by Amy Hale
Jeremy glanced at Colt and smiled. “You are, love. But we have been attacked by these people. They want to hurt us.”
She studied Rachel, then turned her eyes to Colt and Brett. “Why would they do that?”
Gregory snorted in impatience. “She’s a simpleton, Jeremy. Leave her.”
Jeremy turned his ire on Gregory. “Because of you. Now shut up. You have no idea how valuable she truly is.”
Jane slowly walked to Jeremy’s side, her smile uncertain. He put up his hands as she neared. She grabbed his hands and gave them a comforting squeeze. “You’re my friend. You’re real. You want to help me.” She repeated the words Colt was sure Jeremy had drilled into her head over and over in the last several hours.
He smiled. “Yes, all true.”
She held one of his hands as she turned to face Colt and the group. Colt’s hopes of her helping them withered away. She appeared to be firmly entrenched in Jeremy’s clutches.
Karen moved next to her sons and leaned into Colt. “She is still in there somewhere. You just have to help her remember.”
He nodded and Brett momentarily stared at the mother he barely remembered.
She turned to Brett and smiled. “We’ll talk soon. Right now, she needs us.”
He nodded and looked at Colt. “What do we do?”
Colt looked around at his friends scattered throughout the crowd. They all looked to him for instructions. And he still didn’t know where Cameron was. He faced Jeremy once more, then looked back at Rachel. “Take me.”
“Excuse me?” said Jeremy. “Why in the hell would I want you?”
“Because I’m the leader. If you have me, you hold all the cards. Take me and let Rachel go.” He smirked. “Or does having me as a prisoner intimidate you?”
Jeremy bristled and Gregory laughed out loud.
“Fine,” Jeremy said through gritted teeth.
Colt held a hand up to his ear. “What was that? Didn’t quite hear you.”
“I said fine!” barked Jeremy. He nodded for Gregory to meet Colt in the middle. As they walked toward each other, Colt looked back to those in his group and winked. He hoped they caught on that he was working on a plan. It wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had, but at the least this move got Rachel out of harm’s way.
Gregory pushed Rachel away then grabbed Colt’s arm and pushed the gun to his chest. “Turn around, tough guy.”
Colt did as instructed and let Gregory lead him backward next to where Jeremy and Jane stood. By now, several guards had filtered outside and stood behind the group of students. Some had rifles, others only batons or stun guns.
Jeremy sighed loudly. “Okay, now that we’ve had this entertaining little diversion, let’s all go back inside, shall we?” He turned to Colt. “Tell your people to come quietly. We will treat them with respect and kindness if they agree to surrender now.”
The guards started ushering the children back inside when Colt caught a glimpse of Julia. She shook her head at him, and he didn’t catch her meaning until she turned and ran into the woods. Coward. She’s not sticking around to help or see what happens.
Brett looked at Colt with uncertainty. He nodded at his little brother, not sure they had any other options for the moment.
Karen grabbed Brett’s arm roughly and hauled him forward. Brett almost tripped. “What the hell?” he growled.
She shoved him. “Shut up!” Then she looked at Jeremy. “May I deal with these miscreants? I know just what to do with them.”
Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “And why would I let you do that? So far you’ve proved to be the least powerful help I have.”
She smiled at him. “Not anymore. I’ve been practicing, with Jane’s help. I’m much stronger now.”
Jeremy looked at Jane. She looked at Karen with a slightly lost expression.
“Well?” he asked Jane. “Did you help her?”
She studied Karen a moment more and then nodded her head. “Yes, I believe so. I’m still a little fuzzy.”
Jeremy motioned for Karen to come closer. She released Brett’s arm and moved to where she stood face to face with Jeremy.
He looked at her sternly. “Show me.”
Karen nodded and walked back to Brett. She turned Brett to face her straight on and placed her hands on his cheeks. She closed her eyes and muttered under her breath. Brett looked at her as if she’d gone mad, then his expression quickly changed.
She leaned in close. “You now feel cooperative and will follow my commands without a fight.”
Brett nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She faced Jeremy but spoke to Brett. “Now go help Jeremy and Gregory get the prisoners inside.” Brett moved to stand next to Jeremy, his expression blank.
Jeremy smiled. “Very good! Much more useful than that weak mood changing trick you had before. This is full-blown mind control. I’m impressed.”
She gave him a sly grin. “Finally glad to be of use, sir.”
Colt glanced at her and caught a hint of apprehension. Did Gregory and Jeremy not know who she was? This might be an advantage they could exploit. It looked as if she were already using it against them.
Gregory pushed Colt out in front of him, keeping the gun pointed at his back. “Don’t try anything funny. I won’t shoot you in the shoulder like Jeremy did. I’ll make sure to hit something vital.”
Colt held his hands up and walked without comment. Karen stood by the door and watched each student enter the building. The guards had their guns on Rachel, Wes, Blake, Jocelyn, and Kyler, shoving them forward as they brought up the rear of the group entering the building. Once they made it to the doorway, Karen touched each of them, commanding them to follow her orders. They all nodded numbly and she led them inside.
Jeremy, Jane, and Brett were the last to enter the building. A guard ran to the control room to secure all the doors.
Jeremy turned to Brett. “Help Karen get the prisoners settled in their cells. I’ll be down with Colt shortly.”
Brett nodded and without a word turned to follow Karen and his friends through the building and to the stairs that led to the basement.
Colt watched them go and prayed Karen knew what she was doing. “So now what, super genius? You gonna show me your evil bat cave?”
