Hybrid Zone Revelation Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Acknowledgments

  Author Bio

  Hybrid Zone - Revelation

  Copyright © 2014 by C. E. Glines. All rights reserved.

  Contact C. E. Glines at:

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/C-E-Glines/261563870642519

  Email: [email protected]

  First Edition: April 2015

  Cover and Formatting: Streetlight Graphics (www.streetlightgraphics.com)

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  To the one who made me.

  Chapter 1

  I used to think leaping required no faith at all. That the phrase, “A leap of faith,” was an oxymoron. Something people said to make them feel better about dismissing their common sense. It completely ran afoul of yet another common phrase, “Look before you leap.” You weren’t supposed to look, decide you had no idea where you’d land, and then hurl yourself over the edge anyway. That wasn’t faith. That was crazy.

  Hello, Crazy. You can call me Macy.

  What the heck was wrong with me? My analysis of the phrase had been seriously flawed. Now that I was the one plunging headlong into the unknown, I discovered I had neglected one very important fact. Leaping required all kinds of faith. Faith that I had apparently left on the roof, right up there next to my common sense.

  Why had I never seen this before? Slicing through the air with the hard reality of the ground looming below, it was crystal clear now. It took me all of two seconds to realize I had better be rock solid in my belief that cats always landed on their feet. Either that, or they would be scraping me off the cement.

  Banish that thought, I scolded myself. The fact that cats always landed on their feet was indisputable, grounded in empirical science. Didn’t even require much effort on my part to believe. And since I was part feline now, it followed that I would land on my feet too. I was sure I would have taken comfort in my reasoning if not for the overwhelming panic that gripped my heart and tore my breath away. Try screaming with no air in your lungs. It sounded like I was trying to cough up a hairball.

  Unexpectedly, my head snapped back as the world slowed. Panting erratically as my breath returned in a whoosh, I refocused my eyes on the ground. The upward rush had definitely stalled, and the wind in my face had disappeared. I was now floating, suspended in air that was thick, gelatinous. Balling my fist up, I felt the air squeeze through my fingers as if I had a handful of jello, but when I opened my hand, it looked just as empty as before. Then there was the weirdness of my hair drifting listlessly around me at all angles. I blew at a strand crisscrossing my face and watched it serenely float away. Somewhere in the background, I was sure the Twilight Zone theme song was playing.

  Well, that’s it then, I thought. I have officially rounded the corner on crazy. We had not only met, but we were now members of the same team. I had never pictured it ending this way. Not that I had pictured my end at all, but if I had, this wouldn’t have been it.

  Strange. I didn’t feel any different, like I was one short of a six pack, but what else could it be? Some sort of panic induced delusion? An attempt by my brain to shield me from the upcoming impact? My mind raced as I grappled for understanding. And what was with this pose? My arms, stretched out wide and bent slightly at the elbows, resembled a pair of bat wings. My feet were tucked tightly beneath me as if I were preparing to launch. Which was silly, considering that stroke of genius had already happened on the roof. Couldn’t my delusional mind have come up with something better? I was cat not bat. Though I would take whichever one saw me safely on the ground.

  I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t crazy. Maybe I was just stuck—in stuff that didn’t actually have any sticking power. Okay, not the best explanation, but something was going on. Something had brought me to this point. Now that I was going nowhere fast, I might want to consider what that was. Identify exactly what had caused me to determine that flinging myself from the roof of a building sounded like a good idea? I didn’t even recall actually thinking about it. It just sort of happened. One minute on the roof, the next, bang! Plummeting through the air. There had to be a trigger in there somewhere.

  Working my way through the last few minutes on the roof prior to blast off proved to be a painful exercise. I could still smell Adam’s blood, remember the feeling of loss, and Kenny. His expression haunted my thoughts. The fierce desire for retribution painted on his face matched the belief shining in his eyes that I could give him that. He hadn’t been alone in his belief either. It had radiated from all of them. That’s what had ignited my heart and legs into action, their faith in me.

  But I couldn’t lay the blame solely on them. While their support had created strength in me, it had hurt too. A wrenching, gut twisting kind of hurt. They had looked at me like I was some kind of superhero that was going to save the day. I was no superhero—wow, that was ironic, considering my current position. But superhero pose aside, I just didn’t know if I had what it would take to make everything alright again. Some things, I knew, could never be made right.

  I had to try though. Not because I was responsible for what was broken. I was playing catch up just like they were. I had to try because as much as they needed me to repair the smashed pieces of their lives, I needed it too. It just wasn’t in my nature to walk away. A little factoid about myself that I was forced to accept thanks to the last week of my life.

