CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Beyond the gate stood a mangled group of empty-eyed humans, swaying like leaves caught in a breeze, heads turned upward. Then they lowered in giddy guttural excitement. They weren’t tethered any longer. They were free.

Elle screamed and only then, did my head start to pound.

I aimed at the first torso, Vice President Declan’s, and fired. The gun clicked in my hand. I pulled the trigger again in disbelief and stumbled backward. No bullets.

“Run,” Landon yelled, grabbing ahold of my shoulder.

I tumbled into him and reached out for Elle to stop myself from falling. We piled onto the floor in a twist of limbs.

Elle screamed again as the zombies lunged for us, then everything went black.

“What the heck?” Landon said after the pop.

I opened my eyes and rolled off of Elle, who was still screaming.

Oh, thank the stars. I jumped.

“Elle, it’s okay.” I reached for her, trying to catch my breath. “Open your eyes.”

“Where’d they go?” Landon swiveled around in a karate stance, eyeing both ends of the catwalk defensively.

“I think the correct question is, ‘Where’d we go?’” I said with a smirk.

Landon’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.” I shrugged, hoping after recently seeing The Wizard of Oz at their house they’d get my joke. Resorting to sarcasm was way better than freaking out. I’d pulled them into my time warp and things didn’t end so great last time with Declan.

“That’s not funny, A,” Elle said, dusting herself off. “What the hell just happened?”

I blinked at her for a moment. Had my best friend finally pulled on her big girl panties and returned? Because in the presence of zombies, she’d morphed into… me, frankly.

“I’m the Oracle, that’s what happened.”

Landon laughed. “No, seriously.”

“Yes, seriously,” I said a little louder. “If the absence of those… things wasn’t enough, then where are the cameras? The hole I just blew into the wall? Or even—” I glanced over at Landon’s watch that registered a row of 0’s across the face and pointed. “You’re apparently dead.”

Their eyes zeroed in on Landon’s DOD. He clicked opened the face and spoke into the watch. “Austin. Austin, come in.”

Nothing happened.

Elle stood, dumbfounded. “I don’t understand.”

I blew out a gust of air. “I can jump through time… well, to this particular point, which is somewhere before my birth and before my parents were married.” And how DOD watches came into existence, I’m thinking, and how we can talk to our Complements. “Yeah, I’m it.”

Landon and Elle blinked at me and for a minute, I reveled in their response.

“Focus.” I snapped in front of their faces. “Problem is I can’t control it. And the last time was ugly, so—” I pointed to Landon. “You have to take me to Kaden’s cell, now, before I jump again. And whatever you do, don’t touch your younger self.”

Elle frowned. “You said you weren’t born yet, so… technically, neither am I.”

“Touch my younger self…?” Landon’s face wrinkled in disgust.

“Oh, geez.” I puckered out my lips. “That’s not what I meant… gross. Never mind,” I shook my head. “You’re a toddler anyway.”

“I don’t know if I should be offended or…” Landon pitched his brow upward. “The Oracle. That’s impressive.”

“You can fan girl me later.” I pulled on both their hands. “Let’s go.”

Landon stumbled forward, then quickly took the lead. Building Two was practically identical to One and the location of the future cells were relatively in the same place.

He walked into the furthest room and studied the walls. “Here, I think. Why aren’t there bars?”

“Whoever decides to make this into a jail hasn’t done so yet.” I walked inside and bit my lip. Elle and Landon stared at me as if I were about to grow another head. “I’m not a freak, okay, so stop looking at me like that.”

“I’m not saying you are, it’s just….” Landon’s eyes lit with amusement and I wanted to punch him.

“How does it work?” Elle asked.

“At first, the future came like dreams and then, I had a horrible headache and woke up in a field with zombies, talk about a rude awakening. Each time it’s been a little easier…”

Landon shifted his weight and his eyes narrowed.

Elle leaned forward, eyes wide. “Then what happened?”

“I jumped before they could attack me.” I sucked in a deep breath and studied the cement floor, deeply conflicted. I’d brought the virus to our timeline through Declan, somehow. I was responsible.

“So that’s it? You just get a headache and jump?” He eyed me suspiciously.

“Yeah, for the most part.”

Landon shoved his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t in the hall when I’d returned with Vice President Declan. Was he watching elsewhere on a monitor? I still didn’t trust him.

Elle looked around, kneading her hands. “Now what?”

“We wait for a headache, I guess.” I slid to the floor and sat. Should I tell them stress of some sort would help speed up the process?

Elle joined me and held my hands. “I knew you weren’t dead. They wouldn’t tell me anything.”

I bit my lip to stay back the tears. “I worried about you every day. Thanks for the secret messages. What did you mean by, ‘they know’?”

“Oh,” Elle smirked. “They found the muffs, the paper and… they said you’d run away. That you’d defected.”

I sighed. There was too much to explain and I didn’t know how much time I had before I jumped again.

Landon leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Field with zombies, huh?”

