Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 29: Perkins and Co.

Joshua

Almost immediately, I'm running again.

The nurse stumbles backwards, out of my way, and I shove past the startled cops to make it once again into the hallway.

And I'm running right into someone.

"Woah there, champ!" A voice exclaims, and firm hands grasp my biceps. "Slow down there. What's the hurry?"

"I've gotta— I—" I stop, yanking myself bodily from the stranger's grasp.

I look up at him. I have to look further up. Fuck, he's tall. I practically have to crane my neck to look at the man in front of me, and from way up there, he flashes me a blinding smile.

"Joshua Gonzalo." He says. In the way he says it, I hear the word "finally". I hate the number of strangers who suddenly know my name today. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. The name's Perkins."

He holds out a hand for me to shake, and I eye it skeptically, like he's offering a snake to pet.

Perkins is a strange sight. Effortlessly, he looks both out of place in this busy hospital and like he's never belonged in a place more. He's dressed in a black suit, black tie immaculate against his white dress shirt underneath, and when I don't reach to take his hand, he clears his throat, reaching instead to adjust a silver cufflink on his sleeve.

His dark red hair is just as immaculate as his tie, swept back without a strand out of place. My gaze slides past him, and it drops the couple feet to land on the woman standing behind him. She looks just as straight as he does, if not straighter. Dressed in a slim black pantsuit, her stance is rigid behind her partner's languid one. Her straight black hair is cut in a merciless pixie cut, and she's so white that she looks like a marble statue with dark wine lipstick on.

Perkins seems to notice me looking at her, and his smile lights up again. "Ah, I see you've noticed my partner. Apologies, this is—"

"Lynch. Agent Liza Lynch." She says, not needing him to do her introductions for her. She watches me with a steady, stony stare.

Jesus, she's worse than Townsend.

"That's great," I say stiffly, glancing around the two of them. "And I... really don't care. Sorry."

I try to side step them and dart around the pair, but Lynch has her hand on me before I can even take two steps.

"What's the rush?" Perkins asks, his lazy smile suddenly infuriatingly annoying. "Sorry for the hold up, kid, but you see, we haven't finished our introductions yet."

Goddamn this. I don't have time for this.

I say as much as I try to yank from the woman's grip, but her dark manicured nails are like talons, and her strength is unshakable.

I need to find Seth. What's he doing? Where is he going? I have to find him before he gets too far, before someone else does! God, who am I kidding, I'm not fast enough to catch him, not by a long shot. But I still have to try! I have to talk to him! There so many things I have to say to him, after everything that's happened.

Perkins is reaching into his suit coat, and I freeze. A gun? No. From his suit he pulls a slim badge, and my blood runs cold. This is worse than a gun.

The gold of it glints in the sterile white light of the hospital, and the letters are clear.

"You see, Josh, we're with the FBI. We've come to look into this... strange case of yours." Perkins smiles as he shows of the badge. I can only stare at him.