Killshot (Icarus Series Book 1) (47 page)

              For a moment, I let go of this terrifying reality and it felt good. I focused, instead, on that single memory as if it were the only source of light in a darkened room. I grabbed onto the sound of my father’s voice with both hands and pulled it to me, absorbing his calm. Feeding on his unwavering strength.

             
You are worth more than combined total of your fears
.
I heard his voice in my head trailing off. The scene before me faded to black, taking Beans and my father with it.

              “Don’t leave me,” I heard myself say.

              As quickly as the space between two breaths, my father reappeared. His wavy brown hair was shaved close to the scalp, his tall frame clad in a nondescript military-style uniform. He stood there before me, as motionless as an antique photograph, faded like a black and white movie— except for his eyes. They glowed back at me like the sun reflecting off the ocean’s surface, matching my own in mirrored blue clarity. He spoke, but his mouth did not move. His face did not change.

             
I’m here, baby girl
.

His voice echoed in my mind. Still he did not move. I reached out to him, but my hand passed right through him like mist. I stared down at it in shock and then slowly met my father’s gaze as he spoke.

             
I need you to listen to me. I know this is confusing and you have a million questions
,
but I promise you salvation is the answer to
all
of them.

              “I don’t understand,” I said, pleading with him. “What does that mean?”

             
You have to go now,
his voice urged, though the specter’s face was impassive.
Please, Liv, you are running out of time.

              “I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered. “I’m so scared.”

             
You can, and you will,
the specter said.

              “But—,”
I began, tears running freely down my cheeks.

             
That’s enough, Olivia,
he said in a steady voice.
You only lose control, when you choose to give it up. Regret…fear…pain? They are nothing more than vicious parasites, do you hear me? Parasites cannot survive without a host. As long as you stay strong and you continue to fight, those things will never have power over you.

              “But, I don’t
feel
strong, Dad,” I confessed, wishing I could wrap my arms around him, or at least see him smile at me again.

             
The strongest among us, rarely do, Liv.
He sounded almost proud.
Now, breathe baby girl, and gather your courage. The road to salvation is paved with the blood of the weak.

              And then he was gone, nothing but darkness in his place.

              “Liv, please,” I heard Zander say, and my eyes shot open to a mass of fuzzy blue light spinning dizzily over my head.

              “Oh, thank God,” Riley sobbed, her hand still clutching mine. “What the hell was that? You scared the shit out of me, Liv!”

              I tried to speak, but the words refused me. My head spun backward, and my throat still burned with ash and smoke. I squeezed my eyes tight, willing myself to focus only on my breathing as the ground spun beneath my feet.

              “We need to keep moving,” Eli said, his voice thick with fear.

              “I’ve got her,” Zander said, his voice soft against my neck.

              I felt my legs go out from under me as my body fell into a natural embrace against Zander’s chest. I bounced softly in his arms, breathing in the scent of him as we moved. His muscles flexed and rolled against my skin, sending a small jolt of electricity into my body from each and every place his skin touched mine.

              Slowly, my shaky breaths grew more regular, dousing the flames that burned within my chest. With each hungry gulp, my strength and presence of mind returned. The ringing in my ears began to fade, giving way to the worried mutterings of those around me. My father’s voice had gone silent, but it had left behind a warmth that tickled at the recesses of my mind. My eyes fluttered open, my vision cleared and the world stopped spinning.

              “Zan.” My voice scraped out, barely above a whisper. I slid my hand up his chest and threaded my fingers into his hair. “Zander.”

              “Guys, she’s awake,” he said, his eyes raking over my face. His chest rose and fell in rhythm with mine.

              “Seriously, Liv.” Riley appeared instantly at his side, her eyes boring into me like lasers. “I thought we agreed you were going to stop doing shit like that. You’re killin’ me.”

              “Put me down, please,” I said, patting Zander’s chest. “I can walk.”

              “Liv, are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, lowering me carefully to my feet. He gently smoothed my sweat-soaked hair away from my face. “You had me worried, there.”

              “I— yeah,” I said, trying to steady my voice. “I mean I am just a little dizzy, is all.”

              “Still,” Zander said. “Maybe we should rest for a little while, you know, give you some time to—”

              “I’m fine,” I said, defiantly squaring my shoulders. “I just needed to catch my breath.”