My gaze swung to his. He wasn’t buying this. “Yeah. Got a problem with it?”

He cocked his head while working his jaw. Did he know zombies weren’t in our time? That I’d brought them here?

“Are they everywhere?” Elle interrupted, turning to her brother. “What about Mom and Dad?”

My eyes flickered upward to Landon. He lifted his chin. “They’re fine, Elle. The outbreak happened in the precinct which I’m sure is torched by now and that concerns me. How do we return, Abby?”

My heart dropped. Torched the place? “What about Kaden?” I asked, breathless.

Landon shrugged. “He’s collateral damage.”

My chest heaved and I stood. “What?”

“He brought in the virus, Abby.” Landon waved his hand noncommittally. “Or did you?”

“He didn’t bring the virus,” I said between my teeth.

“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done, and we should go back. I take it we should go outside, though.”

“No!” I clenched my hands. “Until today, there’s never been a zombie. Not here. Not in the zombie zone. Nowhere. It was all lies.”

Headache, come now.

“What?” Elle got to her feet.

I wondered how long it would take before she caught on. We’d been taught in net school that the virus was transmitted only through saliva and was difficult to catch unless you were bitten. But that was for a faked virus, one that had never been unleashed on the world. Who knew how the real one worked exactly, except the fact that the Vice President had been exposed long enough to contract it.

“There’s no containing the virus now that’s it been unleashed and you know it.” I moved toward Landon.

“No, Abby. Kaden is a carrier and he infected the precinct and only the precinct. It’s better that he die.”

“NO!” I screamed and attempted to lunge at him.

With another pop, his body disappeared and bars emerged in his place. I grabbed ahold to stop myself from smacking into them when something growled and leaped at me from the other side. Something pulled my shoulders backward and I narrowly avoided bloodied hands ready to tear into me. A piece of aluminum pipe came down on its head and it crumbled to the floor.

I swiveled around and stared up into blue eyes. The bluest I’d ever seen. “Kaden! You’re alive!”

Kaden’s lips found mine, crashing into me. Our body’s trembled, giving in. I wanted to forget everything. Just to feel his hands, his lips, his arms… to remain forever here and feel safe once more. He peppered my face with kisses and I leaned in, hungry for more, until I remembered I was a carrier.

I pushed away. “Wait.”

“What?” he asked breathless while he smoothed my hair away from my face, holding the sides of my cheeks. His eyes held something I’d never seen before—admiration mixed with desire. “Look at you… you’re just so… amazing.”

“No, I’m not,” I stuttered as the tears filled my eyes. “I’m carrying the virus.” I sucked in a sob and pushed away from him. “And I didn’t bring what you asked.”

His forehead creased as he eyed the gun. “I don’t understand?”

“Declan… he was fine. Then he became one of them and there are no more bullets and they’re going to torch the place.”

“Whoa.” Kaden pulled me to him. “One thing at a time. You jumped, right?” Amazement danced in his eyes. “Then go back, get another round, or another gun.”

My body swayed as reality hit. I’d left Landon and Elle behind. Were they still in the past? Or dead?

“What’s wrong?”

A shudder rippled down my body. “I took people with me. They came accidentally.”

“Even better. Take me.”

“No.” My voice shook. “I took Declan because he made me and somehow he returned too early and… he’s a zombie now.” Stars twinkled over my vision from my hyperventilating. “Now Elle and Landon are stuck in the past and the zombies are here. And now you’re infected. And they’re going to torch this place.”

Kaden took ahold of my shoulders. “Focus, Abby. You didn’t create this nightmare. I know someone who will know what to do about this zombie mess, so we have to jump. It’s our only way out.”

Tears fell down my cheeks. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.”

From somewhere in the building, a siren blared, and red lights flashed on the walls. A computer voice rang from above. “Decontamination commencing in one minute. Please exit through illuminated doorways.”

Down the hall, a green light flashed EXIT over the door.

“Jump, Abby!”

My entire body shook. We didn’t have a choice. I needed to jump and take Kaden with me.

“Come on, Abby. I believe in you.” His voice was low and determined.

I took another deep breath as the computer voice counted down, but the headache wouldn’t come.

“I don’t know how. I can’t control it!”

Kaden squeezed me tight and rocked me slightly. “Don’t listen to the voice. Concentrate.”

I held my breath and tensed my body. Headache, come, please. Nothing would happen. “It’s not working.”

“You can do it.”

“Ten, nine, eight, seven…” the computer voice continued.

“It’s not working!” I yelled.

“You can. I know you can,” he said, voice pained.

I stared up into his eyes as tears streaked down both out faces. This was it. We were about to die, and Anna would perish, too.

“I love you,” Kaden whispered into my ear as he held me tight.

“One.”

The pink paper fluttered through my mind.

“Wait!” I screamed, knowing Austin had to be listening in. “I’m the Oracle, and if you kill me, you’ll kill your one chance to save humanity!”

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 721