Finn held two white pills up. Opening my mouth, he placed a white pill on my tongue, then held the canteen to my lips. The water felt amazing, coating my dry throat, and I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until I’d practically emptied the canteen.
“Rest,” he whispered, his beautiful face smiling. “If you need anything, I’ll be right here.”
“Thank you.” I nodded and closed my eyes.
*
AT SOME POINT, LATER IN the day, I awoke in the buggy. Attempting to stretch out, I moved my fingers and made a fist. Holy shit. I’d made a fist!
“I can move,” I tried to speak, but my voice was barely audible. Yet, inside, I was ecstatic. Looking to my left, I found Finn sleeping, his head lolled on the back of the seat. I knew I didn’t have enough strength to yell up to Keanu, so I took in our surroundings. Judging by the sky, I guessed it was almost dawn. The stars were gone and the color had gone from black to a hazy bluish-gray.
Buildings passed us on the right and left. Above all odds, we made it to the city.
I watched as Keanu maneuvered the streets like he was a professional driver, and within a few minutes, we were heading out from the city and into a subdivision of homes.
It must have been beautiful at one time. I could almost imagine everything green, like I faintly remembered before we’d escaped into our hive. Thank goodness, we were supplied with lots of books and magazines to help us remember what the topside once looked like, and how it could be again.
Right now, everything was dead, and we had a long journey ahead of us.
Feeling a bit stronger, I cleared my throat and spoke up. “How long have we traveled?”
Keanu startled and glanced back at me. “Look who’s up! If it isn’t Sleeping Beauty.”
“Ha-ha. Funny.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Keanu blinked away his glazed-over look, as he answered my original question. “Those city streets had me turned around and slowed us down tremendously. For all I know, we could have traveled twenty miles.”
The poor guy had been driving for over a day. I hoped Finn had been able to take a few of the driving shifts while I was passed out. “Should we stop here and rest for a few hours?”
Finn must’ve woken from hearing our conversation, as I felt his hand cover mine and squeeze. “Hey. It’s good to hear you talking and moving.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “And I think it’s a good idea to stop here,” he spoke up, looking at Keanu. “We can search for food and recharge the buggy as soon as it’s daylight.”
“Not to mention, it’ll give me time to take a nap. I also need to look at the map and get my bearings,” Keanu added. “So, do you guys want a house in the middle or somewhere closer to the end?”
I turned to Finn. “There is a greater chance the outer homes have been scavenged. I say choose one in the middle, but on the outskirts, so if we do have to make a quick getaway, we won’t have to maneuver through streets.”
“Do we all agree?” Keanu asked.
Midas’s head popped up from his position in the front passenger seat and barked once. His agreement made me giggle.
“Yes!” I added with enthusiasm. “I hope there is a bed.”
“Oh, I’m finding a house with a bed,” Finn whispered in my ear, making it tingle. He was incorrigible.
In the time it took me to roll my ankles out, and bend my knee to test out my legs, Keanu found a row of homes on the edge of the subdivision. They all looked exactly alike, except for a few which had two stories instead of one.
“How about this one?” He pointed to a ranch-style home sandwiched between a couple of two-story homes.
“This looks good,” Finn said, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. “I’m going to run in and clear it. Keanu, stay with Abi.”
“Finn, you can’t go alone,” I said, trying to sit up. My butt was numb and my arms were so weak, I barely made it to a sitting position.
He gave me a knowing look, then a smile rose on his perfect lips. “Midas, want to help me clear this house, boy?”
Without barking, the dog jumped out of the buggy and stood at Finn’s side, his tail wagging. “See? I’m not alone.”
“Midas, take care of him, okay?”
He let out a little snort, but not too loud. This dog was super smart. Almost like he had the brain of a human. The last thought made me think about the mind-enhancing drug we’d been given. What if Midas had been their guinea pig? The notion made me sick inside, but it also made me wonder what else he was capable of.
I watched as he and Finn entered the house. Midas a little in front.
We waited a few minutes, and it seemed quiet. Not hearing any confrontations, I relaxed a bit.
I couldn’t wait to get inside and close my eyes. I was exhausted, my limbs felt like they weighed hundreds of pounds, my eyes were burning and heavy, and my fingers were so weak I could barely make a fist and hold it.
I needed a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep, and I knew I’d feel better.
After another few minutes, I became worried. There was no way it would take Finn that long to clear a house of that size. He was usually fast—in and out.
“Do you think they’re okay?” I asked Keanu.
“I haven’t heard the sound of any struggle,” he said, twisting back to me. “Do you think I should go inside and check on them?”
I nodded, a tightness growing in the pit of my stomach.
“You know that means you have to come with me, don’t you? Finn would never forgive me if I left you out here alone and something happened.”
“I’m ready to go,” I said, pulling Hellfire from her holster. I checked her magazine, but it was empty. “Hey, you got some ammo—forty Smith and Wesson? I’m out.”
“Don’t even think about moving,” a deep voice growled.
In the blink of an eye, we were surrounded by men in masks. They had guns and were dressed in soldier-like uniforms.
“Drop your weapons,” one said, pressing a gun into Keanu’s back.
