Shadows of Deliverance

by Amy Hale

  Jane jumped in surprise and placed a hand on her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart under her fingers. “How do you do that?”

  “It’s not me so much as you. You don’t notice me, then suddenly you do.” Katy smiled at her as if that were a simple and logical explanation.

  “What?” Jane asked in confusion.

  “That’s not important right now,” Katy said. “How are you feeling?”

  Jane shrugged as she looked down at her book once more. “I feel weird, to be honest.”

  Katy pressed her lips together and watched Jane closely. “Where have you been this evening? I looked forward to hanging out with you, but you disappeared.”

  “I had to do something with Jeremy and Gregory,” she said as she tried to pin down that memory.

  “Oh? What did you guys do?” Katy’s face showed nothing but innocent inquiry.

  Jane couldn’t remember. “I think we … No, that’s not it. We …” She sighed loudly. “I don’t remember. I just know I sat in an uncomfortable chair.”

  Katy’s eyebrows rose. “Well, that’s odd.”

  Jane laughed. “That’s an apt description. At the moment, I feel odd. Nothing makes sense to me right now.”

  Katy’s soft hand covered Jane’s. “Well, if you ever need to talk, I’m always happy to listen.”

  “Thank you,” Jane said softly. She was grateful for anyone that would help her feel normal, or as close to normal as someone in her situation could feel. She glanced up to see Cameron watching them closely.

  Jane shifted her eyes to where he stood then back to Katy. “What’s with him? He’s creeping me out.”

  “Who?” asked Katy.

  “That guy by the bookcase.” She snapped her fingers in rapid succession as her brain searched for his name. “Cameron.”

  Katy shook her head. “Cameron isn’t in here. He’s in the gym with Alex.”

  Jane’s eyebrows knit together. “No, he’s right—” she turned back to the bookcase to find that Cameron wasn’t there. “But … he was right there.”

  Katy shook her head. “No, he wasn’t.”

  Jane ran a hand over her face. When she looked back at Katy, it was no longer Katy, but a girl about her age whose face seemed familiar. “Who are you?”

  The girl smiled back. “You don’t know me? How rude of you.”

  Jane shook her head. “No, this can’t be happening. I was just talking to Katy.”

  The girl chuckled. “No, you weren’t talking to Katy, and you aren’t talking to me.”

  Jane’s voice rose an octave. “You’re lying!”

  Her strange friend continued to laugh, then her voice deepened and she morphed into a handsome man with large muscles and tattoos. Again, it seemed like she should know him, but nothing in her brain could successfully identify him.

  “Who are you?” she screamed.

  He smiled but said nothing.

  “Stop that! Talk to me!” Her voice became so loud that she was attracting people from other rooms.

  He leaned forward and touched her face, then trailed his hand down as if to caress her all over. She shoved his hand away. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Jeremy ran through the door and saw the crowd watching Jane. “What happened?”

  One of the younger boys shrugged. “We don’t know. She was in here all by herself, then suddenly she started fighting with someone, except there is no one to fight with.”

  Jeremy closed his eyes. “Dammit, Gregory,” he muttered. “I told you we didn’t know what would happen if you used that thing on her.” He ran forward and grabbed her arm. “Jane, calm down.”

  She shook with anger. “Calm down! Why? He was trying to assault me!”

  Jeremy turned her face to his. “Sweetie, there is no one there.”

  She turned back and pointed to the seat next to her. “Right there! Why can’t you see him?” Her voice now held panic.

  Jeremy pulled her in for a hug. “Come with me, sweetheart. You aren’t well. Let’s go get you some help.”

  She pulled against him, wanting to prove the man sat there, but when she looked again, he had disappeared. “Oh, no. What is wrong with me?” Jane grasped Jeremy’s shirt in her hands. “Why am I seeing things?”

  He pulled her close as she started crying. “It’ll be okay. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

  Waiting for the signal from Cameron, Kyler sat quietly among the trees and bushes that surrounded him. Colt kept his eyes on the guards at the front entrance, anxious to get them all moving again. The thick tree line gave good cover, but if their location were to be discovered, they’d be at a disadvantage. They needed the element of surprise to succeed.

