As people moved towards the gate to hug Angela or help the kids, Woody spoke up for the first time, addressing Mace. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Maya's sick. She's been coughing a lot, and her stomach hurts."
The news stopped Mace as he realized the kids hadn't been inoculated. "We'll get the doctor to look at her right away." Mace studied him for a minute. "You're Woody, right?"
Woody seemed surprised that Mace remembered his name. "Yes, and you're Mace."
"That's right. I'm glad you made it, Woody. I look forward to talking to you later about what happened. I'm really sorry to hear about Jacqueline."
It wasn't what Woody was expecting, and he stared long and hard at Mace. "Thank you," he said quietly. Mace was the one that had killed Evelyn. He knew he would need to be very careful around him.
~~~
"Mommy, they're here!" Chelsea burst through the front door of her house to the instant relief of Lisa and Jade, who'd been waiting for her.
"Where were you?" Lisa demanded. "You know you are supposed to come straight here the instant we're on high alert!"
Chelsea was too excited to even notice her distress. "The kids! The kids from the house are here!"
"What house? What are you talking about?"
"You know, the Halloween kids! They're here!"
Both women's jaws dropped. "What? They're here?" asked Jade, confused. "Is Jacqueline with them?"
"I didn't see her. But Angela's back!"
Jade and Lisa stared at each other for a second. "What is going on?" asked Lisa.
"I don't know, but let's go find out," Jade answered as she grabbed Jason from his crib.
Lisa scolded Chelsea as they were on their way out the door. "Don't think you're not in trouble for not coming straight here," she said. "You know that as soon as there is any alert you are to come home. That is why I don't get involved in anything. I stay safe for you."
Chelsea was already starting to run ahead but turned her head and shouted. "Okay, okay, but don't have a tumor!"
At the sight of Jade hurrying towards the fence-line, a murmur rose among the kids. Her brief interaction with them had left a lasting impact, and they all perked up considerably. Chelsea held onto her mother's hand, her heart beating wildly the closer they came.
Mace noticed the children's attention and turned towards Jade and Lisa, smiling as he made eye contact. Chelsea was suddenly shy as they drew within a few feet, tucking behind Lisa's leg.
"I can't believe it," Jade said. "Where's Jacqueline?"
In a hushed tone, Mace leaned in, "Something happened to her. I don't want to push yet. We'll get all the answers in time."
As Jade felt her heart sink at the news, a tap on her shoulder diverted her attention. She turned around to find a smiling Angela facing her. "I bet you didn't expect to see me again."
"Oh my God, Angela, we thought you were dead!" Jade handed Jason to Mace and reached out to embrace Angela. As they hugged, Angela fought to keep her smile firmly in place. With the presence of Jade and the baby, all she could think about was her plan.
Chelsea moved slowly towards Woody, who'd been staring at her ever since they'd walked up. "You used to have a cowboy hat," she said nervously.
"It got ruined. You're Chelsea, aren't you?"
Chelsea's eyes lit up. "Yes, and you're Woody."
"That's right." Woody hadn't thought of other kids being present. They would be his greatest source for information. "Do you like it here?"
Nodding fervently, she giggled a little. "Yes. It's going to be more fun now."
"Yes it is."
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
"How long have you been feeling sick?" Gene was in one of the patient rooms of the medical clinic with Maya. Melissa was hovering over her as nurse, checking her vitals as Rachel stood back and watched.
Maya didn't answer, instead focusing completely on Melissa. Her eyes were glued to her.
Melissa gave her a small smile and leaned in, saying quietly, "I remember you. You remember me, too?"
Maya just nodded, looking nervously from her to the doctor.
"How are her vitals?" Gene was filling out a chart and looked up to check on Melissa's work.
"Everything seems normal. She doesn't have a fever, and her blood pressure is normal."
"Well, at least she hasn't been exposed, then. We'll get started with the inoculations tomorrow."
Maya remembered her job and coughed quietly, listening closely to what was being said.
"What are we going to do with them?" asked Melissa.
"We'll have to keep them segregated for a few days just to be safe and then find a place for them. I've already heard from a few people who said they'd like to take one or two into their homes."
Straightening up, Melissa addressed Gene seriously. "I'd love to help raise a little girl. I know I'm not that old, but it would really make me feel good. Like I'm making a difference." She looked down softly at Maya. "I never had a little sister. I think I could be a good big sister."
Maya just stared back blankly. She wasn't about to trust or open up her heart to a stranger.
"We'll see," said Gene, as he finished creating the chart. "For now, we'll have to house them in the jail. It's the only place large and safe enough."
Maya's heart started beating wildly. They were going to put them in jail. She had to tell Woody right away.
"What are the kids going to think about that?"
"I don't think we have much choice. We'll just have to make them as comfortable as possible."
~~~
While the kids were being fed, Mace and Bo stood off to the side, watching them and discussing their options. "Do you think they could be dangerous?" Bo asked quietly.
"Hard to say. They've been through a lot. The first thing we need to find out is what happened to Jacqueline."
