Lightning Game (GhostWalkers 17)

She didn’t know how to feel about that. Rubin and Diego had killed the entire ground crew and now there was no way for the plane to land. She didn’t mind that the plane couldn’t land. She did think it was nearly impossible for them to kill so many when it was only the two of them. She was relieved that Luther was still alive.

“We need to get moving, Jonquille. Are you willing to cooperate with us?” Sean demanded. “Walk on your own without trying to escape?”

Jonquille nodded slowly. She needed to stretch her legs and back. Her insides hurt from the drug in her system. Everything hurt. She didn’t want more of the drug in her system. She was careful to keep all movements slow so no one thought she was a danger to Sean, but she did put her legs out in front of her.

“I can walk. I just need to stretch. Every muscle feels sore.”

Her neck throbbed. She was almost afraid to take her palm away. She rubbed and then massaged the back of her neck so no one was suspicious. Even turning her mind inward, trying to find whatever device Diego had put into her body, seemed difficult, as if her brain was still a little sluggish from the drug. The only things she could “see” when looking inward were occasional flashes of light in her bloodstream, like butterflies dancing. Now she was really getting fanciful.

“I’m sorry, Jonquille.” Sean sounded as if he meant it. “People react to the drug in various ways. We knew we had to put you out fast. According to the file we have on you, you can be rather dangerous. We didn’t want you to feel as if you had to defend yourself and put you or any of us in a situation where someone could get hurt. We had no way of knowing that you were meeting anyone up here. You’re always alone.”

That was the truth. And she hadn’t really planned on meeting Rubin and Diego. She was going to lead these people and the others she thought might be following her away from the Appalachian Mountains, and she would kill as many of them as possible before they killed her.

She was over experiments. Completely, utterly over them. Heat shimmered around her. The air crackled. Tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She felt energy, white hot, swirling like her life’s blood flowing through her veins. That feeling of power was familiar to her. Around her, dimly, she heard shouts. Men scrambled. She saw them, although her vision was different, not at all her usual eyesight. This was like a veil of silver over everything.

Her captors were running, looking over their shoulders back at her, and she could make out the fear on their faces. They were fast too, little blurs as they ran. Still, they gave off energy now, where before it was so low it was difficult to even pick up on. Now the energy surged fiery and fierce, great dark streams of it rushing to her, as if she were a magnet, collecting from all of the men, feeding the bright white-hot storm inside her.

“Jonquille.” Sean’s voice was calm. “What’s wrong? Tell me what upset you.”

She turned her blurred, silvery-blue vision on him. He was the last man standing. He was alone, one hand up as if to placate her. In spite of his calm exterior she could see the lines of strain around his eyes and mouth.

“Experiments.” She could barely get the word out. “Get away from me.” She needed open ground to make everyone safe. “Not running.” She wouldn’t break her word. She indicated to him that she was going toward the one clearing so she could get out in the open.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn toward Hudson and Andrew. Yeah, she’d been right about the two men. They were the ones that could read her. Maybe it wasn’t so easy when her mind was consumed with chaos, with the need to explode with the buildup of blazing energy. Anyone coming near her would be killed. It was that simple. She was trying to save lives, not run away.

Her legs were so rubbery, not at all steady and sure as they’d always been. She could barely trust them. Without thinking she reached out to him. Rubin. It was a cry for help.

The moment she did, she felt the two men go on alert. “She’s trying to contact him. Rubin Campo.” Hudson ratted on her immediately.

“She sounds very distressed,” Andrew said. “Very. I’ve never heard her like that. She’s always in control. Let her talk to him. We can’t stop what’s happening. She’s trying to protect us. We can’t help her walk, and she’s definitely struggling to do that. That damn drug is the problem, Sean. It’s affected her muscles.”