Sanctum (The After Light Saga) (14 page)

“Fin
n, I’m serious. This isn’t a joke. Whenever I get close to them, I get these horrible headaches, the kind that feel like my head wants to explode. And my nose starts bleeding. Then, for the first time tonight, I could hear them. I spoke to their leader. I think I might have telepathy.”

Finn chuckled,
then looked at me and his face straightened. “I’m sorry, Abi. I don’t doubt you. It just sounds crazy.”

“I kno
w it does. I thought I was going mad, but I actually heard them. I even tried to reason with them.”

“I take it that
conversation didn’t turn out too well,” he noted.

I shook my head.
“No. All moral sense and emotion has been stripped. The only thing on their mind is killing us.”

“
We already knew that, and that’s why we are going to fight back, and not feel bad about killing them.”

I nodded.

“Please don’t tell anyone, alright?”

“About what?”
he asked.

I grinned.

“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. I don’t want anyone prodding around in my girl’s head anyway.”

“Thanks
.” I snaked my arms around him for one more hug.

“Food?” he asked
, offering me his arm.

I hopped off the sink and hooked my arm through his.
“Sounds good.”

When we entered the room, everyone turned and stared. Dr. Banks stood and offered his hand to Finn. “Thank you. You both saved a lot of people by retrieving those medicines.”

“No prob
lem. Rhett and his group helped,” Finn added.

“I haven’t had this much action in years,” Rhett laughed.
“Come. Sit and eat.” He ushered us in, pointing to an empty spot next to him and Peggy Sue.

“Yes, please eat
,” Peggy Sue repeated.

I grabbed Finn’s hand as
we made our way over to the table.

As soon as we sat
down, Peggy leaned over and whispered, “Your boyfriend is very handsome.”

“Thank you,” I whispered back, grinning.
She had no idea how special he was to me.

Nely
came from the kitchen and placed two large bowls of curried beans and rice in front of us. It smelled like heaven, and tasted wonderful.

After dinner, everyone gathered
in the meeting room, where our group would be sleeping. Before we rested for the evening, we sat at the round table and discussed plans to rid the town of Arvies.

The plan
was pretty simple and straightforward. As soon as the sun was at its highest point, we would start. This would give us the best advantage. There would be four teams of four, each team was designated their own buildings to enter and clear.

Rhett had a detailed map of t
he town laid out on the table, and blocked off the town into four sections. Then, he started calling teams, and I realized I wasn’t with Finn.

“I’m sorry, but I have to be with Finn
,” I stated.

“Yeah. I want to keep an
eye on her, as she tends to go Kamikaze. I might need to restrain her,” Finn chuckled.

“I’ll make the adjustment. I just thought I’d even out each team with experience
,” Rhett said.

“Thanks, man. She’s always been on my team. We can practically read each other’s moves. Most of the time,” Finn said. He
glanced over to me and winked.

“I don’t go Kamikaze
,” I said rolling my eyes.

“You did tonight
,” Finn noted.

“I—”

“You charged and tackled an Arvy without thinking. This time, I’ll be ready for any of your sudden moves,” he said, karate chopping the air.

“Fair enough,” I laughed
.

Our team was Finn, Pike, Tim and me. I was comfortable with that.

I thought I was the only female going out on this mission tomorrow, but was shocked when Rhett called Peggy Sue, Jamie, and Laura.

Peggy Sue was
on his team. Laura and Jamie were split between the other two, each teamed up with their husband. Good call. Who better to watch your back better than the one you love?

Rhett must have noticed the worried look on our group
’s faces.

“What? Y
ou didn’t think you had the only badass chick around, did you?” Rhett laughed. “These ladies here are some of the toughest, best shooters ‘round these parts.”

“Rhett,” Peggy said, blushing.

“Just speaking the truth, babe,” he grinned. “You all can hold your own, and that’s pretty damn badass in my book.”

Once
everyone knew exactly what they had to do, we went to bed.

Ever since the crash, Tina never left Pike’s side. They were huddled together in a corner of the
room, his arm was wrapped around her. I could tell she was worried, and out of her element. But Pike knew her best, and he seemed to steady her. They looked so comfortable together.

I didn’t realize I was staring
, until her eyes caught mine. She smiled and waved at me. I blushed, feeling like I’d invaded their privacy, but waved back. I really hadn’t talked to her since we arrived at Sanctum. I guess with all the madness, I didn’t have much time to talk to anyone.

Peggy
Sue let me borrow some pajamas. They were worn and faded, but warm and fit perfectly. I was grateful we’d made new friends. Others like us, who had survived on our own. It made us stronger, and less dependent. A common understanding, we had what it took to survive without the governments help.

Rhett was right. If it was up to the government, we wouldn’
t be here, and most likely would have taken the ARV-3 serum and mutated. But because of leaders like my father and Rhett, we were still here and very much alive.

Our
group was given a few extra blankets and pillows. The ground was hard, but at least we were safe, tucked within the walls of Sanctum.

Sanctum. I guess there w
as no better place to have a shelter, than in the bottom of a church. I wondered if these people were religious. I wondered if they believed in God. Even though my father was a scientist, he still believed in a higher power.

