T. A. Chase

They Walk Among Us

 

They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase

Part Fifty-Eight

Raven-

At the sound of a horn, I looked up and saw a truck heading straight toward us. Squinting, I could see Zach sitting behind the wheel, and I snarled. He shouldn’t have been driving with his injury. I knew it had to be hurting him.

I grabbed Gregory’s arm, dragging him along in my path. The agents parted for us like the Red Sea in front of Moses. It didn’t matter that they had weapons and we didn’t. We outweighed them all, and stood taller than all of them. I could take several bullets without them stopping me, but I didn’t want Gregory to take one.

“Are they coming for us?” Gregory asked while punching an agent in the face.

“Yes. It’s Zach and Rissa, though neither one of them should be driving.” I snarled when one of my enemies built up the courage to grab my arm to try and pull me to a halt.

“You’re right. The little guy shouldn’t be driving. That bullet in his shoulder is probably causing him a lot of pain.”

I growled. “I can’t believe you let him get shot.”

Before Gregory could answer me, the truck slammed into the crowd. I winced as a few of the agents went flying. The passenger door swung open, and I tossed Gregory into the cab. He scrambled into the back, giving me room to climb in as well.

“Drive, Zach. We’ll discuss this whole rescuing us while wounded later,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Zach stepped on the gas pedal, pushing all of us back against the seats as we accelerated. We raced out of the parking lot, leaving a trail of downed agents in our wake.

“Which direction should I go in?”

“This is the right way. We’ll keep going for several miles until I determine no one is following us.”

Gregory grunted. “I swear I didn’t lead anyone here. I doubled back, and kept an eye on my back the entire time.”

::Do you believe him?:: Zach didn’t take his eyes off the road.

::Yes. I’m not sure how they found us so quickly, but Gregory wouldn’t betray me, Zach.::

Zach sighed, but didn’t say anything else. A thought hit me, and I glanced back at my sister and Gregory.

“Hand me the bag,” I asked.

Rissa tossed me the bag the jewel was in, and I tore it open. After pulling the box out, I hissed as energy surged through me. The jewel recognized me, and it demanded I use it right then. Yet I couldn’t do it, not there and not without the rest of my fellow Opalites.

Along with the low level thrumming of energy connected to me, there was a discordant hum traveling with it. I closed my eyes, and focused on where the other noise originated.

“Ah ha!” I slid one of my claws along the seam at the bottom of the box.

“You found something?”

Gregory and Rissa peered over the seats to watch as I popped open the false bottom and exposed the tracking device hiding in there. Zach rolled down the window for me, and I tossed it out onto the side of the road.

“That’s how they found us. They didn’t need to follow Gregory or even have Bartlett call them. They knew when we stopped and since we didn’t immediately start moving again, they were sure we’d be at the truck stop for a while.” I shook my head. “I should have checked everything before we went too far from the compound.”

No one said anything for a few moments. Finally, Zach downshifted and pulled off the road into a deserted parking lot. I studied him, and saw how pale he was.

“Shit! I’m sorry, Zach. I wanted to get the tracking device out of the box first.”

“How did you know there’d be one?” Zach inquired, resting his head back against the seat and closing his eyes.

“It just hit me that might have been how they showed up so quickly. They were probably following us once we left the compound.”

I tucked the box back into the bag and handed it off to Rissa. After sliding closer to Zach, I rested my hand on his right shoulder. He grimaced at my touch, and I murmured softly while I unwrapped the bandage.

The wound still bled sluggishly. I pushed my power into his body, and found the bullet. He moaned as I began to work it out through the damaged flesh. I fixed the torn blood vessels and muscle as I went, not wanting to have to go back in and heal him afterward.

It took longer that way, but I also knew the pain would be less if I did it all at once. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been at it before the bullet emerged from Zach’s shoulder, falling to the floor. Zach sighed and passed out.

I brushed my fingers over his forehead, then looked at the others. “We’re going to do some rearranging. Rissa, you’ll sit in back with Zach while Gregory drives. I have to keep an eye out for where we need to turn off the highway.”

“All right.”

No one argued with me, and they switched seats without comment. Rissa made Zach comfortable in the back seat with her. Before we left, I jumped out of the cab and put some clothes on. The jeans fit my larger frame, but I didn’t worry about putting on a T-shirt. My wings would tear it the moment I unfurled them.

Within an hour, we were on the road again. I placed my hand on top of the box, absorbing the power leaking from the jewel. I sent out another message to all the Opalites coming to meet me. I let them know when we’d be arriving, and that I wanted everyone there to greet us.

I no longer had any urge to stay on Earth. Even though I’d grown up here, it wasn’t my home.

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012, by admin, Filed under: Eye Candy,Free story,They Walk Among Us| | 8 Comments

They Walked Among Us

 

They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase

Part Fifty-Seven-

“You Zach?”

