After the Ending (28 page)

A timid surge of joy shot through me. Finally, things
were looking up.

Dani

I‘d been sleeping, but I was suddenly awake. I blinked,
letting my eyes focus in the darkness. I was staring up at a post and beam
ceiling, and it took me a moment to remember where I was—the front room of the
ranch house. Grudgingly, I sat and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The couch was
warm beneath me, beckoning me to stretch out and fall back asleep, but there
was something nagging the very edge of my memory. I had the vague impression
that Jack had been in my dreams, showing me…something. Something important.

Hackles raised, Jack slowly backed through the doorway
from the hall, triggering my memory of the dream.

The front door.

The doorknob.

Jiggling…just like I could hear it doing at that moment.

Oh crap!
I thought, piecing it all together.
Somebody was breaking in, and the only doorway from my makeshift bedroom led to
the same hall as the front door. I was in
major
trouble.

I had just enough time to scramble off the couch and
crouch by the doorway with Jack next to me before I heard the front door crash
open. I panicked as I realized my gun was on the couch on the opposite side of
the room—I’d stowed it under my pillow before falling asleep.
Idiot!

Maybe I can hide.
Maybe they’ll pass me by. Maybe…

The hallway’s hardwood floor creaked under the intruder’s
footsteps, the sound growing closer with every passing second. I held my breath
as Jack moved into the center of the room, snarling ferociously.

“No Jack! What are
you doing?”

“
Help you,”
he responded solemnly
. “Run away.”

I didn’t have time to protest or even move before the man
stomped up the hall and through the doorway. Focused completely on my vicious
dog, he didn’t notice me flattened against the wall beside the doorframe. As
Jack strung him further into the room toward the couch, and unfortunately my
gun, I slowly inched closer to the hallway. When I placed my right foot in the
doorway, the worn wood floor moaned. Horrified, I froze. I held my breath and
looked over my shoulder at the man.

His eyes met mine.

Forgetting Jack, he lunged at me and shoved me back-first
into the hallway wall. I hit it with a thud, knocking several picture frames to
the floor. Glass shattered around my bare feet, but I’d hit my head so hard
that I couldn’t stop myself from staggering. A shard sliced into my heel right
before the intruder’s hurtling body slammed against mine. He smelled of rancid
sweat and stale cigarette smoke, and his bloodshot eyes glinted wildly. He was
definitely a Crazy.

A second later, Jack attacked him. As he tore at the
Crazy with teeth and claws, I attacked with knees and hands. My few
self-defense lessons kicked in, possibly saving my life. I rammed a knee into
his groin, then smacked his left ear with my open hand. I wasn’t sure if I’d
actually landed the blows on purpose or if they’d been a random result of my
frantic flailing. Regardless, insanity had hindered his physical prowess, and
he was unable to block my strikes.

The man stumbled back, tripping over Jack and crashing
into the opposite wall.

Without a backward glance, Jack and I fled. We tore down
the hallway, out the front door, across the wide gravel driveway, and through
the door at one end of the stable. The horses whinnied and stomped as we sped
by the first few stalls.

“
Be quiet, please! The bad man can’t know I’m here!”
Instantly,
the building fell silent but for the sound of my bare feet slapping on the
cement floor.

Just as I sidestepped into the fourth stall on the right,
an ominous screech sounded from the door at the far end of the building—the
door I never used because of its rusty hinges. I smiled grimly. He didn’t know
my exact location, but I knew his.

I also knew the next stall down housed almost all of the
ranch tools, each a potential weapon.
If I can just get to them…
I
studied the darkness, weighing its density, and decided I could probably make
it without the Crazy seeing me.
It’s now or never.
I breathed in and out
once, twice, then held the third breath and slipped out of the stall as quietly
as possible. Jack followed me, quiet as a shadow.

The few seconds it took me to reach the next stall seemed
to last for days. Shaking with adrenaline, I ducked through the open doorway
and searched the barely visible walls for some sort of weapon. Unfortunately,
grabbing anything would make too much noise and dissolve my only advantage.
Trying not to panic, I squeezed my hands into tight fists and took several
deep, steadying breaths.

