Page 26

Chapter twenty-six

Raegan

My boots crunch into the sand, the sound echoed by the others as we land on the beach at the bottom of the cliff.

The night is eerily quiet, save for the soft crash of waves and the distant, muted roar of water.

I scan the beach for the source of the sound, but a low, heavy fog blankets the area, obscuring my view.

A shiver runs through me as the cool, damp air clings to my hair and clothes.

“I can’t see shit,” Dane mutters.

At least I can see the others within a few feet of me, but I can’t see the cliffside from here.

The sea crawls up the sand, spreading wider and faster until it meets my boots, then recedes just as quickly.

The cliff must be in the opposite direction, then.

“It’s good cover,” Aiden muses, drawing his whip sword free, the sharp diamonds still latched together so it’s shaped like any other sword.

Jackson angles his head back as if his eyes can penetrate the fog to see the top of the cliff.

“Mm…even better if it reaches up there.”

I keep going through the thick vapor until I can make out a rock.

And dirt. A whole wall of it appears, striped stone that reaches high above me before disappearing again into the fog.

I press my hand against it, then check either side of me for another way up.

The moisture in the air has leeched into my clothes, sucking away any of my warmth and making me shiver again.

Aiden plants himself behind me, so close I can feel the heat from his body teasing against my back, almost beckoning me to lean into him.

“This cliff runs for over a mile down the coast. There’s no way up…short of rock climbing or gifts.”

On the flip side, that means no one should be able to come down here, either.

We should be safe, hidden, and out of the way down here while the others do their recon above.

“You’re up.” Kellan’s voice carries from further back on the beach.

“Wait. You want me to use my gift on both of them? And me?” Harvey whispers harshly.

“I can only do one person after me. One!”

Aiden and I pivot to watch.

The others must have followed us up the beach because I can see everyone a couple yards away.

“Well, time to figure out two,” Dane snarks, his hood up and arms crossed like he’s trying to keep out the chill in the air.

“We’re not waiting down here all night for you to find your courage.”

“I’m a spyyy!” Harvey hisses, dragging the word out.

“Spies don’t need courage! We hide, we watch, we report back.”

Dane grabs him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him close.

“Then turn the other two invisible and go spy. But if I find out you abandon them for any reason or your gift fails us, I’ll beat the shit out of you.” He roughly tosses him back, and Kellan chuckles .

“Not a fan of the cold, Rapunzel?” he teases.

“Who the fuck is?” he snaps, his arms folding against himself again.

“The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

Harvey grasps for Reid and Jack, but my shadow shifts out of reach.

“I’ll handle myself,” he says coolly.

I close the distance between us.

“Jack…”

He smiles at me, his icy fingers curling my hair behind my ear.

“I don’t need his gift to be invisible,” he reminds me.

I wonder if it’s a lack of trust that Harvey can do it or that having the three of them stick together so close has him rejecting that plan.

Jackson faces Reid. “I’ll stay on overwatch outside. Keep lookout.”

Reid nods his agreement, then holds his elbow out to Harvey.

“Do it.”

Harvey grips Reid’s upper arm, and an invisible curtain sinks over them.

Kellan kicks sand where they’d been standing, and it falls back to the ground.

They’re gone.

Jackson strides to the cliff, eyeing it for a second before he leaps upward, his gift propelling him higher.

His boot lands on a jutted-out rock, and then he jumps again, disappearing into the fog.

Once he’s gone, Dane scoffs.

“I wouldn’t trust Harvey to keep me out of sight, either.”

“He’ll be fine,” Aiden remarks, unbothered by any of it.

I start walking along the cliffside, heading in the direction of the running water to see what it is.

“His first instinct is always to hide, so I don’t see his gift failing. I’m more worried about Reid leaving him behind at the first sign of Tinsley.”

“Where are you off to, beautiful?” Kellan drawls, his long legs catching up to me even at a mild pace.

“Looking for the sound of rushing water.”

I stop abruptly when I see it.

A tall, narrow waterfall tumbles from the edge of the cliff, the fog opening around it so I can see all the way to the top.

Trees of luscious green line the edge of the cliff, while moss and small bushes creep along the underside where it bumps out.

Following the water down, my eyes catch on something dark behind it.

A cave?

