Beyond the Darkness (Dark Court 1) (2 page)

Zack had no way to explain the exhilaration he felt in that moment. He shouldn’t be so happy that Eljin decided to stay the night, but he was. If it wouldn’t have violated his dignity he would have danced a jig right there in the parking lot.
Instead, Zack walked around and climbed into the truck, waiting until Eljin got in and shut the door once more. He started the truck and drove out of the parking lot, heading for his small apartment.
The silence in the cab was thick. Eljin didn’t seem to be much into talking. He just stared out the passenger-side window, continuously rubbing his stomach. Zack reached over and turned the heat on. Maybe Eljin was cold.
It took just a few minutes to get to Zack’s apartment. He didn’t like to drive far from home in case he needed to take his medication, in which case, driving was out of the question. He pulled into his designated parking spot and turned the truck off.
“I’m just over there.” Zack pointed to the ground floor apartment on the right. “Let’s go on in and I’ll make us both something to eat, okay?”
Eljin didn’t answer, just climbed out of the truck and shut the door. For someone who’d been so chatty back in the alley, he sure had clammed up. Zack shook his head and climbed out to walk around the front of the truck and join Eljin.
He led the way toward his apartment, listening to the man’s footsteps as he followed along behind. They seemed to falter the closer they got to Zack’s front door. Zack paused on the front step, house key in hand, to glance back over his shoulder.
“Eljin?”
Zack frowned as he took in Eljin’s features. His eyes were huge in his pale-white face, and his lips moved as if he were mumbling something but no sound came out. His whole body seemed to tremble. He looked absolutely terrified.
“Eljin, what’s wrong?” Zack took a step toward the man. “I won’t hurt you, I promise. You’re perfectly safe in my home.”
Eljin started to shake his head, slowly at first then faster with each movement. “We have to go,” Eljin whispered. “It’s not safe here.”
“Eljin, wha—”
A creaking noise brought Zack up short. He knew that sound. He’d made it himself a million times before when he had stepped on the loose board in his front foyer.
As Zack turned back toward the door, his senses instantly moving into battle mode, he saw things out of place that he hadn’t noticed before. His attention had been too settled on Eljin but now he took in everything around him.
There was small scratch around the door handle, a potted plant on his front stoop was overturned and the curtains had a slight separation between them, one Zack knew hadn’t been there when he left. He always made certain his curtains were closed tightly so no one could look in.
He liked his privacy.
Zack stepped away from the door, motioning with his hand for Eljin to back away. “You know what, Eljin? You just sit out here on the steps until you feel more comfortable. I’m going to get the groceries out of the truck.”
Zack turned back to face Eljin and his truck. He waved his hand a little, making sure his gesture could only be seen by Eljin, hoping the man would get the message.
“No, I’ll help. I’m just tired so I’m moving a little slow.”
Zack breathed a small sigh of relief. “Just don’t overdo it, okay? I don’t want you passing out on my front porch.” He headed for his truck, making sure he remained between Eljin and whoever waited inside his apartment.
He had no idea who it was or what they wanted, but something told him it had to do with the men who’d accosted Eljin back in the alley at the bar. With every passing second Zack grew more certain he needed to find a safe place and sit Eljin down for a little discussion. There were things he needed to know and he was going to find out, the sooner the better.
“It’s going to be easier to get the groceries from the driver’s side, Eljin,” Zack said loudly as they approached his truck. He gripped his keys tightly in his pocket, ready to use them in a hurry. “I have most of them stacked behind the driver’s seat.”
Eljin nodded and followed Zack around to the driver’s side of the truck. Zack unlocked the door, keeping a close watch on the front of his apartment out of the corner of his eye. He knew once they made their move they would only have moments to get away.
“Climb in there and hand me those bags in back,” Zack directed loudly enough for anyone within a decent distance to hear him. The moment Eljin climbed on to the front seat Zack shoved him all the way over and climbed in behind the wheel. He had the door shut and the engine started in seconds.
As he peeled out of his parking spot his front door slammed open, two men running out. They were dressed in the same black military gear as the men from the bar fight, only these guys had guns in their hands.
