Chapter 156

Chapter 156
Hope

“Any news?” I lifted my head expectantly at the sound of the front door opening and shutting. “Hello?” I called but there was no answer but the sound of heavy footsteps.

Finally Deacon appeared, his face strained as he fell into one of the kitchen chairs and sighed. Pausing I placed the wooden spoon on the countertop and studied him.

He looked older here somehow, and was clearly stressed as he was pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What happened Deacon?” I rounded the Island to stand next to him.

He flicked his eyes up to me. “Where is baby Faith?”

I couldn’t help but smile, they all called her that baby Faith. It had been five weeks since I had arrived back in my time and things had just been getting weirder and weirder. Strange occurrences were making the news on a daily basis. 

Terroist attacks on research facilities which I knew were Lincoln and not really attacks but so far we hadn’t been able to locate him or Justin for that matter.

They were out there in the city somewhere but could we find them? Could we hell. They were both ghosts.

“Asleep upstairs.” I yanked out the chair and fell into it. Leaving the pasta sauce bubbling away on the stove.

“My mum is grocery shopping and my dad is out looking and trying to -“

“There was an attack. A bomb I think you call it-“ he cut me off.

I looked towards the window before I could help myself, my panic rising. “A bomb?”

Deacon shook his head. “Not THE bomb but a bomb. It took out a science lab  at the edge of the city. The  scientists that worked there were-“

It was my turn to cut him off. “Don’t tell me they were found dead?” 

It had been the same story over and over again over the last few weeks. Lincoln was hunting and killing everyone involved in the dropping of the atomic bombs that was about to happen and Justin was hunting him.

And I was desperately looking for both of them.

“How many is that now?”

Silence followed my question. Deacon didn’t say a word.

“How many Deacon?” My voice shook.

Finally he lifted his head , resting his chin on his hand and stared at me. “All of them if our intel is right. Well all of them except one.”

I swallowed hard. “So the only person left for Lincoln to passionate is- Justin. The same Justin that is looking to kill him.” I groaned. “Just great.”

Deacon continued to stare at me. “They are going to find each other Hope and when they do you are going to have to make a choice.”

Another sigh because I knew that. “I know.”

“If the world doesn’t end before that.” Deacon shook his head. “It’s getting bad out there Hope, people are pretending things are normal but-“

“Prepare myself for the end?” My heart hurt. I didn’t want to die but I wasn’t afraid to. My heart hurt because I didn’t want my daughter to die. She was innocent and I wanted her to live a long and happy life.

“This is a mess isn’t it?” Deacon said quietly. “Are you starting to regret coming back? Maybe if we had stayed in the future things would have been-“

“All these people would have died anyway.” I snapped. “My parents and my friends. The future was a nightmare. So no I don’t regret coming back here. At least this way I get to say goodbye properly.” I stood up suddenly. “Can you watch over the sauce? I need to go somewhere?”

Deacon frowned. “Where are you going? It’s not safe out there.”

I shrugged. “You’re sweet for caring but it’s never been that safe for me and if we are all going to die then I want to show Faith something before the end.”

Deacon continued to stare at me. “What shall I tell your parents?”

Reaching for my jacket I walked away. “Tell them I’ve taken Faith to the zoo.” I didn’t say anything more as I left the room to prepare.

An hour and half later I paid the fee and pushed Faiths pram through the gates. It was a week day so the zoo wasn’t packed but there were still more people there than I expected. Sounds and smells assaulted me but I ignored them all. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to show Faith the animals she would never grow up seeing but there was somewhere I needed to go first.

The place where Lincoln had buried my parents bones two hundred years in the future. 

Moving through the cages I slowed as I approached it. It was so different now because it wasn’t ruined but at the same time it felt the same.

The heaviness in my chest felt like I was grieving them.

Maybe Deacon was right, maybe it would have been better if I didn’t come back. Knowing they had died was different to watching it happen.

“This is where-“ crouching down I touched the petals of the flowers as I spoke to Faith. It didn’t matter to me whether she understood me or not.

“I buried your parents.” Lincoln’s voice spoke from behind me.

I froze, my muscles locked in place and I had to breathe through my mouth to catch my breath. “Lincoln?” I whispered.

“I knew you would come here sooner or later Hope.”

My heart slammed into my chest as I straightened slowly.

I turned to face him and it was like looking at a ghost. He was still Lincoln but his clothes were from this era. There was more stubble on his face than usual.

For five whole seconds I stared at him and then I gave a strangled scream and launched myself into his waiting arms. 

“It’s you ,” I sobbed. “It’s really you.”

“It’s me.” Lincoln’s hands soothed up and down my back. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner I had things to do and-“

“I know what you have been doing but I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. You being here is,” I didn’t get to finish. Lincoln’s lips came crashing down to cover mine.

His kiss was everything, half domineering and half gentle. Like he couldn’t believe he was kissing me again and I felt exactly the same.

“There’s only one more-“ he muttered against my lips.

“Justin says you being here is going to end the world early. That you tore a hole in the fabric of existence and-“

He silenced me with another kiss. “Oh he said that did he?” His laughter was mocking. “But of course he did. It’s not me who is destroying the world Hope. It’s you,”

I blinked at him in shock. “Me? I didn’t do anything?”

“He brought you here because he knew pulling you back would tear the world apart. He knew what it would cost the world and did it anyway.” Sighing heavily Lincoln leant his head against mine. “He would rather kill the world then live with the fact that you love me and not him.”

Behind us someone screamed but I couldn’t look away from Lincoln’s eyes. 

“How do you know that?”

“Because the people he was working with told me and-“

Another scream sounded and this time we both turned. Lincoln kept his arm around me and his body half in front of the pram. The families around us scattered, screaming and crying as a figure out of my worst nightmares walked towards us with red glowing eyes.