              “You are not
fine
, Liv,” Zander said, throwing up his hands. “Eli thinks you had a
seizure
.”

              “For Christ’s sakes, we don’t have time for this. Move over Romeo,” Eli said, shoving Zander aside. He pulled a small pen light from his pocket and clicked it on. “Okay, kid, follow the light with your eyes for me.”

              I did as he asked, tracing the tiny pin-prick of ultra-white light as it slid across my field of vision. After a few trips back and forth, Eli seemed satisfied that I wasn’t going to stroke out. He clicked off the light, shoved it back in his bag.

              “Oddly, her pupils are equal and reactive and her ocular reflexes are better than perfect,” he said, sounding confused. “I want take a closer look later, but for now, she seems to be just fine.”

              “See, I’m fine,” I croaked, trying not to wobble as I pulled away. “Now, can we get moving? We are wasting time we don’t have.”

              “She’s right,” Eli said, clutching his bloody shoulder. “We need to go.”

              “Liv,” Zander pressed. “Maybe we should—.”

              “I. Am. Fine,” I said, feeling my face heat. “I am going. Either move your asses or find your own way in the dark.”

              I spun on my heel, pausing for just a moment to give my head time to stop spinning before stepping out into the darkness. Riley was the first to follow and I felt her hook onto my belt loop as I stalked off. Zander muttered under his breath, but he and Eli were quick to catch up. I was angry and frustrated by his coddling, so I refused to look back at him. I kept my eyes, and my feet, moving forward.

              After days of seeing our world empty of life, it still took my breath away. Virtually no plant life had survived the initial flare, so the ground lay naked and crevassed. A tiny pink bicycle sat abandoned on the sidewalk directly ahead. Its frilly pink and purple tassels had melted into an amorphous glob of charred plastic that now dangled precariously from one the handlebars. The little tires were shredded to oblivion. The bare metal rims caught the light of a nearby fire throwing flecks of light across the sidewalk. The back wheel squeaked eerily as it rocked back and forth in the warm breeze. I tossed the little bike into the closest yard. It landed in a heap, next to a bright yellow Tonka truck loaded to the rim with rocks. I sighed inwardly, noticing the big red
0/4
painted on the front door. None of them had made it.

              At first, I averted my gaze away from the numbers painted on each house but reality has a way of wedging itself into your mind. Eventually, I found myself keeping track and after four blocks, I had counted a total of two survivors.

              Two.

              “How much farther?” Eli grunted. His pace had continued to slow as the blocks stretched on.

              “About five more minutes,” I said over my shoulder.

              The blaze at the hospital had grown and the orange glow could still be seen above the barren treetops from ten blocks away. Though muffled by distance, we could still hear gunfire and chaos at our backs. We kept low to the ground, weaving our way through yards and alleyways, avoiding the streets and sidewalks. I didn’t think we were being followed, but I wasn’t willing to taking any chances.

              “How is it that you are able to see right now?” Eli asked, stumbling up to my side.

              “I guess I’m just special,” I said shortly. I kept my eyes straight ahead as we tiptoed through an empty backyard.

              “You mean like Mr. Adaptive back there with the hand of Thor? No, uh-uh. There’s more to it,” he said, tripping over the raised edging of an empty sandbox. When he gained his footing again, he grabbed onto my upper arm for support. “I can barely see my hand in front of my face, and I have tripped over my own feet more times than I can count. Yet, here you are, dancing in the darkness like it’s noon on a Tuesday.”

              “Maybe you need glasses,” I said, rolling my eyes, though I knew he wouldn’t see.

              “Joke all you want, kid, but something isn’t right here. None of this adds up.” His tone sounded accusatory, and shamelessly so. “Never mind the fact that you apparently have some kind of superhuman vision. You had a grand mal seizure less than twenty minutes ago, an episode which you recovered almost
instantly
from, might I add, and yet you show almost no residual effects.”

“So?” I picked up my pace, hoping he would fall behind.

“So, what aren’t you telling me?” Eli doubled his efforts to keep up.

              “You know what, Eli, you’re right,” I said, turning to him. “There is something I wanted to tell you.”

