Holocaust (The Deadwood Hunter Series Book 3) (15 page)

Chapter 19

Arriving in Deadwood gave Lincoln a strange unease within his gut. He prowled the town Lexia had once called home, seeing nothing new. Deadwood still looked the same as when he left, yet it was forever changed. It stirred memories within him, both sad and happy, but each causing pain.

“Where’d you want to crash? Hunters are probably watching every place we’ve ever been, probably watching this whole town.”

“Let them watch,” Lincoln growled.

“All right, Linc, rein it in,” Caden replied, sounding tired.

The problem was Lincoln couldn’t. He’d been on the edge of losing control from the moment he’d taken that call. Part of the reason he allowed Caden to drug him for so long was to keep his beast at bay. His panther wasn’t happy. It craved blood. It craved its mate.

“Forest. At least we’ll be away from human eyes.” Lincoln didn’t wait for Caden to reply. He took off at a run, his feet pounding down the streets Lexia had once run. The moment he hit the forest, he allowed his panther to be free, running far and deep into the mountains. He took comfort from the knowledge he could still find some pleasure in his life, however brief. Tonight, he’d run. Tomorrow he’d hunt.

Chapter 20

Waking to the sounds of her tortured whimpers, her forehead was covered in tiny beads of sweat. She still had hold of his hand from when they’d fallen asleep. Only now, she squeezed his fingers so tightly, he feared they may break.

“Lex,” Derrick murmured, his hand gently pushing her shoulder. “Lexia, wake up.”

Her eyes shot open, pupils dilated, staring at him but unable to focus as the nightmare still held her within its grip.

“Lexia, it’s just a dream.”

She sucked in a ragged breath, her eyes widening further. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, it’s real.”

“What’s real? Lexia, calm down. Talk to me.” He couldn’t help the tremor of fear in his voice; Lexia brought out the strongest of emotions within him. He shook her again, desperate to wake her from the darkness of her dreams. “Lex.”

“He’s coming. Linc’s coming.” Her words were a haunted whisper, fear and longing within each syllable. 

Going suddenly slack in his hands, Derrick shook her again, feeling the edge of his panic take hold.

“Stop, I’m awake,” Lexia moaned, her words drawn out and sleepy. “What’s the matter?” she asked, squinting at him.

“You were having a dream.” He released his grip on her shoulders.

Closing her eyes again, Lexia replied, “I don’t have dreams, Derrick. I have nightmares.”

“You said Lin-he was coming.”

When she looked at him again, Derrick felt the pain within her eyes as if it were his own. “He’s not coming, Derrick. I’ve destroyed him, like I destroy everything else.”

“That’s not true,” Derrick argued.

Lexia cut him off. “What time is it?” She rolled over.

“Early, why?”

Reaching for the clock on the bedside table, Lexia angled it toward her, read the numbers, and jumped up. “Damn it. I overslept!”

“Lexia, you have three hours before you need to be anywhere,” Derrick stated, a frown marring his forehead.

Lexia paced the room, not hearing a word he said.

“Lexia, stop,” Derrick ordered, standing in her path.

“You don’t understand. I should have left by now.” Her voice was desperate.

“Left where? You’re making no sense.”

“The compound. I
need
to run.” She said the word ‘need’ as if it were a life or death situation.

She was right; he didn’t understand. He didn’t understand why she’d put herself and others in danger over something so trivial. As he looked at her now, he couldn’t understand how he’d not noticed how undone she’d become. He was supposed to be protecting her, keeping her safe, and here she was falling apart over missing a simple run.

“Lexia, you cannot keep leaving the compound. Lucy will find out.”

“You don’t understand,” Lexia said sadly.

Softening his voice, Derrick said, “Help me understand.”

Turning away from him, she sat in the nearby chair and spoke as she stared at the floor. “It’s the only way I can cope. When I run, I’m running away from every torment, every death, and every life I need to save. I run until I can’t think anymore, until my body hurts so much my mind just shuts down. I need those few minutes when I climb the tree on the top of the hill. I sit there, my lungs burning as I drag in ragged breathes, my whole body exhausted beyond compare, and there’s this moment. When the sun just passes the mountains, its warm orange rays fill the world with light. For just a few blissful seconds, I don’t think of the death I’ve caused, or the people I need to save. I just look at the beauty around me and it gets me through another day.”

With a heavy sigh, Derrick sat down, dragging her beside him. “Why didn’t you tell me how hard things were?”

“Because it wouldn’t have helped, Derrick. This is it. This is my life until I find a way to end it. I just need that moment. I know it sounds silly, but I…I just…it’s when I feel closest to him. I’m in his world, seeing the beauty of it. It breathes life back into me, gives me the strength to fight another day.”

