Escape to Eden (21 page)

“Shocking, isn’t it?” Tank says behind me.

I turn around. “What?”

“That we do things like this to each other when we live in such a beautiful world where ‘peace’ has reigned for decades.”

“But it never existed at all, did it?”

“The war is just different now. It’s man warring with himself, trying to combat what he thinks is imperfect. Unfortunately it’s the Originals who get caught in the crossfire. Primes would do anything to get at one.” He glances at the door. “I better go look busy and find a woman to entangle myself with. The Institute is going to know someone helped Anthony from the inside.”

“Thank you for your help,” I say.

Tank steps toward me. A breeze from the open balcony doors blows my hair. He catches it and smooths it back into place. “I’ll do anything I can to help you. I hope I see you again.” He drops his arm and exits the room, leaving me staring after him.

I shake my head to clear the red I know is on my face and
return to the balcony. I don’t understand Tank’s motives. To act so forward with someone you barely know makes me suspicious.

A scream comes from the pool down below as someone falls into the water. More laughing. A red firework lights the sky, making me catch movement—a dark blur moving quickly to my left. But when I glance over, it’s gone. I focus my attention on the grove of trees where I saw whatever it was disappear. When a minute passes, I wonder if it was only my imagination.

Colt lands next to me and looks inside the room. “Where did Tank go?”

“Back to his celebrity status.”

“Right where he belongs. Grab on.”

I do as he says and wrap my arms around his neck. When we’re in the air, I ask in his ear, “How’s Anthony?”

“Hurt pretty bad, but he’ll live. It’s a good thing we came when—”

Just then Colt’s body jerks hard to the left, and my grip slips. His hand barely catches mine, leaving my feet dangling in the air.

“Hold on!” he says. “I’ve been shot.”

I glance up, squinting through my wind-blown hair. There’s a tear in his right wing making it difficult for him to fly. With every downward stroke of his wings, we lower further to the ground.

I reach my other arm up to hang on tightly to Colt. We’re far from the crowds, and darkness mostly conceals us, but that’s the least of my worries. I look down. Directly below us, a man rushes after us, but the way he runs is more wolf-like. His hands hit the ground and his feet follow, propelling him forward, giving him ten-foot strides. And not far behind him, another creature follows after, his movements similar to the first. I wonder if it was one of them who shot Colt.

Another firework explodes, illuminating the face of the figure directly below us in a reddish glow. A strip of thick gray hair runs down the center of his head and two fangs fill his open mouth.

“Go higher!” I yell at Colt when my eyes meet those of the creature running toward us. They are a bright yellow, the color of the outer edge of a burning flame. He’s a Canine and the last Prime I ever want near me.

Colt pushes his wings hard, lifting a little, but it’s not enough. I let one hand go and reach into my pocket, my body swinging hard when Colt turns away from approaching trees.

“Your hand is slipping!” he says.

I grip the handle of the knife and pull it out just as the Canine leaps into the air, claws extended.

“Sage!” Colt yells and attempts to lift me.

I swipe down at the Canine, catching him just under his eye. He cries out and falls back to the ground, but at the last second, he manages to claw the back of my leg, his sharp nails cutting into my calf.

I scream as pain shoots up my leg. My grip in Colt’s hand weakens, and my hand slips. The ground isn’t too far below us. If I fall, I might not break a leg. My main concern is the Canine who I can’t see anymore, but now that doesn’t matter. He will find me now wherever I go.

Colt extends his wings again and flaps hard to get us back into the air. My eyes are closed tight, not because I’m worried about falling, but because of the Canine. He has my blood and now everything has changed.

C
olt lands by the car with a painful grunt and together we ease Anthony, who’s sitting up against the wheel well, into the backseat. As soon as we’re done, we scramble into the front, and before my door’s even closed, Colt’s pressing on the accelerator.

“You know what that was, right?” I say, but by his hurried movements I already know the answer. I reach down and press my palm to the back of my leg where blood is soaking through.

“A Canine.” His voice is grim and the gravity of the situation fills the car.

I glance back at Anthony lying in the backseat. His breathing is labored, but his eyes are closed.

“We saved him,” I say, trying to be positive.

“You did.”

“Actually I remember you flying him to safety. I probably couldn’t have gotten him out of the building.”

“But if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have tried.” He glances at me briefly before returning his gaze to the road. Trees race past us, and the car vibrates from a speed it wasn’t meant to reach.

“I don’t believe that.”

His Adam’s apple moves up and down. “You were right about what you said back there. Our world has gotten so twisted that we’ve lost sight of what’s important.”

“Then we’ll change it.”

He shakes his head. “It’s too late for that. All we can do now is save Originals and hope they can make the world right.”

“You’re wrong. There are still good people left. They just need
to be shown another way. Look at Tank. And he figured it out all on his own. Others can too.”

His hands tighten on the steering wheel. “If Tank is so super duper at everything he does, why did he abandon you in the stairwell? Seems like a coward’s way to me.”

“I’m not going to defend him, but he did come through for us in the end.”

“As long as his precious identity isn’t exposed.”

I glance out the window, keeping silent. I may not agree with what Tank did, but I don’t know him either. Maybe he is right, and his position within the elite’s inner circle is crucial to the goals of HOPE.

“How’s your leg?” Colt asks.

“Not bad. I’ll bandage it later,” I say, even though it’s burning something awful. Right now we just need to get as far away from the city as possible.

Twenty minutes later we’re turning down Jenna’s street. Colt takes a deep breath. “As soon as we stop, we’re going to have to hurry.”

“I understand.” I feel bad about Max. He’ll barely have rested before I’m already moving him again.

