The Ghost and the Darkness Volume 1 (The Fallocaust Series Book 2) (68 page)

Something interesting caught my eye as I analysed the prints, they were made in a way that told me he had been running, but why run? Why make a break for it when you knew your collar would go off?

The answer made my throat tight, as I came across a disturbed rock and a partially flattened thatch of grass, another print from someone else running.

Only this was an army boot.

I wiped my face with my hands and closed my eyes... this I didn’t need.

The slaver hadn’t made a mad dash for freedom... he was chased.

Quickly I kicked the boot print so it mixed back in with the dirt and stalked towards the tent.

It could only be one person, there was no way it would’ve been Killian, this had serial killer chimera written all over it.

I walked into the tent and was greeted by Killian brushing his teeth and Jade was lacing up his boots.

Anger flared up inside of me, searing my gut and lighting the fuse on my temper.

The pet looked up at me as I stalked over to him. He let out a surprised yelp as I grabbed his collar and yanked him to his feet.

“Reaver!” Killian shouted behind me but I ignored him

“Had fun last night, Cicaro?” I said in a low voice.

Jade gave me a bewildered look. “W-what?”

I wasn’t in the mood to play games. I twisted his collar making his hands clench his neck as it started to restrict his breathing.

“I know what you did last night, if you think I wouldn’t find out you’re a fucking idiot. If you dare pull a stunt like that again I swear on your husband’s life I will give him back a fucking unic, got me?”

“What the fuck are you on? I was right here –” Jade gasped, craning his neck back to get proper air flow, “– sleeping. What are you talking about?”

Then Killian’s hands came and took my arm. “Put him down! Tell us what happened.”

I growled but listened to him, though I was pissed off enough I felt like chaining Jade to his own fucking stake out there. I was trying to get our hunted and wanted asses as far away from Kreig as I could and these two dumbfucks were trying equally hard to get bullets in our heads.

“That old man that was harassing your newest defect was chased out of the camp last night and his collar activated,” I hissed as Jade massaged his neck; his breathing laboured and his eyes still partially bugged. “Those slaver idiots think he made a break for it but I found boot prints. I would’ve woken up if it was Killian not to mention he couldn’t scare a fucking kitten. It was you, wasn’t it,
Shadow Killer
?” He had become a serial killer in Moros and now he was putting his fucking steel claws back on.

The kid’s heartbeat was already racing. I couldn’t gauge his honesty by that but the look he gave me was trying to tell me he was innocent, but I knew better.

“I was here the whole fucking night. Perish was sleeping almost right next to me!” Jade snapped before turning to Killian. “Let’s talk to Chally, see if he’s –”

“You are not talking to him!” I yelled.

Both of them stopped in their tracks, staring at me like cornered toddlers. I clenched my jaw before turning away and stalking out of the tent.

After a quick breakfast, and my eyes never leaving those two clowns, we packed up and continued on our way. In front of us I could see the mountains of the Coquihalla pass coming closer and closer into view.

I stayed behind the caravans, which were two carts being pulled by bosen, full of our supplies. Behind it the slaves walking freely with their slave collars firmly attached to their necks. Perish was in the front with Hopper and Jimmy, and Churro was taking our flanks.

I was behind the group so I could keep an eye on Killian and Jade, both of them were sitting in one of the caravans playing a card games waiting for the time to come where they could start preparing food.

On top of the other things on my mind, I now had the kid to worry about too. One wrong move from that maniac cicaro and we could all end up shot. Perish and I could get out of that pretty easily but the pet and the boyfriend would be screwed.

And I couldn’t put Killian in any danger... he was in enough danger as it was.

Like my heart was attached to a battery, I felt an electric percussion run through it; the old feelings I had had back in Kreig coming back with a gnawing vengeance. Perish’s words had never really left my mind though; I had just been too busy running from the Legion.

Though the pain I felt, that one day I would bury him, was still there, it was overlapped by the immediate danger we were now in. We had no block I could shelter him in, no reinforced basement. We were surrounded by people I didn’t trust, and the people I did half-trust were turning on me.

Fucking hell, Jade
–
Elish, your cicaro better not fuck this up for us or put Killian in danger, or I swear...

I sighed and inhaled a deep breath to try and break the tension in my chest, then kicked a rock for the deacdog trailing beside me and watched him chase it. That stupid dog loved rocks for some reason, when we were on a break he would usually just sit and lick rocks unless I had a job for him. I told him it would fuck up his teeth but whatever... not my problem.

Then there was a quick movement to my right, near where the slaves were walking. My eyes shot over automatically and I saw the slave kid on the ground.

I walked past him. He was on his knees, his head bowed.

“Get up, you get a too far away and you’re collar is going to shoot six sharp prongs into your neck,” I said to him acerbically.

Chally looked up at me with big eyes like an owl and a pasty grey face. He nodded and scampered to his feet before shaping his fingers at me.

“I don’t understand that shit, just walk faster,” I said before turning as I heard Jade’s voice.

The cicaro was walking towards us holding a water bottle, Killian peering submissively from underneath the canvas tent, a spectator to something I knew he was in on.

“Cicaro...”

“It’s my water.” Jade handed the bottle to Chally with a smile. The kid took it with shaking hands. I saw his lips were so parched they were peeling like shedding reptile skin.

Then the pet glanced at over at me. “Go back to the group, Chally. Keep the bottle.”

At this remark Chally lowered his head and went off back to the shuffling slaves, water bottle in hand.

“We need to make our detour soon, Reaver. Tabbit says there’s a town coming up, off to the west. Hopper is avoiding it but with its layout over the mountains we can stop there and take a shortcut to catch up with them,” Jade explained. “The road branches off towards Mariano, the closest non-block town. Hopper says they’ll have electricity for sure so we can charge the Ieon and possibly even get a signal to get Elish to pick us up.”

