chapter 29
THREE DAYS PRIOR.
OMEGA LABORATORY
When he realized there’d be no way to stop the explosives, Raven ran to the small air duct leading to the stables. Once inside, he’d hopefully be shielded from the bulk of the blast. That or he’d be like a baked potato wrapped in tinfoil once he entered the metal vent. Either way, it would be over quickly.
As soon as he shimmied out of the vent and stood up, the scent of hay and horses assaulted his nose. It was weirdly calming. He glanced to the right. At the end of the corridor, the equine leader, Debra, and the other horses roamed. To the left, the stable doors were wide open. Moments later he felt more than heard the blast coming from the lab. It shook the ground, causing dirt to flutter over him from the slatted roof above. The horses whinnied frantically, but within moments they began to calm.
Raven turned to leave. He needed to join the other Halflings, if only to let them know he was okay. Then he’d disappear and mourn Nikki’s death alone.
From a vantage point at the open stall door, he could see the parking lot filled with his friends. They gathered around two beings. One was Nikki. The other was closer to the lab door. When someone moved, he caught a glimpse of his face. Mace.
Raven grabbed the door for support. “No!” The fool must have tried to come back in after him. But then the clump of flesh moved. Vine was there, supporting Mace, who soon looked up. Raven released a long breath. Mace was okay. But Raven’s heart shuddered when he saw Mace standing and slowly going toward Nikki. The crowd made room for him. Mace knelt by her body and cried.
Bodies closed in around them, but from the distance Raven thought he saw her … move. No, it must be a mistake. He rushed to the other side of the door just as he heard a gun cock behind him. Yes. He was certain this time. Nikki was moving on her own. Alive.
“Turn around. Slowly.”
Raven ignored the command. He wanted one more glimpse of her, but the Halflings closed in and he couldn’t see her any longer.
“I said turn around, Raven.”
Raven glanced over his shoulder.
“Now.” Adam Cordelle’s voice shook along with the .45 caliber pistol in his grip.
Raven turned slowly, raising his hands in a show of surrender. “I’m not armed, Cordelle. Put down that gun before you hurt yourself.” The man was the worst guard Raven had ever encountered. The two had actually become friends at one point while Raven was spying on the lab. Cordelle had thought him a vagrant and treated him like a wayward son.
Adam gripped the gun tighter. “You’re with them, aren’t you? You lied to me all that time.”
Raven drew a long breath and let his weight rest on the edge of the doorjamb. “Nothing personal, Cordelle.”
His mouth dropped open. “Nothing personal? I helped you. I trusted you.”
“Yeah, uh, sorry about that. It was all for a good cause.”
Adam’s face reddened with indignation. “I’m glad you can be so flippant about it.” His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward. “I know what you are. Mr. Vessler warned us about you … you evil monsters.”
“Whatever.” If Raven could keep him talking for a few more minutes, Cordelle would eventually put the gun down or drop it from those chubby hands and scrawny arms. “You want to know who the monster is? Take a look at your boss. Vessler is the worst kind of evil, and you’re working for him. You need to take your family and go away. Take that job you offered me at the chicken plant.”
The barrel of the gun dropped marginally. Raven had him. But then the man’s face hardened. “No. You lied to me. All along.” The gun trembled in his hand as he raised it higher.
“You’re not going to shoot me, Cordelle. You know you can’t.”
Something off to the right, beyond the door, caught Adam’s attention. Raven then heard what Adam saw: men coming at them quickly. From where he stood, Raven wasn’t sure if the men approaching could see him or not. Cordelle looked at Raven, then the group coming closer, then Raven. Then he fired the first shot.
Raven was so shocked he didn’t have time to move. He felt the bullet plunge deep into his side, tearing flesh and muscle. He dropped to the ground just as another shot rang out and caused fresh pain to sear through his arm.
Cordelle stood over him, yelling, “I got this one. He’s dead. Go after the others.”
Raven tried not to draw attention, but the pain in his flesh made his stomach muscles twist. He bit down hard to keep from groaning. When he heard Vessler’s voice, he understood. Cordelle had decided to do his old stable buddy a favor.
