Mind Sync

by Kirsten Harrell

  “Um, I’m ok.” Mateo sat up and rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I’d like to get out of here though.”

  “I know, but until I figure out what’s going on, this really is the safest place for you.” Bree stood with her hands on the bars, but kept her guard up. She’d be ready to back out of the big man’s reach if he came at her. “Have you had any more rage episodes?”

  “I haven’t had any in the last few hours.” He looked up at Bree and smiled. He looked like a little boy eager to please his parents.

  “That’s a start, big guy, but we can’t let you out yet.”

  “I really need to see my wife and my kids.”

  “I get it, but you need to think about the big picture. If you want to be around for them as they grow up, you can’t risk getting k-snagged. Give me a little more time.” Bree felt sorry for him. Despite her first impression of the guy charging her in the grocery store, Mateo seemed nice enough.

  “What are you doing to get me out of here?” Mateo’s eyes narrowed and twitched.

  Uh oh. Time to get some questions answered before this loose cannon launched at her. “Tell me what you did before the grocery the other day. Where were you? What did you eat or drink?” Bree needed to find some type of connection between these people. She knew Ms. Worton and the Sidwell kid lived on the same street and both spent time at Red Rock High, but Mateo lived in another neighborhood.

  “I don’t know.” He ran the back of his hand along his jaw. “I ate breakfast like normal. I walked my dog and then went to work. I got off early so Cee Cee and I went to the grocery together.”

  “Where do you walk the dog?” Bree asked. “Where do you work?”

  “Uh. I walked Sadie around the block because I was running late. I teach at Yavapai College.” Mateo beamed.

  Okay, so walking around his block wouldn’t put him near the other two. “Which campus? Do you go by the high school on your way to work?”

  “I work at the Clarkdale campus so I drive by the high school.” Mateo stood up. “Do you think there’s something going on there?”

  Bree shrugged. “I don’t know. It might be nothing, but it’s a place to start.”

  The mostly-gentle giant’s eyes glazed over again.

  Bree hopped back, out of his reach.

  The sudden movement surprised Mateo. He shook his head and looked back at the bed and then at Bree. His hand went to his forehead. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No,” Bree said. “I got out of the way and you snapped out of it before you did anything.”

  Mateo’s head drooped and he stepped back to the bed. “Please help me.” He flopped back onto the cot and put his head in his huge hands.

  “I’m working on it. You need to sit tight and be patient.” Bree turned then headed back to the front desk to collect her things.

  Bree still didn’t know anything about the happy people, but since they weren’t getting snagged or hurting people, she didn’t feel pressed to investigate them right now. The three ragers had one thing in common - the high school. While not much to go on, she’d follow the lead after dinner with Rick and his family.

  7

  “What are you doing now? Dad said you are out of a job now too.” Marisa, Rick and Lela Sloan’s daughter, popped a chip topped with Bree’s homemade salsa and guacamole into her mouth.

  “Hell if I know. Until I figure something out, I’m drowning my sorrows and staying out at Max’s place.” Bree raised her beer in a toast to no one in particular.

  Bran, Marisa’s older brother chimed in. “I’m sorry. I know you loved your job.”

  “You don’t fight the bad guys anymore?” Selena, Bran’s daughter, grabbed a chip and gave Bree a worried look.

  “No, sweetie. That’s the job of the Karma Guards and the Karma Council now. Remember how we talked about why Grandpa isn’t the Sheriff any more?” Bran patted his daughter on the head.

  “I don’t like the Karma Guards. They’re scary.” Selena’s tiny body tensed and her bottom lip quivered.

  Bree fist-bumped Selena. “I don’t like ‘em either, kiddo.”

  Marisa scowled at Bree and Bran. “Selena, honey, the Karma Guards are here to help us stay safe. They’re doing such a good job that we don’t need people like Grandpa and Bree to fight the bad guys any more.”

  Bree’s stomach turned. Since when did Marisa buy into the IK propaganda? “You’ve got to be k-” Bree stopped speaking when she saw Marisa waving her hand back and forth in front of her neck, in the universal “kill” sign, then pointed to Selena as she mouthed the words “we’ll talk later.”

