Retaliation (The Mind Breaker Book 2) Read online

  I notice movement off to my left and turn to take a quick look. The little blond girl with the doll-like face struggles to crawl. Her mouth gapes open and blood pours down her chin into the dirt. Her neck is a mess. The bullet must have slammed into her throat, but she has somehow managed to survive. I can’t carry her and Jack at the same time. I have to choose.

  I almost drop Jack, when suddenly Frank appears. He grabs the girl and scoops her up from the ground in one motion. Then he takes off climbing up the hill. I follow behind with Jack, bullets slamming all around us. Jessie and Victor continue covering us, but they won’t be able to hold the guards back forever.

  I drag Jack up the hill, stumbling frequently on the soft clay. He’s limping and can barely use his left leg. We’re moving painfully slowly, making little progress. I’m gasping for air. My head is spinning. I’m about to black out, when Victor approaches and grabs Jack, adding support from the other side. Then we’re pushing through dense greenery, tearing through the brush and tall grass. The guards are still right behind us. They begin shooting again, and the bullets cut down thin branches overhead, sending bark flying off the trees. We drop to the ground a few times, then get back on our feet. It’s getting dark quickly, which is a good thing. We change direction, hoping to lose the pursuit.

  I look hopefully at Victor, but he shakes his head negatively. He must have tried to hypnotize them, but failed. This is shocking. Victor can hypnotize whomever he wants, no matter what level of resistance he faces. Not this time.

  Who the heck are they? I ask myself. Where has Elimination found such strong breakers?

  We head deeper into the woods. Victor and I help Jack walk. Frank is still carrying the wounded girl. She’s silent and motionless now, her body sagging in his arms. Jessie follows behind, ready to shoot any guard coming in sight.

  After a couple of miles, we have to take a short break. We’re too exhausted and need a rest. I stop, dropping Jack to the ground. He groans and I shush him to keep quiet, listening for the guards. We might have lost them, although I don’t really believe it. Victor passes me a bottle of warm water and I drink greedily, but it doesn’t bring any relief. The humid air is thick like a sticky syrup. My face is wet and clothing is covered in mud and Jack’s blood.

  Frank is checking the wound of the little girl. I already know it’s fatal. She’s lost way too much blood. The girl wakes suddenly and moves her lips, trying to say something. A gulping, hissing sounds come out from her throat. It hurts to hear. She turns her head, looking around in panic, then her frantic eyes meet mine. Large tears begin rolling down her face.

  I approach, take her hand and say softly, “It’s all right. You’ll be okay.”

  “I’m sorry,” the girl manages to mutter.

  Blood pulses out of her neck as she coughs.

  “Easy, easy,” I whisper, pressing my palm against her wound in a desperate attempt to slow down her bleeding. It’s not working very well.

  “I’m so sorry,” she repeats, wincing from pain. “We’ve failed you.”

  “Everything is fine,” I say. “You’ll be fine.”

  I’m not sure whether I want to convince her or myself. The girl keeps looking at me till the very last moment, when her eyes gloss over and she stops breathing.

  Not again, I think, not again.

  I picture little Lena dying in my arms. My throat clenches and I want to throw up. Instead, I close the girl’s eyelids and look over at Jessie.

  “Jess,” I say. “We have to go back down.”

  She understands instantly.

  “Wheeler,” Jessie whispers through clinched teeth.

  I nod. Somehow, we almost forgot why we’d come. We have to capture Wheeler, and I’m not leaving without him.

  “You can’t go back,” Frank whispers. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’m not going back,” Victor says. “No way.”

  “It’s all right, guys,” I say. “You two take Jack to the aircraft. Jess and I will go back together.”

  I have no doubts about Jessie’s willingness to return for Wheeler. She hates him as much as I do. Right after our escape, we made an unspoken agreement to find and kill him, no matter what it takes.

  “All right then,” Jessie says. “Let’s do it.”

  Frank, Victor and Jack watch us leave. They don’t say anything further.

