ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 42

━━─── • ───━━━

• Luna •

Noah Clark didn't have any more information, and Luna didn't think the guy would live long when she walked out of the house.

And he didn't.

She realized he died when Zander brought out Zain in his orange blanket. After seeing Zain's face, she closed her eyes and followed Selena.

Luna couldn't hear Amir, but she knew he was there. He comforted her. "What they did to Zain was horrible."

"Yes, it was," Amir said.

"I know we hadn't known him as long as Zander and Selena, but he wasn't that bad." Her eyelashes were damp. "Zain was nice and could brighten a room, you know?"

"Yeah. It's too bad he couldn't eat his lasagna." Amir tightened his grasp on her hand. "Let's go. Selena is getting ready to say goodbye to him."

Amir led them to Greer and Liberty. Luna took a deep breath. No one had strolled near the other bodies. They stood behind a cottage beside a granite bench.

None of them discussed or confirmed Noah's allegations. She didn't think anyone was thinking about it as Zander and Greer elevated their palms and connected into their energy. Amir joined. Luna followed.

No one spoke, no one mourned Zain, and no mark was left. A small patch of scorched dirt and a deep silence lingered.

Zander had said earlier that Zain asked to be cremated after he died, and now Zain's brother was carrying out his last wish.

If Zain were here, there would be no silence. He would laugh about Zander and Amir's new friendship. Selena said he was kind and didn't deserve to die. No one should die like that.

Luna only thought Zain hadn't seen it coming. There wasn't any pain. He took a breath and then didn't, which she acknowledged was a sign of comfort. As Selena mentioned, it wasn't fair or right because he was a genuine person.

Her tears and the moisture on her face mixed.

She had no idea how long they stayed until Zander spoke. "I know it's late, but we all need to get out before more of them come." He sighed at Selena. "We'll lead you guys out of the Chicago area, away from any outposts, and then you can be on your way."

• • •

Because there was no time to shower or change, the six of them crowded into two new vehicles parked behind the Explorer and Zander's car. A four-door Sedan and a Jeep Cherokee that were older models.

Greer drove the Jeep with Luna and Liberty in the backseat. Amir was in the passenger seat. Selena and Zander hopped into the Sedan. Sitting near her sister felt odd. Now Luna had three people instead of two.

While following Zander, the house looked ominous.

Zain should be here.

He shouldn't be ashes.

She leaned her cheek against the cool window, draped in a blanket she snatched from the upstairs bedroom. Her jeans were sticky in some places and tight in others. She was dirty, but she was alive.

They all were.

She repeated Noah's claims. A deadly outbreak threatened people. She remembered how Liberty looked when she was unconscious in the hospital center. A pharmaceutical injection changed the way she behaved? A doctor stopped her from changing?

Luna acknowledged Noah's statements. That her sister was also involved in a research program that had made them so destructive that a centuries-old criminal organization had tracked people down. That she and Liberty would always be linked to them and hidden in civilization, only to be awoken and fulfill their diabolical purpose.

Their transitions failed. These experiments differed.

She felt . . . bad. She didn't know what she was capable of, and she kept thinking of the Trojans they'd seen destroy towns and communities worldwide when they were triggered. Luna would never forget those screen images at the base.

She inhaled deeply, trying to forget. She and her sister would survive this, fighting for their lives with others.

After saying goodbye to Zander and Selena, the four of them agreed to go to Louisiana and fool Dr. Kim into thinking Liberty was still on BARDA's side. Luna hated this scheme but hoped it would work.

Amir and Greer's fighting and some highways made the trip to New Orleans more complicated than the trip to Chicago. They argued so much that Greer insisted Amir drive.

When dawn broke, Luna knew not to look into the vehicles, but Liberty did. She gasped when she saw her sister sitting quietly and stared out the window at the destruction.

She sympathized and understood Liberty's tears. Luna thought of more pleasant things when they reached the cities near New Orleans and closer to her home.

It was now game time.

After exiting the Interstate in Kenner, Luna's heart started thumping like a warrior. This small area of the country seemed to have been spared from global events. Yet, the main freeway was clear. The walkways were empty. Despite a few cars, no one was out.

Greer whispered "Crap" when Amir sped into the nearest lane to get them to their destination. "They're everywhere."

Luna didn't need clarification of that. He was referring to other superhumans, particularly those who support BARDA.

Amir reached behind him and took her hand. Even though he was quiet, she knew he felt the same way. She smiled even more when Liberty turned to look at her with a blank expression and tight lips.

