Him_v4 Read online

  The stolen ambulance.

  You know they could throw us into jail if we get caught with this thing, right?

  Shoot.

  None of this was good. The man in uniform came around the front of the vehicle, walking away from it towards another car, parked nearby. A second gentleman lay against the hood.

  "Ran the plates," Ben heard the man say, his voice muffled behind the window. "This is the one."

  "C'mon." His partner lifted himself from the car. "Let's stop by the lobby. Talk to whoever's workin' this dump"

  Panic flooded him. He spun away from the window towards the blissfully unaware women.

  "Amelia. He lunged towards her side of the bed, his foot catching in the straps of her purse, sending the contents flying across the floor. He shook himself free. "Amelia," he tried again, shaking her small frame beneath the covers. She stirred, opening her eyes to squint at him.

  "What?" She sounded annoyed, closing her eyes once more.

  "Get up," he demanded. "We need to go."

  She opened one eye, rubbing the other with the pads of her fingers. "Go where?"

  "There are some type of Enforcers outside. We need to leave."

  "Enforcers?"

  "Yes!" he said frantically. "They're here about the ambulance."

  Amelia's eyes shot open at his words. "The cops are here?" She ripped the covers away from her legs, swinging them over the side of the bed and standing up so fast she almost fell into Ben. He backed away, trying to gather his thoughts. She twisted around herself, scrambling to the end of the bed to grab her things.

  Ben turned his attention to the sister, who awoke during the commotion Amelia was causing. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't doing much else.

  "Faye?" he asked, coming towards her. She tried to force a smile for him as she struggled to sit up. When she came away from the pillow, most of her hair remained on the bed. Her scalp was nearly bare now, the skin red and raw. Her symptoms were rapidly getting worse, and they were still so far away.

  "Can you walk?" he asked, grabbing her by the elbow to help her sit forward.

  She seemed to think for a moment, then shook her head, her face in disbelief. "I'm so sorry," she croaked. "I don't think I can."

  "Faye?" Amelia came rushing over, her voice shrill. "Are you okay?"

  "We don't have time for this!" Ben felt his face reddening. "We need to leave."

  Amelia stepped back from him, understanding the situation, and Ben reached down for the frail woman on the bed. He lifted Faye into his arms, taking care to secure her body to his own. If they had to run, he didn't want to drop her.

  "Where are we going to go?" Amelia asked.

  "It doesn't matter," he said, coming back towards the window. The parking lot was empty now. The men had gone to the office. "But we need to get out of here."

  Ben shifted Faye in his arms and pulled the hotel room door open awkwardly, turning back to make sure Amelia was following them.

  She was on her knees struggling to scoop her strewn belongings back into the bag.

  "Just leave it, Amelia!"

  She looked up, her face bright pink. "I can't," she cried, shoving plastic baggies into her purse. "I can't leave this here for the cops to find."

  "It doesn't matter!" he argued, shouting, knowing his raised voice would bring attention to their room. They needed to move.

  Finally, Amelia got to her feet, arms wrapped around her leather bag, jogging to keep up with him as he tore off past the strip of rooms towards the edge of the long building.

  Ben glanced around the empty lot. The ambulance was too slow to outrun the enforcers. The main road would put them in danger of being caught. Behind the lot was a wooded area with massive trees and overgrown bushes. It was their only option, and not a very good plan.

  Guilt squeezed its hands around his neck, making him question himself. He was going to fail these girls.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The moment he saw the long, wide monstrosity of an early twenty-first century vehicle pull into the parking lot, disbelief and a slow smile crossed his face. The brakes caught, skidding what was once called a recreational vehicle to a halt before them.

  Someone from his team had found them.

  A rush of adrenaline slammed into him, and he became dizzy with shock. He turned towards Amelia, whose mouth was open in panic clutching her purse to her side. She rocked in place, like she was unsure of whether or not to run.

  The side door of the vehicle flung open, revealing Esau, the youngest Migrator on his team. "Ben." He greeted him with a nod. Esau had a wide jaw and nose, and a permanent stern look about him that felt displaced on his young face.

