Kingdom Come (11 page)

Ethan scooted closer, grasping my hand and lacing his fingers through mine. I looked up at him, only to see pure determination in his gaze. “I won’t let him touch you,” he said. “None of us will. We’ve got your back. You know that, right?”

My heart skipped a beat. “I appreciate the thought,” I said, “but it seems my brother is a pretty ambitious fella.”
My brother.
Good Lord, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to that. My brother was a sociopath bent on world destruction and domination. I hit the sibling jackpot.

Ethan held up our hands, and nodded toward the bracelet still tied to my wrist. “I’m always with you,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “I’m not going anywhere either. We’re in this together, Kerrigan. We all are.”

“Kerri,” I blurted out. Now it was his turn to look confused, and I couldn’t blame him. I sounded like a blubbering idiot. “I-I like it better than Kerrigan,” I explained, blushing. “But I don’t let just anyone call me that. I mean, I like it, but it’s a special nickname, you know? Only my parents and sister were allowed—”

His lips were on mine before I could ramble another word. And they were just as soft, just as perfect, as I remembered. It wasn’t a big, “look how awesome I am” kind of kiss. It was gentle. Sweet. Just like him.

He pulled away far too soon, but the moment we met one another’s gaze, his eyes bore into mine with an intensity that left me breathless. “Together,” he whispered. The single word held so much promise, just hearing it made me tear up.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said, my voice cracking. “What am I supposed to do? The way she makes it sound, he’s going to be looking for me. He’s probably
already
looking for me, and if he is, none of us . . .” I shook my head. “None of you are safe with me.”

Just as Ethan opened his mouth, no doubt to argue, the shouting from inside the house resumed and came closer. He and I looked to the door just as Dr. Fowler stormed onto the porch, with all six of our bags in his hands. He was beet red when he stepped around me and continued toward the yard.

“Eugene!” Susan shouted, stomping out seconds later. The doctor stopped in his tracks and turned around, clearly angry. Susan didn’t stop until she stood before him, just as flustered as he was. “What do I have to do to convince you this is ridiculous?”

Danny, Haven, and Nate filed out of the house, standing behind Ethan and me while we watched the two adults go at it. “Forget the soldiers of the apocalypse,” Danny said. “We’ve got World War Three right in front of us.”

“We need to move,” Dr. Fowler said. “I’ve told you repeatedly—time is not on our side, and you holding me hostage in there did nothing to help. Today’s the day.”

The day
. The way he said those two words resonated with me, but I wasn’t sure why. Then, I counted the past few days in my head. Looked to the sky and realized just why the clouds were no longer black and swirling.

It’d been seven days.

Susan threw her arms up in exasperation. “Fine. Do what you will. But have you even thought about what you’re going to do if you actually get there? The place will be swamped with guards—you know that, right? And leave these kids here, where they’re safe. They’re sick, Eugene! And she—” She paused, glancing over at me. Her shoulders dropped in defeat. “She certainly won’t be safe,” she finished in a small voice.

I felt all eyes turn to me as I rose to my feet. While my knees threatened to give out, I pushed forward, forcing myself to walk to where Susan and Dr. Fowler stood facing me. “It’s been a week, hasn’t it?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. The doctor nodded, appearing thankful I’d figured it out. “Then you’re right. We need to go.”

“You don’t understand,” Susan said. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting into, Kerrigan? He’ll be looking for you. There’s no telling—”

“If he’s looking for me—really looking—is there any guarantee he won’t find me here?” My question was answered with her silence. “Exactly.”

“There’s no need to go looking for trouble,” she said, her tone significantly softer. I recognized the look on her face. It was one of pity.

I shrugged a shoulder. “I think I’ve been trouble since the day I was born.”

Susan held my gaze for what felt like an eternity before stepping forward to pet my hair, the same way she had just a couple days ago. “They tried,” she said only loud enough for me to hear. “Your parents…they sent you away. They tried to shield you from this nightmare.”

