Into The Fire (The Ending Series) (41 page)

We entered the house through a sliding glass door leading
from the back patio.

“Zo?” I called out. To my right was a carpeted, slightly
shabby living room, and to my left was an open, outdated kitchen. The house was
single-story, with maybe two or three bedrooms. I didn’t think we’d have to
search for long.

As we entered the second bedroom down the hallway beyond the
living room, Cooper and Jack wagged their tails and barked. They trotted side by
side to the giant mirror on the sliding closet door and whined.

“Good boys,” I said, following them into the room. I
scratched first Jack’s scruff, then Cooper’s, and gave them the hand signal to
lay down—an open hand, palm down—partially out of habit and partially out of
necessity. My Ability was still burned out, which meant I had to rely on good
old-fashioned hand signals.

I glanced over my shoulder, meeting Jason’s eyes. He was
standing just inside the doorway, Jake blocking the opening beside him. “You’re
nulling her, right? I don’t want her to, you know”—I waved my hands back and
forth beside my ears, referring to Zoe’s Ability—“and get freaked out by what
she sees or feels.”

Jason simply nodded. Chris, on the other hand, stepped up
beside me and whispered, “I’ll do what I can to calm her, but I’ve got to touch
her first.”

“Sounds like a plan. Okay, Zo,” I called softly through the mirror.
“I’m going to open the door, so don’t be afraid. There’s another woman here
with me, and a couple dogs, who’re real sweethearts.” I glanced at Chris and
shrugged. “Ready?” I mouthed.

She nodded, and I slowly slid the door open.

36

ZOE

MARCH
23, 1AE

I sat on the hard, creaky bed, almost too scared to move.
Why
did Clara do that to me?
What
did she do?
I set the manila envelope
on the mattress beside me and stared down at my shaking hands. I was on the
brink of tears, but didn’t know why. The tremors in my hands worsened as I
tried to remember something…anything. Watching them tremble escalated the
brewing storm of tears and unease. I did my best to will my hands to be still.
I couldn’t think while I was so scared. But I
was
scared, and I didn’t
understand why.
Dr. Wesley told me that I’d be safe here, at least until my
friends came for me. She saved me,
I told myself.
I can trust her…she
says she’s my mom. It’s not like I have much of a choice…

The sound of multiple voices and heavy footsteps startled
me. Holding my breath, I listened. There were so many footsteps…too many.

I jumped to my feet, frantically scanning the room for a
place to hide. The footsteps were getting closer and the muffled voices louder.
The closet was my only option. I panicked. Plunging into the darkness, I slid
the door shut behind me, hiding my face in my knees and hoping the shadows
would swallow me from sight.

“Zo?” a woman said timidly. I heard hushed voices outside
the closet door and an ear-piercing barking. My fear increased, my heart
beating so loudly in my ears that I couldn’t concentrate on what the voices
were saying.

Before I could think what to do next, the closet door slid
open. I glanced up at the people staring down at me, hoping to feel some sort
of relief at seeing their familiar faces, but there was nothing about them I
recognized.
I know them?
Something about their appalled expressions and
their stillness made me think I did. I studied my hands again, not wanting to
meet their expectant, scrutinizing eyes.

These are my hands,
 I thought. 
They’re
my hands, yet I feel like I’ve never seen them before. 
I balled my
fists, clenching them as hard as I could, and dropped them to my sides. I let
my fingernails jab into my palms. I needed the diversion of physical pain. I
needed a distraction from the horrified, unfamiliar faces that were staring at
me as I huddled in the closet, confused. They were waiting for something.

“…Zoe,” the curly-haired woman with the bruised face said.
She was speaking to me, and I struggled to process her words. She seemed
sad…uncertain. Something about her fire-red hair seemed familiar, but a sharp
pain shot through my skull as I tried to recall why. I winced and reached for
the back of my head, trying to rub the pain away.

