Page 16 of Ash Fall

I lean closer to Gage and lower my face against his shoulder. It looks right for the part we're playing, but it also gives me something solid to concentrate on when the now-familiar buzzing sensation starts beneath my skin. Silver light appears across my palms.

Not now.

I curl my fingers inward and breathe slowly. Gage glances down, sees the glow and shifts his body enough to block anyone outside the truck from noticing it.

"Easy, sweetheart," he murmurs.

"I am being easy."

"Your hands disagree."

"Rude."

I focus on breathing until the light dims. I have no idea why it reacts when I'm frightened or how I'm supposed to stop it when I actually need to. Learning control is going to require the one thing I haven’t been able to get since the moon cracked, which is five uninterrupted minutes of peace to try.

Boots crunch closer over the gravel, and the young soldier comes into view at the tailgate. He can't be much older than me. His expression has the same blank quality I've seen on the other men still under Colonel Ashford's control.

His eyes move across everyone in the truck while he counts.

Thenton suddenly fights against his restraints and screams into the gag.

The noise is muffled but loud enough to snap the young soldier's attention toward him. His hand starts for the radio clipped to his vest.

Gage moves first, planting his boot against Thenton and forcing him back to the floor as Torrin raises his voice.

"Both of you at the gate, stop moving and stay silent."

The pressure in his voice moves through the truck bed.

The young soldier stops immediately. His fingers remain inches from his radio, his mouth half open. He doesn't blink, turn his head or react in any way. Beyond him, the second soldier also becomes completely motionless beside the gate.

Torrin doesn't waste time. "Colonel Ashford’s orders do not control you anymore."

Neither soldier reacts because they can't.

Torrin's fingers tighten around mine.

I turn toward him and watch his face lose even more color. His breathing changes, and a thin line of blood appears beneath one nostril.

My stomach tightens.

"Torrin."

He shakes his head as I reach for his face. "You're bleeding."

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not."

He closes his eyes for a second while leaning into my palm. "The hard part's done."

I want to argue, but he turns back toward the gate before I can.

"You can both move and speak normally now. You will not touch your weapons, warn Colonel Ashford about us, hurt anyone here, or interfere with what we're doing. Simmons, use your radio and tell Colonel Ashford his son has arrived and that he needs to come to the front yard."

The young soldier finally moves. His hand drops away from the radio, and he pulls in a hard breath. His eyes widen as he looks around, clearly trying to understand what just happened. Near the gate, the second soldier bends forward with both hands braced on his thighs before straightening again.

"Holy fuck," Simmons whispers.