by E. J. Mara
Out of breath and more disjointed than I’ve ever been in my life, I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Hey.”
Nathaniel’s gaze goes from me to Esther. “Uh, hey?”
My left eye twitching, I turn to Esther and stammer, “I…I…don’t…”
“Know what to say?” She smirks. “A thank you would be a good start.”
I’m pretty sure I just had a panic attack that led to a hallucination. That has to be what happened because there’s no way Esther and Karen appeared out of thin air …and why is Esther here anyway?
Rattled, I return my attention to Karen. She’s kind of a mess; her cheeks flushed, her hair as wild as ever, and her eyes wide with... fright? Breathing hard, she glances over her shoulder, looking at her house. Yeah, she’s definitely got frightened written all over her face.
Anxiety cresting in my chest, I touch her shoulder. “Karen, what’s wrong?”
Esther grabs my arm. “Keys, Nathaniel! Give me your keys, we need your car.”
“You need my car?” I repeat.
Esther’s eyes are as frantic as Karen’s and she looks over her shoulder at the Lyles’ house.
“Why?” I glance at the house. “Is somebody in her house …”
I shut up as the Lyles’ front door opens and a giant of a man with long, blonde hair stumbles out onto their front porch.
Karen gasps and shoves me towards Mom’s car. “I have no idea what’s going on,” she exclaims, uncharacteristically hysterical, “but I know we need to get away from him!”
The giant runs towards us, his brow knotted in an angry scowl and ...Jesus! I stare at him, petrified, as his dark eyes take on an eerie silver glow.
Esther grabs the keys from my hand and, pulling Karen behind her, shouts, “Get in the car! Come on, Nathaniel!”
Strands of Karen’s hair hit me in the face, melting me from my frozen state and I follow the girls to the car. Glancing over my shoulder one last time brings me to yet another standstill and all I can do is gape, chills shooting up and down my arms. The giant’s skin is turning silver. It’s like his body is morphing into some sort of metallic armor.
“Nathaniel, come on!” Esther orders, jumping into the front seat and starting Mom’s car.
Ignoring the question on the tip of my tongue, I slide into the backseat and slam my door shut. Esther peels off, Mom’s tires screeching as we speed away. I turn around in my seat to keep an eye on the strange silver guy. He’s jumping into a black Buick that was parked across the street from the Lyles’ house.
“Who was that?” I shout as the metallic giant, tires screeching, starts to follow us. “Actually, what was that?”
Esther flies past a stop sign and swerves right, headed out of the Lyles’ neighborhood. I’m thrown against the door, the side of my face hitting the window with a thud. Shaking it off, I straighten in my seat and look from Esther to Karen, hoping they’ll explain what’s going on.
But Esther, more somber than I’ve ever seen her, is one hundred percent focused on the road. And Karen’s eyes are still wide with fright as they repeatedly dart to the rearview mirror.
I want to comfort her, but I don’t know what to say because I have no clue what’s going on!
I turn around as the Buick races out of the Lyles’ neighborhood and onto the highway, only a mile or so behind us.
This is insane.
Returning my attention to the girls, I lean forward, eyeing Mom’s car phone. “We should call 9-1-1.” I reach for the phone.
Karen nods. “Good idea.”
“Nope. Terrible idea.” Esther slaps my hand away.
“Why?” I glance at her. “What are we supposed to do? Try to get away from that …that thing ourselves?”
“Yep,” Esther says, her blue eyes fixed on the road ahead. “These guys work with the cops, meaning we can’t trust the police.”
“These guys?” I repeat, wishing I understood even half of what she’s talking about.
Esther glances in the rearview mirror, hangs a sharp right, and speeds through a red light. I grab the passenger seat’s headrest, steadying myself while she careens in between honking cars.
“Jesus, Esther!” I shout. “This is my mom’s car, be careful! And what guys are you talking about?”
She glances up at the mirror, her knuckles white as they grip the steering wheel. Instead of answering my question, she curses under her breath and says, “How is he still behind us?”
