In
last week's episode, Regan killed Noah. Max killed Addy. And Regan and Max are trying to kill each other. How will things end? Keep reading for an exciting conclusion! There are only 2 chapters left.
An abducted cop and a
gladiator prisoner must learn to trust each other with their lives…and their
hearts…to escape their alien captors.
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CAPTIVE
Chapter Fifty-Two
Max
didn’t know what tortured him more, Addy’s shocked expression, her body
slumping in Regan’s arms, or the callous way the bastard tossed her aside.
It
took all of Max’s strength to hide his emotion, turn his back on her, and run.
The
battlefield had been leveled. Without Noah or Addy, Regan had no more leverage
over him. Running faster through trees and brush, in and out of shadow and
light, hurdling obstacles in his way, Max lured Regan farther into the woods,
away from any chance of a Hyborean zapping them with shock rods or shooting
them with tranquilizers.
How
far should he run before facing Regan?
He
hurdled a fallen log in his path. Either the pain was easier to ignore, or his
bloodied feet were numb.
How
would he kill Regan?
He
had no weapons while Regan had a combat knife. Ten years younger, the kid was strong
as a grizzly, had the advantage when it came to hand-to-hand combat, and
possessed impressive grappling skills.
But
his stamina was shit. Always had been. The fool never trained for endurance,
believing his strength and fighting skills would prevail over his competitors.
For the most part, he’d been right, but today would be a different story.
Although shoeless, bruised, and forced to breathe through mouth instead of a
broken nose, Max easily outpaced Regan for the fifteen or so minutes it took to
lure him back to the vine rope.
Naturally,
Regan would assume he was escaping to the refuge and wouldn’t stop chasing him
for fear of punishment if he failed.
Max
wouldn’t cross to the refuge without Addy and Noah. The plan was to reach the
dense vegetation near the rope and take advantage of his opponent’s fatigue in
a fight to the death. This time it would be Regan’s.
This
time Max had something worth fighting for.
By
the time he slaughtered Regan beyond reawakening, Addy and Noah would be alive.
The Hyboreans would come searching for the gladiators, but the hovercraft
wouldn’t be able to enter the dense vegetation. They’d have to park at the top
of the cliff and go after him on foot. That’s where he’d be waiting for them
with Regan’s flesh-eater. As soon as the hovercraft door sublimated, he’d storm
the vehicle, kill the Hyboreans, and free his family.
Together
they’d descend the very cliff Max was careening down now and cross the rope to
freedom.
Though
a sound plan, one problem remained. How the hell would he kill Regan without a
weapon?
Not
wanting to back himself into a corner or give Regan an opportunity to cut the
vine rope, Max kept a good distance from the river. He pulled a long, flexible
offshoot from a tree branch. The switch wasn’t the best weapon, but a few good
swings would cut Regan’s skin open.
He
pivoted around.
Regan
jumped the last few feet from the rocky cliff. Seeing Max had stopped,
Regan—sweat dripping and chest heaving—slowed his approach, the knife firmly in
his sweaty grip.
Adrenaline
spiked. Gladiator mode kicked into gear, annihilating all thoughts except for
bloodshed.
It
was alpha versus alpha now battling in the ultimate survival race.
Max
engaged his enemy.
* * *
Addy
awoke to darkness and the smell of black licorice.
“You
missed,” she whispered. She opened her eyes and focused on a hairy, gray
Hyborean cradling a wiggling baby in the palm of his hand.
“Noah!”
She scrambled to her feet, arms outstretched, ready to yank her child away from
the monster. Surprisingly, Ferly Mor bent over and carefully handed her Noah,
whom she covered with kisses and tears before pulling up his gown to check his
belly. A thin coating that appeared like skin covered the knife wound. Was it
some kind of bandage?
Did
it matter? Her baby was alive. Thanks to Duncan’s help.
She
hugged and kissed her son, ignoring that damn woodpecker drilling for breakfast
in her head again. At least there was no pain from impalement and minimal
dizziness. Perhaps she was getting used to this reawakening thing.
