Fallocaust (The Fallocaust Series) (99 page)

I felt two strong arms pick me up, he started dragging me towards the gate. My hands still clamped around Asher. He was dragging both of us.

“Get them back inside!” It was Greyson carrying me, he was angry, and shouting. “Leave them, they’re gone. Get back inside the gates and snipe them from the fucking walls like Reaver said!”

He’s listening to me? I held on tight onto Asher and saw the metal gates on either side of me. The shadows of death, the beautiful smell of gun powder behind us.

And blood, fresh arian blood.

I hung my head down as the pooling blood in my mouth started to choke me. I spat it out and felt a cloth wipe my lips. I knew that gentle touch.

“Killi?” I coughed, I was still being dragged. “Is Asher okay? My sentries?”

“Greyson is carrying Asher. We have you, baby, we’re all going to your basement.” He was trying his best to sound sweet and supportive, but his voice was a shrill panic.

“That fuck isn’t.” I pulled away and made a motion to walk away from where we were heading but to my surprise his hand grabbed me roughly and yanked me forward.

“No, Reaver.” I had never heard Killian sound this forceful and assertive. Never in my life had he used that tone with me.“Doc has his hands full and Leo doesn’t even know what’s happening. I need to stitch you up and I need Greyson’s help. That’s how it has to be.”

I grunted but said nothing else. Behind us I could hear a few loose shrieks but they were nothing compared to the orchestra of madness I had been  hearing since the cache town.

Killian was the first to slide down the tank hatch. I went after, leaving a red streak of blood behind me.

“Sit on the couch,” Killian directed me over to it. He ran back to the tube, stepping back as Reno entered. They both caught Asher as he slid limply down.

“Are you alright, Ash?” I tried to get a good look at him.

I was relieved when I saw him nod, I was afraid he had broken his neck or something. “I’m fine, the impact just rattled my brains.” Asher winced as he put a hand to the back of his head. Reno helped him sit down beside my desk. “Nice place you got here.”

Right he hadn’t seen my fortified den yet. “Welcome to Shadow de Reaver.”

Even with blood running down his face, collecting in the scraped road rash he had on his neck and cheek bone he gave me a very pathetic look. “It’s
chateau
, you raver bitten hack.”

I snorted back a chuckle and he did too. I knew he’d be just fine.

Killian rose up from his crate of medical supplies, he looked at me as he held wire and a hook between his fingers. “You were bitten?”

“Several times, I think.” I ran my hand over my shoulder. I could feel shreds of flesh and pocks of missing skin. I tried to get a better look at it but my neck gave me an angry jolt.

Killian’s face dropped, I could see his lower lip tighten. I gave him a small smile to calm him. “They’re not zombies, Killi. I won’t turn into one.”

He started taking my shirt off. When he saw my chewed on shoulder he sucked in a breath. I could feel his light, gentle touch graze the wound. “Still their mouths are rotting pools of bacteria...” He turned to Greyson. “I have some penicillin but I’d rather give him the full two weeks. Doc’s already warned us about Reaver getting immune to it.”
I noticed Greyson for the first time. He was wearing a blue shirt and black jeans, with a cowboy hat on top to cover his receding hairline. He looked at Killian and nodded. It looked like he was stitching the back of Asher’s head. “Come by when you run out, and I’ll give you some from our cache. The three hundred milligrams will do.”

“We’re paying for it,” I said, my voice was raspy and I realized my throat felt like I had swallowed glass. I coughed into my hand, spraying it with blood. “All of it.”

I wasn’t going for this reaction, but the whole room quieted down.

Greyson paused as he looked at me. His light blue eyes stared into me, though not hardened or angry. He looked pathetic and sad like he had when I had seen him leaning against the shed.

I looked away from him, feeling uncomfortable.

“Reaver...” Greyson sighed and turned around, his eyes fell to my bedroom. “Let’s talk.”

“No,” I said acidly, I felt Killian start to douse my wound with antiseptic. He made a noise like he was about to say something but I silenced him with a jerk of my shoulder blade. “Do what you need to do and get out of
my
town.”

