Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1)(79)
Gavin, unaware of what’s in front of me, bumps me and pushes me forward, almost knocking me into the blood-covered man.
“Evie. Back. Up,” Gavin hisses.
“I can’t!” I whisper back.
“Why no—” He turns his head while he’s talking and catches sight of the man. He swears.
Since that pretty much sums it up, I don’t say anything.
The man in front of me continues to smile, but he’s singing now. Softly under his breath. And what he’s singing chills me to the bone.
“Way down yonder, down in the meadow,
There’s a poor wee little lamby.
The bees and the butterflies pickin’ at its eyes,
The poor wee thing cried for her mammy.”
“What is he saying?” Gavin whispers.
“He’s singing,” I say, even though I know he’s more in shock at the words than not actually being able to hear what the man is saying.
“Singing? Singing what?”
“A children’s song. Does it really matter?”
“That’s a freakin’ creepy children’s song! Why in the world would you teach that to children?”
“We really don’t have time for explanations, but it’s a song to symbolize what the Surface Dwellers do to their own children. The lamb is a child who, even though he’s crying for his mom, has just been tossed aside to die. Happy?”
“Uh, no. I guess not. So? Got a plan?”
“There’s a poor wee little lamby.”
The singing is really distracting and I can’t think. I don’t know what to do. Gavin asks again, but I can’t really hear him over the buzzing sound in my ears.
“The bees and the butterflies pickin’ at its eyes.”
“Evie, what do we do?”
I start shaking and my head threatens to explode as the singing seems to grow louder and louder and Gavin’s voice rings in my ears. This time I can feel the change, the slight wavering in my vision and the burning in my nerves that signals my Enforcer programming is trying to take over. I can’t let it. Not this time. It’s stronger now and I know, if I give in, I could kill Gavin.
But if I don’t … he could die anyway.
I don’t know what to do. Either way could result in death. But I’ve been fighting my Conditioning almost my whole life. Maybe I can control myself enough.
I can do this. I can. I have to. There’s no choice. It’s the only way we can escape the monsters that have us trapped.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and let the programming take over. The click in my head goes off and I know just what to do. I’m calm again. And I have to admit the calmness is welcome compared to the mind-numbing terror from just seconds ago. I’d much rather have this control over myself than the constant fear I’ve been living with.
“Evie?” Gavin has apparently noticed my change.
“Just don’t get in the way,” I say.
The man in front of me is bigger than me and possibly stronger. But, while he’s staring straight down at me, his eyes are blank. As if there’s nothing there anymore. But he’s still singing.
The man has obviously killed before, so I don’t know why he hasn’t attacked us, but I slowly reach into my pack for my gun and raise it to aim at the man’s chest. He doesn’t budge. Doesn’t even blink.
Gavin places his hand over the gun and pushes down, before whispering in my ear, “He’s not really there, Evie. He’s harmless. Just let him go.”
I don’t really trust that he’s harmless, but Gavin’s probably right. The man didn’t make any move to stop me from killing him.
So I nod and lower the pistol.
The sounds of grunting and tearing flesh let me know the man behind us is still busily attacking his victim and most likely hasn’t noticed us.
Even with the Enforcer programming running through my system, I shiver at the sounds surrounding me: Gavin’s gasping breaths. The thunder of my heartbeat. The ripping of flesh. And, making it all worse, the man’s rasping voice as he sings.
We turn slowly so our backs are pressed against the wall and then shuffle sideways down the hall, hoping the man tearing the woman to pieces won’t see us. But just when we get behind the man, he stops.
We immediately do the same.
He slowly turns, so he’s facing us, then tilts his head to the side, watching us.
A shiver runs down my spine, and Gavin’s breath catches. I tighten my grip on the pistol, preparing to raise and fire if need be.
“It is my privilege to follow Mother’s orders. We don’t question Mother.” Then he leaps toward us and I have no time to think before I’m raising the gun and squeezing the trigger. A ball of blue light emits from the gun and the man in front of me bursts into flames.
Before I can even think, I’m already turning and dragging Gavin along behind me. We rush down the hallway until we get to another junction that’s lit on both sides. The state of the hall is evidence that those two Guards are just the first of many.
I skid to a stop and spin around to face Gavin.
“Grab the plasma pistol. It has less of a kick and will be easier to handle.”
“You think there’s more of those … things?” he asks, and although I’m sure he’s scared—I would be if not for my training—his eyes don’t waver from mine.