Flannigan glared at the creature for a moment, and then reached for the handiest thing to throw at it. It was a leg. A caribou leg. He cringed as he realized what it was, and tossed the thing aside. His head swam with murky nightmarish visions. There wasn’t much to make sense of, just half-remembered images. The thrill of the hunt, the chase. Before that, running and chasing; nipping at the heels of creatures that stank with the taint of the Shadow.
And then, this place. A cool, mossy clearing. A safe place to roll in the kill, chasing off the filthy scents of man and Shadow. Then he remembered.
Flannigan remembered seeing Gabriel and Jodi disappear into the darkness with shadow creatures hot on their trail. He vaguely remembered Julia, overwhelmed by shadowfriends and creatures alike as she was taken to the ground. He felt sick as he realized what had happened. They’d walked right into a trap. The Shadow had been one step ahead of them since it all began. He hardly dared hope any of the others were still alive.
Flannigan rose to his feet and followed the scent of his own trail down the mountainside. He abandoned the cursed cane on the branch where it hung. He only wished it were that easy to escape.
Mr. Oglesby had his pants, thank goodness, but that was it. No shirt, no shoes. He didn’t stand a chance of getting inside a supermarket. He laughed at the thought, but promptly forgot the joke as he stepped on a thorn. From then on Flannigan chose his path as carefully as he could. It seemed there wasn’t a safe spot to place his feet on the entire mountainside. If it wasn’t thorns, it was rocks. If not rocks, then he was tramping though slushy patches of freezing snow. His only comfort was that the cold was pleasantly numbing.
The soles of his feet were bleeding by the time he got off the mountain, but Flannigan staggered on. Now at least he had his bearings. He’d seen the lake to the North, and he knew that the lodge was located in the hills nearby. It was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other.
Thoughts ran fleetingly through his head about what he would do when he arrived. He’d have to figure out where Julia had gone, that was his first priority. If memory served, she’d had a tracking implant installed a few years earlier. Pete would know how to find her, assuming the shadowfriends hadn’t caught him as well.
It was after midnight when Oglesby stumbled through the doorway of the lodge. The place was wide open, with a few lights shining through the broken windows and a small snowdrift just inside the doorway. The furnishings were demolished. The couch was overturned, the end tables smashed, and pieces of glass lay scattered across the floor like landmines. Flannigan tiptoed his way across the room, stopping halfway to the kitchen to drop into a lounger –one of the only intact pieces of furniture left-and rest his bloody feet.
When he woke, it was early afternoon.
“You old fool!” he shouted. “You stupid, old fool! How could you sleep at a time like this?”
He rose to his feet and let out a yelp when they touched the ground. He’d forgotten how badly the hike had damaged them. He didn’t even notice his cane hanging from the armrest as he swallowed the pain and lurched into the kitchen, snatching up the phone.
He almost cried with joy when he heard an actual dial tone. “Thank goodness for small miracles,” he mumbled as he dialed. As he waited on the line, he began poking through the fridge for some meat.
Chapter 33
For one strange, surrealistic moment, Gabriel stared straight into the eyes of the city transit driver. They were so close that Gabriel could have reached out and tapped the windshield. The man’s eyes bulged as he saw the children appear inches away from his bus on a flying motorcycle. He slammed on the brakes. Gabriel heard the squealing tires and felt a windshield wiper brush across his leg.
The rear end of the motorcycle jolted as the tire scraped along the corner of the bus. Then, amazingly, it was over. The motorcycle shot passed the bus and into the alley beyond. They touched down on the far side of the street, and Jodi let out a triumphant cry. The landing was a little awkward, but Jodi easily righted the bike.
Gabriel glanced over his shoulder. Main Street was chaos. He heard a cacophony of screeching brakes and people shouting. Strangely, the devourers were nowhere in sight.
“Hey, are you guys okay?” Pete’s voice came through the Com a few seconds later.