“There is no need to fight today. Follow your schedule as you always have. It is probably best. Lucy was bound to notice your absences before long. It’s just one day.”

She looked as if she wanted to say more, but as always, she shut him down and he was left to guessing her thoughts.
It’s just one day.
But even Derrick knew how hard one day could be to get through. In the beginning, when he missed his young wife every second, of every day, one day had felt like an eternity. When the realization had hit that he’d never go home again, never see his wife, or his unborn child, he’d wanted to die. He’d tried. Though Lucy saw to it that he never did. Lucy Hunter ensured he lived out every day of his miserable, cursed life because if he didn’t, his wife and his child would die.

He’d never even met her, his daughter. He only knew the baby was a
she
because Lucy had told him. Hope had been only eight weeks pregnant when he’d signed up, when he was told he’d been chosen for a select program. He’d been excited he would be able to provide the life his wife and child deserved, but then came the hunters.

Derrick suppressed a shiver, pushing down the memories of those first dark days. He didn’t want to remember what it was like battling that darkness, clinging onto the good and the hope. It was much easier to live this life without feelings, without hope. Yet now there was Lexia. She’d awoken what had long since been buried.

He wasn’t sure why he said his next words, maybe it was because she was around the same age as his daughter. “I have a daughter. She’d be around your age now.”

Lexia looked at him, not saying a word, expressing every thought with just a squeeze of his hand. “I don’t understand why no one has fought against this. Why does everyone just fall into line?”

“You must understand, Lex, in the beginning, many did and it was a bloodbath. When the government decided to exterminate the very program they created, we were all as good as dead, but Lucy saved us. She managed to manipulate and corrupt just enough people to keep us alive. Many of the elite feel they owe her their life, and in a way, they do.”

“She’s so twisted, Derrick. There is so much hate and bitterness inside of her. She won’t be happy until the streets run with blood. I just don’t understand how someone can become so…unhuman.”

“She created this program, Lex. I think at first she only wanted to create soldiers who weren’t so easily broken. Brave, fearless men and women who could fight for this country and survive through it. But with power comes a price, and the price is a darkness most can’t fight. When they closed the program down, she was already struggling with that darkness. I think she felt abandoned. The government helped her create the hunters and then they just threw them away. That’s what changed her into who she is today. It was the final straw that pushed her to let go of her humanity.”

Lexia suddenly jumped up. “That’s it!” she exclaimed.

Derrick just looked at her confused.

“Don’t you see, Derrick? I’ve always wondered what her goal was and now I see it! Why didn’t you tell me these things earlier? She wants her revenge. She wants a solider so strong that the government regrets ever throwing her away. She’s not interested in running the country. She just wants to make them pay for what they did. Who funded the program when it first started? Who made the choice to shut it down?”

“I’ve no idea,” Derrick replied, feeling on edge. He’d seen that look in her eyes before, that determined fire.

“I need to find out! That will be who she targets, and I need to know who lost the most from this program ending. There’s more than Lucy pulling the strings. I bet you there is someone within the government right now plotting right along with my mother, just waiting for the right moment to strike.”

“Lexia, wait. You have no idea if any of that is true. Please don’t go getting yourself killed.”

She wasn’t listening to him though. Sparking something inside of her, he gave her a reason to keep going. She pushed him toward the door, muttering about needing a shower and going to speak to Sarah. Derrick had no chance to protest, to try to convince her to stop this craziness. She had him out the room within seconds and he was left staring at the door as she shut it in his face.

Over the next two weeks, Lexia was in a world of her own. She followed her schedule to plan, never missed a training session but her thoughts were elsewhere. With each passing day, she looked more and more tired. Dark circles formed under her eyes and she’d lost weight. She looked as if she hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in a long time.

Derrick tried to talk to her. He said he only wanted to help but she knocked him back every time, telling him he was safer not knowing.

So Derrick chose to do the one thing he could help her with…Alice. The anger and resentment Alice felt toward Lexia was twisting her mind. Every time Lexia came within sight of Alice, he saw the agony she felt. Each snide remark and nasty comment was like a knife to Lexia’s heart.

“Alice,” he called sharply across the training center as she piled out with the rest of her unit.

“Yes?” she replied.

Derrick waited until Alice had reached him before speaking again. “You are to have extra training sessions with me every morning before breakfast. I will see you here at five hundred hours.”

“What, why?” she whined.

“Because you have an excess amount of anger running through you and I want to put it to better use,” he replied calmly.

“Did Lex- Maura put you up to this?” she yelled, releasing her agitation and pent up anger.

Derrick spoke slowly, venom lacing his words as he replied, “Lexia has nothing to do with this. I’ve simply had enough of you blaming her for what has been done to you.”

He left her standing there looking stunned and lost. Just before the door closed behind him, he heard the faintest of whispers, “You called her Lexia.”