Shadows of Deliverance

by Amy Hale

  Colt frowned. “Maybe she’s playing along to gain his trust.”

  Kyler nodded. “It’s certainly a possibility. Cameron seemed really bothered by it, though. My gut says we need to get the girls out of there as soon as possible.”

  “I think you’re right,” replied Colt. “Did Cameron mention a way to get inside?”

  “He said he’d do his best to keep communication open and when we get near he’d tell us where to meet him.” Kyler shrugged. “It’s not the most solid plan, but it’s better than going in blind.”

  “True.” Colt knew they had waited long enough. “Get everyone together. We need to lay out a strategy and head out.”

  Kyler nodded and quickly left the room. Colt followed behind him, mentally making a list of all the things they’d need to get by in the elements.

  By the time he’d reached the dining area, most everyone was already seated and waiting on instructions. He leaned himself against one of the walls and noted how anxious his group looked. He had to strengthen their confidence. Doubt is the enemy of success and he’d be damned if he let a few negative thoughts get in their way.

  Rachel and Caesar arrived last. They sat in the empty chairs closest to where Colt stood. He pushed himself off the wall to stand directly in front of them all.

  “I know you all are probably nervous. That’s normal, gifted or not. Each person in this room is amazing in his or her own way. I don’t know why you were given the gifts you have. I don’t know why I suddenly have my own set of talents. But I have to believe we have a bigger purpose than mentally tossing Frisbees and growing flowers at will. We were created for this kind of task. Hell, maybe we were somehow chosen by fate to make history and change the future for the better. I don’t know. What I do know is we can do it, and we will. We are fighting on the right side of this thing and we will win. Never doubt yourselves.” He gave them a look that he hoped confirmed his faith in each person. “Are you ready?”

  Rachel stood first. “I’m more than ready.”

  The rest of the group stood behind her and nodded.

  Colt placed his hands on his hips. “Okay then, grab all the camping gear we have, warm clothing—dress in layers, and I’ll pack the food, water, and medical supplies. I want to head out within the next hour.”

  Everyone scrambled to their respective rooms and did as he commanded. He grabbed a large backpack from a nearby hook and walked back to the kitchen. He pulled the first-aid kit from one of the lower cabinets and tossed it in the bag. His next step involved putting together enough nourishment kits to get everyone through the trek up the mountain. He also planned to grab his gun from his room. One way or another, this madness stopped tonight.

  The group had been hiking about an hour when Caesar asked for a break. He wanted a snack and some water, so they all stopped and did the same.

  Caesar had opened his protein bar wrapper when Colt sat down beside him on a large log. “How are you doing, little man?”

  Caesar took a huge bite and nodded his head. He chewed a few moments and gave Colt a contemplative look. “I’ve been worse.”

  Colt chuckled. “I’m sure you have. Are you worried about going back to The Curators?”

  Caesar shrugged. “Not really. I’m with better people now. Before I lived with The Curators, I moved from foster home to foster home. I guess my parents didn’t want someone with gifts.”

  Colt swallowed a lump in his throat. The poor kid. I guess I can kind of relate. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Caesar inspected his protein bar as he spoke. “I don’t remember them. I was dropped off at a hospital when I was a baby.” Satisfied with the bar in his hand, he took another bite. “I’ve had a few different foster homes, but my gifts always freaked them out and they sent me away.” He spoke calmly, as if he’d been describing the weather instead of being rejected by those that should have loved and protected him. “One family was super religious, and they thought I was possessed.”

  Colt placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re with real family now, Caesar. We’ll always take care of you.”

  The boy smiled at Colt. “I know.” He stood and took a drink of water. “I’m ready to start walking again.”

  Colt stood as well and signaled for everyone to move out. As they continued up the mountain, Colt realized that he didn’t really know how any of these unique people had ended up with The Curators. Hearing about Caesar’s past gave him insight into his personality. The rest of the group likely had similar stories. Knowing each individual situation might be important to the mission as well as the relationships they had all formed. They’d been fortunate so far as it appeared that no one had specific triggers to set them off. If they did exist, they had been well hidden or not touched upon yet.

