She picked up the gun and fired directly between his eyes, his skull exploding through the back of his head. Michelle twisted her entire body to where Alex lay, only to find her on her elbows, staring fixedly at the dead man.
Michelle dropped to her knees and clutched Alex with both hands.
“Oh my God! Are you…are you ok?”
Alex didn’t answer as, still in a trance-like state of shock, she sat staring at his body. Michelle ran her hands over Alex’s chest and stomach. Even in the darkness she could’ve sworn that’s where the bullets were aimed. Michelle could find no blood.
She gripped Alex on both sides of her face. “Alex can you hear me…Alex!”
The last word seemed to rouse her, finally looking at Michelle. “Are you ok?”
Alex gave a slow, then quick nod. No words. Michelle gently caressed her face, smoothing the strands of hair back from her forehead. “Alex…listen to me. The adrenaline could be having an effect. Did he get you? Are you in any pain?”
It took a few seconds, but when Alex shook her head again, only then did relief start to pour into Michelle. Luck, chance or a shitty shot. Michelle didn’t know but she brought Alex in for the tightest embrace she could manage.
“You killed him…” Alex mumbled. “Without even thinking twice. I’ve never seen you so angry before.”
Michelle leaned back to glance over the body. “Alex…”
“I get it. It’s ok. You thought he killed one of your friends-”
“I thought he killed you,” she replied softly.
And finally, Alex had some truth. Within an instant Michelle had murdered a man for killing Alex, or appearing to. Michelle had meant the words, but she realised they were both holding each other in an embrace. The actions coupled with the words gave an air that Alex was much more than a friend to Michelle. Seconds turned to minutes before either moved. Alex got to her feet first. When Michelle placed her hand to the ground, she felt some odd shaped, yet sharp rocks. She rose to her full height, tucked the gun into her pocket and faced Alex.
“Is this part of what you were afraid of? What you weren’t telling me?” Alex asked.
“Please come inside and get into bed. We can talk more tomorrow. I promise.”
Once inside, Michelle placed Alex in the spare bed without another word spoken between them. She left the door open, just in case Alex needed anything, and switched the flickering, failing light on in her own room, digging out the rocks she had felt earlier from her pocket. Something told her she should have a closer look in the light, and now she could see why. She placed a hand gently over her mouth. They weren’t rocks. They were metallic. Two of them. Bullets. Partially flattened, yet the tips of which were indented, crushed back in on themselves with such force the metal had split and fanned out.
The shooter hadn’t missed. They had hit Alex. And they had been destroyed without leaving a blemish on her. The Night Mother’s words continued to repeat in her head. Saviour…and she had to be protected. But what on Earth would Alex need protecting from if she was bulletproof? Michelle heard her door creek open and dropped the bullets as she twisted to find a sobbing Alex closing in on her, crawling over the bed.
“I’m so sorry…” she said.
“Honey what’s wrong? About what?”
“About everything I said before I left…I didn’t mean it…I’m sorry.”
Michelle rubbed her back as Alex nestled her head against her neck. They slowly fell back onto the bed and lay there. Michelle content to hold Alex until she stopped crying.
“It’s ok…it’s ok.”
“No…I know you would never hurt me. Not on purpose. I know you’re keeping things from me, but I know that you would have a good reason. Just please tell me one thing…whatever happened, to me or whatever…did I hurt you?”
Michelle thought back to the night Dominus took over Alex, just after he had violated her, taking control of her fully. And how much pleasure could be seen in Alex’s smiling face as she kicked Michelle…
“No, hun. You didn’t hurt me.”
Michelle put extra emphasis on the ‘you’, but whether Alex noticed or not, Michelle didn’t know. Alex had turned around, taken Michelle’s hand and put it around herself, holding it in place. Michelle wanted to turn the light off but at that instant the ember in it finally gave out, drenching the room in darkness. It surrounded the two of them like a black void yet they themselves seemed oblivious, shielded from it, evidenced by the ease at which Michelle drifted off to sleep. For tonight anyway, Michelle would take advantage of being truly at peace and comfortable for the first time in months, due in no small part to the woman beside her. She would get rid of the gun at first light. Let someone else call about the body.
Chapter Nine
Primal Chaos
Alicia reminded herself to slow down, letting Nicole keep pace with her. They had stayed off the main roads and kept to the dark mostly. Alicia had given her shoes to Nicole to protect the girl’s feet, and truly, Alicia moved better without them. When they slept, the little they could, it was in the thick branches of a tree. They hadn’t really spoken in over a day. Not that there was any animosity, quite the opposite. There just wasn’t much to say without bringing tears.
Nicole hadn’t uttered one word of complaint. But she couldn’t stop the flow of tears that seemed to