I turn around and Esther’s right, the silver giant is about five cars behind us. Even if he doesn’t catch us, I’m still going to die because, if we get out of this alive, Mom’s going to kill me for skipping school and getting her car involved in a high speed chase that’s probably going to end up on the twelve o’clock news.
I look at Karen. So pale that she’s nearly white, she grips the door and turns to Esther. “I.T.I.S.” Karen says, her voice a strangled whisper. “Is that who’s following us?”
“What’s I.T.I.S.?” I demand.
Esther glances at Karen, her eyebrows going up. “So you know? Your dad told you?” she asks, speeding up as she turns onto a street that will lead us to the freeway.
Karen’s lips pressed together tightly, like she’s barely repressing a scream. “No, he didn’t tell me anything,” she says, her voice low, “all I know is that my dad was forced into making serums for some place called I.T.I.S., and once he refused to make more, this giant started following us. Now the he’s trying to kidnap me, so I’m assuming he’s with I.T.I.S.”
I stare at her, processing this.
So, some whacko who works for a place called I.T.I.S. is trying to kidnap Karen? Every inch of my body tensing, I say, “We’re not going to let that happen.”
Esther’s gaze darts to the rearview mirror, and balling up her fist, she pushes it into the Lexus’s console. I turn around to see what’s caused this reaction. The Buick is just a few feet away and the silver giant thrusts his arm out of the window, revealing that he’s holding a gun.
Fear coursing through me, I shout, “Gun! He has a gun!” I duck, reach forward and push Karen’s head down. “Get down, he’s going to shoot!”
“I’m with Karen and Roy’s on our tail …yeah, the titanium guy,” Esther says.
I glance up and Esther’s holding her fist close to her mouth, the chunky ring on her finger just below her lips as she speaks. She must have pushed her fist into the console, not out of anger, but to activate a communication device in her ring.
I take another look at the ring …why does Esther have something like that? And who is she talking to? My thoughts are cut off as a popping sound erupts behind us and Mom’s car is jolted sideways. My palm still at the back of Karen’s head, I push her down further while the popping noise sounds a second time.
“Track me and meet us with Iris,” Esther shouts, “we need an extraction now!”
The back windshield shatters behind me, and after nearly crapping my pants I lift my head to check on Karen. She’s still ducking and appears uninjured, thank God.
“Nathaniel, keep your head down,” Esther orders.
I do as told and the car jolts forward.
“I hate this guy so, so much,” Esther shouts.
It sounds like she’s flooring Mom’s car, but we’re still moving slowly and the tires feel like they’re flopping instead of rolling along the highway.
“He must’ve shot the tires,” I point out, no longer worrying about whether or not Mom’s going to be pissed about her car. Now that some losers called I.T.I.S. have apparently sent a gun-wielding metallic giant to kidnap Karen, I think we all have bigger things to worry about.
“Yeah, and now he’s pushing us,” Esther grumbles. “This is why I hate Roy, he never gives up.”
I glance at Karen as she lifts her head. “You gotta stay down.” I urge, pushing her head down while our I.T.I.S. stalker, in turn, pushes his car into our bumper, this time much harder. My forehead makes contact with the back of the passeng
er seat and I wince.
“You okay, Nathaniel?” Karen asks, her voice muffled.
“Yeah.” A strange rhythmic sound erupts above us, its noise overshadowing my reply.
“Noooo,” Esther groans, “Mom, would you hurry up? They have a freaking chopper!”
“I.T.I.S. sent a helicopter after me?” Karen cries.
“Sort of …but no worries, everything’s fine!” Esther yells, her tone convincing me of the exact opposite.
Mom’s car swerves left and I look up to find that we’re veering into a lane of oncoming traffic. A little white Honda darts out of our way, honking as Esther veers through approaching traffic, barely missing a blue station wagon and a brown minivan. I fall backwards in the seat where waiting shards of glass slice through my shirt, cutting the skin on my back.
“We’re in the wrong lane!” Karen shouts, leaning over to grab the wheel.
