“Liam?” I asked stepping forward.
“In the flesh this time,” he said with a relaxed smile. “You must be the ones I am waiting for being as you are the only humans I have seen in days.”
“Yeah, I am Cora; this is Noah, Nessa, Shane, Mia and Vienna. It is a pleasure to meet you Liam.”
“Trust me, the pleasure is all mine. Now for the big question, what now?” he asked.
“That is an excellent question. Our time is up according to a letter we got, but we don’t know for what,” Noah replied.
“Do you mind if I see the letter?” Liam asked.
“No problem, it is in the SUV,” I said turning around and heading for the door.
That was when the unexpected happened. I went to pull the door open and it didn’t budge. Sure I must be mistaken; I tried again but with no luck.
“Hey Noah, the door won’t open. Maybe it is jammed or something.”
“Here, let me try,” he said stepping forward.
He tried the door but had the same problem. His brows knit and he turned back to us. “The door is locked from the outside and jammed with a piece of wood. Did anyone see anything when we got here?”
We all looked around but everyone seemed just as confused. The room suddenly felt a whole lot chillier now. We were all seven locked in a museum with no idea why.
“Let’s look around for an emergency exit or a back door,” I suggested.
“Good idea, but let’s stick together. I don’t want anything to happen to any of us just in case we come across someone,” Noah said.
“There is a back exit; I saw it when I was wandering around waiting for you all. Follow me,” Liam told us.
We followed the punk guy through the museum until we reached the back exit. Noah pushed on it with no success. “It is locked or jammed too. Damn, we are trapped. Does anyone have any ideas?”
“Maybe this is all part of their plan. There could be a reason they trapped us in here,” I said optimistically.
“What, to kill us like Tom and Stephan?” Mia asked with a note of panic in her voice.
I winced at the mention of Tom. Bringing them up just reminded me that we were in a game we might not win. Logic went out the door a long time before now. We had been genetically modified for some unknown reason and the world was collapsing around us. That was when I remember there were eight states in the note.
“Liam, did you know that eight states have already been decimated?” I asked.
“Yeah, I saw it in an electronics store on the way over here,” he replied.
“Eight states out of fifty is not a good sign,” Shane explained. “What if it is a terrorist trying to take over the United States like China or Russia? Our country could literally fail to exist anymore. That is a terrible thought.”
“Even more terrifying is the thought that it is a global terrorist and we are the only ones left when this whole thing is over,” Mia added.
That thought just sent a shiver through me. I couldn’t imagine anyone evil enough to decimate the world population, let alone one that would show mercy on us. “Do you think there is anyone else out there like us?”
“Well, there are the seven of us for sure but if we are all from St. Louis, it stands to reason there could be more from another city. Who knows?” Noah said.
I let out a yawn and Nessa followed suit. My eyes fluttered and I swiped at them. “Geez, I am suddenly tired. I guess I didn’t get enough sleep last night,” I said.
“I am tired too, Cora. It is probably from stress and this whole crazy mess,” Nessa added.
“There is officially no way out. What do we do now?” Shane asked.
“I am not sure about you guys, but I’m going to go lay on that bench over there until you all figure this out,” I said as I turned and made my way over to the wooden bench.
“I second that,” Nessa added as she headed over to another bench and stretched out.
“Fine, you ladies have a nap and we will search for a key or something to unlock these doors,” Noah said.
The minute they had left the room, I looked over at Nessa. “So, did you get a read on him? Is he a threat?” I asked.
“I read him, but he isn’t our threat. He is just a spiritual gothic guy who got caught up in all this like the rest of us. He isn’t aiming to harm anyone. If anything, he is a pacifist.”
“Anyways then, we are back to square one I guess,” I told her.
“Yeah, I am a lot spooked out by this situation now. At first we were running for a crime we didn’t commit and then we got cool superpowers that we didn’t ask for. Now there is another murder and we are locked in a building with a bunch of other gifted people. It is strange and awful to think we are just disposable pawns in a game of political chess.”
“Maybe there is a bright side in all of this and we just haven’t discovered it yet,” I said turning my head to look over at her.
Nessa gave me a slow smile before speaking again. “At least I have my best friend through all of this. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here with me.”
“So what do you think of Liam? He is pretty cute right?”
“Yeah, he is pretty good looking. I don’t know him well enough yet so the jury is still out,” Nessa said nonchalantly.
“Give it time,” I said before turning away and yawning again.
