Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
But deep down, I know he’s just trying to protect me, and it’s a confusing realization.
I step in front of him, and I throw away every barrier that is between us, catching his hand with mine. “Creed,” I whisper urgently. “Come lay down.”
His eyes open. “Bathroom floor. It’ll be easier to hide the bloodbath.”
“There’s already a river of blood on the bed and you’ll be more comfortable.”
“Bathroom,” he insists and he pushes off the wall, grabs one of the bottles and walks that direction.
I grab the supplies, and follow him. By the time I’m in the intended doorway, he’s lying on the floor. Okay, I think. We’re doing this here. I set the towels down next to Creed, and it’s then that I realize he’s shivering. The healing sickness, the punishment that comes with the GTECH’s ability to heal, is kicking in. “Creed?”
“Get it out,” he grinds out. “Whatever the fuck is in there, get it out.”
The absolute desperation in him has me scrambling. I push to my feet, run to the other room and return with my supplies, and I swear he’s shaking even harder. I’m on the floor, beside him again in an instant. “I’m here,” I say, when I remove the steak knife from the bag, he catches my hand.
“Left pocket. Use my blade.”
I set the knife down and dig in his pocket but his “blade” is far too large for surgery, but I think it works for his bandage and suit. I flip it open, aware that the minute I cut him free he’s going to bleed and I need a way to wrap him again once the bullet is out. I push to my feet or I try. Creed grabs my arm. “Cut it out.”
“I need another bandage.”
“I won’t bleed out once the bullet is gone. The hole will seal. Just cut it out.”
He’s shaking so hard, I’m shaking with his touch, and I don’t know how I cut him, when he’s jumping all around. Nevertheless, I nod and I start cutting him free. The hole is huge, so huge I don’t even think I have to cut him. I just have to reach inside and get the bullet, if I can find it for all the blood. I grab the bottle of booze, intending to sterilize his wound but he growls, “I’ll heal, Addie. Fuck the whiskey.”
I swallow hard and open the bottle anyway, taking a big long swig, before I set it aside. “I’m sorry. This is going to hurt.”
“Just do it,” he orders. “Do it and—”
I reach inside the wound, and Creed’s body lifts from the ground, a low guttural sound sliding from his lips, but I don’t stop. I dig deeper until my fingers find a strange foreign object that does not feel like a bullet. I yank on it and remove it, and Creed literally collapses and passes out. I stare at the green looking “bullet” I guess, that resembles a jacks from a kid’s game. This is no normal bullet, and I don’t know what that means for Creed.
He's shaking all over, again, in a literal eruption and while I know the healing sickness can be intense, it’s not like this. I need help. He needs help. I dig in his pockets until I find his phone and retrieve it. I tab through his history and go cold. Caleb and Julian are in his phone and he called Julian after he told me he was out of the Zodius fold.
I don’t even know who to call to save him. They all might want him dead. Maybe I should too, but I don’t. I have to figure out how to save him.
He rolls to his side and groans, and I scramble to check his wound, and he’s right. The bleeding has all but stopped, just that fast. That’s why he’s suffering. His body is rapidly healing. I move to the front of him and he starts shaking again. I’m starting to get really scared and my hand settles on his shoulder. “Tell me who to call, Creed. You need help. I looked in your phone and you called Caleb and Julian. I don’t even know who will kill you if they find you.”
He drags me down to him and against him, his hand presses to my face. “Julian will kill us both. Don’t forget that. Ever. Do you hear me? Never forget. And do not call—” He quakes and passes out and I know with all my being that this is no normal healing sickness. It has to do with whatever that was I pulled out of his body.
And I have to get help.
The end…for now