  Kyler motioned for Colt’s attention, and Jocelyn tapped him on the arm. His eyes met Kyler’s and they both took a deep breath. The time to move had arrived. Colt’s stomach churned with anxiety. They had to find both Jane and Elana before they let loose on the leaders. Getting them to safety first was imperative. His mind reeled with all the possible outcomes, most of them not good. He forced the negative thoughts down and began the quiet trek to the back side of the building.

  Colt, Rachel, and Wes all kept to the shadows and took their time to avoid stepping on anything that might make noise. In a matter of minutes, they faced the back door. Luck seemed to be on their side, as there appeared to be no guards in the area. Cameron’s large figure was also missing, and Colt became concerned. He looked for Kyler in the tree line, seeking reassurance.

  Kyler nodded and spoke to Colt’s mind. “Cameron is there, he’s just hidden. He’s swiped the keys so you won’t have to break in. Keep your gun ready once you get the door open. He doesn’t know exactly what you’ll face.”

  Colt nodded in acknowledgment and took one final look around to assure that the guards were nowhere in sight. He moved with tentative steps as he emerged out of the darkness and waited for a reaction he hoped would never come. Relief shot through him when he realized that no one was rushing to attack him.

  He motioned for the other two to follow him and they quickly crossed the open field, making it to the back door just as they heard whistling. The trio froze and pressed against the building, hoping the play of light and dark would work in their favor. A small man rounded the corner, his lips puckered as he whistled a tune. He stopped directly in front of the door and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Turning slightly to face the door, he plucked a lighter from his shirt pocket. The action of pulling down quickly on the flint wheel resulted in one flicker of light. He caught a glimpse of Colt. The man gasped as large arms grabbed him from behind. He started to yell out a warning and one of the hands let go of his arm and clamped over his mouth. The other arm still held him securely. The lighter fell to the ground and Rachel picked it up while the man struggled to free himself from Cameron’s grasp.

  Kyler hurried from his hiding place to help. He stepped in front of him and smirked. In a hushed tone, he said, “Not so fun being the captive one, is it?”

  The man’s eyes grew wide and he stared at Kyler.

  “I need a little information from you, and then you are going to take a nice long nap.” Kyler placed his hands directly on the sides of the man’s head. “Damn. He doesn’t have anything we can use,” he muttered without turning to face the group. He looked directly into the guard’s eyes. “You are completely exhausted. So much that you can’t keep your eyes open another second. You need at least ten hours of sleep.” Within seconds, the man closed his eyes and slumped in Cameron’s arms.

  “What do we do with him now?” asked Cameron.

  “There’s a wood pile over there. Put him behind that. He should sleep through the whole night. He’s bundled up, he’ll probably survive.” Kyler placed his hands on his hips and looked at Colt. “Next move?”

  Wes released a nervous laugh. “You need to take that show on the road. You’d make a killing in the hypnotism racket.”

  Kyler smiled. “Maybe someday. Let’s get our lives and ou
r family back first.”

  Colt motioned for him to return to his original hiding spot, so he glanced around, gave them all a thumbs up, then jogged back to the tree line to await further instructions.

  Colt waited for Cameron to come back from the wood pile, then motioned to the door. Cameron handed the keys to Colt, a look of apprehension on his face. Colt didn’t think Cameron had ever been scared of anything, but it was obvious he worried about this part of the plan.

  Colt inserted the key and very slowly turned the knob. A soft click could be heard, but otherwise he’d kept it silent. He opened the door just a crack and peered inside. The dimly-lit room came into view, but he could only make out a lot of machinery and a table with someone lying on top of it. He couldn’t see who it was, but he hoped he or she would be okay. The room was otherwise quiet and empty, the only sound being the faint whir of a small appliance or motor of some kind.

  He looked back and whispered, “It’s mostly clear. One person that may be sleeping. Can’t see them very well.”

