Bound by Sin: The Beginning of a Prophecy (Prophecy #3) (12 page)

Constance

Chapter Fifteen

“My mother’s voice was shaking. “They have military stationed and blocking the interstates.” She broke down into sobs, crying hysterically. “Constance, I don’t know what’s going on.”

I shook my head and pulled the receiver away from my face momentarily. I sucked in a
quick breath to try to keep myself from falling apart. “I don’t either, Mom.”

“I’m coming up there as soon as I can. I feel helpless being stuck here – Constance, you
promise me you’ll be careful. You and your brother, you stay together.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too
.” I hung up the phone and my mouth filled with hot spit. I ran to the bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet. My nerves were knotted up and the anxiety twisting through my body was making me physically sick.

Walking back to the living room to check my deadbolt again,
I heard sirens wail past, and moments later gunshots rang through the air. It was like one of those damn end-of-the-world movies that Brooke and I used to make fun of, both agreeing that the zombie apocalypse would be the absolute worst way to go. I felt like the way things were right now weren’t much different than how those shitty movies always started out. We had declared war with damn near every country on the map because some maniac walked into an embassy and opened fire, killing several diplomats from other countries. I’d stopped turning on the television because it scared the shit out of me. Religious leaders were claiming this was the end of the world because all of the first-world countries were being pulled into this war. People everywhere had gone crazy and were killing people left and right. One preacher had claimed that Satan had been unleashed. The unmistakable sound of a helicopter rumbled above my apartment and I shut my eyes. I felt like I was in hell.

My phone rang, t
he sudden noise causing me to jump. I glanced down at the cracked screen and saw that it was Jared.

Before I even had a chance to say hello, he’d blurted out, “Hey.”
It sounded like he was running. I heard wind rushing across the phone; his breath sounded like it was being forced out, and I could hear his footsteps pounding across the ground. “Get shit in a bag. We’re leaving here.”

“What?”

“Damn it, Constance, just do it. We’ve gotta get outta here.”

I heard the
car door slam and the engine start.

Glancing out the window
, I saw armored tanks at the end of the block. “But they have the interstates blocked – where are we gonna go?”

“Look – I don’t have time to explain
this to you. Just get some shit together. I’mma be there in about ten minutes and we’ve
got
to leave!”

The line went dead
. I heard more gunshots and screams outside. That was enough. Jumping up, I hurried to my bedroom and yanked clothes out of my drawers, shoving them into a gym bag. My mind was racing. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I figured if he thought he’d found a way out of here, I was more than willing to try it.

I zipped my bag
and stood in front of the door, my entire body shaking. Loud footsteps came scrambling up the stairs and then there was a knock. Letting out a breath, I twisted the lock and opened the door.

Jared’s chest was heaving and his eyes
were wide. He pulled me out of my apartment, yanking my door closed behind me as he said, “Come on, we’re getting outta here.”

He turned and jogged down the stairs. I followed him
, my bag slamming against the back of my thighs as I ran across the vacant lot. I heard men yelling and I clamored into his truck. The springs in the old pickup creaked as I scooted across the seat.

Jared
slammed his door shut and started the engine. “This is fucking crazy! People have lost their damn minds.” His eyes glinted as he focused on me. “You trust me?”

“Why not?”
I said, tossing my hands up into the air.

“You’re coming with me by choice then?”

I squinted at him and his absurd question. “Uh…. yeah…”

Jared nodded. Yanking the gear shift
into reverse, he stomped his foot down over the accelerator and spun the truck around before putting it in drive and fishtailing out of the lot.

Grabbing onto the handle
over my head, I stiffened, hoping this lunatic wouldn’t kill us before we got to wherever the hell he was taking us. “So, I mean, how in the hell are we gonna get out of here? The military has everyone locked down … I’m not even sure why.”

Jared
stared straight ahead, straining against the sun and leaning closer to his steering wheel. “War, Constance,” he mumbled.

“Yea
h, well, we’ve been at war plenty of times and I’ve never seen any shit like this!”

A short huff
flew from his lips. “There’s never been a war like
this
before, though.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This isn’t just a war between nations – it’s a war between man and demon.”

I
quickly let out an agitated groan. I couldn’t believe this fuckin’ guy had jumped on the “end of the world” bandwagon. “Okay, Jared. So, the battle between good and evil that will end with the judgment of all mankind? God, you’ve lost your damn mind too!”

“You only know wh
at they’ve wanted you to know.” Jared took a hard right turn and went down an alleyway.

My hands grabbed onto the edge of my seat.
“Where the fuck are we going?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Uh, I kinda have to worry about it seeing as how I’m going with you. Which now I’m starting to think may have been a bad decision because you’re making no sense – demons, what the fuck?”

He took another sharp turn, swerving out onto
an old highway lined by woods.

“
You believe in heaven and hell, right?” he asked very matter of factly.

I
rolled my eyes, letting out another sigh of frustration at his stupid questions. “Yeah, I guess.”

Another snide laugh rolled f
rom his lips. “Did it never
dawn
on you that I said Brooke would be fine if she was with Gavin?”

I sat there and thought about
the conversation we’d had. I had no idea what he meant. “Well, hell, Jared. I mean that entire conversation made no damn sense. They’re dead… D-E-A-D, fuckface. Which means they’re
not
, in any way, okay!” Shaking my head, I glared out the window and under my breath mumbled, “Dumbass.”