  A quick glance at Bran let Bree know that he agreed with feeding that line of bullshit to Selena. She bit her lip to keep from saying something she might regret later. Ugh.

  “Susie’s mom said that the Instant Karma System is blast… um, blast fanny.”

  “Blasphemy,” Bran corrected.

  “Yeah, that.” Selena popped another chip in her crumb-covered mouth. “What’s that mean, Daddy?”

  “That’s a great question, super-girl.” Bree winked at Selena, then leaned back with her arms crossed over her chest and a giant smirk on her face.

  “It means Susie’s mom thinks Instant Karma is disrespectful to her God.”

  Before Selena could ask any more questions, an errant nerf ball hit her in the back.

  “Hey! Who did that?” She picked the ball up and ran after her younger sister, throwing the ball as she ran.

  “Saved by the ball. You lucky bastard.” Bree chuckled.

  Bran sighed and took a big swig of beer. “This has been really difficult for her to understand. The others are too young to get any of it, but Selena is old enough to be confused.”

  “How do you explain to an six-year-old something that many adults are having trouble understanding?” Bree couldn’t help but feel relief that she didn’t have any children she needed to help through this transition.

  “Susie’s mom isn’t the only one who thinks this is blasphemy. I had trouble getting through Flagstaff on my way here because the ‘Christians Against Karma’ group were out in full force protesting.” Marisa tucked her dark hair behind her ear.

  “Well, I guess discovering that there are intelligent life forms all over the universe kinda put a monkey wrench in their creation theories.” Bree chuckled. “I never thought I would be agreeing with the fundamentalist Christians on anything, but I’d like to see IKS as much as they would.”

  “I have to admit that it’s nice to know there won’t be any more school shootings. Being responsible for a room full of kids has always come with a certain level of stress, but in the last few years the possibility - even if unlikely - of an active shooter in the building compounded that. It wasn’t like the thought was in the forefront of my mind all the time, but now that I know it can’t happen I’m relieved. Plus, I can now go running outside at anytime. I don’t have to use the treadmill when it’s dark. You have to admit those are good things.”

  “Well, I’ve never worried about jogging at night. You wouldn’t have had to either if you’d carry a gun.”

  “I think you’re missing my point, Bree. The IKS has made our world safer and I like it.”

  A harsh laugh, or maybe more of a snort, escaped Bree’s lips. When she realized Marisa wasn’t joking she cut it off. “You do realize assholes can still commit violence, right? They’ll get k-snagged, but they can still shoot someone.”

  Rick entered the room and pinned Bree with a stern look. “Okay, guys, dinner is ready. Let’s eat.”

  “Awesome. You don’t have to tell me twice.” Bree got up and headed to the table, grateful to end that conversation. Speaking her mind at this point might get her kicked out. Lela’s fish tacos were worth swallowing her anger.

  “Thanks for having me over. I needed the distraction of good food and good friends.” Bree focused on the road, but sensed Rick’s eyes on her as she drove to the high school.

  “We enjoyed having you. I’m glad you ca
me. You didn’t look so good the other day.”

  In an effort to avoid any more talk about her state of well-being - or lack thereof - Bree filled Rick in on her conversations with Mr. Scholtz and Mateo.

  “What are we looking for?” Rick asked when Bree killed the headlights and pulled off the circular drive in front of the school to park behind some bushes out of sight from the road. Red Rock High School’s campus consisted of four buildings that housed around 500 students in grades nine through twelve. These buildings, like most in Sedona, were low profile to blend into the surroundings.

  “I don’t have a clue, but my gut says to check this place out. Are you with me or not?” Bree shrugged and turned off the engine. She grabbed a flashlight from the pocket on her door and hopped out of the Jeep.

  Rick huffed, then climbed out his side. “Where do you wanna start?” He pulled a flashlight from his cargo pants.

  “Let’s walk the perimeter first. You go that way.” Bree pointed to her right. “And I’ll go this way. We’ll meet at the front and decide our next move.”

  Rick didn’t move. His doubt threatened to seep into Bree’s mind.