  "Esau," he replied in breathless disbelief, clutching Faye to his chest. "Please, we need to get out of here."

  "Of course." Esau stepped away from the entrance. "Come on."

  Ben motioned for Amelia to climb on first, though her face was apprehensive. He nodded his reassurance at her before he, too, climbed aboard, refusing to look behind them at what they were leaving behind.

  Everything moved quickly. The inside of the RV was spacious, with a kitchen area and a small sofa and table. Just visible at the end was a bed, and up front were two plush seats. Esau took the one behind the wheel. The vehicle jolted forward, the wheels screaming as it took off over the gravel.

  Catching his footing, Ben went to the back to place Faye onto the bed. Amelia hovered behind him, dropping her purse on the floor and moving past him to help her sister get situated.

  Ben felt Amelia's tension, the uncertainty in her body radiating in close proximity. He would need to explain things to her, but for now, what mattered was they were safe. He left her then and joined Esau, who drove back onto the highway, leaving the motel and Ben's fear forgotten behind them.

  "How'd you find me?" He struggled to catch his breath as he sat in the passenger seat.

  "How do you think?"

  Ben held up his arm, sliding two fingers from his wrist to his elbow. "My Omnis is broken," he showed him. "See?"

  "Not on our end."

  Ben gave a lengthened nod, feeling stupid. Of course there was the possibility of him being trackable the other way around. "I should have guessed. Things just happened so…quickly."

  Esau navigated the vehicle out to the highway. "What happened to you?"

  Ben sighed. "Nothing good."

  "Thought as much." Esau pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Mind if I ask what's with these girls? Surely you didn't make new friends along the way?" He was trying to be polite.

  Ben shook his head. "I went off course. The pod exploded, I flew out, ended up—"

  "Ebenezer." Esau said his name slowly. He knew what he was thinking. He shouldn't have survived.

  "I landed somewhere else."

  "Somewhere you shouldn't be?" Esau suggested.

  Ben sighed.

  "Seraphine is not happy with you," Esau told him. "She had to migrate here after you didn't show up yesterday. She was worried."

  "Does she know?" Ben asked.

  "Does she know what?"

  "About the girl. Faye?"

  "She had a good idea, yes," Esau answered honestly. "Johan sent me with some equipment, just in case."

  "Oh." Ben nodded, frowning at the idea of Seraphine already knowing the details of his mistake. How could she not? He suddenly felt very foolish. Her unique Seer abilities gave her insight others didn't have. It was a rare gift, the rarest in the Habitat. Some practically worshipped her for it. Although Seraphine never claimed herself to be a deity, some saw her as a god and the Migrators as her angels. Ben never did put much stock in that comparison. Neither did Seraphine, for that matter. But, at the end of the day, their job was the reason all of them were still alive.

  Achieving the perfect timeline is his purpose.

  "And you're sure?" Esau asked carefully. "You're certain she's Affected?"

  Ben nodded. "Very sure. We need to get to the Compound yesterday."

 
"Ben?" Amelia grasped the headrest of his seat, sitting in the spacious area between he and Esau. "What the hell?"

  "Amelia." He turned towards her, then cocked his head towards Esau. "This is Esau."

  She nodded knowingly. "Another Migrator," she concluded. "From your team." She looked at him for the answer. "Right?"

  "Yes," he said. "Esau," he said to his teammate, "this is Amelia."

  "It's nice to meet you, Amelia," Esau responded pleasantly, not removing his eyes from the road.

  "And how the hell did you know where to find us?" She sounded slightly hysterical, her eyes scanning him like his physical body would tell her something. Ben knew better, however. Esau was like him, skillfully trained in the art of keeping a calm demeanor, though he could practically feel the buzz off of him. Ben knew that Esau was easily excitable. He was still young, and he'd soon learn how to better control it.

  "Ben told us." A smile toyed at his lips.

  "I thought you couldn't communicate with them?" Amelia turned towards Ben, her voice shrill.

