Escape to Eden (38 page)

While Tank and Ebony continue to exchange verbal blows, Anthony turns to me and grips my arm. “You need to run. Follow after Jenna. She’ll take you where you need to be.”

I shake my head before I speak. “I can’t. I won’t leave you guys here to fight.”

He smiles kindly. “Join your people, Sage. Let us deal with ours. Your turn to fight will come soon enough.”

I glance over his shoulder; the blood drains from my face. A familiar figure has exploded from the forest amidst a flurry of white snowflakes. I know his run, I know the way his fists pound into the ground just before his hind legs propel him forward in great bounds, but more than anything else I know the hungry look in his eyes. He wants me.

But it’s not possible.

He should be dead.

“Anthony?” I say, but only the last syllable of his name is audible.

He turns around, and his whole body tightens. “How is this possible?”

“I can’t leave now,” I say behind him, frantic. “He’ll track me straight to Eden.”

The Canine slows but his gaze remains fixed on me. At least a dozen Primes jog behind him; three of them are Titans. Several of the others have guns. We are greatly outnumbered and outgunned.

“You look surprised, Original,” Ebony says.

“Explain to me how he’s still alive,” I say, knowing she won’t be able to resist a teaching moment.

Ebony raises her hand, making the Canine and the others come to a screeching halt. Dust and bits of torn grass billow behind them.

The Canine snarls and spits at me, then snaps his powerful jaws several times. Fear courses through my veins like poison,
burning from the inside out. My only comfort is knowing that Jenna has Max far away from all of this.

Ebony clears her throat. “I realized years ago the value of Canines. They hunger for the hunt. It overrules any sort of moral reasoning, which makes them the perfect soldier. However, if one is killed, our trace on an Original is lost.”

“You talk too much,” Tank says. I notice he’s reaching into his pocket out of view from Ebony.

Ebony glares, her features all sharp lines and points. “Don’t interrupt me.”

“Let her finish,” Anthony says as he wipes a large snowflake from his eyelashes. He’s as curious as I am to find out how the Canine is still alive.

Her voice lowers like she’s about to reveal a great secret. “It was my idea to find twins. Two is always better than one.”

I stare at the Canine. That’s when it hits me. He’s the one I kept seeing whenever the other Canine was around. The second figure running after us when Colt was shot in the wing, when Ebony surrounded us in the forest, and that night I jumped into the tunnels to stop the first Canine. His twin brother was always there, waiting and watching for his turn.

“Impossible,” Rowdy says. “There hasn’t been a documented case of twins in over a century.”

“Not among Primes, but Originals can have them fairly easily with the right drugs. And breeding Canines made sense—twins will actually work together and share blood.” Ebony says the words slowly, deliberately.

It’s hard to process what she’s saying, but when the wheels in my brain spin enough, I understand. They’re not just taking Originals for the marrow in their bones, they’re mating them too. And probably doing all sorts of experiments on them. I grow nauseous and fight the urge to collapse to the ground.

I’m the first to speak. “What you’re doing is illegal. You can’t force pDNA injections.”

“Who will stop us?”

“You are the worst kind of person,” I say and step past Anthony to get closer to Ebony. “Your twisted, over-inflated view of your
kind has destroyed humanity and all that was once good about this world.”

She opens her mouth to speak, but I stop her.

“I’m not finished. Your kind has polluted this planet for far too long, and I swear to you, one way or another, you will pay for your crimes.”

Ebony’s normally calm expression cracks and twists into something dark and ugly. “Nobody threatens me.” She glances behind us and calls, “Kill them all, including the boy, but leave the girl barely breathing. I’m going to pump her so full of chemicals, she won’t recognize her own face.” She motions forward with her hand, and, as if on a springboard, the Primes behind her shoot forward.

“Now, Tank!” Anthony yells.

Tank removes a small black device from his pocket and presses a button. A loud pop vibrates the air, and a puff of smoke bursts from all Primes’ guns. Tank’s has rendered them useless, giving us a fighting chance. This distraction slows down some of the Primes but not all.

