The Ghost and the Darkness Volume 1 (The Fallocaust Series Book 2) (84 page)

So my crazy scientist had taken to being my nurse. He was glued to my hip now, coaxing me with food and bandaging my feet. Perish never left me alone to the point where it was kind of smothering. But I was too anxious and overcome with worry to tell him to stop. Every part of my mind was pre-occupied with my worry regarding Reaver.

At the mention of his name my heart hurt. My whole chest ached to the point where I was surprised I couldn’t see a bruise. I was so worried about him.

Was he in Skyfall now? Was Elish going to get him? Elish must know. He was Silas’s councillor and Silas had no idea that Elish was plotting against him. Elish would hear about it and he would rescue my baby.

I turned my gaze to the steep ridges behind us, the part of the mountain that we had already managed to trudge up. Sharp cliff edges, some of which seemed to have been shorn right off of the mountain. Mixtures of greys and browns mixed in with thousands of black trees, some so large I didn’t think I could wrap my arms around them. These were different trees than the ones we had in Aras, or they looked like it. Their bark was thicker and they clung to the slopes with strong roots that didn’t look as dead as ours. It reminded me of how a cat clings to a windowsill as it tries to climb. They even had the same air of desperation.

Everything around our caravan was overwhelmingly large. I had never been up so high, at least not while still keeping my feet on the ground. The surrounding mountains were vast, rolling, and overlapping into each other; just ashy greys getting darker and darker until the haze swallowed them for good.

I craned my neck and peeked past a median only a foot away from our cart. It was a steep drop off and I couldn’t see the bottom. I wonder how many cars were down there, desperate families fleeing their burning cities only to speed off the road to their cold crypts below. I wonder how long they were airborne, and further more... if they had any last thoughts.

I wonder what Reaver’s last thoughts were when they opened fire on him. Maybe it was of me?

Perish laughed lightly beside me and nudged me with his shoulder. “You’re holding it, now you just need to eat it, silly boy.”

Oh, right... the energy bar. I raised the Dek’ko bar and took a bite. I chewed the dense, vitamin-filled bar to appease my caretaker and as my reward Perish patted my arm.

There was a crunching of boots behind me. I managed to give Jade a smile as the yellow-eyed chimera approached our cart. “Want some energy bar? It’s blueberry flavour.”

Jade took the candy bar from me and chewed off a piece. “If I ever go back to Skyfall I’ll get you a real chocolate bar. We have some pretty good bakers in Olympus.” He handed the energy bar back and looked behind me where the rest of the slavers were leading the slaves and the bosen. Without Reaver to tell him no Jade had been acting as the new sentry. A job he seemed to have taken to. Perish was more than happy to stay close to me. “We’re almost at the summit now, then it’s all down hill. Hopper is just –”

There was a crack of gunfire in front of us. My heart leapt into my throat and immediately we all went to grab our guns.

“Killian, stay in the caravan,” Perish said hurriedly, but he wasn’t Reaver and I wasn’t helpless so I grabbed Reaver’s M16 and followed Jade to the front of the caravan.

Hopper was scratching his head and Tabbit was jogging in front of him, his shotgun smoking. All of the other slavers were circling in too.

“What is it?” Jade asked.

Hopper turned around, his brow furrowed.

“Last thing we need, that’s what it is. It’s a raver and as we know they usually don’t venture off alone.” The slave captain turned back towards Tabbit. “Go up on that ridge see if you can spot their den.”

A ravers’ den? I swallowed down the fear that brought. I hated ravers. I not only had gotten chased by them when my family was on our way to Aras but Reaver had almost gotten killed by them too – or well... whatever temporarily killing an immortal was called.

“What... what happens if there are ravers?” I said, trying to force down my anxiety. I clutched Reaver’s gun to me, feeling my eyes burning. Not because of the ravers though but because I wanted him here with me so badly.

Elish... get Reaver soon...

“Ah, well there is a resort down a few miles off. We’ll have to take a detour to camp there but it’ll protect us a hell of a lot better than the rest stop I had planned.” Hopper poked the rim of his hat up with the barrel of his gun. “We didn’t have any last year or the year before but they migrate. It’s been a warm winter for mountain weather so maybe they stayed. Not much snow in the Fallocaust but the mountains still get some sprinklings and the ravers hate it.”