“Don’t you have some sort of tracking chip? Why can’t Elish just find you now?” I said. I had tried to push down my frustrating over not being able to tell Elish where Reno was. He could be dead by now because we were stuck with these slaver assholes.

Jade shook his head. “No, I’m way out of range. If he flies overhead he can catch my signal but I wouldn’t trust him being able to find me right now.”

My mouth gave a twinge and I realized I was clenching my teeth. “When is this town coming up?”

“Three days Hopper said. The highway we are about to walk on will branch off. We can get some better supplies there too.” Jade glanced over as Chally finished the water in the bottle. “And some water purification tablets if they sell Dek’ko products there.”

My eyes travelled to Killian who was still avoiding my gaze. I debated for a second whether he would be able to make the trip with how fast I would be walking but there was no way I was leaving him alone. Jade was a different story though. No doubt the Legion would be checking out towns for us and though they weren’t looking for Jade, his eyes stayed in people’s minds.

I could get away with it though, and Killian as well. We were Skyfallers and though my eyes were unnaturally dark, they weren’t purple or yellow like some other chimeras.

We had been on the road for several days now, with Kreig nothing but a memory in the distance and a vast expanse of grey in front of us. Hopper had been right when we told us the pass was going to be a challenge. I could see the mountains in front of us, a barren expanse of crags, trees, and sharp inclines that rimmed the twisted highway. There was nothing to be had in that landscape. No scavenging, no houses, even the cars seemed more rusted out and skeletonised than they were in the lower elevations. No one lived up here before the Fallocaust; this was just a road through a mountain that would hopefully lead us to Falkland.

And as I thought of that stupid town I felt my mouth fill with a bitter taste. There was no reason why we had to walk to Falkland; we should be in one of those fancy planes. The only reason we were walking with this caravan now was to blend in, so if a plane or a legion caravan came strolling on through we wouldn’t draw attention to ourselves; fate just happened to have our decoy heading in the same direction we needed to go.

Elish had wanted us to get the hard drives and we got them... now we were just running from a group of fucks I used to take immense glee in shooting. All of this going on while I had the knowledge where Reno was, an obvious code that apparently these chimera idiots didn’t catch.

But no, I had the info and I was useless. I was just running now.

Running... when the fuck did it get that bad? I never ran...

Perhaps because I never had a reason to run. I always had the confidence that I would be just fine. Now I knew I would always be fine but it wasn’t me that was important anymore.

My eyes travelled to my blond boy, having a silent conversation with Jade who was now holding Chally’s empty water bottle. That kid was so sweet, so sweet it was fucking driving me nuts. I wish... just until we were safe from the Legion, that he would steel that soft heart of his. He had to be selfish right now, for us. In the end it was just the two of us... he couldn’t save the world.

I walked up to him and as he gave me a confused look I leaned over and kissed his forehead.

He giggled and pinched my chin. “I thought you were coming to yell at me some more.”

I shook my head but bit back a retort that would probably start a fight. “As long as you don’t bring home any strays I don’t need to yell.” I took the hand he had on my chin and kissed it, making him blush. “It looks like I have to make a trip, there is no way I’m leaving you alone with this new penchant you have for pissing off people with guns. You and me are going together; the pet and the scientist are staying behind.”

Jade made an angry noise. “I’m not staying behind, I need to –” As I held up my hand for him to be quiet his protesting turned into an annoyed growl but his comments stopped there.

Killian’s eyes widened though. “I get to go too? Jade says it’s a day’s walk... are you sure we should? Elish might be able to pick up Jade’s tracker, it’ll just take a while longer.”

“We’ll be fine if it’s just the two of us. I wouldn’t mind scouting out the pub and seeing if the Legion has started asking around. All we need is a charge for the Ieon, warmer clothes, and some water tablets, and we can make our way back...” I shrugged and leaned to the edge of the cart. I saw Hopper and Tabbit walking side by side with their guns on their backs. “I need a few days away from these clowns anyways; they’re starting to grate on my nerves.”

And they were, I was used to a quiet basement... a place that I could retreat to when I felt like there were too many people around me. I didn’t have such a place here. The only break I got was when I was off patrolling and even then I couldn’t relax because I didn’t want to leave Killian for so long. We would be alright; I hadn’t seen any sign of the Legion since we left that shanty town.

Killian gave me a sunny smile; I think he was looking forward to the break too. We hadn’t had some alone time together in a while.

I cleared it with Hopper and after that it was set, I was going to be able to escape this caravan and get a couple days with just me and my boyfriend. I needed it.

“– You know what? If you can pick me up a new fucking pair of goggles I’d be your best friend.” Hopper drew the goggles he had on his head down to his eyes and squinted, I could see the outside of them were sand blown and covered in thousands of small scratches. “But you need to be back in three days. We’ll be halfway up the Coquihalla by then, and if you take the cross-path we should sync right up with each other. The caravan would take ages with the rocks but you and Twinkles should make good time.”

“We’ll be quick. At least we haven’t seen any sign of the Legion,” I said quietly. “I’ll listen in at their pub and see if I can get any intel on their activity. Do we have any other towns besides this one until Falkland?”

Hopper shook his head before he stumbled over a loose rock. He gave it a kick to show it he didn’t approve of what it had done and turned back to me with a muttered curse. “Nah, not unless you start going west once you’re out of the mountains. Where Falkvalley and Melchai are is up near the plaguelands. No one goes up there, which is why they pay out the nose for slaves.”

“What for?”

Hopper chuckled before kicking another rock out of the way. “They sacrifice them, they’re a superstitious bunch. They think it makes their crops grow better or some crap. They have fucking amazing farmland but it’s bullshit, obviously, but whatever... we are –”