Greyson sighed, he looked at Reno. “Can you take Asher into Reaver’s bedroom for a moment.”

I knew Reno was taking this seriously but his mouth pursed tightly like he was in pain. I knew he was holding back, with every fiber in his being a retort calling attention to all the sexual innuendos that could be made by that comment.

Reno resisted and just nodded and helped Asher to the bedroom. I bored holes into Killian’s head as he followed.

My bedroom light turned on, and the door shut.

“I’m sorry, Reaver.” The words bounced off of my armor like they were paperclips. I picked up the thread that Killian had left dangling from my side and started stitching myself.
“Okay, thanks,” I said, then raised my voice. “You can come back out now.”

Before the door handle could jiggle Greyson locked my outside lock, locking all three of them inside. “No, they can’t.” He pinched the corners of his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger and sat down where Asher had been. I saw the corners of his eyes water. It made me feel very uncomfortable.

“Get out of my house,” I said my voice dripped acid. “Or I will put you out in p-”

“Stop being so stubborn!” Greyson suddenly roared. I heard the distinct sound of the door knob rattle as they heard him yell. “Mickey’s dead because of this stunt, okay? And Houston. Matt might die too. I’m not playing this... this stubborn game of yours tonight. Just... just stop it, alright? Listen to me, for one second.”

Matt’s hurt? And that new kid’s dead? Shit...

I decided then I would listen.

Greyson dropped to his knees in front of me, he put his hands on my shoulders. I tensed up so tightly I thought my muscles would spasm.

“Chance... Reaver...” His voice wavered. I bristled at being called my birth name but I stayed quiet. I
was
going to listening, I had to keep telling myself that.

“You’re not like everyone else. You know that, myself and Leo know that, Killian even knows that.” The strange tone in his voice was what got me. His voice had a weight on it that seemed to press down on my chest with each word. “And it’s not your eye sight, it’s not your hearing.” He took a deep, rattling breath and squeezed my shoulders.

“You’re brain is different, Reaver. You’re not like us... it’s harder for you to be a good person than a regular arian. It takes effort for you to do the right thing... doesn’t it?”

I stared at him. My chest was tingling with forming ice crystals, encapsulating my heart in cold. I wouldn’t nod, but I... I did agree. I didn’t realize how not normal it was until I had become a teenager. My mind was always fighting over what I wanted and what I assumed (to a regular person) was right. They rarely were the same thing.

Greyson nodded, I think he knew me enough to take my silence as an agreement.

“It is very easy for you... to be manipulated by the right people, the right influences. It’s easy for you to turn bad... to turn into a monster.” He was... it sounded like he was almost pleading at me to understand him. I felt cold, sterile, shocked... in one hand I understood... but in another I had never been more confused.

“You will always need to try harder to be a good person, and a good partner. Don’t hate yourself, because it was something you were born with that will always be a part of you.” I was shocked as his hand dropped down, he took mine in his own and squeezed it. “When it comes down to it... only you can decide which path you want to follow. Not me.”

His grey blue eyes flicked up to me, I looked back. Not knowing what to say.

“All I’m asking Reaver, and I know you’ll never be a leader and I’m okay with that now... just-” Greyson sniffed and turned away, he wiped his eyes. “Don’t go to those dark places. Don’t let the darkness take you somewhere where Killian can’t find you.” His voice dropped so low, it was nothing but a muddled whisper. “In the end, he might be your only tie to morality.”

Greyson stood up and let go of my hand, but as he turned away I grabbed onto it.

“Why are you saying these things to me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “You’ve always known I was like this. Why are you saying this now?”

Greyson’s mouth twitched, I saw his mind race for a moment, before his eyes softened. “Because now it’s not just you I have to worry about. It’s Killian being around you too…” He shifted to get up but he stopped himself. “We’re… we’re going to have a talk soon. Not now, but soon. There are some things about your past it’s time you knew.”

Even in my steeled emotions I couldn’t hide the shock on my face. I felt like I had been hit with a hammer. I opened my mouth and was angry at myself to feel my words sputter. “You… what? My past? What are you talking about?” My body went cold.

