CHAPTER 21 #2
Sparks and I lock eyes. Oh crap. I blink and Sparks is already on the move.
She flings out her leg and the man falls to the ground.
Unfortunately, that is enough to draw the attention of the other guy.
Sparks throws out her hands and electricity shoots from her pockets towards the man on the ground.
He convulses until he is still. Out of juice, Sparks unzips her pockets and starts chucking batteries at the other approaching guy.
It doesn’t do much besides irritate him.
I lean behind her and grab the knife. Seems like we’re back to my plan.
I crawl through the bushes. The thorns pull my hair and scratch at my arms. I glance up and see a third pair of hiking boots a few feet in front of me. I look up further and we lock eyes. Or… maybe not my plan.
The man is rather amused, smirking at my poor version of an army crawl. I rise to a crouched position still gripping my knife.
“That looks sharp. You should put that down before you get hurt,” he chuckles, still bemused. He then sees my wrist in its makeshift splint. “Aww, you already are.”
“I’m fine.” I grit my teeth. “I can still make your day considerably worse, unless of course, you are smart enough to walk away.”
“There’s no ocean for you to jump in,” he taunts, stepping closer. “What are you going to do without your powers?”
“Oh sweetie.” It’s my turn to be condescending. “Those are just an added bonus. I’ll still kill you without them.”
He lunges at me, and I dodge toward the left, swiping with my blade.
I graze his forearm, and he curses at me as blood stains his sleeve.
He whirls around, but I am already following up with a second swing.
This one misses, but he takes a step back, reconsidering his strategy.
I don’t give him the chance. I jump forward, jabbing at his torso.
He grabs my wrist and twists. The knife clatters to the ground. Ow, ow, ow! My wrist!
I wrench my arm away as he reaches for my hair.
I narrowly avoid his grasp and somersault past him.
He grunts, frustrated with my stubborn insistence on being difficult to capture.
Suddenly, a choking noise gurgles from his throat.
He reaches behind himself and pulls out a knife, covered in his own blood.
As he falls to the ground, he flings the knife with alarming speed.
Sparks tries to dive out of the way but is too late.
The knife plants itself up to its hilt in her thigh.
“Sparks!” I rush to her side, applying pressure to her leg.
“We’ve got to move,” she grunts, breathing quickly through the pain. Her skin is pale and sweaty. “There’s more coming. Grab the rope from his bag and apply a tourniquet.”
I do as she says, tightening the cord as she bites down on a stick. When the tourniquet is secured, I help her to her feet. Her leg gives out as she puts her weight on it, but I catch her before she falls.
“Come on, babe,” I encourage. “Birch Rapids is so close.”
She bites her lip as she leans on me, and we hobble over the last hill.
Birch Rapids is clear on the horizon. Derek is waiting.
Please, Derek, be waiting. We hear the sounds of another team coming in behind us.
Sparks’s eyes meet mine and we both know she's not making it to Birch Rapids. We’re out of time.
“We can fight them off,” I claim. “We’ll be fine.”
“No, we can’t.” Her thumb brushes my cheek. “You need to get help.”
“I won’t leave you.” I place my forehead against hers. “From now until forever, remember.”
“Go, get Derek and come back for me.” She pushes me away. “Run!”
I spare one last glance at the woman I love, before turning to run. I sprint down the clearing, pushing myself faster and faster. I burst into town and see a convoy of black vans waiting.
No… not like this. It can’t end like this.
But instead of more hostiles, Derek and a whole squadron of men pour out. Derek sees me, sweaty and out-of-breath. He only says one word.
“Where?” We both know what he means.
I turn and run, leading the charge of angry gangsters. Despite being tired and hungry, I sprint faster than any of the reinforcements. I have to get back to her.
A scream cuts through the air. A blur of red is surrounded by men in black. She writhes in their arms, trying to escape their clutches.
“Sparks!” Derek calls.
The two forces collide. Bullets fly, knives flash, fists connect. Me? I dart through it all. With the kidnappers distracted, I grab Sparks’s arm and start dragging her to safety. A hand grabs the back of my neck, yanking my hair.
“Don’t touch her!” Sparks cries, throwing rocks at my assailant.
A gunshot rings out and the man falls to the ground. Derek nods from across the fray and continues to battle.
“Time to go.” I grab her arms again and keep dragging her. A light trail of red follows our path. Her hands are clammy and cold in mine. She breathes softly, her head sagging forward. “Stay awake, Sparks. Talk to me.”
“Ask me a question,” she teases. Her voice is weak and hard to hear.
“What is Charlotte’s favorite subject?” How far is this stupid town? “I know you dropped out of school, but before then.”
“Science,” she mumbles. “I was always good at science. My mom liked physics, she taught me…”
“What did she teach you?” She doesn’t respond. I kneel down next to her. “Stay with me, baby.”
By that point, Derek swoops in and lifts her into his arms. I sprint with him, not bothering to look back at the remnants of the bloodshed behind us.
We load into a van with a medic – not Luca thankfully.
He already has a blood transfusion prepped and gets to work.
I sit next to Sparks, holding her hand. Derek tries to examine my wrist, but I shoo him off. Sparks is important now, not me.
After some time, the medic has finished sewing up Sparks’s leg. As he weans her off the anesthetic, her eyes flutter open. She smiles faintly when she sees me.
“Why so sad, babe?” She whispers.
“Because I was worried about you, silly.” I lightly kiss her knuckles.
“I told you I would be fine,” she smirks. “From now until forever, remember?”
“How could I forget?” I roll my eyes.
“Now is someone going to explain why my girlfriend still has a shitty-ass splint on her wrist?”