Parahuman (Parahuman Series) Read online

  PARAHUMAN

  S. L. HESS

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Parahuman Copyright @ 2014 by Sara L. Hess

  Cover art by Fiona Jayde Media

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, local or organization is entirely coincidental.

  Parahuman

  (Book One)

  Laney’s life irrevocably changes the day she meets Devan. He’s the new guy in town, the new kid in school, and is applying at her dad’s Wilderness business. She doesn’t know what it is about Devan; he’s extraordinarily tall, has weirdly colored hair, wears sunglasses everywhere, and he is way too serious and literal. She’s pretty sure that he wouldn’t know what a joke was if it came up and bit him in the butt.

  Despite Devan’s irregular looks and curious behavior, or maybe because of them, Laney finds herself very much drawn to Devan. She’s not put off by his grave exterior; in fact, she finds it rather endearing and beneath it hides a gentle and humorous soul. However, it doesn’t take her long to realize that he isn’t your average, everyday seventeen year old boy, and she doesn’t come to that conclusion just because he ends up saving her life a few times.

  Devan’s entire life has revolved around making rational and logical choices; that is until he meets Laney. She ignites a mixture of powerfully intense emotions in him, emotions he’s unfamiliar with. She doesn’t just work her way slowly past Devan’s walls of reason and logic, she smashes them to smithereens. However, Devan has secrets, dark and dangerous secrets, and he is being hunted which could put him and anyone in contact with him in danger, so he tries to keep his distance.

  Danger stalks Devan and Laney thrusting them together in a perilous situation, and in the process of eliminating the threat certain abilities that Devan have kept hidden are revealed. He is shocked when Laney helps him; not only that, she promises to keep his secrets.

  However, it becomes apparent that the danger isn’t over and that those hunting for Devan are coming closer to finding him. The only way to keep Laney safe is for Devan to leave, but before he can do that he finds out that Laney has a threat of her own, and he won’t leave until she is safe.

  Prologue

  The man and boy stumbled blindly through the dark forest.

  Well…the man stumbled blindly; the boy had no difficulty penetrating the inky black layers of the night. For that reason the boy had taken the lead, and was trying his best to guide the man over fallen branches and around trees without taking them too far out of their predetermined course…no need to add additional mileage to their already twenty-five mile trek.

  However, the boy could only do so much for the man as the forest floor succeeded yet again in its endeavors in tripping the man with another dead tree branch. The man resigned himself—and his knees—to more abrasions from the unforgiving ground, when suddenly, the boy stopped and instead of hard prickly earth the man’s chest slammed into hard sinewy flesh. Exhausted and out of breath, a near silent grunt was the only sound to pass the man’s lips at the impact. The boy took the man’s weight seemingly effortlessly, guiding them both down into a crouched position.

  “What…” the man croaked out before stopping himself, remembering he shouldn’t be talking.

  Looking around the man was unable to determine the danger. Unlike the boy he had no special ability in penetrating the murky shadows covering the woods. He was also unable to hear anything over his thunderous heart beat and deep gasping breaths. Clamping a sweaty, shaking hand over his lips he attempted to suppress the wheezing emanating from his mouth.

  The boy leaned over and whispered in the man’s ear—not at all out of breath the man noted enviously. “Two hundred and eighty yards to the south.”

  More sentries!

  The man looked reflexively to the south, although there was no possible way he would be able to see anything from such a distance in these woods, particularly in this degree of darkness. Heck, he wouldn’t have been able to perceive anything from that distance in the daytime in a forest this dense. There wasn’t even a flashlight to be seen weaving around in the dark to give him some kind of hint as the sentries all had night vision goggles. Something he would have given his right arm for tonight.

  Keeping cupped hands over his mouth to stop any sounds from carrying, the man whispered. “Are they coming this way?”

  Any other person would have had a hard time making out his words, but not the boy. “They’re going in a south eastern direction…away from us.” Well, that was something at least. “We should wait here for a moment; let them get a little further away before we continue.”

  Although relieved at having a moment of rest the man was anxious, they had little time to waste. They had been running all night and they were only a few miles from their destination, but with daylight only an hour away concealment would be harder to come by. The Company was sure to have reinforcements on the way, which included additional ground patrol, helicopters, and infrared detectors.

  Any second the choppy sounds of helicopter blades would be cutting through the night. The thought triggered an overwhelming urge to run through the forest unchecked in a panic, either that or hunker down till it all blew over. Neither was an option if they wanted to remain free, alive, and intact.

  “We can go now.” The boy’s statement broke into the man’s musing.

  The man hauled his body up from the ground with a groan, legs trembling at the effort. He really wasn’t in any kind of shape for a twenty mile getaway hike. Heck…he wasn’t in shape for a five mile hike. He was a scientist for pity’s sake. His average workout was maybe a mile on his treadmill each night…well, more like every other, other night.

  “Are you going to be okay?” The boy’s tone became overly anxious.