Colt pulls into the garage. I’m about to open my door when he reaches across the seat and grabs my arm to stop me and then lets go. “I’m sorry this happened. Maybe if I’d done something different . . .”

“It’s not your fault. Let’s hurry. The Canine won’t be far behind.”

I hurry into the house. Colt starts packing a bag and grabbing a couple of blankets near the couch. I run downstairs and do the same, but first I have to change. I’m a little slow on account of my leg. The open wound is still bleeding so I quickly tie a cloth around it until I can dress it properly later. After I change into jeans and a t-shirt, I pick up the vials next to my backpack, wondering if I should take them. Space is limited, but these could prove valuable.

Nearby is a small blanket. I wrap the vials and stuff them into my bag along with random clothing from the closet. I don’t even bother waking Max. I pick him up and carry him upstairs.

Colt is in the kitchen throwing food into a box.

“What’s with all the noise?” Jenna says from the top of the stairs. She’s rubbing her eyes, which are still red and swollen.

“Long story short,” Colt says, “we went back to the Center and saved Anthony but a Canine snagged Sage’s leg. We have to leave now.”

Jenna jogs down the stairs. “You saved Anthony? Where is he?”

“The car. He’s hurt pretty bad.”

Jenna runs outside.

“Do you have medicine and bandages?” I ask.

“Already got it. What else do you think we might need?”

I open my mouth to speak when Jenna bursts into the house and wraps her arms around me and Max.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cries.

“Let’s do this later,” Colt says. “We have to get out of here.”

Jenna lets go and looks from me to Colt, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. “What? Why? Anthony’s in no condition to move.”

Colt picks up the box of food and carries it into the living room. “Didn’t you hear? A Canine is on to us.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh no.”

“Exactly.” He pushes open the door leading to the garage with his foot.

“I’m coming with you,” she says after him.

“No. The Institute doesn’t know about your involvement, I don’t think anyway, and besides, you still have your mother.”

“Who will be dead in a few weeks. I’ve already said my goodbyes. There’s nothing left for me here but memories. I’m going.”

“But who will care for her?” he asks.

“A nurse will be here in the morning.”

“Then pack your stuff fast,” I say and walk outside after Colt.

The fact that she could leave her mother in her last hours disturbs me. I don’t think anything could drag me away if a loved one of mine was dying, but then again I didn’t grow up in this world.

It takes us a minute to reposition Anthony to where we can all fit in the car. He moans a couple of times but doesn’t say anything. I stay in the backseat next to him, Max curled up on my lap.

“Should I go in and get Jenna?” Colt asks, but just then she appears, carrying two big bags.

“You’ve got to be joking,” Colt mumbles and presses a button to open the trunk.

A moment later she slides into the front passenger seat. “So where are we going? Have you even thought this through?”

“Out of the city. South,” he says.

“That’s all you have?”

Colt doesn’t answer until we’ve backed out of the driveway. “If you haven’t noticed, the one man who knows where we should be going can’t talk, so until he can, we’re driving.”

Jenna leans over and looks at the dashboard in front of him. “You have half a charge.”

“That’s enough to get us to Providence. Save your energy and sleep, which means don’t talk. It will take us at least two hours to get there.”

“What about Anthony?”

“I’ll bandage him up,” I say, already opening the medical kit at my feet.

“Don’t hurt him,” Jenna says.

Colt turns to her and moans. “Because that’s exactly what she wants to do—save him then hurt him. Go to sleep, Jenna,
please
.”

“Fine. Whatever.” She leans her head against the door.

Colt glances back at me. “Make sure you get your leg, too.”

“What about your wing?” I ask.

He’s quiet for a few seconds, then, “There’s nothing in there that will help.”

I wish I knew how to help him, but I have no idea what his wings are made of. Maybe nothing can help but time. Inside the medical kit I find the same cream Colt had put on my hand earlier. I tighten my hand, feeling very little pain from the blisters. I’m amazed at how well it worked. We had medicine back at our home in Maine, but nothing that worked this quickly.

I squeeze some of it onto my fingertip and gently press it to the wound on Anthony’s chest. He doesn’t move, not even flinches. It takes some time since the cut is long, and I’m trying to be careful,
but eventually I have the wound dressed and can turn my attention to his less serious wounds.

After I finish with him, I examine my leg. It’s worse than I thought. The cut is deep, and blood has soaked through my pants and run into my shoe. It squishes between my toes when I curl them. Very carefully, I remove my shoe and dress the wound properly. It takes a lot of control not to flinch in pain every time I touch it. I’m acutely aware that Colt keeps spying on me in the rearview mirror.

I attach the last strip of tape onto the wide bandage, and glance at Max, who is curled up in the seat, a blanket loosely on top. I tuck it tight around him and stare out the window, my eyelids growing heavy. I can’t remember how much sleep I’ve had in the last twenty-four hours. Jenna is snoring softly in front of me.

It’s dark outside, but I can still make out an outline of trees as they push themselves against the road. Not many people travel like this anymore—drive from city to city—not since the human race started dying off anyway. Smaller towns were abandoned as people moved to bigger cities to find jobs. This gave the forest free rein over the land, and it consumed it like wild fire. Only major highways were maintained, mostly, but all other roads only received the attention of tree roots and other natural elements. These are the roads we’re on now, and Colt has to drive slowly around broken-up chunks of gravel or deep potholes.

“Is it possible?” I ask through a yawn.

Colt looks at me in the rearview mirror. “To what?”

“To outrun a Canine.” Of all the Primes my father taught me about, they were the ones he told me to avoid the most. They only had one weakness, but unfortunately it wasn’t one that could easily be exploited. Canines hate bright lights.

“It’s next to impossible.”