Wouldn’t matter? Did that mean they were going to kill me? I needed to get away from them. Maybe go to the police?
“You can call me Kimi.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“You don’t make sense!” Kimi shouted. “Stop talking already. You’re a frustrating nuisance.” She stomped ahead. “Where’d Alex get this girl? She’s worse than Ally and Donna combined. I can’t wait till this is over. I’m personally going to—”
“Kimi!” Charles blurted. “Calm down.”
“You’re right.” Kimi nodded. “Don’t let that girl out of your sight. I’m going to walk ahead of you for a while.”
Pig barked snapping at Kimi’s heels. She turned and pointed her finger in his face. My little dog cowered. Why was she so mean? At first I’d thought Kimi was the nice one. Now I was beginning to wonder who the leader in this group was.
Charles carried me through the park and stood at the edge of the road. “People will stare at us,” Kimi said. “You should let her walk. At least until we get out of town.”
“All right.” Charles sighed. “I can stick my hand in her back pocket.”
I glanced at him. He smiled wide showing teeth. His grin sickened me. “You will not touch me again or I’ll call out rape.”
Kimi laughed. “She will, Charles.”
“Listen to Kimi, Charles.” I jerked away. He took off his helmet and ran his fingers through his short sandy brown hair. There was a small dimple in his left cheek. “If you weren’t such a jerk,” I began. “I’d think you were cute.”
“You shouldn’t put all your cards on the table with your captives,” Charles said. “Walk next to me. If you so much as move an inch, away from my arm, I’ll kill you.”
I couldn’t breathe. “Why would you want to kill me?”
“You’re on death row anyway. At least if I kill you, you won’t suffer. If I bring you to Dr. John, you’ll be nothing more than a living science experiment, that is, until he’s taken every vital organ you have. Then, you’ll be a dead experiment.”
I trembled, barely able to stand. Pig barked, threatening Charles. “I won’t be a science project.” I surveyed my surroundings. There was a little convenience store and a back entrance to a high school gym. The door was propped open. What would be safest? I could run through a whole school of people who wouldn’t stop me. The store would be a safer place to avoid the lives of others, just in case Charles really would kill someone.
“What’s going on inside that brain of yours?”
“I won’t speak to you again.”
“Lisa, stop acting like a child.”
“Let me escape.”
“Are you crazy? If Dr. John doesn’t experiment on you, who do you think he’ll go after next? No, thank you!”
“You find him human lab rats?” I gasped, doubling over. “You’re sick in the head!”
“Control yourself, Lisa, we’re around normal folk.”
“Normal folk?”
“That’s our secret code for normal beings.” He winked, helping me to my feet. “Let’s not have a local tragedy. I always hate to see such things in our newspapers.”
He would kill citizens! “Don’t hurt anyone, I’ll go wherever you want, just don’t hurt anybody.”
“She’s lying again,” Kimi shouted.
She was really getting on my nerves. “How would you know if I’m lying?” Was Kimi somehow similar to Alex? Could she hear my thoughts without even touching me? “Can you read my thoughts?”
Kimi turned abruptly. “No. I can feel truths kind of like a lie detector. I know when someone is stressed, angry or plotting,” she said. “Sometimes I can even tell if someone is like us.”
“Interesting,” I said. “How long have you been like this?”
“That’s none of your concern.” Kimi narrowed her eyes. “Why do you ask so many questions?”
“Hey, now Kimi, calm down. Dr. John will take care of this one, not you,” Charles said. “He’ll be disappointed if you get to her before him.”
That meant they weren’t going to hurt me! They needed me alive for Dr. John. I stole a peek at the high school gym. If they were lying about killing me then they were probably bluffing about hurting other people, too. I needed to run. “Pig,” I whispered. My little dog kicked dirt behind him. He snorted.
Kimi and Charles argued. If I was going to go then this was the time for it. I backed away slowly, watching them carefully. Charles grabbed Kimi by the arms.
“Don’t touch me!” She shouted, jerking away. “I’ll give you a beat down.”