Kellan presses his hand against my chest from over my shoulder, stopping me and pulling me against him when he sees I’m headed toward it.

“Wait.”

“What is it?” Aiden asks, him and Dane still catching up.

“Caves,” Kellan replies, and I blink, dragging my gaze beyond the cave that captured my attention and finding a slew of others carved at the base of the cliff.

Some are so narrow I can’t tell if a body could even fit through them, whereas others are wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

Dane stops next to us, then looks at me.

“You weren’t about to walk into one of those alone, were you?”

I shrug.

“I was just going to take a peek.”

“What if GE uses those for something?” He shivers against the cold, tightening his arms.

“For what? Storage?” I counter.

“It’s all the way down here, exposed to the outdoors. I doubt they’d bother putting things in there. And if they do, then better for us to take a look and find out, right?” Turning my head to Aiden, I send him a questioning look at what he thinks.

He rubs his jaw, his gaze focused on the caves.

“There’s a slim possibility that Guild members or others could be there as well. It’s worth a look.”

Dane’s face tightens when he loses the discussion, but he doesn’t argue.

We all move to the closest cave, walking along the dip and curve of the cliff as the beach carves in, shrinking the closer we get to the caves.

Aiden pulls his phone out and turns the flashlight on, casting the light over the entrance.

There’s nothing but rocky sand, wet stone, a few crabs, and sea plants, as if the cave is partially filled with seawater at times.

The light barely touches the shadows within, giving us only a couple yards of visibility before it’s swallowed up.

“Kell, keep an eye out. We’ll see if there’s anything further in,” Aiden directs, leading the way.

Dane lifts his hand, the soft white glow of his gift adding another source of light, then offers me the other one.

“Hold my hand and stay close.”

I huff, shaking my head even though a tiny smile tugs at my lips, and I take it.

“I can’t go far in a cave.”

He smirks back.

“Humor me, then.”

We follow Aiden inside, careful with our steps around the slippery rock and fauna.

The sound of waves is somehow louder in here, like an echo chamber of the ocean and dripping water.

Its dull roar fills my head, making it difficult to listen for anything else that could be inside.

Darkness closes in at our backs once we’re deep enough in, and I squeeze Dane’s hand tighter.

I may not be able to go far, but I’m still not a fan of pitch black.

The two lights are small but bright enough to illuminate the immediate vicinity around us.

It’s enough to keep my demons at bay, to hold them back at arms-length even as they scrape and claw at my mind, fighting for a way in.

Solitary. The water tank.

That voice…

“If you need to leave, we will,” Dane whispers.

“But I’m right here, and I won’t let go.”

I nod, shifting so my whole arm is pressed to his as I breathe in slowly.

He knew. He remembered what the dark does to me, and that’s why he’d told me to stay close.

I thought I’d grown enough in the last few weeks that I’d be better, but I guess there’s no rushing it.

A foul smell slips through the salty air, making my nose scrunch.

It comes and goes, sometimes smacking me in the face and then disappearing seconds later so my lungs are filled only with salt and brine.

Something shifts beneath my foot, my boot sliding over the ground until it catches a rock, and I fall forward.

Dane bands an arm over my chest, and another hand—Aiden’s—grasps my arm before I land face-first. “Shit,” I curse under my breath, my heart ricocheting in my chest. They help me upright, and I glare over my shoulder at whatever made me lose my balance.

“I see something,” Aiden murmurs, his voice distant as if he’s continued ahead while I’m squinting in the light at the odd little thing on the ground.

It’s a few inches long and narrow from where I can see some of it sticking out beneath a rock.

I squat down to get a closer look, but something about it is making me question what I’m seeing.

Is it the color? Or maybe the texture…

I’m sure it’s just an odd sea plant, something that got swept in with the tide.

When I pinch it between my fingers, I suppress the shudder of disgust at the squishy feel of it while raising it before me.

The light from Dane’s gift shifts away before I can really see it.

“Aiden, wait,” he calls out.

Dane tugs on my hand, encouraging me to stand.

“Come on. He’s gone too far ahead without us.”

I let him pull me up, jogging a bit to catch up with Aiden, who throws his arm out to stop us when we get there.

“What—”

“Shh,” Aiden demands, short and sharp to stop Dane.

The flashlight sweeps over a massive pile of…

bodies.

