Her pupils dilate. “But he’s right. It’s not working.”
The machine spins faster as power surges through it. That’s not our only problem. The chamber is weak, and the walls have begun to crumble. Plaster sprinkles down from the ceiling. The portal inches wider, revealing all manner of beasts waiting to emerge from the Unknown.
“If we don’t act now, we will lose our chance to stop what your friend has put into motion. Our power is too entrenched in each of us. It needs to be combined in order to work.”
He’s right. I know it…and I have only one solution. I clamp my hand on to Kera’s arm.
She instinctually tries to pull away. “What are you doing?”
“I’m giving you my power.”
Baun takes an aimless step forward and holds out his hand for me to stop. “No. You don’t underst—”
I don’t wait to hear what he has to say. I send everything I have into her. She gasps against the glow of my hand, and when it’s over, I look back at Baun. His face has visibly paled. I grab his hand and place it on Kera’s arm. “Give her your powers,” I tell him. It’s an order, not a request.
His sightless eyes blink rapidly, the shock of what I’ve done written plainly on his face.
“It’s the only way now,” I yell over the whirl of the machine. “If you really care about Teag, give Kera your power!”
“You don’t know what you’ve just done. What you’re forcing her to do.”
The machine spins faster. The portal grows and shows the Unknown clearly on the other side. It won’t be long before it’s ready. “We’re running out of time.”
His hand glows. Kera’s body arches. Her eyes turn a bright magenta and then fade to a dark violet. He steadies her and pulls her close. “You now have the ability to take Jason’s power,” he says. “Do you understand what I’m saying? You must do it now, Kera, before he gets away.”
Sure enough, Jason has regained consciousness and is creeping toward the door. But there’s only one way a first can take someone else’s power. My stomach drops. I can’t believe what I’ve just done. He’s telling Kera she has to kill Jason. It’s the only way she can collect his power, because even in the sad shape he’s in, he won’t willingly give it up. And if he manages to kill Kera, then he’ll be the sole owner of all our power. There will be no stopping him then.
We stare at each other. Her lips part. My head spins. I grab her like she’s the only thing keeping me from falling over, and I whisper in her ear, “I messed up. I can’t let you—”
“You don’t have a say anymore. Stay here.” She pulls away and takes a step back. Then another and another, her face so beautiful, yet determined. She quickly turns and runs after Jason, who’s on his feet and stumbling toward the door.
The Living Dead
Kera dove through the door. She expected to see Jason, weak and hurting, desperate to get away. Instead, he stood with his back to her. When he turned around, she saw the last of his bruises disappear. He had managed to heal himself. But the effort aged him a little more. Although his body still appeared fit, his hair had thinned and had started to gray at the temples.
“They sent you?” His eyebrows shot up. “Why would they do that?”
The ground rumbled beneath them. Time was running out. “You need to give me your power, Jason.”
“You’re kidding, right? This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I finally have the ability to do whatever I want, and no one can stop me. You’ve seen a few movies. They’re made about this kind of thing.”
“Except in a movie, you would be the villain.”
He looked truly surprised. “Because I killed someone? I’m like the Punisher. Everyone who died got what they deserved.”
“But you’re trying to kill Dylan. He’s your friend.”
He stepped forward, a predatory look in his eye, and she backed away. “He left me.”
The accusation in his voice sent shivers down Kera’s spine.
“I died,” he snarled, “and then by some weird fluke that even he doesn’t understand, he brought me back to life. But he still left me, buried underneath that tree. He didn’t mean to bring me back. It just happened, like a hiccup. I’m a living mistake.”
He didn’t know how right his statement was. His hand snaked out and he grasped her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. He leaned close and snarled in her face. “So, no, Kera. I’m not going to give you my powers. They’re mine. I deserve this. Every day I get a little bit stronger, and soon, I’m going to be as powerful as Dylan. When that happens, I will kill him.”
He pushed her up until her toes left the floor. She clawed at his fingers. “We don’t have to do this,” she strangled out. “If you give me your powers, we can all live.”
“Wow, and they say I’m dumb.” He squeezed harder. “I’m not okay with that.”
She suddenly stilled. “Neither am I.”
Her body lit up as power poured into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist at the same time she yanked his shirt up and over his head, breaking his hold as she drove his arms apart. Nimble as an acrobat, she circled his body, twisting his shirt around his neck, and pulled.
He tried to break free. She pulled harder. He dropped to his knees, gurgling for air. Tears rolled down her face as she pulled harder. This wasn’t Jason. Not really. When Dylan had brought him back, it hadn’t been complete. She’d felt the anger inside him, had wanted to see something good, but it was all gone. He’d become a zombie, a living body without a soul.
It wasn’t Jason she destroyed, but her heart still burned with sadness as his body jerked against her hold for the last time. When he finally grew still, she slowly lowered him to the ground.
This wasn’t Jason. Still…
Dropping to her knees, she bent over his body and cried.
Live or Let Die
It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, letting Kera go like that. The ceiling cracks. The floor rumbles. Sections of the ceiling fall, and I cover my head to protect myself. Dust coats everything¸ even my lungs. They spasm, bending me over in an effort to breathe. When I straighten, I see Lucinda untying Leo. The floor suddenly buckles, wave after wave flowing from where Baun stands to where Leo lies. It’s only a matter of seconds before the floor caves in.
Leo or Baun. Her indecision is clear.
Baun calls to her. Her expression saddens. She can’t save them both. She touches Leo’s arm and the next instant they’re gone. There’s no one left but me. I race over to Baun, drop to my knees, and slide toward the rift that suddenly appears and starts to grow. I miraculously catch his hand as the floor collapses under him. It feels like I’m hanging on to a ton of rock. My shoulder aches. Baun grunts as he tries to climb.
I suck in a deep breath and call with every bit that I have left. “Kera!”
I have no idea where she went or how far away she is. The hall is disintegrating around us and we don’t have much time. I look down at Baun. His eyes are mine. Ever since I was old enough to wonder who my father was, I always wondered what traits I got from him. My eyes. My jaw. My hair color.
I feel his hand slip. “Hold on,” I beg.
I swing my other arm over and latch on to his wrist. It feels like I’m going to fall over with him.
Out of the corner of my eye I see movement. It’s Kera. She steps inside the dome and pulls the power back to her, reversing the spin of the energy. The power she’s absorbing lights up the dome so brightly, I can’t look anymore. Then it all turns dark and the humming stops. The portal grows large for a split second and then rapidly shrinks to nothing, cutting off the howls of anger coming from the Unknown.