I l
aid my head on my pillow. Every part of my body was exhausted, but as soon as I closed my eyes, the pilot’s face flashed before me. His cries, his pleading, him begging for me to take his life, it twisted my stomach. My heart broke all over again as I thought of his widowed wife and daughter. They would be crushed to never see him again. Then there were flashes of Dr. Lisa, Titus, and the General.

Why was my mind so cruel? It was evil and pitiless, making me relive the horrors I’d endured, over and over again
. My inner demons, the ones I battled emotionally, were just as vicious as the ones we were fighting physically.

I hoped my heart
would eventually callous, just enough so I could finally forgive myself and go on living. It was hard not being allowed to be weak in this new world. Being weak meant giving up and dying.

I
t was hard to hold on, especially when the reality of the topside had slammed into us so fast. We crawled out of from our safe, secure bunkers, straight into the fires of hell. Death and destruction surrounded us, and would continue to go on, until someone found a remedy.

D
eep inside of me, I could hear my father’s voice; it spoke of hope and reason. We were the future. We were in charge of our destiny. Whatever choices we made now, would either better us, or break us.

Life didn’t come with an instruction manual.
Our paths weren’t paved and there were no easy roads. We knew we would have to work hard to erase the damage done to the earth, but we’d already planned for that during those years in the bunker. This was the life we’d been dealt. We were in charge of it. We had to make the most of it, and try and see the good in it even if the good was a tiny speck in the vast darkness.

Alt
hough I didn’t understand
why
, I believed our chopper crashed and we were here, at this very moment, for a particular reason. Everything had a purpose, and ours was to help these people. Maybe it was our destiny to die trying, but we would never know unless we tried.

“Hey,” Finn said,
breaking my thoughts. He was walking toward me carrying his pillow and blanket. His thigh was freshly bandaged by Dr. Banks.

With a single smile, he took my breath away.
His eyes had a way of capturing me. I’d been completely absorbed within those dark chocolate eyes so many times before. They were eyes meant for me alone.

Despite my many flaws, Finn still loved me unconditionally. He had a temper, but that was one of the things I loved about him. If he was passionate about something, he wasn’t afraid to show it.

Every day on the topside, my love for him grew even more. I knew him better than anyone else on this planet. Knew his deepest fears and desires, and most importantly, I knew I could trust him with my life.

He’d just showered, and his hair was a
disheveled mess, but he always managed to pull it off. He looked as sexy as ever, wearing a pair of board shorts and the necklace I’d given him—the angel’s wings. They were the perfect representation of who he was to me. He was my guardian angel.

H
is defined upper body resembled a Greek god. His skin tanned when it should have burned, and his muscles were perfectly defined. He was flawless.

His sweet scent enveloped
my space, sending my head in a spin.

“Is this spot taken?”
he asked, pointing to the large open area next to me.

“No,” I answered
.

“Well,
I heard some rumor that a beautiful, young girl desired to be wrapped in my arms. Do you happen to know her, or could you point me in the right direction?” he asked, raising his brow.

I laughed and shook my head. “No, but if I find out
who she is, she’ll have hell to pay.”

“
Hellfire?” he grinned.

“No. I’ll just engage her in a little hand-to-hand combat
.”

“
You know, if you ever need practice, I’m here,” he said, opening his arms in an invitation.

“I’ll gladly take you up on that invitation, but
will have to take a rain check. Maybe when the room isn’t so full and there aren’t watchful eyes glued to us,” I smiled.

“
Fine. Well, these arms were looking forward to holding someone tight tonight. Would you care to fill the void?”

“I’d be delighted,
” I said, in my best sexy voice. It didn’t go off so well, and Finn laughed.

“No hanky panky
, Abi Park. Remember, there are eyes and ears all around us.”

“Gotcha,” I winked.

He smiled, then placed his blanket and pillow down beside me. Lying on his back, he patted his chest, and I snuggled up to him. My head fit perfectly in the crook of his arm, as his arms folded tightly around me. It felt so natural being so close to him. I wished I could sleep next to him every night.

He kissed
my forehead. My eyes closed and I felt a smile rise on my lips. Only he could make me happy in the midst of all this madness.

“I love you, Abi
. Longer than forever,” he whispered.

His love
was like a warm blanket, covering and protecting me.

“Longer than forever,”
I breathed.

Dr. Banks clicked off the main light, b
ut there were still little night-lights softly illuminating the room so we could move about.

There were moments in
quiet times, when I closed my eyes, I could envision our future. A dream of me and Finn sitting in a garden we planted with our own hands. There would be a large tree, with a swing attached to one of its branches. Our house would be small, and not too large because I didn’t want to spend too much time inside. I wanted to feel the soft grass between my toes and against my fingertips. I wanted to smell the sweet fragrances of the multi-colored flowers. I wanted to eat the fresh fruit and vegetables that were planted and grown from our tender. And, I eventually wanted children.

That was my dream, but
until the Arvies were rid from the planet, that’s all it would ever be. But at least it was something to hold onto. I could only wish that one day all this would end, and we would be able to begin our lives.

Enclosed
in the warmth of Finn’s arms, my body finally relaxed. I felt complete; a sense of peace quieted my mind for the first time in months. He was the only one who could have given me such a rare and wonderful gift.

I focused on the steady rising and falling of his chest, and the perfect rhythm of his heart. A
heart which belonged to me. I smiled, despite the unsurmountable stress building up around us. He held me tightly in his embrace, and before I knew it…I’d fallen asleep.