Nightmare - Secret Identities Book 1

Chapter 27

Roman's POV

Virgil appeared, slapped my mask on my face, and backed away. "We need to go, like, now."

I adjusted my mask. "Babe, what-"

He grabbed my hand. "Janus, now!"

He tried to pull me along, but I refused to budge. I pulled back on him, causing him to fall into my chest. Holding him by his shoulders, I stared him down. "Virgil, what is it?"

He stared at my chest.  "I ran into the guy that tortured me."

My grip tightened, causing him to wince. I pulled away. "Then we go find him, 'cause I'm gonna kick his ass."

Virgil grasped my hand desperately. "No; no, please. We need to leave because my enhanced senses that pick up on the slightest change in temperature are starting to realize just how much pain I'm in." This time, he stared directly into my eyes.

Janus laughed mockingly. "You're a wuss."

Virge whirled, his eyes glowing faintly as if a threat.  "You try getting whipped by a psychopath!"

His brother genuinely looked scared, or at least worried.  "N..."

Virgil turned toward the door. "We're leaving." It wasn't a question—wasn't an order—but simply a statement; he was going to make it happen whether we liked it or not.

Virgil's POV

The hallways were long and started to all blend together. We freed everyone we met along the way, but they all ran ahead when we stopped to help someone else. All I could think about was how much I hoped they were all safe. As we moved, I got more and more exhausted.

I'm not sure how long I can keep this up for.

Suddenly, the space in front of us filled with people from side-hallways, and I heard more footsteps behind us. I didn't dare venture a peek over my shoulder.

"You're not looking too good, Virge!"

I froze, stopped breathing completely, and turned slowly. I glared at the blond at the head of the group.  "Isaac..."

He smiled wide. "So, you have powers! You lied to me."

I dared a sideways glance at Roman. "Yeah, I lied to a lot of people. You're really not at the top of the list."

"Honestly, if I hadn't had video evidence, I think I might have believed you."

I let my powers nose around in his group's minds, then put a good number to sleep.

Isaac looked around. "Impressive!  How'd you do it?"

I brushed my hand against Roman's. "Princey, we gotta go," I whispered. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a dozen or so people still standing. There were more in front of us.

Roman asked, "How do you wanna do this, then?"

"I'm gonna snap Isaac's neck."

He grabbed me, pulling me back. "Virge, you are not a killer!"

I used my telekinesis to grab every gun pointed at us, turning them all on Isaac. "You don't know me—not really! I have lied about everything!"

Janus commented, "He's not wrong..."

I aimed a gun at my brother. "Shut. Up." My telepathy honed in on the weakest and strongest alike. They fell over, clutching their heads and groaning in pain. One by one, they slipped unconscious, too. Me and Isaac.

"You are so impressive," Isaac complimented genuinely. "How do you do that?"

I lifted my left hand.

Jay grabbed it, pulling it to my side.

I glared at him. "You realized I don't need my hands, right? They're just for finesse."

"Deep breaths, sweetheart," Princey reassured.

"Don't tell me to...!" I groaned. The guns began rattling, falling apart in the air.

Except for one.

I took the pistol in my hand, hating how it felt. "Follow us," I threatened, "and I won't hesitate to kill you."

Before we could turn and leave, Isaac suddenly yelled, "Don't you want to know how I knew about you?"

I glanced at Roman and Janus.

The man in front of us smiled. "I told you your brother was here because of Nightmare and... you."

I hadn't even thought to question it. "Spill."

His grin widened know that he'd piqued my interest. "Do you remember your friend Valerie?"

My breath caught in my throat. "You..."  My voice shook in rage. Val was kind and innocent; she didn't deserve this.

Isaac began to pace as he explained, "I originally took her knowing she couldn't defend herself. I thought that, with enough persuasion, she would reveal to me which of her students were Paragons. Instead, she sold out her co-workers: you, a Patton Smoke, and a few others. It really was a shame she had to die."

I went still, my eyes wide. Clutching the gun hard, I uttered, "You sick, sadistic fuck." I raised the weapon.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, but, by the time I realized the punch coming from Roman, it was too late.