“…name is Dani,” she continued, holding one of her hands out
to me. Her other arm was in a sling, and I wondered how she’d injured herself.

I glanced from the redhead’s hand back into her wide, green
eyes. Her eyebrows were pulled together, and her chin quivered a little. She
squatted there, blinking, waiting.

Slowly, I reached for her hand, curiosity winning over any
lingering reluctance. She clutched my fingers lightly in hers with a small
smile and then let my hand go. When she released my hand, she nodded to the
woman crouched beside her and said, “This is Chris.”

Just like Dani had done, Chris held out her hand and waited
for me to meet her halfway. I felt better—less afraid—as soon as my hand
touched hers.

“This is Cooper,” Dani said, interrupting my thoughts. She
was petting the head of a large husky who was lying nearby. “And this”—Dani
turned to the dog sitting beside her—“is Jack.” She held her hand out to him
and he raised his paw, shaking her hand just like I had. I couldn’t help but
smile. I pulled my hand from Chris’s and reached for Jack, but hesitated.

My fear resurfaced, creating a knot in my stomach and
forming a sudden lump in my throat. Chris touched my other hand, and I
immediately felt better.
I like her
, I decided.

“Let’s get you out of there, hmmm?” Dani said. “It smells
like old people in there.” She wrinkled her nose. It was a cute expression, and
I felt my smile grow a little. With the help of the two women, I crawled out of
the closet on shaking legs and stood between them.

The other dog—Cooper—was standing and wagging his tail
excitedly.

“Cooper,” I whispered happily and dropped both women’s hands
to bend down and pet his furry head. I heard a collection of inhales, and the
feel of eyes on me made me self-conscious. I straightened and scanned their
faces.

Dani’s mouth was gaping open. “Zo?”

I felt my face scrunch, and I cocked my head to the side,
unsure if I was supposed to answer her.

“Do you remember us?” The slight chirp in her voice made her
sound hopeful, and I felt a pang of guilt.

I shook my head. When her face fell, I held my breath for a
moment and my eyes shifted around the room. Two large, formidable men were
standing in the doorway. The black-haired man was intimidating. He had
brilliant blue eyes and a bandage crossing his face, and he was scowling. The
way he concentrated on me with his arms crossed over his chest made me feel
like I should be frightened of him, but for some reason I wasn’t. I was
uncomfortable, but not frightened.

The other was tall and equally unnerving, but in a different
way. He stood in the doorway, one white-knuckled hand gripping the doorjamb.
His eyebrows were drawn down and there was a sadness in his eyes that made me
feel like I should comfort him, although I wasn’t sure why or how or if I
really even wanted to.

I felt inadequate. I didn’t want them staring at me. “I’m
not sure what to say.” The sound of my voice was shrill in my ears, and I tried
to swallow the growing bubble of panic inside me.

When the sad man realized I was looking at him, he ran his
hands over his scruffy face, then turned and walked away. I could hear his
footsteps, loud and quick as he headed down the hallway. The dark-haired man
nodded at either Dani or Chris, a single, sharp movement, before following the
sad man out. Cooper trotted behind them.

With a smile, Chris reached for my hand again, but my gaze stayed
fixed on the empty doorway where the sad man had been standing. I wondered what
had made his strong features so drawn and his eyes so empty.

“What now?” Chris asked quietly.

Dani sighed. “I have no idea.” She turned to me. “How did
this happen? Do you remember anything?”

I shook my head. “I don’t remember anything, and I don’t
know why she did this to me.”

“She who?” Dani asked.

“Clara.”

Dani’s mouth opened, then immediately closed as her eyes
shut, almost like she was wincing in pain. “I should’ve made sure she was dead
before she could run.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Zo. This is all my
fault.”

“Nonsense,” Chris said. “You couldn’t have known.” She reached
out and offered me her hand. “Come on, Zoe. Let’s get you out of here. We’ll
tell you everything we know.”

