Chapter 6

Anna's things were still here, where was she?

I heard a strangled moan from the bedroom.

Her nude form was on the floor writhing. She was trying to scream but couldn't draw in enough air to do so. Every tortured inhalation was cut short by a gasp of pain. A trail of water led from the shower she had loved so much.

As quickly as I could, I entered her mind and stopped the pain. I don't think there was an unbroken bone in her body and what else he had done to her was anybodies guess – though to judge by the bruising it was sure bet several vital organs had been destroyed.

She gasped in relief, her eyes focused on me. She felt no pain, she could feel nothing, physically.

"Hunter, you're here. It hurt so bad ... what did you do? Did you fix me?"

Fix her? A team of skilled skilled surgeons with all the necessary replacement organs on hand probably couldn't fix her.

"No, sweetheart," I said, the words catching in my throat, "I can't fix you. I just made it stop hurting."

She must have felt my despair.

"You cannot fix me ... then..." her eyes widened with the realization, "I don't want to die!" she sobbed. "I'm scared, Hunter."

She grew blurry as my eyes filled up. I struggled to control it.

"I'm so sorry, Anna ... there's nothing more I can do. But I won't leave you. I will stay right here, I promise."

Her watering eyes widened again at my words.

"You cannot stay! I don't think he is been gone for long. You can catch him. You have to stop him!"

"I can't leave you, Anna. I won't."

"But he knows about Elenita." she said, sobbing and struggling for the words. "He said that I tell to him about her – but I did not say anything. I promise you."

"You didn't have to. He knew without you telling him."

"He knows how to find her. Stop him! She does not deserve this."

Neither did she. Nobody did.

I fought the tears.

"I ... I can't leave you, Anna ... if I do, the pain will return."

If I went after him, if I tried to save my love ... this sweet innocent girl would be wracked with agony for what could be hours, though it would seem an eternity to her. If I stayed, if I allowed Anna to pass without further torture, I wouldn't be in time to stop the same thing from happening to Elenita.

I thought about calling in one of the telpaths from the team, but without the enhancements I'd been through, it was all he could do to to stifle the pain for the girl who just had broken limbs. Even if he could stifle Anna's pain, he would quickly become exhausted and couldn't last as long as she would need.

I'd never felt so helpless – for the first time in my adult life I honestly didn't know what to do.

But she did.

She said something, quietly. So quietly I wasn't sure what I'd heard. Maybe I just didn't want to hear it.

"What?"

"I cannot stand that pain ... but you must save her."

"Anna, I..."

"You must! I cannot be save ... but she can!

"Kill me, Hunter. Kill me so the pain will not return ... then you save Elenita."

I lost the battle with my tears. She must have sensed my reluctance ... my refusal to to this horrible thing. She tried to speak between her sobs.

"Please, Hunter ... it is my fault ... I did not leave when you tell me ... I wanted to use the shower again ... but he comes before I am done ... you cannot let this happen to her because of me."

It wasn't her fault. It was mine. My own stupidity had brought this about. My own weakness meant this lovely, wonderfully unique girl would have to die ... and I would have to kill her. If I didn't, another wonderfully unique girl would also suffer and die.

If only my abilities would allow me to trade places with her.

"Oh, God, Anna ... I ... can't ... if only you knew how special you were."

She seemed to calm. Maybe she found acceptance that quickly. Maybe she had suddenly become incredibly fatalistic. Maybe she realized that her being calm was the only way to calm me ... the only way to get done what needed doing.

What an empath, even an untrained one, any of that, or all of it, was possible.

"You talking about my gift."

I just stared.

"My grandmother have it too, she is teaching me."

"She taught you to use your gift?"

"O-o. You have a gift too, I think – like mine, tapos ... different. That man, he has a gift too, like yours, I think."

"His is evil."

"The gifts we are give ... good or evil ... hindi ko alam (I don't know) tapos, I think they are what we do with them. That man uses it for evil, you use it to stop evil, so it is good ... Whatever you must do."

"But this..."

"You have to do it, Hunter. It is the only way to stop him and save Elenita ... but ... could you take me outside so I can see the ocean again ... for my last."

Her courage, her selflessness humbled me and my mind was numb as I gently picked her up. I knew I had decided to do it, but I wasn't ready to admit it yet. I carried the tiny girl out to the balcony and set her on a lounge chair so her eyes were toward the horizon.

I knelt next to her.

"It is very beautiful." She said, wistfully. "When I am little, I see pictures of the ocean and I wondered if it was really as beautiful as it seemed. I am glad I got to find out it was." Then her eyes came back to me. "Will it ... will it hurt?"