Sanctum (The After Light Saga) (13 page)

You will die. You
will all die.

What the
—? It sounded like someone was speaking directly into my ear, but the Arvy didn’t move.

Loud shrieks
from the Arvies echoed all around me. The ones in the outer circle were getting restless, but the leader snapped at them, keeping them back.

Why does there have to be any more death?
We can help each other. We can help you find a cure.

I hoped that we could come to some kind of reaso
nable conclusion.

No cure.
Our planet. You all must die.

Holy crap.
The Arvy
did
speak to me. I could hear it as clear as day.

But
it was hopeless. It wouldn’t listen.

Then, it
slowly crouched, growling, baring its teeth.

I k
new this was it.

The
other Arvies began to go mad, screaming, growling, flailing. My ears, my head, my eyes throbbed.

Kill
. Kill. Kill.
The words chanted over and over in my mind, tormenting me. I held tight to my trusted weapon, and as soon as the leader flew forward I raised my arm and fired.

Bam!

I hit it directly in the chest. It screamed and flew backwards, flailing madly on the ground. Blood and gore splattered all over the Arvies behind him.

As soon as the blood touched
them, they went mad and rushed forward, attacking it. The injured leader let out a hair-raising, blood-curdling scream as they tore its limbs from its torso. Those that couldn’t get a piece of it had focused on me.

Screw
them. I wasn’t a freaking take-out meal.

Adrenaline kicked in,
I began firing at the milky eyes focused on me. I reloaded another clip.

J
ust as I snapped it in, an Arvy rushed at me from the right side, knocking Hellfire from my grip. She flew to the ground and was lost in the shuffle.

Fear gripped me as soon as she left, but
I couldn’t let it control me.

Swiftly bending
down, I retrieved the dagger from my boot. I swung with everything I had, pushing the blade into the closest Arvy. My blade sliced, tearing its midsection wide open.

It happened so fast
, it stood there, dazed, watching its intestines spill out to the ground.

A half-dozen
Arvies suddenly attacked him. They started eating his insides while he was still alive.

I had to turn away. My stomach wrenched
, making me sick. Bile threatened to rise, but I kept it down.

This was a nightma
re. I was surrounded by freaking cannibals.

As far as I was concerned, there was no
t one ounce of humanity left in those monsters.

M
ost of them seemed to be occupied with their current meals, but I kept swinging at anything coming at me, using every skill I’d ever learned. The Arvies weren’t agile, so at the moment, I seemed to have the advantage. With a few more swings, my blade pierced through two skulls, sliced one neck, and pierced two hearts. As each Arvy dropped, they were attacked by the others.

They were ravenous
beasts.

“Abi
! Abi!” I could hear Finn yell.

“I’m
here!” I screamed back. I desperately searched for Hellfire while continuing my massacre.

An
Arvy grabbed my arm, its teeth bared, ready to sink into my skin. I quickly turned and kicked it away. As it stumbled backward, I ran toward it and spun, slashing open its midsection. Entrails and intestines spilled out, splashing all over my legs. The smell was so vile, it burned my nose.

I held my br
eath, trying to keep the vomit from rising. Then, as I turned away, I saw her. Hellfire. She was lying between the legs of an Arvy whose milky whites were steeled on me.

I charged forward,
my body soaked in blood and Arvy gore. I wasn’t going to stop until I had her. With every ounce of energy I had left, I moved forward. Shoving my blade into the Arvy’s eye, pulled it out, then spun and slashed another’s throat, and kept going. I couldn’t stop. Stopping meant death.

I
finally dropped down and slid between the legs of the Arvy standing over Hellfire. I lifted the blade and sliced the inside of its right thigh, then dropped the blade and grabbed Hellfire, pulling her to my chest. I had her. The injured Arvy screamed and dropped to the ground. It twisted and grabbed for me, but I lifted Hellfire and shot it right in the forehead.

I
ts head exploded from being at such a close range.

I was exhausted.

Firm hands grabbed me from behind. I turned to aim Hellfire, but it caught my hand.