  They nodded, and Colt opened the door wide enough to slip through with the others following behind him. Once they fully entered the room and the door as closed behind them, his senses went on full alert. Something felt off.

  Everyone’s gaze immediately went to the sleeping figure on the table. Assured that the room was clear except for the person on the table, Colt motioned for everyone to stay put. “I’m gonna see who it is before we make another move.”

  He pulled his gun from its holster and made his way to the middle of the room. As he approached the table, he circled it until he reached the person’s head. He had to get a little closer to see well, but he had no doubt that he stared down at Elana. They’d shaved her head and she had wires attached in various places all over her body. She had been stripped down to a tank top and shorts. Her breathing sounded deep, as if she were in a heavy sleep. He had no idea what they had done, and possibly were still doing to her, but he knew Kyler would go on the warpath. He couldn’t fault him a bit for it, either.

  “Elana?” Colt whispered. She didn’t stir but he caught movement from the corner of his eye. Wes now stood by his side, staring down at his unconscious friend. Colt could feel the fury radiating from his body. “She’s breathing, Wes. She’s likely fine, just in some kind of deep sleep. Focus on getting us all out of here safely; then we’ll give them hell.”

  He nodded but didn’t say a word, still fixated on her pale face.

  Cameron started peeling the electrodes from her legs and Colt started on her arms after re-holstering his gun. Wes shook his anger off and helped. Rachel stood staring at the IV in Elana’s arm, then moved to a nearby cabinet and began going through its contents. She came back with some gauze and medical tape. She cautiously pulled the needle out of Elana’s arm and covered the remaining mark with gauze. Using her teeth, she tore off the tape and secured it into place.

  Free of the machinery beside her, Cameron gingerly lifted Elana into his arms. She didn’t stir, but her breathing picked up its pace. Rachel touched her arm and spoke her name, but she still received no response.

  Wes frowned. “We have to get her somewhere safe where she can recover while we take care of business.” His voice cracked slightly as he took in her condition.

  “Would a van work? I saw a white one near the access road. Maybe one of those keys will fit.” Cameron gestured to the keys Colt had just placed on the table.

  “That sounds like as good a plan as any,” Colt replied.

  Cameron fixed his eyes on Wes. “Grab a couple of those blankets and let’s wrap her up to keep her warm. I’ll get her to the van.”

  Wes spoke up. “I’ll stay with her and protect her.”

  Rachel shook her head. “We need you in here; you have the layout memorized. Cameron can have Caesar or Blake stay with her.”

  Cameron finished wrapping Elana in the blankets then looked at Wes. “Grab those keys, kid, and we’ll get her out of here.”

  Wes snatched the keys from the table and followed closely behind Cameron. Colt watched as they both quietly exited the room the way they’d entered. Relief washed over him and his tense muscles somewhat relaxed, happy that Elana had been found and was currently out of harm’s way. He knew Kyler would now be more focused on the escape as well. The next step involved finding Jane. She’d know the best plan of action from there, he hoped.

  Colt moved to the interior door of the room and again carefully turned the knob. As he cracked the door, bright white light pushed through the pencil-thin opening. He let his eyes adjust as he listened for movement and voices. He heard nothing. Opening the door a bit more, he poked his head out and looked around. He noticed that they stood at the end of a hallway. A room with a similar metal door inhabited the wall directly to his right. The rest of the doors looked metal as well, but were black, had large bolted locks on the outside, and were numbered.

  Behind them, Cameron and Wes re-entered the building. “Elana and Caesar are in the van,” said Cameron. “I was even able to start it up and turn on the heater without any noise.” His surprise at that was evident.

  Colt sighed and thanked the universe for small favors. “It’s probably one of those new hybrid vehicles. Those things are super quiet. Thanks, Cameron.”

  Cameron waved it off. “None needed. Let’s just get out of this nut house as soon as possible. Jeremy and Gregory are every bit as bad as the professor and Julia had been, they’re just using a different kind of torture.”

