The Ghost and the Darkness Volume 1 (The Fallocaust Series Book 2) (8 page)

Jade turned around after Perish was gone. “Alright... tell me wha-”

“GET OUT!” I shrieked. I grabbed the digital clock that was resting beside the bed and threw it at the cicaro. Jade dodged it easily and put his hands up in front of him.

“Calm down... I’m not going to hurt you... the door locks, just –” Jade’s voice was low, calm and unthreatening but it didn’t matter. I didn’t want him near me; I didn’t want any of them near me.

I reached into Reaver’s cargo pants; I knew where everything was in his pockets.

I pulled out the grenade.

Then I heard Jade swear. I turned to give him one last ultimatum when I saw the door slam and the cicaro gone.

As soon as I was alone in that room my brain snapped into survival mode. Without even thinking about what I was doing I rolled my still resurrecting boyfriend off of the bed and pushed the box spring up against the door. Not feeling like I was safe enough I piled both night tables onto it too and then the two side chairs and dresser against it as well. I barricaded myself in as much as I could.

No one was allowed in. I had to be safe. I had to be safe... I wasn’t safe anywhere. The basement was gone. Aras was gone...

When I had piled everything I could against that door, I collapsed onto the mattress Reaver was on and cried into his cooled body. Though it wasn’t the same, it was all I had so I took it and I clung to it. Even if he smelled like blood and gunpowder most of the time he smelled like that anyways.

The first thing I saw the next morning was Reaver’s gaping neck wound, and the first thing I smelled was the odd smell of fresh flesh, like the meat packs we used to get from distribution.

At least he didn’t smell rotten; at least... this meant Greyson and Leo were right.

He was immortal...

But I knew that, because I know they had killed him before, many times probably, but I just didn’t know how it worked. What if there was a limit amount of time? Like how cats had nine lives...

I sniffed and wiped the sleep from my eyes before examining the wound more carefully. I was cautiously happy to see that I couldn’t see his spine when I lifted up the flap of skin that was covering the worst of the wound. He was healing... could it really only be three more days?

Thankfully we had our own private bathroom. I had a quick shower and took some more heroin before curling up next to Reaver again.

There was a small knock on my door sometime around noon. I had been nodding off into zombieland the entire morning, pretending I was back in Aras, back when things were at their best. Biff was kneading my side and Reaver was letting me be close to him, even if I knew he preferred his own space.

Life was how it should be.

“Killian? I just need to know you didn’t OD in there and die,” Jade said at the other end of the door. He knocked on it again and I heard a sigh.

“I didn’t,” I murmured, not knowing if he could hear it or not.

“Alright... there is some good food in the fridge when you want it.”

I didn’t answer him and Jade left me alone after that. And even though my stomach was growling I didn’t take any of the stuff away from the door. The thought of going back out into the living room terrified me, seeing Perish terrified me.

I swallowed through the thorns imbedded in my throat. I could almost feel it piercing my stomach. I didn’t even know what happened last night with Perish. He had told me he had heard me having a night terror. When that used to happen in Donnely he would try and comfort me but he had never kissed me like that.

I shuddered. I didn’t know how I was going to explain that one to Reaver. He was starting to become cordial around Perish, now the kiss and the groping were going to ruin all of that.

But what did it matter, Perish was probably going back to Skyfall once Elish came back.

As was my nature, whether I liked it or not, I started to try and justify Perish’s actions. He had only seen me for a few nights since Greyson dropped him off in the basement... maybe this time I would forgive him.

No, not forgive him...

This time I wouldn’t tell Reaver.

No, you kept enough shit from Reaver and look where you ended up? You’ll tell him when everything has calmed down, a few days after he wakes up.

I sighed, hating myself as always, and snuggled back up against my corpse.

Just wake up, Reaver... please, wake up.

You’re all I have.

Everyone else is dead.

Heroin was my only tie to sanity for the rest of the day and the night. With my friend heroin I was able to sleep or just stare off into nothingness. It was my escape and I knew how unhealthy it was but in this moment, in this day... I had nothing else.

I couldn’t hear anything but the murmuring of voices from the other two and even that was kept at a minimum besides a few times they got into a fight. The bedroom I was in was the farthest from the living room at the end of the hall, and I think this place was soundproof from all the rock around us.

It wasn’t until deep into the night that my stomach started to outweigh my fear of the situation I was in. I could get water in the bathroom but food-wise I didn’t have anything. It had been over twenty-four hours since I had woken up to Perish kissing me, and besides a few bites of food beforehand, I hadn’t had anything.

It sounded like they were both asleep... there were three bedrooms upstairs plus one room that was always locked. I assumed Jade and Perish were in those two rooms.

I wouldn’t be long... I could get myself enough food to last me until Reaver woke up, then he could tell me what to do. Because I didn’t know... look at where I was right now, I had nothing.

The space behind my eyes started to burn. I really didn’t have anything.

I pushed the barrier off to the side until I had a foot of room to squeeze through, and put a shaky hand on the knob. I turned it and felt the door latch automatically unlock.

The living room was dark, the shades that covered the giant picture windows were closed and the rear projection TV was off. Everything seemed to be cautiously quiet, besides the electric fireplace that was still on.

My heart was pounding in my chest when I made my first step outside into the living room. I knew it was silly but I suppose it was just the instinctual fear of being caught. I would have the same thing happen back in Tamerlan when I used to sneak down to steal cookies from Mom’s cookie tin.

Drawing in a courageous breath I left the door partially ajar behind me and tiptoed into the kitchen, keeping my ears out for any sound or movement. With my lack of other senses I bet I could almost hear heartbeats like Reaver.