Her
face didn’t hurt from Regan’s punch, and neither did her feet from the cuts and
blisters. Ferly Mor had shod her in lightweight Hyborean sneakers and had
dressed her in the same shorts and T-shirt she wore the first day she awoke in
Duncan’s house.
If
they weren’t wearing thermal suits, could they still be in Southland? How long
had she been out? Where was Max?
As
she twisted around to seek an observation wall, Ferly Mor’s fingers caught in
her hair. She hadn’t realized until that moment he had been stroking her and
purring. His genuine happiness filled the small space around her, suffocating
her. She wiggled free from his grasp.
Through
three transparent walls, she could see lush forest surrounding them. Ferly
Mor’s vehicle hadn’t moved. There was still hope.
Ferly
Mor cleaned up his surgical instruments.
“Ah,
yer awake.” Duncan climbed up onto the table to give her a canteen of water.
She drank deeply and then wiped the droplets from her mouth before they dripped
on Noah. “How do ye fee—”
“How
long have I been dead?” A few weeks ago that question would have sounded odd.
“Ten
minutes perhaps.”
“Where’s
Max?”
“I
dinna ken. After bringing the bairn to my master, I went back and found ye with
a...a...”
“Spear
through my heart.” Like Max’s brother. Max hadn’t missed after all. It
might have been gruesome, but he’d done what he’d promised. He got her to Noah
the only way he knew how.
Duncan
cleared his throat and harrumphed. “Yes, well, I found ye and brought ye here.”
Right.
Now it was up to her to kill the beast and escape with their son. The room was
about the size of the poacher’s caged vehicle, though it was enclosed all
around. Ferly Mor’s hovercraft looked like a cross between a Hyborean cargo van
and an ambulance. In opposite corners of the cargo area sat two small
single-person cages she likened to cat carriers.
Duncan—faithful
pet that he was—followed Ferly Mor everywhere, thus didn’t require a cage. “Are
the carriers for me and Max, or for me and Regan?”
“They’re
for the gladiators, lass. Ye’re no’ a threat.”
That’s
what they think.
Ferly
Mor slipped a sash made of soft material over her head and around her shoulders
and then helped secure Noah into the baby sling—which would’ve been useful when
running from poachers. Why hadn’t she thought to pack one? He exited the room
into what appeared to be the vehicle’s cab.
“I’ve
got to find Max.”
“Dinna
fret. Regan will find him. Ye should rest now.”
“I
can’t rest. Max needs me.”
“He’ll
join us shortly. Ye’ll see.”
“That’s
what I’m afraid of.” They haven’t come all this way just to return to HuBReC.
“How many Hyboreans are on board?”
“’Tis
only Ferly Mor.”
“How
do I get off this thing?”
“Addy,
ye’ve reawakened from death. Though Ferly Mor fixed ye up fine, ye still need
time to rest and heal, lass.”
“I
don’t have time. I have to save my family. Now where are the doors to this
thing?”
Duncan
sighed in resignation like he usually did when it came to dealing with her.
“The back wall is a Hyborean door, as are the doors in the cab. I’m afraid ye
canna open them.”
“What
about the observation walls? Can I break them?”
“No,
lass.”
“Dammit,
Duncan. There has to be a way out.”
Faint
purring drifted from the cab as if Ferly Mor focused his thoughts into his
tech-ring rather than directing them to her. He was probably informing Rosalita
that he found the escaped humans. While the Hyborean equivalent of a cell phone
occupied him, she’d find a weapon and an escape route.
Wearing
Noah on her chest, she slid off the surgery table and then searched the craft’s
cargo area, opening and closing cabinet doors.
“Addy,
stop this nonsense. Ye belong to Ferly Mor. Ye always have.”
“Just
because he was tracking me doesn’t mean I belong to him.” Behind door number
three, she found their backpacks.
“Aye,
it does. Ye were his experiment, lass. Ferly Mor was studying the effects of
different environments upon human twins.”
“Then
Ferly Mor tagged the wrong person.” She rummaged through the gear for her
knife. “I’m an only child.”
