The Eden Projects (Book I)

Chapter 28. House Carpenter.

- Ace -
"If he's dead," Zak began "I'll kill you." His voice crackled over the radio attached to the dash of Ace's car.

It hadn't been more than an hour from his arriving at the camp, to where he now was, on the road, at night, heading back towards the town. "You need to calm down." Ace spoke calmly.

"Say that again. I fu- ing dare you-"

His car jolted forward as Zak tapped his trucks grill against Ace's bumper. "This is unbelievable." Ace chuffed and adjusted in his seat. The slings flexed where his wings and back pressed into them. Then he took up the radio. "You have some explaining to do. You killed people under my protection."

The radio was silent, then it cracked to life. "We had no choice." It broke- "Why are you in talks with them- explain that."

Fog gripped the wheel and the leather of it squeaked. "Be careful."

Ace batted his comment away. "We struck a deal, prior to your arrival. They would provide us with ground supports and a base as needed in exchange for protection, and what information we currently had on Ark. Since we can access towers the easiest. But importantly. I promised to take down a nest for them." He lowered the receiver and looked out the windshield, squinting against the dark. A plume of smoke came into view. "We got to the nest, and someone had already done most of the clearing. -Fog take a left here."

"Got it."

"It was in an old Church." He hesitated. "-from the looks of what I saw... it had to have been Kasper. But I can't say for sure." He closed his eyes harshly.

Radio silence filled the car, and then, not a minute later, Zak's voice came through. "You're sure it was him... he wouldn't do that. You know that as much as I do."

Ace looked out the rear view mirror. Watching the wiper blades on Zak's windshield cut away at his face.

"What did it look like."

Ace rung his hand, and pressed the receiver closer to his lips. "It had horns, and a black, animal type skull over its face. I've never seen anything like it. The face... If it was him..." They had reached the main street. "Zak, it had his hair. It knew me."

"There are others like him now- like Jack. You can't know for sure-" A desperation clung to the ends of his words.

At the idea of him being wrong. Ace bit back. "Who else could it have been then???"

"You've never seen him spiked up before. You don't know him-"

"-and I doubt you've ever seen anything like what I just saw. Something wasn't right. I just... Know it was him... He needed help. I wanted to help him." He ground the receiver into his forehead. This... is hard.

"Help..." Zak's deflated voice caught in the static. "Was he coherent?"

Ace tapped the edge of the plastic mic, looking to Fog. "What do I say?" He whispered.

"The truth." Fog spoke. "Tell him the truth."

For a bitter moment, Ace considered what lying meant. He did want to tell Zak everything. He wanted to clear the water and burn the webs away. But he couldn't. The truth was something he had barely defined. It wasn't so easily sold to others and the current state of his plan called for ignorance. Not informed players. "I don't know how much human there was left to him, but he spoke to me. He answered me." He hoped that would be enough. "Other infected can't do what he can. Not Jack, not even myself or the others. He's different."

Zak slowed behind them, seeing this, Fog let off the gas. "Then it had to be him." Zak muttered. "How can I be this stupid-"

"Zak-" The radio clicked and Ace tapped Fog when Zak's truck stopped moving entirely. "-stop here."