I barely have the knives pulled from my boots before I’m knocked back by the Canine. I land hard on the cold ground and gasp for air. The Canine is growling over me, spit foaming in the corners of his mouth. I swing the blade upwards, but he takes hold of my wrist and squeezes until I think my bone will snap.

I scream just as Anthony slams into his side, knocking him off balance. I quickly scramble backwards, keeping the knives, the only form of self-defense I have, firmly in my hands. Off to my right, Tank has taken on two Speeders, while the Dresdens engage the others.

The Dresdens are excellent fighters and their ability to jump unnaturally high proves to be their greatest asset. Summa takes down two Primes with back-to-back blows with a curved short sword from each hand. He must’ve hit a major artery in the neck of one of them because blood sprays into the air, turning the falling snow red.

I jump to my feet and rush to help Anthony, who’s lost the upper hand with the Canine. The Canine leaps into the air and
rains a heavy blow with the back of his hand into Anthony’s face. Anthony falls to the ground, blood spurting from his nose. The Canine senses me coming and whirls around to pursue me. Just before we meet, I drop to the ground and slide along the wet grass. I swipe hard and fast, cutting into his leg. He cries out and spins around, teeth bared and gleaming wet.

Anthony leaps over me and attacks him again. He’s strong, but the Canine’s movements are more accurate. Anthony manages to get a clean punch to the Canine’s jaw, but the only reaction from the Canine is to retaliate with a kick to Anthony’s gut.

I’m already to my feet and running back to help, but I’m stopped by a short and stocky Peccarian. They aren’t the best fighters of the Primes but their thick skulls and leather-like skin make them difficult to take down.

“All I’ve heard for the last week is how great your blood tastes,” he says. His voice is hoarse, like he eats wood chips for breakfast.

“Get in line,” I say and swing the butt end of the knife for his throat, but it hits the base of his head instead. It makes a dull thudding sound against his skull. The Peccarian barely flinches.

He punches me in the stomach, dropping me to the ground gasping for breath. While he laughs, his weakness comes to my mind.

I wait until he’s standing above me then I thrust the knife hard in an upward motion. The knife slides just under his jaw, where the meat is soft and tender, and doesn’t stop until it reaches the top of his skull.

I’m relieved by the quick results until he falls on top of me. While I struggle to push him off, I glance over at the others. There are at least five lying dead on the ground. Not surprisingly, three of them are behind Tank. He’s tearing through them, one swipe of a blade after another. He’s too fast and strong for most of them, until he reaches two of the Titans. Their size alone makes them worthy competitors. I know Tank thinks this too because he’s smiling wide.

In the middle of the fray, Ebony’s virtual image appears calm,
her hands clasped together at her waist, but she’s shouting orders. I know she’s smart enough to realize that no one can hear her, but she can’t help herself.

Finally I’m able to wriggle free from the Peccarian, who reeks of onions and alcohol. Not far from me, Anthony is pinned beneath the Canine. His arms are bloody from trying to block the Canine from slashing open his head.

I rush to him, my knife raised high. Expecting the Canine’s heightened senses to detect my approach, I tuck and roll at the last second. Good thing too because he turns around just as I reach him and swipes five razor-sharp claws directly where I would’ve been standing.

His eyes widen in surprise. Exploiting the moment, I lunge the knife forward, hoping to at least draw blood, but he rears back like a cat doused with water. His head lifts and his gaze meets mine before he runs the opposite direction.

I lean over Anthony and extend my hand. “You okay?”

“I’ll survive.” He wipes blood away from his eyes.

Together we rush after the Canine, but a tall Prime knocks Anthony away, leaving me to contend with the hungry predator alone. I run fast, taking a small detour toward Ebony’s projected image.

She sees me coming and holds up her hands. “Stop! You are under the authority of the Institute and will be—”

I stomp on the small, metal transmitter. Ebony’s image shimmers until it fades into nothing.

“Thanks, Sage!” Tank calls, and I’m surprised he even noticed. He and a Titan are rolling across the grass, exchanging blows.

I search the open space for the Canine. He’s standing a short distance from me, not far from the edge of the cliff. His mouth is open in a partial smile. One of his sharp incisors is rubbing against his bottom lip, slicing open the pink flesh. Blood runs onto his hairy chin.

