The Blood Bargain (30 page)

Why won.t my eyes open? Do I still have eyes? I tried to move my arms, the left one flapped against my stomach. Hot and sticky under my
finger tips
.

My right eye cracked open. Just a slit.

I was not on the street. I was up against meshed wood that was rough on my skin, a wicker chair.

The croaking sound had been...me. I was doing that.

Something was tugging at my boot.

I saw myself in my living room playing with my little lab pup. He was growling and pulling at my shoe. Mom and Dad were watching crime drama
’
s on our little tube TV, I really needed to pick up my toys.

“Spike stop it...” I mumbled. Putting more of my weight against the wicker.

When did mom get wicker chairs inside the house? The carpet felt cold
. My stomach was so wet. I didn’
t take a shower.

Mom...

I was falling. When did our living room get so tall that I fell?

Mom’
s dead. This was not home.

Oh god my foot.

M
y eyes flew open to find half a decrepit deadhead was reaching through the outside of the bars off the balcony, its teeth gnawing against the steel.

I kicked it with my other boot. Hard, despite the pain that shocked up my leg.

It dislodged, teeth falling from its jaw as it tumbled out of sight. How the hell?

I saw something else go by a shadow in the dark night. Clouds? No.

They were walking off the side. All the ones on the roof were walking off the damned side to get to me. I tried to sit up by I couldn
’
t, damn it. My leg was broken. From the blood pooling on my shirt I wasn
’
t in good shape. Despite the blurring in my eyes I tried desperately to focus. I had fallen at an odd angle, landing two balconies down and one over from where I jumped.

I was alone on the porch. Coughing, my mouth tasted of copper. A bad sign.

Sleep. Sleep pulled at me, promising comfort from the pain and a brighter morning.

Every ounce of willpower I had fought that call.

If I fell asleep I may not wake up. Not that I could go anywhere or do anything. I was broken, a little pile of bleeding girl like shark bait in the ocean. I closed my eyes....rest would be nice...just for a minute.

Something landed with a loud thud across from me on the balcony.

Oh no
no
. I pushed back into the corner despite the pain.

Half on and half off of the balcony was one of the dead. Its feet had landed within while its chest hung over the edge. A big one and barely injured aside from whatever damage it just took to its chest. I prayed it would be top heavy and plummet over but it didn.t. Slowly it righted itself, popping sounds echoed as it straightened.

It had to have been over six feet.

Putting my weight on my good leg I tried to pull myself up on the wicker chair. It weighed less than I, it toppled over, striking me in the head.

The thing had turned, only its right eye remained in the socket. The left had been gouged out along with the ear on that side, bits of teeth showed through the opening in its cheek. Teeth that opened wide.

I screamed.

The thing exploded. Melted. Evaporated. No way to really describe it other than it was there, then it wasn
’
t.

What. The. Hell?

In its place stood Adam, looking healthy as he
’
d ever been. More so actually, his arms didn
’
t see
m
so thin, his cheeks less hallow. His clothes had changed, just usual blue jeans and a tee shirt Adam. Wait, it was too cold for just a tee shirt.

“Am I dead?” I asked.

“Not yet Alice, but you did take a trip down the rabbit hole.” His mouth was funny.

“You died.” I protested, my eyes closed.

He scooped me up like I was a piece of paper. “It hurts Adam.” I nestled against his chest. Feeling safe in my delusion. He must have come to usher me into the afterlife. Mom...I couldn.t wait to see her.

“
Shh
...let
’
s get you home.” With a nod I faded into sleep my mind perplexed as to why Adam looked so like Dimitri.

Chapter
19

When my eyes fluttered open I was in my old room, the same floral wall paper and little silhouettes staring off to the sides. The familiar softness of the worn quilt covered my body. My right leg was in a cast as was my hand, my entire midsection covered with bandages.

A chair from the dining room had been brought up to my bedroom and set by the bedside. In it my father sat, looking haggard in a button down shirt that appeared stained and hair that was not neatly combed. Slight offenses to some, even unnoticeable to others but to my father this was a hobo look.

“Dad.” My mouth was parched, the word left my mouth like sandpaper on a two by four. He smiled at me, making eye contact. I hadn
’
t seen him so concerned since I broke my wrist.

“
Liv
. How are you doing?”

“I feel like I was hit by a truck.” My voice scratched and cut out as I spoke.

“Water?” I nodded. He left the room, returning a few moments later with a small cup that he was holding as delicately as a newborn child.

“Here, careful its full.” I tilted my head up slightly and drank a little too fast from the glass. The cool liquid felt good going down my throat until it was followed by the aftermath pain of swallowing. I coughed and collapsed back against the pillow.

“Thanks.” At some point in my haze of pain my mind started to connect the dots on how I got there. I sat up my eyes going wide.

“Dad
Tommen
is...”

“I know. Hey! Lay down now.”

“You know?” I asked him weakly, allowing him to push my shoulders back against the fluffy pillow.