“Oh, like your silly threats scare me. Do as I say, Kimi. Calm down before we cause a scene,” Charles said, pinning her to a tree. “Focus, Kimi. Dr. John won’t let you out of the bunker if you cause trouble.”
“Who’s going to tell him?” She snapped. “Where’s the girl?”
I ran across the street with Pig at my side. He barked and snapped at anyone who stood in the way. I shoved past a lady with a carriage. “Watch it!” She shouted.
“Sorry.”
The doors to the high school gym were propped open with paint cans. Maybe they were doing maintenance. I didn’t really care. I raced through, slipping on the wet floors. I landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I gagged, struggling to catch a breath. What the heck? Four football players stood in front of me with their arms folded.
“Get out of here,” I tried to speak. “Some crazy people are chasing me. Call the police.” I forced myself to stand.
“Do you mean Charles and Kimi?” One of the players asked.
My heart pounded. How did he know who was after me?
“You picked the wrong place to hide.” Another footballer laughed.
“What do you mean?” I watched the guys encircle me. “Are you like them?”
“We’re just like you. Only, we’re older and stronger.”
“This has got to be a joke!”
Pig growled, clearing an opening. I took it, running through the locker room. Other players stood in nothing but towels. I smacked into one, who ended up covering himself with his hands. “Sorry!” I screamed, tripping over another’s foot. “C’mon, Pig, we need to find someone on the faculty and fast.” I covered my eyes as I passed the showers.
“Get back here, Lisa!” Charles ordered. “There’s nowhere for you to hide.”
“Somebody help me!” I screamed. “Call the police!”
“I’ve had enough.” Kimi clapped her hands. The ground shook. Or was that my insides shaking? It felt like a train was running through the locker room. “Stop resisting, Lisa, or the percussions will kill you.”
I didn’t want her to catch me. I didn’t want to stop fighting. My legs wouldn’t move and my spine felt as if it were splitting in two. What was she doing? Others around me lay flat on the ground. Painful expressions covered their faces. Was she hurting everyone?
“Your body as well as everyone else’s will be ripped in two.” Kimi warned. “Do you really want that? Just give up.”
Wind tunnels barreled through, grabbing students. Towels smacked me in the face. Charles struggled through the percussions and twisters. A tower of lockers ripped from the wall, crashing on top of a player. Charles forced himself towards me. I began to lose my vision and could hardly breathe. What was he doing?
Finally, Charles was nothing but a blurred figure, covering me from the elements. His arms were strong. “Stop fighting and it will stop.”
There wasn’t any fight left in me. So, I obeyed letting my eyes shut.
ALLY—
Ally raced through her yard. The chickens were loose. How’d they escape? It didn’t matter. She needed to find Lisa. Something strange was happening to them. Did this have to do with her gravest sin? Ally shook the thought from her mind. No. This wasn’t her fault, not this time.
Anthony and Big Al sat outside the school playing blackjack. She stood before them, her hair windblown. “Have you guys seen Lisa?”
&n
bsp; Anthony shrugged. “Haven’t seen her, why?”
“No reason, just need to speak to her, is all. If you see her, find me immediately.”
Big Al saluted, showing teeth. “Yes, sir!”
Ally shot him an evil glare. “It’s a good thing I don’t have time to teach you a lesson, Albert.”
Anthony’s eyes widened. “Knock it off, Al.”
“Listen to your friend, Albert.” She spread her arms wide, ripping the double doors to the school straight off their hinges. Al and Anthony dropped to the ground, covering their faces. “Let that remind you who’s in charge here.”
She stepped across the threshold, glancing back. The boys shivered, cowering against the bench. Their playing cards littered the ground and the sun reflected off Anthony’s braces. Was he ever going to take them out? Didn’t he realize his teeth were perfect?
Wind followed Ally through the halls. She stood in front of the bathroom. Maybe her comment about cleanliness upset Lisa. Maybe she was taking a shower. Ally turned the crystal knob. Thick steam attacked her face. She squinted. “Lisa? Is that you?”