  Colt motioned for Kyler to walk next to him. He knew Kyler’s nerves were on end and maybe talking would help ease his anxiety.

  “I don’t want to pry, but I realized that I know very little about your lives before The Curators. Anything I should be aware of?” Colt hoped his question wasn’t insensitive.

  Kyler sighed. “Well, to be honest, we’ve all had some intense experiences. Elana and I probably had the closest thing to a normal life before it all fell apart.” He adjusted his backpack and continued. “Our parents were great. They didn’t understand our abilities, but they accepted them. Like most concerned parents, they took us to doctors to assure we didn’t have any health problems. There was a doctor that claimed to specialize in obscure diseases. In the end, we learned that there were several doctors in league with the organization. Everything was reported to one specific person in the CDC, and that person then sent the info to Professor Russell.”

  Colt frowned. “So, that’s how he found you all.”

  “Yeah.” Kyler’s lips pressed into a thin line and his expression was somber. “Anyway, our parents were great. As you’ve heard, Caesar’s were not.

  “How old were you when they took you?” Colt wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

  Kyler’s voice took on a softer tone. “Eight.”

  “Damn. You’ve lost so much at such a young age.” Colt felt anger on their behalf.

  “We had to adjust quickly.” Kyler glanced back at Wes walking a few steps behind them. “Wes was enrolled in the classes, much like Jane was. His parents just wanted to help him, although he thinks they may have been a little scared of him. He’d only been there a few weeks when things went to hell.”

  Colt considered Wes’s specific talent. “I imagine it’d be tough having a kid that’s so much smarter than you.”

  Kyler shrugged. “I don’t know if tough is the right word.” He chuckled. “Probably more annoying than anything. Wes loves correcting people.”

  “I heard that!” Wes shouted from behind them.

  Kyler winked at Colt. “I know. That’s why I said it.”

  Wes threw a clump of snow that smacked Kyler in the middle of his back.

  “Hey,” protested Kyler. “I just got this jacket.”

  Wes glared at him. “Why don’t you talk about someone other than me then?”

  “Fine,” mumbled Kyler. “Had no idea you’d be so sensitive.”

  Wes fired back. “Shut it.”

  “Okay, so who haven’t you learned about?” Kyler scratched his chin, then lowered his voice. “Blake was a runaway. He’d been full of self-loathing and decided his family would be better off without him.”

  Colt frowned. “How old was he when he took off?”

  Kyler kept his eyes straight ahead. “He was twelve.”

  “Damn.” Colt shook his head. “I don’t know how you all did it.”

  Kyler considered his answer before speaking. “You just do. You adapt and survive. The other alternative is too scary to consider.” They walked in silence a few minutes more. “Jocelyn won’t talk about her life. It’s a staunch rule of hers. And Rachel, well, she grew up with an aunt that was very ill. Rachel acted as her caretaker until she passed when Rachel was
fifteen. Like Jocelyn, she won’t talk about anything more than that.”

  “I can’t say I blame either one of them. I don’t like talking about my mom much, either.”

  Kyler raised an eyebrow at Colt. “Not a happy story?”

  “No,” said Colt. “Brett and I came home after spending a weekend with our grandmother to find our dad sitting at the kitchen table. A fifth of whiskey almost gone and a note from my mom in front of him. She told him she wasn’t cut out for this kind of life and she had to leave. She begged him not to look for her.”

  “That’s cold,” Kyler remarked.

  “Yeah, it is. She never even mentioned us boys.” He cleared his throat. “I had no idea she’d run off to join some asshat and his cronies that snatched kids right out of their beds.”

  Kyler seemed to think about that revelation. “It might not be so clear cut, ya know.”

