“Help is coming, but not for like forty minutes. I’m going to try something,” Iwhispered.
As I moved, the ghouls got excited and stepped closer. Geez, it must’ve been like setting a piece of bacon before a horde of hungry men and then wrapping it in barbed wire. Dawn and her blue friend were circling above us, spitting fire onto as many as they could, but we were sitting ducks. There were too many ofthem.
‘Dawn, when I speak to you, can your friend hear me?’ I asked her. I needed to know how hive minds worked. I knew the Galadria hive mind was separate from the ghoul’s consciousness but that was aboutit.
Dawn paused for a moment.‘If Dawn allows him to feelit.’
Feel it? We must’ve been having a communication error, but I think I got her meaning. The others only got what she allowed, so she was able to keep some things private and let others filter through. But it meant they were connected mentally, somehow. If I could tap into that mental web of connection and push a thought… maybe I could make them leave orsomething.
In order to tap into someone’s consciousness, I had to open my mind to theirs. Something I didn’t like to do with complete strangers, much less flesh-eating aliens! But I also didn’t want to be here when the battery on this cuff fizzled out, which seemed like it was going to happen anymoment.
Damien was crouched over me in an awkward position, trying to shield us both from the ghouls. A gunshot rang out then, and my eyes flicked to Maxine. She’d just shot the gun out of a sentry’s hand that was aiming atus.
Great, nopressure.
I closed my eyes to a half-lidded gaze, just in case I needed to see an oncoming enemy. Then I started my pranic breathing, which was from India but somehow Master Aki, who was Chinese, had mastered it. I let my awareness filter out, caressing against Damien, and I felt the intention of his thoughts. He wanted to protect me, to get the cuff back to his brother so they could make more of them and helppeople.
I let my mental awareness stretch further, and when it brushed against the first ghoul standing there, I gasped. Hunger, rage, anger, scarcity, desperation, and a flood of negative emotions slammed into me. I’d always thought the grunts had a one-track mind, but now I was seeing it firsthand. I tried to filter the thoughts, not let them overwhelm me. I needed to find an opening so I could get into their thoughts, but the rage and anger kept slamming into me, affecting my emotionalstate.
Kill, death, blood,food.
The ugly words looped around inside my head and suddenly I was lost, sucked into the mental disease of the ghouls’ hive mind. I couldn’t getout.
I didn’t know how long I stayed there stuck, unable to think my own thoughts, being flooded with their ugliness and horror. Not just thoughts but visuals, memories. At some point I started to sob, and that’s when Damien slapped me. One open hand hard across the cheek, the sound ringing out as pain exploded in my jaw and I was suddenly cut free. My eyelids snapped open and his appalled face swam intoview.
“I’ve never hit a woman before, but you seemed… stuck. You weren’tresponding.”
I rubbed my jaw and nodded. “I was stuck. Thank you.” Never thought I would be thanking a guy for smacking me. What was I thinking, trying to infiltrate the entire hive mind of the ghouls with neurotoxins pumping through my system? My thigh muscles were twitching uncontrollably as it worked its way into my bloodstream.
“I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?” hesaid.
The ghouls had gathered around us in an organized circle, walking forward and testing the boundaries of the plasma shield one by one. A sentry stood off to the side and seemed to be instructingthem.
“Bad news. I always want the bad newsfirst.”
He nodded, flinching a little each time a ghoul would slam into the shield and push at hisarm.
“The battery seems to be dying, and it’s overheating and burning my arm. None of our guns will work because the EMP fried the microchip that runs them. I also don’t know where any of your friends are, so they could all bedead.”
My eyes widened. “Jesus, what’s the good news?” I should just kill myself now with that update. My eyes flicked to the sky and sure enough the Galadrias weregone.
“We’re alive for at least another five minutes by my roughcalculations.”
Hah! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Well that’s a dire prediction.” I pulled my samurai sword. I only had one left, the other having fallen when I’d jumped off the sentry. It wasn’t glowing blue anymore and would have no tech, but the blade was still deadly and that’s all thatmattered.
‘Dawn, where are you? Are my friendssafe?’
Her reply was almost instant.‘Redheaded human not right in head. Fire boy trying to calm herdown.’
Oh crap. Maxine had finally lost it, and Nox was trying to help her. At least it seemed they were safe. I wanted to ask her to fly over here and pick us up, but the moment she began her descent, the ghouls would pounce on her. Even with fire, there were too manynow.
How many minutes had passed since I’d called Master Aki? Maybe ten… notenough.
‘Wake up!’I shouted at myself to noavail.
Suddenly Damien’s bracelet made a zapping noise, and smoke puffed up from it as itdied.
“My calculations were wrong.” He soundedsurprised.