Ally’s feet slipped on the wet tiles, sending her sliding across the floor. She smacked into the wall. “It’s a good thing I don’t feel pain.” She rubbed her arm. Had she felt that? Usually she felt pressure on impact but this was a little more than that.
“Who’s in there?” Ally opened the shower curtain.
Two bodies screamed, falling into a ball. They covered themselves, grabbing for the curtain. “What are you doing in here, Ally?” Reginald snapped. His body hid whoever was beneath him. “Are you insane?”
“Which one of your groupies are you doing today, Reg?” Ally retorted. “It’s not Lisa, is it?”
“Of course not!” He shouted. “Get out of here.”
“If you see her, be sure to tell me right away.” Ally turned to leave.
“Why, what’s going on?” A muffled voice asked underneath Reginald’s body. “Should I be concerned?”
Ally smiled. “I knew it was you, Celeste. Do the other groupies know what you’re up to?”
“I don’t interfere in your life,” Celeste said. “Don’t be cruel, Ally.”
“It’s not what you think. I just dyed her hair. See.” Reginald stammered pointing to the fresh golden strands that fell down Celeste’s back. “I’m in my boxers and she’s in a bathing suit. Look, Ally.”
“Celeste, if you’re not going to act like a groupie, don’t expect me to treat you like one. You can’t have both worlds. Of all the places, you choose the bathroom? Really Celeste, are you that stupid?”
“My heart clouds my mind,” she admitted. Reginald covered her with a towel.
Ally nodded. That she understood. “Others are coming. You’d better separate. Sounds like Kurt and Michael. Just be sure you don’t allow that heart of yours to destroy who you are. Love can become like a sick obsession that destroys all that’s good.”
“No, Ally,” Reginald said. “Real love doesn’t do that.”
“And you think this between the two of you is real?”
Reginald and Celeste glanced at each other. He nodded watching her step into a bathroom stall. “I know I like her.”
Ally didn’t respond. Her attention went to the door. Kurt and Michael stood in their boxers. “Have either of you seen Lisa?”
“Not since she attacked us in the garden,” Michael said. “Something strange is happening to her.”
“No duh, maybe she’s still in the garden.” She turned back to Reginald. “Thanks for your help, Reggie.”
Reginald opened his mouth but said nothing.
Ally took quick steps down the hall. Arguing echoed in her ears. She stood beside a closed door.
“I don’t care,” someone said. “What are you doing, going over there?”
The next person spoke too softly. Ally could only make out a few muffled words, ‘stop…aggravating…it’s nothing…paranoid.’
“And yet, you’re leaving me alone to go see her. How am I paranoid?” The other voice screamed. Something hit the wall. Ally heard faint sobs. “Is it always going to be like this, Pete?” The voice was Marie’s. “Answer me. Are we always going to struggle like this?”
Tears filled Ally’s eyes. A long forgotten pain filled her heart. Her chest tightened and she rubbed the water stains off her cheeks. What was she doing listening to a lover’s quarrel?
Ally climbed the mahogany staircase, standing in front of the pool table. The ground was still wet from when Alex, Michael and she had come inside during Lisa’s storm. Sometimes, a remarkable pain shot through her spine. It was the only pain she ever felt and never dared tell anyone about it. Since Lisa arrived, that pain hadn’t come—until just then.
What felt like double bladed knives ripped open her spine, paralyzing her, forcing her to the ground. Ally’s back arched and her fingers bent. Her body convulsed and saliva oozed from her lips. What was happening? The pain always came in quick jolts and for mere seconds. This time, it lasted a whole minute, causing a tingling sensation in her hands.
Ally sat up, her fingers full of pins and needles. Was she somehow gaining back her ability to feel? For years, this was all she’d ever wanted, but now, it was what frightened her most. She needed to find Lisa.
Outside, it still rained in the garden. Did that mean Lisa was still out there? Ally struggled to stand. She hobbled over, peering outside. She kicked her heels off and stepped out. Clouds rumbled above her. Steam rose from the pond. There wasn’t a frog in sight and the trees were empty of all wild life. What was happening? Where was Lisa?