  It was difficult at times for the man to keep in mind that the boy was only ten years of age. He didn’t look like a normal ten year old. Already six feet tall, topping Sam by three inches, he had the physique of a fully grown man. His facial features were soft like an adolescent though, giving his overall appearance an otherworldly quality.

  Moreover, his background didn’t contain the same activities as other children. For one thing the boy had never been outdoors before…ever. His first steps outside the facility tonight had caused him to seize up from an overdose of new sights, sounds, and smells. He had been like a deer caught in headlights. Thankfully, the boy had adjusted quickly, just as he had been trained to do, or else they would have never gotten this far.

  “I’ll be fine.” Taking a deep breath the man somehow kept his legs underneath him, albeit unsteadily. “How much further do you estimate we have?”

  Through the forest canopy the night sky could be intermittently seen through breaks in the tree tops; stars littered these small heavenly islands, but they didn’t provide any sort of light. A push to the button on his watch revealed that it was four twelve in the morning; only two hours till dawn.

  “A little over five miles,” the boy answered.

  There was no reason to doubt the boy’s words, he was a walking pedometer. Actually, it was more accurate to say he was a walking computer. Mathematically he did everything effortlessly, and anything he learned or saw became imprinted in his brain, never to be forgotten. The boy was expertly designed.

  Taking hold of the boy’s shirt tail the next four miles sped by with no signs of sentries. The sounds of helicopters could be heard in the distance; however, their presence was an incessant source of dread, geared to find them at any time.

  Fingers of light were beginning to lighten
the sky making it much easier to see when the boy halted abruptly. Crouching, the boy pointed to the west which was to the front of them, and held up three fingers placing one to his lips.

  Three guards headed straight for them…bad luck…and close enough to where it required silence.

  How far? The man signed. American Sign Language was only one of the many languages the boy knew.

  Two hundred and thirty yards. The boy signed back.

  Eventually the man was able to identify movement as the guards came within normal human eyesight. They were stationed about twenty-five yards apart from each other, headed in their direction.

  The man and boy had laid themselves out on the ground attempting to blend into the vegetation. The man’s heartbeat began to beat like thunder in his ears; either that or the helicopters were coming closer.

  Only if necessary. He signed cautiously to the boy.

  The boy nodded in agreement. The morning light revealed non-human eyes before they switched back to the guards. Anyone else would probably have a chill racing down their spine from the sight of those predatory eyes, but the man was accustomed to them.

  Static resounded through the forest causing the man to jerk in surprise.

  One of the guards lifted a walkie-talkie from his belt. “Walker here.”

  “Location?” The voice on the other end asked.

  “Four miles west of quadrant sixteen,” the guard answered.

  “Anything to report?”

  “Negative.”

  “Starkweather and Nelson still with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Stay in sight of each other and keep your eyes open. A chopper is coming your way and we want to know who’s in the area.”

  “Roger,” the guard acknowledged.

  The man’s pulse rate shot up triple time. It looked like the thundering in his ears wasn’t just his heartbeat, a helicopter was getting closer. Infrared!

  He gave the boy a hurried hand signal. Necessary!

  The boy nodded.

  All the guards carried automatic guns that could convert to either tranquilizers or real bullets. Hopefully these were set to tranq’s. On the other hand, maybe they should hope for live ammunition, at least it would be a quick death compared to the one if they were caught…at least in the boy’s case.

  The guards closed in swiftly—along with the helicopter. The shrubbery, in addition to the black clothing they wore, was sufficient concealment that the guards never looked twice in their direction. Unfortunately, hiding wasn’t going to be enough. The whirling sound of the helicopter could be heard coming their way, getting louder and louder. The vibrations pounded through the air settling into their bones.

  The boy looked to the eastern skyline and then back at the guards, one who was about fifteen yards parallel of their hiding spot. As they continued past an additional five yards the boy suddenly burst up, running toward them.

  The sentry’s backs were to the boy but he didn’t attempt to sneak up on them. He didn’t need to. In a fraction of a second the boy was on the first guard without the guard even becoming aware of him. Grabbing the man’s head, the boy gave it a sharp twist and continued by him on the way to the second sentry. The first guard dropped to the ground, unmoving. There was no snap of bone indicating that the boy had only rendered the sentry unconscious rather than dead.

  The second guard, hearing movement, accomplished a half turn as the boy ran past him with a clothes line to the upper chest. The guard did a three hundred and ninety degree rotation in the air before landing on his back, out cold. The boy remained on his path to the third guard, without a break in his stride.

  By this time the third sentry had some inkling of the threat coming his way and was able to raise his gun as he turned, but the threat was no longer on the ground in his sights. The boy had left the ground, jumping about fifteen feet into the air, and was coming down on the guard from above. He struck the man in the torso with his feet knocking the guard to the ground, and the breath from his body no doubt. The boy drew his arm back and struck the guard in the face rendering him unconscious.

