Trained To Kill

twenty six: this is how you go insane.

Even though Valencia’s speeding as fast as all get out, I can almost feel the flames of the house we just set on fire licking the sky. My senses seem to have gone into overdrive, back like when I was first transformed. Every little sound is elevated, and every little touch is sensitive. Especially the feeling of Jacob’s bear paw wrapped tightly around my thigh.

I don’t know how that boy seems to know what’s going on in my head all the time, but I swear he does. “Karma, I think we need to talk.” He says quietly, as if somehow by lowering the volume of his voice no one else in the car will be able to hear us. It’s not like we’re tightly packed into a small space with three other super humans, right?

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I snap back, because I’m feeling snappy and also because he’s doing that thing where he makes me look weak in front of everybody. I’m not weak. “Can you just fill me in on what the fucking plan is?” No one in the car says anything.

He looks at me blankly, with that same unreadable expression he does so well. He sighs and does a quick wipe of his face with his palm. “Well, we’re on our way to a man’s house named Martin. Martin works not exactly with Control, but he does work for them. He’s on this handy list that we’ve spent quite some time compiling.” He holds up the green binder I’ve seen them with. “We’re going to get as much useful information from him as possible, and then we’re going to kill him.”

I can see it in his eyes, the way he waits for my reaction to the phrase kill him. I don’t have one. I just nod quietly and pretend like that doesn’t make my skin crawl.

“Do you understand what I’m saying, Karma? We’re going to torture him first. For information. And then we’re going to kill him.”

“I get it, Jake.”

He blinks at me. “Ok. You’ll be at the door, watching the street. Since they know we’re out, it’s possible they know where we’re planning to go. So it’s your job to stand by the door and just… keep watch.”

“Ok.”

“Ok?”

“Yes, I said ok.” And that’s the end of that.

--

About five minutes later, we pull up into a gated community. Matthew mumbles a series of numbers for Valencia to type in, and then the gates open. Deep, deep into the neighborhood, theres this medium sized two-story house with all its lights out. I look at Jake. “Is he even here?”

Valencia laughs. “Oh, he’s here. I can smell his fat ass from right here.”

Something tells me they know this man personally.

Matthew parks the car across the street and then everyone gets out, weapons already strapped and ready to fire. I try to get out as well, but Jacob lightly grabs my arm and tightens his grip around my leg to hold me back. He waits until everyone else has gotten out and shut the doors. Then he looks at me with this... this look I haven’t seen before and it makes my heart stop.

It’s a look that is overflowing with worry. I’ve seen him worried before, yes, but nothing this intense. Even his grip on my leg and my arm pour out fear. I can just feel it.

He’s terrified.

I’m about to say something, to tell him that he needs to stop treating me like a baby or something else stupid like that, but he cuts me off by pressing his lips against mine and kissing me like it’s our last. I’m serious about that, because he packs so much emotion and fervour into it that it feels like he thinks we’ll never do this again. His mouth moves against mine so intensely that I put my hand on his neck because my hands have to feel something. Then it’s over. He presses his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. He gets out of the car.