Quietly, but not quietly enough, the man passed by the
empty stalls and unknowingly neared my hiding place.

Desperate, I begged the horses, “
I need a
distraction!”
In an explosion of noise, they began kicking the walls and
neighing loudly.

I seized the nearest shovel, the same one I’d nearly
accosted Ky with, and gripped it tightly in my sweaty hands as I crept closer
to the main aisle. Pausing, I told the animals, “
Quiet now.”
Stillness
settled in the dark building.

Faintly, I heard the man resume his slow, shuffling pace,
unaware of the danger awaiting him—unaware of
me
. As he drew closer, I
coiled to strike, my muscles trembling with tension and fear. Besides my
shovel, I realized my Ability could also be used as a weapon, repercussions be
damned.

“
Stop!”
I shouted in the man’s head. His clothing
rustled as he froze mid-step and looked around.

“
Damn voices,”
he grumbled and continued creeping
along. “
Leave me alone!”

Crap! He’s still
coming!

Frantically, I opened my mind and begged anyone or anything,
“
Help! Please! I’m being attacked by an insane man. Please help me! Please!”
I felt thousands of minds connect with mine, human and otherwise, draining me
of energy almost instantly. Terrified, I broke the connections.
What the
hell did I just do?
Adrenaline seemed to be the only thing keeping me
standing.

Seconds later, the man moved into sight, all of the
horses in the stable thrashed and cried. Other animals scratched and banged on
the walls from outside the building. The man looked around, hearing a commotion
his eyes couldn’t identify in the darkness.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, I stepped
away from the wall and swung the shovel like a baseball bat. The dull, dirty
metal rang out like a church bell when it impacted his skull, causing the
handle to vibrate painfully in my grip.

Immediately, he crumpled.

Seconds later, my legs gave out and I followed him to the
cold cement floor. Using my Ability on such a massive scale had weakened me,
and adrenaline could only last for so long—I could feel my hold on
consciousness slipping.

I wasn’t sure if the man was dead, but it didn’t matter.
I was unable to make my muscles listen to my brain’s orders to stand up and
flee. My head was pounding, and I was shivering, both from cold and from terror.

I curled into the fetal position, letting myself be
soothed by Jack’s sniffing and whining. I could feel other furry things—some
small and some as large as my dog—nuzzling me. They surrounded me with their
warmth, cutting through the aching chill that had seeped into my bones, and I
slipped comfortably into unconsciousness.

“So…what should we do?” an indistinct female voice asked.

Angrily, a man replied, “I don’t fucking know!”

“They’re not going to hurt her…at least I don’t think
they are. Jack wouldn’t just stand there if he thought she was in danger,”
another man said.

“I still think we should shoot ‘
em
.
They’re obviously dangerous. Look what they did to that guy! They
tore
him apart!” a shrill voice said.

“Shut up, Holly! You’re not helping!” the first speaker
ordered. She continued in a softer volume, “I think they’re protecting her.”

“I agree,” said a new voice. “I think we should wait
until she wakes up.”

“And if she doesn’t? What then? We just leave her behind
this…this…wall of animals?” the angry man asked.

What the hell is
going on? Who are they talking about? Why am I so hot? What’s poking me?
Wait…where’s the Crazy? Did I kill him?

“Look! I think she’s moving!” one of the voices claimed.

Me? Are they
talking about me?

Suddenly, my eyes popped open, and I gaped in
astonishment at what I saw in the darkness around me. I was surrounded by a
barrier of pacing creatures, including several coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and a
gigantic cougar. And, of course, faithful Jack was among the animals protecting
me from the people I’d overheard. I felt like a planet being orbited by a
deadly belt of fur, teeth, and claws.

Beyond the fierce predators, a small crowd of familiar
people with flashlights watched with a variety of expressions. Ky and Ben were
sharing a look of wonder. Holly was scowling at Dalton and Hunter, whose faces
were blank. Chris was smiling. But it was Jason who captured my attention. The
look in his eyes made him appear slightly more savage than the wild creatures
circling me.

