Waterproof (24 page)

“Don’t fight,” Riley whispered into my ear.

Confusion lurched through my brain. Why weren’t they attacking Riley? Had this been a set up?

“Leave him alone!” Sasha screamed near the back of the truck. They’d already pulled her and Max out and were now dragging Hunter over the rear bumper and letting him land hard on the ground. As soon as his knees touched
the dirt, he jumped right back up and swung at the guard. His aim was good, but he didn’t see the larger man standing behind him. In a move that sickened me to the core, the man lifted the butt of his gun and slammed it down on the back of Hunter’s skull. The boy dropped like dead weight and didn’t move again.

Max lurched forward and took out two guys within seconds. He loved fighting with his fists. Sasha joined in as more and mor
e mercenaries surrounded them. It was clear to me that they had no intention of being captured alive.

I wanted to tell them to stop. That I couldn’t bear to watch them die. But Zach caught my attention instead.

In the distraction Max and Sasha caused, Zach used it to his fullest and smashed his head back into the soldier standing too close. Jackson didn’t hesitate. With two quick uppercuts, his closest guard fell.

I struggled against Riley’s grip. Kicking my feet out in front of me, I was able to reach the guard honing in on Zach. I screamed and Zach turned around in time to plunge the piece of metal into the man’s neck as he lost his balance. Blood spurted from the wound, covering Zach’s face like war paint.

Another shot rang out just as I broke free of Riley. Dust splattered my foot and I realized that bullet had been meant for me.

“Vivienne, stop!”
Riley called out.

But I couldn’t hear him anymore. Pulling the sword from my side, I swung at the female guard getting ready to shoot Jackson. The blade hit her wrist and sliced halfway through. She
screamed out in pain as my sword got stuck. The flimsy blade wasn’t like my regular weapon and I cursed the world for failing me now.

I yanked back hard enough to stumble over my feet. Jackson looked at me a second before two new guards shoved him to the ground. His face smashed into the soil and I thought they might suffocate him.

“Vivienne, drop the sword.”

I turned, shocked at Riley’s menacing tone. He held a pistol to the side of Zach’s head while the love of my life stood frozen like a statue. Our eyes met and a thousand words crossed the silent barrier.

“Drop it,” Riley said again.

“No.” A spotlight moved to shine directly on the three of us. I had to assume everyone else had been killed or captured and I briefly wondered if it was worth fighting anymore.

Then I looked at Zach again.

He held his shoulder and blood trickled from a cut on his forehead.
His eyes found mine and he smiled.

“Do it, Vee,” he said.

“Do what?”

“Don’t let them take us.
” He tried to step forward, but Riley pushed the gun harder into his head. Zach sighed in a way that broke my heart. “We’ll find each other again.”

This was it. Fight to the death because the alternative was much, much worse.

I pointed the sword at Riley, tears streaming down my face and heart breaking with regret at how we got in this position in the first place.

“Don’t do it, Vivienne
,” Riley said but his voice had changed. Presumably because he saw my determination.

“We’re not going to be locked in a box.”

“You won’t be.” He reached out with his other hand and I lifted my sword high enough to knock it away. I saw a look of hurt pass over his face just before a searing pain ripped through my leg.

“No!” Zach and Riley shouted as I bent forward to pull the hot dagger out of my thigh. Only it wasn’t a dagger. I’d been shot.

Riley jumped forward to catch me, staring at someone behind him. Pure, evil anguish throbbed through my leg and up into my stomach. I felt like I was going to puke and could barely focus on the conversation happening over my shoulder.

“Why did you do that?” Riley screamed. “You can’t kill her!”

Someone shuffled behind me and I noticed Zach trying to step forward.

“Don’t.”

Just one word held a threat better than all the others we’d heard. “Mr. Barto. I must say I am disappointed.” The man, who now stood in front of me, lifted his head toward the guard tower and nodded. Another shot pierced the night air and Zach crumpled to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Riley yelled out, surprised when I saw him looking at Zach.

“What you should have done a long time ago.”

The
man turned to face me. His uniform looked different than the others and the star on his shoulder led me to believe this was the General. Riley’s stepdad.

He lifted the gun and pointed it at my skull. In an instant, I forgot about the crushing pain and my broken heart and lifted the sword in a final standoff. The General smiled.

“I see what you like about her,” he said with disgust. “Just like that last one.”

I tried to hold my arm out strong, but the sword felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. My hands shook and the tears blocked my view.

“You can’t kill them,” Riley said again.

“
Why not?” The General pushed my sword out of the air. It took everything I had to lift it back up. “Isn’t that why you told us about your plan?”

My stomach dropped. We’d been betrayed.

Turning to face Riley, I raised the sword at him and slashed side to side. He easily sidestepped my advances and I didn’t stop until I felt the sharp sting of a gun against my temple.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill her.” The General’s voice sent shudders through my body.

“Because she’s a candidate.” Riley looked at Zach and Jackson. “All of them are.”

“We don’t need them,” the General said. “We have supplies already.” He spared a glance over to the truck where Max, Hunter, Sasha, and Trevor had been captured. Trevor looked like the only one still conscious. Zach moaned and tried to move on the ground, only to fall still again.

“He can culture it. Please, let Erik try.”

Riley’s stepdad seemed to entertain this idea.
“And what? Let them go?”

“No.” Riley said and walked a few steps closer to the General. “We need them. They
’re some of the best candidates we’ve seen so far. We think it’s because they’ve survived on their own for so long.”

Either I’d lost too much blood or had too many hits to the head, but I had a hard time following this conversation. It didn’t help that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Zach’s body either.

“They tried to escape,” the General stated.

“And they’ll be punished. But don’t let this stop our chance at
achieving a scientific breakthrough.”

“And what about them?”
General Patrick nodded toward the truck.

Riley shrugged. “I’ll deal with them.”

The General lowered his gun from my temple, but not before he gave a little extra push. My head fell over to the side and I feared I was losing too much blood. I had no idea how I was still standing.

“Take them away,” he ordered. Guards from all different directions
swarmed the scene and hulled away my friends. My family.

When one of them reached for me, Riley swatted them away.
“I’ve got her,” he said, close enough that I could feel the heat of his breath on my neck.

“Why?” I whispered. Barely able to stand, I found myself leaning back against the man who’d betrayed us all.

“I didn’t have a choice,” he said only to me.

The guards lifted Zach up underneath the shoulders and he cried out
in pure agony. They dragged him away, dust from his feet clouding the spotlights like a fog. My body felt so numb, I couldn’t even reach for him. Stars glistened in my vision and all of the noise around me became a dull hum.

“Why?” I asked again.

“He found out.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. But he left me no choice. This was the only way I could save you.” Riley’s words filtered through me like sand. After everything we’d been through, this is how it would all end. Hooked up to machines or forced to serve as lab rats. Yet as devastated as I felt, I couldn’t muster up the strength to fight.

“I don’t want to be saved,” I said
and I watched them carry Zach off into the darkness as my heavy eyelids finally closed.

About the Author

Amber Garr spends her days
as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner, author of
Waterproof
,
The Syrenka Series, The Leila Marx Novels,
and the upcoming
Death Warden Series
. When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.

Titles Available Now

The
Syrenka Series:

Promises

Betrayal

Arise

The Leila Marx Novels:

Touching Evil

Furthermore: An Anthology

Coming Soon

Soulless

Touching Death

Connect with Amber
Online:

www.ambergarr.com

http://ambergarr.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com – Author Page: Amber Garr

@AmberGarr1