Keanu bristled with rage, but before he could react, another man leaned in and pressed a needle into his neck. In seconds his eyes rolled back.
“No!” I screamed. “Why are you doing this?” Before I could take another breath, someone came up behind me and put a blindfold over my eyes.
“No, wait! Where’s Finn?” I cried out, terrified they’d done something horrible to him.
A needle was pushed into my neck, and it didn’t take long before I was out.
WHISPERS OF STRANGE VOICES WOKE me, so I didn’t move. My head was throbbing, but I was atop something soft. The room had many smells, one was bleach, and another, soap. I tried to open my eyes, but realized I was still blindfolded.
I suppressed my panic, and kept my breath quiet, trying to listen to the muddled voices coming through a nearby door. One was male and the other female.
“We can’t leave her tied up like this. She’s a survivor, and we’ve sworn to help and protect all survivors,” the female voice whispered.
“I’m sorry, but no. We still don’t know if she’s dangerous. They said finding her was a top priority, and warned their soldiers not to make eye contact, and to blindfold her immediately. I don’t know what that sounds like to you, but it sounds like some mystical Medusa shit to me. I’d hate to take off her blindfold, only to look into her eyes and turn to rock, or burst into flames. Anne, please just listen to me on this, okay? Our hive’s safety is at stake.”
Rock and flames? It took everything inside of me not to burst out into laughter.
“Oh, stop it now. You know that won’t happen,” Anne sighed.
“That’s the problem, honey. We don’t know what will happen. We took a risk bringing her here.”
“I don’t think so. I believe she was probably being tested, and when she had the chance, ran away. God knows what kinds of things they did to humans in those bunkers. The poor girl came in here severely dehydrated and anemic. I fee
l sorry for her.”
“Don’t let your heart get too soft. She’s not our daughter.”
“But she could have been.”
“Come here.” I assumed he was hugging her. “Let’s go get something to eat, then we’ll come back and check on her.”
“Okay,” she sniffled.
I rolled around their conversation in my head, making some assumptions.
The woman’s name was Anne, and she was married to the man in authority. They had a daughter at one time, who had died at some point. They were good people, but their hive was scared of me. And last but not least, Anne seemed like a kindhearted person. If I could get on her good side, she could be an ally and possibly help me get out of here.
Feeling a bit better about my current situation, my thoughts traveled to the whereabouts of Finn, Keanu, and Midas. I hoped they were okay. Trying to move, I found my arms were bound to my sides. My legs, however, were free.
Being bound was one thing, but taking away my sight, made it nearly unbearable. I could feel the heat rising inside, my body buzzing with frustration.
I took in a deep breath and tried to quench the growing anxiety. I didn’t feel as exhausted, or in nearly as much pain as I’d been in the last time I was awake. Fisting my hand tightly, I realized even my strength was returning.
Anne must have been a nurse. She knew I was anemic, and it seemed as if she’d given me the supplements I needed to get better. Thank God for her.
I closed my eyes, my mind wandering to Finn. I need to know where he was and how he was doing. “Finn,” I whispered, letting his name linger on my lips. Hearing his name gave me comfort.
There was a tug inside of me, an energy I’d never felt before. At first I panicked, wondering if it was Venge. But no, that couldn’t be it. This feeling was different. It wasn’t negative or brought on by rage.
There was a tingling in my brain, which slowly traveled throughout the rest of my body. It wasn’t painful; the feeling was almost euphoric.
Keeping my eyes shut, I focused on my breathing, and let my body take in this new sensation. I felt as light as a feather, like I was floating on a cloud. I opened my eyes, and everything around me was bright. I blinked a few times, and the room came into focus.
Glancing around, I tried to see who took off my blindfold and my binds. But the small room was empty. Baffled, I slid off the small bed and stood. My legs were sturdy, not weak or shaky, and there was an absence of pain. Scanning the room, my eyes landed back on the bed. I gasped, fear washing over me.
What the hell is going on? This can’t be happening.
Had my mind finally snapped?
I was looking at my body, bound and blindfolded, laid out on the bed. Yet, I was conscious, outside of my body.
I stepped forward and reached out to touch the face—my face—but my fingers never made a connection. Instead, they passed right through. Looking down, I noticed a thin golden cord, that tethered to each of my bodies, and clarity finally hit me.
Holy shit! I was having an out-of-body experience.
I remembered Chase and Dr. Simon talking about it once in the government bunker, as it was something that caught my attention. They’d said some telepaths could project their consciousness outside of their physical bodies. It was called astral projection. They weren’t sure if it was possible because none of them had actually done it. It was mostly hearsay.
Looking down at my conscious body, it appeared transparent, and was glowing like a hologram might. I didn’t know how long the projection would last, or what I could do, but the only thing on my mind was to find Finn. I needed to make sure he was okay.
I made my way to the door and pushed on it. Instead, my hand passed directly through it. This newfound freedom excited me. I stepped forward, my body moving through the door and ending up in a hallway. It was long, and I was in the middle. Fluorescent lights lit the stark white floors, walls, and doors—ten on each side. It was easy to deduce this was the medical wing. I walked down the hall, which was empty, and wondered if Finn was in one of these rooms.
