Child of Recklessness (Trials of Strength Book 2) Read online

  ‘Great, so not only do we have the madman that destroyed our families and lives to find, but there’s another group after us as well?’ Anna sighed and sat down too. ‘Awesome.’

  I felt deflated. All we’d done to escape Greystone, the choices, sacrifices, and we had only just begun the fight for our lives. Chris finally got up and without a word, headed into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on, and I made my way over to the bed and sat next to Anna, wrapping an arm around her. I wondered whether to bring up her new condition after a while, but Chris came out of the bathroom with clean clothes on and a fresh bandage covering the new gash on his head.

  Anna went next. Chris and I debated on where we should go next, but neither of us really knew. We understood we had to leave Redburn, the city we had sought refuge in after Greystone, but then where?

  ‘For now we just have to keep moving,’ Chris said. ‘Soon the police are gonna be looking for us, and it’s only a matter of time before they find us, especially if we’re trapped in this city.’

  ‘When do we leave?’ I asked.

  ‘Now, if we can. After Anna’s finished up, get yourself tidied up and we’ll move somewhere less populated and we can plan our next move.’

  I nodded and stood. Chris left to get the car ready, and as soon as Anna was done, I got started. I let the warm water attempt to wash away all that had happened, but dirt like that would never wash away, not until we completed our mission. I couldn’t figure out what my father’s endgame was. He was no longer employed by the government, who may or may not be looking for him too, so what did he plan to get from this? Why go to the lengths he had to perfect something he let slip from his grasp?

  I tried to focus on other thoughts, but the only other one I could pull up was Anna. What would we do now? Anna was pregnant, I was sure of it, but could we bring a child into our world? A world where a mystery group wanted us dead and my father probably had some deadly plans for us in the near future?

  I wished more than anything for the simple life I had before.

  ‘You okay, Lucas?’ Anna said from beyond the door.

  I had been watching the water turn red with blood and swirl away, but it ran clear now.

  ‘Yeah, I’ll be two minutes,’ I replied.

  I have to tell her.

  I stepped from the shower and dried off. I checked the mirror and observed my haggard appearance. My face was sunken, and my dirty-blond hair stuck to my head, wet. My eyes lingered on their green reflection before I shook myself. Changing into the clean clothes I had brought in, I turned the shower water off and joined Anna in the bedroom. She sat drying her hair on the bed closest to me. Her fiery red curls and electric-blue eyes were beautiful, and her Cupid’s bow mouth and button nose only maximised her beauty. Anna was twenty-one, one year older than me. I felt a rush of pride that took me by surprise. If there was anyone in the world, even with our current situation, that I wanted to have a child with, it was her.

  I sat next to her, and she turned and smiled. I bent over and kissed her, lingering for a few seconds and then pulling away.

  ‘Anna?’ I said.

  ‘Yeah, I know, I’ve packed what we have into our bags,’ she replied. ‘I’m just waiting for Chris to call up and we’re good to go.’

  ‘No, that’s not what…’ I started, but I had no idea how to continue.

  ‘What is it?’ Anna said as her face creased in concern.

  I stared into her eyes.

  I’ll just be honest. I’ll always be honest with her.

  ‘You’re pregnant,’ I whispered.

  She continued to stare for a second, her face frozen, and then she laughed. It caught me off guard and I jumped.

  ‘What?’ she snorted. ‘What are you talking about?’

  I swallowed.

  ‘Anna, honey, I’m telling you you’re pregnant,’ I said.

  The smile on her lips slowly faded and fear took its place. She placed the towel beside her and opened her mouth to speak, but whatever she was going to say died on her lips, and she looked at me for an explanation.

  ‘I can hear the baby’s heart,’ I answered the silent question. ‘I can hear it along with yours.’

  I placed my hand on her stomach and she placed hers over mine. We sat there, unable to form words to describe our feelings. Anna was no doubt going over the same questions I had, the main one never leaving my mind: Could we do this?

  Before any of us could speak again, the room’s wireless phone rang, and Anna slouched off the bed and over to its place by the television. She picked it up and answered.