“It’s not me, I’m not doing it!” Esther cries.
“It’s because of the tires,” I say, sitting up. I turn around and get a glimpse of the large white helicopter following us. Its side door is open revealing some kind of machine-gun-looking equipment that’s aimed our way. My mouth goes dry at the sight. This is a nightmare!
“Mom!” Esther shouts into her ring, “They’ve got a Super-Massive Luomnem device in the chopper. I’m really not in the mood to get my memory erased today, so could you please hurry up with the extraction?”
Roy, still in our right lane, speeds up, trying to get beside us.
I know what he’s going to do. Once he’s beside us, he’s going to take the shot.
My heart in my throat, I say, “Esther, brakes, hit the brakes! Don’t let him get beside us!”
Esther slams on the brakes, and we realize several seconds too late that my suggestion was a terrible one. Thanks to its two flattened tires, Mom’s car spins out of control and swerves, headfirst towards a huge truck.
“Whatever you do, don’t let go!” Esther orders as she slips out of her seatbelt and reaches for my and Karen’s hands.
“What are you doing?” I shout, fear cresting in my chest, I brace for impact.
Mom’s Lexus slams headfirst into the truck’s grill just as Esther grabs my hand and the car’s leather interior withers away, to be replaced by swirls of colors that twist and spin around us.
I can’t move. My eyes dart left and right, but my neck refuses to acknowledge my command to let me turn and check on Karen. In the midst of the colors, sparkling particles float through the air. An intense floral scent bears down on my lungs, smothering me. I cough through my nose, being that I can’t even get my lips to part. Burning sensations, not exactly painful, but …powerful, erupt throughout my body. Am I imagining this or is it really happening?
As one of the sparkling particles floats towards my eye, I try to close my eyes so the fleck won’t get in, but I can’t. The particle flies into my eye and all at once, blinding sunlight is heavy on my face. I blink, realizing that the sky is above me, nothing is behind me, and that I seem to be falling. The falling stops as pain shoots from the back of my head straight through my skull.
I hear myself groan and the world fades to black.
C-A-R-Y
My favorite name.
Now, my teacher talks but me listen? No!
I write C-A-R-Y G-R-A-N-T in diary again and again and again and-
My teacher, Ms. Wells, tap my shoulder.
I look up.
Ms. Wells so UGLY!!!
Brown hair, brown eyes- UGLY!
Now, Ms. Wells signs, “Please pay attention and stop writing in your diary.”
I ignore and write, ‘C-A-R-‘
Ms. Wells put her hand on diary.
I bite her hand.
She try get away, but I bite more hard. Taste like salt!
Ms. Wells eyes cry, I stop biting.
My classmates staring.
“Everyone quiet, stay quiet and seated!” Ms.Wells shout and sign.
Her hand have blood. A lot…
Mama had blood too. A lot. Blood in her nose and blood in her hair.
Mama died…Ms. Wells die too?
“Come here!” Ms. Wells signs.
Ms. Wells crying.
I feel sad.
I sign. “I’m sorry.”
“Well,” Ms. Wells signs, “Sorry or not, you’ll still need to come with me to the principal’s-”
Classroom door opens, a tall man there. His hair pretty blonde, like me! But his eyes dark brown like Karen’s.
Man walk to Ms. Well, they talk. Now tall man reach into his pocket, gets silver metal thing.
I look at tall man’s face. His brown eyes change color, silver…and I remember him.
Yes, I know him!
I saw him a long time ago. He came my house. He had that silver thing, he hurt Mama.
He put silver thing in Mama’s nose. After that, Mama always mean, she always sniffing white stuff and hitting me.
Now man push Ms. Wells against wall and puts silver thing in Ms. Wells nose.
Me scared.
Ms. Wells eyes big, her scared too. And then, her eyes close …she asleep.
Same happened to Mama. First asleep and then wake up mean.
Now blonde man look to me and smile.
I don’t like him.
I soooo scared, I can’t move!
He walk to all kids in class, put metal thing in their nose.
