All American Rejects (Users #3) (15 page)

He couldn't move. He was trapped. Maybe this was hell after all.

Then the door opened.

"You're awake finally," Alaric said.

"This...is...hell," Carter croaked upon seeing Alaric. He had died and gone to hell, and the devil had put Alaric here to torture him for eternity. "Am I dead?"

"What?" Alaric asked, but quickly continued. "Never mind that. You're going to be okay."

Carter's mind began to clear and he realized he was in a hospital bed of some sort. This all white room, it was a hospital room.

"But...how?" Carter asked.

"You lost consciousness while you were still in the air, but Bobby caught you," Alaric said.

"How?"

Alaric looked at him like he was a stupid asshole. "He's a Mover." And he offered no more explanation than that.

"How long have I been out?" Carter asked.

"Three weeks."

"Three weeks?" Carter would of scrunched his face up in confusion if he could have moved a single muscle. As it was, he could barely get his lips open to talk. He was bandaged up from almost head to toe in wraps, casts, and braces. He must have looked like a mummy. His arm and leg on his left side were elevated in slings for a reason he could not discern. Perhaps they were both broken, perhaps not, it didn't really matter. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Yes, you haven't just been out. You've been in a coma. We didn't know if you were ever going to come out of it," Alaric said.

"Where am I?" Carter asked.

"You're at my facility. Inside the base of the All Americans. More specifically in the recovery wing. It's the only place where a User with your special needs can get the kind of care you needed."

Carter tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't budge.

"Why can't I move," Carter asked. Suddenly, panic welled up inside of him. "Am I paralyzed?"

"No, but you have sustained many injuries. You're strapped in for your own safety. It's going to be a few more weeks until you can even sit up," Alaric said. "Just relax. My people will take care of everything."

Alaric turned and grabbed the handle on the door. "By the way, I had my on staff doctor take the liberty of refilling your prescriptions. I'll have the nurse drop by shortly to deliver them to you."

"No thanks," Carter said. "I don't need them anymore."

"Suit yourself."

"Alaric," Carter said.

Alaric peered over his shoulder at him. "Yeah?"

"Thank you," Carter said.

"No, Carter. Thank you." Alaric closed the door behind him.

Only a few seconds passed before the door swung wide again and in popped Barber and Ryker.

"Look who decided to wake up," Barber said. "It's the hero."

"The hero?"

"Yeah, man. You're all over the news. They're calling you a superhero," Barber said.

"How?"

"Alaric," Ryker said. "He came clean about the whole thing. The government is denying any knowledge of it, but the media is in a frenzy."

"It sounds like the All Americans could lose their funding, but Alaric said he doesn't care anymore," Barber said.

Carter was in disbelief. He never imagined that Alaric would risk a position he so coveted in the name of the truth.

"What are you two doing here?" Carter asked. Ryker and Barber exchanged a glance.

"We're staying here," Ryker said. "They're put us up just down the hall from you."

"Well actually, we refused to leave without you, so technically they didn't have much choice, but man this place is sweet," Barber said. "They've got an indoor basketball court, a jacuzzi, and everything."

"You going soft on me?" Carter asked.

"Hell no." Barber waved him off as if the idea were ridiculous. "I'm just enjoying it, while it lasts."

"What about you?" Carter asked looking to Ryker.

"I'm just along for the ride. I'm ready to leave as soon as you are."

"In my current condition it looks like that might be awhile," Carter said.

"We're just glad you're going to be okay," Barber said. "We'll let you get some rest."

*****

A few weeks passed and Carter was already up and walking, even if it was only for a few minutes at a time.

"How's he doing?" Alaric asked as he entered the room where Carter was doing his physical therapy.

"He's doing great," the physical therapist that Carter found particularly enticing said. He had secretly been hoping for the last couple weeks that she would get a case of whatever that syndrome was called when a doctor falls for their patient. Not that he could do anything about it. He doubted he could get a hard-on if his life depended on it. His whole body was one huge bruise, and the last thing he needed was someone bouncing up and down on top of him.

"I'm hanging in there," Carter said, but in truth, he knew he was much farther along than anyone could have possibly hoped. He was getting a case of cabin fever though. He wanted to get back out there, back to his city, and back to the Compound.

"Well it sounds like you'll be out of here in no time," Alaric said as if he were reading Carter's mind.

"Sounds like it."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about actually," Alaric said.

Carter waited for a moment but when Alaric didn't continue he got antsy. "Spit it out."

"I want you to come back to the team," Alaric said, but Carter must have heard him wrong.

Maybe it was brain damage or maybe his ears were broken too, but whatever it was, Alaric couldn't possibly be asking him to be an All American again. He shook his head to clear it.

"This is a serious offer," Alaric said noticing Carter's hesitancy. "This is your chance to be apart of something again."

"I know what you did. I know you came clean, and I appreciate that, but I'm already apart of something," Carter said. "I've got to go back to the Compound."

"I don't think you heard me right," Alaric said. "You've changed over the past few years. You're not the same junkie you were when you left the team. You could be an All American again. Something to be proud of."

Alaric hadn't changed a bit.

"That's the problem," Carter said. "I am still the same junkie I have always been and I always will be. I'm just dealing with it differently than I used to. And besides, the Compound needs me. It's time to rebuild and move forward. I am incredibly proud of my Compound. And grateful for the opportunity to help others, this is my purpose."

Alaric let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "Well, if you ever change your mind, my offer will aways stand. You have got an open invitation to join us whenever you'd like."

"Thanks, but I won't be taking you up on that," Carter said and turned to see Ryker and Barber watching through the rehab room's large window.