Ally stood next to the tree where she’d last seen Lisa. The grass was flat and there was some weird rubber object by the bench. She bent over and picked it up. Her eyes widened. It was a mouth guard.
“Gross!” She yelled, dropping the mouth guard. “Wait.” She turned back, bending close to the ground. “Charles?” Ally covered her mouth. “Oh, Charles, you didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.”
“Lisa Brown!” She screamed. “Come home! Please.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “We can’t save you if you’re where I think you are.”
Ally broke out in sobs. She laid her head against the cold stone bench. “Oh, Lisa, we should’ve told you the truth. If we had, you wouldn’t be in this mess. I’m so sorry. If Dr. John has you, then you’re as good as dead. He’ll suck the life right out of you.”
Friendships came fairly easy to Ally. It was the keeping them part that was hard. Bad things always happened to those she cared about. Was that her fault? Did her past sins affect her all these years later? It was almost as if she was a living curse. Maybe, if she just closed her eyes, right now, they’d stay shut forever.
Her eyes watered. A white blur walked towards her. The person wore a long, hooded cloak. She didn’t have the strength anymore to wonder who it was. She didn’t care who it was. All she wanted to do was sleep.
Her eyes closed, blocking out the world.
DONNA—
An overwhelming amount of sickness…
Donna bit her fingernails. She sat on one of the loveseats waiting for Ally to return. Alex twitched on the floor. Funny shimmering dots appeared on his face and arms. Were they freckles? Donna had never seen anything like it. What was happening to him?
The only person Donna could think to ask was Reginald. He knew everything. She ran outside, feeling dirt kick behind her. She ran past the chicken coop, around the lake and stopped, breathless, in front of C I N. What if Reginald wasn’t there? Could she ask one of the groupies? Would they know?
Donna forced herself to stay calm, treading carefully through the hall, afraid of any unnecessary attention. Her paleness would cause panic in the others. Involving Reginald was enough. Outside the “science lab”, she collected herself. Reginald would have the answers. He’d fix everything.
“What do you want?” Celeste, one of the groupies snapped, peering out the door. She wouldn’t allow Donna to pass. �
��We didn’t call for you.”
“I need Reginald.”
Celeste rolled her eyes. “Everyone wants Reggie. Haven’t you learned that yet?”
“For science, Celeste. Where’s Reginald?”
“Why are you so pale? Are you sweating?” Celeste opened the door. Donna brushed past her. “Why are you sick?”
Reginald stood over a lab table in a white cloak. His head was down. “What can I do for you, Donna?”
“I need you to come with me.”
“I’m working on a very important experiment.”
“This is a matter of life and death; mine, the Groupies and yours.”
Reginald turned slowly. He removed his goggles, placing them on the table. “What’s happening, why are you so pale?”
She motioned for him to follow. “We need to hurry.”
“Why, what’s going on?”
“Alex, there’s something strange all over his face and arms. I don’t know what it is or what’s causing it.”
“Do you think it is affecting you?”
Donna nodded. “Next it’ll be you, especially if Alex dies. He thinks he’s fading away, that we’re fading into nonexistence.”
“Fading?” Celeste gasped. “I need to inform—”
“Celeste, please,” Reginald said. “Let’s not get carried away until I see Alex.”
“I’ll come with you so I have firsthand knowledge to report,” she said.
“Fine.” Reginald frowned. He took his lab coat and hooked it up on the wall. “Let me get my bag.”
LISA BROWN—
The “other” prisoner…
“Psst, girl, wake up. They’re gone. You’ve got a chance to escape now.”
I rubbed my eyes. Black spots littered my vision. Where was I?
“Hurry, get up, and leave.”
Who was talking to me? They had a slight accent. Finally, my vision focused on metal clamps—almost like something you’d find in a dungeon—no, they were shackles! I sat up, unable to believe my eyes.
The C I N Series Bundled Page 23