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Tiger
The pain radiating from the wound in my shoulder has begun to lessen, but is far from where I’d want it to be. I settle Kristina gently on the ground atop a nest of golden brown leaves. I then hurry to the ravine nearby and scoop some water from the barely running stream to wash off some of the blood dripping down my arm.
Samuel shot me in the shoulder. The pain was almost incapacitating. However, I cannot take time to focus on healing. I have more complicated matters occupying my mind right now. Kristina is unconscious and she needs my full attention. Everything else has to be put to the side, for the moment. I am unsure as to how badly she is hurt, but I must find out.
I return to her, glancing in all directions as I go along. Samuel and Charlie will not come looking for us any time soon, but it pays to be cautious. I stay alert, listening to any sounds that might give away anyone’s presence. I sense nothing, hear nothing, pick up only on the sounds of deer roaming nearby, and an occasional bird flapping its wings or chirping.
For the time being, Kristina and I are alone.
I pause next to her, glancing down at the tattered turtleneck sweater I’m wearing. It is ripped and drooping down my left shoulder. I rip it off and toss it aside.
“Hmm,” Kristina moans. I scrutinize her. She stirs slightly, lying still a moment later. I hope that she is okay. I worry she may be in worse condition than I am able to detect.
The car traveled a few yards before careening into a tree. Samuel and Charlie endured the brunt of the accident. I managed to protect Kristina with my body as best as I could, but that aggravated my wounded shoulder even more. It continues to ooze blood, the bullet still locked inside my body.
I kneel next to her and push the hair away from her face. Having no time to check for injuries, I’d carried her away from the scene of the accident in order to put as much distance between Gerard’s goons and us as possible.
Last I checked, they were still alive but badly hurt. Although they will be unable to come looking for us, we need to get out of the area entirely before they are discovered, or are able to access a phone where they can call Gerard, and inform him of our whereabouts.
Rose and I did not want Kristina to be entirely involved, but two of Gerard’s guards have seen her. They know it is likely I have been hiding out with her. Once they figure out who Kristina is, more men will come looking for us.
“Kristina, wake up.” I run my hands down her arms and legs, searching for any fractures, broken bones, or signs of internal injuries. There appear to be none.
“Mmm,” she moans, moving her head from one side to the other.
“Are you okay?” I check her neck, listening for a hitch in the rhythm of her pulse, but find everything as it should be. Aside from the bruise on her forehead, she’s relatively unhurt.
One eye opens, but quickly hides from view under the eyelid again.
“Kristina.” My fingers glide up the side of her cheek. Her skin is smooth, lovely. Beautiful. I’m taken aback by my perception of her.
I shake my head. Thinking of her as anything but a means to an end is wrong.
“Are we dead?” she asks, daring to open her other eye.
“No.” Because she has a profound dislike for me, she wouldn’t appreciate my hands on her, so I pull them away.
Both eyes pop open this time. “What happened?”
“We were in an accident.”
Her hands fly to her face, sliding up her nose to her forehead. “My head hurts.”
“We have to leave,” I say, though forcing her to walk is the last thing I want to do.
“Leave?” She plants her elbows on the ground, propping herself up. Her eyes dart from one place to another. “Where’s the car? Where are we?”
“We’re a distance away, but it won’t take long for others to come looking for us. We have to leave now.” I allow my voice to betray my concern. She needs to understand we are in danger. So is Rose.
“How did I get here?” She looks up at me.
“I carried you.”
She pushes herself up with her hands, sitting. “What about those...those...men?”
“We left them behind, but we need to get farther away before they call for backup.”
“What?” She spurs into action, going to her knees before scrambling to her feet. “Oh. My. God. There are others coming?” Her face registers panic.
“Most likely, yes.”
Kristina begins to fan her face with one hand; her cheeks fill with color. “This isn’t happening.”
“Kristina.” I reach out for her, but the moment I lift my left arm, a searing-hot pain explodes in my upper shoulder. The bullet isn’t in too deep, but it’s become a nuisance. I have to get rid of it.
Allowing my arm to drop down to my side, I close my eyes and focus. It doesn’t take much effort for me to expel the tiny invader. I ball my hands into fists, and use my strength to evict the object from its wedged location. The piece of debris retracts slowly, traveling the same path it had on its way in. I feel it leave my body a moment later, hearing it as it falls to the ground.
As soon as the invader is out, my system begins to work to correct the damage done.
“Oh, no. No. Please, tell me I didn’t see that.” Kristina’s panic-filled voice slices through the dead silence. I’d forgotten I was not alone.
I open my eyes and meet the look of horror on her face.
“What...what...was that?” Her fingers curl around the hem of her top.
Wanting to reassure her, I step forward. She jumps as if I’d pushed her. In her desperation to put distance between us, she backtracks, slips over a rock, and falls on her rump. She recovers quickly, scurrying to her feet almost as soon as she goes down.
“Your eyes!” she exclaims in obvious fright.
I don’t move a muscle. If I do, it will only send her running off in a frenzy.
“Kristina,” I say, trying to calm her. “Please, don’t run away from me.”
Her entire body shakes. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, as if she’s getting ready to bolt away, screaming. “I knew there was something wrong with you. You’re...you’re...what are you?”
She’s human. The changes in my anatomy will, invariably, upset her. I have yet to meet a human who does not fall prey to fear as they witness the way my irises expand and darken, or when my skin tone changes color, or by the way my muscles bulge outward. Although she got but a glimpse of what I’m capable of doing, it’s enough to petrify her. I can’t say I’m entirely disappointed. I’ve known all along she would react this way, but I’d hoped she would be the exception.