“One
offspring was to be taken into captivity as a Hyborean pet. The other was to
stay in the wild. That was you.”
“You’re
confused. You must have perceived his experiment wrong. My mother never had
twins.” No knife. If Ferly Mor gave Regan the flesh-eater, what happened to the
other weapons?
“Aye,
she did, lass. She believes your sister to have died at birth.”
She
met Duncan’s gaze. Was he serious? “How would you know this?”
“I
was there with Ferly Mor. ’Tis the truth,” he said after a long silence.
She
wasn’t sure if she should believe him, but why would he lie? “I had a sister?
Mom had a baby who died?”
“Aye,
ye have a sister.”
Her
poor mother. How horrible to believe she had lost a child. An ache grew in her
heart remembering the painful loss of Noah for those bitter, dispiriting few
moments. Tears stung her eyes. How could that alien beast have taken away a
child with no concern for the grief and suffering it caused the mother? No
wonder Mom lived with depression. No wonder she resented Addy. How could she
look at her living daughter without thinking of the one she’d lost? Addy’s
twin.
Thoughts
swirled in her head as question upon question flooded her mind. Sorrow and
anger and other emotions stormed within, rendering her powerless to
concentrate, or to feel. Growing cold and numb, she sank into emotional
quicksand.
Get out of the quicksand, Dawson. Focus on the escape.
She
closed her eyes for a long, deep cleansing breath, willing the calm to enter
her soul. This revelation couldn’t suck her into an abyss. They were knocking
on the refuge’s door. It would kill Max to be this close to freedom again and
not attain it this time. She had to get him there at all costs. That meant
ignoring the heartbreak and focusing on her task. Crisis training had taught
her that much. If losing Max, Noah, and their freedom wasn’t a crisis, nothing
was.
Behind
the table and out of Ferly Mor’s view—in the event he returned—she dumped
everything out of both backpacks, and then started filling Max’s with the
essentials.
“What
are ye doing?”
“We’re
going to need supplies when we get to the refuge.”
“Did
ye no’ hear me say ye have a sister?” His voice, raised in frustration, woke
Noah. The baby fussed in her sling. “She’s here. On Hyborea.”
Sparing
no time to stop, she stroked his fuzzy head while packing one-handed. “Why do
you care so much whether or not I have a sister?” It’s not like Duncan was
family.
I’ll make HuBReC your daughter’s living Hell, Regan had told Duncan. What if
he hadn’t been referring to Tess. What if Regan had meant her?
The
sewing kit slipped from her fingers and tumbled onto the floor. Her stomach
tightened. “My mother thinks her baby died because that’s what you told
her, isn’t it? You were there with her because you— You’re my father.”
He
didn’t meet her eyes. It was all the answer she needed.
Get out of the quicksand. Focus on the escape.
Ever
since Addy could remember, she’d wished to have a relationship with her
biological father. A wish she didn’t know had been granted over two months ago.
On top of that, she had a twin sister. Tess! A painful ache tightened her
chest, making breathing difficult. Why hadn’t he told her all this before? Why
wait until now? What did he expect her to do, drop everything and run into his
arms? Tell him she would stay? How could she after he’d betrayed her and her
mother? He’d caused them so much anguish and grief.
Get out of the quicksand. Focus on the escape.
Inhaling
calming breaths again, she retrieved the sewing kit, stuffed it into Max’s
backpack, and zipped it up. “I have one question. Did you love my mom?”
“Yer
mother was a beautiful young lassie. Full of life and passion. Ye remind me of
her.”
If
only he’d been describing the woman she knew. That would have been a beautiful
thing to witness. “I asked if you loved her.”
“It
doesna matter now.”
“It
matters to me.”
Tears
shone in his eyes. “Aye. I loved her.”
Her
heart ached with sorrow and bitter joy, if that made any sense. Whether or not
her mother had been tricked into conceiving twins for Ferly Mor’s experiment,
Addy took small comfort knowing her mother and Duncan loved each other for a
short time. It was also a relief to know she didn’t cause her mother’s lover to
abandon her after the pregnancy. Duncan had to return to Hyborea with Ferly Mor
and her twin.
