Unhinged (19 page)

“You tell me,” he states pointing to the
other side of the room. I turn and just about collapse from
happiness. Mary is sitting on the bed, confused, but awake. Two
doctors are examining her, while a couple of nurses take her
vitals. She’s obviously confused by how she ended up in a hospital,
but she’s otherwise healthy. I walk over to the bed on wobbly legs
and push aside the doctor. Rude or not, no one’s going to keep me
from Mary anymore.

The moment she sees me, her eyes fill with
tears. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I didn’t want you to ever have to
see that.”

“I know. But I’m stronger than you think. It
can’t hurt me like it hurt you.”

“It was never about me, baby. It was always
about protecting you as much as I could from the evil in this
world. I didn’t realize until today that I had it backwards. You
were always the one protecting me.”

I hug Mary with all the love I never thought
I was capable of while tears flow down my face. I wish I had
something awesome to say back to her, but words fail me. All I can
do is hug her.

Behind us, Dr. Evans clears his throat. “I’m
sorry to break this up, but Mary needs to go for some final tests
before they can release her to go home.”

A nurse rolls a wheelchair into the room and
I reluctantly let go of Mary so the nurses can assist her. “I’ll
see you soon,” I tell Mary as the nurses help her into the
wheelchair. She kisses my gloved hand before the nurses wheel her
away. My heart hurts less knowing that she’s going to be alright. I
plop down in a nearby chair, incapable of doing much more than
sitting.

Dr. Evans regards me stoically from across
the room. “I know this sounds awkward coming from me, but…I’m proud
of you, Aimee. You did well and with such little direction from
me.”

Since I don’t trust my emotions at the
moment, I simply nod my head in acceptance and gratitude.

“When you’re feeling better, I want you to
document every single portion of the memory you just eradicated
within Mary. Not because I’m morbid you see, but for prosperity’s
sake. Knowing what you did will help in my research.”

Since I have no idea what research he’s
talking about, I almost say no. But since I would never have gotten
this far without him, I decide to be accommodating.

“Okay,” I answer reluctantly. “But only as
long as no one else ever sees what I write.”

“Deal. Now rest, young lady, while I go see
about getting your friends transferred to this hospital. I know
you’ll want to start with them as soon as you are feeling up to
it.”

“Yes, thank you doctor.”

Evans nods his head, grabs Mary’s chart, and
leaves the room to fill out paperwork that will doom my friends to
a stint somewhere in this awful hospital. I put my head in my hands
to clear my mind. As each second passes, I feel stronger, more
alert, and less exhausted than I did when I entered Julia’s
consciousness. Maybe that means I’m stronger than I was yesterday?
Or maybe practice helps me build a resistance to the exhaustion?
Whatever the reason, I’m grateful.

The room is so quiet that I don’t realize
Brett didn’t go with Dr. Evans until I hear movement to my left and
see him drag a chair over to mine. He sits down and puts his elbows
on his knees as he leans in and regards me with those beautiful
blue eyes. Those are the eyes of a boy used to getting what he
wants. I close mine as he stares at me, for fear that I might fall
under his spell and do exactly that—give him whatever he wants. I’m
an idiot for even considering it.

Brett clears his throat, reminding me that
he’s still here and has no intention of going anywhere.

“If I asked you to leave, would you?” I say
hopefully.

“Nope, so get used to it. As long as you're
going through this, I’ll be here to bug you with my devilish smile
and manly body.”

I laugh, despite trying my best not to.
“Manly body, huh? That’s what you call those measly things that
barely pass for arms?”

“They were strong enough to catch you, ya
know,” he points out.

My traitorous heart speeds up at the sexy way
he reminded me whose arms I’ve awoken in twice now. I take deep
breaths to calm myself, but it isn’t working. The room I just
thought was freezing has warmed up considerably. I open my eyes to
tell him he’s gone too far, only to realize that in the time I’ve
tried to ignore him, he’s moved very close to me. So close that I
can feel his breath on my face. Those blue eyes regard me with
something I can’t quite put my finger on, but whatever it is, I
don’t want to find out.

