get her. I spun around, ready to drag her over too, but she was gone. But how? I grabbed two jagged rocks, arming myself should Tavion come and attack me.

  Farrell and Tavion fought while giant blasts of white and black surrounded them. I held my breath, hoping and praying for Farrell to be okay, when suddenly a massive black blast sent Farrell soaring through the air. He landed right beside me with a crash. Blood trickled out his mouth and slid down his chin. My heart stopped. I froze in place waiting for him to move.

  He propped himself up on one arm and wiped the blood from his mouth while Tavion approached.

  "Farrell," I said, "he’s coming."

  Farrell jumped to his feet, legs apart, fists clenched tight, blood splattered on his shirt. A white glow with sparks of gold gathered around his hands. I backed up to where I had left Trent.

  "Where am I?" Trent murmured. "What’s happening?"

  Relief washed over me but only for an instant because I feared for Farrell. "It’s Farrell," I said. "He’s in trouble."

  Tavion approached Farrell, a black mist pulsing around his arms and hands. He threw his arms out, and an explosion of black smoke shot at Farrell square in the chest.

  "No!" I yelled, trying to run to Farrell but held back by Trent.

  Farrell swiftly brought his arms together in front of him, his white light forming a shield. The black smoke made contact, but instead of blasting him through, it fizzled out.

  "They’re fighting with their auras," Trent said, now standing by my side. "Their energy source. But…how?"

  Their auras? The light and mist that came from Farrell and Tavion, even the Tracker, were their auras, their energy source, their power. Each even had their own color. Farrell's was white with streaks of gold, Tavion's was black, and the Tracker's aura in the library was gray. Trent had said that his own was blue. I searched Trent's body, but couldn't see anything. And me? I didn't even have one. I felt more defenseless than ever.

  Farrell looked back at me and Trent, his breathing labored, his face bloodied. "Get back," he said.

  Tavion growled loudly, upset that Farrell had deflected his blast. "No more games, Walker! We finish this now."

  In the blink of an eye, Tavion had me by the throat. With a wave of his other hand, he blasted Trent at least ten feet away and formed a black vapor bubble around us. Farrell shot his white light at the barrier, but every blast bounced off. Soon Trent was at Farrell's side, slamming his fists against the dark mist, but they couldn’t get through.

  Tavion had me.

  Tavion’s fingers dug into my skin, my windpipe cut off. I gasped for air, but couldn’t get any. "And now I take your energy source," Tavion said. "Just. Like. Always." He closed his eyes, brought his fingers to my chest right over my heart, and plunged his hand into me.

  A searing heat filled my insides, as if he rammed a burning torch straight through me. My fingers clamped around the rocks in my hand, the jagged edges cutting into my skin, blood dripping from my fingers. I lifted my arms, ready to ram the rocks in Tavion’s face, when they fell. I needed strength, but had none.

  I thought of Farrell—You’re stronger than you think, Dominique. And I remembered the feather Ms. Ryken had given me that transported me to the beach and what Farrell had said on the shore—You need to come here when you’re scared. The beach—think of the beach.

  Blue sky. White sand. Calm waters.

  I fell to the ground. My knees sank into the cool pebbly sand. A soft breeze flowed through my hair. Farrell stood beside me at the water’s edge, staring out at the still water. He extended his arm and helped me up. I brushed myself off, terror and pain still flowing through my veins.

  "Farrell, I’m d
ying."

  "Yes, you are," he answered, taking my hand. His calmness filtered into me. Suddenly death didn’t seem so bad.

  My eyes focused on a bird in the distance that soared through the cloudless sky. "There’s nothing I can do. We’ve lost." For eight lifetimes now I had died, and this was my last time. The world would never be the same, and it was my fault.

  Farrell squeezed my hand. "Remember what I said? The last time we were here?"

  Of course I remembered. "You told me the end is not yet written, and to trust myself."

