Project Starfall (Completed)

Chapter 8

With a groan, Pierce awoke from her deep sleep, then looked around at the forms of the other hybrids. Madigan was sleeping as far away from everyone else as possible. Elliot's eyes were drooping and he was struggling to stay awake. Grey, on the other hand, was bright-eyed and alert. "How long was I out?" Pierce whispered in a hoarse voice, using all her self-control not to flinch from the pain speaking sparked in her abdomen.

"She's awake." Grey prodded Elliot. "Now will you please get some sleep?" Elliot smiled tiredly at Pierce, then slumped over and fell asleep instantly. "Don't talk," Grey said when Pierce opened her mouth to ask her question a second time. "You've been sleeping for a few hours, so it's around noon," he informed her. Pierce watched as he pulled out a first aid kit. "We found this along with food, water, and some other supplies," he said, pulling out a clean piece of cloth. Gingerly he lifted the bottom of her tank top, revealing bandages speckled with blood.

He began unwrapping them, and Pierce angled her head, assessing the severity of her wound. "It's not too bad," Grey said, noticing her efforts. "I was able to remove the bullet easily enough. But maybe we should take you to a hospital. There could be internal damage."

"No." Pierce rejected the idea. "That's out of the question." Grey nodded like he'd been expecting the answer.

"Be careful with your right arm. I removed the bullet and stitched up the wound, but it could easily be reopened."

"So you have some medical experience as well?" Pierce frowned. "You didn't mention that when I asked about your skill set."

"It seemed insignificant." Grey shrugged. "I don't know much. Just some of the basics."

"Give yourself more credit," Pierce scoffed. "Thanks for patching me up." Her gratitude went beyond him healing her wounds. She was grateful he had found her back in the compound. Pierce looked out one of the windows from where she sat. The night had given way the purple of dusk. "Hey, Knox?" she said.

"Boss! You're awake! What can I do for ya?"

"Where are we?" she asked.

"At the moment we're flying across a desert in Cali. Death Valley, to be exact. A fitting location for Project Starfall, don't you think?" He laughed. "I'm taking us over to Fresno on Grey's command. Hope you don't mind."

"No, that's fine," Pierce replied dismissively. "Grey, I'm going to sleep again. Wake me up when we arrive.

It seemed longer than thirty minutes before Knox landed in an abandoned, overgrown field on the outskirts of the city. Pierce let the others file out first, then walked after them. She had a hard time believing that they had escaped. That they—she—was free.

Pierce stepped out of the helicopter and the midday sun's warm glow touched her pale skin. She inhaled deeply, picking up all of the wonderful and frightening smells that came from things untouched by humans. There were also the scents of things ruined by humans, but Pierce ignored those. She bent down and ran a hand through the tangle of overgrown grass and weeds. A dandelion stood out like a star among the green, and Pierce brushed a finger across its spiky yellow petals.

"We made it." Grey's soft voice broke her trance. Pierce looked intently into his eyes, trying to get a glimpse of any malice residing in them. They were dark as ever, nearly black, but they didn't contain the evil she'd expected.

Pierce shook off the thought. She wasn't going to trust Grey. She wasn't going to trust anyone, because trust was how people got hurt. "Yeah, we did," she agreed, looking around at the ragged group. "Grey and I are going to get supplies," she announced. "The rest of you have more obvious abnormalities, so you'll have to stay here until we get back."