Madness Rules - 04 Read Online Free PDF

Yumi’s last thoughts had been of him.
     Emotion suddenly threatened to overwhelm him, and he swallowed hard to keep the vomit from forcing its way out. He shook his head, quickly opening his eyes and staring once again into the mirror. He forced a smile. Yumi didn’t matter anymore. She was gone, and he had to accept that even the most powerful man in the world couldn’t bring her back. As for General Carr, he would pay for what he had done. Not today perhaps, but eventually. If it came down to it, Pike would personally sharpen the knife that found its way into the general’s vicious heart.
    “Revenge,” a voice whispered from behind him.
    President Pike spun around.
    He was alone.
    He held his breath and listened. There was a slight tapping as people walked down the metal corridor outside his room, the high-pitched whine of water flowing through old copper pipes, and the incessant ticking of a clock hanging on the cabin wall. But no voices. Had he said the words himself? Sometimes that happened. Thoughts became words. Sure, that was it. He smiled and let out the breath, turning to face the mirror once again.
    Yumi’s reflection stared back at him.
    Pike stumbled away from the mirror, trying to force a scream. He managed only a soft gasp, like that of a man being strangled with a rope. He squeezed his eyes shut and slowly reopened them, certain that the apparition would disappear.
    She didn’t. Yumi Tanaka stood about five feet behind him, an understanding smile on her face.
    “You’re—you’re dead,” he stuttered, afraid to turn around and face her.
    She held a finger to her lips.
    “Quiet, or they’ll hear you.”
    He slowly turned, once again confident that Yumi would vanish as quickly as she had appeared. And once again, she didn’t. As impossible as it was, Yumi was there with him.
    “What are you?” he breathed.
    “What kind of greeting is that?”
    He studied her. She certainly didn’t appear to be a ghost. He couldn’t see through her, and there was no unusual chill in the air. He reached out and touched her shoulder, unsure if his fingers would find flesh or simply pass through her. She felt solid and warm.
    Pike’s heart hammered violently against his chest.
    “My God, you’re alive. How’s this possible?”
    Yumi stepped forward and laid a palm against his cheek.  Her hand felt warm and loving, like it always had before.
    “You can’t be,” he whispered. “You just can’t be,” he said more emphatically, pulling her hand away from his face. “General Carr killed you. I saw your body.” He swallowed again. “Your throat.”
    She pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed his fingers.
    “What you saw doesn’t change what you see now. Does it?”
    The question was far more important than he realized, because in that instant, his mind had to make a decision on whether to accept or reject the impossible. And once made, that decision was binding.
    Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
    “You’re here. My God, you’re really here.”
    She smiled and kissed his hand again.
    “Yes, lover, I’m here.”
    Pike rubbed his fingers gently across her soft lips, struggling to make sense of what was happening.
    “You’re in my head, aren’t you?”
    Yumi stepped closer and slipped her hand down between his legs.
    “Does it feel like I’m in your head?”
    “No,” he managed in a husky voice. “But how can this be possible?”
    She squeezed gently. “You needed me, so I came.”
    “Am I going mad?”
    She shrugged. “Does it matter?”
    Pike shook his head. “Just don’t leave me. Not ever.”
    “I’m not going to leave you,” she said softly. “I’m going to help you.”
     
     
    “Mr. President, did you hear me, sir?” The voice was that of Tom Pinker, the Secretary of Homeland Security. Pinker was a small, serious man with a powerful voice and a stare that kept people talking long past the point when they should have stopped.
    In addition to Pinker and President