  ***

  Jessie and I hike back through the woods, moving toward the road. The two trucks must be still there. I know they haven’t left yet. Flashlights slice through the darkness like sharp knives. Elimination officers are searching for us, occasionally getting dangerously close. We stop and wait, unmoving. Night has fallen and it’s hard to see anything. After the officers walk past, we proceed slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible.

  My thoughts keep wandering back to the images of the dead recruits sprawled across the ground. I envision them falling down again and again. The darkness, heat and endless staggering through the woods wear me out. I get the feeling I’m back in prison, walking through long passages and stepping over bodies on the floor. I can smell blood and death in the air.

  We make it half way back to the road before it finally hits me. All this time I haven’t fully realized what’s happened. Now I do.

  “Jess,” I whisper. “They’re all dead.”

  Jessie looks at me for a moment, then groans quietly.

  “Yeah,” she says. “It’s very heartbreaking. So do you need to sit down and cry over them? Because right now isn’t a really good time.”

  She turns away, proceeding down the trail. I follow. Jessie’s right. There’s nothing we can do to help those kids. We must focus all our energy on capturing Wheeler now.

  The woods become quiet. No flashlights break the darkness. I begin to hope that the officers have lost us. Then a small noise catches my attention, making me slow down. I stop and look back, staring into the dark. Jessie walks on ahead, not noticing my predicament. I continue standing still and listening. I don’t know what I expect to see.

  “Rex,” I hear Kitty’s voice calling. “Help me.”

  “Kitty?” I whisper in astonishment.

  She can’t be here, can she? Something doesn’t feel right. My mind is numb and can’t process the information it’s receiving. I’m getting disoriented and confused.

  “Help me!” Kitty screams.

  I walk toward the sound of her voice, swaying as if intoxicated. A few times I even bump into trees, having not noticed them. My senses are completely focused on her pleading voice. Something’s not right, I continue thinking. Kitty is back in the Retaliation camp right now and can’t possibly be in these woods.

  Yet there she is, standing in front of me, her pale face smeared in blood. She’s definitely hurt. I freeze, not quite believing my eyes. She reaches out a hand for me.

  “Help me,” Kitty’s voice sounds inside my head. Her lips aren’t moving. She doesn’t even open her mouth to speak.

  This obvious flaw snaps me back to reality. I understand this is just a phantom, an illusion implanted into my mind. Somebody has hypnotized me. I remember this numbing feeling of confusion, a desire to comply even against my own will.

  Kitty disappears. I look closely into the place where she was standing a second before. It’s empty now. I shiver, still not completely sure if she was real or not. The same instant, a dry branch cracks behind me. I turn and see an Elimination officer approaching, taser gun in hand. I dodge quickly to the side as he fires. The barbed needles fly past, just missing. I charge into him, slamming the butt of my rifle into his face. I could have shot him, but the sound of gunshot would certainly attract unwanted attention. I need to keep everything as quiet as I can. The officer falls and I drop on top of him, continuing to pound the rifle into the back of his skull.

  His body convulses once more, then he’s still. I check for a pulse. Nothing.

  “Mom! Dad!” I hear Jessie calling loudly.

  She’s running toward me, not really s
eeing. Her eyes are open wide, but her expression totally insane. I’ve never seen Jessie like this before.

  I realize the officers will be here within seconds.

  I manage to grab her and pull her to the ground. Jessie pushes me away, snarling and repeating, “I need to save my parents! I have to save them!”

  “Your parents are gone,” I say, holding her tightly. “Elimination killed them. Remember?”

  For a second she stops wrestling.

  “Jess, shake it off,” I whisper. “I need you. I can’t capture Wheeler alone.”

  Heavy footsteps are already coming toward us, flashlights flickering between the trees.

  “Darn, it felt so real,” Jessie growls. Her eyes become sane. “We need to get out of here.”

  I help her up and we flee deeper into the woods. The officers are right behind us. We can hear their voices.