  "I couldn't," Ben tried to explain. "But they could still track me. I should've guessed."

  "Have you told her about Seraphine?" Esau asked Ben in a low voice, as if Amelia couldn't hear him.

  "Yes. Well, sort of." Ben tried to sound casual as he avoided Amelia's eyes. They were practically boring through him they were so wide and so angry. It felt like she was going to burst from where she sat.

  Esau sighed, and Ben knew what it was for. What waited for them at the Compound wasn't simply black and white.

  "The Seer Guide lady, right?" Amelia asked. "What about her?"

  Amelia's words twisted in his stomach.

  "To put it simply, she's a perfectionist," Esau began. "She doesn't like…"

  "Anyone making mistakes," Ben interjected.

  "And she knows about your sister," Esau said carefully.

  "Is that a bad thing?"

  "It's not a good thing," he answered. Ben felt her tense next to him. "Regardless, she doesn't want anything to happen to her, so she had Johan, our doctor, give me something that could help. He wasn't making any promises, but…"

  "What is it?" Amelia blurted out, clutching Esau's seat, anger forgotten for the moment. "Will it cure her?"

  "It's only a quick fix," Esau explained. "It's not going to cure her. It will ease her symptoms to bring her some comfort and slow down the symptoms temporarily. But we still need to get her to the Compound." He dropped his voice again, speaking only to Ben. "How far along is she?"

  "She's lost most of her teeth," Ben answered. "A good amount of hair."

  "Skin?"

  "Okay for now."

  Esau nodded, tightening his hands on the steering wheel. "We don't have much time."

  "I know."

  As they drove, Ben found the feelings of guilt, the fog that clouded his mind, his disappointment in his mistakes lingering. He wished he could tell Esau, but he couldn't bring himself to admit the failure out loud. Instead, he stared out the new window at the same familiar foliage beside the highway.

  "Let's just get her the medicine and keep moving." Esau rubbed the back of his head, eyes focused in thought. "We're going to do the best we can." He turned to look at Amelia and, apprehensively, Ben followed his gaze. She sat quietly between them, her arms crossed, staring straight through the windshield.

  "Okay?" Esau prompted a response.

  She nodded, looking back down at the floor, and Ben's stomach flipped, like he was falling from a very tall height. His thoughts froze, confused by the reaction. It lingered, just for a second, before he chose to ignore it, pushing it as far away as he could.

  "Drive faster," he told Esau.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Amelia moved to sit on the couch behind them and he found himself, every so often, turning to have a look at her. He wasn't sure what initiated the concern that swelled within him, but he suspected the guilt he wasn't able to shake had something to do with it. She sat with her back against the window, staring through the open archway of the bedroom at her sister who lay sleeping on the bed. Ben sighed as he watched her cry.

  "Everything okay?" Esau asked quietly.

  "Yes," Ben lied, shifting his gaze.

  "Ebenezer." Esau knew he was lying. "You can tell me. We're not at the Compound yet."

  Ben knew Esau meant well. He always did, but it wasn't right. Standard Migrator training taught them that certain feelings were unnecessary, even criminal, especially if they distracted them from their mission. But something about Ben felt off, had felt off since the migration. Normally he was extremely skilled at suppressing emotions, often feeling nothing at all. It was part of what made him such an accomplished Migrator. But now, it felt like all of the emotions were washing over him at once, each one different, screaming for attention—guilt, apprehension, fear, relief, disappointment. He felt like he could explode.

  "I feel…" Ben paused, not sure how to describe how he was feeling, "I don't feel like myself."

  "You probably don't have much energy," Esau mused. "Have you eaten? I left so quickly, I failed to bring any sustenance along."

  "No," Ben answered, "it's something different. I've never been away this long. I'm starting to feel...things."

  "What sorts of things?"

  Without thinking, Ben looked over his shoulder at Amelia again. "I'm worried about her." His cheeks flushed. "Them," he corrected himself.

  Esau turned his head to study him for a moment, before looking back at the road. Ben watched his face, searching for a sign of acceptance. Worry for another person was useless, Ben knew this. Quite the waste of time, Seraphine had told him once.