  The bird, a large white Egret, flew closer and glided right over us, wings outstretched. A lone white feather escaped. It drifted back and forth in the sky. The brilliant white feather with streaks of gold sparkled in the sun. Just like the feather from my dreams, the feather Ms. Ryken had given me that I had later seen at Jan’s. And then it dawned on me, it was the same colors as Farrell’s aura. I extended my hand, reaching out for it. When it touched my palm, it disappeared. In its place—blood.

  Like flipping a switch, I was back in the red desert. Heat exploded inside me, the air in my lungs almost emptied, warm thick blood dripped from my fingers. Farrell and Trent were on the other side of Tavion’s dark energy force. I was back inside Tavion’s death bubble. His hand lifted me at my throat as squeezed the life out of me.

  "Dominique! Fight!" Trent yelled.

  More than anything, I wanted to live. I gathered all my remaining strength and slammed my bloodied hands into Tavion’s face. He let out a howling screech that thundered in my ears and shook me to my core. He dropped me. His dark mist dissolved.

  Trent and Farrell rushed to my side. My eyes glued on Tavion. The blood from my hands had smeared across his face and now bubbled and burned his pale skin. My stomach lurched when the stench of charred flesh invaded my nostrils.

  I lifted my hands and stared at my bloodied hands. How did I do that?

  "We need to get out of here," Farrell said, taking my hand. "Dominique, hold Trent." I grabbed Trent’s wrist. Farrell closed his eyes and pointed his other arm at the ground. A white mist trickled out of his hand, forming a swirling pool of vapor beneath us.

  A deep growling howl filled my ears.

  Tavion staggered to his feet. "Farrell! He’s getting up!"

  Farrell kept his eyes shut, his face strained, sweat beads forming on his forehead. "Farrell, hurry, man," Trent said.

  The white vapor sucked me down into it but not before Tavion let out a blast. Trent draped his body over mine. I braced myself for impact when weightlessness came over me.

  My body slammed on solid ground. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back in my den. In flashes I saw Trent slumped on the floor face down, eyes closed, a burn mark streaked across his back. Farrell crouched next to me, his hand still gripping mine. His face was black, blue, and bleeding.

  Tavion—his blast had hit Farrell and Trent.

  When Farrell saw that I was okay, his eyes filled with relief. Ms. Ryken came up from behind him. What was she doing here? Her red hair had turned black and flowed down her back. She held a long white staff. And then I realized I knew her—not from school, but from somewhere else. I remembered the picture of my parents with their college friends, the one of them in front of a cabin. She was in the picture—she was one of their friends.

  "Now, Colleen!" Farrell yelled.

  She raised her staff and slammed it on the floor. A bright green light shot out of the top and cascaded down, filling the entire room with a brilliant glow that faded to a pale green. "We’re protected now," she said.

  She went to Trent and checked for a pulse. "Walker, he’s almost gone. Quick, bring him back."

  Tears filled my eyes. If anything happened to Trent, I’d never forgive myself. "Farrell, please help him. He can’t—”

  Farrell went to Trent. He turned him over to his back. I gasped when I saw his face burned on one side. With a soft touch, Farrell placed his fingers on Trent’s forehead and closed his eyes. I held my breath, afraid for Trent and worried about Farrell who looked beaten and worn.

  Farrell’s white and golden streaked light—what I now knew to be his aura—trickled out of his hand and absorbed into Trent until his body almost glowed with Farrell’s light. I waited for Trent to move, but nothing happened. Farrell’s arms started shaking, his breathing grew shallow, his face strained.

  Colleen frowned and moved closer to Farrell. "It’s not working. You must stop."

  Farrell either didn’t hear or didn’t want to listen. Tears blurred my vision. Trent was dying, right before my eyes. My breathing stopped while my heart pounded against my chest.

  "Stop, Walker!" Colleen called out.

  Trent’s body jerked. His mouth opened as he breathed in a huge gulp of air. Farrell removed his hand from Trent’s forehead. He had done it-- he had saved Trent, and I knew he'd done it for me.