They all asleep!
Now, he walk to me and I run to door.
He grab my arm and turn me around.
He look different now. His skin silver, like pots and pans for cooking- silver skin!
Scary!!!
The shiny metal thing he put away. He reaches into pocket and gets needle.
Sticks needle in my arm.
I sleepy.
My eyes close…
I wake with a gasp, my thoughts immediately returning to the car accident. I sit up and look around, confused. This isn’t my room. And I hear whispering, but I’m not sure where the noise is coming from.
The four walls around me are white and blue. Directly in front of me, a television with a VCR is mounted to the wall. It’s off, so that can’t be where the whispers are coming from. To my right is a worn blue couch beside a coffee table. Both pieces of furniture are a mess; covered by newspapers, a beige sports coat that I recognize as Dad’s, candy bar wrappers, and a small aquarium filled with white flowers. To the right of the couch and coffee table is a dark wooden door with a lever handle.
Based on the clinical look of the room and the lingering smell of bleach in the air, I think I’m in a patient room at Peake General Hospital.
…I should check on her again to see if she’s awake…This strange whisper slinks just above the other murmurs and as soon as it does, the room’s door flies open. My dad steps in, wearing wrinkled khakis, a light blue shirt that’s partially untucked, and his hair is all over his head.
“Karen!” He rushes to my side. …thank God she’s awake…
Confused by the whispers that are invading my thoughts, and the fact that Dad is kissing the top of my head, all I can do is gawk at him, speechless. I can’t remember the last time my dad kissed me.
Holding my chin steady, he studies my face.
…eyes look good, but you never know, as soon as we get out of here she’s going to need a complete visual examination…The whispers fill my head, refusing to leave. It’s like I’m somehow hearing what Dad is thinking. But that’s impossible. Maybe I’m losing my mind. Maybe this is what happened to Mom before she went off the deep end.
An eerie disjointed feeling slinking through me, I glance down at the light blue hospital gown I’ve got on, my gaze going from it to the IV needle that’s been inserted into my left arm. It’s attached to a nearby machine from which an incessant beeping noise is being emitted.
“How do you feel?” Dad asks.
I open my mouth to reply, but before I can answer, he holds up one of his fingers a
nd moves it to his left, instructing, “Follow my finger with your eyes.” I do as told and mumbling, “Good,” Dad drops his hand. “Do you remember what happened yesterday?” he asks.
In my mind’s eye I can still see the intruder, a tall guy with strange silver eyes, his grin revealing large yellowed teeth. The memory is vivid and as piercing as a gust of wind. It pricks at my skin, making me shiver.
“Are you chilled? Do you need another blanket?”
“No.” Briefly closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and try to pull myself together. “There was a man who broke in, and …his skin, it…it …”
“It turned silver, yes.” Dad holds my gaze, which is very unusual for him. A typical conversation with my father is like having a chat with someone who can’t stand the sight of you. “We need to talk about why he broke in.” Dad’s voice is low and deliberate, as if he’s choosing his words carefully.
“But the car accident,” I blurt. “What about Nathaniel and Esther? Are they okay?”
Before Dad can answer, the door is opened by a bald guy clad in a long white lab coat. I assume, from the coat, that he’s a doctor. He gives me a huge smile, his face brightening. “Look who’s awake!”
Ignoring his exclamation, I return my attention to Dad. “Are Nathaniel and Esther okay?”
“When did she wake up?” Dr. Baldy asks.
“Right before you walked in,” Dad replies.
The doctor heads my way, his hand extended, and Dad steps aside. “Karen, I’m Dr. Winters. I’ll be taking care of you while you’re here. Do you know why you’re here?”
I look down at his hand while ‘…pupils appear normal, breathing is about right, slight pallor…’ runs through my mind. But this isn’t the only whisper that’s invaded my thoughts.
The others- a steady stream of murmurs, all of them soft and following various monologues lurk in the recesses of my thoughts.
…this is all my fault, I should’ve never lied to Tessa…