Revolution (Collide, #4)(76)

I laughed, even if this situation. I shook my head. "You know I never know what you're saying."

"I know." He grinned. "Let's give this mongrel mob what for, eh?"

"That I understand." He hugged me halfway and pounded my back. "Good to know you, man."

"Pig's arse!" he argued. "Don’t act like we ain't coming back. It'll all be apples, mate."

I patted him on the back, too. We turned to the war and ran. Miguel's battle cry was a starting point for them all and we ran and yelled. They thought we were an easy target, but we weren't going out without a fight, no matter how bleak.

Some time later, we had compelled them, staked them, been slammed into trees, been slammed into each other, Marissa had them staking themselves and each other, Calvin was flaming them as Ryan protected his back, Rylee was using the balloon bombs and Miguel was stabbing them with his iron rod while shooting at the Markers in the sky. The explosives we had had been dispatched and every bullet fired.

But it wasn't enough.

We’d taken a beating. Everyone was spent and wounded somewhere. I'd been shot in the foot by a Lighter who'd stolen Danny's gun. Danny got a tire iron into the Lighter's back for it, but it made it almost impossible to keep going. Though I tried, it wasn't just me that was barely hanging on.

They corralled us, a bloody beaten mess, into a tight circle and what was left of them stood around us. All the Graphters had survived and there was enough of the others left to make me know what fate was coming.

One Graphter in particular seemed to be the silent leader of the rest. He walked back and forth and repeated the process several times before he spoke. "I can imagine you know why we're here."

"I'm so hot you can't stay away?" Miguel goaded. That earned him a kick in the gut. Rylee glared at the thing and helped Miguel sit up.

"Your little stunt with the video tape." He laughed as if he were aggravated. "We worked really hard to make sure everything was right and all lined up. And in one fell swoop, you destroyed all the compulsion to an entire state and started a riot that will only destroy the people and the town. You shot yourselves in the foot, it would seem." He grinned at me, his black teeth shining. "No pun intended, Keeper."

I huffed. "None taken, Graphter. You can keep your jokes. I'm not really in the mood."

"But this is what you wanted!" he yelled and smiled. "You wanted the world to be free of compulsion! You wanted us to know the rebels meant business. You wanted us to know this was your town. Well, we know and here we are to congratulate you on a job…piss poorly done. You get an 'A' for effort, but an 'F' for execution."

"Get on with it," Jeff growled. "We don't need to banter with you. Just do whatever it is that you're going to do."

"Well, we're going to kill you," he stated matter-of-factly. "But we have a few things to discuss first. One being this." He yanked Lillian up. My mouth fell open. She'd snuck out somehow. I hadn't even known she was out here with us. I saw Simon beside her and knew he'd been helping her. He would feel responsible to her for Cain. "For two, I've met our traitor, now you can meet yours."

Piper walked up from the back of the pack. She shaved her head mostly, leaving only a little black stubble. She smiled at us. I didn't even question the hows or whys. It just didn't matter anymore.

"We found her where you had deserted her in your hideout. We offered her a place if she helped us look for you. She was so close to this place several times," he mused and looked around. "But she's been very instrumental in our pursuits. She followed you home last night and came to tell us. But then you pulled your little stunt, so we were….delayed in coming for our visit. And we won't be killing your women." He grinned at Lillian and she looked as if she might slap him. "We'll be keeping them for our…pleasure."

Then she did slap him. It was the slap heard round the dustbowl. He stared in shock and then his face melted into anger. He let her arm go and lifted his arms as if to smite her in some way, but then a Lighter was blown back and toppled into him, sending him flying with him. A boom resounded to our side.

Cain was huffing his breaths like he'd ran. And I guessed he had. He ran on the other side of our group and engulfed Lillian, even as the Graphter got up and came his way for more. She gripped onto him and we waited.

His steps shook us and his anger was a tangible thing. It filled our lungs and let us know he was done with his banter. Cain raised his hand again, but stopped. "Dang. Forgot you're some kind of freak that can't be blown to bits."

"True. I'm immune to your abilities. But you aren't immune to mine." He clapped his hands and we all covered our ears and groaned. Cain had been the closest. When he pulled his hands back, a small trail of blood was making its way from his ear down his neck.

The Graphter then pulled Chesser up from the ground. He held him up by his neck, his feet dangling under him, and said, "I also have other gifts you have yet to see. Until now."

Then he pressed his hand to Chesser's chest and we watched as his skin became ashen. Impossible! The Graphter was absorbing him!

"Stop him!" I heard from behind us and twirled around in a blur to see for myself that Sherry had changed her mind about coming. And, oh…no! No! She had Lily with her. She yelled again, "Stop him! Chesser's going to be the new Taker!"