Epilogue

Carter swung the hammer, missed the nail, and slammed the hammer's head right on his thumb.

"Son of a bitch!" He threw the hammer across the yard. "God damn it!"

"What's wrong now?" Ryker asked.

"Aw, nothing. I smashed my damn thumb with the hammer again."

"Act like you've done this before," Ryker teased.

"I have. I used to be a framer back in the day. I'm just rusty is all." Carter sucked on his thumb like a toddler. He leaned up against the freshly cut railing of the new deck they were installing on the back of the big house. The whole yard smelled of freshly cut cedar. Saws buzzed across the property and the hammering of nails being pounded into wood rang out across the grounds as dozens of Users worked in unison to put the Compound together again.

"Place is looking good," Barber said as he approached the deck.

"It doesn't look like it used to," Carter said.

"It's just newer. Layout's still the same. You got the big house, the cabins, and the same old fire pit."

"The fire pit was about the only thing that didn't need to be rebuilt," Carter said.

"True, but it's not about the structure, it's about the people that are a part of it," Barber said.

Carter looked out at all the new faces. Users had come from all around the Northwest when word got out that the Compound was being rebuilt and was in need of fresh recruits. Some even came from as far as Montana.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a smart kid," Carter said.

"I know huh? I just said some profound shit," Barber said.

"Yeah, but don't get used to it," Ryker said. "It'll probably be another twenty years before he says anything that intelligent again."

"Oh, screw you," Barber said. Ryker didn't wait for Barber to pounce. He dropped an ice sheet under Barber's feet that sent him slipping onto his ass.

"Hey, no powers!" Barber shouted.

Ryker threw Carter a smug grin and Carter couldn't help but laugh.

"We're going to help a lot of people," Carter said.

"You bet your ass we are," Ryker agreed.

Carter couldn't help but nod in silent affirmation as his gaze surveyed the Compound.

Thanks for sticking with us through all three books in this trilogy. I don't exactly know what comes next for Carter and his friends, but you can bet it's going to be exciting. We're looking to expand the Users universe and possibly feature other characters in their own stories that don't revolve around Carter, but don't worry, you can be sure that he will make an appearance in any Users book. Just make sure you sign up for our list, so you can get all the latest on what we've got coming up. If you're a fan of superhero fiction or action adventure fiction in general, you're not going to want to miss what we've got coming up next.

Again, thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book please leave a review. If you didn't enjoy it, you can also leave a review, but if you're just a hateful bastard, drink a nice cool glass of hateraide and simmer the fuck down. It's just a book.

A word from the author- Hey guys! Thanks for reading my crazy little tale about an addict with super powers. I wanted to take a moment and talk about all the drugs in this book. As a recovering addict myself, I think I am in a unique position to bring a realism to Carter and this story in general that most authors would simply not be able to. I've got over six years sober and going strong.

Recovery is no joke and my intention with this book was not to make light of the subject. Heroin abuse nearly ruined my life, but I was able to bounce back with a strong support system and lots of therapy. So please don't think I'm making fun of NA or AA or any of the great organizations out there that help recovering addicts. My intention was to write a story about what its like for a real recovering addict. All the normal human emotions you see Carter go through are real life emotions I have personally felt. I really poured my heart and soul into this book. I'm pretty sure that's what all authors do, but this book was almost like therapy for me. If you're an addict or a recovering addict or have been affected by an addict, know that it/you/they can get better.

That's it. I just wanted to say a little something before I go.

Thanks,

Stacy Buck 2015

You can email me at [email protected] to sign up for our emailing list. If you sign up for our emailing list I will be sending out free copies of our next book for review before the book is released.

Come on you know you loved this book and want to read more of Carter's adventures. Just email me already!

Oh, and for those of you that enjoyed this installment of Users, get ready for lots more to come. Users is going to be the premier Prime Evil Publishing series with many sequels, spin off books for characters like Barber, Alaric, and a super hero team book featuring the All Americans. First I've got to finish Clockwork Wings Book 2, look for it in early 2015.

You can check out more books from Stacy and Jenn like our alternate history horror series Squanto Undead: Wake the Undead the Collected Edition available now from all major book retailers.

http://www.amazon.com/Squanto-Undead-Collected-Alternate-History-ebook/dp/B00H8I2NH0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408468861&sr=8-2&keywords=squanto+undead

Or our steampunk Greek Mythology series Clockwork Wings: the Chronicles of Icarus the Collected Edition available now!

http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Wings-Chronicles-Icarus-Collected-ebook/dp/B00MLISH4U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414989185&sr=8-2&keywords=clockwork+wings

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Author Bio- Stacy & Jennifer Buck are a husband and wife writing duo born and raised just outside Seattle, Washington. Having known one another since they were just kids, they have the ability to play of the others strengths and weaknesses to write beyond what they could alone. Shortly after marrying they began writing their first series Squanto Undead, and have since finished multiple projects together. They live outside Seattle with their five kids, two cats, and one dog.

The following is an excerpt from Clockwork Wings Book 1-

Icarus soared. Higher and higher he went until the pit of his stomach sank to his feet. The air blasting past his ears was deafening, but he didn't slow. The gears were a chorus of ticks and clanks as hundreds of metal teeth spun in an interlocking web of torque and rotation.

A saw buzzed overhead, its serrated edges narrowly shaving the hair from his skull. They were almost upon him. The turbine strapped to his chest vibrated violently as he pushed the wings to their limit. Wisps of steam turned into a billowing stream of cotton white exhaust that poured from his brassy tailpipes.