Soulless (The Immortal Gene Trilogy Book 1) Page 9

  I took this chance to run, so I turned and bolted into the mass of the grave. “Where are you going?” he called with crackling laughter. “That’s right, you better run fast Nadia, because I’m going to find you! I will always find you!”

  CHAPTER TWELVE:

  I ran for hours as a heavy storm rode over my head and pelted me with rain the size of bullets. When it eventually stopped, the cold night air froze the water and mud on me, leaving me in a suit of clay. My prison rags were drenched. I had no idea where I was. The moulds of decay vanished into a small field of suburban ruins. I knew I was walking but the feeling of my feet hitting the ground was lost under the pins of the cold. I moved as though automatic, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot.

  If Diesel was chasing me, he was taking his time. I couldn’t count how many times I snapped my neck back, excepting to see his tall yet hunched silhouette watching from the gaps of the street lamps. Ignoring the screams of my muscles, I forced myself onward until I saw the fence lining the perimeter of the inner city. I ran at it and bounced off the wire. This was the south end fence! Oh, my God, I know this fence!

  I was so exhausted and tired; I didn’t even understand why I was crying. Maybe it was relief? Maybe it was the frostbite taking my toes, either way I just didn’t care. My pink fingers swelled as I curled them around the wire strings. I’m nearly home! I can do this! This nightmare is finally going to be over!

  Curfew was in full effect and the closer I trekked to the outer districts the less frequent the patrols were. It was nearing the first touch of morning light when I stumbled into the familiar streets outside my house. The temptation of my bed baited me back despite the risk of facing my parents’ disapproval. No friends or other family limited my options, and with my wounds still weeping and my head strained with exhaustion, sleeping on the curb wasn’t an option. I pulled on the front door handle to find it locked. Using the busted fire escape, I scaled up the metal ladder and reached the window leading into my bedroom. The shatter of glass was a loud crack amongst the otherwise silent house. I stepped into my room, carefully avoiding the shards of glass on the floor and went straight for my bed where I collapsed onto my mattress. The exhaustion that stung my eyes and swelled my head wasn’t as powerful as the adrenaline rocketing into my chest.

  I took the disk from Doctor Fitzgerald out of my pocket and placed it carefully on my bed. Blissfully, I kicked out of my boots and soaked the blisters that lined my feet in a damp cloth. After the burning sensation dropped, I checked Annie’s room to find her fast asleep. I stood by the doorway for a moment, finding her peaceful snores calming. I had no idea how long I had been gone for; sometimes it felt like it was months, others it felt like years, but Annie looked exactly the same the day I left her in the streets.

  I took my time in the shower as I scrubbed every inch of blood off my body. I put fresh clean clothes on to cover the scars on my back, but I couldn’t hide the scar that lined my temple or the shaven patch that run along my head. I found some scissors and cut off the rest of my hair to match the ragged punk style. I combed it over in hopes to hide the markings. Great, now I look like a pineapple. Honestly, I didn’t care what I looked like. I just didn’t want to look like I was the mouse they all called me. I owned my own appearance, bald patch and all.

  Back in my room, I sat down on my bed. I recovered the microchip and inserted the disc into the slot on my phone. On the reader, there were the files the doctor had on me; my weight, my height and orientation. He called me a class two fire–head, whatever the hell that meant. As I scrolled through, there were a bunch of notes I couldn’t understand, technical terms for parts of the brain and anatomy. In red, he had highlighted my blood type, but it didn’t make much sense. I tried to focus but my vision spiralled. I put my phone down. I was so hungry I almost passed out.

  I pocketed my phone and went down stairs to get myself something to eat. Even Lisa’s overcooked stew would taste like roast beef right about now. I reached for the pot when a prick of a blade pressed into my back. Immediately, I stilled.

  “What are you doing here?” I turned around at the familiar voice. Annie lowered her hand holding the kitchen knife but didn’t turn the blade away. I could barely see her face amongst the shadows, but what I could see was how her brows tightened with mistrust and confusion.