  Everyone stilled and Colt took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s find Jane and figure out how to take this place down.”

  He stepped into the hall and the others followed cautiously, one by one. Colt motioned to the stairs at the other end of the hallway. Cameron nodded and whispered, “You can hide behind the stairs if needed, but it’s not a big space. It won’t conceal all of us.” He pointed to the door at the top. “That leads to the main rooms. Follow me.”

  Colt put a hand on Cameron’s arm. “Wait. Where is Jane?”

  With a frown, Cameron shook his head. “I’m not sure now. She freaked out after dinner and Jeremy took her away. I went to check on her in her room and she wasn’t there. I’m not sure where they took her.”

  Colt scowled at him. “Why didn’t you tell us this before? Why did she freak out?” His mind flashed back to the first time he met her. Her frail body falling into his arms and her temperature soaring out of control. His instinct to protect her was stronger than ever.

  Cameron shrugged. “I knew we could figure it out together. It doesn’t change the mission.” He gave Colt a look that dared him to argue the point.

  With a heavy sigh, Colt looked around at the various doors. “Should we start checking rooms then? Maybe start down here?”

  Wes bobbed his head up and down with nervous energy. “Yes. That’s the most logical start.”

  Each person branched off to check doors. The bolts clanked and echoed, despite how carefully they moved them. Colt noticed they looked like jail cells and he could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand to attention. Had Jane been locked away in one of these? The rooms were quickly inspected and declared cleared, so they moved to the only door left. The door that looked similar to Elana’s. Colt turned the knob only to find it locked.

  “Damn,” he muttered as he jiggled the door.

  Cameron handed the keys, minus the van key, to Colt, and he worked to find the right one. None of them fit. He cursed under his breath.

  At that moment, they heard muffled voices coming from the end of the hall near the stairway. Colt opened the door to the room Elana had been captive in and he ushered Wes and Cameron inside. Rachel stood near the opposite end and ducked behind the stairs.

  Colt heard the creaky echo of the door as it swung open. Footsteps reverberated alerting him to at least one person on the landing. He cracked the door open a bit to see two guards looking down the empty hallway and then back at each other. The shorter of the two slowly walked down the stairs, on
e hand on his stun gun. The other watched from the landing. The shorter guard checked each numbered door before arriving at the two metal doors. Colt carefully closed the door as the guard neared his room. He heard the guard pull out a key chain and inserted a key. The door groaned as it opened, all was quiet for a minute, then Colt heard the door being closed and locked once more.

  Colt heard the guard grasp the knob of the room his group hid in and he braced himself for the possibility of combat. He didn’t know if it was dumb luck or divine intervention that at this moment the guard’s attention had become diverted by the other guard. Colt held his breath as he listened to the conversation between the two men.

  “Mark, this kid has a problem,” one guard shouted down the hall.

  A young female voice spoke. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, gentlemen. But I heard a loud noise come from the library, and it frightened me.”

  The guard’s voice closest to Colt began to move away from the door. “I’m sure it’s nothing, kid.”

  Her voice cracked. “I’m sure you’re right, but it wasn’t a normal sound. It was like glass breaking or something. I worried that someone was breaking in.”

  Colt cautiously cracked the door once more and watched the men’s reactions.

  Both guards now appeared on edge. The short one took the stairs two at a time. He looked at her. “We’ll check it out. You should go to your room. It’s almost lights out.”

  She nodded and stepped aside so they could exit through the door. When they turned to make sure she’d left, she had disappeared. Colt frowned. Where did she go?

  The taller guard groaned and looked at his co-worker. “I hate this job. These kids are damn creepy.” Then the door closed behind them.

  Rachel came out from her hiding place and looked up. She frowned. “That was close.”

  Colt pushed open his door and stepped out from the room they’d been in. “It was. Thank God for that girl and her perfect timing.”

  “You’re welcome,” said a female voice from the middle of the hall. They all stopped, looking but not seeing her.

  Colt narrowed his eyes. “Who’s there?”