  Trent’s hands went to his chest as he caught his breath. He called out for me. His clothes were singed, his face charred on one side. All because of me.

  I knelt beside him. “Dominique! Are you okay?"

  "Yes, I’m fine." The tears that blurred my vision slowly made their way to the surface and one by one slid out onto my face. "Trent, I’m so sorry."

  "He must be healed," Ms. Ryken said to Farrell. "And he must not remember anything."

  "I don’t know if I can," Farrell said. "But I’ll try."

  Trent tried to sit up, but grimaced in pain. "Wait, what?" He looked at Farrell and Ms. Ryken. "Who the hell are you?" He turned to me. "Dominique, what’s going on?"

  "I’m so sorry, Trent," I said again. "I didn’t mean for any of this to happen."

  Farrell touched Trent’s forehead and Trent passed out, right there on the living room floor. Farrell kept his fingers on Trent while a white mist flowed from his hand into Trent. Trent’s body trembled, and so did Farrell’s. I wanted to go to them, but Ms. Ryken held me back. "Let the Walker finish," she said.

  My mind flooded with worry. What if Farrell couldn’t do it? What if he couldn’t erase Trent’s memory? Then what?

  Farrell groaned, his light growing brighter while the color drained from his face. Then, Trent’s entire body glowed light blue. His aura, he had said it was blue. The blue color encircled him, growing darker until he vanished. Farrell sat back. "He’s back at Infiniti’s," he panted. "Healed. He’ll think he passed out from drinking. And he won’t remember a thing."

  My thoughts went to Veronica. She had been killed right here in this room but was now gone. Even though I was afraid of the truth, I needed to know what happened to her. "What about…Veronica?"

  Ms. Ryken explained. "Death is beyond our reach, and she had already crossed over when I got here. Her death was made to look like a car accident."

  My head grew fuzzy, and I lost my balance. I didn’t even realize Farrell took my hands to steady me. My hands—dried blood covered them. I drew them away and studied my palms. Deep gashes lined the insides. Farrell reached out. "Here, I can fix that."

  "No, leave them," I said. Veronica had died, Trent almost died, and I had no idea what had happened to Jan. The least I could do was keep these stupid cuts.

  Ms. Ryken came over to me. "How did you do that with your blood?"

  I stepped away from her and put my hands behind my back. Afraid she might hurt me. How did I not recognize her? Even with the red hair, her face looked the same as the picture. And her eyes—pure green—the mark of a Pure.

  "You don’t know me," I said. "Neither of you do, okay?" I couldn’t make eye contact with Ms. Ryken or Farrell. If I did, they’d see the hurt. And I wanted to keep that to myself.

  I dragged my tired and beaten body upstairs. My neck throbbed, my hands ached, and I needed a shower. When I stepped into the hot water, I winced. The stream hurt every inch of me. When I put the soap in my hands, I almost yelled. But my hurt was nothing compared to what had happened to Trent…and Veronica.

  She had died because of me.
>
  My battered body sank to the bottom of the tub. That’s when I lost it. Every emotion spilled out of me. I didn’t fight the tears. I didn’t try to be strong. I just cried until every tear in my body released.

  After a while, the hot water turned cold. When I got out of the shower, I dried off, wrapped my hands as best as I could, and sat on my bed in the dark. I texted my parents and even left them voicemails, but got no response. I had never felt so alone in my entire life. And then I thought of the feather Ms. Ryken, or Colleen, or whoever she was, had given me. I tore open my bag, flung everything out, and grabbed the book where I had put the feather. I held it tight. Please, be in there. I flipped through the pages, slowly at first and then with quick desperation. It was gone! Lost! I chucked the book at the wall, and that’s when the doorbell rang. My body tensed.

  "Dominique," Farrell called out. "It’s Infiniti."

  It was just past midnight. I knew, without a doubt, that she had come over because of Veronica. When I got to the door, I found her face red and covered in tears. "She’s…she’s…dead. Veronica is…dead."

  I held Infiniti tight while she cried in my arms.