              “Yeah?” He looked hopeful. “What’s that?”

              “Watch your step,” I said, laughing as he stumbled over a raised edge in the sidewalk.

              As soon as he recovered his balance, Eli dropped back in step behind Riley, grumbling under his breath as he stewed on my lack of willingness to submit to interrogation. I was sure there were a lot more questions to come and I even had a few of my own, but now was neither the time nor the place.

              “Finally,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief as we crested the hill and saw the tattered old Clinco sign.

              “Thank
God,
” Riley groaned, leaning forward as she picked up the pace.

              We practically sprinted down the hill, ducking what was left of the battered chain link gate as we rounded the back corner of the building. As soon as I saw the truck, I took off at a dead run. Bella had wedged her long snout out through the small gap we had left in the window. She sniffed anxiously at the air, whimpering between breaths. As soon as she caught my scent, she started barking, trying to shove more of herself through the opening.

              “She is going to be so pissed at me,” I laughed.

              “Who is—?” Eli began, but I had already yanked open the driver’s side door.

              Bella leaped from the seat of the truck, landing awkwardly in my arms. I lowered her shaking body to the ground, dropping to my knees to rustle her fur while her swishing tail slapped against me like a whip. She sniffed at me frantically as if to make sure every piece of me was intact, as she whimpered and flailed about in my arms,

              “I’m okay, girl,” I muttered, scratching under her chin, as I slowly rose to my feet. “Oh, right. Eli, this is—.”

              “Isabella?” Eli’s face lit up as Bella loped toward him. She rose up onto her hind legs, pressed her paw to his chest and he buried his face against hers. “Oh, sweet girl. I thought I’d never see you again!”

              “What the hell—?” I shrieked.

I closed in on him with murder in my eyes, but a thunderous explosion stopped me in my tracks and sent me flying through the air.

Chapter 41

Rendezvous and Rally

               We were at least a mile away from the detonation, but the shockwave from the blast at the hospital had been so massive it had knocked us all off our feet. I landed on my side five yards from where my feet had left the ground. Zander and Riley were thrown against the side of the truck, where they slumped to the ground like a couple of rag dolls. Eli was propelled forward, releasing Bella as he hurtled to the ground a few feet away from me. Despite her missing limb, the dog had hit the ground running and dove for shelter beneath the truck’s wide axle.

              I hit the ground with enough force to rock my bones inside my body, my jaw clamping hard enough that a molar cracked inside my mouth. Once again, my ears were ringing, and it felt as though my brain was banging around against the inside of my skull. Every inch of my body screamed. I rolled to my stomach blinking away tears and slowly peeled myself up off the shattered pavement. Pain sliced its way up my spine, taking my breath away as a warm liquid began pooling in my right ear.

              The skin that stretched from my shoulder to my elbow was shredded, with fragments of pea gravel and dirt embedded in the torn flesh. Based on the blood currently saturating my sock, the cargo shorts had done little to protect the exposed skin on my leg. I chose not to look too closely at it; out of sight, out of mind, right?

              I spit the broken half of my tooth onto the ground and wiped the blood from my chin as limped over to the truck. Between the pressure in my head and taste of blood in my mouth, it was all I could do to keep myself from throwing up.

              “Riley!” I yelled, lowering myself to the ground at her feet.

              She was conscious but dazed, her glazed eyes staring past me in confusion. Her back was against the front tire of the truck, her legs stretched out in front of her. She held her hands over her ears, opening and closing her mouth, as if to pop them. Blood ran from one side of her nose and the side of her face was a bit scraped up but, aside from the shock she was experiencing, Riley seemed okay. She waved me off and wiped at the blood with the bottom of her shirt, directing me over to Zander.

              Zander lay flat on his back, his knees bent and his black arm draped over his face. Bella had slowly inched her way over to him. She was crouched at his side, nudging at his shoulder with her nose. She looked up at me, her brown eyes pleading as I placed my hand on Zander’s stomach. He lowered his arm, his eyes locking on mine.

              “Are you okay?” I asked as he gently squeezed my hand.

              He pointed to his ears and shook his head. I helped him wrestle into a seated position, where he let his head fall back against the door of the truck. Pain distorted his features as he yanked his limp arm into his lap and climbed shakily to his feet. His armed dropped to his side, useless and very dislocated. He picked it up in his other hand and held it against his chest as Eli hobbled over to the truck.