Bo looked at Mace carefully. "You don't believe she got sick?"
"Well, if she was sick, why wouldn't they have brought her with them?"
Staring back at the rows of kids eating voraciously, Bo didn't have an answer. "Good question."
"We need to talk to them separately. Find out what really happened."
As they stood watching, Maya entered the cafeteria with Melissa. She broke free of her hand and rushed straight over to Woody, immediately whispering something in his ear. As soon as she was done, Woody glanced straight at Bo and Mace. He had an intelligence and confidence in his look that made them both uneasy. A second later Woody turned his attention back to the food in front of him.
"What was that all about?" asked Bo.
Mace just shook his head. "Don't know. They're up to something, though."
~~~
Standing back in her house for the first time, Angela felt like crying. Her nerves were bundled tight, and she wasn't sure what to feel. As good as it felt to be back, she couldn't bring herself to trust anyone anymore. She felt lost and confused.
A quiet knock on the door disrupted her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she paused for a second before turning and opening the door. It was Shawn. Her heart melted at the sight of him, but she tried to keep her composure.
"I didn't see you leave," he said. "I thought we should talk." She could see the tears rimming his eyes. "God, I missed you, Ang. I thought you were gone."
She wanted him right there and then. The desire was almost unbearable. She could feel the blood rushing to her loins, but she couldn't let him see her chest wound. She needed to keep him at a distance. "I need a little time, Shawn. I've been through a lot." She tried to make it not sound cold but wasn't sure how it came out. The pain in his expression made her feel angry for some reason. The anger made her desire for him stronger. She couldn't hold it off.
"I need you inside me," she said, straightforward, all of a sudden ignoring every other thought. "Let's talk later."
He was instantly inside the door, shutting it behind him. He grabbed her, kissing her deeply, and she could feel the depth of his desire for her. He trie
d to lift her shirt but she pushed his hands away, reaching down and undoing his belt instead. She kissed him hungrily as she yanked on his pants, undoing his button and pulling his zipper down. In desperation, she pulled her own pants down, then grabbed him as she turned around and leaned against the front door, pulling him into her.
Several hours later, after breaking numerous items in her living room and around her home, her shirt still remained on. Shawn lay on her bed, completely spent, covered with numerous scratches across his back and sides that oozed small droplets of blood. His neck was smeared red from where she had bitten it and drawn blood. The pain from her previous injuries made the act more desperate. The more her rib hurt, the more intense her desire for lovemaking. She was beginning to enjoy the pain.
Staring at Shawn, Angela realized she didn't feel any love for him. She didn't feel anything. Her heart had grown cold, and she couldn't fathom opening it up again, to him or anyone else. He looked weak as he was drifting off to sleep.
"I think you should go," she said, annoyed by the look on his face.
"What?" Shawn said, his eyes barely open.
"I want you to leave."
The iciness in her voice shocked him awake. "Are you okay?" he asked, as she climbed out of bed and faced him.
"Not as long as you're here. Now get out."
"What? You sure you're okay?"
The anger started to build. "What's wrong with you? You're pathetic. I said get out!"
Shawn was feeling confused and let down as he walked slowly back to his house. His back stung from the scratches and his body felt sore and used up. All was quiet in the compound. Everyone was either on guard duty or busy taking care of the new children. As he walked in silence, lost in thought, he felt the first stirrings of a headache.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
The children were being settled into the jail cells with as much tenderness and care as possible. Because of their previous connection to Jade, she had been the one to try to explain their predicament. "We are short on room right now," she said to them all as they finished their meals in the cafeteria. "We don't want to have to separate you, and we need to keep you safe until you can all be checked out by our doctor. His name is Gene, and I'm sure you will like him. He's a good man. The only place big enough to house you all for now is the jail. You've done nothing wrong, so don't think you have. If you'd like to live with a family, there are families here who would love to have children in their homes. It's all going to take a little time. Just please have some patience with us as we sort everything out. Just know that we are all very excited to have you here, and you'll find that we are good people, too. This is your home, now. We want you to be happy and comfortable."
As the kids were getting settled into different cells, Woody whispered to the Lost Boys as they lounged on a cot in their cell. "Welcome to your new home, boys. Now behave yourselves and we'll tell you what to do." All the boys smiled mischievously at the comment. Hot Dog whispered back, mimicking Jade's voice, "If you'd like to live with a family, we'll slap you around and make you eat brussel sprouts." They all laughed. Woody shooshed them at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Somebody's coming," he whispered. It was Mace. He stopped in front of their cell and tried to smile at Woody.
"Woody, could I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.
Despite the plan to remain docile and appear scared, Woody couldn't help himself. "What do you want?" he said sarcastically to the glee of everyone close by. "I know my rights. I want a lawyer."
Mace was surprised by the response. He smiled and decided to play along. "That won't be necessary. We're only holding you on suspicion of stealing a yellow school bus. We won't be filing any charges."
Most of the other kids couldn't understand the humor and shrunk back. "You got nothin'. The bus was just sittin' there. Ya got no witnesses."