“Consider him dealt with.” He paused for a moment and I understood the unsaid. The good doctor would no longer be making house calls. “Caius brought the whole thing to our attention. That sick bastard we had no idea he had been experimenting on them let alone harmed the living. I should have known when he said there was a runner with a reschedule. There are never

reschedules, but that vamp chick came to the council with him so I figured it was legit. Then he had supplies requests to a new warehouse...that's what he called it. A warehouse. I just couldn
’
t believe that one of the survivors would do something like that.”

“Ellis…
Shive
…” I persisted.

“Both are innocent, and
Shive
feels like a real ass for being so mean to you dear. Ellis rerouted the caravan at
Tommen.s
request. Wool over his eyes too.”

“I tried to talk to you.” I croaked. Dad sighed, his heavy shoulders slumping slightly. When he looked at me he looked...older. As though he had aged a decade in a month.

“I know. I know and I
’
m...I
’
m sorry
Liv
. After you outwardly defied us-me-I
kinda
well I just wanted to keep you safe. Your mother is gone and you.re the only family I have left. I thought I could put you in a bubble and seal you off from the evils of the world, but it just doesn
’
t work that way. I stopped listening to you because I was pissed. Pissed at your independence, at your

adulthood and free
will.
When you told me you saw a scavenger I panicked. The last thing the colony needed was to have its citizens going on failed rescue attempts north. See
Liv
, the thing is those people were given the choice years ago to come here, talks that were not put for public ears. None of them went well, they chose to go their own way. If they
’
re still around well, for them to survive this long without any so
rt of structured society...they’
re
unpredictable nomads and need to be left to the wilds they claim.”

“Why did you just tell me the truth?”

“I guess you could say it
’
s the old fed in me screaming classified.” I tried to laugh but I just coughed.

He gave me another sip of water.

“Then you moved out embarrassing me further to my colleagues and putting yourself back in
harms
way. I
couldn.t believe it when Caius demanded you get back to work. At that point I just shutdown. I didn
’
t want to deal with loosing you as I had lost your mother. In the end though the pain didn
’
t go away because...I love you honey and I want you in my life regardless of what you choose to do with yours. I realize
d...I cannot control that and I’
m sorry I tried.”

“Dad....” I hugged him. I thought about bringing up Project Moses but as Dimitri had told me, it wo
uldn’
t
change anything for better or for worse. We had found nothing that indicated that anyone really knew anything, our struggles had been too great in the beginning to be
intentional.

For the first time in ages, I felt like I had moved on.

He mumbled into my shoulder. “You.re staying here till you.re better. We no longer have a doctor but the nurses are doing their best to keep you healing. Then you can go back on the wall and I
’
ll support you.”

I pulled back and looked him in the eye.
“I
’
m not sure I want to.”

“What?” Shock registered on his face.

“I may try something else, I
’
ve
kinda
had my fill with near death experiences for a while I think.”

“Knock
knock
.” A tall form with a crop of strawberry blond hair popped into the doorway.

“Sammie!” She waved and came in carrying a little black bag of pokers and prodders. I was surprised to find Cole in step not far behind her.

“Can I come in too?”

“I
’
ll let you kids do your thing.” Dad stood to leave. As he walked out the door he pointed at Sammie in his authoritative nature. “Take damn good care of her.”

“Yes sir Mr. Younger.” Her confident smile made her shine like a light bulb.

Cole plopped his big frame in the chair that had been brought into my room. He had on a white sweatshirt that was big even on him making his body look like it had been shoved through a marshmallow. I wondered if it had started getting that cold outside.

Winter. The last thing I needed to think about right now.

His eyes elsewhere while Sammie had me breath, took my temp and my blood pressure. All the while she was making casual light hearted conversation about the weather and the crops. While she had initially been privy to our little endeavors, it seemed Sammie had opted for a let us never speak of it again approach to the whole
incident with her now ex-
boss. On some level I wondered

if she was still seeing Ben or knew of his involvement with Candice who was just two doors down from me, but that hardly seemed like a good topic to bring up at the moment.

Sammie declared I was doing better-despite the way I felt-and she
’
d be back to check my stitches later in the day.

When she left Cole didn’
t say anything, he just looked at me with those big dark blue eyes of his. I waited for a lecture, for a speech about how glad he was that I was alright or all the things I should have done differently. Instead he just
kinda
smiled in that
it’s
all okay fashion. Bad guys defeated, life can resume unsaid but
hanging in the air anyway. I liked the way he smiled at me, uncomplicated and sincere. He reached over and grasped my small hand in his large palm and in the silence we sat until my eyelids were too heavy to keep open. I drifted to sleep, the weight of the world-of the tragedy we had all lived through that bound us- off of my chest for the first time in years.

When I opened my eyes again it was dark, I had been in that lull for a while where my brain had debated on whether it should fight to open my eyes or resign itself back to dreamland, in the end checking out my surroundings had won. I think the pain in my muscles had vetoed the return to sleep decision.

I watched the moonlight pour in through the small window, illuminating the flowers like a spotlight.

There was someone in the guest chair.

I couldn
’
t jump up, instead I just turned my head and groaned an attempt at a scream. The figure stood, stepping into the light.