Killshot (Icarus Series Book 1) (34 page)

              “We’re not alone,” I whispered back, still facing the tack room.

              “Son of a—Oww!” Jake’s voice was swallowed up by the sound of metal clanking to the ground. A few seconds later, he stumbled past the wall of timbers and into the sunlight looking disheveled and more than a little worried. “Jesus, Liv. I damn near killed myself trying to catch up with you. Was it—?”

              “Shhh…” the rest of us all said together.

              “God,
Sorry
,” Jake whispered, his eyes shooting around the room as he slunk over next to Riley. “Did they find it?”

              “Find
what
?” Riley whispered. “Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?”

              I shook out my shoulders and took a deep breath, refocusing on the thrum in my chest. I followed as it pulled me forward and the closer I got to the tack room, the higher it rose into my throat. After a few steps, my head started buzzing with it, forcing my neck to crane back until I was looking up.

              Just above the ceiling of the tack room, was the last few angled rafters that remained of the barn’s original structure. I peered into the darkness, cupping my hands around my eyes. I caught a faint glint of two green disks of light reflecting back at me against the ceiling’s shadows. I focused on them intently as they moved closer to the edge of the beams.

              “Easy. It’s okay,” I whispered, slowly lowering my pitchfork to the ground. I felt Zander shift a step closer to me, a soft growl emanating from deep in his chest.

              “Liv, what the hell are you doing?” Jake squeaked, barely above a whisper.

              “Come on down from there,” I whispered, holding my hand back to halt my friends. “It’s okay. You are safe.”

              A distinct click to my right told me Zander had removed the safety from the gun. The two glowing circles disappeared, as a soft hiss echoed down from the rafters.

              “Zander, lower the gun,” I said.

              “Liv,” Zander growled, “That’s not—.”

              “Zander,
please
,” I said, keeping my eyes trained on the shadows.

              “Damn it,” he swore under his breath, but from the corner of my eye I saw him lower the gun to his side. After a moment, the hissing stopped and the eyes reappeared, slowly inching back to the edge of the tack-room’s roof. A second later, it was flying through the air toward us.

Chapter 33

Leader of the Pack

               The creature descended upon us from the shadows above, sailing through the air with grace and speed. A fraction of a second later, it landed softly at my feet in the patch of light. Riley screamed and Zander lunged forward, but I stopped him at my side.

              “Wait,” I said, my hand across Zander’s chest as it rose and fell frantically. “Jake, is that—?”

              “I think so,” Jake said, his voice shaking. “That’s Johnnie…or at least it
was
.”

              The leech did not rise from its crouched position on the barn floor but cowered at my feet, shaking like an abused animal. Its hands lay flat on the ground as he crept forward, his head still pressed into the dirt. The tattered remains of his dingy denim overalls scraped along the rough concrete floor, leaving a shallow trail in the muck behind him. His skin, like the others we had seen, was blackened in most places, but there were no raw patches or blisters— only a thick hide that appeared to be solid like armor. Like Zander’s arm.

              “Liv, don’t,” Zander cautioned, his concern for me barely in check.

              “Look at him, Zander,” I said, gesturing down to the trembling mass of blackened flesh at my feet. “He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, he’s just scared.”

              “I think she’s right, Z,” Jake said, taking a cautious step forward. “Look at his posturing. That is a classic act of submission.”

              “Maybe, but we can’t afford to be wrong here,” Zander said. “You saw how aggressive Micah’s mom was, and Gunther— he said they were monsters. There is no way to know for sure what that thing wants, or what it is capable of.”

              “What
he
is capable of,” Jake said.

              “What?” Zander’s brows knit together in confusion, but he held his gun steady.

              “He,” Jake repeated. “You said
it
. Johnnie is not an
it
. Micah’s mom, your aunt, was not an
it
.”

              “Jake, I—,” Zander started.

              “I get it. People always fear what they don’t understand,” Jake’s eyes glistened as he stared down Johnnie. “I hate to break it to you, Zander, but you are no different than him. He was just a normal person. A person that was infected, just like the two of you were. He didn’t
choose
this.”

              “He’s not like the others, Zan,” I said, lowering myself to the ground a few feet from Johnnie. “I can feel it.”

              “All I’m saying is we should err on the side of caution until we know more,” Zander said, his voice going up an octave.