“Wait,” I said, and walked back to the bed. I picked up the
manila envelope, wondering if I should know what was in it. I headed over to
Dani and handed it to her.

She looked at me, confused.

“I was told to give this to you.”

Her eyebrows rose as she reached to accept it.

“What is it?” Chris asked. She took a step closer, glancing
between us.

I shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Dani?” Chris seemed barely able to curb her curiosity.

Dani stared at the envelope, her name written in block
letters across it, and she shook her head. “There’s only one way to find out.”

EPILOGUE

Dear Danielle,

If you’re
reading this, it means you found my little girl. I don’t have much time before
I am missed back at the Colony, but there is much I must tell you.

I’m sorry. I’m
so incredibly sorry. I didn’t step in when Gregory took you to turn you into a
T-R for a reason. RV-01, a Re-gen with the strongest prophetic Ability we’ve
come across, assured me Gregory and Clara would fail in their attempt to
transform you. She did not, however, inform me of the torture you’d be
subjected to. For that I am truly sorry. I hope you believe me.

Maybe this will
give you some comfort: Clara is dead. She took my little girl and turned her
into…something. I was too late to stop her completely, but I did interfere. She
was extremely frustrated with Zoe when I showed up, so I believe my daughter
was somehow able to interfere with the process as well. I don’t think she’s
completely wiped, but there’s no way to tell. If there is any piece of her left
inside, please, I beg of you, find it. If anyone can do it, you can.

I don’t know
what your plans are now, but you must run far from here. RV-01 believed she
would end up in your company. Use her to keep yourselves safe. She may prove to
be one of your strongest allies. She foresaw much over the past few days,
including the Re-gen rebellion and your escape. She also saw the resurgence of
the Colony. You are safe for now, though I don’t know for how long.

Perhaps this
will help you…I’ve included several invaluable documents in this packet. These
things should help protect you from Gregory and others like him in the future. His
control reaches so much farther than you could ever imagine. There is much that
I didn’t have time to tell you, but I have been assured that our paths will
cross again.

I fear I shall
anger you one last time. Included with this letter is another: one to my
children. It explains much of what has happened over the past few decades and
why I’ve made the choices I’ve made. As you know my children far better than I
do, I trust your judgment as to whether or not my letter should be shared with
them. I don’t wish to hurt them any more than I already have, but I cannot
pretend I don’t yearn for them to know me. Whatever you decide, watch over them
for me.

Until we meet
again,

Anna

WEBSITE:
 
www.theendingseries.com

NEWSLETTER:
 
eepurl.com/
zJZxf

FACEBOOK:
 
After The Ending

TWITTER:
 
@
TheEndingSeries

Reviews are always appreciated
. They help indie authors like us sell
books (and keep writing them!). Great places to post reviews:

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Are you a book blogger?
 
If you are
 
and
 
you wrote a review for
 
Into The Fire
 
that you’d like us to see, please
don’t hesitate in sending a link to the review to
[email protected]
,
and we’ll post links on our twitter and facebook pages. Additionally, if you’re
interested in being added to the
 
ARC
list for books three and four
, please include that in the email.

MORE BOOKS BY

LINDSEY FAIRLEIGH & LINDSEY POGUE

THE
ENDING SERIES

After
The Ending

Into The Fire

Out Of The Ashes (coming in 2014)

MORE BOOKS BY LINDSEY FAIRLEIGH

ECHO TRILOGY

Echo
Prophecy

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Lindsey Fairleigh
lives her
life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical
world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time
travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality,
along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next
novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the
kitchen. She lives in the Napa Valley with her loving husband and confused
cats.
www.lindseyfairleigh.com

Lindsey Pogue
has always been
a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary
school soccer field, compiled books of collages as a teenager, and as an adult,
expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations
of the world around her--whether she's traveling, people watching, or hiking.
When not plotting her next story line or dreaming up new, brooding characters,
Lindsey's wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on
road trips with her own leading man.
www.lindseypogue.com