Gregory’s voice sounded like an earthquake rumbling in his chest. I cringed inside, but managed to keep walking confidently toward him.

“Yes.”

“Here are the clothes Raven requested. I’ll be waiting while he and Rissa get dressed. But we have to hurry.” Gregory glanced over his shoulder at the truck stop. “I think the enemy is closing in, and I want to be on the road before they show up here. I’d hate to have to fight our way free.”

I took the bag from him, and turned to head back to the clearing.

“Wait. I’ll take the bag you’re carrying. No point in you hauling it back and forth the entire time.”

He reached for the backpack, and I stepped away. I waited for Raven to tell me what to do. Should I give Gregory the jewel or should I keep it in my possession? Every instinct I had screamed not to give it up to anyone except Raven, but if my lover trusted Gregory to help us, why wouldn’t he trust the man to hold on to the jewel for us?

Gregory leaned closer to me, and whispered, “Run.”

I didn’t ask why or even from whom. After whirling around, I took off and didn’t look back. I didn’t know who I was running from or why. All I knew was I needed to get back to Raven. He was the only person I trusted in this entirely fucked up situation.

“Zach,” Raven roared as he burst from the trees, wings unfurling.

Something banged behind me, and I slammed to the ground with a blossoming pain in my shoulder. The air had disappeared from my lungs, but I wasn’t going to risk getting taken or worse, so I pushed to my feet and started running again.

“Get to Rissa,” Raven ordered as he rushed past me.

As much as I wanted to protest and beg him to come with me, the fury in his eyes told me he wouldn’t have listened to me. Pain radiated from my chest and my shoulder, but I was determined not to give Raven anything else to worry about.

It was bad enough that Gregory seemed to have betrayed him, Raven didn’t need me disobeying him and running into even more danger. I crashed into the first line of trees and cried out when Rissa caught me before I hit the ground.

“Is Raven okay?”

Rissa snorted, and gestured for me to look. Grimacing, I rearranged myself to face the parking lot. There was a crowd of black-clad men surrounding Raven and Gregory, but it looked like Raven and his friend were holding their own.

“So he didn’t betray Raven,” I murmured.

::We can’t be sure about that, but it does look like they either followed Gregory here, or they were already here when he got here.::

“What can we do to help them?”

She shot me a skeptical glance. ::You’re injured, and I’m not nearly close to full strength. Exactly what do you think we can do?::

“First, you need to get dressed. I assume Gregory brought you clothes as well. You probably don’t want to wear what you have on.” I gestured vaguely at the baggy sweats she wore.

::You’re right.:: She took the bag from me and rummaged through.

I closed my eyes while she changed. She touched my shoulder to let me know she was done. Opening my eyes, I grunted when I noticed the number of government men seemed to have gotten smaller, and there were more bodies lying on the ground. Yet it didn’t matter. Backup would be coming any minute, and Raven was at risk of getting seriously injured.

“Next, I need you to bind my wound. We don’t have time to worry about it at the moment.”

I directed her on how to make a pad and then tie the shirt around my shoulder to stop the bleeding. I assumed I’d been shot, and the bullet was probably still inside me. We’d have to stop at some point and take it out. There simply wasn’t time yet.

While she was doing that, I studied the activity in front of me, and I spied a truck not far from the fighting. It appeared to be running. It was big enough for all of us, and I nudged Rissa before I pointed to it.

“Do you think we can make it to that vehicle without anyone noticing us?”

She checked the distance, and I waited while she assessed the entire problem. Finally, she nodded.

::Once we’re at the truck, what do you plan on doing?::

“Running anyone who gets in our way over and rescuing your brother and his friend.”

Rissa looked suitably impressed. I might have let Raven lead us, but I was entirely capable of looking after myself when things got tough. I motioned for her to follow me, and we slowly crept along the edge of the woods until we were straight across from the truck.

“Keep your eyes and ears open. Head straight toward the truck, and don’t stop. I’ll be right behind you,” I promised.

She nodded once more before taking off. Even in her weakened state, she was faster than me. I’d only covered half the distance by the time she’d reached the truck. She grabbed my hand and jerked me into the cab. I cried out as pain shot through my shoulder and entire body.

I landed in the passenger seat while she stared at the steering wheel. After I caught my breath, I laughed.

“Climb into the back seat. I’ll drive.”

We sorted ourselves out, and I settled behind the steering wheel. I put it in gear, gritting my teeth each time I had to shift. Nothing mattered except saving Raven, and getting our asses as far away from here as possible.

::Raven, we’re coming for you.::

I warned him. I saw his head pop up and he glanced around, his eyes widening when he spied the truck barreling down on him. I sounded the horn as we got closer. I didn’t really want to run anyone over if I could help it, but if they didn’t get out of the way, I would do it in a heartbeat to save Raven.