I lie there staring up at the ceiling for a while, just thinking about the day’s events. It was no wonder I was tired. We started the day on the run, got swallowed up and spit out by a tornado, found a murder and sped to reach the art museum only to be locked inside. I put my trust in the others to find a way out and drifted off in and out of much needed sleep.
When I woke, Noah was running his fingers through my hair and smiled as I cracked my eyes open. “Hey sleepyhead, it is time to go.”
“What, did you find a way out?” I asked.
“Actually, the front door has been unjammed and the lock undone. Whoever wanted to trap us, only wanted to do so temporarily.”
“That is the best news all day,” I said throwing my arms around Noah in a big hug. He lifted me up and spun me around and I just giggled. It felt good to let go even for a few seconds. Then reality crashed back and I stepped away from him. “I guess we should go then, it looks like Nessa is already awake and everyone is waiting at the door.”
He grasped my hand and I didn’t pull away this time. I took a deep breath and we followed the others out the door and into the waning sunlight.
“Hey Liam, can I sit on your lap? We have a few too many to shove into this SUV,” Nessa asked brazenly.
“Yeah sure, it does look like a tight fit,” he said grinning.
I didn’t miss the smug look Nessa shot me when she got her yes and then saw us holding hands. My cheeks blushed and I was about to break away when Shane called us to attention. “Well guys, it looks like another note on the windshield.”
Shane pulled it open and read it aloud:
This time strikes twelve. You have to go where it all began-
Chapter 25:
“This time strikes twelve? Does that mean twelve states or twelve o’clock?” Nessa asked.
“I think twelve states,” Noah replied.
“I wonder which four are gone now,” Liam wondered aloud.
“We will listen for breaking news once we are in the SUV. It sounds like our answer to this mess is in St. Louis. I think you all will agree that is where this all began,” I said.
“Let’s go then, it sounds like we will never get out of this darn vehicle at this rate,” Mia grumbled.
“Can I see the note?” Liam asked.
“Sure,” Shane said as he handed Liam the note.
“Are all the notes like this?” he asked while looking over it.
“Yeah, except the earlier ones are signed by Stephan. He is dead so now they aren’t signed. You can see them later if you want,” Noah replied while fishing the keys out of his front pocket.
“How
do you know he is dead? Is he the one who did this to us?”
“We saw his murder scene and it was terrible. He is the one who did this to us. We think that he was a part of some organization that is behind all of this. He was just a pawn in this game of chess they said,” I explained.
“That would be a terrible thing to see, I am so sorry you had to witness that. It is even creepier to hear that there is a group of terrorists doing this. They are taking out our infrastructure one state at a time and we are helpless to stop it or know who is next,” he replied.
I returned to my post in the front seat and watched the hysterics as Vienna slid into the middle and the boys flanked her. Then Mia and Nessa wedged themselves into the back seats on top of Shane and Liam before Noah went around and shut all the doors. I was laughing with them by the time Noah reached the front and got into the driver’s seat.
“You have been driving all day, are you sure you are up to it?” I asked.
“Yeah, I will be fine for a while. Not having to worry about other cars and speed limits helps. I will let you know when I need someone to take over,” Noah said.
“Your call, I will navigate then,” I responded. Then a nagging thought that had been lingering in the back of my mind snagged and I frowned, conflicted.
“I can’t go back to St. Louis; I am wanted for my fiancés murder if not for questioning. Unless the state’s population has declined, I can’t chance it.”
“Oh Cora, I completely forgot about that. We can hide you. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said as he placed his hand on mine.
I looked up into his muddy brown eyes and saw the compassion they held. Noah was a genuinely great guy. I would be foolish not to pursue him once this is over if I knew what was good for me. I sighed and gave him a sweet smile before responding. “I trust you, so let’s do this.”
Noah started the car and we turned back out of the city and onto the interstate. I twisted on the radio until I found a news bulletin. I turned it up and the vehicle went silent.
“Nebraska and Kansas have been destroyed bringing the total state count to ten. There is some speculation as to the roots of these attacks. Experts decline to comment but word of a terrorist attack aimed at the United States is the prevailing theory at this point.”
As soon as the news cast was over and it began to replay, I turned it back down and stared out the windshield in the dimming evening light. The sun was setting behind us and was casting a soft amber glow. I shut my eyes and sighed before taking a steadying breath and opening them again. I turned to see the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces.
Vienna’s eyes were downcast and she was silent as usual, absorbing everything. Liam looked more confused than ever and Nessa had gone white as a sheet. Tears were forming again in Mia’s eyes and Shane looked up to meet mine.
