Page 61 of Scarred Sunrise

“We need to shield the bomb blast to try and contain the drug.” Lucy touched her husband’s face softly, and he stepped back.

“No fucking way.”

“We don’t have time to argue. It’s the only way we can keep millions of people from dying, including our own children and the people we love,” Meg said firmly as Daniel practically crumpled in front of her.

“Meg, please. I can’t lose you.”

“We have no choice.”

Lizzie saw the tortured look on Zack’s face as he looked at his men falling apart under the weight of the loss they faced.

Reaching over, Zack took the bomb and the drug and walked towards the door. Liz followed with a stunned Ty still holding her hand. Daniel and Meg were still arguing, as were Jace and Lucy as they ran towards the far east corner of the property.

Zack stepped back a few feet to give the couples privacy. “This should be far enough from the house for the blast.”

Lizzie turned to Ty, looking at the man who held her heart in his hands and prayed he’d forgive her.

Tears filled his eyes as he looked down at her. “I can’t say goodbye to you. Let me stay, please?”

Liz shook her head as her own tears fell. She’d had so many dreams for them, so many plans, to watch her son get married, to dance at his wedding with the man in front of her. To hold his hand and be by his side as they grew old.

“I need you to look after Mateo, to make sure he finds a love like ours.”

Ty didn’t speak, too choked to get words out as he crushed her body to his and kissed her, as if by doing so, he could save them both. Too soon, she pulled away and saw her sisters do the same.

“Go, we’ll stay as far from the blast as we can while maintaining the barrier.”

Liz knew her words were masking the fact they most likely wouldn’t walk away from this with their lives, but the other option was potentially millions dying.

“I’m sorry.” Meg turned her head towards Daniel, but the words were meant for them.

Liz felt the tears prick her eyes. “What for?”

Her baby sister was filled with so much anguish and grief. “If I had found the vaccine earlier, we’d be safe.”

“No, don’t think like that. We all did our best, and this is the prophecy, right? Maybe there was never a way to outrun this thing.”

Lucy was watching Jace walk away from them, the men they loved fighting every instinct they had to let them do this, and only the love for their families allowed it.

“Meg, I need you to know something.” Liz looked away for a second, trying to compose herself before she looked up into the bright brown eyes of her baby sister. “I saw John take you. I didn’t know it at the time, but when it became clear you were gone, I should have said something, but I was too scared.”

Meg gripped her hand. “You were a child. There’s nothing to forgive. We’re here now, and that’s what counts.”

Lucy pulled them into a hug, the three holding tight for a second as they accepted their fate.

Arms linked, they moved away from the blast as far as they could and gripped hands. The energy pulsing instantly between them more potent than ever before. Liz cast one more glance at the three men who were standing outside the house, refusing to go inside, standing side by side in their terror, their grief palpable even from a distance but taking strength from each other as they stood together.

“Sisters,” Lucy said.

“Always.”

Liz smiled at her baby sisters and felt so much love for them. Each strong and brave and willing to die to protect those they cared about.

Then they bowed their collective heads and the power around them rippled and buzzed like never before, wind whipped up inside the dome of energy they were creating, electricity pulsing in her hands and up her body as she shoved every ounce of her love for her family into it. Then the world became unsteady as it rumbled beneath their feet, an explosion rocking them, bright sparks exploded around them, and she held tight as she felt the power from her sisters burn her palms until it was almost too much for her to take, sweat poured from her body that shook.

Then she felt herself falling as the world went black.

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