              Zander stepped forward until his feet were firmly planted at my side. His proximity created a palpable tension in the air that caused the hairs on my arm to stand on end. Johnnie seemed to sense it as well and shifted lower to the ground. He raised his head just enough to make eye contact with me, before focusing in on Zander.

              Johnnie’s black eyes glared up at Zander. His blackened shoulders tensed as a low rumble echoed from his throat. He shifted his weight back until his feet were beneath him. The muscles in Johnnie’s back twitched and jumped as if he were ready to pounce.

              “Umm, guys,” Riley said, her voice shaking. “I don’t mean to be like politically incorrect, or insensitive or whatever, but can we maybe have this conversation
after
we put Liv’s scary new leech friend on a leash?”

              “I got this,” I said. “Everybody, back up, okay? I don’t want to scare him.”

              “She doesn’t want to scare
him
,” Jake snorted nervously and made his way to Riley’s side.

Zander’s eyes shone down at me, their warmth shadowed in worry. From my crouched position, I looked up at him, then reached over and gently squeezed his calf. Even now, the familiar tingle of electricity tickled my fingertips. I smiled up at him and nodded reassuringly.

              “It’s okay,” I whispered.

              “Jesus, Liv. Just…just be careful for Christ’s sake.” Zander lightly traced my jaw with his index finger, sending a rush of crackling heat across my face as he slowly backed away.

              Johnnie was still as a statue, save for the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Something inside me tickled at the edges of my mind, creating the sudden urge to protect— to defend. Much to my surprise, it seemed these instincts were not only for my friends at my back, but for the creature crouched in front of me. Somehow, I knew that he was scared and confused. What baffled me now, was what had made him decide to trust me? I didn’t have the slightest idea how to communicate with leeches, only that they were drawn to me, and I to them.

              “Okay, ummm.” I ran my fingers through my scalp, at a loss.

              “You got this, Liv,” Jake whispered his encouragement.

              “Johnnie?” I spoke softly, as if to a child or maybe a puppy? “Hey…you.”

              I looked over my shoulder. Zander’s forehead was creased with worry, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he ground his teeth. Riley shifted back and forth as if torn between running to help me and running away. Jake, however, was beaming with excitement, his curiosity and fascination nearly bubbling over.

              “Okay, I don’t know if you can understand me or not, but I sort of need you to— could you maybe just,” I drew a blank, and glared back at my friends. “Jesus, how the hell am I supposed to do this? I don’t speak Zombie.”

              “Focus, Liv,” Jake said firmly. “You got this.”

              Johnnie’s head cocked to the side and he peered up at me as if trying to figure me out. It was an odd gesture, but somehow it settled my nerves a bit.

             
Be strong and trust your instincts. Don’t back down unless the situation calls for it. If you are not the dominant predator, you will be the prey.

              It seemed like ages since the baritone timber of my father’s voice had echoed through my mind and I nearly buckled under the weight of my relief. I swallowed back the lump in my throat, blinked away the tears, and rose to my feet.

              “Up,” I said, in a voice more steady than I felt. “Get
up
.”

              His head rose from the floor, his eyes shining up at me like a pool of jet-black ink. I snapped my fingers in front of me, and his eyes focused on my hand.

              “Good. Now,
stand
.” I said firmly, slowly raising my hand upward.

              His eyes tracked my hand and his body followed. He slowly perched on the balls of his feet, supporting himself on his hands. He crouched there, like a runner on the starting block, eyes locked on me as if nothing else existed.

              “Back,” I said, calmly.

              I took a big step toward him, my hands raised as a barrier between us. He lowered his head but kept his eyes fixed on mine, steadily backing away as I moved toward him. Like a magnet repelled by a like charge, he retreated, matching the length of my strides.

              “Oh my God, Liv.” Even at a whisper, Jake’s excitement was unmistakable. “It’s working.”

              “Shhhh!” Zander and Riley hissed at him in unison.

              “Get ready, Zander,” I said.

              I motioned towards the door and Zander slid past me, scooping up a two-by-four up off the ground. Johnnie’s last step back took him over the threshold and into the shadows of the tack room. The second he crossed the barrier Zander slammed the door shut after him, slid the board under the handle, and wedged it into the ground.