The
craft moved, pitching Addy forward and pulling her thoughts from the quicksand.
She braced herself so as not to crush Noah. Trees, vegetation, and the river
blurred as the craft picked up speed. “He’s taking us back without Max.”
“No,
lass. We’re headed downstream. Ferly Mor is searching for the alphas.”
She
let out her breath. It was time to find a way out.
Addy
entered the cab. Distracted by Ferly Mor behind his holographic driver’s
console, she stumbled over a small drawstring pouch. Four people popped out of
nowhere, startling her an instant before realizing they were holograms of her,
Duncan, Regan, and Max projecting upward from the four chips that had slid out
of the bag. Had the Hyborean shown these life-sized movie clips to the HGC
agents to prove ownership of his humans? Was that why the HGC hadn’t pursued
them?
Ferly
Mor stroked her head, untroubled by her presence and unconcerned that she
shrugged him off to crouch on the floor to search for a way out. Then again,
perhaps he didn’t understand what she was doing, or if he did understand,
believed she couldn’t escape.
Unsuccessful,
she climbed carefully with Noah onto the passenger seat and then slid her hand
along the transparent wall looking for a sublimation button or lever. The wall
was smoother than Noah’s bottom.
Duncan
placed the hologram chips back into the pouch and then tossed it onto the seat
before joining her. “Ye must have questions, daughter. Do ye want to talk?”
“Save
your breath, Duncan. You can’t manipulate me into staying.”
The
vehicle slowed.
They
stopped short of two exhausted alpha gladiators beating the crap out of each
other precariously close to the edge of a familiar waterfall. One wrong move
and they’d fall thirty-odd feet to the pool below where the vine rope awaited
their crossing.
If
she could sneak out behind Ferly Mor when he sublimated the driver-side door,
she could flee down the steep rock and take Noah to the refuge.
Knowing
Max, he’d dive off the cliff, grab hold of the rope, and meet her there. No one
but Regan would be able to follow.
Her
heart sped up. Think. Think.
Ferly
Mor ducked into the cargo bay, and Addy scooped the hologram chips out of the
pouch. Concealed in her fist, no images projected. All she had to do was place
a chip in the sublimated vapor after Ferly Mor got out. The chip would trip the
safety sensors, preventing it from solidifying fully. One small hole was all
she needed to reopen the door.
Once
outside, the big furry Hyborean would be quick to overheat in the tropical
climate and would be forced to slow down. If this worked, she was moments away
from freedom.
Steadying
Noah in the sling, she carefully climbed off the seat, keeping a watchful eye
on Ferly Mor. He opened a cabinet door she had previously found locked and
retrieved a silver gun.
“What’s
that?”
“’Tis
a wee tranquilizer gun.”
The
cargo hold’s rear wall sublimated. Dammit. She had been waiting on the wrong
door.
Addy
sprinted across the cargo hold and was halfway there when Ferly Mor disappeared
through the vapor. It crackled as it began to solidify. She threw the hologram
chips with a Hail Mary pass. They hit the floor, bounced, and slid like
miniature hockey pucks into the white fog. The sensors registered the objects,
and the phase transition halted.
Through
the observation wall, she watched Ferly Mor round the van, oblivious to the
small gaseous holes in the door.
She
would have whooped with elation, but she didn’t want to draw Ferly Mor’s
attention from the men grappling at the cliff’s edge.
“Bye,
Duncan.” She headed for the opening.
“Addy,
don’t leave me. Please. I love ye, lass. I’ve loved ye all yer life. Stay with
me. Ferly Mor can’t give ye up. Ye were an unsanctioned abduction from Earth.
He’d get into trouble if he gave ye away. We can be a family.”
“Max
and Noah are my family.” She placed a finger, a fist, and then an arm through
the gaseous opening until it opened wide enough for her whole body, and then
she escaped into the summer heat. She pocketed the holograms to stop them from
projecting their movies and catching Ferly Mor’s attention, and then crouched
behind the hovercraft to spy beneath it.
