Edge of Instinct: Rabids Book 1 (17 page)

“Like I said, Amiel, I don’t think y’all really wanted to hurt me last night. All that rage seemed directed at them Rabids. Y’all were damned focused on gettin’ through that field and at their throats. Excuse the language.” He cleared his throat, cheeks flushing slightly in a way Amiel found endearing. “I gotta say, that was the wildest reaction to fear I ever seen.” She shrugged uncomfortably.

“I wish I knew what happened. All I remember is my heart hurting, and heat shooting through me. And then…blackness.” She shrugged helplessly.

“Anything like this ever happen before?”

“No, never.” At least not that she’d remembered? If she was blacking out during these episodes, it could have happened at any time. Yet somehow she doubted it would have gone unnoticed in that small town under her mother’s heel. She placed a hand over her heart, absentmindedly rubbing at it. “I’ve had a heart problem since I was born. The doctors have no idea what it is, and really it’s usually nothing serious, just annoying.” A look of disapproval began brewing on Tandy’s stern features.

“Why didn’t y’all tell me ya had health problems before we came out here, Amiel.”

“You didn’t ask?” she offered halfheartedly, cringing at his unimpressed glare. “It just kind of speeds up and flutters around when I get stressed out. That’s all, no big deal. Like I said, the doctors can’t pin down anything definitively wrong with my heart, so it can’t be that big of a deal. Right?” Tandy sighed heavily in defeat.

“Y’all sure you won’t go back to your ma?” Amiel shook her head adamantly. Staring hard at her for a long moment, Tandy’s shoulders finally sagged in defeat. “Alright then. We’ll keep goin’, but y’all can’t keep havin’ a heart attack every time ya get stressed. We’ll never make it there, and I’ll have a dead girl on my hands. And I ain’t leavin’ ya behind, so don’t bother suggestin’ it again,” he added sternly.

“Are you certain? You could just give me the address to your shop, and I will wire you the rest of the money.”

“Now what did I just say, Amiel? Keep suggestin’ it and I just might tie y’all down to the back of my bike and gag ya for the rest of the trip.” She offered a contrite smile, internally relieved he wouldn’t abandon her. She’d given him every incentive to ditch her, and he still stayed at her side. His loyalty, kindness, and friendship were something she was unused to in life, and thus were beginning to mean the world to her.

“Sorry. I just…I don’t know what happened last night. I feel terrible, and more than a little terrified about what I might do next. You’ve been so kind to me, I couldn’t stand it if I…” She paused, unable to finish the dreadful thought. Tandy sighed gently, giving her shoulder a consoling squeeze.

“Now don’t go worryin’ that pretty lil head of yours, honey. I promised to get ya to safety. I don’t go back on my word, especially where there’s a lady involved. We’ll get ya to Dallas, and then we’ll find someone to help ya through this. Just hang in there with me til we get there. Besides, I know what to expect now, and y’all are gonna be hard pressed to surprise me again.”

She prayed it was so. And maybe it wouldn’t happen again. Maybe it had just been some fluke form of sleep walking or something. Her fingers brushed against the tags on her chest, and a worrisome thought began forming. Did the tags have anything to do with her behavior last night? She clamped her teeth shut, refusing to give voice to her worries. That was entirely stupid. A ‘warning system’, yes. But a ‘take over your body and make you do crazy crap’ type of thing, not possible.  She glanced again at Tandy’s blackened eye. Of course, the alternative to that thought was acknowledging that it really was her own brain and body going haywire. It was much more tempting to blame it on the tags. She derailed that train of thought by leaning in to give Tandy a quick hug.

“Thank you for sticking with me, Tandy. It means a lot to me.” He rubbed the back of his neck waving her away with the other, clearly uncomfortable with all the mush she was throwing his way.

“Ah, don’t worry ‘bout it. Just forget it happened. Why don’t ya grab your stuff, and let’s get on the road. Only got eight hours of daylight left, and it’ll take up nine to get ya to Dallas, luck willin’.” They ate a quick breakfast, used the bathrooms, refueled, and headed out as fast as possible. The fields closed behind them, and Amiel steeled herself against the feeling of being prey once more. Only the feeling didn’t return. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the creepy guy had finally taken the hint and wouldn’t be following them anymore. Tandy was true to his word, acting like nothing had happened. He chatted with her over the intercom about random things, telling her funny stories of his life as a kid, a time before the Rabids War. The lighthearted conversation distracted from the strenuous travel and from her legs and butt when they fell asleep once more.