Oh.

Fuck.

I look at the thing still in my hand, using Dane’s glow to see it clearly.

A finger.

I’m holding a fucking finger.

I drop it in a rush, cursing and scraping my hand down my pants as if I can wipe it clean.

The stench of death is unmistakable now, even as the smell of the ocean tries to overpower it.

I cover my mouth with the back of my hand as my stomach rolls, bile burning my throat and nose .

“Fucking hell,” Dane growls, stepping back and bringing me with him.

“Have we seen enough?”

“—here!” Kell’s deep voice echoes through the cave.

“—up! Up! Up!” His voice bounces back and forth, his last words eclipsing the first part of whatever he’s saying.

Aiden swings around.

“Go!”

We turn, but movement behind Aiden makes me stumble.

Dane tugs my arm, but I don’t stop looking past Aiden.

I don’t let my eyes leave that one spot I swear I saw something move.

Something among the dead.

Aiden follows my gaze.

“What?”

“I…” Shit.

Am I imagining things because I know Royce is nearby?

Are my eyes just playing tricks on me?

Fooling with me in the dim lighting while my heart gallops in my chest?

“I thought I saw—” There!

A twitch. The smallest jerk of a hand.

My breathing stills.

The hand slowly flexes, and then another begins to move.

And another. “Aiden…” I gasp on an exhale, but his eyes are trained on the pile like mine.

He swallows. “Run.”

Dane and I move in unison, throwing ourselves toward the entrance while still holding on to the other.

The wet stone works against us the faster we try to run, the uneven and rocky terrain tripping our feet and scraping our shoes.

Groaning and pain-filled cries rise behind us, echoing deep in the belly of the cave and flooding my ears, sending a flash of fear through my veins.

A stupid rock hits the tip of my boot, its sharp point snagging me back as my knees crash down, scraping against the rough surface.

I snap my teeth together to restrain the cry of pain that tried to fly from my throat.

Dane yanks me back to my feet and pulls me forward, the light from his fist more of a blinking guide as he swings it forward and back.

I think I hear Kellan’s voice shouting to us, but the cacophony of death is so loud behind us, growing louder with every breath, that it feels like it might swallow us up before we make it back.

I gag on the putrid smell that clings to us, adhering to the bits of water particles hanging in the air or on us.

It’s as if the stench sharpened with the zombies’ awakening.

A shadow moves in front of us, and my lungs seize.

“Is that you?!” Kellan booms, and I expel my breath in a rush.

The entrance. He grunts, and I realize the moaning isn’t just behind us, but in front of us, too.

Kell roars. Something cracks, snaps , and then thumps against the cave wall.

The fucking fog is thickening again, but he finally comes into view, a smattering of blood on his arms and face, and small patches of golden scales where something had broken skin.

His chest heaves like he’s been doing this for some time, but another figure lunges at his arm, teeth biting down hard and drawing blood.

Kellan grabs them by the hair, fighting to get them off but their teeth are too deep, too locked down that they don’t budge.

Metal whips out, the curving blade slicing the body in two.

The lower half thuds on the ground, but the top half…

“That doesn’t work,” Kellan snarls.

“Then take it with us,” Aiden orders, pushing Dane and me forward.

“There’s more coming from behind, and we’re not getting trapped in here. Move to more open ground.”

I rush forward, drawing my gift to my hand as I shout, “I got it!” I grab the zombie and thrust my gift into it.

The rest of it crumples in, disintegrating from the inside before the remainder of it follows.

It doesn’t even scream or make a sound.

It doesn’t struggle or stop its mission of hurting Kellan like it feels nothing.

As soon as its jaw slackens, it drops.

And we run.

Kellan takes point, throwing his arms to bulldoze through as many of them as he can to make a path for the rest of us.

There are so many…more than what we’d found in the cave behind us.

Did they come from the other caves?

We pass the waterfall, racing to the beach on the other side and finding a break from the zombies.

And also, a dead end.

The cliff curves sharply into the ocean, blocking us from going any further.

Kellan splashes into the water, fighting the waves as he gets waist deep and then switches to swimming.

I bend over to catch my breath, hands on my knees as the chilled air pinches and stabs at my lungs.

The water laps over our feet as we watch Kell.