“I know Gavin
, Constance.”

“What? How did you know him
?”

H
is eyes cut over to me briefly. “Let’s just say I’ve known him for a damn long time.”

The truck bounced over
the shoulder. I looked out and saw that we were heading into the woods. The truck lurched across downed limbs and ruts, and Jared wasn’t slowing down. My head bumped the top of the truck when he ran over a ditch.

Grabbing
my head, I shouted at him. “What the hell?”

Jared flipped his visor up and stared out in front of
him. “I told you we were getting outta here.”

My jaw hung loosely open as I sta
red at him. “Okay, so you know – knew – Gavin –”

Jared cut me off. “I
know
Gavin. He’s not dead,
she’s
not dead,” Jared shook his head. “And
they
are the reason all this shit’s happening!”

Grabbing the sides of my head, I screamed,
“
What – the
–
fuck
are you talking about?” My heart was racing in my chest, my mind was twisting inside out trying to understand what the hell he was saying.

Jared continued to barrel over uneven ground.
Things inside the cabin were rattling and bouncing everywhere.

The truck came to a
n abrupt stop, sending dust flying up all around us. The necklace that hung from his rearview mirror swayed back and forth, clinking against the windshield. We were in front of an abandoned rock house. Moss had grown over a large portion of the grey stone. Ivy had invaded the roof and crept inside the broken glass of the windows.

Jared opened his door. “Come on.”

I shook my head. “Hell no! I’m not getting out. You’re freakin’ me out.”

He stomped
around the back of his truck, and he jerked my door open. His hand wrapped around the top of my arm and he yanked me out of the truck. “I didn’t
ask
you if you wanted to get out. I told you to come on. Now come the fuck on.”

Stumbling, I
dropped my weight to the ground and sat down, gripping onto the tall weeds surrounding me.

Rage flew across his face at my defiance. He closed his eyes an
d let out a deep groan. The meat of his tongue wet his lips and he caught the silver piercing between his teeth as he glowered down at me. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” One eyebrow pointed in and his face grew blood red.

Reaching down, he grabbed the back of my shirt and drug
me across the grass. I dug the heels of my shoes into the ground. My hands scratched at his arms and my legs flailed wildly. I was screaming so loudly the back of my throat began to burn and the sound coming from me cracked.

Jared
stopped and knelt down beside me. He lowered his face to mine, stopping inches in front of me. “What do you wanna do? Stay out here by yourself? Trust me – you’re safer with me. Now get
up!
” He yanked my arm one last time, and I gave in.

I stood up and brushed the dirt from my ass and legs. I knew he was right.

“You ain’t got nowhere to run,” he said, before rounding the corner of the house.

Following him
through the tall weeds, I saw a black Mercedes parked beside a dilapidated shed. As we approached, a man dressed in military attire climbed out. The man had thick salt and pepper eyebrows that angled downwards as he looked at me.

“No one knows where they are,
” the man said.

Jared shoved his hand d
own in his pocket. “I’ll find ‘em.”

The man nodded. “He m
ust face punishment for what he’s done. His sins –” the man shook his head solemnly from side to side while clearing his throat. “Something about
her
– it’s not right.” Glaring down at me, he asked Jared, “And why’s this one with you?”

Jared pulled me in front of hi
m. “This is Brooke’s best friend. And my girlfriend.”

“I see.” The man continued to stare at me, completely emotionless.

I stood there, frozen in place and utterly confused.

Jared
lifted the trunk and put our bags in before slamming it shut. “Come on, get in, doll.”

I said
nothing and climbed in the car. So many questions whirled around like a sandstorm in my head, but I sat in silence as I was driven off by some man I didn’t know and a lunatic.

We ended
up at the airport. The car slowed to a stop and the man driving rolled his window down. A guard was standing in front of the barricade blocking the entrance to the airport. The driver flashed an ID, and the guard motioned for men to come help him remove the bright orange blockade. We drove into the deserted airport, stopping in front of the entrance.

Military g
uards stood in front of the door, staring at us as we approached. Sweat formed on my brow as we inched closer to the entrance. I couldn’t help but stare at the large black guns resting across the men’s arms. As we reached the doors, the guards turned in a synchronized movement, their thick boots clomping against the pavement as they allowed us to pass. Jared made his way through the empty airport, each step echoing from the open ceilings. To see the Atlanta airport completely deserted was surreal and terrifying. The world had stopped, normalcy no longer existed. We came to a door with an employees only sign tacked on the front of it. I still was unable to muster the courage to ask any questions; I just followed behind him silently. My entire body was trembling and my mouth was dry. Jared walked through and pushed open the exit door. Heat swirled up around me when we walked out onto the tarmac.

Jared made his way over to a small jet. The
guard standing beside the plane saw us approaching and let down the stairs. Astonished, I watched Jared climb up and look back at me. “Well, come on, Constance.”

I
grabbed onto the railing and pulled myself up into the plane.

Jared plopped down into the pilot’s seat and the door shut behind me.

Looking around, I shook my head in disbelief. “What the hell? You’re a fuckin’
bartender
!”

A
deep, slow laugh ruptured from him. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, darlin’.” His lips shaped into a smile and he flipped switches. “We’re gonna go get your friend. Trust me. Okay?”