Intrigued by the banter, Mace continued with it. Woody was revealing more than he realized. "We've got you on surveillance. It's all on the tape."
Noticing the uneasy looks from the other kids, Mace was about to stop when Woody countered with, "I'll bet it's not definitive."
That stopped Mace in his tracks, and Woody immediately realized he'd gone too far. He cursed himself for not sticking to the plan. He tried to appear wide-eyed and innocent. "My mom used to watch a lot of cop shows." He dropped his head and said, "I miss her."
"Could we just talk for a minute?" Mace asked again, staring at him intently. It was obvious Woody was not who we was pretending to be.
"Sure," Woody said tightly, giving his boys a quick look before getting off the cot.
As soon as he left with Mace, the paranoia was at a fever pitch. "What's going on?"
"They know!"
"They're gonna kill us!"
"What do you think they're going to do with him?"
"They're gonna torture him!"
Their whispers were getting louder, causing one of the compound women to check in on them.
"You boys, okay?" she asked.
They all stayed silent. This was it. They were going to stay in jail forever. Their thoughts ran wild.
Mace sat with Woody in the booking room. "I'm really sorry if this makes you feel uncomfortable or if I'm bringing up painful stuff. We just need to know what happened to Jacqueline and how you got here."
With his mind racing, Woody tried to keep all the lies straight. He realized almost immediately that the story about Jacqueline being sick wouldn't work. They'd find out eventually. He also knew he'd completely blown it.
"She died. We got attacked." A brief silence followed as he stared blankly at Mace. "She tried to save us. She had shown us on a map where to find you in case anything happened."
"I'm sorry," said Mace. "Why didn't you just say that to begin with?"
"We didn't want you to think we had done anything to her."
"Why would we think that?" asked Mace, leaning in.
Woody decided to play it straight. "You don't know what we've been through."
"It doesn't have to be this way." Mace sat back in his chair and studied Woody carefully. "I know you kids have been through hell. We all have. We're not going to treat you like little kids. You've seen too much for that. I'm offering you a place where you're treated with respect. We're all soldiers now, and we need to work together. I've seen how resourceful you kids can be, and we would welcome your help. We're not here to judge you or control you. We're here to offer you a home."
Woody didn't flinch a muscle. He knew better than to trust just words. "We don't like sleeping in a jail. We don't like being locked up. You say you don't want to control us, but that is just what you're doing."
Mace was once again impressed by Woody's intelligence and forthrightness, especially for his age. "We weren't really sure where to put you. We have a partial antidote that we can give you, which will make us all safer. We also want all of you to be checked out by our doctor. We thought it would be better if we didn't separate you."
"You wanted us where you could keep an eye on us. You don't trust us."
Mace didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't believe the balls on the kid. "Can you blame us? We're just trying to be careful as well."
Woody stood but his height remained almost the same. He put his hand out. "I would like to trust you. I don't want us to be locked in the jail, though. We don't deserve that."
Mace smiled as he leaned down and shook his hand. "We felt the same way when we got here. We had to go through the same thing. I would like to trust you too, Woody. Let's just take it a little slow, okay."
In Woody's head, he could hear Jacqueline calling him Peter Pan.
"Okay, but don't call me Woody anymore."
"What would you like me to call you?"
"Peter."
"Okay, Peter. You've got a deal."
"One more thing. I don't know if any of my kids will want to be separated. We'll want our own house. Free of adults."
Mace flashed back to the hospital and the teenage ga
ng left to their own resources on the third floor. "I don't know if I can agree to that, Peter. You can have your own house, but we'll need to know what you're up to. There needs to be trust on both sides."
Mace started to get up, but Woody stopped him. "You don't need to see me out. I know the way."
As Woody left and the door shut behind him, Mace shook his head, awed. "You believe that?" he said. Bo stepped out from where he was listening around the corner. "Not really. That has to be one of the most surreal conversations I've ever heard. How old is that kid?"
"I think he's like ten!"
"Well, I think we'd be better off having him on our side. He's got a pint-sized army around him."
"They're lethal, too. Believe me."
"What do you think we should do with them?"
"I don't think we've got any choice. Help them, work with them and see if we can trust them. We'll get started with the inoculations tomorrow and go from there."
"Change of plans," whispered Woody as soon as he entered the cell again. The Lost Boys were beside themselves with worry.
"What did they say?'
"What did they do to you?"
"Nothing. It's okay. We're going to demand respect right now. We're not going to play a game."
Hot Dog's eyes couldn't have been any larger. "Are you crazy? They're adults! They won't listen to us. We can't trust them!"
"They can't trust us either. That's our advantage. We won't let them split us up."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, and call me Peter from now on."
"You don't want to be called Woody any more?"
"Why?"
Woody stood up and looked each one in the eye. "Woody is a kid's name. We're not kids anymore."
"Yes we are," said Hot Dog, in all innocence.
"No, we're not. We're soldiers, and this is our Neverland."
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Children of the Apocalypse (Mace of the Apocalypse #3) Page 12