  Forging relationships with the Colony hybrids had changed me in ways I was just now beginning to recognize. My old M.O. of keeping my head down and surviving, something that was normal, easy even, didn’t work anymore. Surviving this last week had required something totally different, and it had awakened something in me that I couldn’t turn off now. Call it some sort of maternal instinct, kick butt survival skills or label it what you will, but it was here to stay. I couldn’t imagine going back now.

  One week, that’s all it took to rewrite the script for my entire life.

  All thoughts but those of the fast rising ground fled as time caught up with me. Suddenly plummeting downward again, I could scarcely breathe as the earth rushed towards me. My stomach followed in the next beat, lodging in my throat and adding an exclamation point to the heartbeat hammering in my ears. Following some uncon
scious instinct, my legs stretched to meet the ground, and my arms curved upward. I tried to guesstimate the seconds until impact in my head, but I was pretty sure it translated into a squeal on the outside.

  As soon as my feet made contact with the ground, I gasped loudly. The palms of my hands followed next, slapping the ground as my knees collapsed beneath me. Shaking in my semi crouch, my stomach seemed oblivious to the fact that we were no longer falling. Not helping was the taste of blood in my mouth as a result of the contact between my teeth and tongue.

  Note to self…safely tuck tongue out of the way when leaping from tall buildings.

  With claws dug deep into the earth, I drank in oxygen as though I hadn’t breathed at all during the trip, another thing my rebellious stomach didn’t appreciate. Spitting out the unsavory mixture of blood and saliva filling my mouth, I couldn’t stop the combination burp and wretch that bolted from my lips. At least, I immediately felt better.

  Soft thuds behind me signaled the arrival of my teammates. Dipping my head upside down to look back at them revealed Kenny a short distance behind me. Even upside down, I couldn’t mistake the wide grin pasted on his face.

  “Feeling okay, Doc?” he teased.

  His face told me that he was never going to let me forget this, but I returned his grin anyway. What was a deeply gross burp between friends? And acquaintances, I added upon seeing the rest of the smirks greeting me. Apparently, they’d all witnessed my less than graceful landing. I could only imagine what my last few feet had looked like to them. More fodder for the blooper reel.

  The sound of a door opening and closing in the clinic wiped the smiles from all our faces. As the team gathered around me, I conducted a quick headcount. Every member was accounted for, and I was certain Kenny hadn’t missed any survivors. That meant whoever was in there didn’t belong. Them or their flashlight.

  “Do you normally carry a flashlight on your person just in case the lights go out?” Kenny asked.

  No, I didn’t, I thought as I shook my head. “They were tipped off,” I guessed, an even worse development than someone accidentally showing up. “Let’s go,” I whispered.

  I led us to the opposing building and waited until everyone was pressed snuggly against its side. From there, we watched the intruder’s progress through the interior of the clinic. The firsthand view of the carnage didn’t seem to slow them down, but they hadn’t reached the worst of it yet. Still, most people would have flinched already.

  Kenny caught my eye, his face pulling into a frown at the lack of response we were observing. I mirrored his expression as I nodded in agreement. The lack of reaction was concerning. It meant the intruder was seasoned or at least schooled enough not to react out of fear. I held my breath in anticipation as they reached the lobby. There was a brief pause, but no shriek of terror or erratic slash of light from a flashlight suddenly abandoned. We were definitely dealing with a professional. With long red hair?

  The briefest glimpse of red hair swirled through the light reflected by the lobby doors. Uneasiness swept over me as the red hair sparked something in my memory.

  “Did you see?” I whispered to Kenny who had crouched silently at my side.

  He nodded while keeping his gaze trained on the clinic doors.

  “Did you recognize them?”

  He gave a quick jerk of his head.

  Frustrated by my growing agitation, I craned my head around in search of more information that would explain this feeling. After a moment of fruitless searching, I gave up and looked at Kenny again. It had been him who had initially informed me of the intruder.

  Leaning into him, I asked, “Was there just the one?”

  His face remained blank as he nodded.

  Sitting back on my haunches, I studied his determined attempt to avoid my eyes. Why had he been so insistent that we had to leave then? When he’d told me that someone was coming, I had assumed it was someones, plural. One person did not constitute a threat. My face went slack when the reason dawned on me. He’d been protecting me, removing me from the painful situation that had me paralyzed. If not for him, I might still be kneeling on that roof, engulfed by the loss of Adam and in no kind of shape to lead this group.

  When I shifted uncomfortably, he slowly lifted his eyes to mine. Guilt clouded his normally sharp features, but he had nothing to feel guilty about. Me, on the other hand…I was in his debt. Again.

  “Thank you,” I mouthed silently.

  He dipped his head, embarrassed by the recognition. Or rather, having been caught caring.