              Eli’s arm was bleeding profusely now, but he seemed unfazed by it at the moment. He reached down to coax Bella the rest of the way out from under the truck and she immediately hopped to his side. She nuzzled into his hand and looked up at me as she leaned against his leg affectionately. I glared at him, my mind racing with questions—questions that I was well aware would have to wait.

              I motioned for the guys to get in the truck and then helped a very woozy Riley into the passenger seat. Like Hell’s first snowfall, ash and flaming debris began drifting softly to the ground. I had no idea the fall-out from the explosion would reach this far, but I didn’t want to stick around to see what came next. I climbed up into the cab of the truck and wiggled into the driver’s seat, instantly grateful for the hours my father had spent forcing me to learn how to drive stick.

             
You never know when it will come in handy, Liv
, he had said as I whined and complained my way through his lessons.

              “Thanks again, Dad,” I muttered as I turned the key and felt the engine roar to life.

              I killed it a few times but eventually I managed to get her up and running. My knuckles were white against the black steering wheel as I pulled out of the abandoned lot. Pieces of flaming debris lay scattered across the rooftops and yards of homes that had been previously untouched by fire. Empty cars and downed electric poles littered the streets and alleyways, making it more difficult than anticipated to maneuver the rig through town. After what seemed like hours and a five-mile slalom-style detour later, we finally made it to the highway and headed toward the old vet clinic. Bella spent the entire drive shifting back and forth between the two windows. She would poke her snout out into the night air, sniffing and snorting as her ears flopped clumsily in the wind.

              The ringing in my ears had finally started to wane. I could just make out the sound of Bella growling low in her chest as we pulled into a handicap parking space near the rear entrance of the abandoned vet’s office. The entire ride had been spent in perfect silence. Not only were each of us suffering the after effects of eardrum damage, but from shock caused by the hospital blast. Aside from the glow of the moon on the big windows out front, the building was completely dark.

              For the first time in hours, the ache in my chest had become background music to the pain for the rest of my body. Despite the rawness in my arm and leg, I was grateful for the reprieve from the damn pull. I turned the truck’s engine off and sat back into the seat, finally relaxing the tension in my shoulders and taking a deep breath. My hands ached from gripping the wheel so tightly, so I shook them out to get the blood flowing again. I jarred my arm on the seat, and bit back a string of swears as pain shot down the side of my body.

              “Everybody out,” I barked, gritting my teeth against the pain.

              “Jesus, Liv,” Riley said, as she pried her door open. “My ears are already bleeding, do you have to yell?”

              “Sorry,” I said, taken aback. “I thought—”

              “It’s a little muffled,” Zander chimed in as he leaned forward from the back, “but I can hear, too. Eli?”

              “Yeah,” he grunted, still clutching his bleeding arm. “But it sounds like I am under water.”

              I opened my door and swung my aching legs out, dropping like a brick to the ground. Riley followed suit, slowly lowering herself out of the truck. Bella hopped out after her, immediately trotting off to do her thing, whatever that might be. Zander and Eli wrestled their way from the back seat, groaning around their various maladies.

              “Well,
that
sucked,” I groaned, finally looking down at my minced calf— needless to say, it wasn’t pretty.

              “Uh, yeah,” Riley agreed, absently dropping her chin to her shoulder to wipe away the blood dripping from it. “What the hell was that, anyway? We were at least a mile away from the hospital. There is no way that should have knocked us on our asses like that.”

              “Had to have been at least one nuclear charge,” Eli said, peeking at his shoulder beneath the collar of his tattered T-shirt. “No way C4 would have expelled that much force. We were well beyond the blast radius.”

              “They weren’t taking any chances, I guess,” Zander muttered, his brows furrowed. “No survivors means no loose ends.”

              “Let me look at that shoulder, Zander,” I said, making my way over to him. His arm hung at an odd angle at his side, his shoulder blade jutting from his back. His fingertips were starting to turn blue. “We need to realign that ASAP, or you will risk permanent damage.”

              “It can wait,” Zander said, clutching his shoulder tight in his blackened fist.

