Bloodhearts

Chapter fourteen: Rebellion.

JAY'S POV:

My first instinct is to go to headquarters. That's where my dad is and where the muscles to locate Peter are. I know my dad has men out and I hope he has new information for me.

I enter the situation room and see my dad frantically looking over the papers and that Pokémon card Samir gave us. He looks confused. That's not like him.

"Dad?" I ask, running because this behavior worries me.

Then I see something I don't expect; someone is pointing a gun at my dad's back. And I've walked right into the situation. The gunman clearly has not expected me to arrive and the weapon is held in trembling hands.

"Peter?" I ask, holding my hands up, trying to keep everybody calm. I'm pretty sure it's the same gun he took from his cousin, Michael who's now doing well and settled into camp life.

Peter points the gun in my direction. "I'm sorry, Jay," he says, and I can see how the sweat is pebbling on his forehead.

"Put the gun down, Peter," I ask and inch closer to my dad who's gripping the edge of the table next to him, holding on for dear life.

"I-I can't," Peter insists, but lets me go to my dad, who looks like he can't breathe, clutching his chest.

"Peter," I say, more insistently this time, knowing that something is seriously wrong with my dad. He hasn't spoken a single word yet and leans heavily on me when I reach him.

Peter's hand starts shaking to the point where he has to use the other to stabilize the aim of his gun. "I have to do this for her!" he yells. "I promised her!"

The anger prickles under my skin. "What are you talking about?" I demand and then it hits me that it is his girlfriend he's talking about. It takes me about a second to put the rest of the pieces together; she's one of the returned. She's part of the rebellion. And so is Peter, because of her.

I take a deep breath and am about to say something else when my dad becomes heavy in my arms, losing consciousness. That takes all of my attention and I get him on the floor and start performing CPR on him without another thought of Peter also being in the room.

I work on my dad, cursing under my breath, telling myself it's going to work. It has to.

"You might as well stop. You'll have to join him soon," Peter tells me. "Him and Cory."

The mention of that name makes me look up.

"If you touch a hair on his head, I swear I'll kill you," I growl.

Peter is still trembling, but he lowers his gun. "It doesn't matter now. It's too late. They've all been freed. It's the new world. It's starting now," he says. "We all have to make our sacrifices."

The hairs rise on my arms. "What do you mean 'they've been freed'?'"

"I mean the returned," Peter answers. "All of them. So they can exert their justice."

I momentarily stop the CPR, just staring at Peter in shock.

"Oh god," I whisper.

This means that many innocent lives will be in danger. Everybody in camp is in danger.

I scream in frustration and continue trying to get my dad to respond, but it isn't working. I soon learn that Peter lowered his gun because someone told him to; I find out we've been joined by Marc and another group of returned, carrying guns that used to belong to our people. The thought of how many people they hurt to get here is atrocious.

Marc, who has been watching me work on saving my dad's life, considers me with a cold expression. The one I always knew was there beneath the surface. He's not going to let us go, so I can get my dad the help he needs. He going to wait until my dad has no more time left. And then I'm pretty sure it's going to be my turn.