Regan
trapped Max on his back. His head hung over the cliff as he struggled to keep
Regan’s knife from piercing his heart. If he rolled inches to the left, they’d
plunge into the waterfall. Ferly Mor moved into position with his tranquilizer
gun.
“Run,
Addy!” Max yelled over the roar of the falls.
How,
in the midst of battle, he knew her whereabouts was a mystery she’d contemplate
after reaching freedom. Holding Noah and his sling tight to her breasts, she
raced through brush and navigated the steep, rocky cliff Max and she had
descended earlier.
A
trigger’s snap echoed above her, drawing her attention to the two bodies
plummeting over the waterfall. Her heart plummeted with them.
Ferly
Mor’s perceived frustration rushed past her like air being sucked into a
backdraft before exploding. It was as if he had taken a deep breath before
swearing. Had he cursed because he missed his intended target, or because he
lost his gladiators over the falls?
She
raced down the slope. Ferly Mor would be right behind in unmitigated fury.
Considering the dense vegetation and vines, he’d have to descend the terrain on
foot, and his size and the climate were against him.
She
slipped, sending a tumbling cascade of rocks to the talus below. Gasping, Addy
continued down. Pressure swelled in her chest, constricting each beat as if
Hyborean hands squeezed blood from her heart like water from a sponge.
Were
her sutures splitting? Was it a heart attack?
Sweating
profusely, sucking wind, and unable to bear the strain on her heart, she
reached the bottom of the cliff. Through the trees, Max snagged their vine rope
and hauled himself onto the riverbank. Regan was a shadow behind him, knife
blade gripped between his teeth.
Addy
retrieved the hologram chips from her pocket and threw them into the forest,
hoping the images would fool Ferly Mor and gain them a few precious minutes to
cross.
She
took in a deep breath and made her way to the vine rope.
At
the riverbank, the two beaten, bloodied, and drenched gladiators circled each
other, hunched over in exhaustion. How did either man have the strength or
fortitude to keep fighting?
Regan
lunged with the flesh-eater. Max deflected the blade, but Regan’s shoulder
rammed his chest, knocking him flat on his back, pinned.
Max
grunted, struggling against Regan and the knife.
Quickly,
Addy placed Noah’s sling in the ferns where she had made the vine rope earlier
that day and grabbed the only weapon she could find. She snuck behind Regan,
threw the vine around his throat, and yanked it back with the strength of a
pissed-off grizzly protecting her cub.
“Hello,
pet,” she said with icy derision. Unlike the time she’d tried to poison
him, there was no fear. There was no guilt or remorse. The bastard was going to
die at her hands, and she was glad.
Regan
twisted around. He swung the knife wildly. Max redirected the arching blow into
Regan’s chest.
Regan
choked.
He
wheezed.
His
muscles slackened.
His
body slumped to the ground, pulling her off balance, but she refused to let go
of the vine. She pulled it tighter. He had died after she’d poisoned him in
HuBReC but came back to life. This time, she’d make sure he stayed dead. She
had to prevent him from ever coming after her family again. Hot tears blurred
her vision as she strangled him with all of her strength.
“Let
go, Addy,” came Max’s gentle voice. Somehow, he had gotten off the ground and
was kneeling beside her, peeling her fingers from the bloody grip she held on
the vine. “He’s dead.”
* * *
“But
that’s not enough.” Addy turned to him with tearful, red eyes. She sniffled and
wiped her face with the back of her hand, smearing blood under her nose. “We
have to make sure he never comes back to life. We have to get rid of his body.”
Her gaze darted around their surroundings. She looked crazed. Manic. A knot
formed in the pit of his stomach. This wasn’t good.
“We
have to throw him in the river.” She jumped to her feet, pulling on Regan’s
arms in an attempt to drag his body. “Help me, Max.”
“Leave
him. Ferly Mor will be here any second. We have to cross the river now.”
“But—”
“Addy.”
He took her soft hand in his. His gaze held hers. “Is Regan’s ultimortem more
important than saving our child?”
Her
pupils dilated. She blinked as if waking from a nightmare. “No.”