  “Annie? It’s so good to see you again. It’s just me.”

  “I know who you are,” she said sharply. “Why are you here?”

  What the hell? Her sharp tone caught me by surprise that I hesitated. Sure, I understood my sister was going through the change, but I didn’t think she would turn into a cold, detached stranger so quickly. Where was the Annie that clung to me during a thunder storm? Where was the Annie who always managed to drop food on the front of her clothes during every meal?

  “Annie… what are you doing? Put down the knife.” I held my hands up slowly.

  “You’re not meant to be here.” She jabbed forward. “You’re meant to be with that doctor.”

  “Let’s just talk about this first, okay Annie? Put down the knife.”

  “No, no, you can’t be trusted. This isn’t right.”

  “Of course you can trust me.”

  Annie dropped her chin to address something on the floor. “Mummy will be very mad. Just like with Bobby, she’ll send us all back to camp if you disobey her again.”

  “What? Who is Bobby?”

  “He’s my brother.” Her wet, large eyes looked up at me. “He’s my brother, and she took him away.”

  This must be a past memory. “Annie, are you taking your medication?”

  She shook her head. “It makes me sick.”

  “But you have to—”

  “No!” She lurched forward and swung the knife through the air. “It’s not like before. It’s getting stronger and louder. It makes me sick. It’s making me sick. Why don’t you understand? Why won’t you listen to me? Stop making me drink that poison. You’re making me sick!”

  I stumbled backward just as someone turned the kitchen lights on, flooding the room in a harsh yellow light. Among the bright dots that spotted my vision, a figure stood in wait just inches behind Annie’s back.

  He had stood so perfectly still that I shrieked in my surprise. The dark blotch quickly sharpened into a face just as Annie turned around at the brush of his presence. Diesel pulled on the back of Annie’s shirt and hoisted her up onto the kitchen counter. He swiftly disarmed her and took the knife for himself. To stop her screams, he covered her mouth with his hand and held his finger to his lips.

  Annie’s face was just a pair of large, hazel eyes high beaming in terror. I could see the six-year-old girl in her reacting, tears springing to the surface.

  “Shut up and don’t move.”

  Instinctively, I snatched at the closest thing within reach, which was unfortunately a ladle from the pot. I swung it at him, holding the spoon end toward his throat.

  “Don’t you dare hurt her!”

  “Nice place,” His eyes snapped toward me with a voice pinched with rage. He had a look of fury that stopped me mid breath. The rainwater had cleared the blood from his cuts and plastered his hair into a sticky mess against his face. In his grip, he flexed his fingers around the knife. Annie trembled fearfully. She looked at me as though she hadn’t just held the same knife to my face a moment ago.

  His sharp canines pressed into his lip as he smiled. “Surprised?”

  “How did you find me?” I asked. His smile strained further in his annoyance. He was pissed. Really pissed. I swallowed lightly, “If you want the contacts back…”

  “I meant what I said before,” He snarled, “I busted you out, you’re mine now. You really think I’m ever going to stop chasing you?”

  The harsh kitchen lights cut shadows along his rain-washed cheeks and busted nose, making the mix of blood and dirt caught in his whiskers gleam against his toasted skin. If I had seen him look like this before then I would never have spoken a seco
nd word to him.

  “No.” My voice scratched at the back of my throat. “But you should have.”

  Diesel stepped around Annie so she was a wall separating him from me. He smoothed her brown locks from her face, his eyes never once dropping from mine as Annie clenched up and gritted her jaw.

  “You don’t have to worry, you’re valuable to me… for now. I promise not to hurt you if you just leave with me now.”

  “I’m not going with you, Diesel.”

  “What other choice do you have? You think you can just return back to the life you had?” He laughed. “You’re a wanted criminal. A fugitive hunted by the Elite. No one here will protect you.”

  From upstairs, there was a loud click as Lisa’s and Roman’s bedroom door was unlocked followed by Roman’s shout, “Who’s there?”

  With trained stealth, Diesel ducked into the hallway and out of sight. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs were loud, followed by the rough bark of Roman. “Annie? Is that you?”