“Yeah, we’re almost to the school,” said Jodi. “What’s up?”
“What a relief! The police scanners are all buzzing about some kind of accident downtown. They said that a flock of birds ran into a bus and almost caused an accident. They also said something about two kids on a motorcycle.”
“Are they looking for us?” said Jodi.
“Doesn’t sound like it at this point. They’re trying to make sense out of it all. The whole thing seems pretty confused.”
“Good,” said Jodi. “Let us know if you hear anything else.”
“Will do, you guys be careful!” There was a moment of static as the channel cleared and then the radio went silent.
Jodi guided the dirt bike through a couple of alleys and then crossed a quiet side street that skirted the school grounds. They parked in the empty teachers’ lot and then raced across the campus at full tilt towards the library.
They were halfway there when Jodi stopped short. “Wait!” she said breathlessly. She pointed at the basketball court next to the building. Gabriel followed her gaze to a small group of kids skateboarding around the area. His heart sank as he recognized them.
“The Death Squad,” he muttered. “What now?” The library doors were directly adjacent to the basketball courts. There was no way to get in without being seen.
“We could create some kind of distraction,” Jodi said. “Maybe if we made a fire?”
“And burn the whole school down?” Gabriel said. “I thought we were trying to avoid going to jail. What about breaking a window on the far side?”
“Negative,” said Jodi. “The school’s got alarms.”
“I guess that’s it then,” Gabriel said. He started walking towards the library.
“What are you doing? You think we’re just gonna walk right past them?”
“Unless you’ve got a better idea,” said Gabriel.
Jodi rolled her eyes. “They’re gonna kick our butts.”
“Probably. When they’re done, we’ll go in.”
“You’re crazy,” said Jodi.
Gabriel tried to remind himself that the last thing he wanted was a fight. There wasn’t enough time for it. Julia’s life was hanging in the balance. Everything hinged on them getting in and out as fast as possible.
Unfortunately, the Death Squad wasn’t going to make it easy. Gabriel grimaced as a couple of the kids noticed them, and they all began talking in low voices. Here we go, he thought.
They were a few yards from the front door when the Death Squad moved, placing themselves right in the children’s path. “Well if it isn’t ninja-boy and his sidekick,” said Robby. The other kids chuckled as they surrounded Gabriel and Jodi.
“Just ignore Robby,” Jodi said. “He’s a jerk.”
Gabriel tried to walk past them, but two skateboarders closed the path. They sneered, daring him to do something about it. “You two aren’t being very nice,” Robby said mockingly. “And here I was just trying to talk with you.”
“We’re in kind of a hurry,” said Jodi.
“I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to Gabriel.”
“Maybe later,” Gabriel said. “We have kind of an emergency, and…”
“I think now is better,” Robby interrupted. “You see Gabriel, I’ve got a propa… propo…”
“Proposition,” one of the skateboarders said. Apparently, at least one of them could read.
“Right, one of those,” said Robby. “Here’s what I’m thinkin’: You see, the Death Squad’s a pretty tight little gang, but we could use somebody with your skills. I gotta admit, for a kid you can really kick some butt. You’re a stiff but you really fight like a tiger. In fact, if you teach us
some of that kung-fu stuff, we won’t beat ya up anymore. And since the rest of us will be going on to high school next year, we’re gonna need somebody here to represent.”
“Ha!” Jodi shouted. “First of all Gabriel’s way too classy to join up with you thugs. Second, he doesn’t need you! Gabriel could kick all your butts if he wanted to. I think you’re just scared.”
Gabriel cringed. Was she trying to start a fight? “Look, we’re kind of in the middle of something right now,” he said. “Can we please talk about this later?”
Robby looked him up and down. “You’re kinda chicken aren’t ya? Maybe we should just kick your butt right now to prove we’re serious.” He started advancing on Gabriel, and the Death Squad closed in.