By the time they had traveled seven hours, Amiel was feeling the full effects of the night before. Her eyes burned with the effort of keeping them open, and her muscles ached from her struggles against Tandy. Not to mention the fact she was beginning to feel a little bowlegged from the extended use of the bike. On top of it all, the tags had been warming against her chest for the last three hours, signaling Rabids were nearby. Nearby, and yet never once attacking. She found it incredibly strange that she and Tandy had traveled so far across the Vasts, where it was said to be a death warrant to venture, and been mostly unhindered. Despite the feeling of being followed, and their visitors from the night before, the journey had been shockingly easy. They hadn’t even seen any Cutthroats. 

The whole matter gave her the heebie jeebies and Amiel didn’t even want to think about the very real possibility that the male Raider was back on her trail. She was grateful for the coolant system still running through her jacket, because if it weren’t for that the tags would be giving her heat stroke. They had stopped off at their next rest stops long enough to use the bathroom, rehydrate, refuel and eat quick snacks. The scenery was becoming increasingly barren and desolate as they traveled, whereas the first half had been filled with shaded trees, green grasses, and mountainous ranges.

Amiel wasn’t sure which part she preferred. It was cooler in the trees, and she didn’t get as thirsty or hot, but the trees offered plenty of places for predators to lie in wait. She was honestly surprised the Rabids or Cuts hadn’t attacked them then. This last half of the journey was hot, desolate, and incredibly boring. The vast open desert area did provided an excellent vantage point to be aware of approaching Rabids, however. And while Amiel couldn’t see them, she could feel them.

“Tandy, you know that feeling of being followed that I mentioned yesterday? I’ve got it again.” Tandy only grunted in response, and she took that for either meaning he could feel it too, or that he was simply trying to ignore her particular brand of crazy. Amiel suddenly gasped as the heat from the tags moved from a dull burn, to a raging inferno. Little blue dots appeared on the bike’s monitoring device, showing eight Rabids closing in on them. Skin prickling, Amiel twisted on the bike to see the Rabes charging in from behind.

“Tandy!” she screamed into the headset, adrenaline surging through her stuttering heart. Tandy cursed, knowing exactly what she was seeing.

“We’ve got another 20 miles to the rest stop!” he shouted into the mic.

“What do we do?” she replied through clenched teeth, the pain in her body echoing what she had felt last night before the black out. Another freak out episode was so
not
a good idea, especially on the back of a motorcycle.

“Keep up with me,” he grunted into the headset, his bike surging forward. She pressed forward to match his pace, heart increasing in tempo as Tandy reached over his shoulder to pull the shotgun off of his back. She swallowed hard, forcing her blurring eyes to concentrate on staying conscious, staying alert. She just had to make it to the rest area. If she could make it there, Tandy could tie her down again and they would be fine. She kept repeating the reassurances in her mind, but her hopes sank as she looked over her shoulder. They weren’t going to make it. Despite their high speeds, the Rabids seemed to be gaining on them. She grunted as another shock of pain shot through her chest, the pain audible enough that this time Tandy noticed.

“Calm down girl!” he warned, his voice making it clear he knew she was on the verge of losing it.

“I’m
trying
!” she shot back, feeling the anger rising in her chest, threatening to swallow her whole.

“Just a little longer, then-” He cut off as something heavy flung itself against Amiel’s back, and she skidded across the ground like a rock skipping across a lake.

Tandy

Tandy cursed angrily as a Rabid flung itself on Amiel’s back, sending her, the bike, and the Rabid flying across the ground. He spun his bike to the side, pulling to a stop and taking aim with the shotgun. The Rabe’s head blew apart in a smattering of gore. His eyes tracked to Amiel, expecting to see her laying in a mess of broken limbs. Instead, she had rolled into a perfect crouch, body positioned as graceful as a predator. He shook the thought from his mind urging the bike forward, intending to sweep her up on his bike and speeding for the rest stop. He muttered a curse of surprise as her ear splitting scream filled his earpiece, her body curling down in on itself. This was not the time for one of her blasted exorcist moments.