“Hungry are we, Mr. Massey?” a cold voice sounded from beside the fireplace.

I jumped a mile high, and when the living room light turned on I felt a percussion go through my chest. With my heart inside my throat I turned and ran back towards the bedroom.

Elish was standing in front of my door.

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked up at him, before my eyes shot all over the apartment trying to find anywhere I could hide.

“My pet would hide in my closet when he was feeling overwhelmed. You may do the same tonight, but as of right now... you will sit down on the couch and have a cup of tea with me.” Elish stared down at me, his arms crossed over his chest.

I stayed there frozen in place, looking behind him to the safety of my bedroom, where Reaver was... where my heroin was. They couldn’t get me there; no one could. I could be safe with Reaver and the grenade in case anyone came near me.

“No... I... I want to go back into the bedroom,” I said anxiously. “I have to...” My heartbeat, already ripping through my chest, started to spread the anxiety throughout my body until I felt the first sparks of a panic attack.

“You will not cry, you will not whine. Get the tea mugs on the counter, pour the tea that is in the thermos, and sit on the couch. Your wailing will only waken my pet and not once in the last twenty-four hours did he leave the outside of your door.” Elish swept past me and I turned around as he walked into the living room.

Jade was sleeping on the couch with a blue blanket pulled over him, looking as small and unassuming as he never did when he was awake.

I watched almost coyly as Elish leaned down and gently picked his cicaro up, with a gentleness I would have never thought he had. He cradled his almost full-grown chimera pet in his arms and gave me a glance as he walked down the hall where the bedrooms were.

“Now, Mr. Massey.”

I lowered my head, almost feeling like I had watched something personal I perhaps wasn’t supposed to see, and walked towards the kitchen.

I did what he asked and poured some of the brown tea into the two mugs he had laid out. I thought he perhaps had been wanting to have some with Jade before he fell asleep, but I saw a steaming mug already resting on the coffee table in front of the couch. I wondered if Elish had been expecting me.

When Elish came back he was holding a brown paper bag in his hand. He walked over with a sweep of his white cape and sat down.

The chimera cape... like Nero had worn. All the elite chimeras liked to show off their prestige. Elish most of all from what I could remember.

The chimera with long blond hair, dressed in silvers, whites, and greys, with purple eyes like two shards of amethyst. I could never forget the day I first met him.

And Elish had lost none of that dignity, poise or grace, even though, besides his cape, he was in a more casual white dress shirt and black slacks. He still looked every bit the chimera I knew.

He sat beside me and picked up the tea mug I had placed down and put it to his lips.

I watched his every movement; my body twitching towards the bedroom as if trying to egg me on to just get up and run. I calculated the time it would take for me to lock the door, and wondered if he had the same chimera speed that my resurrecting boyfriend had.

“If I wanted to hurt you, I would have hurt you long ago, Mr. Massey.” His cold tones always set me on edge, like I was forever walking a thin razor blade with him. “Calm your heartbeat, you are not amongst enemies.”

“Where’s Reno?” I whispered, my breath catching in the throat. “And Biff? Where’s my cat?”

I couldn’t help it, my eyes started to burn again. My imagination brought me to all different horrible conclusions: that he had never gotten Biff, that Reno was dead, that he was just keeping us here until Reaver came back so he could deliver us to Silas, take the credit for himself.

Elish didn’t waver in his gaze. “Reno is currently under the care of my physician Lyle, and the cat is under the smothering care of my sengil Luca.”

My heart jumped. I looked up at him and tried to read his face, like Reaver could always read faces. But I wasn’t Reaver, and I wasn’t a chimera.

Reading my doubt, I saw Elish pick something off of his shirt and bring it to the lamp light above us. My lip stiffened when I realized it was a cat hair.

“He is a fat cat, white with spots that are brown tabby in colour. He was residing comfortably in Reaver’s underground basement, resting on the black duffle bag Mr. Nevada and I also retrieved. Is that enough to appease your suspicions, Mr. Massey?”

I took a sip of my tea, my face flushing over the embarrassment of being called out over not trusting him, but I didn’t think he expected anything else of me.

I nodded and replied quietly, “What’s going to happen to us? You smuggled us out of that hell hole. You kept Silas from getting Reaver. What happens now?”

Elish opened up the paper bag. I peered inside thinking that that bag must hold all of our answers, but I realized it was only a hamburger wrapped in tinfoil. Automatically my stomach growled, smelling that the meat was real bosen, and I think I could see real cheese as well.

Skyfall food. Oh man, did I ever miss Skyfall food.

“All of this information will wait until Reaver successfully resurrects, all you need to know for now is that no harm will come to you or your partner. I suggest you eat, relax, and heal your body and mind.” He handed me the hamburger and I took it a bit more quickly than would have been polite.

“Are you going to be staying here?” I asked after I had swallowed my first bite, it tasted like heaven. Human meat had nothing on factory-raised bosen.

Elish nodded. “Yes, Garrett and my brothers are under the assumption Jade was seriously injured during the chaos in Aras. It is not out of character for me to stay with him here as he recovers.”

“Will Reno come back here when he recovers too?” I asked quietly, trying not to wolf down the hamburger but I couldn’t help it, I was starving.

Elish nodded and rose when I was taking the last several bites of the burger. “Reno can join you when he feels he has recovered enough, though that will not be for sometime. He required surgery on his wounds.” The blonde chimera looked towards my bedroom door. “There is a small side bedroom off of the master bedroom. You will be sleeping in there from now on. Though with how hysterical Perish seems to be about his minor slip I do not think there will be problems. We will help you move Reaver there tomorrow morning.”

I rose with him and with a sigh I followed him to the bedroom that had always been locked.