“Abi!
”

“Finn
?” I cried. I touched his face to make sure he was real.

“I’m here, Abi.” He hugged me to his chest.

A canister was thrown right next to us, emitting the tear-gas. Arvies screamed and scattered. Automatic weapons fired all around us. Arvies were dropping like flies as Rhett and his team came to our rescue.

Finn pulled me back and looked at my blood covered body.

“Oh, shit, Abi. Were you bit?” he asked. His eyes were filled with a mixture of horror welling tears.

“No.
I wasn’t bitten. This is all Arvy blood,” I assured him.

“
Are you sure?” he questioned. “Promise?”

“I p
romise,” I said.

“
Oh, thank God.” Finn grabbed me and lifted me easily into his strong arms, hugging me tightly to him as he ran towards the safety of Sanctum.

When we reached the door
, one of Rhett’s men waved us in. He fired behind us, and I heard a scream.

“Did you get the medicine?” I asked.

“Yes. Pike and Tim took the bags down to the doctors when Rhett and his men came to help.”

“
Good,” I said. My voice was weak. I’d given everything I had, and could barely hold up my head. My adrenaline shut off moments before I was swept into his arms. I was just glad I managed to stay alive. Any longer, and I would’ve become one of them.

I reach
ed up and gently pulled his mask off and balanced it on my stomach while I worked on mine.

“You look like hell
,” Finn said.

“Thanks,” I breathed
, and managed a smile.

“And you stink
,” he added.

“I know. And now y
ou do too.”

“Yeah, thanks for that
.”

“
We’re a team. We share things, remember?”

“Yeah.” He paused
for a moment, then his eyes went soft. “I’m so proud of you, Abi. I can’t believe you’re alive.”

“Well
, you were the one who gave me an incentive.”

“I did
?” he asked, confused.

“You said if we made it back alive, we would have a private celebration.”

He laughed. “And I will deliver the goods, you can count on that.” He shook his head. “You just amaze me. And I mean that in the best possible way.”

W
e finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and Finn set me down. He walked over to the sink and grabbed a clean towel. He soaked it, then came over and gently wiped my face clean.

When he w
as done, the towel was pink and dripping with bloody water. I peeled out from my radiation suit and dropped the bloody mess in a basket, then walked over to the sink and scrubbed off the remaining blood on my hands. Finn walked up behind me and pressed his body tightly to mine.

I turned and he pinned me against the sink.

“I think I need to check and make sure you weren’t bitten.”

“I’m all yours
,” I said.

He placed his hands on my shoulders then
gently trailed his fingertips down the length of my arms. I quivered under his touch.

Leaning most of his weight on me
, he took my face in his hands and examined my neck and shoulders. He didn’t speak, but I could feel his warm breath brush against my cold skin, and feel his body move with each intake of air. I didn’t move. His closeness made it hard to breathe. Every place he touched ignited small fires in his wake.

“You’re clean,” he whispered
. The sound of his voice made my insides tingle. His sweet scent made my head dizzy.

“I told you,” I said, breathless.

He leaned
back. Behind his thick lashes, beautiful chocolate eyes were blazing with desire. In that single moment I saw my past, my present, and my future flash within them. A future I longed for.

His left arm
encircled my waist, picking me up and setting me on the edge of the sink. His right hand carefully embraced the back of my neck, while his left hand stayed on my lower back, keeping me flush against his body. At once, our breaths blended, and I wrapped my legs around his hips. The world around us completely melted away.

I closed my eyes
as he leaned in, my arms wrapped under his arms and held on tightly to the back of his shoulders. Even the smell of his sweat was appealing.

His
soft, sweet lips pressed against mine, gently at first, and then desperately. Our mouths and tongues moved eagerly against each other in perfect unison. Our love was effortless, innocent, and intensely passionate.

With one kiss,
Finn had swept me away from the madness. He’d transported me from hell to heaven; a place where only we existed.

Fire burned
and passion raged as the tension between us grew.

My hands traveled down his back, pressing him tighter to me. He groaned and leaned over me further, deepening the kiss.

