Repossession (The Keepers Trilogy) (7 page)

There in the late, tangerine sunlight, amidst the rich emerald trees, stood a mesmerizing pack of Invaders, their elegant skeletal frames swaying as if they would wither away and turn to dust with the slightest brush of impact. Their stance and orderly triangular formation, however, said differently. They were in complete control, even their slightest movements calculated. Their long fingers were strong, their grips precise while they snapped outward to shower us with a barrage of Aqua Bombs, each container spitting sharp and fast from their palms, heading straight for us. They hit surrounding trees as we dodged them, lodging into the trees with thick thuds, while others whizzed past us and soared outward into the distance. One clipped my shoulder and I screamed and ducked away just in time.

As I pulled the trigger and delivered relentless shots to the creatures’ heads, a warm, moist hand stopped me, closing around my throat from behind. My arm fell to my side, my fingers struggling against the sheer power of the creature’s grip to keep the gun from dropping to the ground. The back of my neck warmed at the touch, sending a shooting, tingling sensation straight down my spine. A flash of something serene filled my vision. I could feel it, cool and wet … and salty. I blocked out the tingling sensation, focusing only on the vision before me.

Water.

Lots and lots of water. An ocean.

The flash snapped and disappeared, and the tingling sensation returned, spreading down my spine and igniting my skin in pure, rich warmth. Jet screamed my name, the muffled booms of his guns drowning out his voice, and I cried out in horror when the Invader’s face came into view, moving to stand directly in front of me. Its hand still carefully clamping my neck, its dark gaping holes stared back at me while its shrill screech pierced my ears, its ghoulish jaw dropping in a howl. Liquid ooze drooped down its chin in a river of clear discharge, and my stomach flipped at the sight, sure the creature had hailed straight from the depths of some morbid, watery abyss. I watched helplessly as its hand revealed a silver sphere, its other hand still clasped tight around my neck, the tingly feeling sending more sparks up and down my spine. My entire body felt hot now, an oven heating up from the inside.

Then the unthinkable happened.

As the others ceased fire to glide in behind it and join it in its appraisal of me, the pack’s screams united in a single high-pitched yell, and almost reverently, they all began to retreat backward, lowering their weapons. Jet’s gunfire ceased, and the clammy creature’s hand released my neck, its eyes boring into me cautiously while it lowered the silver sphere. The pack rapidly glided away from me and Jet and left us there in the woods, hearts pounding and feet planted firm in the soil. All went still, and my only conscious thought was still the same—the one Jet had instilled in me so relentlessly.

Keep your finger on the trigger.

FOUR

This was the first time since we’d begun running together that we’d run from silence. Nothing was chasing us, but our feet told us otherwise. They couldn’t carry us fast enough through the woods, away from the formation of Invaders that had just ambushed us, only to let us go.

“What the hell was that?” I choked out, my breath heavy as I sprinted through the brush. Jet was running ahead of me, his arms lithely pushing branches out of the way as he moved. He ducked and weaved with sleek precision. If I hadn’t been so frantic, the sight would’ve been mesmerizing to watch while I followed in his path.

“Don’t know. Never seen anything like it.”

“Where are we going? Maybe we should stay and rest while we can.”

“Can’t. They might come back.”

“Jet—”

“Skylla, keep moving. We have no idea what they’re up to, and we’re not going to wait around to find out. We need to get to that railroad.”

“No, hold up.” I sprang forward and snatched his shirtsleeve, forcing him to turn and face me. “I need to catch my breath. I’m not … not a machine like you. I don’t have the stamina, and how are you not at all freaked out by what just went down back there? I need to slow down, need to think.” Especially about the water I’d seen. The ocean. I couldn’t shake the image from my mind. Peaceful, yet so unsettling. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the strange contradiction.

Jet’s earnest face searched mine, then the perimeter behind me, his eyes unable to focus on anything for longer than a few seconds. His brow was sweaty, his nostrils flaring. “Think later. I’m just as freaked out as you are. But I also know that whatever just happened, it wasn’t an accident. They retreated for a reason, and whatever it was, it’s not good for us. Come on, I’ll carry you.”

He started forward to reach for me but I refused him, jutting backward. “You can’t carry me and run like that again.”

“Yes I can.” He held out his arms. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

“But your hip is busted up … I don’t want you to.”

“You’re tired. We have to run. You don’t leave me much of a choice. I don’t mind, come on—”

“I said no.” I stepped around him and started to push leaves and branches to the side, carving a path for us to continue on. The effort was nowhere near as graceful as Jet’s, but it would get the job done. “I’ll keep going, but I need you to slow down. I don’t think they’re coming after us. If they wanted us, they had their shot.”

A dry huff escaped his lips. “You know, I’m starting to think you were sent to me, with the sole purpose to drive me crazy.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but it looks like you’re stuck with me. Now if you keep making things more difficult, I’ll get pissed and have to turn up the crazy notch to dangerously disturbing levels.” I sent him a small smile over my shoulder.

“Is there anything that
doesn’t
piss you off?”

“Yeah, flowers and sunshine. But there’s none of that to be found since this world fell into a hellhole, so you won’t see me cracking rainbow smiles or going easy on you anytime soon.” Before I could say another word, I was lifted up off the ground and heaved into his arms. “Hey. Put me down!”

He resumed his stride, using his shoulders now to clear our path. Deep azure eyes found mine. “For the record, there
is
still sunshine.”

“I didn’t mean literally.”

“Quit fussing. I’ll make you a deal. I run and you rest, at least until the sun goes down. Then you can stomp around and pout all you want.”

I squirmed in his hold, but it didn’t take me long to give up. His grip was too strong. My arms laced around his neck and I glared up at him. “That sounds more like you having your way until you decide to let me have mine.”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

“I don’t want you to carry me.”