Perish hissed as I jogged towards the raver but I carried on. Beside me was Jade with Elish’s briefcase forever in his hand.

“Wow!” Jade exclaimed, like he was a child seeing a new toy for the first time. Then I remembered this was his first time seeing a raver. “How do they not die just from their injuries?!”

I stopped when I got to the raver. It was a male with half of his jaw gone, yellow, broken teeth showing through his radiation burnt skin. He had stringy brown hair that fell to his neck, completely covering what looked like a half-severed ear.

“The radiation I guess, maybe it’s the same reason why so much of our scavenged canned food is still edible. Sestic radiation screws up the bacteria and preserves things.” I shrugged. I watched as Jade broke a stick off of a nearby black tree and started poking the dead raver in the arm. I didn’t know what was with grown men and having to poke dead things with sticks, Reaver had never been any better.

Jade poked it a little harder before twisting the stick in his arm; I could see bits of flesh start to tear under the pressure. “I guess that’s what we’re eating tonight. At least if we’re stuck in the resort town we won’t use up any extra food.” Then his eyes travelled up to the sky as they so often did. He let out a sigh.

I knew why he was looking so longingly up at the sky. “Maybe he’ll come why we’re there...”

Jade nodded and said quietly, “With Reaver. I know the reason he’s taking longer... is because he won’t come and get us without him.”

Immediately my heart gave a pang. I took a slow deep breath to try and stop the tears gathering behind my eyes but Jade wasn’t stupid.

The cicaro patted my shoulder. “They can’t kill ‘em, Killian. Elish will find him; Reaver’s too valuable to him.”

I sniffed and nodded and we both turned away from the raver.

“Stop making him cry, stupid pet,” Perish snapped when he realized I had started to cry again. He went to take my hand when to my surprise Jade put his arm out in front of me.

“You stay the fuck away from him.” My eyes widened at Jade’s tone. I had heard him pissed at Perish before but this seemed harsher. Less little-brother-getting-bullied-by-bigger-brother and more... serious. Since I had come back he had been really short with Perish. “I don’t like you sticking around him so much. He’s fine.”

I blinked as Jade shifted himself in front of me, almost like he was protecting me from Perish. He had been sticking close to me too when he wasn’t patrolling but I thought it was just for support.

Perish’s eyes blazed; he glared at Jade and I could see his fists clenching. “Watch your mouth, pet.”

“Yeah, I’m not a fucking pet. Do you see a master around? I’m a chimera, unlike you, Fallon. So shut the fuck up.” My mouth dropped open as Jade said these words. I immediately separated the two of them, feeling the atmosphere around us suddenly become hostile and static.

“Enough! Both of you. We have enough to fucking worry about stop acting like fucking children!” I snapped. The first tear rolled down my face. “Just get along, alright? Please?” I started to cry again; the empty feeling inside of me growing.

Please... Elish... get him before Silas does. Don’t let Silas take him.

Jade put an arm around me but to my surprise Perish slapped it away. Instead he took my shoulder and helped me back to the caravan; my feet were starting to ache.

As soon as I got inside the safety of the cart I broke down again. I welcomed Perish’s arm around my shoulders and even more, I welcomed the baggy of Dilaudid powder. I took a good amount into each of my nostril as the caravan started to move again.

“Killian...” I looked over in surprise, noting Perish’s tone had gotten serious. “You need to watch out for Jade. He’s been acting kind of weird lately. I think he’s been slipping back into his old ways without Elish. When he was in Moros and killed all those people, remember? Be careful around him, okay?”

My eyes shot to Jade who was standing with his arms crossed, watching Tabbit start to skid back down the cliff, a trail of dust following him down.

“What do you mean? He seems fine...” I said.