“Ah-hmmm”, a clearing of the throat, cut our moment short.

Rhett
and his men stood staring at us.

“I’m sorry,” I said.
My face instantly heated. “We were just—”

“Don’t worry, we
totally get it. You both made it out alive and should be happy to be in each other’s arms again,” he said, waving it off.

“Thanks
again for the rescue,” Finn acknowledged.

“No
problem. It’s great to finally get some kind of action after all these years.”

“Yeah
, I get that,” Finn replied.

Rhett patted Finn on the shoulder
as he walked by us, and winked at me as he walked out the door. The rest of his men followed him, giving us unnerving looks. I blushed, my head peeking over Finn’s shoulder, still embraced in his arms.

“When you two are finished
cleaning up, meet us in the dining hall. It’s the second door to the left,” Rhett called. “We’ve got curried beans and rice for dinner.”

“Sounds great,” Finn re
sponded.

They
soon disappeared, and Finn didn’t budge.

“Now, where were we?”
he asked.

“
In heaven,” I whispered.

“
Oh, I think I remember now....”

H
is hands found my head, locking me in place, but this time, there was no foreplay. His mouth immediately took possession of mine; his lips eager. The intensity aroused me, awakening feelings I’d never experienced. His lips, his mouth, his tongue…were all so soft, so sweet, so addicting. A soft moan escaped my lips, making him even hungrier. He rocked into me, pressing his body tighter to me. Every time we came together, the passion grew more intense, making it harder to abstain.

“Finn,” I breathed into his mouth.

He slowed—kissing me once, twice, three times, before pulling away.

“
It’s too easy to get carried away with you,” he said.

“One day
, we won’t have to worry about that,” I whispered.

He groaned and smiled “I know, and I can’t wait
. But I promised your father we’d make it right first, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Finn rested his forehead against mine
; both of us trying to catch our breath.

“I love you, Abi,” he whispered, then smiled a smile which made my heart stop. His eyes were warm, glimmering, gazing upon me like I was the only girl he’d ever seen. How could he do that? How could he look at me, covered in f
ilth and sweat, and say I was the most beautiful girl in the world? But his eyes never lied; they were as soft as a whisper, and were undoubtedly saying he wanted me.

“How long will you love me?” I questioned, wondering his response.

“How long have the earth, the sun, and the stars been in existence?” he asked.

“Forever,”
I answered.

“T
hat’s how long I will love you. Only, longer than forever,” he replied.

“How could you love m
e longer than forever?”

“Easily,” he answered.

Emotions instantly filled my eyes with tears.

“I love you so much,” I breathed. And I meant it. I felt it, radiating, and growing within every fiber of my being. I loved him. I loved every single thing about him.

Finn held me. We didn’t speak, because we already knew what the other desired.

“Thank you,” I said, breathless
.

“For what?”

“For always being there when I need you.”

He shook his head and exhaled deeply. “Abi. T
onight was the first time in my life I was completely terrified. I thought I’d lost you, and there was nothing more I could do to get to you. Knowing you were in the middle of danger, knowing what they were capable of, I–I…”

“But you did make it to me,” I said, steadying his face.

“I never want to have those feelings again, Abi. We need to take better precautions. I don’t want to be in this world without you.”

My eyes began to water. His beautiful chocolate eyes were swimming with sincerity, and it pierced straig
ht through me.

“I have always
loved you. I loved you before I even knew the meaning of the word. We were meant to be together. Having you with me makes me stronger. You bring out the best in me. I fought so hard tonight because of you. Because I wanted to return to your arms. Right here,” I placed my hand in the middle of his chest. “This is where I belong. This is where I want to spend the rest of my life. Wrapped in your arms.”

He
smiled then embraced me, holding my head against his chest, breathing into my hair. I could hear the steady drumming of his heart.

“
These arms are yours, and I will wrap you in them whenever you need,” he said, gently pressing his lips against the top of my head. “The sun will rise and set, the moon and stars will hang in the sky, and the earth will continue to spin long after we’re gone. But our love will live forever,” he whispered.