  Colt shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. She left us, and she’s been gone almost all of my life. She means nothing to me anymore.”

  Colt’s group had less than an hour before they reached their destination. Kyler brought them all to a halt. He held his hand up and closed his eyes. His lips slowly formed a frown and he stayed perfectly still for a couple more minutes. When he opened his eyes, he looked directly at Colt.

  Kyler’s voice expressed his urgency. “We need to get there. Cameron believes they’ve done something to Jane, maybe even to all the children. He said they are messing with their memories.”

  Colt swore under this breath. “I was afraid of something like that. Could this be related to Elana?”

  “Very probable.” Kyler’s eyes blazed at the mention of his sister’s name. “He said he’d meet us outside the east doors. Once we’re within visual distance, we are to let him know and he’ll start the ball rolling to get us inside.”

  Colt turned to the apprehensive group surrounding him. “We’ll move just inside the tree line, then Kyler will alert Cameron. Rachel, Kyler, Wes, and I will enter the building with Cameron. The rest of you wait here, hidden in the trees until we know what we are up against.”

  Brett protested. “Oh, no. We aren’t going to sit this out, Colt. We need to be in there helping.”

  “You will be helping. If something goes wrong inside, you will be safe and can put a different plan in motion. If we all go down, no one is left to help.” He gave Brett a stern look that usually meant he’d brook no arguments from his little brother.

  Brett shook his head. “What different plan? We only had the one plan.”

  Colt gave him a somber look. “I know you all can think fast on your feet. You’ll come up with something.”

  Rachel placed a hand on Brett’s arm. “It’ll be fine. You won’t need a plan B. We’ll get inside and let you know what we need to do from there.”

  “How?” Wes asked. “You’re taking Kyler with you. He’s the only one that can communicate while out here.”

  Kyler frowned. “He’s right. I need to be in there to sense Elana, but I also need to be out here to keep you all informed.”

  Colt frowned. He didn’t want to risk all of them getting caught, should something go wrong. But he couldn’t necessarily leave them outside with no clue to what was happening inside.

  “Okay, change of plans,” Colt said. “Kyler stays out here.”

  “But—” Kyler began to protest, but Colt cut him off.

  “We’ll get inside first and survey the situation, then signal Kyler so we can decide what to do next.” He placed a hand on Kyler’s shoulder. “We need you out here the most. If we can’t find Elana, then we’ll bring you in. I promise.”

  Kyler didn’t look happy about it, but he bobbed his head in agreement.

  “So, it’ll be me, Rachel, and Wes inside with Cameron until we have a more solid plan. Cameron will keep Kyler posted on our progress and what we need to do. Got it?” Colt looked at the group with concern. “Stay alert out here. Let us know if you see anything at all that’s off. Stay hidden the best you can, and if you need to defend yourselves, or each other, by all means, do it. No martyrs in this group.” He adjusted his pack. “Let’s get moving.”

  Colt led the way, worried each step lead them on some kind of death march. He’d never been one for the dramatic, but this situation seemed pretty dire. They were tired, scared, and cold. They still had a good way to hike before they arrived. His biggest concern was Brett. As the only one in the group without abilities, Brett’s vulnerability disturbed him. He may not be as up to this task as the rest of them. Colt would certainly never forgive himself if anything happened to Brett.

  He glanced back at his younger brother and saw that Rachel walked by his side. She seemed fond of Brett, despite her protests and snide remarks. She would take care of him, or at least let Colt know if something was wrong. He needed to put all his focus on getting them there; then he could make the next move. One step at a time. It was all he could manage at the moment.

  Jane went to her room shortly after the meeting ended. Exhausted, her head hurt and she felt odd. She could only equate it to watching someone else live her life while she observed. She went through the right motions and her lips did the talking, but she felt like she had little control over herself.