Gabriel lowered his stance, ready to leap into action. At that moment, a dark shadow passed overhead. Gabriel heard the sound of leathery wings and a chill went down his spine. He glanced at the sky. The devourers were back. They had spotted the children, and they were circling in for the kill. He shot Jodi a look.
“Devourers,” she mumbled.
“What the crap?” Robby shouted. He stumbled backwards in disbelief. He tripped over his own skateboard and landed on his rump, but he was too terrified to be humiliated.
One of the devourers let out a bloodcurdling shriek and made a beeline for the group of children. The Death Squad broke, scattering across the campus, all else forgotten as the devourers closed in on them. Jodi took advantage of the moment. She whipped out a lock-pick and began fumbling with the door.
“Hold them off!” she shouted.
Gabriel scanned the area for something –anything-to use as a weapon. He hadn’t even thought to bring along some protection. That might have been a fatal mistake. There was nothing. Not so much as a stray stick or a small rock.
He glanced back at the devourers and realized they had changed course. They were now pursuing the Death Squad! A laugh escaped his lips as he saw two of the bullies fighting to get into the same garbage can. Robby and the rest of the kids were hiding under the picnic tables. They didn’t appear to be in any real danger, in fact they were doing a pretty good job of fending off the devourers.
“Got it!” Jodi said. She turned to see what Gabriel was snickering at and burst into laughter. “Serves ‘em right,” she said. “We better hurry before those devourers figure out they’ve got the wrong kids.”
They charged into the library and Jodi deactivated the alarm. They raced upstairs to the lab. There was a security panel on the door, but Jodi knew the code. “Sometimes Flannigan’s late for class,” she explained, “so he gave me the combination.” She punched in the numbers and the door clicked open. “Check the cabinets,” she said. “That’s where he stores everything.”
Gabriel rushed over to the cabinets and then paused. “Uh, they’re all locked.”
Jodi groaned. There were four, and she had to manually pick each lock. It was a tedious process, but worth the effort. They found several cases of R9-11 ammo, another rocket launcher (this time with four-rocket capability, and extra rockets in a duffle bag), and twenty-seven EGGs. These were second-generation EGGs, about half the size of the first batch, and hopefully even more powerful.
“Is that it?” Gabriel asked. He was doing his best to shove it all into their backpacks. The rockets were giving him trouble. The tips stuck out of the top of their packs and there was nothing he could do to cover them.
“Yup. Lets hit the road.”
When they exited, the devourers were gone, along with the Death Squad. “Think they’re okay?” Gabriel asked.
“I’m sure they’re fine. The devourers would know that they had the wrong kids as soon as they touched them. They’re probably backtracking right now to figure out where they lost us.”
“Is there another way back to the mansion?” Gabriel said. “We don’t want to run into them.”
“Hang on…” Jodi called up Pete on the radio. “Hey Pete, can you run a CARJAK search? I need to know if Redwood Road is clear.”
“Sure, just give me minute.”
“What’s CARJAK?” said Gabriel.
“It’s a tracking system they put on cars to keep them from getting stolen. If the car is reported missing, they dial up the CARJAK number and a satellite tells the cops right where it is.”
“And how does that help us?”
“Because they also put it on police cars.”
“Oh.”
“They use a special encryption to keep people from tracking the cops, but Pete knows how to get around it.”
“Doesn’t sound like very good technology,” said Gabriel.
“Oh it is, it’s state of the art. But security –any kind of security-is really just a means of slowing people down. If a person is determined enough, they’ll always find a way around it. Reeves always used to say: You’re safest when the alarm is going off, because then you know you’ve got trouble. It’s when everything’s quiet that you should be worrying.”
“Smart guy,” said Gabriel.
“I know. I miss him.”
“You’re clear,” Pete suddenly said over the radio. “Take the Fifth Street Bridge and go right on Kennedy. Go now!”
Jodi kicked the engine over and the bike roared to life. “We’re already gone!” she said.