Even though I knew she was trying to be reassuring, the mention of “my parents” put me on edge. Those people weren’t my parents. Some woman named Mrs. Andreas may have given birth to me, but I’d never known her. She didn’t sing me to sleep every night for years. She didn’t run into my room each and every time I had a nightmare in the middle of the night. She didn’t sit by a hospital bed countless times while trying to figure out a cause for my screwed-up head.

“My name is Kerrigan Monroe,” I said. A lump rose in my throat, but I forced it away. “My parents are Stephen and Kathleen Monroe. That’s all I’ve ever known, Ms. Sinclair, and that’s all I’ll ever need to know. They taught me to stand up for what I believe in, and to fight for what’s right. That’s what I’m doing. And I won’t just stay here because it’s the ‘safe’ thing to do. If there’s any possible way I can help put an end to this, that’s what I’m going to do.”

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say her look of pity turned to one of pride. She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded, smoothing my hair for another moment before placing both hands on my shoulders. “Hold that sentiment to your heart, sweet girl. Because I guarantee when Bennett finds you—and he will—he will try his best to manipulate you. He’s a boy who’s always found a way to get what he wants. The lust for power runs in his blood, and in yours as well. He’ll use that to his advantage.”

“I’ve never lusted for power a day in my life.”

“Good. Hang on to that. Because from here on out, your knowledge of right and wrong will be the only defense you have.”

And with that, the earth began to shake.

Chapter 11

I never thought anything could be more frightening than a sky filled with funnel clouds. I was wrong.

The ground lurched beneath my feet, turning my blood cold. It trembled and buckled more with each passing second. I held out my arms for balance as panic surged through me, and I looked to Susan, desperate for some sort of direction.

A ball of fire the size of a basketball shot toward us, connecting with Susan with a sickening sizzle. She didn’t even have a chance to scream before her body burned and collapsed into a heap of ash before my eyes. My stomach clenched as I gaped at the remains of the only sane family member I had left.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, just barely overpowering the urge to puke. I turned and bolted for the house, with Ethan and the others running alongside me.
A few more feet. You can do this. Get in the house, and you’ll be okay. The steps are right there.
For a split second, I just
knew
we’d make it.

Then a wave of fireballs crashed into the house, one right after another, engulfing it in flames.

I skidded to a stop, only to trip and fall face-first into the grass. I scrambled to my feet, then turned and ran toward the road just as the house exploded behind us. The force knocked me down again, my body slamming against the ground. Pain seared through my head, but I pushed myself up on all fours as I gasped for air. Heat scorched my skin, and the crackling of the burning house reverberated in my ears while I tried to force my body to
move
damn it
, but it wouldn’t listen. Footsteps thudded close by, and seconds later, someone was tugging on my arm, yanking me to my feet. Still in a daze, I allowed the person to pull me along, though I stumbled the first few steps.

“Run!” he yelled. “Now!”

Ethan. It was always Ethan.

Slowly regaining my senses, I broke into a sprint toward the road. Once we reached the broken asphalt, I doubled over, putting my hands on my knees so I could catch my breath. God, it hurt. I didn’t know if I needed to cry, or puke, or pass out, or all of the above. Every sensation built on top of another, creating a weight in my chest that surpassed any ache I’d felt before.

Ethan grabbed my hand again, bringing me back to the moment. I glanced at his dirt and sweat-streaked face, only to be distracted by the flaming trees standing no more than half a mile away. I looked up, my breath coming in panicked pants at the fire streaking across the ash-colored sky.

“No time,” Ethan panted, starting down the road in a jog. I stumbled behind him, trying to keep in step, but I felt like a rubber band being stretched too far. I couldn’t take much more of this. I just
couldn’t
.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Dr. Fowler with his hands on his knees. Our bags were scattered around his feet, their contents spilled everywhere. If
I
was at my limit, there was no telling how much pain he was in. I stopped, forcing Ethan to look at me.

“Fowler,” I managed to say. He glanced over to see what I was talking about, then nodded once. He and I headed back to the doctor, and everyone else came to a halt.

“Keep going,” Dr. Fowler called to us shakily. “No time to waste. I’ll catch up.”

Ethan and I shared a look. There was no way we were leaving a fifty-something-year-old guy out here by himself. Plus, he was the only one who actually knew where we were going. “Keep walking,” Ethan told the others. “We’ll catch up.”

