The Pain Thief

Chapter 21

I WON'T LET YOU DOWN

"Zoe!"

Jack couldn't help but to be surprised when he saw Zoe standing over him, worry etched on every part of her face. Her clothes were torn up and her sweatshirt discarded. 

He tried to get back up, but she placed a gentle hand on his chest to push him back down. "Let me heal you."

Jack noticed that her wounds were still bleeding and open, dripping onto the pavement. "Heal yourself first!" he pleaded, but she shook her head. 

"I can handle the pain better than you. It'll heal faster anyway. Besides, if I pass out, you have a much better chance of carrying me than I do of carrying you."

"That's not funny..." he said tiredly. 

Sarah joined Zoe, her face looking back to normal. Zoe stiffened, obviously feeling guilty. 

"Zoe... it's not your fault. You weren't in control of yourself," said Jack.

"Yeah Zoe," said Sarah with a small smile. "I know that wasn't you." 

"I'm so sorry Sarah," Zoe said in little more than a whisper and Jack could tell she was close to tears again. She gulped and he saw determination in her eyes. "But I'll make it up to you both. Now let me heal you."

Her hands glowed silver, matching her eyes. A weakened Malachi and Reyna glowed as well, converting themselves to power for her to use. 

It was quiet until Jack asked, "How did you get down Zoe?"

"The bindings disappeared when you killed her. She... she tricked me."

"She tricked you?" he asked. 

"I... felt her in me a few days ago, but I thought it was... something else."

The way Zoe said 'something else' made Jack's heart beat faster, but he didn't know why. 

His throat was dry when he asked, "What did you think it was?"

She swallowed and shook her head. 

"Zoe fixed me up right away," said Sarah with a smile, trying to break up the tension. 

"Thank you Zoe," whispered Jack. 

Zoe just nodded, focusing on her work. Jack could feel her energy seep into his body, warming him and making him feel strong again. Zoe wasn't showing it, but he could tell she was feeling increasingly weak. 

She noticed him staring at her shoulder wound and said, "It seems we've both fought one."

It took him a second to realize the meaning of her words. Both of their opponents had said that they were working to collect hazes, but they never said why. They did want both of them dead though, Zoe more so than Jack. 

"I found out some things while she was controlling me," said Zoe quietly. She bit her lip and Jack had to work to stay focused on her eyes. "Her connection wasn't a one way thing. She saw into my mind and I saw into hers."

"Do... do you know what they're planning?" Jack's heart sped up in anticipation. 

"Some of it," said Zoe simply. "Later we can all talk."

She looked to Sarah and Jack knew what was on her mind. Sarah seemed to have the ability to feel others power and they needed to talk with Mr. Z about it. 

Zoe took a breath. She was looking pale now, with dark bags under her eyes. Jack felt fine enough since he had only used his power, but didn't get any injuries. He sat up and Zoe didn't protest this time.