His face was strained, like this conversation was causing him physical pain. “Leo… Leo spoke with me, and… it looks like some things will soon come to light…”

As his light eyes shifted away from mine, the cold ice that enveloped my body only solidified further.

I fixed my eyes on him. “Who am I?”

We looked at each other, both men of Aras, both alike in more ways I would care to admit. He squeezed my hand again, and gave me a smile so somber it made even the ice in my heart weaken.

“You’re our son, that will never change,” Greyson said quietly, he turned away from me without another word, and put on his jacket.

He paused, I saw his hand tighten against the tank’s wheel. “Come visit me sometime...” He opened the door to the tunnel. “Your ol dad misses you.”

Chapter 41

Killian

I woke up, and squinted my eyes to adjust them to being awake. As it was with most mornings I woke up to Reaver beside me. He was staring up at the ceiling, his arms behind his head. He looked deep in thought.

I wiggled over to him and put my arm around his chest. I buried my face into the crook of his arm and gave a satisfying sigh.

Reaver gave a mock groan and tried to move away, but I just wiggled into him more. I tightened my grip on him, making sure to steer far away from his bite wound.

“Don’t you want to get up?” Reaver said, making his voice sound whiney. “You know... do things that don’t involve running me off the bed with your love?”

“Nope.” I inhaled and smelled his wonderful scent. “This is your punishment for almost getting killed last night. You have to endure all my cuddling, and like it.”

He let out a huff, but I felt his chin on my head. “I’ll cuddle you, Mr. Massey but I wont like it.”

No matter how long we’ve been together my heart still sang whenever he cuddled me back. I closed my eyes and enjoyed it. “You like it, you say you don’t but you do.”

I heard a snort, I knew he would never admit it. “Bullshit.” I felt him stroke my hair back lightly.

We fell silent again, I ran my hand up and down his stomach.

“Greyson said something interesting to me last night,” Reaver said out of the blue.

My heart jumped, I had been dying to hear about what Greyson had said to him last night. I had only heard him briefly yelling before everything had gone silent. I was terrified at first and tried to get back into the living room, afraid he was going to try and kill Reaver again but it was locked. Luckily though he didn’t shout again, but that meant I also had no idea what was exchanged.

Reaver had unlocked the door, looking tired,  but okay. No one asked him what the conversation was about, we all knew better but inside I was aching to know. I had controlled myself though and tried to get everyone out of the basement as soon as possible so it could just be me and him. Though it took a few hours to get the two boys soaked, stitched and bandaged to the point where I was happy.

Asher had a good inch long gash in the back of his head where he had fallen off of the bike, and light road rash on his neck, chin, side and ass. He still seemed rather out of it though so Reno had spent the night with him. Reaver had thought that was amusing but I held Reno on his promise that him and Asher’s fling was over.

Reaver was worse off, but compared to the last injuries he had he was fine. Just the serrated bite marks on his shoulder and a bite on his side, plus a bit of road rash and a goose egg on his head.

I couldn’t believe how well off they were after Reaver had told us what had happened after they left the small plaza.

Apparently there was a trail of dead ravers all the way back to there. Reno had already had a radio conversation with Hollis about sending people back there to retrieve the bodies and Asher’s stuff today. It’s cold enough that their meat should still be good.

“What did he say?” I shifted up on the bed so I was now facing him.

He kept looking at his ceiling, his black eyes were squinted under his knitted brow. “He said it’s harder for me to be a good person, than normal people.”

I thought for a moment, I could see where he was coming from, from his point of view. He knew Reaver was a chimera, and he was trying to still steer him in the right direction. I was surprised he was being so honest with Reaver though. We just sort of took it as his personality.

“He says I can’t help it, that without someone to keep my ass in check, I’ll turn evil or something,” Reaver shrugged. “I thought it was just him being over protective but... the he chucked a curve ball at me.” His lips pursed to the side. “He said we were going to talk soon, about my… origins I guess.”

My heart froze, he sensed it and looked down at me with his brow furrowed. “I guess that makes you happy, you’ve always wanted to know.” Reaver sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “He says Leo told him some things are going to come to light soon, so I should now.”