I sat up slowly and immediately felt dozens of small,
furry bodies wiggle and readjust themselves around me. Instead of panicking,
which would’ve been normal, and frankly, would’ve made me feel less like a
mutant-ninja-animal-whisperer, I smiled at the mass of rabbits, mink, and cats
curled up on and around me. Without them, I would have frozen to death, having
passed out on the cement floor of an unheated building in the dead of winter.
The animals had kept me warm—the wonders of a living blanket.

As Jason took a step closer, my protective guard abruptly
stilled, forming a solid, threatening shield intent on one thing—keeping him
away from me. Jason paused with one foot forward, his muscles twitching with
the need to keep moving.

“Let him pass!” I ordered. A narrow, Jason-sized gap
opened between the cougar and a pair of foxes. The three animals separated and
sat patiently, looking like stone lions guarding the entryway to a castle.

“No way! Did you guys see that?” Holly blurted.

But everyone ignored her, instead staring in shock at the
obedient animals…everyone except Jason. He lurched forward through the
makeshift gateway and dislodged a handful of the smaller creatures huddled
around me as he crouched at my side. The common cats were the most displeased, hissing
and groaning in feline irritation.

“Are you hurt?” he implored, scanning me from head to toe
and back again before his eyes met mine. His desperation stole my breath. I
wished I had Zoe’s Ability so I could understand what he was desperate for.

“I…I don’t think so. Jason, I—NO!” I shouted suddenly,
snapping my head to the right. Holly had raised her pistol and was aiming it at
the cougar, whose muscles were tensed to pounce. Everyone froze, animals
included.

“Ow,” Ky said, shaking his head. “Was it really necessary
to shout so loud
in
our heads too?”

I hunched, leaning away from Jason, away from everyone.
“Sorry. I guess I got a little excited…” At least Holly had lowered her gun.

Before the situation spiraled out of control and
someone—or something—got hurt, I dismissed my furry defenders. To my surprise,
each nuzzled part of my body before leaving, even the cougar. I felt like a
piece of land claimed by dozens of property owners.
Delightful…

After the last undomesticated animal had left the stable,
Chris rushed to my side, displacing Jason, who stood and began pacing.

“What the hell just happened?” Holly screeched. “You guys
saw that right? That was, like…a
cougar
or something! What if she
sicks
it on one of us next?”

Jason halted and spun to face her. “Shut the fuck up,
Holly,” he ordered harshly. “Ky, find the lights in this place,” he added
before he gathered everyone but Chris around him and began giving hushed,
emphatic orders.

Chris and I both squinted when the overhead lights came
on, and she continued patting and prodding me everywhere in her search for
injuries. She was
very
thorough.

“Hey!” I exclaimed as she pressed against my ribs beneath
my breasts. “I like you Chris but not
that
much.”

“Calm down, hon. I’m just making sure nothing’s broken.”

“Well you don’t need to feel me up in the process. I’m
okay. I promise.”

She puckered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “You’ve got
a pretty nasty cut on your heel…how’d that happen?”

I thought for a moment, recalling all that had happened
after the Crazy had broken in. Part of me couldn’t believe I was still alive.
“I stepped on the glass from a broken picture frame…it was when he, um,
attacked me in the house,” I explained, my voice trembling a little.

Chris gently squeezed my shoulder. “Worst decision he
ever made, huh?,” she said, but it was her touch more than her words that
soothed me.
Damn…I love her Ability.
“Just give me a few minutes to get
you patched up, and then I think you and Jason should have a little chat…clear
the air…”

I groaned. “Is he mad?” I asked tentatively, watching
Jason pace up and down the stable aisle. He reminded me of the cougar who’d
watched over me so closely during my loss of consciousness.

Chris barked a laugh and said, “Hon, mad doesn’t come
close. The email from his sister telling him why you left…that didn’t really go
over so well…”

“Oh.” I looked down at my hands, feeling miserable.

Chris left my side momentarily to retrieve a first aid
kit from her pack. I flinched when she cleaned the stinging cut on my heel, but
felt lucky that it wasn’t deep enough to need stitches. After dropping some
antibiotics in my palm and handing me a water bottle, she said, “So, I’m gonna
clear everyone outta here…start setting up in the house. Can you and Jason
please try
not
to kill each other?”