"It's going to be okay. I can feel the others, especially those who brought me to Illinois. I'm with you guys," Liberty said. "This plan will work."

Luna hoped. They were in enemy territory, so someone would discover them soon. They may know they are on open roads.

The military and their allies would arrive sometime later. Their group was deliberately going into a nest, which meant that everything could go wrong, very quickly. Liberty had to persuade agents inside of BARDA to get close to their leader. Luna sincerely hoped her sister wouldn't swap sides at the last second.

She worried for Amir, too, despite her overreaction. She felt a shadow in her heart, a nagging notion, and a slight pit in her gut because he had taken the organization's side before. They brainwashed him.

This whole operation could fail.

They had to be extra careful with their next move.

After they reached the turnoff Luna hadn't seen in a while, she leaned over and put her right hand on Liberty's shoulder. She coughed while the Jeep climbed the path. Reeds and dense grass covered the area. Since the world was facing a superhuman apocalypse, she didn't complain that no one cared about gardening. Any other alternative was out of the question.

Once they approached her driveway, Greer moved behind the wheel so Amir could climb out and unlock the gate Luna had urged Chase to install for them. Her stomach churned just thinking about him. He was still out there, experimenting with the globe one territory at a time.

Greer stopped at the shed, and Liberty touched the door handle. "What's going on?" Luna asked.

"I know it's risky, but I have to get out here," Liberty said. "This is my stop."

Luna shook her head. "No. We stick together."

"If you want this plan to work, we can't." Liberty glanced at a row of towering trees in the morning sun. "I told Dr. Kim I'd bring you to your house and meet them a few yards away from it. I can chat to him privately, and he'll think I'm still with them." She trembled and sighed when she said the last word.

Luna shook her head again and faced her. "I will not let you do that. Stay with us."

"Please let me do this, Luna. I'll be okay," Liberty insisted. "The serums are still running in my body. I feel them."

Luna paused when she knew there was nothing she could say to stop her sister. "Okay," she replied. "We will keep an eye out for you. Stay safe. We'll run back out here if anything should happen."

Liberty took Luna's hand and smiled. "Don't worry about me."

"After you go inside, Luna, I'll come out here with Liberty," Greer said.

Luna hugged her sister and closed the back door. Ten heartbeats later, the Jeep was just a few feet away from the garage. When they drove closer, she gasped once she spotted her old Range Rover parked on the right side of the house.

But that wasn't the only car parked there.

On the other side of the porch, a red Prius sat next to the wooden swing that swayed in the breeze.

"Um . . ." Luna mumbled, her heart beating. Both cars looked like they were in good shape and had been well taken care of. Repainted, waxed, and cleaned. Not a speck of dirt could be seen.

She looked at Amir.

"You don't own that car?" he asked.

Luna slowly shook her head.

Greer turned the key in the ignition, cutting the engine while she gazed at the flower box that surrounded the porch. She and everyone else were fighting against a corrupt organization, so there were more weeds than plants. No one had taken care of the yard in months.

Luna gasped at Sarah's old playhouse close to the stairs. Her daughter once dressed up and had tea parties with her dolls on Saturday mornings.

She shivered as she removed her seat belt.

Was anyone living in her home? Did they notice the Jeep pull up? Would someone answer the door? Or was BARDA already there?

Her head was spinning with questions.

She struggled to breathe. From their plans, Liberty would be in charge, and they didn't need Luna to dash into her house unprepared. She wanted to know whether anyone was inside.

If someone was living in her house, Luna wouldn't kick them out if they were decent people. They could stay and fight with them if they chose to.

Greer cautiously exited the car. "I'll contact Titus again."

"Defectives are close," Amir whispered, sliding his palm over her shoulder and across her fingers. "They could be inside."

"Why are they in my house?" Luna immediately realized her question was ridiculous because they would be in there for many reasons.

The fear on his face made the small knots in her stomach grow. "After seeing that other car, I know you want to look inside. I understand but stay close to me. We'll walk to the front in a minute, but if something's wrong and I urge you to leave—"

"What could go wrong?"

Amir tilted his head. "Moon . . ."

"A . . ."

He smiled.

"I know," she whispered.

"Remember the tanzanite anklet." It was under the seat so she could throw it on her ankles.

Amir nodded while looking at her. "I'll follow you, and Moon . . ." His gaze intensified. "I apologize if I speak to you or do what I did on Dr. Kim's property."