“Well, what you want and what’s actually going to happen are two very different realities.”

“What kind of convoluted crap is that?”

“True convoluted crap. Now stop busting my balls and let me carry you.”

I sighed, making sure it was long and overly dramatic.

Jet shook his head, a small grin tugging at his lips while he pried his eyes from mine to focus on the task. “Piss and vinegar, baby. Piss and vinegar.”

We forged on like that for a while, my perception of time no less disoriented than before. The only thing that helped set me straight was the sunset. As the sun lowered in the horizon, a rush of energy suddenly washed over me, the imminent darkness fueling me with a sense of urgency. “It’s time to hold up the other part of your deal,” I said, wiggling in his arms. “I get to stomp and pout now.” One look at his face told me he was struggling. His eyelids were heavier, his cheeks and lips pulled down, as if I wasn’t the only weight he was carrying.

I knew I wasn’t.

Finally setting me on my feet, he slipped his backpack off his shoulders and zipped it open to pull out the map Lillian had given him, along with a flashlight. He adjusted something that looked like a flashy, high-tech compass, pressing buttons while counting and mumbling quietly to himself. “About twenty more miles. You sure you can walk?”

“You sure you can?” I eyed his hip, fingering the hem of his shirt aside to take a peek. It was bloodier than before, and the bruising wasn’t making me feel any better about his condition. His face gave away no hint of pain when I traced the edge of the sopping wet bandage, his stoic expression so indifferent, I really wouldn’t be surprised if he
was
a machine.

“I’m fine.” He nudged my finger away and reached for my gun, pulling it from its holster to hand it to me. “Finger on the trigger.”

I exhaled a steady, deep breath through my lips, my bangs fluttering over my forehead. “Yes sir,” I mumbled, giving him a saucy salute.

“There won’t be much cover when we make it out of this cusp of trees. We’ll have to move fast.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

Jet gave me a tired nod and started forward again. His flashlight began to flicker and I grew nervous. The batteries wouldn’t last forever, and I didn’t doubt that they were right up there on the list of priority needs, like antibiotics. He shut it off with a curse, and I worked to keep up with him, listening for his movement to stay right on his heels.

A branch snapping somewhere to the left caused us both to freeze, our breaths audibly hitching.

“Could be an animal,” I whispered, so low I wasn’t sure if he could even hear me.

“Not likely. Haven’t seen one since …”

Another snap echoed in the night, followed by a soft rustling of branches.

His hand found mine in the dark and slid over my fingers, checking to make sure I was ready to shoot. His flashlight turned on but he didn’t let go of my hand. Slowly, he guided the light to the left, keeping it low to the ground first, before raising it to illuminate the perimeter. “Well I’ll be damned,” he said, shining the light on a beautiful Siberian Husky. Its coat was dirt-ridden and matted, its blue eyes bright and feral with hunger as it stared back at us. Its mouth was moving, chewing on something, its gaze trained on us.

That gaze ensnared me and without hesitating, I moved toward the dog.

“Wait,” Jet snapped. “Wandering up to stray dogs in the woods is on my what
not
to do list.”

“There are maniacal humans and an alien species running around, and you’re worried about a dog?”

“That’s not the point, Skylla.”

“He’s housebroken,” I said, still moving, keeping my gaze on the animal. “Nothing to worry about.”

“You don’t know that. If he’s starving … Skylla! Damn it, will you listen to me?”

I didn’t respond, just kept inching forward, stepping over a large log and some stray branches, turning my palms out and upward before bending down before the dog. A shiny silver tag caught my eye. “See? A collar,” I said, a little louder this time, carefully reaching under the dog’s chin to take the tag in my hand. A phone number and address was engraved across the silver, so faint in the stingy light that I couldn’t make it out. The dog flinched as I ran my finger over the words. “
Ssshhh
, it’s okay, buddy. You hungry?” I swiveled on my hip and dipped a hand into my pocket, pulled out a small fistful of dried-oatmeal leftovers from our stay at the Black Hole. Lowering the crumbs to the ground, I petted his head as he hurried to lick them from the soil, his breath rapid as he inhaled the meager offering. I half expected Jet to criticize the effort, aware myself that we didn’t have much food between the two of us.

But when I glanced back at him, I found him silent. Staring at the exchange.

A flash of something soft glinted in his striking blue eyes as he locked gazes with me. The connection was so penetrating, I had to look away. My gaze dropped back to the dog, where something else caught my attention. Just a few feet behind him lay a soft flannel blanket, and a notebook of some kind. I rose to my feet and walked over to it, turning back to face Jet when I spotted even more items stuffed into a cardboard box near the blanket. “Hey, I need some more light.” I waved him over.

Jet was at my side in an instant. The flashlight began to flicker again, and I knew I had to work fast. I dropped back to the ground to rifle through the cardboard box, and I could feel Jet’s gaze scanning the area around us, could feel the apprehension emanating from him. “We need to move.”

“I know, hold on.” I continued to fumble through the box, finding a can of corn and then a few more notebooks, their pages blank and damp. I snatched the corn and blanket and held them up to Jet for him to stash away, then gave the box one last dig. My fingers stilled at something soft. I tugged at it, pulling it out from underneath the notebooks.

A teddy bear.

I studied the brown stuffed animal, searching for any damage. A small splash of white stuffing peeked out through a gash on the left leg, but other than that, it was in good condition. “Here,” I said, standing to my feet. “Take this, too.”

“I don’t think a toy will be much good for trading. It’ll take up too much space in our bag. Leave it, come on.” He dismissed the bear with a wave and turned to head back in the direction we came.

My hand shot out and grabbed his elbow. “No, not for trading.”

“What?” He turned, his confused expression prompting a wry grin to tip my lips.