I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look. I pushed my head through the first closed door, and it was empty. I repeated it with the next, and the next. When I came to the sixth door, I spotted a body on a bed. It was male but the small frame wasn’t Finn or Keanu. I stepped into the room and walked closer. He was an older man with white hair, and his body appeared frail and withered. He had to be in his late seventies, early eighties. And if it weren’t for the shallow breaths he was taking, I would have thought he was dead.
I noticed a clipboard on a table against the wall, and walked over to it.
His name was George S. Murdock, and he was eighty-two years old with stage four pancreatic cancer. I turned back to look at his gaunt frame. This poor man was on his death bed.
Where was his family? Where were the doctors? Wasn’t there anyone here to comfort him as he passed on?
A loud moan exited from George, and his body shifted uncomfortably. Instinctually, I ran over to his side. But there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t touch him or comfort him. He didn’t even know I was there. His face twisted in pain, and his moaning grew louder.
A buzzing caught my attention. There was a machine on his side, attached to an IV in the top of his forearm. A green light clicked on, making another sound. In seconds, his moaning lessened, and the furrowed pain-lines on his face smoothed. It must have been a high dose of painkiller. Whatever it was, I was glad it helped him. No one deserved to suffer like this, especially over long lengths of time.
The doorknob rattled, and a young woman walked in. She looked to be in her mid-to-late thirties and was dressed in the same white uniforms the doctors had in the bunkers. She had blue eyes, and a lovely, oval face with long, ash-blonde hair braided down her back. She made her way over to George, took his hand, and leaned over to him.
“Hey, Dad,” she whispered.
Her free hand gently brushed back the hair from his forehead, then she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Walking toward the small desk, she pulled a chair from under it and placed it next to his bed.
“We had some interesting things happen today,” she said, taking his hand again. “A few days ago, we picked up three survivors, and they had a dog with them. An actual dog,” she squealed, excitement riddled her voice. “You would love him, and I know he would love you too. He’s a golden retriever, big and fluffy, with a sweet disposition.” A smile graced her lips as she spoke of Midas. “The two guys are soldiers, I’m assuming they’re from the government bunker in the Black Hills. They both share the same tattoo on their biceps, some kind of mutant task force. They are both muscular and strikingly handsome.” Her eyes had a look of lust swirling in them.
A tinge of jealousy swam inside me as she spoke about my Finn. But I quickly squashed it. She was speaking the truth. Both of them were handsome, but Finn…Finn was special.
“Word is, the girl is dangerous. That she killed a bunch of government leaders using her mind. I think it’s absurd unless she has some kind of hidden super power.” She shook her head and laughed. “I think it’s all rumors. They’re probably just running. We all know how possessive the government can be.
“The girl is in her late teens, but was frail and had some injuries when they brought her in. Anne fixed her up. They still don’t know what to do with her.” She let out a deep sigh. “I wish you were awake, Dad. I wish you could give us advice on what to do.”
Just as I wondered who this man was or how connected this lady was to the leaders, my body was pulled backward, against my will.
No. Not yet. I had to find Finn. I had to make sure he was okay.
I tried to fight it, but it was no use. There was nothing I could do to stop the retraction.
At first, I was moving in slow motion, as it tugged me backward through the door. Then, in seconds, I was flying down the hall, traveling to my room.
Complete darkness took over, and I was back to fighting against my restraints.
r /> “No,” I exhaled, falling helplessly back against the bed.
I didn’t want to be in my physical body. The aches and pains returned, and exhaustion overwhelmed me. My body must have been weakened from the trip it’d just taken. I needed to rest, because I was going to do it again. Next time, I was finding Finn.
I focused on relaxing, trying not to think about the restraints or the fact I was blindfolded. A part of me wanted to scream and tell them how completely idiotic they were for binding me and thinking I’d hurt them. But that would probably make me look like some raving lunatic, which would keep me restrained.
There was no easy way out of this. This group of survivors had overheard bits and pieces of radio transmission from the government about me. I now came with a big, bright warning label—beware of the freak mind-control murderer. Don’t look into her eyes!
How did I get myself into this mess? I didn’t want it. Any of it. If I could go back to the beginning, when we first started, and have a redo, a lot of things would change. I wouldn’t care what was behind the biohazard door. I would have stayed quiet, obeyed the rules, and flew under the radar. Hell, there were so many things I would have done differently.
But I guess everything happens for a reason, and all I’d done had brought me to this moment. I still called bullshit and didn’t know why the universe had chosen to give me these stupid powers.
So many questions buzzed in my mind, making my head ache and heart rate elevate. There was no reason for me to look back at the past. Dwelling on those failures only caused frustration to boil even more. I had to let it all go and start figuring out how to make my life work for me, not against me. No regrets.
The door opened and closed, then footsteps headed my way. By the lightness of foot and the smell permeating the room, I knew it was a female.
Soft, cold fingers curled around my wrist, applying pressure. She was reading my pulse.
“Abigail?” her voice whispered. “Abigail, are you up?”
“Yes,” I breathed in reply.