  “Just look for anything that seems out of place. Use your freaking police officer spidey-sense.” She took off to the left and resisted looking back at Rick. He’d go his way or look like a damn idiot standing there waiting for her to do all the work.

  She swept her flashlight back and forth to illuminate the ground on either side of her path. It would’ve been easier to see something out of place in daylight, including her and Rick. If these strange happenings were the result of alien meddling or sabotage, Bree didn’t want to tip the bastards off that she was snooping around.

  Leaves rustling off to her right, near the building, stopped Bree dead in her tracks. Her right hand slid down to her thigh rig and thumbed open the hood guard.

  More rustling sounds. Maybe someone moving around in the bush next to the building. Or it could be a group of javelinas. When threatened, they use their sharp tusks to defend themselves and can be aggressive. She hoped for a person. “Stop. Put your hands up and come out.” Her voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper.

  No response. No sound. No movement.

  Bree edged forward, gun still in her holster, but she kept her hand on it, ready for a quick draw if necessary. She took a breath and stepped around the brush toward the source of the noise.

  The beam of her flashlight illuminated a pair of eyes. Before she could register what she saw, she heard the distinctive growl of a mountain lion.

  Oh holy shit!

  The big cat had a half eaten carcass between her front legs. Her eyes locked on Bree. Blood dripped from her chin.

  The mountain lion bared her teeth and let out a fierce scream, clearly not interested in sharing her kill with Bree.

  “Shit. Shit. Fuck,” Bree said under her breath and raised her arm with the flashlight up and out to her side, making herself look bigger. She’d spent enough time in the wilderness of Arizona to know how to handle a close encounter with a mountain lion. However, she’d never been so up close and personal with one before.

  Breathe… breathe. She needed to calm herself and resist the urge to flee. Running from a mountain lion would be a deadly mistake.

  With slow and deliberate moves, Bree drew her gun and put her right arm up and out too. With both arms out, she’d look bigger. Dread mixed with fear. She didn’t want to shoot this beautiful cat who wanted to eat her dinner in peace. On the other hand, Bree sure as shit wouldn’t be dessert.

  Rick must’ve heard the cat’s screams. Hopefully he wouldn’t come running and spook the cat even more while she stood in the beautiful beast’s only escape route.

  “Nice kitty.” She took a careful step back. The cat answered with another growl.

  Another step backward.

  So far so good. The cat didn’t follow.

  Bree let out a breath, hoping to get far enough away that the big cat no longer felt threatened.

  The cat raised its nose and sniffed the air. Her ears twitched.

  Oh, fuck. She must’ve smelled Rick.

  Adrenaline spiked as Bree debated whether to yell to Rick or not.

  Before she could form any words, Rick rounded the corner and skidded into her peripheral vision. His flashlight illuminated the big mountain lion guarding her kill. “Jesus, Bree.”

  That did it. The cat crouched, ready to pounce.

  Instincts kicking in, Bree dropped down low with her head tucked and left arm up to protect her face.

  Time slowed as the cat lunged and knocked her over.

  A shot rang out.

  Bree’s heart slammed against her chest.

  Aware of the ground underneath her, and not feeling the weight of the cat on top of her, Bree dared to open one eye.

  She expected to see the cat lying dead next to her, but there was no sign of the predator.

  “Are you okay? Let me see.” Rick demanded.

  “Holy shit. Did you shoot her?” Bree tried to sit, but Rick held her down with a hand on her shoulder.

  “No, it was a warning shot. Now let me see your arm.”

  As adrenaline faded, searing pain filled Bree’s awareness. She clenched her teeth and let him have her arm.

  “Oh, Bree. She really got you good.” Rick pulled his shirt off and began to cut it into strips with his pocket knife. “Let’s get a tourniquet on and then I’ll call a squad.”

  Despite the pain and growing pool of blood, Bree said, “No. Don’t call.” Her breath hitched. “Tie that up and I’ll drive to the ER.”

