Chapter 154

Chapter 154
Hope

He ran, a blur as he headed out of the door. Almost ripping the front door off its hinges in his haste. I went after him but I had no chance of catching up with him when he ran like that. 

Only I didn’t have to catch up with him because he had stopped dead at the garden gate. I almost ran in to him , and only just caught myself in time. I caught myself against his back. My hands blocking my fall.

“What the hell Justin.” I hissed, slamming into him was like walking into a brick wall and my palms stung. 

Justin didn’t answer me. He just stood there and shook. The vibrations flowed up my arms and made my own body shake.

“Justin, you just went-“

He cut me off. “Look Hope.” He snapped.

Moving around him, I followed his narrowed gaze upward and gasped.

The sky was all wrong, not dark or too light. It was just wrong. The sun looked like it was burning but pale at the same time. The air around me glittered and the street was completely silent. No cars, no voices.

Not even a bird chirped. 

It was like the whole world had paused and looked upwards.

“What’s-“

“He’s not meant to be here.” Justin said through gritted teeth. “He’s tearing a hole in the fabric of time itself .”

Frowning, I shook my head. “That makes no sense.” Reaching out I touched his arm but he didn’t drop his eyes to me.

“We came back fine, and you come back all the time so why-“

He turned to me with a growl. “Because we are from this time. This is where we are meant to be and the universe knows it. Lincoln isn’t, this isn’t his time.” He trailed off with a shake of his head. “I don’t even think-“ he looked around wildly and before I could blink his legs buckled. I acted on instinct. Catching him under the elbow and holding him up as he panted.

Something was really wrong with him.

“I don’t even think he is the first. I felt drained when we first arrived like someone was pulling on my power.”

“None of what you are saying is making sense Justin.” I snapped. God I was tired of this. 

“It’s my power that moves us from one time to another. As the only original traveller left it’s always down to me to keep things balanced. The present isn’t balanced anymore, I don’t think it has been for a while but Lincoln tearing his way through has moved it. I don’t know if I can maintain control.”

My frown deepened. “You think someone else is here?” I whispered. “Someone from the future?”

“I think it’s several someone’s, I didn’t feel it at first because I just thought it was bringing two people along with me but now I know the truth.” Slowly he looked at me. “When your lover pushed himself into this time, he tore a hole in the world. He didn’t shut it behind him.”

“What does that mean?” I whispered. 

“It means the future will slip through. More and more everyday until it takes over this world. You don’t need to worry about the bombs falling anymore, Hope.” His lips twitched. “The future is already here and the world will combust. No survivors, no better world.”

I could have argued that his idea of a better world was messed up but now wasn’t the time.

“You’re talking about-“

“Total annihilation. Nothing will survive. The world will test itself apart.”

Lashing out he grabbed my arms. His fingers dug into my skin painfully. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out.

“This is what loving you does to a man, Hope. It becomes an obsession. A dangerous obsession. Lincoln is going to destroy the world because he can’t let you go.”

“Didn’t you do the same?” I whispered and his eyes blazed red.

“I tried to make a better world for us to be together in.  This Lincoln,” he shook his head. “He doesn’t care. He -“

The sky pulsed, dark and then light like a lightbulb flickering.

“I have to go.” He said but didn’t let go of my arms. “I want you to promise me something though Hope.”

“What?”

“You stay with your family. In that house. You don’t leave until this is fixed.”

“Fixed?” My eyebrows shot up. “You just said the world is about to end. How do you fix that?”

He stared at me for several long seconds. “I close the rift, or at least I plug it. I need to find him Hope. I need to-“

I slammed my hands down on his chest. “You’re going to kill him?” My voice shook. But the way his eyes darted away guiltily.

“That’s it isn’t it. Your going to find him and kill him.” My voice shook. “There has to be another way Justin. You already have me. I won’t go back to him, you-“

“It might already be too late, Hope. Now get in the damn house.”

I didn’t move.

“Please don’t kill him Justin.” I begged. 

“Would you rather the world die with your parents and your child with it, or a man who shouldn’t even be in this time. Love is about sacrifice.”

My lips clamped shut. I didn’t want Lincoln to die. Being apart from him was hard but it was made easier because I knew he was out there.

If Justin killed him the world might survive but I wasn’t sure my heart would.

Did that make me selfish? Yes?

I dropped my hands to my side and took a step back. “I promise I won’t leave the house unless I need to.”

He stared down at me for several long seconds and then nodded in agreement. “I guess that’s as much as can be expected but try and keep that promise Hope. When the blood rage is on me I won’t be able to stop myself .”

His cold fingers slid down my cheek and I fought back the urge to shiver.

“I wouldn’t want to hurt you or the ones you care about.”

“Why would you?” I trailed off and this time I shivered. He was weak and that meant he had to feed. 

Innocent people would die.

All of the people would die if he didn’t kill the love of my life.

Justin was right, this was all my fault. Loving me was wrong.

“I can feed you.” I whispered. 

Before my eyes his fangs elongated. Curving against his pale bottom lip. His eyes glowed red and narrowed until there was nothing but a red glow through the slits.

The hand that was on my cheek slid downwards to curl around my throat.

“Tempting.” He muttered. “But I would have to drain you dry a hundred times over to just maintain how I feel now.” One flex of his fingers and he pushed me away. “Go inside now Hope. That’s an order.”

I wanted to argue back but what would be the point. Inside my parents house was exactly where I wanted to be. “Ok.”

I’d barely turned before he had disappeared, running so fast that no human eye could track him.

Sighing I turned back towards the house only to come face to face with my father who was hovering in the doorway.

“Daddy?”

“No, Hope.” His voice was firm. “Me and your mother-“

My eyes darted to the upstairs window and there she was looking down. They had seen everything. I didn’t know how much they had heard but enough to make them even more suspicious.

“It’s time you told us the truth!”