Perish shook his head. His eyes travelling around the covered caravan, always unable to make eye contact unless he really tried. “While you were away, you know Jimmy’s accident? Hopper almost kicked us out. He thinks it’s Jade and and...” Perish nervously wrung his hands and took a deep breath. “I am not sure but I think one night he was trying to get me into his bed. He was touching himself outside the blankets but I just pretended to sleep... it was strange I think he wanted us to have sex. Just watch out, okay? Killian... okay?”

I stared at him and felt the air get sucked out of my lungs. I tried to talk but ended up stuttering out a response. “W-what? Jade? He’s married to Elish he –”

Perish hissed at me to drop my voice. “Jade’s addicted to sex. Elish and his sex life... well, he’s missing it I bet. I know his engineering. He’s taking out his frustrations by killing and I... I don’t want you alone with him anymore. For your own safteys, be close to me.”

I... I couldn’t believe it. A thousand thoughts filled my mind followed by a million more fears. I watched the cicaro, now helping Churro drag the raver towards the second caravan.

Jade had told me all his stories. How he had been the Shadow Killer; how he had felt so empty and abandoned when Elish had left him to go back to his life in Moros. He had lashed out; he would kill and then have rough sex with Kerres. Jade had said it was like sharing a smoke after sex, something that just felt right.

Had Jade been falling back into that state of mind? Did Elish’s absence bring out the chimera beast that always seemed to be just under his surface?

The prospect made my head flush with nervousness. Perish sensed this and rubbed my hand. “I won’t let anything happen to you, sweety.”

I nodded and swallowed. “I’ll keep an eye on him. I’m sure he’s just homesick... he would never try and hurt us. That’s just not him.”

Perish dragged his teeth over his lower lip and started tensing his hands. “I am sure too. We will both keep an eye out.” He looked behind him towards the front of the cart. “The turn off is soon, for the resort town. I guess Tabbit saw more. I’ll go check, stay here and rest your feet. I’ll change those bandages.”

I drew my knees up to my chest and sniffed then took more of the Dilaudid powder. I watched Jade a bit differently now, hating myself for being wary of the cicaro. I couldn’t help it, he had freely told us about his past and what he had done. He didn’t feel bad about killing all those people in the slums. What if the same breakdown was happening again?

I sniffed again; I really didn’t need this. I was useless right now, waiting for my Reaver to come back, hoping that Elish would come with his plane and bring him. I didn’t want to have to worry about Jade; my thoughts were completely with Reaver.

Sure enough, as Perish had suspected Tabbit had seen a ravers’ den off in the distance. They made their presence known at least. The ravers who had higher brain activity liked to collect things that were bright colours, spray paint especially. They decorated their ‘dens’ usually abandoned apartments, large buildings or plazas, with crucified people, staked heads, and lots of flashy colours.

I stood up on the back of the cart as we travelled down the winding road into the valley below us. The slaves behind us being led by Chomper; all of them murmuring nervously to each other. I could relate, without Reaver near me everything was a threat right now.

If it wasn’t for that asshole boyfriend of mine I would be with him right now... but he had to protect me, the only way Reaver knew how. He had put me in a sleeper hold because he knew I would never let them take him alone.

Not alone... Chally was me at least to the Legion. I wonder if they’ve found out... I wonder if they’ve killed him.

Poor guy, if I hadn’t begged Reaver to stop him from being sold to Melchai...

After several hours of travelling down the winding road we finally stopped. I got out to study our new hideout.

The resort was made up of several structures. The smallest one and the one we had parked against had a faded sign saying
Lobby
, with the paint all chipped off and only the faded black outline remaining. It was leaning against the building, made of warped wood that hid dusty, badly decaying bricks. Around that first structure was a large parking lot and an overhang that was leaning badly, the same overhang became the roof as it went on and that seemed mostly intact.

Past the lobby I saw the biggest structure. One that looked like a large hotel with rocks imbedded in the brick and tall pointed roofs with big, broken picture windows. Before the Fallocaust I bet it housed rich people, it looked magnificent, even what surrounded it showed off its wealth. A curved driveway that looped around a fountain and beautiful rock walls that held raised beds now holding twisted black bushes. Though everything was cracked and broken now, even in a few places caved in; I couldn’t help but be taken by its beauty.