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, by admin, Filed under: Eye Candy,Free story,They Walk Among Us| | 6 Comments

They Walk Among Us

 

They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase

Part Fifty-Six:

After our lips parted, I whispered, “I love you too.”

::Stop with the mushy stuff. You’re going to make me sick.::

We both looked at Rissa, who stared at us. I saw the exhaustion in her eyes, but there was also determination that told me she would survive. Maybe she would even be stronger than she had been before.

“Sorry.” I glanced at my watch. “I think our escort should be showing up soon, if they get here when you said they would.”

Raven pushed to his feet, and I couldn’t help but ogle his body, displayed as it was in its full glory. He caught me looking, and winked. Rissa snorted.

::You should probably put on some kind of clothes, brother mine. It’s bad enough you stand out as is, but if you go anywhere naked, people are going to faint in your wake.::

“True. I’m not if the clothes I packed in the bag will fit me, so I told Gregory to bring me some new things.”

Raven studied the position of the sun in the sky. Then he tilted his head like he was listening to something. A smile flashed in his eyes. He gestured to us to join him.

“Gregory’s here. We need to get moving. We only have a short lead over the agents. I’m afraid they’ll figure out where we’re headed before we can get there and meet everyone else.”

After standing, I offered Rissa my hand. We got her on her feet, but I blinked when the realization she was naked really hit me. I opened the bag I held and dug through it, ignoring the box snuggled in the midst of the clothes. I pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of sweats.

“These aren’t great, but they’re better than nothing,” I said when I handed them to her.

::Thanks. You’re right. Neither Raven nor I should be wandering around nude. It does make one stand out.::

I nodded, and turned my back on her, so she could get dressed in some kind of privacy. Her mirth came out in a strangled chuckle.

::Thank you for being a gentleman, but you didn’t have to do that. You’re gay, so you’re not going to be checking me out. Though being a doctor might mean you were making sure I was okay.::

“I can tell you’re better just by the way you’re moving. You’re not as stiff.”

Raven glanced back at us. “I healed her as best as I could. She needs another session as soon as we get to the rendezvous place. We’ll need to wait another day or so for everyone to arrive. Luckily, I’d sent out the call as soon as you disappeared, Rissa. Those who weren’t being held by the government have been on the move since then.”

::From the moment I was taken, you knew we’d find the jewel and try to go home?::

“There’s no trying, Rissa. We will make it home without leaving anyone behind.” Raven’s eyes bore into mine. “Yes, I knew. Every instinct in me told me the time was near to open the portal and go back to where we really belong.”

“What do you think will be on the other side of the portal?” I couldn’t help but ask, even though I was pretty sure Raven had no clue what the Opalite home world looked like.

My love shrugged his massive shoulders. “I have no idea. For some reason our parents and elders didn’t pass on that information on to use. Only the history of Opalites themselves, not the world they came from.”

A horn sounded from the other side of the trees. Two short blasts followed closely by a long one. Raven motioned in that direction.

“That will be Gregory.”

I started to hand him the bag with the jewel, and he shook his head.

“I don’t want it until it’s time to use it.”

Something in the tone of his voice caught my attention. “Are you afraid someone might try to take it, if they know what’s in the bag?”

“I would hate to believe one of my fellow Opalites would do that, but I’m not taking any chances. No one would believe I’m allowing a human to hold on to the jewel for me.”

I froze in place. “Will your people get upset when I show up with you?”

Raven came to my side, cupping my face with his hands. He peered into my eyes and I saw the sheer enormity of his love for me.

“It doesn’t matter whether they like you or not, Zach. You are mine, and I dare any of them to challenge my right to have my lover at my side.”

Rissa rested her hand on my shoulder, and I found myself surrounded by their warmth. Raven’s sister’s approval poured into me through our connection. I blinked, trying to get rid of the tears in my eyes.

Somehow, without even trying, I’d found myself a family, and nothing was going to separate me from them. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded and straightened my shoulders. I was ready to face whoever waited for us outside of the clearing.

Together, we strolled down the path toward the parking lot. Right before the edge, Raven stopped us.

“Zach, you go out and get the clothes Gregory bought for me. I let him know who you were, and that you were coming.”

Again, I nodded, slinging the backpack I carried over one shoulder and emerged from the trees like I didn’t have anything to worry about. The large blue SUV parked as close to the trees as possible looked like the vehicle I needed, so I headed in that direction.

The man who emerged from the SUV almost stopped me in my tracks. If I hadn’t known Raven was only a few feet away, and more than capable to take this man out, I’d have turned and run. He towered over the side of the SUV, and if he was a human, he was the biggest one I’d ever seen. I didn’t know if Opalites grew as big as he was, though Raven, in his Opalite form, was as tall as Gregory.