“What are you doing?” I ask him, trying my
best to steady my breathing. I wonder fleetingly if he can hear my
heart beating fast within my chest, or if he realizes exactly how
much his nearness is affecting me.

“I’m wondering what you taste like.”

Well, that wasn’t the answer I was
expecting
. My cheeks flush, but I’m not sure if it’s from his
boldness or the heat from Brett’s body so close to mine. On the
verge of chastising him for saying something like that, my
treasonous mind is now wondering the same thing about him. He moves
in slowly, like he’s approaching a wild animal. I want to turn my
head away, but I can’t move. Though ever fiber in my being is
screaming how wrong this is, my body won’t listen. I want to think
about Logan, want to see his face moving toward me, but all I see
is Brett. His breath is sweet and his eyes are full of yearning as
his lips near mine.

Just as I realize this kiss is really going
to happen, fate intervenes. Just as Brett’s lips are on the verge
of touching mine, Dr. Evans runs into the room screaming my name.
The moment is as lost as I am.

Disoriented and flustered at getting caught
almost kissing Brett, I look up at Dr. Evans wondering what’s
wrong. His face is flushed and his hair is disheveled. It’s easy to
tell he ran all the way here.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as I jump out of my
chair.

“They’re gone. Both of them. An orderly went
to check on them and their beds were empty. No one has seen them.
They’re just missing without a trace.”

“Who’s missing?” I ask, even though the pain
gripping my heart indicates I already know.

“Logan and Dejana. They’ve disappeared and I
have no idea what happened to them.”

I stand in the center of the room as my world
comes crashing down around me. All hope I had moments ago after
saving Mary is gone. It slipped through my fingers like water. No
matter what I do, I can’t seem to hold on to the ones I love, at
least not for very long.

My mind is a whirlwind of emotions. Vertigo
hits me full force as the pressure of the last two days, mixed with
my friends being kidnapped, bears down upon me. I’m in a fight with
consciousness and losing badly. My mind needs time to heal, but
it’s time I just can’t afford right now. I wish my mind would
listen, but it stubbornly continues to shut down. My last thought
before passing out is that I’m running out of time to save Dejana
and Logan. The hourglass is almost empty and I have no idea where
to begin.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

~ Bloodties ~

David lies on his bed with his arms fanned
out beside him. He’s uncomfortable and in dire need of rest, but
he’s incapable of moving for the moment. Though the pain in his
mind has eased some, his body is sore and exhausted from moving
Aimee’s friends to the secret location. The room is set and he has
the gun loaded and ready. All he needs now is his mind to hold on a
bit longer. Though he dumped as many memories as he could, his mind
still feels like it’s been hacked up by ice picks. It’s nearly
impossible to think. All around him, he sees things that aren’t
really there. Or at least he thinks they’re imagined, he can’t be
certain with his mind battling itself.

Suddenly there’s a knock on the door. Despite
his fatigue, David jumps up, grabs his gun, and positions himself
beside the door to face the possible intruder. He quickly moves to
look through the peephole and instantly relaxes. He stows his gun
in the back of his jeans and unlinks the chain to let his brother
into the apartment. He wastes no time with pleasantries.

“What are you doing here?” he asks his
brother impatiently. “I’ve got things to do and I’m exhausted.”

His brother passes the threshold of the
threadbare apartment and closes the door behind him. Before
responding to his brother’s rude comments, he takes a look around
the apartment, noting the broken pieces of who knows what that
still litter the floor. He notices the large gashes in the wall and
shakes his head, disgusted with David’s lack of discipline. He
crosses his arms in front of him, clearly agitated as he faces his
brother.

“What do you think you’re doing, David?” he
asks, barely able to disguise the disgust he feels for his
weak-minded brother. “You aren’t well enough to finish this and you
could ruin everything. Father gave you specific instructions, and
by taking those people, you’ve defied a direct order. He sent me
here to set you straight. Though looking at the state of this
apartment, I’m not sure that’s possible.”