  ‘Yeah, Chris, give us a minute would…’ she started but stopped.

  Her eyes grew wide and she looked over at me.

  ‘What?’ I panicked.

  ‘It’s not Chris,’ Anna replied.

  The Sanctuary

  ‘Who is this?’ Anna said.

  I waited with baited breath. The only person other than the hotel with our room number was Chris, and we’d asked the hotel not to contact us, at all. Finally, Anna nodded and laughed, she visibly relaxed, looked at me and winked. I remained silent and listened in, the miniscule voice on the line picked up as I honed in on it.

  ‘Yeah, how did you get this number?’ Anna asked.

  ‘I’ll tell you later,’ a man’s voice came back, it was familiar, but I couldn’t remember a name. ‘Right now, Anna, I need you to turn on your television.’

  Anna frowned, but grabbed the remote and sat back on the bed.

  ‘What channel?’ she asked.

  The voice replied, and Anna turned the television on and punched in the channel. At first we sat there, staring at the screen, waiting for the images on it to make sense. Then my stomach dropped, and the hairs on my body stood on end.

  ‘This is the site of a gruesome murder scene in the city centre,’ a female news reporter chimed. ‘Earlier today, an unfortunate accident turned into a horrible nightmare. A man lost control of his vehicle and crashed into an electronics store, narrowly avoiding three unknown individuals. Please be aware, that the following images are disturbing.’

  A collection of image stills, probably from a CCTV camera, began on the screen. They showed the truck ploughing into the side of the store, us just making it to safety, and then we disappeared inside. Watching the screen my eyes widened. A few minutes later we re-emerged onto the street, our clothes soaked in the dead man’s blood. To anyone other than us watching it, the video was hauntingly clear, especially when the stills showed us fleeing the scene.

  ‘Shit,’ Anna whispered.

  ‘That’s not all,’ the voice on the phone said. ‘Wait.’

  Grainy photos of the three of our heads appeared on the screen, mine covered in a lot of blood. The woman’s voice came back as the pictures shrunk and moved to the top right corner of the screen.

  ‘These individuals are wanted in connection with the murder, and are described as dangerous and probably armed. Police are urging the public not to approach them, but to telephone the number onscreen immediately if sighted.’

  I shook my head. It looked like we had less time than we had thought.

  The news reporter finished, and the screen returned to the studio. A man appeared behind a desk, staring into the camera. He was about to continue with other news when the screen went blank and turned red.

  ‘What’s happening?’ I asked, and Anna shook her head, flipping through channels before finally returning to the one we were on.

  ‘We’re having problems as well,’ Anna’s phone buddy said.

  We sat there for a few seconds, and then the screen went blank. When it lit up again, the words EMERGENCY BROADCAST flashed and the same woman we had watched before reappeared, her face shocked and fearful.

  ‘Citizens of Redburn, this is an Emergency Broadcast, you are urged to pay close attention to this message,’ the reporter flustered. ‘Our previous report on the murder of a man today has taken a startling turn. These faces you will see in a few seconds, wanted
in connection with this murder, are also wanted for the destruction of a highland town several miles from here. The town of Greystone was viciously destroyed a few weeks ago, and police have issued a statement regarding these now fugitives.’

  And that’s when our lives became infinitely harder than we could have imagined. Our faces filled the screen. These were not the grainy zoomed in pictures we’d just seen, but clear and smiling faces. Mine, from what was probably my college ID, Anna’s from what looked like a driver’s license and Chris, in army fatigues.

  ‘Holy fuck,’ I said.

  *

  After the pictures appeared, Anna and I flew into action. She finished quickly with the man on the line, taking a note of some address and promising to see him there, and then we grabbed the rest of our things. Before I could question her, the phone rang again, and I picked up. It was Chris.

  ‘You’re not going to believe what I’ve just seen,’ he said.

  ‘Oh I think we will, especially if it includes us being murderers and terrorists,’ I replied as Anna handed me a backpack.