Zack didn’t wait for Eljin to buckle in before he punched the gas and headed out of the parking lot, the truck’s wheels peeling out in a cloud of burned rubber. He held his arm out, pinning Eljin to the seat until they were on the main road.
“Buckle up!”
Just as Zack started around a sharp corner he spotted headlights in his rearview mirror. Another vehicle came speeding out of the parking lot behind them. Obviously the men from his apartment weren’t going to give up easily.
Zack maneuvered through traffic, turning as many corners as he could as he tried to lose the people on their tail. “Start talking, Eljin,” Zack snapped as he made yet another turn. “I want to know what in the hell is going on and I want to know now. Why were those men in my apartment?”
Eljin sighed. “They were sent there to kill you.”

Eljin’s stomach rolled as Zack stared over at him with his mouth hanging open, his eyes wide and round. He knew explaining this wasn’t going to be easy. His tale was outlandish, even for him. He just hoped Zack would believe him when he was done telling it.

“Kill me?” Zack spoke in a voice that was eerily calm. “Why would anyone want to kill me?”
“Do you really want to know?” Eljin asked. “You’re not going to like the answer. Hell… ” Eljin snorted. “You’re not going to believe the answer.”
“Just tell me, Eljin.”
“After you were injured by that bomb you spent some time in a hospital.”
Zack’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How do you know that? How do you know so much about me?”
Oh goody, the fun part.
“I read your file.”
“My file?” Zack asked, looking back and forth between Eljin and the road. “How did you get a hold of my file?”
Eljin’s face grew hot, his eyes darting away for a moment as he drew in a deep breath to calm his shame at what he had done. When he looked back, Zack was still staring at him. “I stole it.”
Zack’s eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline. “You stole it? Stole it from where?” Zack’s eyes rounded even more. “From who?”
“I’m getting to that.”
“Get to it faster.”
“What I’m about to tell you sounds really outlandish, but I can prove it.” Eljin grabbed the dashboard as they went around a particularly sharp corner. He glanced out the back window but didn’t see any headlights. “Do you think they’re still following us?”
“Yes,” Zack answered simply.
Eljin’s eyes snapped back to Zack. “Yes?”
“If they can find my apartment then they can find my truck. We need to get rid of it and find another mode of transportation before they locate us again.” Zack spoke in a no-nonsense tone of voice as he explained. It actually made Eljin feel more nervous, rather than relieved.
“Any ideas?”
“Yes. You finish telling me what’s going on. I’ll worry about finding us another vehicle.”
“All right, look, it’s really simple. When you were in the hospital you were involved in a secret government research project. You don’t remember it because of the drugs they gave you, the ones you tried to take tonight.”
Eljin didn’t think it was a good thing when Zack started laughing. “Zack, I’m being totally serious. Yes, you suffered a head trauma from the explosion but it didn’t cause any permanent damage. You’re not suffering from delusions or paranoia or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. You’re fine except for those damn drugs they keep pumping into you.”
Zack’s mouth snapped shut and he stared back at the road. Eljin held his breath while he waited for him to say something. If he couldn’t convince Zack of the truth he was going to be in a lot more trouble than he was already.
“You don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about,” Zack finally said.
Eljin clenched his hands into fists. He had been through so much in the last several months. The one person he hoped he could count on didn’t believe him. Eljin didn’t know why he was surprised or hurt by Zack’s response, but he did. He just wanted to curl up in a hole somewhere and hide until this whole thing was over with, but that wasn’t an option. He had responsibilities.
He had something to protect.
Resigned to the fact that Zack was never going to believe him and he was on his own, Eljin leaned his head against the cold glass of the passenger window. His eyes fluttered closed as deep sorrow filled him, tears clogging his throat. He had so hoped that Zack would believe him.
That hope lay shattered on the floor.
“Just drop me off at the next corner,” Eljin finally choked out, his voice scratchy and tight. “They’ll stop following you once they pick up my trail again. They want me more than they want you. But you might want to think about laying low for a while, just until they stop looking for you.”
