That breeder bitch tried to get me run overtoo!
“I had an issue in the Dream Wars,” Ioffered.
That he seemed to understand. “You military?” He motioned to the chair that held my guns and Kevlarsuit.
“Ex-military. Now I’m in private security,” Iexplained.
He fiddled with the corner of his papersnervously.
Oh God, what is it? Do I have a brain tumor orsomething?
“You have the plasma cuff?” he asked, eyeing it on the chair. “We don’t have them hereyet….”
Ohhh. That’s what this was about. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the mine had been blown up and there would be no more. “Well, you can have mine, for saving my life. And I can mail you one too,” I told the nurse. I knew Damien had three more new ones back in Vancouver that were supposed to act as parts in case ours broke, but I couldn’t bear to leave these nice peoplewithout.
His whole face lit up. “Then consider your bill paid for.” He walked over, retrieving the cuff, and handing me his card. “Send the other one to me, and I’ll see that my wife gets it.” He motioned to thenurse.
Ahhh. They weremarried.
I just nodded, in a daze as I took thecard.
After pulling out my IV, the nurse told me I was free toleave.
The first person I called was Josephine. I told her to wake everyone up, that I’d made it back safely. She was thrilled and said she was sending the private jet for me, and that Jeremy was geeking out over the data he’d received from myhat.
That freaking hat! I kept forgetting about it. I could see now it was shoved at the bottom of my plastic hospital ‘personal items’bag.
I decided to live life like Maxine. So, instead of sitting at the airport for ten hours, thinking about Dawn telling me I was going to end the Dream Wars, or that I had a similar brain as a breeder, I went to a museum. I spent the day as a tourist, as if it was my last day onEarth.
When I was about to get a taxi to the airport for my incoming flight, I passed by a small church set back from the main road, in a bed of grass. The huge arched door was open, and the most beautiful song was playing. As I stepped away from the curb and made my way to the intricately carved building, the most, incredible sense of peace came over me. I hadn’t forgotten my deal with God. If He saved us from that horrible night, I’d go back to church, and there Iwas.
As I stepped through the doors, I saw that no one was inside except an old lady playing the organ. Over a hundred tea lights lit up the right side in front of a bunch of saints, and in the center was a statue of Jesus on the cross. I never resonated with the idolizing of the crucifixion of Jesus. The blood and nails, it was so sad to look at, and just reminded me of the hatred in theworld.
I turned away from the crucifix and just faced a blank wall. Clasping my hands into prayer, which I hadn’t done since I was a kid, I took a shaky breath. My mom once told me that God didn’t need to have a face. He didn’t have to be Jesus, Allah or even Buddha. He could just be love and a bright ball of light. That resonated with me. Not some angry God to fear. My God was a ball of light. A loving God, who accepted everyone regardless of color, religion, or even sin, and forgiveness was automatic. That was myGod.
“Dear God,” I started, and was surprised to feel so nervous. I hadn’t prayed in years. “We have a deal, and I’m here to pay up. But I wanted to ask another favor. If you’re really out there, listening and all that, then please have mercy on us. Humanity is… we’re dying out, and we need your help. We’ve had enough. So if there is a way to make the ghouls go back where they came from, die, or whatever, then please… show me theway.”
It wasn’t an eloquent prayer, but it was all I was capable of. It was the five-hundred-pound weight I carried on my shoulders eachday.
Another deep breath, and peacefulness washed over me then. I came to terms with something. I would either stop the Dream Wars or die trying. It had gotten to thatpoint.
I wasdone.
We allwere.
* * *
The plane ride was long,over fourteen hours, but because Josephine was able to wake everyone up, they were all in Vancouver, waiting for me, and not anywhere else in the world. When I walked off the plane, Damien was waiting for me. I wasn’t sure what relationship stage we were in, and if public displays of affection at the airport were okay, but he pulled me in for a huge bear hug and kiss, so I guessed we were at that stage. Maybe I needed to stop overthinkingthis.
“I was out of my mind with worry,” he told me, standing there on the runway, and claimed my lipsagain.
Back at the loft,Master Aki and I were getting a ‘lesson’ from Jeremy on my brain readings. It seemed my mentor had set up shop in the guest room, and would be staying a while for my new training. Training I was more than a little terrifiedabout.
“So Damien hacked into some government files, from the early years of the ghoul landing, when we were still running experiments on them,” Jeremyexplained.
My eyes flicked to Damien and he shrugged, giving me a sexygrin.
“I analyzed the files of the one and only breeder female from who they were able to get readings. She came into their possession unconscious, within the Dream Wars, and after they set up the neuro electrodes, she woke up. But before she made the entire medical staff nearly go crazy, and they had to let her go, they got readings,” Jeremystated.