  ‘Lucas, we have to rethink our priorities here,’ Chris said as the car’s motor hummed in the background. ‘Is your father really worth it?’

  ‘What?’ I asked.

  ‘Never mind,’ he sighed. ‘I’m parked out front, get your arses out here.’

  I hung up, lingering on what Chris had said about priorities, when Anna confirmed we had everything. We opened the door and made our way to the ground floor. The cushy hall was inhabited by only one person, a receptionist behind her desk.

  ‘Come on,’ I said. ‘Let’s just leave.’

  Anna nodded and we made for the automatic doors that led to the street. I could see Chris and the car through the glass, and I was afraid that with our new circumstances, any sudden movements would cause armed police to descend on us. I sighed with relief when we reached the doors.

  ‘Excuse me?’ the woman shouted and a cold chill crawled up my spine. ‘Are you guys checking out?’

  I turned to see a small woman around thirty running towards us. I was about to reply when she skidded to a stop, wide-eyed and terrified. Her mouth flew open and she screamed, turned and then ran back to her desk. She grabbed her phone and sprinted from the hall.

  News spreads fast I see.

  We sped up, exited through the open doors and dove into the car. We told Chris what had happened and he swore, something I realised he did often, and pulled away from the pavement. We sat, breathing heavily, and scanned the streets relentlessly.

  A sharp pain throbbed in my mind. It was too much, hunting my father, Anna’s brother, a twin sister I may or may not have, a shady group trying to kill us, and then there was our own government hunting us for things we hadn’t done. Add into the mix the baby Anna and I had on the way and things looked mightily screwed.

  As these thoughts flitted through my mind, I felt something. It was like a twinge, something I should be realising that could make sense to the nightmare we found ourselves in, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what.

  ‘Who was that on the phone?’ I asked Anna in the front seat, I needed a distraction.

  ‘It was Brian,’ she answered, turning round.

  ‘Who?’ I shrugged.

  ‘Brian Butcher, Paul’s son,’ she explained. ‘Looks like they’re doing what we’re doing, looking for your Dad. They gave me this address.’

  Anna handed the piece of paper she had written on to Chris.

  ‘What is it?’ Chris asked.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Anna replied. ‘It’s on the outskirts of the city. We don’t have to stay, but it’s somewhere we can catch our breath.’

  I nodded and Chris shrugged.

  ‘It’s worth a try,’ he said.

  ‘We should tread lightly though,’ I said, staring into the street.

  No one answered, but they knew what I meant. Back in Greystone, trapped underground, Paul had broken down and caused a few problems. I didn’t blame him. He had lost his other son during that time, and had been drugged by the resident psychopath in our group. After we escaped we didn’t know how to get into contact with any other survivors, we’d just hoped they were safe. I hadn’t entertained the idea of them going after my father like we were.

  A few hours later the sun drifted over the horizon, and stars filled the sky. After several wrong turns and panicked arguments, we reached the area Paul and Brian had told us of. It was surprisingly empty, with mainly rundown buildings and questionable stores. When we reached the address I had to blink a few times. The building was large, its stone edifice towered high into the sky and the words ‘Redburn’s Trinity Hotel’ hung over the entrance. The majority of its windows were boarded up, and at the side of the building homeless men and women gathered around a burning fire.

  ‘Nice place,’ Chris said.

  The building was dark and eerie. We exited the car and gathered our things, wondering what to do next when a shadowy figure bounded down the steps that led to the hotel entrance. He looked a few years younger than me, sixteen, maybe seventeen. I barely recognised him, his black hair was slicked up, and thick, black glasses rested on his nose, shielding hazel-coloured eyes. Far different from the terrified shell we had all been back in Greystone.

  ‘Hey, Anna,’ Brian said, reaching her and giving her a hug.

  I tried to remember whether Brian had been the son of Paul’s she had dated before.

  ‘Hey you,’ she replied, smiling.

  ‘Chris, Lucas,’ he nodded to the both of us. ‘Looks like trouble follows you around wherever you guys go. It’s good to see you again.’