 

Thursday, April 26th, 2012, by admin, Filed under: Eye Candy,Free story,They Walk Among Us| | 6 Comments

They Walk Among Us

 

They Walk Among Us copyright c. 2012 T.A. Chase

Part Fifty-Five-

As much as I wanted to help, I knew I couldn’t, so I eased away, doing my best not to interrupt or distract Raven.

I kept the bag with me. For some reason, I didn’t want it out of my sight, though I wouldn’t have a clue how to use whatever was in it. I hadn’t actually looked in it. Just taken the bag when Raven handed it to me.

It wasn’t that heavy, and it intrigued me. If it was a jewel or a rock, wouldn’t it have weighed more? Or was that simply my preconceived notion or how big the jewel had to be to open a gate between planets?

I kept my attention on the trees around us. No one was going to sneak up on us if I could help it. I was on edge, worried Bartlett wouldn’t keep his promise, and would send the authorities after us. We were sitting ducks here, and while I understood Rissa needed help, I couldn’t help wishing Raven had arranged for transport to meet us, not arrive a few hours later.

::It’ll be all right, love.::

Raven’s thoughts caressed my worried mind, soothing me with his presence. He sounded tired, and guilt spiked in me. Being busy with Rissa, Raven shouldn’t have to try and take care of me as well.

::I know. I just can’t help thinking it was all too easy in a way.::

::True. I thought there would have been more resistance. Maybe the actual soldiers in this war against Opalites, have decided not to fight anymore. Just because the leaders and the scientists want us to experiment on, doesn’t mean all of the people who work for them are bad.::

I nodded, and even though I knew what he said true, it didn’t mean I believed it. I’d listened to too many agents complaining about the Opalites, and what kind of monsters they were. It was funny, because no one had ever seen the alien’s true body form. If the Opalites had appeared as they really were from the beginning, it would have been all out war, instead of assassination.

“I’ve done all I can at the moment. You need to rest, Rissa. You’ll still be tired and in some pain. I can’t take all of it away from you, no matter how much I wish I could.”

After turning, I saw Raven slump back on his heels, his shoulders hunched and his hands shaking. I rushed to his side, kneeling to let him lean on me. Rissa curled up on her side, her hand resting on Raven’s thigh.

“You both need to rest. I don’t know how much strength you’re going to need to activate the jewel-or portal-or whatever the hell you call it. I don’t want you to wear yourself out before you even get started on the big stuff.” I encouraged him to lie next to Rissa. “I’ll keep an eye out for trouble, and for our next ride.”

“He’ll be here in two hours. We should be fine until he gets here,” Raven murmured, his eyes closing even as he spoke.

“All right. I’ll hold it all together until then.”

I sat between them, stroking Rissa’s hair and Raven’s bald head. Soon their steady breathing informed me, they were both asleep. I smiled, knowing I would have thought someone was crazy if they suggested even a week ago, I’d be hiding in a clearing with two Opalites; one of which was my lover.

My nap in the backseat of the SUV served me well while I waited. I let my thoughts wander in the directions of what the Opalite home planet looked like. Would I be able to survive there? I hoped so, because I didn’t plan on being left behind.

There wasn’t anything left on Earth for me. I didn’t have any family, and no one I counted as a friend. I simply had acquaintances, and most of them were from the hospital. After my father died, my mother retreated into her own world, and I became an orphan. I raised myself, and managed to do a good job of it, if I said so myself.

But I never got the hang of being friends with anyone. I had no incentive to open myself up to a stranger, letting them see the darkest parts of me. Not even Killian knew everything about me. Maybe if I had shown him more of what was in my soul, he would’ve trusted me with his secrets. Maybe I would have been able to save him from the agents.

It was silly to think that, but it was how I felt sometimes. Of course, being the only son of a national hero made me paranoid about people’s motives. Most of them wanted to bask in what they thought would be reflected glory. I could have taken advantage of my father’s notoriety, but I’d never been proud of the fact he killed Raven’s parents that way.

Would it have been different if he’d met them in battle, and died face-to-face with them? Instead he pretended to be their friend, and killed them with a knife in their backs. Did it matter now after so many years?

I glanced down at Raven’s face, still slightly unnerved by the physically changes, but knowing the man I loved was there inside. How he looked didn’t matter to my heart. A smile lifted Raven’s rather flat reptilian lips, and I wondered what he was dreaming about. I hoped it was something nice, because I had a feeling life wouldn’t get any easier for quite a while.

Cars and semis drove into the truck stop parking lot, and I listened to them leave as well. None seemed to come close to the group of trees we hid in. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been sitting there when Raven finally started to stir. His eyes opened, and I met his sleepy gaze.

“I love you,” he whispered, and I bent over to press my lips to his.

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012, by admin, Filed under: Eye Candy,Free story,They Walk Among Us| | 4 Comments