  “Get after them! Don’t let them get away!” somebody commands.

  They don’t fire their weapons and I become even more certain Elimination wants to capture me alive. We keep moving as quickly as we can, pushing through overgrown brush and sometimes slipping in the mud. I’m out of breath. My head is swirling. The flashlights and voices continue tracking us.

  After several minutes, we come to a creek and drop low into the shallow water, hiding in tall reeds growing on the sides. The officers pass closely by, only several feet away. Nobody notices our presence. Cautiously, we walk in the opposite direction, putting some distance between us and our pursuers, then double back toward the road.

  We soon arrive at the hill, crawl up and can see the Elimination trucks clearly now. Four guards patrol the area and dead bodies occupy one side of the road. Jessie takes a position on top of the hill, covering me as I descend. I approach the trucks slowly, concealing myself in a thicket in front of the road.

  Jessie fires off a few rounds, bringing two officers down. As the other two return fire, I come around from behind. I shoot them down before they realize what’s happening. Then I run toward the trucks, searching for Wheeler. Somebody is hiding in the back of one truck. I climb inside, aiming the barrel into the darkness. A man cries out in surprise and fires a gun. The bullet makes a nice round hole in the canvas wall near me. I pull the trigger, shooting his hand. He cries out again, dropping his weapon.

  “Carrel,” I growl in fury. For a moment I think I’m going to kill him. He crawls away, trembling and muttering something. I slam the butt of my rifle into his head. “Where’s Wheeler?”

  “He’s not here,” Carrel answers. “He’s back at the Elimination headquarters.”

  I somehow understand he’s telling the truth. My visions were totally fake. I can’t capture and kill Wheeler today. All those recruits have died for nothing. And there’s only me to blame.

  For a few seconds I don’t know what to do. I just stand motionless, sinking in disappointment and anger. Then I grab the collar of Carrel’s shirt and drag him out of the truck, leading into the woods. He makes incoherent noises. I smack his head, “Shut up.”

  As we approach Jessie, she stares at Carrel in surprise. I shortly explain everything.

  “Damn it!” Jessie exclaims. “I can’t believe Wheeler got away again.”

  We have to get out of here. The remaining officers have heard the gunfire and are now in pursuit. Jessie is breaking trail ahead of me. I’m following, leading Carrel by his collar. He holds his injured hand, blood spilling onto his pants. Once he attempts to call for help and I punch him in the face, breaking his nose.

  “Keep quiet,” I command. “One more sound and you’re dead.”

  I actually want Carrel to scream and give me a reason to kill him. I picture myself beating him to death. Carrel most likely realizes very well what will happen should he resist, because he becomes silent and walks ahead. I should keep him alive. Hopefully he knows the location of the Death Camp and can lead me to Wheeler.

  Somebody is approaching. We stop, ready to fire our weapons.

  “Don’t shoot, it’s us.”

  I see Victor and Frank supporting a nearly unconscious Jack.

  “What the hell?” Jessie asks. “You were supposed to wait for us back at the aircraft.”

  “The aircraft has already left,” Victor reports calmly. “We can’t get out of here.”

  Chapter 4

  We wander through the woods for hours, changing direction and hiding in the dark. Additional Elimination officers are looking for us now. I don’t know where they’ve come from. Those two trucks couldn’t have brought them all. Several Elimination helicopters arrive and relentlessly circle above, their searchlights slicing between the trees.

  “There was no aircraft waiting when we got back,” Victor continues. “Only a bunch of Elimination officers with rifles. We barely got away.”

  “Hammer,” Frank says angrily. “He must have commanded the aircraft to leave. He wishes us dead. At least one of us,” he adds, looking directly at me.

  “You two shut up and keep walking,” I command, concerned that our pursuers may hear them speak.

  Putting some distance between ourselves and Elimination is the only option left. We don’t have any particular destination. There was no backup plan in case the aircraft left without us. We just have to escape these woods, keep going, and hope for the aircraft to return.

