Perfection - The Oasis Project Book 1 (Complete)

Thirty-Three - Ira

"What now?" I mumbled to myself, squinting at the beach through the thin screen of trees. Once again, I wiped my bloody hands on my shirt, which was now more blood than fabric.

Stuart already started moving. "Those docks are the only way out of Dell. Once they notice we're missing, this'll be the first place they'll look." He turned around and looked us over, taking care to avoid me. Stuart had looked so confused when I defended him in front of Linkin, it was almost funny. "We need to move."

"No shit," Jaysen said under his breath, following Stuart in his sprint. "Hey, Stewie, I have so many questions. Do you even know how—"

"Jaysen, you don't get to ask the questions here," Stuart interrupted him. "Can you see through walls?"

I heard a pinched laugh from Linkin beside me, but I didn't look at anything but the beach ahead. The smell of blood from my clothes was overwhelming, and rather than feeling disgust, I felt extremely hungry. After Siberia, I had vowed to never up that body count, but here I was. So much for Stuart's therapy.

"Dude, you don't get to hear about my cool power," Jaysen said, starting to pant as the amount of sand on the ground grew. "Just because Ira knows you well, doesn't mean we do. Just know it's a cool as hell superpower."

"Jaysen!" I called out disapprovingly. If we were to get out of here alive, we needed to work together. When we reached the beach, I was beginning to see black spots in my vision. Every breath made me feel giddy. I tried to not let it show as we walked out onto the pier. "Jaysen, we need to help each other."

"And yes, I know how to drive a boat. Safety briefings," Stuart said, coming to a stop next to a boat that could seat about six or seven people. Jaysen opened his mouth – and terrifying eyes – to reply, but a loud siren tore through the air from the other side of the trees.

"Oh shit!" we all said pretty much in unison. Stuart ushered Jaysen onto the rocking boat, and Linkin waited until I was seated before curling up against the side of the hull. Stuart pulled on the motor and the water started gurgling behind us. A few seconds later, we were out in the clear. We watched as Stuart took his place behind the wheel and stared at him intently, in case he did anything funny. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, pressed some buttons, and tossed it between Jaysen and me. Jaysen caught the poorly-thrown phone without any trouble.

"Infrared vision," Stuart took another stab at his ability.

Jaysen shook his head, holding up the phone in confusion.

"Anyone who knows how phones work," Stuart said, "take the SIM card out and throw it in the ocean. Without breaking the phone. I just screenshotted where we are in relation to land." There was a deep growl from the engine as Stuart sped up the boat. "There's a pin somewhere in my bag."

I looked at Linkin who seemed to be lost in her world. Goosebumps had appeared on her inked skin, and her brown-black hair was flapping in the wind. She saw me eventually and began to dig through Stuart's duffel bag, the tattoos on her arm rippling slightly every at every touch.

"Good hearing, bro," Jaysen said, catching all of us off guard. "If it's not too loud, I can picture what's around me from how sound bounces off objects."

Stuart smiled; couldn't take the fascination out of a doctor. "Thanks, Jaysen."

"No, Stewie." Jaysen grimaced. "That was only the intro. I can hear them coming."

I crept to the back of the boat and squinted. I adjusted my eyes against the horizon, but it was no help. "How far away are they?"

"Far, but catching up," the amused tone was gone from his voice.