Chapter Seven
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He grasped her waist, pulling her toward him. As he held her, she kissed his mouth, his neck, unable to control her ecstasy that she was here, in the dark, with this boy, the one that had haunted her for so many nights. She could feel his fingers digging into her sides, his lips pushing against her own. She would have small, finger-shaped bruises all over her ribs in the morning, but she tugged him closer, made him squeeze her tighter. But he wouldn’t. He released her and stood up. She jumped to her knees and clutched at his hand. He pulled her up and she stumbled, her legs wobbly from disuse and adrenaline. He caught her as she put her hands to his chest to catch herself. As she gazed into his eyes, he looked away, and it seemed like something inside him had snapped all of a sudden.
“I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. I just felt… I don't know what I felt, okay?”
“It is okay,” Infinity answered. “You can tell me anything.”
He took a deep breath. “I– ever since I first saw you, I've wanted to do that. To kiss you was just… everything I wanted. And when you got mad at me for doing it in the car, I thought, ‘Man, I blew it all. She hates me, and now she won’t even speak to me.’ And I accepted it. I was okay with it! But then, in the dark, when you fell asleep, you laid on me and I thought you and I were cool, so I kissed you. And then you wanted more, more than I could give, and I broke. I can't give you everything!!! I can’t! I want to, but I can't. I-”
“Sh,” she held finger to his lips. “Hush. It's okay. I shouldn’t have made you give me so much.”
“Okay. Whatever.” He stalked over to the computer and inserted a usb drive into the side of it. “I just downloaded everything on this computer onto the drive, and left a virus that will completely shut down his company. Now let’s get out of here.” He jerked the drive out and walked under the vent. He sent the grappler between the slats and braced with his arm over his head as he slammed into the vent. The mangled slats fell to the floor and Cameo disappeared into the inky blackness. Infinity hurried over and followed him into the dark shaft. By the time she caught up with him, his features were splotched with grease and tear stains. She decided to say nothing, but she reached out and touched his shoulder. He flinched away and she cringed. She could hear him curse under his breath and he crawled deeper into the dark.
He stopped suddenly and looked up. He reached his arm upward and Infinity heard a small coughing noise as the grappler shot skyward. He shot up the new section of shaft and Infinity had no choice but to follow. Cameo braced his arm again and crashed through a heat vent on the building’s roof. He popped out into the open sky and landed on his feet. Infinity flew out next and he caught her again, but this time he set her on her feet hurriedly and walked to the edge of the building. It started to snow, and Infinity approached him.
“Cameo, what’s wrong?”
No answer.
“Cameo?”
No answer.
“Cameo!”
“Shut up!” He turned and screamed. “Just shut up, okay?” He ran to the edge and jumped, flying out into the air. He fired the grappler into the next building and climbed to the top. He could hear his scream echoing through the steel canyons between the buildings. “Shut up!” He roared at the echo, infuriated when it replied. He howled at the wind. “Why? Why can’t you just leave me alone? You've taken so much, and now I can't even think straight. Just leave me alone!” He cried out at himself, madness in his tone, his eyes, his movement, every cell in his body storming in a violent passion against himself. He screamed insanity until his voice was hoarse. When he couldn’t think of anything else to scream at himself, the insanity turned to profanity, cursing at himself, at Jaidin, at Infinity, at everything, knowing he couldn't stop, wouldn’t stop.
Cussing at his life, he couldn’t focus on anything, so he didn’t see the door on the roof opening. Infinity, watching this battle, called, “Look out!” but she knew he couldn’t hear her, he was too much in his own head. Too late, he turned around to see a surprised security guard. Eyes roving over the guard, he instantly knew the man was unarmed. The man’s hand shot to his belt to grab his walkie talkie, but Cameo vaulted and rolled next to the man and kicked his hand, sending the radio over the side of the skyscraper. The guard grabbed Cameo’s ankle and stopped him dead. He flipped Cameo over and his back hit the concrete with a crack. The wind knocked out of him, he wheezed on the ground, and the guard pulled a set of handcuffs out. Barely able to move, he reached up and grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it, and pulled. His hand temporarily paralyzed, he bellowed in pain. Cameo launched up, and faced the man. The guard ran toward him and threw a barrage of calculated punches, which Cameo easily dodged. He kicked the man in the crotch, and when he doubled over, he punched him in the face. Blood oozing from his nose, the guard slung his fists wildly. Cameo, still gasping for breath, found it increasingly difficult to dodge the blow, and one caught him in the mouth. Reaching to his mouth, his fingers came away sticky with blood. Hysteria blazed in his eyes. He shook his head vigorously, grinned, licked away the blood trickling down his chin. He circled the sentry, calm and cold. He jumped the sentinel, threw a volley of fluid punches and kicks, forced the guard to his knees. Finally subdued, the guard pleaded for mercy, but Cameo turned a deaf ear and punched his lights out.
He hoisted the man up onto his shoulders and trudged to the edge of the roof. Steeling himself, he tossed the inert body out into the swirling abyss of snow and biting air. Infinity gasped, then remembered her promise.
“I will help you, but we need to keep ourselves safe first. Alaska, and then, we kill every person involved in this.” Instead of screaming, she turned her head. Cameo didn’t hesitate. The second the body disappeared from view, he turned and walked under an overhang in the myriad of vents and pipes coming from the depths of the building’s internal systems. He sat down and wrapped his arms around his knees, trying to defend against the cold. He began shaking from the cold, fatigue, anger, defeat, and hatred. He knew Infinity was still on the other side of the chasm; he knew she couldn't get across. He knew he wasn’t going to help her. He shivered in the cold, fighting off the raw chill penetrating his bones, his cells, his entire being. He sat there, quivering in the dark midnight blizzard, hoping with all his soul he would die in the night.
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