"I know. Assuming Dr. Kim and the others do something to hypnotize you again."

He chuckled.

"I've got this," she murmured, taking his hand. "I can manage."

Greer took a breath when he spotted Luna staring at him. "What's going on?" she asked.

"There's no signal out here," he said. "I can't tether to anyone, either. All of them must be underground."

Luna lit up at her husband's stare.

Amir inhaled, paused, and nodded. "Let's get this going."

She turned and opened the car door while catching her breath. He reached over her shoulders as he exited the passenger side. She assumed the action signified him exerting control and dominance, yet the weight of his hand felt comforting on her back. He never left her side.

Greer grabbed one of the modified weapons and headed to the front area, where Liberty was dropped off.

Luna gazed at the weeds again after Amir maneuvered them around the two cars. The vines were so heavy that they started climbing up the porch and wrapping around the railings.

She studied the front door.

It was open, and only the glass door was closed. Luna's heart pounded, and she had to push herself to walk carefully while Amir led them. He'd never visited her home before, so this was new for both of them.

The steps groaned beneath their feet, and she stiffened slightly when she heard a familiar sound from a loose board on the porch.

"There are superhumans nearby, and they are not friendly," he whispered. "I can sense them. Their aura is dark."

They might be in the house or the woods. They could have been in the living room, but neither of them knew. Icy goosebumps skated over her body as he placed his arm around her shoulders and opened the door. They entered quietly and were greeted by warmer air and Sarah's play-doh, something Luna missed.

She sighed. Nothing seemed to have changed. She assumed the Amazon boxes and media envelopes by the front door were full of photography gear that had been accumulating for weeks while she was away before the war. She never canceled her online subscriptions.

Luna's slippers and camera bag were close to a large pile of unopened mail. Liberty must have left them there knowing she'd return. Her lower lip quivered, and she was blinking rapidly to stop the tears.

Amir and Luna silently reached the living room. It was quiet. She gazed up the stairs and down the hallway toward the laundry room. She remembered dancing in her stockings and falling one evening, only for Sarah to help her mother. Many memories resurfaced. Everything seemed unreal when the memories poked in good and bad ways. Amir gently squeezed Luna's shoulder while walking through the family room.

"They're close, Moon."

Her heart stopped and then throbbed in her chest.

His grip became stronger when they stopped near the kitchen.

"I . . . I can't sense anybody," she said, gulping.

Then she noticed someone—her mother.

Elizabeth stood at the stove with her back to them, her beautiful brown hair in a perfect bun. She was wearing dark slacks and a floral shirt, unlike the last time Luna saw her. She whimpered wondering how her mother was at her house.

Luna couldn't stop crying.

"Mom?" she gasped.

Elizabeth took a step to the side without turning around. Amir grabbed Luna's elbow, but she immediately jerked her arm away.

"It's okay," Luna said.

"Something is off," he warned.

Her mother finally turned around.

Elizabeth was there, and she was okay.

"Moon!" Amir shouted.

Luna hurried across the room, around the counter, and into her mother's arms in a whirl of sobs that made it difficult for her to see. "Mom."

She breathed Elizabeth's scent to relax.

Suddenly, an arm grabbed her waist and pulled her back against a solid chest. Her mind roamed. Luna was confused. Her feet slid when Amir yanked her away. His arm surrounded her.

"What's going on?" Luna fought around him, not caring that he knew what was going on because her mother was there. How could she ignore the person who gave her life?

"Luna." His voice was so rough when he said her name that it seemed to punch out of him. She stopped.

Luna sniffed as she peered around him. Then she saw her mother.

Her entire world splintered into sharp pieces, shattering her insides and ripping her apart.

Elizabeth's eyes were red.

Depending on her mood, they were normally hazel or green. Now, they were so red that they looked like two streetlights.

Luna shook her head and murmured, "No. It can't be."

Elizabeth faced Amir after glancing at Luna. She tilted her head and smiled coldly. "Hello. How are you?"

No. No. No.

Luna stared at her mom—no, not her mom—and slid from Amir. This wasn't Elizabeth. Her mother didn't recognize them. Elizabeth's chilly, crimson gaze tracked her daughter's every move and curled her lip.

"How?" Luna's voice shattered. As her grief deepened, she could only say that.

She lost her mother. She felt it.

Elizabeth was captured and turned into an empty shell and was changed.

Forever.