Pete’s directions were dead on. They didn’t see a single police cruiser on the road, and only saw a handful of cars. Once they arrived back at the estate, they drove straight to the Albatross to unload their gear. Pete wasn’t there.
“He must still be back at the house,” Jodi said. “Let’s go get him and get this plane ready to go.”
The mansion was quiet and dark inside when they arrived. “He’s probably in the basement,” Jodi said. “I bet he’s still watching out for cops and doesn’t even realize we’re back.”
They went to the library and stepped into the elevator. When Gabriel stepped out, he expected to see Pete sitting at one of the consoles. Instead, the place was abandoned.
“Pete are you down here?” he called out. A shuffling sound came from one of the adjoining rooms and Pete appeared in the doorway. His eyes were downcast, his face sullen.
“Hey guys,” he said softly.
“There you are,” said Jodi. “Pete we got all the stuff. It’s at the plane. We saw some devourers and we were worried that… What’s the matter Pete?”
Pete took a few steps into the room, and a dark figure appeared behind him. It was a man with a gun. A tall, stocky man with dark hair and a dangerous look in his eyes. The man was John Reeves.
“Sorry guys,” said Pete. “He just walked right in.”
“Reeves, you’re alive!” Jodi said. “Oh my God. What’s happened Reeves? What’s wrong?” Reeves smiled wickedly and shoved Pete to the ground. He raised his arm and leveled a gun at Gabriel.
“Reeves?” said Gabriel. “We thought you were dead. What’s wrong?” Gabriel’s mind raced as he scanned the room for any possible escape. There were plenty of things to use as weapons, but it was hard to move faster than a bullet. He started talking, trying to stall.
“The dragon didn’t kill you, it took you somewhere, didn’t it?” he said. That much was obvious, but he was trying to buy time. If he could just get Reeves to talk. “It took you to the Shadowlords, didn’t it?”
Jodi gasped as she put it all together. “Reeves, don’t do this. Don’t you remember us?”
Reeves smiled grimly as he pulled the trigger and shot Gabriel in the center of his chest.
Chapter 34
Julia woke the next morning with a narrow beam of sunlight kissing her face. She was seated on a bench with her back against the wall, and more than a dozen children huddled around her. They slept on the bench leaning up against her, on the floor crowded against her legs, and even under the bench. This, she presumed, was how they survived the cold winter nights in this place. She cringed to think of how long they had been surviving in this manner.
The room didn’t look any better in the day
light than it had in the dark. The walls were bare stone blocks, the floor was dirt, and the only piece of furniture was the bench upon which she sat. Water dripped from an old pipe near the far wall; this was where the children got their drinking water. When they were thirsty, they would stomp through the mud to catch the raining drops with cupped hands. Of course, their hands were always dirty, and the water was always murky. The fact that they had survived this long was a miracle.
A shuffling sound at the door distracted Julia from her thoughts and roused the children from their slumber. Julia watched in fascination as they rose from their places and went to sit cross-legged in perfect rows at the base of the stairs. They stared at the door as it swung open, and two armed guards stepped inside carrying tin pails. The guards dumped the pails over on the steps, spilling out an assortment of crusty bread rolls, vegetable trimmings, and other leftovers. When they were finished, they exited the room and deadbolted the door from the outside.
“Table scraps?” Julia said angrily. “That’s what they feed you?” The children didn’t respond. Instead, they gathered up the scraps and formed a circle on the ground. They placed all the food in the center of the circle.
“You take some first, Julia,” said Crystal. “You didn’t eat yesterday. And don’t forget to take some meat.”
“You didn’t eat either, Crystal,” said one of the others. Crystal shushed him. “Use your manners,” she said. “Stick to the rules.” She gave Julia an expectant look.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Julia said. “Believe me, I ate plenty before I got here. I’m just fine.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, of course, but Julia wasn’t about to take food from those poor children. Her heart ached, watching them divvy up the portions like that, and the anger inside her welled up. Someone was going to pay for this.
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