  Her bed looked so inviting in that moment. “I just need some sleep,” she murmured to herself. After crawling under the covers, she closed her eyes and willed her mind to stop thinking. The muted colors appeared immediately. They seemed to taunt her with an unknown secret. The colors meant something. Her heart felt sure of it, but she had no idea why she was so certain.

  Jane rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head. Why can’t I figure this out? Why can’t I forget long enough to sleep?

  As she lay there in the darkness, the swirls started to take shape. She felt herself being pulled into them and in moments she’d been surrounded by them. They danced as they changed forms. One light purple area turned into a child playing on the swings. A green one became a motorcycle roaring down the highway. A face began to form from a gray swirl, the features handsome and rugged. She liked that one. She wanted to go to it. Touch it. Learn more about it. But as she stepped closer, it evaporated. Sadness crept up on her as she watched the face disappear. “Please, come back,” she whispered into the mist. She received no reply. Then darkness moved into its place; an inky blackness that felt empty. Isolation and utter loneliness overtook her emotions inciting a terror she couldn’t escape. The mass enlarged as it came closer to her and she tried to run. But no matter how much she ran, she couldn’t escape. She felt the void touch the back of her leg causing a burning sensation. She screamed out in pain.

  Jane’s eyes sprung open and hopelessness overwhelmed her. She struggled to catch her breath and take in her surroundings, eventually realizing she still lay in bed. She told herself that it must have been a dream, despite that it felt so real. She reached down to rub the spot on her leg that had been burned. It was tender, but not damaged as in her dream.

  The bed creaked as she climbed out and slipped on her jeans and a sweatshirt. As many times before, she hoped that maybe a walk would clear her head so she could rest. She left her room and turned left, making her way to the reading area. A book might be her cure for an overactive imagination. She pushed through the doors and stepped into the dimly-lit room. In an instant, a handkerchief was forced over her mouth, and she had no time to react. She felt the room disappear as her eyes closed. The last thought to run through her mind began with the notion that she’d at least finally get some sleep.

  When her eyes opened once more, she became distressed. Seated in a chair, her hands and feet were tied down. Struck with fear, she pulled against the restraints, but nothing would budge. Jane moved her head and she felt something cold and metal press against her scalp. She tilted her head back in hopes to see what had been placed on her head, but the object moved with her.

  “If you relax, this will be much easier for both of us.”

  She shifted her eyes to a
darkened area of the room to see Gregory emerge from the shadows. He had a small object in his hand and showed it to her.

  “This unlocks the restraints on the chair. Be a good girl and you can go back to bed soon.”

  She felt herself start to tremor in fear. “Why, Gregory? You could have just asked me to help with whatever it is you need.”

  He laughed. “No, I couldn’t. Jeremy’s little mind control game is taking too long. We need results now.”

  She frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Gregory stepped in front of her and leaned down to look her in the eyes. “He has very subtle, almost impossible to hear, messages mixed with a little gifted magic going through the speakers at all hours of the day. Little by little they are influencing the way you and the others think and remember, but you are fighting it and I want this over with.”

  She frowned at him. “I still don’t know what this is about.”

  “I’m going to say a word, and I want you to tell me what you think or feel.” He grinned at her.

  She nodded.

  He put his hands on either side of her arms and leaned closer. “Colt,” was the only word he said.

  She flinched. Her mind seemed to reel and scream that she needed to fight. If only she understood why.

  Gregory continued to stare at her and she glared back. “Ah, see. This is why I’m moving things up a step. You still have some recollection of things that should no longer matter to you.” He stood up straight and crossed his arms. “It’s taking too long, and I’m tired of waiting.”

  He walked to a computer and sat in front of it. Some of its wires led to her chair, while the others seemed to pass through the wall next to the desk it sat upon.

  He clicked his mouse a few times and then spoke softly into a microphone. Within moments, Jane saw nothing but darkness. She didn’t know if her eyes had closed or if her sight had been taken from her. She felt suspended mentally and physically, as if she were no longer attached to herself somehow.