  In less than four seconds the boy had taken down three military professionals without breaking a sweat. It was an astonishing display that would have left anyone dazed, even someone that knew what he was capable of, however, the sound of the helicopter was almost deafening at this point which converted any daze into acute panic.

  “Dr. Bursa, come quickly.” The boy yelled, waving him over.

  The man jumped up, stumbling over to the boy on pathetically shaky legs. The boy draped what felt like two hundred pounds of dead weight over his shoulders. “Hold him up until the chopper gets out of sight.”

  The boy than ran over to the second guard. Hauling him up the boy propped him up against a tree and hooked the guards vest on some nub of a branch sticking out of the trunk causing the guard to hang suspended in a vertical position. He then sprinted over to the first unconscious guard and hefted him over his own shoulders.

  At this point the man had his feet braced apart and was trying his best to breath as gravity forced her injustice down upon him. As a distraction he began reciting the Magdalene Theory at the same time watched the boy walk nonchalantly around as though another two hundred pounds upon his shoulders was nothing out of the ordinary…which it wasn’t for him. It was just another part of his unconventional rearing.

  “Here it comes, just hang on.” The boy called over the helicopter’s chopping sound.

  With the weight of the guard on his back the man was unable to look up at the sky, but he could hear the helicopter passing over. The canopy concealed them from the eyes of the helicopters’ occupants, and the infrared scan would pick up only three heat signatures on the ground, not distinguishing that it was actually five separate ones.

  Finally, the chopper blades began to fade and the man grunted in relief releasing the guards wrists, letting him slump to the ground in a heap. The boy did the same, but was more conscientious of the guard’s well-being, setting him down more carefully. It said a lot for the boy’s character that he made this effort, especially as these people were out to dissect him piece by piece.

  “When these guards don’t check in we are going to be inundated.” The boy stated anxiously.

  The sound of static broke the silence of the forest. With alarm they both looked down simultaneously at the unconscious sentry’s walkie-talkie…then they ran for their lives.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Dad! I refueled the R.V.s and rechecked the first aid kits.” Laney stomped her feet vigorously at the back door before stepping inside. May in Silverton, Colorado was a wet month and any dirt she dragged in she would end up having to sweep up. She’d been sweeping the floors of her father’s wilderness adventure business for ten years. At six and seven it had seemed cool, but at the esteemed age of sixteen it had lost its entire fun factor.

  So, the less dirt the better.

  Laney didn’t get a reply to her declaration, but she did hear a discussion taking place at the front of the building. Was the tour group here already? It seemed a bit early for them to have arrived yet, but maybe they were eager to get started.

  Laney started down the short hallway toward the voices. It didn’t take long for her to see who her dad was talking to, because…man…this guy huge. He stood head, shoulders, and upper chest over her father who at five foot eleven was neither tall nor short, she herself stood at almost five foot eight, but this guy looked to be almost seven feet tall. He made both her and her father appear dwarfish…or maybe the political term was ‘little people’. But seriously, this guy could have been a pro basketball player; long, lean, but with definite muscle mass. The short sleeve black t-shirt displaying his tanned forearms, biceps and wide, expansive chest gave testament to that.

  Walking up to the counter Laney’s body began to warm unexpectedly, and disturbingly, as the guy’s gaze seem to intently track her movements. This was only an intuitive feeling though, because the guy was wear
ing sunglasses…inside…at eight o’clock in the morning. What was with that? The guys hair was just as eye catching as his height and the indoor glasses. It was about an inch long and mostly brown, but there were shades of white, gray, and…Wow, orange, intermittently arranged throughout. That must have been a beautician’s nightmare to do.

  “Laney.” Her father acknowledged her as she walked up. “This chap is applying for the position of head tour guide we been advertising for.”

  Her father held out his hand. “My name is Nick, Nick Jennings, and this is my daughter, Laney.”

  Laney noticed a slight hesitation before the guy offered up his hand; a hand that was proportional to his body…big, mitt like, with long slim fingers. “Devan Ferris.”

  A small shiver skimmed down Laney’s spine at the deep, gravelly tenor of his voice. Weird.

  Devan drew his arm back and promptly put it behind his back. He looked like he was standing at attention.

  “So, is it possible you’re one of the individuals living up at the old Moss place?” Nick inquired.

  Everyone in town knew someone had moved into the Moss’s old house two weeks ago. With a population of five hundred and sixty four it was only a matter of minutes before news like that made the rounds.

  “That would be my uncle Brett and I.” Devan confirmed, causing another shiver to travel Laney’s spine. Barry White, eat your heart out. If this guy was hired it would be no hardship to listen to his voice every day.

  “Just the two of you?” Nick asked with a slight frown.

  Devan nodded. “Yes.”

  Laney’s brow rose, beginning to comprehend where her dad was going with these questions. The gossip about town was that a new student had been signed up at the high school yesterday. It was unlikely that the uncle was the student which left only this guy as the only other possible candidate. Devan totally did not look like a junior in high school.