              “
Christ
,” Zander groaned as he leaned back against the door, and dropped his hands to his knees. His sweat soaked hair fell onto his face as his head shook back and forth.

              Johnnie seemed to be shuffling around inside the small, unlit room, but he made no efforts to come at the door. Zander slowly rose to his feet, the tendons in his neck still tight with worry. Riley crossed her arms protectively over her chest, her eyes wide as she stared at the door to the tack room. Her mouth hung open, but she said nothing.

              “That…was...
amazing
,” Jake shouted, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

              “Calm down, Jake,” I said, prying myself from his grasp. “Let’s not make a big deal about this, okay?”

              “Are you kidding me? Of course it’s a big deal. He just…he just completely submitted to you, Liv,” Jake shrieked. “This is freaking
huge
. I mean, holy shit! Did you see that, Riley?”

              “Yeah, Jake, I saw,” Riley gasped, sinking onto a nearby bale of hay, “and I seriously thought I was going to pee my pants. What the hell was all that?”

              “The force is strong with this one,” Jake said, patting me awkwardly on the shoulder.

              “That doesn’t make any sense, though. The others, the other infected, I felt them,” Zander said, putting his hand on his chest as he pushed away from the door. “He was here this whole time and I didn’t sense anything. I
still
don’t and he is right on the other side of this stupid door!”

              “Neither did I,” I said, plopping down next to Riley. “Well, not until I woke up this afternoon, anyway.”

              “Why didn’t your spidey-sense pick him up until now?” Riley asked.

              “More importantly, why didn’t mine pick him up
at all
?” Zander growled, running his fingers through his tangled hair.

              “Hmm. So you felt nothing when we got here this morning?” Jake flipped over a bucket in front of us and sat down.

              “Nothing,” I said, and Zander nodded his agreement.

              “But you felt it right away when you woke up?” Jake asked, and I nodded. “So, what changed between then and now?”

              “The lightning?” Riley’s shrugged.

              “Duh, of course.” Jake slammed his palm against his forehead. “Riley, that’s brilliant. I bet the electrical interference from the lightening messed with your radar, like an airplane flying in a storm. As soon as the lightning stopped, you were back up and running, so you picked him up right away.”

              “Right, but that still doesn’t explain why I didn’t,” Zander said, frustrated.

              “You can still feel Liv right?” Jake asked.

              “Yes,” he said, tentatively stepping away from the tack room door.

              “So, even though your connection to Liv is constant, your external read seems to be more selective,” Jake jumped to his feet and started pacing as he thought aloud. “Okay, both Gunther and Micah’s mom were—let’s just say they were both dangerous in their own ways. You sensed both of them, right?”

              “Yeah,” Zander said, stepping into the beam of light. “So?”

              “So, maybe you didn’t sense Johnnie because he was not a threat,” Jake said. “Liv, Johnnie was not a danger to you because he had already connected with you as his alpha.”

              “That’s just creepy,” Riley scowled.

              “But what about Zander?” I put my hands on my hips.

              “Liv, Zander is only a beta…
your
beta, to be specific.” Jake smiled over at us.

              “Meaning?” Zander brushed lightly against my shoulder.

              “Meaning, you are her right hand Z, no pun intended,” Jake looked down at Zander’s blackened hand. “Liv, in the hierarchy of all this, I believe Z is meant to be your protector. The yin to your yang. He’s the king to your queen; your mate. He’s—”

              “Okay, we get it, Jake. We are a team.” Zander interrupted him, sensing my unease with the direction the conversation had taken. “So, are you saying I can only sense these damn things if they are a threat to Liv?”

              “Not necessarily.” Jake sat back down, heavily.

              “That’s helpful,” Zander huffed.

              “Give me a break, okay? It’s not like I can just Google this crap, is it?” Jake shot back to his feet. He couldn’t seem to sit still and it was starting to make me dizzy.

              “We know, Jake,” I said. “We are all just trying to understand this, okay?”

              “I get it, but I am just working with what we have observed so far, and that isn’t much,” Jake said, kicking at the dirt. “We know Zander’s instincts are directly tied to yours. Even though that connection is strong, the pull he feels is not the same as yours. It seems to be primarily tuned to sense a potential threat or rival. That could be anything from an external dangers like fire or enemies, to the presence of an unaligned infected or one that has aligned with another alpha.”