“Not happening, Eljin, so forget it.”
Eljin’s snapped his head up and glared at Zack with burning, reproachful eyes. “You don’t understand. These guys won’t stop, not until they catch me or I’m dead or both.”
“Why, Eljin?” Zack asked. “You still haven’t told me why.”
“We were both involved in a research project. That’s how I was able to get your file.” Eljin rubbed his lips as he remembered the few brief hours he had spent with Zack back at the research facility. They had been magical, a time Eljin would hold dear to his heart until the day he died.
“Why me?” Zack asked in obvious confusion. “Why did you steal my file? Weren’t there others?”
If only Zack knew… ”Yes, there were other files, but we met at the research facility and I knew I could trust you.”
“I don’t remember you.”
Eljin glanced down at his lap as unimaginable anguish filled him at Zack’s words. Until that very moment, he had held out hope that their brief time together had made as much of an impact on Zack as it had on him. Tears gathered in his eyes as that hope withered and died.
“No.” To Eljin’s dismay, his voice broke slightly. “I guess you don’t.”
“Did we know each other well?” Zack asked. “Were we friends? What?”
Friends.
Eljin choked back a bitter laugh at that simple description of the passion that had passed between them. “No, we didn’t know each other well. We only spent a few hours together.”
“And that made you think coming to me was your best option? Are you crazy?”
Eljin couldn’t hold back his laughter this time.
If you only knew.
“After you were released I overheard two of the guards talking about elimination orders that had been taken out on you. I had to warn you that a hit squad was coming after you, so I stole your file and came looking for you.”
Eljin threw his hand in front of him, grabbing the dashboard when Zack slammed on the brakes, bringing the truck to an abrupt stop. He glanced over at Zack, wondering if Zack was the crazy one.
“Elimination orders? Secret government research projects? Research facilities? Mind altering drugs? Military hit squads? This all sounds crazy, Eljin. You do realize that, don’t you? You sound like a lunatic, like a delusional, paranoid, nutcase.”
Eljin stiffened as though Zack had struck him. Tears rose perilously close to the surface. “Maybe I am. Maybe this is all some crazy nightmare and I’m going to wake up any minute and none of it will have happened. Wouldn’t that be great?”
“Eljin, you’re not making any sense.” Zack put the truck back in gear and started down the road again. His hand trembled as he pushed it through his short hair, a testament to how uncertain he was. “Tell me about this research project. What was it all about?”
Eljin sighed, knowing that this part of the conversation was going to go about as good as the first part. “Genetics, mostly,” he replied. “The researchers were trying to find someone with superior genes to mix with recently discovered genetic material in the hopes of creating a super soldier or some such shit like that.”
“And they chose me?” Zack scoffed. “For what?”
“You have very good genetics, Zack, far superior than most people on the planet. But that’s not why they chose you. You were chosen because you have a genetic anomaly that makes you unique. Very few people in the entire world have it, less than one percent of the population actually.”
“And just what is this genetic anomaly? Is it a disease or something?” Zack gestured to his head. “Does it make me have black hair and blue eyes? What?”
“No, it’s a dormant gene in your DNA that you inherited from one of your parents. It makes your DNA compatible with the new genetic material they discovered.”
“I never knew my parents. I grew up in an orphanage. How would your scientist even know I had this gene?”
“Blood tests, most likely taken when you were injured. Once they knew you had the gene you were transferred to their research facility. After they took what they needed from you, they transferred you back to the hospital where you were released a few days later, never knowing what had happened to you.”
Zack’s mouth took on an unpleasant twist, a muscle quivering in his jaw. “What did they take from me?”
“Your sperm,” Eljin said quietly.
“My sperm?” Zack shouted as the truck swerved on the road. “What in the hell do they need my sperm for?”
Eljin rolled his eyes in a
duh
kind of gesture. “To make a baby, what else?”
“Did they?” Zack shouted. “Did they make a baby? Is there someone out there pregnant with my child?”
Eljin had a raw ache in his throat as he nodded. “Yes.”
“Who?”