Relief
flooded him. She would be okay. “Come on.” He helped her to the ferns where she
retrieved Noah in his sling. She cradled and kissed his head. Joy surged
through his beaten body at the sight of his son, alive and well and with little
awkward limbs moving randomly in his momma’s arms.
But
this wasn’t reunion time. “We have to cross before Ferly Mor—”
Rustling
leaves drew his attention to the Hyborean aiming his tranquilizer gun.
“Duck,
Addy.” Max dove and rolled to Regan, yanked the flesh-eater from his lifeless
body, and heaved it.
Ferly
Mor pulled the trigger an instant before the knife penetrated his hand. The gun
fell on the ground...too late. A tranq dart embedded into Addy’s neck.
Dammit,
why hadn’t Max pushed her out of the way?
Ferly
Mor’s target was textbook. Head and neck hits resulted in almost instantaneous
unconsciousness. She had thirty seconds before her entire body shut down. Her
eyes clouded, and her lids drooped.
Stumbling
forward, she reached for a low hanging branch. The branch snapped, but Max
caught her before she fell, and eased her and Noah to the ground. “Don’t be
afraid.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re going to sleep now. It’ll be okay.
Trust me.”
“I
do.”
Ferly
Mor cautiously approached them. He had pulled the knife from his hand and
retrieved the tranquilizer gun.
Max
grabbed Addy’s broken branch, cocked it at his shoulder, and jumped between her
and the alien. “You’re not taking her back, you bastard.”
Ferly
Mor sent him calming thoughts as he fiddled with his tranquilizer gun. He
seemed to be having a hard time of it since he still held the knife in his
other hand. What was the alien doing? Recalibrating the drug for a heavier
body?
Fuck
that.
Max
charged. Each swing of the club connected with the Hyborean’s legs, gut, arms.
The gun sailed out of his leathery fingers.
With
the knife clutched in front of him, Ferly Mor backed away. The stupid alien
should have kept the weapon moving, but he wasn’t a fighter. He was a doctor.
Soon
he’d be a dead doctor.
One
swing knocked the knife to their feet. Another swing shattered the Hyborean’s
knee. Ferly Mor buckled and fell, but Max didn’t stop. He clubbed him again and
again, beating the fucking life out of the Hyborean.
A
trigger snapped. A needle pricked his lower calf. He pivoted around and saw
Duncan’s gun hand, extended in front of him, shaking uncontrollably. “I’m
sorry, lad. But I canna allow ye to kill my master.”
Max
plucked the dart from his calf. He snatched up the flesh-eater and slashed his
leg, hoping some of the drug would drain out with his blood. He had one minute,
tops.
Shit.
Abandoning
the Hyborean, he ran to his family, slipped Noah’s sling over his head, and
then picked up Addy and carried her to the bank where he yanked the vine rope
from the sapling and tied it around his chest beneath his armpits. Holding tightly
the two people who gave his life meaning, Max plunged into the cold river.
He
struggled to keep three heads above water as the rushing current swept them all
downriver and across.
On
the verge of white water, fierce undercurrents sucked at his legs. Pins and
needles anesthetized his body, whether from the cold water or the tranquilizer,
he wasn’t sure and didn’t give a damn. He had to get them onshore before his
arms went numb.
Noah
was easy. One-handed, Max half placed, half tossed the baby safely into the
mud. Addy’s dead weight proved more difficult. Hugging her with one arm, he
kicked his legs and crawled his way up the bank.
Duncan
called out to him from the opposite bank, but he couldn’t comprehend the words.
A fog seeped into his head.
Don’t black out now. You’re an arm’s length from
freedom. With
his last gram of strength, he pulled his hips from the river and collapsed with
Addy on the muddy bank of the refuge.
Pain
receded as Max floated into a dark abyss.
#
Are they safe? Will Ferly Mor reawakened Regan? Will he go after them in the refuge or are Max, Addy and Noah safe in the refuge? Find out next
week
in Captive's conclusion (Chapter 53) or read the end of the story now at your favorite retailers.
K.M.
Fawcett
Romance with a rebel
heart