“My brother shared your blood with me,” he says.

I walk toward him, the knife firmly in my grip. Using my peripheral vision, I take in all that I can, searching for something I can use against him. I have nothing to temporarily blind him
with, unfortunately, and the thick cloud cover prevents me from using the sun in any way.

There’s a stick nearby.

It will break.

A few scattered rocks.

He will dodge them.

A hundred-foot cliff.

He’ll take me with him.

I have to try. To end this once and for all.

I lunge for the Canine, hoping to get him down low, but he swipes his hand backwards. The back of his hand connects with my jaw. The force of it knocks me to the ground, and stars explode behind my eyelids.

The whole side of my face feels like it has been rammed by a wrecking ball. He’s too strong.

From across the meadow someone calls my name as if saying it will somehow make me stronger. I think it is Anthony, maybe Tank.

Sorry, guys, but I’m not strong like you.

The Canine nears me. I lash out at him but am too slow. He kicks me hard. The sound of my ribs breaking is as bad as the pain that ripples throughout my body. I can’t fight him like this, blow for blow. I’ll lose.

I try a different strategy and say, despite the pain when my lungs expand, “I’m sorry about your brother.”

He hesitates for a moment then says, “You shouldn’t be. Splitting a salary was burdensome. Killing my brother made me a rich man, so really I should be thanking you.”

Because appealing to any sense of brotherly love he might’ve had didn’t work, I try a different approach. “Why are you doing this? You used to be one of us, an Original.”

“And I hated every second of it. How do you stand it? The feeling of inadequacy? The weakness? The pain?” He stomps hard on my foot and twists.

I cry out and almost drop the knife. Just beyond the battle continues. One of the Dresdens is lifeless on the ground, snow slowly blanketing his body on a sea of red. There’s too much of it,
I think, but then I notice there’s a pair of legs beneath him. Two dead.

Tank is on the other side of the clearing, moving slower than usual and no longer smiling. He’s fighting three Primes, and his yellow shirt is partially red in the back. I only see Rowdy and Anthony trying to work their way back to me, but a sudden new wave of Primes slow their progress.

“Answer me!” the Canine says, bringing my attention back to him.

As soon as I catch my breath, I say, “It is difficult to live in this world where everyone is stronger and prettier than me—”

“A living nightmare.”

“—but that doesn’t make them better than me.” I lift quickly at the waist and slash the knife. It slices into the meaty part of his thigh where I know he is the strongest.

The Canine drops to his knee and growls. I scramble away from him and get to my feet. He breathes heavily through his wide nostrils like a bull facing a matador. This is not an optimal position.

I glance to the left and right of me, searching for an escape. There are only two options: back into the fight with the others or over the cliff. I’d consider the cliff if there was water directly below it, but there’s only a short, rocky beach.

Back to the fight it is.

I’m about to run when someone yells my name—a sweet, child’s voice, almost angelic. I turn around slowly.

Max
.

He’s standing at the edge of the forest where Jenna had disappeared with him minutes earlier. His chest is rising and falling, and his little fists are clenched at his side.

My eyes go to the Canine. He sniffs the air and smiles at me.

Before I can stop him, he turns around and bounds after Max.

“No!” I scream. I take off after him, ignoring the pain in my foot and the burning in my ribs.

Max doesn’t seem to see the Canine. He’s staring only at me with wide, terror-stricken eyes.

“Run, Max!” I yell again. There’s no way I’ll get to the Canine in time.

The knife
.

I raise my arm and aim the best I can. I only have one shot at this. Thinking back to my father’s teachings, I inhale deeply and exhale. Focus. Block out all other stimuli. See your target. I flip my arm forward and let the knife fly. It spins end over end through falling snowflakes until it hits the Canine in the back. He falls face forward.

I keep running and jump over the Canine, who I’m pretty sure is still alive. A blow like that, although harmful, most likely won’t kill him. I reach Max and scoop him up.

“Are you okay? Where’s Jenna?”

He points behind him.

Jenna appears just then, racing up a hill. “That little twerp! He kicked me and ran away!”

Max smiles big. A snowflake lands on his nose. Who is this kid?