  Chris inclined his head back and Brian looked at me.

  ‘Sorry if I’m not so forthcoming,’ I said, ‘but the last few times we’ve met, I distinctly remember you shoving a gun in my face.’

  Brian laughed and shook his head.

  ‘Sorry about that. These are the times we live in now,’ he replied. ‘Oh, and I’m not the brother you’re thinking of.’

  Anna frowned and Chris chuckled. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face, and Brian turned, motioning us to follow. We climbed the stairs and entered the decaying hotel.

  ‘This place, how did you find it?’ Anna inquired, side by side with Brian.

  ‘It’s a long story,’ he replied. ‘It belonged to some rich dude who opened it up on a whim. When the recession hit, he abandoned ship and a while later it closed down. That was a few months ago. Apart from the vandals who smashed it up, everything still works, for now anyway.’

  We reached two elevators and Brian punched the button for one of them. We waited in the dark and silent entrance hall as the elevator hummed down to our floor. I could see shapes and figures lying around, homeless seeking shelter. With a ping, the elevator doors opened and we filed in.

  ‘Is this place safe?’ Chris spoke up.

  ‘Is anywhere?’ Brian laughed. ‘We guess so. No one’s gonna come looking for us in amongst this kinda crowd. Plus we’re on the outskirts of the city, any sign of trouble, we can make a quick getaway.’

  Anna leaned against the wall as the elevator rode up. I moved in front of her and smiled, taking her hand. She looked exhausted.

  ‘You okay?’ I asked.

  ‘Tired,’ she said. ‘I just want this day to end. To wake up and find everything was a crappy dream. Well, apart from you. Do you think you can make that happen?’

  I chuckled and pulled her close.

  ‘I want to. More than anything,’ I whispered.

  I was lucky. Thanks to my new gifts I rarely got tired. I never felt weak or slow, just alert and ready.

  The elevator stopped and the doors opened onto a long hallway. The floor was a crimson carpet that didn’t quite reach either side of the hall, and the stone walls were adorned with faded portraits and landscapes.

  ‘It’s like a medieval castle,’ I said. ‘Creepy.’

  Brian nodded and said, ‘Yeah, I think that’s what the owner wa
s going for, although in the end it definitely didn’t do him any favours.’

  The floor consisted of two rooms, well, massive suites. It was the floor reserved for VIPs, people who could afford such luxury. The dark however made my skin crawl.

  ‘I thought everything was still working?’ I asked.

  ‘It is,’ Brian answered, ‘but we try not to use the lights, especially during the night. Technically we’re still trespassing, and the police know the homeless use it, but if we broadcast it they usually turn up and bust some heads, fucking idiots. They blame the homeless for being burdens on society, so yeah they can bunk here, but if they start to treat it like home, using lights and stuff, well, you know…’

  He took us down the hall, two sets of double doors across from one another led into either room. Brian stopped at the one on the left, and with an ordinary looking metal key, opened it. He ushered us inside, then turned back and made sure we weren’t followed before locking the door again.

  ‘My Dad and I are in the other room, but you guys can sleep in this one. We mainly use it as our base of operations kinda thing,’ Brian said.

  As you entered, the room dipped down a few stairs. Across from us was a set of windows that covered the span of the entire room, the city spread out below in a twinkling of lights. In front of the windows was a bank of what looked like desktop computers and laptops, a lot of them. To either side were doors leading off, no doubt to the bedrooms.

  ‘They made it!’ a voice I hadn’t missed chimed.

  A man almost the spitting image of his son appeared from the darkness. He had the same black hair and dark-hazel eyes, but his mouth drooped, and it looked like the man was permanently growling at something. In his late-thirties, early-forties, Paul looked a decade older. He rushed over and a jolt passed through my body, a warning. Paul however scooped me into his arms, squeezed me into a hug and set me down.

  What…

  I blinked rapidly as he did the same with Anna, whose face contorted into the same frown I had. Once she was down, Paul moved over to Chris, who with one push of his hand and shake of his head, saved himself from the strangeness that we’d been subjected to.