              “No, it can’t,” I said, pressing my thumbnail into the pad of his limp thumb. The skin did not spring back, nor did the color return. “Zander, you are already losing circulation.”

              “She’s right, kid,” Eli chimed in. “A few more minutes and you risk losing viability.”

              “Yeah, thanks for the second opinion, Doc.” Zander bit his lip against the pain.

              “Let’s get you inside,” I said, pulling him toward the front door. As expected, the doorknob did not turn.

              “I got it,” Zander said, smiling through the pain as he used his hammer hand to send the brass doorknob and its adjacent plating scattering across the concrete walk.

              “Thanks, Zan,” I said, running my hand across his chest as I stepped through the front entrance.

              Just inside the door, was a large waiting room. Much like the one at the hospital, the walls were lined with uncomfortable looking chairs and benches. Between them, were small kennels, leash posts, and tables lined with magazines catering to everything from your casual animal-lover to avid farmers. The building, so far, appeared undamaged and abandoned, so we quickly shuffled inside.

              “Stay here, okay?” I said, helping Zander into one of the stiff vinyl chairs near the front desk. “Guys, I am going to take a look around quick. I’ll be right back.”

              “Take this.” Zander pulled the small pistol from his waist and dropped it in my hand.

              “Yeah, okay,” I said, accepting its weight in my palm. After everything we had just been through, my fear of guns was hardly in my top ten anymore.

              “Hey, kid, look for an O.R or a clean exam room. We need a sterile place to triage,” Eli said. “We survived the damn apocalypse, military imprisonment, and a massive explosion. It’d be a damn shame to die of a simple infection.”

              “Got it. Oh, and
Elias
,” I jabbed the end of the gun into the center of Eli’s chest. “When I get back, you have some serious fucking explaining to do. Got me?”

              “I assumed as much,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “Though, as you might expect, I have a few questions for you as well.”             

***              

              “Hello?” The only response I got was the hollow sound of my own voice echoing back at me from down the hall.

              I felt like an idiot, slinking against the wall with the gun raised awkwardly in front of me. I wasn’t even sure if I was capable of firing the weapon but having it definitely made me feel less afraid. I slid past a door labeled
janitorial
, leaped across the open doorway of the small room designated as a
surgical waiting room,
and came to a stop at a wide set of double doors. I pressed against the handles, but they wouldn’t budge.

              “Damn it,” I swore, kicking the door in frustration, before trying the handles once more.

              They hadn’t changed their mind about opening, so I cupped my hands around my eyes and peered through the diamond grid safety glass windows. The long hallway beyond was deserted but I could clearly see the vault-like doors beyond it and the corresponding O.R. numbers above each one.
Of course
, everything we needed— a sterile environment, proper equipment, maybe even meds, waited just beyond those immovable doors.

              “Open, damn it,” I said, gasping as I slammed my uninjured shoulder against the door. “Open, you piece of—Come on!”

              I bent at the knees, groaning against my teeth, and I gave it my all. I shoved and pushed as hard as I could against the solid wood, but it refused to move even an inch. The soles of my boots squeaked as they slid against the slick vinyl and I fell to the floor having made no progress. The side of my calf burned as it came in contact with the floor and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

              “Goddamn it,” I swore, ignoring the coppery taste in my mouth as I climbed back to my feet.

              My eyes raked desperately over the door. There had to be a way in. I could try to break the glass, but it was triple layered, wired, safety glass and that would take some doing. From what I could see, there was no external locking mechanism so I ran my fingers along the outer edge. The hinges were contained within the framework of the doors, so I would not be able to dislodge it that way.

              “Open…up…you…stupid—” I growled, slamming my shoulder into the door repeatedly.

              Eventually, I ran out of steam, slammed my back against the door and slid straight to the floor. My tailbone landed hard on the vinyl, my teeth clamping together. A sharp pain shot through my jaw, my tongue instinctively wandering to my broken tooth. The torn flesh on my arm was burning and my leg was dripping blood onto the floor at my side. I let my head fall to my chest, exhausted and utterly defeated. None of us had come out of this mess unscathed, and at that moment, it felt as though the weight of the world rested squarely on my battered and bloody shoulders.

              In short, I was a complete mess.