Page 60 of The Gathering
He found a seat and collapsed into it, fighting to hold his shit together as every ghost from his past crawled out of his blood and bones, eager for the shit show.
“I hope you’re ready for this,” Cat said with warning finality. “Because what I’m about to tell you is going to rock your world.”
Wow. She was so fucking done with him.
“Do it,” he said. “I’m ready.”
“Oh, Ihighlydoubt that,” she assured, her odd tone throwing him way off.
So this was more than her leaving. Did she want half of everything? A child still but with no attachments? His head on a platter?
She made her way over and sat in the chair next to him. He stared at their knees, so close it made his pulse fight to break free. She was so fucking perfect in the long-sleeved black sweater and blue jeans. Knee-length black boots. She leaned forward, elbows on her legs, palms rubbing slowly together. The contemplation of how to deliver whatever the hell this other stuff was, he guessed.
“I would get that you want to never see me again,” he said, needing to help kick this off, needing her to know where his head was. “And you can have anything you want, anything at all.”
She shot him a look, her hazel eyes glistening in the moonlight. “Don’t go there,” she said her words shaking.
Ethan tore his gaze from her, his skin suddenly too fucking tight. “Tell me, Cat.”
“Zero and Omnis are in me,” she said flatly. She sat back and put her arms on the chair. “There it is.”
Ethan stared at her, realizing this was it, the big bad news.
He turned his gaze to the swamp, then closed his eyes. Fuck, what had he done to her? How would he fucking fix this? “I’m glad you have them,” he whispered, needing Big G to help him navigate this. “Big G?” he called.
“Yes, Ethan?” he answered through the deck speakers.
“You have anything you want to add here?”
“You don’t believe me,” she muttered, sighing and sitting back. “Can’t say I blame you, I sure as hell wouldn’t believe it. You’re likely thinking I’ve lost my mind. Big G? Can you please explain to him what’s going on?”
“Certainly, Cat.”
Ethan listened to his once best friend, in the span of sixty seconds, unfold the nightmare of all nightmares with a brutal, inescapable logic.
He sat in the resounding silence focusing on moving the air through his lungs.
“Ethan?”
His mind entered the stages of death. Denial had him on a rabid search for proof that this wasn’t possible, it couldn’t happen.
“Whatever questions you have, Zero says he’s happy to answer them.”
Ethan’s rage shot up and he spun away from her.
Fucking breathe.
He forced air through his lungs, counting.
Think! Get the fucking data.“When did this start?” he forced out.
“It was exactly—”
“Big G, let me tell it,” Cat interrupted.
“Yes, let Cat tell it,” Ethan said right at her, pacing. “Tell it all. Don’t leave out anything.”
She locked her stare on him, following his every step. “You sure you want all that?”