  “Daddy!” Annie called as Roman reached the bottom and turned to face us. I stood frozen to the spot, unsure how I was meant to feel. Roman’s jaw dropped.

  “Nadia?” He swayed for a moment. “What are you doing here?”

  “Dad…” My voice crackled, relieved at seeing his familiar face. Then Roman did something I wasn’t expecting; he lifted his gun and aimed it at my chest.

  “What are you doing here? You have to go back.”

  For a moment, I was too stunned to move. The barrel of the gun felt close, close enough that I could still feel the heat from its last shot. “Dad? Wait, just let me explain.” I held my hands up. “I can’t go back there. They’re torturing me; I’m being used in some sort of blood transfusion experiment.”

  Roman only shook his head. “They paid for you, Nadia. If you don’t go back, we won’t get any more rations.” He didn’t drop his aim as Lisa walked in behind him.

  “Nadia?” She stopped at the bottom of the steps with her hand still propped on the wall. “Oh no, what have you done?”

  “You better get Doctor Fitzgerald on the phone,” Roman said to her over his shoulder.

  My brows tightened as stunned rage ripped into me. It made sense now. This was the reason why they never checked up on me, why no one seemed bothered by my skeleton physique or my damaged body. “Oh, my God… You knew?”

  Lisa ran upstairs to fetch her phone as Roman walked closer with the gun still aimed. Annie scrambled off the counter and ducked behind the kitchen table.

  I almost tipped backward as the realisation struck. “You knew what they were doing to me? And yet, you did nothing?”

  “We weren’t told any details,” Roman said. “We just had to trust Doctor Fitzgerald was doing what was best.”

  “Doctor Fitzgerald is dead,” I shouted. “The sick prick cut me open. He starved me and used me like some sort of lab rat!”

  “You killed him?”

  I scoffed in my bewilderment, “That’s all you care about? Didn’t you just hear what I said?”

  “You can’t just kill someone from the upper class, Nadia!”

  “She didn’t.” Diesel stepped out from the hall. “That was all me.”

  Roman spun to Diesel’s direction as I leapt forward and punched Roman in the side of his head. He stumbled off balance as Diesel lashed out. Striking with such strength, he could easily have killed him, but instead, Diesel took the wind out of Roman’s chest. Roman fell to the ground wheezing.

  Diesel then stomped on the side of his head, knocking him out. I let my fists uncurl. An aching pulse coursed through my joints where I landed my hit. Diesel looked up at me. “Felt good, didn’t it?”

  I rubbed my knuckles. “Don’t talk to me.”

  His smile only grew wider as he made a lecturing tsk. “Well, not that I’m not loving all this family bonding time, but I really need us to move it. The patrols could be hitting here any minute now!” As he spoke, Annie bolted around him toward the staircase but Diesel caught her and swung her back to him. “Whoa! Where do you think you’re going?”

  I pulled her out of his arms. “I swear, you touch her one more time, I will end you.” She clung to me and my shoulders relaxed. Annie was still in there.

  Diesel lifted his hands in surrender, before taking Roman’s dropped pistol. “Fine, I don’t usually like to leave witnesses, but we can try it your way.”

  At that moment, Lisa came galloping down the stairs with the phone to her ear. Without even looking over his shoulder, Diesel pointed the gun backward and fired within an inch from Lisa’s head. She screamed and ducked down, dropping the phone.

  Diesel glanced over with a disappointed hiss. “Damn, missed.” He then walked over and squatted down to her level. “You don’t mind if I take this, do you?” He reached over, took her phone and smashed it with the handle of the gun. Lisa pedalled herself up against the wall.

  “What the hell is going on? Who the hell are you?”

  “A friend of your daughter’s.”

  “Nadia?” She looked over his shoulder to me. I took the kitchen knife from the counter and snarled. He was right. No one was going to protect me here.

  “Diesel, upstairs I want you to go into my parents’ bedroom and take anything you think we may need.” Diesel nodded and bounded up the stairs. “Annie,” I then beckoned to my sister, “You better sit over here so you don’t get hurt.”