  A Migrator needs no friends or family

  "It's okay," Esau assured him. "Affecting a Predecessor is no small thing. It would only be normal for someone to feel worry. It'll pass."

  Ben turned the thought over in his mind for a minute and nodded. "You're right." Though Esau's response didn't ease his overwhelming thoughts, the feeling of worry seemed slightly more acceptable.

  "Things will all be right again once we get to the Compound."

  "Yes." The response was automatic, but he wasn't sure what to expect. He wished he'd been better trained for this. He looked back at Amelia again and, deciding to give into his worry, unbuckled himself from his seat, ignoring Esau's lasting stare as he watched him go.

  Ben took a seat at the leather couch opposite from her so that the table in the middle separated them. Placing his elbows on the table, he cradled his head in his hands and watched her.

  "What?" she snapped, turning her head towards him. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

  "I just want to make sure you were…okay," he said slowly, unsure of his words. She blinked at him in response. "Are you?"

  She frowned. "No," she answered, looking back towards her sister. "I'm not. My sister could die. I'm thousands of miles away from home, with someone I only met a few days ago, and another person I only met an hour ago. I don't know what to do. I don't have any answers." Her voice was strained, and she looked up towards the roof of the vehicle, avoiding his eyes.

  "Are you afraid for those you left behind?"

  She raised her eyebrows. "Who'd we leave behind?"

  Ben shrugged. "Your family?"

  She smiled at him and crossed her arms. "Faye and I don't have families. Nobody is looking for us."

  He studied her. The question had ignited a negative response. "Can I ask you something?" His voice was soft.

  She looked out the window. "What?"

  "What was in your bag that was so important? Those little bags."

  She turned, sharply. "Why?" It was a defensive answer, with an accusatory tone.

  "It seemed important."

  "It was nothing." She returned her glance to the window. "Really."

  "Didn't seem like nothing."

  "They were pills, okay!" Amelia's exasperation reached her cheeks in a pink glow. "They're Faye's."

  Ben raised an eye
brow. "Pills? Like…medicine?"

  She huffed. "Sure."

  "Well, we have only the best at the Compound. She won't need—"

  "No," Amelia interrupted. "They're drugs. Stimulants. Depressants. That sort of thing. People…use them for enjoyment. Recreation. Pay a lot of money for it."

  His eyes widened. "I see."

  "I don't need you judging us." Amelia crossed her arms and looked turned her head away. "We had rent to pay. Faye was out of work. It just sort of happened."

  "There's no need to be angry, Amelia."

  She took a deep breath and met his eyes again. "I'm scared," she admitted. "I'm terrified."

  Words escaped him for a moment, before he finally said, "I am, too."

  She scoffed. "You're not."

  "I am," he said. "Not for the same reason. But I'm feeling scared. And that," he bit his lip, "is new for me."

  He'd gotten her attention now. Her posture changed. She leaned towards him, arms placed on the table. "I can't lose my sister." More tears came from her eyes, fat beads of water escaped, catching against her cheek. Harshly, she wiped them away with the back of her hands. He found himself curious at her response, the bomb of emotion that came with the words she said. He wanted to fix it, but he didn't know why.

  "Esau has the medicine, and we'll be at the Compound soon. Johan," Ben said, thinking of their expert doctor, "he's the best. There's a reason he's assigned to us. He knows migrating - time travel related diseases. He'll be able to help."

  He wanted to calm her, but it wasn't working. If anything, she was just crying more. He watched her in awe, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, the stress in her face leaving blotchy red marks against her skin. Her shoulders shuddered as she let go.

  The emotion was intoxicating, unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He wondered how you could possibly, ever, feel that much for someone.

  "Stop staring at me like that," she said with a laugh between her sobs. "It's creeping me out."

  Confused, Ben broke his trance and looked out the window to the right of them. "I'm sorry," he said genuinely. "Your emotion." He shook his head, bringing her eyes back to him. "It's just so rare."