Existence: Book Five in the Influence Series by David R. Bernstein

Author:David R. Bernstein [Bernstein, David R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Torment Publishing
Published: 2021-04-29T22:00:00+00:00

***

“Kaylin!” Mom’s ragged wail rouses me from my slumber. “No! My baby!”

“She’s okay, she’s okay,” I hear Farren saying as cold hands clutch my face. “Leeyah, she’s okay. I swear!”

My eyes flutter open, but I can’t see a thing. Chapped lips press against my skin again and again, and for the second time, someone’s hot tears splash all over me. It takes a moment for everything to catch up with, but then it all comes back in such a rush that I’m propelled out of Farren’s arms and onto my own feet.

“Whoa!” he cries out. “Easy now!”

But I feel totally restored as I fling my arms around my mother’s neck. She clings to me like she wants to scoop me up in her arms like an actual baby, but she settles for rocking me side to side instead. After some time, she pushes me back, smushing my cheeks together with her clammy hands.

“What were you thinking?” she demands. “Jax and Ava told me about the weapon!”

I grasp her wrists and pry her hands away from my face. “If my Push worked all the way, then the weapon might have been destroyed.”

“How will we know?” Ava asks, appearing at my mother's side. Deep lines crease her forehead, and I know she’s thinking only of Jax and Envee right now. As long as the weapon exists… as long as those wave tracking devices exist…. we’re all in danger.

“Well,” I say carefully. “It didn’t get used on me, so that seems promising. But I guess only time can really tell.”

“So we just wait around until we get surprised?” Ava scowls.

“I’m sorry,” I say, feeling defensive. “I did the best I could in the moment.”

“You did better than best,” Amanda says, linking her arm through mine and glaring at Ava, which isn’t necessary. I know why Ava is so afraid. I don’t need her to be nice to me.

“If we need to do a reconnaissance mission in a few days, we can,” Seth says, coming to stand beside us. He looks almost shyly at my mother. “Happy to see you’re alive, Lee.”

A small smile twitches her lips. She touches his arm. “Likewise, Seth.”

Farren’s arm snakes around my waist. “I’m up for anything, but we need to get the Influencers as far away from here as possible before we even try to sift through that wreckage. Maybe back to Durango for supplies and then head west again.”

“What?!” I gape at him. “No way!”

“No one would expect us to move back toward the radiation,” Farren argues.

“Right, because it’s radiation.”

“We’ll figure out our destination later,” Mom cuts in “But we’re all going. No reconnaissance missions. They know we’ll do anything to recover prisoners now, and that’s something that they could try to use to their advantage in the next round.”

Ava laughs bitterly. “So, we’re really just going to not even know if they have a weapon at their disposal that wipes out our abilities?”

My head snaps toward her. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah!” Ava’s eyebrows jump up her forehead, triumphant. “Ask your mom what happens when that thing zaps you.

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