“Me,” Eljin whispered then closed his eyes and waited for the fallout. It wasn’t long in coming. Eljin opened his eyes in alarm when Zack slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the truck to storm around to the passenger-side. Zack yanked the door open and pulled Eljin out before he could protest.
“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are,” Zack shouted as he jabbed a finger into Eljin’s chest, “but I don’t find this funny, not one damn bit. This is a sick joke.”
“It’s not a joke,” Eljin insisted weakly because he knew it was a joke but the joke was on him for believing Zack would accept his words. “They locked us in a room together. You were tied down to a bed. The anomaly and new DNA are such that they can only be combined and create a child the old fashioned way, so they made us have sex until I got pregnant.”
“First, men do not get pregnant. It’s physically impossible,” Zack said as he took one step toward Eljin then another, forcing him back. “And second, I’m… I’m not gay.”
Eljin held out a hand to Zack, hoping to get him to listen, to believe. Zack slapped it away, his face glowing red with his rage. He looked so mad, so fierce, that Eljin took a step back, frightened.
“I’m not lying, I swear.”
“I don’t believe you!”
Eljin’s hands fell to his sides. His heart ached so much that he thought he might pass out. “I know,” he said sadly. Eljin took a, long look at Zack, knowing it would be the last one. He wanted to imprint Zack’s memory into his mind.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Tears burned a trail down Eljin’s face as he turned and walked away. He wrapped his arms around his waist, not knowing if he was trying to hold on to the child they created together or to hold in his grief. “I won’t bother you again.”
“What did you say?”
The words were so softly spoken, so different from Zack’s anger of a moment ago, that Eljin paused to look over his shoulder. Zack stood there, a totally bewildered look on his face. Eljin shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
Eljin turned and started walking again when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“Please, Eljin, what did you say?”
Eljin closed his eyes and prayed for strength. If Zack needed his pound of flesh for what had happened to him, Eljin would give it, no matter how much it cost him. “I said I was sorry. I know my story is too outlandish to believe. You’re right to think I’m crazy. Just go somewhere for a few days. They’ll stop following you at some point and you’ll be safe. You just need to stay hidden until then.”
Eljin pulled away from Zack’s grasp and began walking again. His heart splintered into a thousand pieces when Zack did nothing to stop him. He knew the bond that had formed between them back in the research facility hadn’t been a strong one but there had been one. Maybe it was just stronger on his side because of what he was.
Clearly Zack didn’t feel it.
“Eljin, wait,” Zack called out.
Eljin kept walking.
“Please?”
Eljin stopped but he didn’t turn back. It was too painful to look at Zack anymore, knowing that there was no hope for them. Zack didn’t even remember him.
“Look, you’re right, this story of yours is pretty outlandish, but I just can’t leave you out here to fend for yourself. There is someone after you—at least I know that part of the story is true. Let me take you somewhere safe, okay?”
“And the rest of it?”
“Eljin, I can’t—men don’t—fuck!”
Eljin glanced over his shoulder to see Zack raking his hand through his hair as he paced back and forth on the road. Deep in his heart, he’d known this wasn’t a good idea. He knew someone like Zack wouldn’t believe him. He almost didn’t believe it and he had proof growing inside of him.
“Look, let’s just not go there, okay? I’ll take you somewhere safe and we’ll take things from there. But I don’t want to hear about us having sex or pregnant men or any of that. Understood? Not a word.”
Eljin felt an acute sense of loss as he nodded his agreement. He warned Zack just as he’d meant to do. Now he needed to concentrate on the unborn child he carried. The only other people who knew he was pregnant were a select number of research scientists that wanted to hold him prisoner. No one else would believe him, not even the baby’s father.
“Come on.” Zack gestured with his hand for Eljin to join him. “We still need to find another vehicle.”
With a heavy heart, Eljin walked back to the truck and climbed in. He didn’t say a word as Zack started the engine and maneuvered them back onto the road. There didn’t seem to be anything to say. He just leaned his head against the cool glass and pretended to watch the scenery go by, but he couldn’t see a thing through the tears that swam in his eyes.