  The air is warm and filled with moisture. I get the sensation of walking underwater. All sounds seem muffled and any movement requires twice the effort. My head is aching and I definitely need a break.

  The others aren’t doing much better. We’re all exhausted, hungry and about to fall apart. Jack’s injured leg is still bleeding. Frank has to carry him, slowing us down considerably. And on top of everything else we have to watch out for Carrel in case he decides to cry out for help again.

  Noises from behind alert us that the Elimination officers continue to follow. It feels somehow surreal, like some sort of wicked game which never ends.

  When our aircraft finally returns at dawn, we can hardly stand. It hovers above us and begins descending, crashing down through branches and attracting as much attention as possible. Our pursuers are getting closer. I hear voices nearby followed by a blast of gunfire. Several men in camo come running toward us, yelling something. They fire their rifles as they run, holding the Elimination officers back. I don’t recognize them.

  “Come on!” somebody shouts.

  No time to think or hesitate.

  We sprint toward the aircraft, avoiding the line of fire. A man in camo helps carry a now unconscious Jack. I push Carrel ahead, repeating, “Go, go, go!” Just behind, the space fills with bursts of automatic rifle fire, screams and heavy footsteps. I don’t look back. I just sprint toward the open door of the aircraft as fast as I can.

  Against all odds, we somehow make it back to the aircraft, climb inside and fall onto the floor in exhaustion. The door closes as the aircraft slowly ascends.

  Somebody hands me a bottle of water and I drink half, splashing the rest on my face. Then I look around and see a furious Hammer standing in front of me, his arms crossed on his chest and eyes glaring. I finally recognize the guys in camo standing behind him. They’re Roger’s people, mostly criminals who had escaped from prison along with us. Now they’re members of Retaliation as well.

  “What the hell happened?” Hammer growls. “Where’s the rest of your squad?”

  “All gone,” I answer wearily. My head is still dizzy from the long run and I’m out of breath.

  “Great,” Hammer says spitefully. “Great job, Rex.”

  “Why did the aircraft leave?” Jessie asks.

  “You already know why,” Hammer answers. “Elimination officers attacked them right after you left. They had to get out of there. That’s all there is to it.”

  “How did you find us?” I ask.

  “Well, I realized that you were in big trouble and made every telepath in Retaliation search for you,” Hammer says. “Kitty finally determined where to pick you up.”
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  Kitty has saved our lives, I think suddenly. I often forget she’s a strong telepath too.

  “What happened?” Hammer repeats his question. I explain and he begins yelling, “I knew you were hiding something from me! Your visions were fake and you didn’t warn me about it. Congratulations on leading all those recruits into a trap, Rex. Their deaths are on you.”

  “It wouldn’t have happened, if you stopped sending kids on missions,” I answer. “They weren’t ready for this.”

  “They were ready enough,” he says. “I have to save my best soldiers for the future war. Besides, you didn’t seem to mind risking their lives while you were withholding information from everybody.”

  I want to deny his accusation, but Hammer is right. I was ready to endanger the lives of all the recruits as long as I could capture Wheeler. Hatred and the desire for vengeance blinded me, allowing us to fall into a trap.

  I look at Jack lying motionless on the floor. He has lost plenty of blood, but I feel no sympathy. If Jack hadn’t led the recruits to attack without my order, they wouldn’t have been killed.

  “Why didn’t you and Victor hypnotize the guards in those trucks?” Hammer asks.

  “They were stronger breakers than us,” I answer.

  “Stronger than you two?”

  I nod.

  “How is that even possible?” he says in astonishment. “What the hell is going on around here? Well, at least you managed to capture this Elimination rat.” Hammer smiles, looking at Dr. Carrel. “Hopefully, he has some answers for us.”

  ***

  When we arrive back at the camp, half the Retaliation members are waiting outside. They whistle and clap their hands, greeting us as if we’re some kind of heroes. Some even fire their rifles into the air. I expect to see Kitty in the crowd, but she didn’t bother to come.