Aiden continuously checks behind us for signs of the zombies.

I can still hear them in the distance, the sound carrying on the breeze as a cold reminder of what’s coming.

Kellan reaches the end of the cliff, a wave shoving him roughly against it and then dragging him under.

“Kell!” I shout, perched to bolt after him until Aiden grasps my upper arm.

“He’s okay. Look. ”

His head breaches the water, and he gasps for air, the next wave already bringing him back to the cliff face.

He slams against it again, but this time, he gets a firm grip.

“We’ve got company,” Dane warns.

The zombies are filling the beach, an entire hoard of them eating up every inch of sand in a violent mass with a single goal clearly driving them: us.

The forward procession is blown back, knocking the ones behind them to the ground.

Jackson lands halfway between us and them.

“Where are Reid and Harvey?” Aiden asks, flicking his wrist to release the diamond-shaped pieces of metal on his sword.

They separate along a smooth curve of silver and curl at his feet.

Jack knocks his hood back.

“Still at the house. I smelled them.” He jerks his chin at the swarm, then cocks his head, regarding them as they struggle to get back on their feet.

“Where did they come from?”

Aiden answers, “Caves along the cliff. Who knows how many were lying dormant there, but we haven’t seen an end to them yet.”

Kellan jogs from the water.

“The cliff stays in the water as far as I can see in the goddamn fog.” He takes a few gulping breaths.

“There’s no way out.”

“Jack can fly us to the top of the cliff. Or get Reid to grab us,” Dane says, but Jackson doesn’t budge.

Aiden frowns, looking from Jack to the danger getting closer, even as slow as they move.

“What are you thinking?”

He takes a step back and to the side.

“We take them out now so we don’t find them at our backs when we’re fighting Royce. Maybe it’ll weaken him. Have any of them used any gifts?”

“None of the ones I dealt with did,” Kellan replies, and Jack nods.

“But they don’t feel pain. And they sure as hell take forever to stop moving, even in pieces.”

Gross.

“There are dozens, maybe even hundreds of them, against five of us,” Dane argues.

“Gift or not, they could probably bury and suffocate us by numbers alone.”

Jackson’s dark gaze finds mine, his stare igniting a fire in my chest. He smirks knowingly, turning his back on the oncoming zombies to stand in front of me.

“They’re nothing compared to you, little one.” He traces the curve of my face with his knuckles, then captures my chin.

“They should be the ones afraid. Show them who you are.”

I nod slowly, my eyes locked with his, the cruelty reflecting back at me.

I know what he’s asking me to do.

It’s what I’ve been building my stamina for.

What I’ve been training for.

He shifts back, his head bowed, as he gives me room to walk forward.

My gift easily fills my body the second I think of it, slipping through my veins like an injection of warmth.

It helps with the cold, burning away the chill until I’m toasty in my skin.

I walk past the others, adding more space between us until the hoard closes in on me.

“Stay back,” I warn them, wanting to make sure there’ll be no one between me and the zombies.

Even if I’ve gotten better at controlling when my gift triggers or not while it’s active, I don’t feel like testing that now.

I build my gift up, drawing more of its strength from my gut until I’m scorching with it, and then I slap my hands to the ground and send it outward.

My gift flies free, racing through the sand and rocks under the dead men, reaching farther and farther as I continue to feel them there, even around the corner where more are still coming from the caves.

The beach trembles. Quakes.

“Rae! On your left!” Dane shouts at the same time as I unleash my gift.

Anyone standing above my gift crumbles to the ground.

An arm drops in front of me, but I keep going, feeding more into my gift as it eats away at what’s left.

This time, I notice the strain for what it is when it happens.

“That’s enough,” Aiden says, crouched beside me but careful not to touch me just in case.

I reel in what’s left, panting for oxygen as the cool air soothes my skin.

The beach is littered with bones and human tissue.

Nothing moves.

Even the fog has lifted, as if the radiating heat of my gift burned it off, leaving a clear, star-filled sky above us.

And an entire stretch of beach showing just how many I’d destroyed.

They were far easier to use my gift on than the GE agents at the Guild, likely because their bodies were already partially decayed.

Thank fuck for that.

I stand slowly, wary of the effect using my gift so much might have on me, when invisible hooks snare my limbs, my hands, my body…

Locking me in place.