They hesitated for a moment, but picked up a steady pace without further question. They walked as if there wasn’t fire falling around us. As if we couldn’t burst into flames at any given moment. It was amazing what had become the norm for us.

“Go,” Dr. Fowler protested, straightening once Ethan and I reached him. “I just . . . I need a few minutes. That’s all.”

“We’re not leaving you here,” Ethan told him.

“He’s right,” I agreed. “We can’t just leave you out here alone. We need to find somewhere—”

The doctor gasped, and his eyes went wide with terror at something behind us. I whirled around, and just when I thought I’d seen it all, a black horse descended from the sky amongst the fire crashing around us. My heartbeat faltered. My breath caught in my throat. The horse soared through the air so naturally it was unnerving, and by the looks of it, it was coming right for us. I grabbed Ethan’s shoulder, I think to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

The closer it came, I realized it wasn’t just a horse; it had a rider. All I could do was stare at the black-clad figure holding the horse’s reins. I wasn’t even sure the rider was human.

A choking sound escaped Dr. Fowler, and I ripped my eyes from the horse and turned in time for the doctor fall to the ground, clutching his chest. I glanced back over my shoulder, but the horse and its rider had both vanished into thin air. And though the world still burned around us, fire no longer fell from the sky.

Too much
. This was all too much.

 Ethan and I crouched beside the doctor, and though the fire roared, I couldn’t tear my eyes from him. His face contorted in pain as it deepened to a disturbing shade of purple, and all I could think was
he’s suffering. He’s suffering and in pain and dying because of me.
All of these people—these innocent people—were dying because of
me
and my bastard of a brother. What had they done to deserve this?

 “My heart.” Dr. Fowler wheezed, struggling to breathe. “My . . . God almighty . . .”

“You’re okay,” Ethan said, though his voice was thick with emotion. “You’re fine, Doctor. You’re okay. Deep breaths.”

He dropped to his knees and clutched the doctor’s hand while tears pooled in his eyes. During this entire week together, he’d been the strong one. He’d been my anchor to reality. I hadn’t seen him cry once. Now, tears spilled down his cheeks with no sign of letting up.

Dr. Fowler grasped onto my wrist tightly, his fingers like ice. “You have to go,” he said through clenched teeth. “You have to finish this. Finish what we started.”

“You’re
fine
,” I insisted. “We’re not leaving—”

“Damn it, girl!” He winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “The world is collapsing around you. Stop arguing and just do what I say.”

“How?” I conceded, swallowing thickly. “Where do we go?”

“Map in my pocket.” With Ethan holding on to Dr. Fowler’s hand for dear life, I reached into the doctor’s pants pocket. I found a chunk of paper, which I pulled out and unfolded halfway to see red pen marks outlining a route. “He’s in Kentucky, with the safe house. Susan said he should be there . . . family’s old estate . . .”

I nodded, silencing him. He and I stared at one another, and when his eyes weakened, my heart crumbled. Just a few days ago, he’d saved my life. He brought us here, steps closer to what could possibly be a solution to this craziness. He was the mastermind behind our mission. It wasn’t fair for him to meet this fate, to die in the middle of a broken road.

The doctor took one final, shaky breath, and with that, his eyes closed for the last time.

Ethan slumped to the ground, choking back a sob. I stayed on my knees, unable to tear my eyes from the doctor’s motionless body. I hadn’t realized he and Ethan were close. Or maybe the gravity of everything was just now hitting Ethan. A person can only be strong for so long. As for me, I was tired of feeling things. Grief, panic, fear . . . I’d already experienced enough of it to last a lifetime.

In one week’s time, I’d lost my parents. My sister. The only home I’d ever known. I’d been thrust into Sunrise, which was meant to be some sort of twisted home away from home. I’d met an aunt I never knew existed. Then, I lost all that, too.

 I had no idea what to make of the world outside of the route we’d traveled. All I knew was destruction. Misery. Heartache. I didn’t know how many people were still alive. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know anything anymore. At this point, I just wanted it all to end.