“I can say with much certainty that I am not human.”
She doesn’t say anything. Neither does she move, but her heartbeat picks up speed.
“You’re kidding?” When I fail to respond to her question, she says, “You’re not kidding. You’re serious. Oh, Jesus. You’re dead serious.” She turns away from me, bending at the waist to rest her hands on her knees.
We don’t have time for explanations, but I can see this is not easy for her to process. I’ve seen what I look like. It is a difficult sight to behold. She will need a moment to adjust so I provide this for her.
Composing herself, Kristina stands erect and turns to face me. “What are you, exactly? Some experiment gone amuck?”
“Perhaps.”
Her face registers incredulity. There’s not much information I can provide. What I’ve said is the basics of the knowledge I have of my existence. The rest has been kept a secret from me.
“I’ve never been informed of my condition or how I came to be. I don’t even have a name.”
“You said your name is Tiger.”
“No. He calls me that. Mostly, I’m referred as Specimen 30589.”
“Specimen 30...what...?”
“That’s right.”
“Tiger? Why Tiger?”
Frustrated by having to waste time explaining things better left for a more appropriate time, I say, “He calls me Tiger because of my value. He says I’m very significant to his research and what he’s accomplished with my existence. I’m like a rare gem. A rarity like a white—”
“Tiger,” she finishes for me.
I nod. “Yes.”
“I can’t believe this. Things like these just don’t happen.”
“Kristina, I’m sorry—”
“No. This isn’t fair. Things weren’t supposed to turn out this way. Those men...they were going to kill me, weren’t they?”
“Perhaps. It is difficult to say for certain. Gerard’s men do not move a finger without his approval first.”
A hand goes up to cover her mouth.
“Who the hell is Gerard?”
“Explanation will have to come later. It is urgent for us to get out of here while we can.”
“I...” she trails off, gazing at me with eyes wide with fear.
“Kristina, we have to go to Rose’s. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out who you are. They will come looking for you.”
She pales. “My truck.”
“What?”
“My truck. It’s under Grandma’s name. They can trace it to me.”
“Let’s go then.”
“Where?”
“To your home.” I start walking.
“We’re in the middle of the woods. How can you tell which direction to go?”
“The ravine runs through Rose’s land. We’re not that far away.”
She keeps pace with me. “And you know this how?”
“I could hear it.”
“Seriously?” She waits for a confirmation on my part. When I provide none she asks, “How far in did you carry me?”
“Farther than you think.” We are not very far from the house. Two, maybe two and a half miles away. Though with Kristina not being able to carry the speed I can, it will take us a while before we make it back.
“How much time do we have?”
“Not enough. Gerard will assemble a team and come looking for us as soon as he finds out your identity.”
I hear her heart skip a beat. “Oh, God. Grandma. She’s alone at the house.”
“Yes.”
***
Kristina runs up the stairs and into the house, screaming Rose’s name over and over again. No sounds emanate from any of the rooms inside and this sends her into complete panic.
“Rose!”
I follow her inside, into the living room, where Rose has fallen asleep on a rocker situated next to a window. A book lies on her lap, a quilt snugly wrapped around her shoulders.
“Grandma!” Kristina rushes to her and touches Rose’s cheeks, startling the woman awake.
“What’s all this ruckus? You’ll scare an old woman halfway to her grave with all that yelling.”
“You’re okay,” Kristina sobs, planting a kiss on the woman’s forehead. “You’re not hurt.”
Confused, Rose grips Kristina’s hands, and rests them, along with her own, on her lap. “What’s with you?” Rose gazes up at me; an unspoken question lingers in the air.
“They kidnapped us at gunpoint,” Kristina blurts out. “They are going to kills us.”
“What? Who is?”
“Gerard’s men,” I fill in.
Rose tosses first the book, then the quilt, aside and rushes to her feet.
Kristina steps back aside as Rose moves closer to me, her face a mask of determination. Rose has barely said a few words about the subject, but enough for me to determine her knowledge of Gerard and his operational methods may be far more extensive than I originally thought.
Upon noticing the bruise on Kristina’s forehead, the old woman reaches up to caress the side of her granddaughter’s face.
“What happened?”
Kristina relates the entire ordeal, beginning with the events that occurred immediately after exiting Wyatt’s building, up until this very moment. I’m surprised by how quickly she’s able to recount what has surely been a very traumatizing event for her.
When Kristina finishes, Rose takes hold of her shoulders and says, “Go upstairs. Grab a duffel bag, and pack some essentials. A few items of clothing, some toiletries, and rush down here as soon as you’re done. Don’t dilly-dally.”
Kristina stares at Rose in shock.
“I will do no such thing. What for? Aren’t we calling the police? This needs to be reported.”
Rose lets go of Kristina, and gestures toward the staircase toward our right. “Now, see here, Kristina. For once, don’t argue with me and do as I say. Time’s a-wasting. They’re coming, and coming fast. We need to get moving.”
Kristina’s brown eyes stray in my direction. She says nothing, but her accusing glare betrays her emotions. There’s resentment, loathing, and disappointment flickering behind those beautiful round spheres.
Unwilling to look away, I lock eyes with her. Her anger is well-founded. My original plan had entailed for me to earn her trust in order for her to help me. Things took a dramatic turn. Whether or not Castiel foresaw it this way, I’m not sure. But it’s too late to change the course that’s been set.
We have to move forward from here.
“We can’t put it past Gerard to have someone in law enforcement working for him. Our only course of action is to leave, and quickly.”
“How do you know this?” Kristina scowls at her grandmother.
“Because I had to run from Gerard and his men once, too.”