  For the first time, she got a good look at her arm as Rick shined his flashlight on it. Her stomach flopped at the sight of four deep gashes that flayed her forearm open. Fuckety fuck. If she’d ridden her bike she would’ve had her leather jacket on. Granted, her leathers had been designed to protect from road rash, not mountain lion attacks, but it would have offered some protection.

  “You’re not in any shape to drive.” Rick wrapped the strip of cloth around Bree’s upper arm and tied it tight. He secured a stick to the strip of cloth with another knot.

  “Fine. You drive, but no squad. I’m not dying.” She grimaced as he used the stick to twist the tourniquet tighter. “For fuck’s sake that’s enough.”

  Rick ignored Bree’s plea and her hate stare. He continued twisting until he’d stemmed the flow of blood.

  “So you didn’t hit her?” Bree sat up and looked around. Feeling a little woozy, she wiped cold sweat from her brow with her uninjured arm.

  “I didn’t. But I’m much more concerned about you at the moment. Let’s go.” Rick tucked her flashlight into his back pocket and pried her gun out of her hand, cleared the bullet out of the chamber, and put it back in Bree’s holster.

  Bree dodged Rick’s outstretched hand. “I can walk. My legs are fine.” She supported her left elbow with her right hand and put her left hand up to her right shoulder in an effort to keep the wound elevated.

  They walked around the building to Bree’s waiting Jeep. Reluctantly, she gave Rick the keys so he could drive to the nearby Verde Valley Medical Center’s Emergency Department.

  8

  “Wow. These are significant wounds. I understand a mountain lion did this? Where did it happen?” Dr. Nina Cordero asked as she examined Bree’s arm. The doctor pointed to the cut above Bree’s eye. “I assume that’s not related? It looks older.”

  “Not related. I hit my eye while rock climbing the other day. It’s fine.” Bree nodded at her arm. “This was at the high school. It was my own damn fault. I surprised her and kinda had her trapped. Rick already spoke to the Game and Fish Department, so you don’t need to report anything.” She didn’t try to keep the irritation from her tone; more pissed at herself than the doctor, but she didn’t want the Game and Fish folks getting another call. Rick had felt obligated to do so, but had they not been snooping around on Bree’s lead, the pretty kitty could have had her dinner and been on her way with
no one the wiser.

  “Okay. Settle down. Let’s get these wounds cleaned out so I can have a better look. I’m going to inject some numbing medication first. You’ll feel a pinch and burn.”

  Bree watched as the attractive doctor carefully inserted a needle and pushed some clear medication into several areas around, and in, the deep gashes. The pain of the needle barely registered, but the sight of the needle going into her raw, bloody tissue caused Bree’s stomach to turn.

  Setting the syringe down on her tray, the doc gave a little smile. “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it? I’m going to clean these out with some saline and iodine solution. This should kill any bacteria as well as flush out any debris in the wounds.” She opened the scratches with her gloved fingers and poured the solution in the wounds, using two bottles of the brownish liquid. “Do you know how she scratched you? Did she swat you?” Nina kept her eyes focused on her work as she and the nurse poked around in the gaping wounds. Thank the goddess for numbing medicine.

  “Bree ducked just as the cat tried to jump away. From what I could tell one of her back paws caught Bree’s arm. Almost using it as a launching pad.” Rick answered for Bree, who was busy watching the doctor pull the deepest gash apart. “It was damn good instincts to duck and cover. It could have been a hell of a lot worse.”

  “What’s that?” Bree noticed a thick white band of tissue as the doctor examined the wounds.

  “That’s part of the extensor tendon. It’s in good shape. In fact, everything looks intact. You’re very lucky you won’t have any permanent damage.”

  “‘Tis but a flesh wound.’” Bree smirked as she quoted one of her favorite lines from the movie Monty Python and The Holy Grail. Everyone laughed. “Just stitch me up, Doc, so I can get the hell outta here. No offense to you, but I’m not a fan of hospitals.”

  “Trust me when I say, you want me to be sure these wounds are clean before I stitch you up. Without this step, your risk of infection is very high. Given the nature of these lacerations, even with a thorough cleaning, you still have a chance of infection. In fact, I’m tempted to pack them with a special sterile dressing and not suture you yet.”