Dateless and Deadly

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

As if dying wasn’t bad enough, I had to watch myself do it. And this time, I wasn’t dreaming.

I was having an out of body experience. There I was, looking around at the soaked and bloody battlefield when suddenly, I saw myself lying face down in the mud.

Let me tell you, I never really thought I was an incredible beauty or anything but when you see yourself blood-stained, mud covered, and drained to the core, you lose whatever self-esteem you may have once had.

I watched as James threw himself to his knees at my side and pulled me from the mud to sprawl me across his lap. He was shouting at me, telling me to wake up but my eyes were closed and I was hanging in his arms, limp.

“Please Cass, please don’t leave me. I love you. I love you. I love you,” he said it over and over as he began to rock with me. He let out a strangled sob and I realized he was crying as he clutched me to his chest.

“Do I have to watch this?” I asked no one as I felt wetness travel down my own cheeks and my throat tighten painfully. I should have told him. I should have given him something more to remember me by than a kiss but I didn’t want him to think about me forever. He had to move on from me.

Just like I probably had to move on from here. I wasn’t about to haunt the people that I loved for the rest of my life. The strange, invisible hanger-on was not the job I signed up for.

“Isn’t there supposed to be a shining white light or something?” I mumbled.

I sighed as nothing happened. With nothing else to do, I continued to watch the scene before me. Sam, Will and Jack were surrounding me and it seemed like the bulk of the fighting was over. Caine and Derek were facing off but every once in a while, Caine would shoot a look at my sister which didn’t sit well with me.

Caine looked weak, fragile but there was something in his eyes that told me he wasn’t finished yet. He attacked Derek and the force of the blow had much more power behind it than I’d expected. It was different though, not the blue electricity that he’d been shooting at me but some kind of orange light. It almost looked like he was shooting lasers from his hands.

Derek seemed just as surprised as I was feeling as he deflected the first couple bolts. “What did you do Caine?” he yelled as a third strike was aimed at him.

Caine just laughed, his eyes wide and crazed.

“What’s going on?” I heard Sam ask as the two older men fought.

“That’s Dillon’s power,” Will replied in a hushed voice. He stared at Caine with disgust in his eyes. “He’s somehow taken it.”

An image of Dillon as I’d last seen him danced across my memory. He’d looked smaller, worn and completely harmless and when he’d tried to use his power, he’d died. How many of those idiots at the table earlier had seen that happen? How many of the people that worked for Caine had fallen victim to his greed?

Caine’s evil laugh brought me back to the present. It looked like he had the upper hand in the fight and he raised his hand to deliver the final blow but instead, aimed it at a blur that was racing by him.

The shot of orange light caught Will on the shoulder as he darted close to Caine. Will let out a scream and landed hard on the ground, clutching his shoulder and grimacing. Caine barely had time to glance at him before another attack was launched his way, this time it was fire which he deflected easily before aiming a shot at Jack.

Jack managed to step out of the way, but barely. He had never been very good at shields and if he took a direct hit, chances were it would still kill him.