Two more Rabids fell victim to his shotgun, but the rest were closing in too quickly and he wasn’t going to make it in time. Her head snapped back, another ear splitting scream issuing from her throat. The same scream that had turned his insides to a blistering mush last night. The daylight hours did little to ease the creepy effect of it now. And then, the screaming stopped. Her head slowly lowered, and then she was soaring through the air as though in slow motion. He watched helplessly as she threw herself at the nearest Rabid, bodies colliding midair. His eyes widened as she leaped on top of it, grasping its head and letting her momentum carry her over top with a twist. There was an audible popping sound as her movements resulted in a snapped neck for the Rabid.

Immediately she rounded on the next Rabes, and Tandy did the only thing he could. He laid down the gun fire, shooting any Rabes that came too near the girl. A few came his way, but most of them seemed centered on Amiel. He’d never seen anything like it. He heard an inhuman roar to his right, and his stomach bottomed out. Another larger group of Rabids was headed toward them. With four of the original pack still engaged, all they needed was a rival pack of Rabes joining in the fight. When had his luck deserted him?

Amiel twisted left and right, the gun in her holster freed and shooting randomly. When the bullets ran out she yanked off her helmet and began using it as a weapon. Her long mahogany hair blew free of its confines, streaming around her in the light breeze. Face set in a vicious sneer, in the darkening light of day her eyes almost appeared black. The whole scene was dramatically surreal, and even witnessing it with his own eyes Tandy was having a difficult time believing. He shivered watching her move with such speed and agility, killing as though they were bugs beneath her boots. He didn’t know what made him do it, but acting on instinct, he shouted out her name. She turned toward him just as he pulled a large bowie knife from its holster on his leg and flung it toward her. She moved seamlessly from clutching it out of the air, to slicing open the four final Rabids of the first pack. The second pack eagerly rushed in to replace their fallen relations.

Tandy shook his head, unloading more bullets into the ever increasing group of enemies. Amiel’s exorcist skills aside, they weren’t going to make it. He let out his own warrior roar, and took down every ugly freak he could. If he was going to die, he was going to go down fighting and take as many of them with him as he could. Just when the second pack hit them like a wave, Tandy heard the rapid fire of machine guns. Their saviors were in the form of two large military trucks headed their way.

“Reinforcements, Amiel! Just hold on!” he shouted, hoping she wasn’t so far gone that she would start fighting them, too. The military trucks stopped, soldiers pouring out of them and mowing down the remaining Rabes. Gore splattered everywhere, and Tandy turned away, crouching behind his hog to shield himself the best he could. When silence finally fell, he cautiously called out to alert the soldiers of his position and imminent emergence from his shelter. Last thing he wanted to do was spook one of them into accidentally shooting him. He rose slowly, holding up a hand to the soldiers in thanks and acknowledgement, eyes then shifting to find Amiel. Swallowing hard, Tandy slowly approached her, cautiously assessing her. While she hadn’t seemed to actively been trying to hurt him the night before, he had no idea what to expect from her now, having seen her in all of her terrible glory. She stood in the midst of a pile of slaughtered Rabes, breathing heavily, head down. The knife still gripped in her right hand dripped blood in a steady stream, making a dull pattering sound as it landed on the discarded helmet at her feet. Her left hand was held rigid at her side, fingers occasionally twitching.

“Amiel. Ya alright, honey?” he murmured quietly, trying not to spook her as he stopped a few feet in front of her. Slowly her face lifted, catching the last of the sun’s rays. Blood had sprayed over every inch of her, though luckily her hair had seemed to keep most of it from reaching her face. Her eyes made his breath catch. The pupils were dilated outward into a multifaceted star formation, and so wide that only a thin rim of green remained around the outside. Amiel stared at him blankly for a moment, no sign of recognition in their depths, and Tandy went cold at the sensation that swept through him. Slowly the pupils retracted to a normal round, the odd black lines disappearing. She blinked then, face becoming confused and that young innocent girl he’d grown to care for finally reflected back at him. It made his heart ache when her gaze met his, so lost and completely terrified.

“Tandy?” she whispered in a choked voice. He nodded, reaching toward her. She collapsed just as his arms wrapped around her, out cold. He lifted her into his arms, clutching her close. He paused, eyes catching on something in the distance; a lone figure stood in silhouette against the setting sun. With what appeared strangely close to a wave, the dark figure turned and disappeared over a rise. Amiel’s words from that morning echoed in his ears, and damned if the girl hadn’t been right. She was being hunted, and it wasn’t by your typical Rabid. They had a Raider on their tails. Shaking off the sudden chill racing his spine, Tandy headed for the military trucks.