“Who cares what you think,” David spits back.
“You’ve already ascended, oh perfect brother of mine. It’s my turn
now and I won’t let you ruin it for me!” yells David as he lunges
at his brother, fists ready.

His brother easily deflects David’s pathetic
attempt at a fight and throws him forcefully against the wall,
never even breaking a sweat. He smiles as he watches David crumble
to the floor. “You should know better than to make father angry,
David. He’s stronger than both of us and you know what he’s capable
of.”

David wipes away the blood from his mouth as
he regards his brother with contempt. “Screw you and him. I don’t
need either of you. I can do this on my own.”

David’s brother laughs heartily at his
attempt to do something as important as his ascension without help.
“She’s stronger than we thought, David. She’s a fast learner, and
already strong enough to defeat you.”

“That bitch will
never
defeat me!”
David screams so forcefully it shakes the thin walls of the
apartment.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see
then, won’t we?” taunts his brother.

“I’ll show you and father how great I am.
I’ll cut her into tiny pieces and send you her head just to prove
it.”

David’s brother says nothing, his fury and
disgust evident in his stance and his clenched fists. He turns to
leave, clearly not believing a word David says. Just as his
brother’s hand touches the doorknob, David’s next words stop him
cold.

“Your pitiful attempt to help her won’t work.
And even if it did, she’ll never forgive you for what you did.”
David pushes on despite the look of unadulterated rage pouring out
his brother’s eyes. “And if you tell father anything about my plan,
I’ll tell her who you really are, Brett. Then, I’ll kill her right
in front of you.”

“Then may the best brother win,” Brett
challenges as he steps out into the hall and lets the door fall
shut behind him.

Chapter
Twenty-Three

~ Race Against Time ~

Feeling groggy, like I haven’t slept in days,
I open my eyes and immediately wish I hadn’t bothered. The white
moldy tiles and the smell of ammonia tell me that I’m still at the
hospital and that the nightmares that plagued my dreams last night
are indeed real. The tornado that brings evil after evil to my
doorstep taunts me as it jumps from person to person, devouring all
that I love in this life. My measly attempts to stop it seem to
have done nothing but piss it off.

I know the guy that has haunted me since I
was six is waiting for me. And some prophecy about two becoming
one, that makes no sense at all, looms above my head. The world has
ceased to make sense.

I dreamed such horrible dreams last night of
buried bodies, blood spewed corn, and exploding cars that I had
convinced myself none of it was real. It can’t be. Such evil can’t
possibly exist in this world. But it does. And the memories of
those deeds now live in the minds of those I love. Minds that were
never meant to harbor such horrible visions of hell. Suddenly,
everything that happened last night before my mind shut down, comes
back.

“Logan!” I yell, panic starting to squeeze my
heart as I sit up in the hospital bed and throw off the old white
blanket. I swing my legs down, wanting to run to see if he and
Dejana are truly gone, but I’m frozen in place as the room spins
around me. My mind is still fragile from absorbing the memories
within Mary. I hold my head in my hands, willing it to go away.
There’s so much I have to do now to try to save the ones I love,
before it is too late. The silence in the room, once overpowering,
is suddenly lost as the door to the hospital room opens and Mary
comes walking in with a tray full of food.

“Oh good, you’re up,” she says cheerfully and
in a voice all her own. “I brought you some food. This should help
you gain your strength back. You’ve gotten entirely too skinny of
late.”

Even though I saw that she was fine last
night, the last image I have of her is being wheeled off by nurses
to get more tests done. The sight of her standing in front of me,
radiating clarity of mind, startles me. I watch as she places the
tray of food on the table next to the hospital bed and approaches
me. The smile on her face enhances her natural beauty.

“So,” I begin, a bit unsure what to say or
how to act around her. “You’re okay? I mean, how do you feel? No
bad guys rummaging around in your head?”

She laughs. It’s the sweetest sound I’ve
heard in days. “Yes, honey, I’m fine. Better than fine, actually.
It’s such a relief to have my mind back. I feel rejuvenated.”