“Finn,” I said breathless.
Pulling back, I took his sincerity in. He’d not only stolen my heart, he’d stolen every single part of me.

He smiled. “
And, I know a way we can make it last while we’re alive.” A glint sparkled in his eye.

“How?” I asked.

“By keeping you from tackling Arvies,” he chuckled.

“I—”

“You shouldn’t have tried to rescue me, Abi. That Arvy just took me off guard for a second. I had him.”

“Whateve
r. I just didn’t like seeing its evil hands on you.”

“Jealous?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Um,
yeah
. What if you suddenly realized you were
in to
creepy, shriveled, smelly creatures?” I laughed and he squeezed my leg. “No, seriously though. I was terrified. I already told you, I don’t want to have to shoot you.” A huge knot balled in my throat, as the mere thought made me petrified.

“Y
ou won’t ever have to shoot me. If I ever get bitten, I’ll do it myself,” he said with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“Just d
on’t get bitten, please,” I begged.

He pulled me close
and kissed me one more time, but I could sense some tension. Something was bothering him.

Pulling back, I looked into his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
I asked.

He shook his head.

“Finn, I know something’s wrong. You can tell me.”

“No, it’s nothing,”
he said, but I knew him.

“Finn, you know you can talk to me,” I said, holding his face steady. “I know something’s bothering you. Tell me, please.”

“We killed a lot of Arvies today, and I feel no remorse. But, I also killed a man,” he said sadly. “He had a family. A wife and a daughter.”

The only reason why Finn was feeling this
way was because I failed. Steven asked
me
to take his life before he changed. But I couldn’t do it. I was too weak. Finn was so much stronger than I was, and protected me from those feelings. Our lives had changed. We were now a part of a world where death was violent and rampant. A world where we had no control over who lived and who died.

“Finn,
please don’t. I was the one who should have pulled the trigger. He asked me. He pleaded with
me
, but I couldn’t do it. You stepped in, and not only saved him, you saved me. You granted that man his dying wish. He didn’t want to change, and we both know he would have. You allowed him to keep what was left of his humanity, just like we promised to do for each other if we were ever in the same situation.”

“I know, but—”
he shook his head.

“N
o buts. You’re a hero. My hero, and that’s it.”

“Thanks, Abi,” he said, resting his forehead on mine
again.

“You’re my best friend. Just because
we’ve kissed doesn’t mean it all has to change.”

“You don’t know how much strength you give me,” he said.

“No, Finn. You’re the one who gives me strength. Tonight you said something to me that changed my life.”

His eyes furrowed. He probably didn’t even remember.

“
I’ve been having horrible nightmares, and whenever I felt afraid, everything inside of me tightened up. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. But tonight, when you told me I didn’t have to be in control, and I didn’t have to save everyone, it made me realize what was happening. My feelings of guilt and helplessness were crippling me.”

“
I thought I was in control of my life, and always felt I was supposed to protect my loved ones. Everyone brags how I’m the best shot in the hive, but it still wasn’t enough to save Dr. Lisa. And then, seeing you so close to death, thinking I was going to lose you…there was nothing I could do. That’s when everything started to fall apart.” I took a deep, cleansing breath. “In the hive, I was able to control my environment, but out here, it’s been pure chaos. I have control over
nothing
.”

“You do have control over
one
thing,” Finn whispered. He pressed his cheek to the side of my face; his warm breath tickling my ear.

“What
?” I asked.

“My heart,” he said it so softly and so sweetly, it warmed my entire body from the inside out.
“Before things get heated again, I think we should get out of the washroom and grab something to eat.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “But wait.
I have something else to tell you.” I held him in place.

He turned
and looked at me, his eyes studying mine.

“What is it?”

“Finn, I can hear the Arvies,” I whispered.

“You can?” his eyes darted toward the sta
irway leading up to the sanctuary.

“No. I
mean, tonight, when we were separated and I was surrounded by them. I could
hear
them speaking words into my mind,” I explained.

He looked at me
like I was going crazy.