  Gently shaking my head side to side, I was astounded and grateful to Kenny for his intervention. And I couldn’t help but think that for the seventeen year old that he was, he was way too insightful.

  Turning my attention back to the clinic, I grimaced at the inspection taking place. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen that hair somewhere before. And the more I thought about it, the more important it seemed that I remember.

  Frowning as the sensation continued to gnaw at me, I leaned into Kenny again. “I have to go back in,” I whispered.

  He acted like he didn’t hear me.

  “Kenny?”

  “Why?” he asked coolly.

  “Not sure,” I said, which was true. I just knew that I couldn’t leave here without finding out who it was and why it mattered.

  “Is this one of your hunches?”

  The tone of accusation in his voice surprised me. It was no secret that he’d been on the receiving end on more than one occasion. Obviously, it still rankled as further evidenced by the challenge in his raised brow.

  “You know, I’ve saved your butt more than once due to a hunch,” I reminded him sternly.

  His lips pressed into a thin line. “One time you bailed me out. Beyond that, there is no way of knowing.”

  “Are you insane?” I hissed. “I have stopped your crazy schemes at least a dozen times.”

  “Exactly,” he snarled. “You don’t know if they would have succeeded. And they’re not crazy.”

  “Are you two done?” Reynolds said, forcibly inserting himself between me and Kenny. “I believe we’re trying to not draw attention to ourselves.”

  “Ow,” I grumbled low, rubbing the spot on my elbow where Reynolds had inadvertently ground it against the brick.

  Yeah, we were done. I knew how his plans would have ended, even if he didn’t want to admit it. With his head mounted on a plaque and me out of a job. I couldn’t believe some of the things he’d entertained trying to pull off. God only knew the stuff he’d managed to actually do without me knowing about it. At least I’d never been called for bail money as a result of his scheming. Not that his schemes were criminal, just dangerous.

  Ignoring Reynolds’ angry glare, I focused on the lobby again. I wished I had a better reason to give Kenny than just a hunch, but that didn’t make one appear. Feeling of impending doom if I didn’t go back in…check. Logical reason for reentering the clinic…zippo.

  “A hunch is all I’ve got,” I said quietly. “I just know that I have to.” I more felt than heard his sigh.

  “Have to what?” Reynolds asked.

  “You shouldn’t go alone,” Kenny said.

  “Go where?” Reynolds demanded, looking back and forth between me and Kenny.

  “Just a minute,” I answered Reynolds and then leaned around him to grasp Kenny’s knee. “You know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think it was important. I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “I’ve learned a thing or two since you last saw me.”

  “I noticed,” he snorted softly. Studying the ground, he began playing with the dirt as though weighing his decision, as if he had a choice.

  “Kenny,” I growled, my hand tightening on his knee.

  “I know, Doc,” he sighed. “You want me to lead every
one back into the woods?”

  “Would you, please?”

  He tossed aside the twig he’d been using to scribe circles in the dirt and scowled at me. “That’s rhetorical, right?”

  The look on my face was answer enough.

  “How long will you be?”

  Releasing his knee, I pulled back and shrugged. How was I supposed to know how long it would take? Any guess I made would be just that.

  “Right. See you in about...whenever,” he muttered angrily as he left my side to inform the others.

  “Where are you going?” Reynolds asked bluntly.

  Here we go again. “Look, I can’t explain it, but I have to go back in.”

  “Inside the clinic? Where the intruder that isn’t fazed by the sight of dismembered bodies is currently taking a stroll?”

  The inflection on the last word let me know exactly what he thought of the idea. Just in case I didn’t get the memo his face was sending.

  “I know it doesn’t make sense—”

  “I’m supposed to shadow you,” he said, cutting off my explanation.

  Shadow me? I’d forgotten about his and Adam’s little compact. “I’m confronting one person. I don’t need a shadow.”

  “Adam said—”

  “Adam’s not here,” I barked, causing heads to snap my direction.

  Grinding my teeth together, I mentally slapped myself for my slip in control. The last thing I wanted was to cause more trouble. After a few anxious moments in which I determined I hadn’t exposed us, I grasped Reynolds by the shoulder and forced him to look me in the eye.

  “Adam’s not here,” I repeated quietly. “I am.”

  With those two words, I was declaring myself as the new leader. That I was underqualified went without saying, but this was reality. He’d either accept it or not. The stubbornness now on display led me to believe it might be the latter, not something I was prepared to allow. Meeting him stare for stare, I held his eyes without blinking until he grunted in frustration. With a slow nod of his head, he grudgingly accepted the change in command. Thank goodness, because I sure as heck wasn’t going to take orders from him.