“Missouri wasn’t on the list. Are you sure you are okay with this?”
“I don’t think we have a choice. The note was clear and we need to find our eighth. We are stronger as a group and they have less of a chance of controlling us if we have all the abilities we can collect. With Vienna’s smarts and Nessa’s mind reading we should be able to navigate through,” I said.
“What if we reach a road block? We are the only survivors from the annihilated states. They are going to want us for questioning no doubt,” Mia asked.
“I hadn’t thought of that. Judging by the rate of decimation, the state of Missouri could be gone before we even reach it. If not, we will wait until it is or come up with a better plan,” Nessa said joining the thread of conversation.
“That is true, and then I won’t have to worry about being hauled in for murder either. I guess it is settled, we go and see what happens,” I responded.
“I can’t believe that ten states are already gone. It is so eerie to think of being so alone without the hustle and bustle of others. I wish we could do something to stop these people,” Mia said.
“We will just have to wait and see what Missouri brings. I think we should drive all night, taking turns. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get this nightmare closer to ending,” I suggest.
“I agree that is the only way we will get this over with. We need more information before we can stop this,” Noah said before returning his attention to the road.
A new blanket of silence settled over the SUV and I returned to flipping through the radio stations that were still running. I was relieved to find a station playing punk music and stopped on it. After it was over I hummed to myself the tune of another song until it ended and faded into the next.
Still exhausted from all the uproar of this day, I rested my eyes and sank into the seat. I tried to clear my cluttered thoughts and pulled a white canvas forward in my mind. Then I sprouted some vivid red tulips amongst the newly formed green grass. The warmth of the sun in the sky made me smile and I added a blue sky with fluffy white clouds next. I felt at peace and began to fade out of consciousness.
When I woke next, I was surprised to find us slowing to a stop in complete pitch blackness. I looked around just before the headlights blinked out and we were alone with the night.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Power outage is what happened,” Noah responded with a grimace.
“Oh, then how are we going to get gas and food now?”
“We are going to have to syphon the gas and eat shelf items like we have been. The darkness pretty much sucks and it is making it harder to see around the abandoned cars on the road. Add to the fact that the day was hell and I am utterly wiped out now. I think it is time to let someone else drive,” he said.
“Well I need to get the heck out of this car first, I have cramps in my cramps it is so tight back here. We need a bigger vehicle,” Nessa complained.
“Yeah, it is pretty close quarters for us back here. Let’s get a hose to syphon from the gas station and some snacks first. Then let’s start looking for a van of some sort,” Shane suggested.
“I definitely think the bigger vehicle is a good idea. No offence but I am stuck between the four of you and it is too tight,” Vienna admitted.
I gave her a small pitying smile before grabbing Noah’s hand and heading towards the gas station. I waited until we were out of earshot before saying anything.
“What do you think of all this? I mean we are returning to St. Louis and our families, which could be nothing but ash soon,” I said solemnly.
“I don’t like any of this. Things are getting worse and worse at every turn. I wish we could go back to when it was just the four of us. The powers were cool and the situation didn’t seem as deadly. I am glad I met you and all, but when bad guys are getting murdered by worse guys, I want no part of it.”
“I agree this is getting pretty scary. I fear losing my family in St. Louis, but I fear being pinned for a murder I didn’t commit as well. One or the other is inevitable. It gives me the creeps just to think about it,” I admitted.
“Let’s just get the hose and some food. Then we can focus on what is going to happen,” Noah said as he opened the store door for me and ushered me inside.
I headed straight for the register and searched for a sack to put stuff in by the moonlight. Once I successfully found one, I hurried to grab some water and sodas. I filled the bags with drinks and reserved one for all the granola bars, chips and candy bars I could get my hands on. A hand grabbed my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I let out a shriek and turn around.
“You’re a little jumpy there,” Noah said with a little laugh.
“You scared me. Don’t do that in a place like this. It is creepy enough in the dark. I can’t have you sneaking up on me also,” I scolded.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I got the hose so I can get us some gas. I got to tell you, I am not looking forward to the syphoning part of this.”
Before I knew it, his hands were tangled in my hair and his lips were on mine. His kiss was fierce and desperate, his mood seeping thro
ugh me. I couldn’t help it, his lips were soft and my heart picked up pace. I returned his kiss, as desperate as his until we were both breathing ragged. I reluctantly pulled away before things could spin out of control.
“Let’s get the heck out of here then. These dark empty places give me the creeps. I feel like zombies are going to spring out at any time,” I said.
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