  Annie knelt down by Lisa as Lisa hissed at me, “You’re going to get in a lot of trouble, Nadia! You’ll be blacklisted for sure.”

  “I was already treated like a black listed criminal, why not have the perks that come with it?” I squatted down so I was balancing on my toes. “All I want to know is why. Why did you sell me to someone like Doctor Fitzgerald?” Lisa dropped her head, refusing to answer and I lurched forward in my rage. “You owe me an answer! Just tell me, why? Did you really never care? Did I really mean nothing to you?”

  “That’s not it.”

  “Then why? Tell me why?”

  “You really think that we ever had a choice?” She swallowed hard to settle her voice. “They took it away from us.”

  “Took what?”

  “The D400 drug. The day of the sweep, Roman and I were called into the capital to speak with Elite McKinnon. He said that the compounds to make the D400 were running out and that fewer families were able to get it. Apparently, our supply was next to be taken away unless we agreed to hand you over. They needed you to help them with their research into a new drug they’ve called XCELL. The XCELL will do more than just suppress our reincarnated memories; it will destroy them forever. If we agreed, he promised we’d be among one of the first few to have the cure. With Annie changing so aggressively and the D400 becoming scarce, we didn’t have a choice. We had to accept.”

  My chest tightened as I drew in my breath. “Did you ever stop to think what that would mean? Did it ever cross your mind what he was going to do to me?”

  The muscles in Lisa’s jaw jumped as she bit down. “It was a sacrifice we were willing to make.”

  “It wasn’t your sacrifice.” My fingers curled. “It was mine.”

  Suddenly, Diesel bounded down from upstairs in Roman’s brown coat, dark shirt, pants and gasmask. On his back was my father’s backpack while in his hand he carried a spare bag for me.

  “Did you get everything?” I stood up quickly, wiping the tears quickly from my face.

  Diesel glanced down. “Everything that I thought had some worth.” He threw the empty bag at me. “Fill her up. We have to get out of here.”

  I took everything in the pantry including all the dry food and enough water to fill three canteens. I also helped myself to the first aid, bandages, painkillers and disinfectant. I may have felt bad if they hadn’t just held a loaded gun to my head.

  As I headed for the door, Lisa called out, “Think about what you’re doing, Nadia.” I paused with my hand holding the front door open. Diesel waited out on the streets and beckoned me wi
th urgent waves. “If you leave, they’ll take everything away from us. Annie will suffer for your selfishness. Is that what you want?”

  I swivelled back to their frightened, pale faces. My life for the cure; it just didn’t make sense. Annie’s voice suddenly popped up in my head. It makes me sick. Stop making me drink that poison. You’re making me sick!

  “They are lying to you, Lisa. Don’t you get that? There is no cure.” With a final bang, I slammed the door and followed Diesel out into the streets.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

  Following Diesel’s direction, he took me into a part of town I had never seen before, where the towers pressed so tightly together that we could barely fit through the narrowed alleys. We slipped through sideward with our backpacks held above our heads. The sun had already hit its peak and lathered the crumbled buildings under a skin of yellow, restricting us to the shade. I hid my face beneath my bandana as Diesel went around in Roman’s gas mask. After hours of running the back streets, I stumbled to a stop in an open yard of an old factory. Diesel had already started climbing the back fence but stopped when hearing my bag hit the pavement.

  He glanced over, growled then jumped back down. “What are you doing?”

  A strange pressure swarmed up my throat from my chest. I pulled my bandana away from my mouth, making it easier for me to breathe.

  “Can you just give me a minute to think? I just went through a really traumatising experience where my own father turned a gun on me.”

  Diesel swung his backpack down so it scraped along the pavement. “What’s the big deal? So what, your parents sold you off to some sicko, suck it up. It’s like you’ve never had parents before.”

  “What the hell do you know?”

  “Before I was five, I had a so-called mother sell me off to some dealers so they could use me as a drug mule. I think I’m pretty well educated in the shit-for-parents department.”