“Stay with the body,” Vessler yelled. “It’ll be useful. I’ll send a team back to pick it up.”
As soon as the footsteps faded completely, Cordelle dropped to Raven’s side. “I … I shot you.”
“Yeah, way to go.” Raven’s stomach convulsed, but he grabbed Cordelle by the collar. “Get out of here. Take your family and go. It’s not worth it, Cordelle. Vessler will destroy you for helping me.”
Adam swiped his hand across his face, where fresh tears mingled with sweat. “I gotta get you out of here. We can go. I’ll bring my car around …”
Raven clamped a hand over Cordelle’s mouth. “No. You can’t help me anymore. I’ll go on my own.”
“Go where? You can barely move.”
“Help me to my feet. I heal fast.”
“You’re fooling yourself. You’re bleeding out, Raven.”
He tugged at the front of the man’s shirt. “Just help me to my feet. I have to rest.”
“Where can I take you?”
“Nowhere. Don’t you get it? Vessler will kill you. Then, for good measure, he’ll go kill your wife and kids. Take your family and get away from him.”
The outburst caused Raven to black out for a moment. He awoke with Adam Cordelle trying to carry him. He’d managed two steps. Adam was mumbling. “I won’t leave you. I won’t leave you.”
Raven reached up and turned Cordelle’s face so their eyes met. “Okay. Listen, if I can get back into the vent that leads into the lab, I can rest there. It’ll be safe.”
Cordelle nodded. Once he was in place, Raven paused at the vent’s trap door to regain a little strength, then he shimmied inside. Outside, Cordelle bunched leaves and pine needles to cover the blood trail they’d left.
“Now go,” Raven said. “Before Vessler comes back.”
Cordelle bent and peered into the vent. “Is it true you have wings?” he whispered, almost reverently.
Raven couldn’t help but smile. “It’s true.”
“Sorry about shooting you. I was trying to help. The second shot was an accident. Didn’t realize I was squeezing the trigger.”
“I guess I should take that as a compliment. Good aim on the first shot, by the way. It’s in my stomach, but I think you missed all my vital organs. If the bullet is where I think it is, the wound will heal in no time.”
Cordelle’s eyes widened. “I was aiming for your shoulder.”
“Well, you got it with the second shot. You’re not cut out for this kind of work, Adam.”
He nodded eyes serious. “Everything happens for a reason. Maybe I was here to help you.”
“Maybe. You saved my life.”
Cordelle started to say something, but Raven shushed him. “They’re coming back. You need to go.”
Cordelle walked away from the vent as Raven scooted deeper inside. From deep within, words filtered to him.
“I was going to the barn to get a blanket to cover him — couldn’t stand those dead eyes staring at me — and halfway there, I heard something. He rose, Mr. Vessler … rose from the ground like a ghost with wings and he … he flew. Blood and grass and dirt on him. He was dead. Not breathing. I know what I saw.”
After a short inspection of the area, Vessler and his men lost interest in checking Adam Cordelle’s story.
If the authorities came, Raven knew he would get some help, as the plan to hide in the vent wasn’t working out that well. But it didn’t sound like any of the good guys would be coming.
Just below him, Vessler was speaking to one of his lackeys. “Luckily, I was able to reroute that ridiculous FBI enquiry.”
Tears of anguish stung Raven’s eyes. He touched the wound on his shoulder. The shot had passed clean through. No bones hit, no arteries nicked, and already it was healing. But his side still oozed fresh blood, even if it seemed as though it was slowing. He told himself he just needed to rest. Give his body time to heal. There was no reason to hurry anyway. Nikki was gone. She may not be dead, but she wasn’t his.
Trembling fingers reached into his back pocket and found the photo of Jessica Richmond. Through his blurred vision, the beautiful girl at the ocean’s edge smiled at him as if her grin carried the secrets to life and the universe. Raven realized he was smiling back. He brushed hot angry tears from his eyes. But Jessica continued to smile. To coax.
Sleep well, my hero, she seemed to whisper, for tomorrow another adventure awaits.
Raven closed his eyes and slept. When he did, he dreamed. No, his journey wasn’t over. In fact, his journey was just beginning.