ANOM: Awakening (The ANOM Series Book 1) by Jason R. James

Instead,
she pulled her arms tighter around his back.
    Jeremy
pulled away. “Really, Mom, I’m fine.”
    “Mrs.
Cross,” a strong voice came from behind his mother. It belonged to a soldier
dressed in gray camouflage. He carried an assault rifle in front of him, pointed
down, but still at the ready. The soldier had followed his mom out of the house
and down the steps, always half a step behind, but now, as they stood on the
sidewalk, he seemed uneasy, his eyes scanning the far side of the street.
    The
soldier touched the back of Emily Cross’ elbow and spoke again. “Mrs. Cross, we
need to go back inside. Ma’am—”
    Emily
turned with her escort and started back toward the house. Jeremy followed.
Behind them, two more soldiers climbed out of the SUV. The first held a submachine
gun tight to his chest. Like the other man, his eyes were everywhere, scanning
up and down the street. The other soldier, the man in the rear, reached back
inside the vehicle and took Kate by the hand, helping her climb out of the SUV.
Then all three of them fell into step behind the others and started toward the
house.
    At
the door, another soldier with a buzz cut and gray camouflage stood sentry, the
butt of his rifle tucked into his shoulder. For a second Jeremy was struck by
the absurdity of it all. He was ready with a quip about needing a password to
get inside his own house, but then the moment passed and nothing about the
soldiers or the guns or the camouflage seemed absurd anymore. Not today.
    They
crossed the threshold and crowded into the entryway. Then Emily Cross hugged
her son again.
    “Mom,
I told you, I’m fine.”
    Kate
stepped forward between the soldiers. “He saved us, Mrs. Cross. He saved all of
us. Jeremy’s a—”
    His
mom pulled away, and her face was hard. “You can’t keep doing this, Jeremy. You
can’t treat your life like it’s…like it’s disposable. You’re not your father.”
    Jeremy
stepped back. “Mom—”
    “He
left us, Jeremy. He did.” Emily wiped at her eyes. “And you owe me more than
that. You owe yourself more than that.”
    “Excuse
me, Mrs. Cross. Kate. Jeremy,” a low voice came from down the hall, and all
three turned to look. Standing there, by the living room, another soldier, this
one with gray hair at both of his temples, was waiting for them.
    Jeremy
glanced over at his mom, and then he stepped forward, holding out his hand to
the soldier. “Yes, sir. I’m Jeremy.”
    The
soldier smiled, and deep crow’s feet appeared at the corners of his eyes. “I
know. I’m Colonel McCann, Jeremy. It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”
    The
colonel reached out and shook Jeremy’s hand. “I know you must have a lot of
questions. All of you. If you and your mom and Miss Marino care to step into
the living room and have a seat, maybe we can make some sense out of what
happened today.”
    The
colonel stepped into the living room. Jeremy, his mom, and Kate followed. They
sat down on the couch facing the television, with Jeremy in the middle.
    Colonel
McCann stood in front of them; he handed an electronic tablet to Jeremy. “Do
you recognize this man?”
    Jeremy
looked at the image on the screen. It was in black and white, and the focus was
grainy, but Jeremy knew the picture. It was the man from the mall.
    *****
    Hot
Shot laid sprawled across the marble, and Jeremy was still standing over him,
both of his fists clenched, ready for more. There was no need. Hot Shot wasn’t
getting back up. The man’s face didn’t look the same—not anymore. It was a
bright red smear of blood, and the right cheek looked sunken in, no longer
supported by solid bone. His lower jaw twisted grossly away from the rest of
his face. He was lying there unconscious; the only way Jeremy knew he was still
alive was by the rise and fall of his chest.
    Then
Jeremy felt the vertigo and the nausea, and then he couldn’t breathe. He kept
trying, but he couldn’t get any air. Then he blacked out.
    When
he opened