Jeremy punched him in the stomach. “You shut up and don’t speak until spoken to.”
Colt doubled over, grabbing his stomach in mock pain. In reality, he’d barely felt it. He assumed this to be another benefit of his healing and strength.
“Now,” Jeremy began as he smiled, “I think we should have some fun with this one. I believe that’s your area of expertise, Gregory.”
Colt heard Gregory’s chuckle behind him. “It is indeed.” The glee in such a task was obvious in his voice. Colt remembered Jane saying that Gregory enjoyed inflicting pain. His stomach rolled at the thought of those Gregory had hurt in the past. He’d never fully believed that pure evil existed until he’d met The Curators. Now he had been convinced and wondered if Gregory could possibly be Satan himself.
Jeremy led Colt down to the lowest level. He recognized the cells that they’d inspected upon entering the building. Karen had just shut the door to cell four and bolted it behind her when they reached her. She made a subtle motion to that cell before standing aside and letting Gregory and Colt pass.
Colt fully expected to be taken to the room with the chair, although Elana could no longer be used to make it work. Instead, they dragged him to cell three, across the hall from the cell his friends now occupied. Gregory pushed him inside and flicked on the lights.
At the end of the dirty, sparse room, Cameron hung captive. Shackles had been firmly clasped around his wrists, his face now bloody and battered. He raised his one half-open eye in time to see Gregory push Colt to the back of the room and chain him up in nearby restraints.
Gregory grinned at Colt. “I’ll be back shortly. Don’t let the suspense get the better of you. Wouldn’t want your heart to give out before I’ve had m
y fun.” He turned and all but skipped out of the door, slamming it behind him.
“Damn it to hell. You weren’t supposed to end up here too, Colt.” Cameron slurred. His swollen lips made it hard to enunciate properly.
Colt chuckled. “Well, I couldn’t let you have all the fun.”
Cameron chuckled too. “Not the best time I’ve ever had, but not the worst, either.”
“Ah, Gregory not as tough as he talks?” Colt asked.
“No, he’s tough, but it’s fun watching that little prick get upset when he can’t get to you. He loves the mind games as much as the physical abuse. He feeds on fear.”
“Well then,” said Colt. “I’ll have to be sure to starve him.”
They both stayed quiet for a few minutes before Cameron spoke up again. “What happened?”
Colt sighed. “Jane is pretty messed up. And they got the drop on us. I had to surrender until I can come up with something else.”
Cameron stared at the floor and didn’t respond.
“I’m sorry, Cameron,” said Colt. “Had we really believed you’d have been captured and tortured, we would have never brought you into this.”
Cameron snorted. “I was born into this, Colt. Besides, these jerks got nothing on my old man. He beat the hell out of me daily. It’s how I ended up in the foster system to begin with.” He sighed. “Then one day something changed. I changed. I could defend myself in a way I never could before. After years of abuse, I’d had enough. My mom had died years before, so that night it was just me and him. I won.”
Colt raised his eyebrows. “And?”
“And,” said Cameron, “that night I became an orphan.”
“Ah, I see.” He felt bad that he’d only added to Cameron’s pain.
“No, I’m not sure you do,” Cameron said softly. “I killed my dad in self-defense. And even though it was deemed justified, I have to live with that guilt. I never wanted to be in that position again. Then an incident happened involving my foster dad. I’ve been running from it ever since.”
“And we threw you right back in.” Colt frowned.
“That’s just it. I was never out. Not while these people are free to continue this pursuit of slavery and power. The only way any of us are ever truly free is to put a stop to it. I understand that now.”
Colt mulled that over just before Gregory walked back into the room with Jeremy and Jane in tow.
Colt narrowed his eyes at them. “What’s this?”
Gregory smiled. “Well, I know breaking you physically will take some time, but I think the emotional aspect will be more fun anyway.” He turned to Jeremy and Jane. “Should we start?”
Jeremy nodded, and Jane’s face remained blank and confused. She looked as if she didn’t comprehend what they were doing.
Gregory approached a table in the corner and wheeled it closer to Colt. He then pushed a button and the shackles around Colt’s wrist sent a painful shock through his body. He muffled a curse as his body convulsed.
Jane frowned. “Stop. Why are you doing this?”
Jeremy patted her back. “He is being punished. I explained all this before we came down here.”
She scrunched her face at him and shook her head. “I don’t think this is right.”
“Sure it is,” said Jeremy. “Here, you push the button.”
It then dawned on Colt that their plan would be to coerce Jane into torturing him. If she ever regained her consciousness, she’d never forgive herself. He pulled against the shackles, feeling them give ever-so-slightly. “What? Gotta have a girl do your dirty work? I’m surprised at you guys. I didn’t know Jane’s balls were bigger than yours.”
Gregory snatched the control away angrily and pushed the button again. “Keep making jokes, smart ass.”
Colt did everything he could not to bite his tongue in half until the pain ceased.
Jeremy moved to grab a knife from the table and placed it in Jane’s hand. She looked at him with panic.
Jeremy clasped her hand and the knife. “I told you how he and his friends tried to harm us. How they want to undo all the progress we are making. He has to be punished so he’ll never try that again. Remember what I told you to do first.”
She nodded and he smiled at her in approval. She held the knife out as she moved closer to Colt. He wasn’t scared of her. He knew that whatever happened, it wasn’t Jane doing it. Not his Jane. She was locked inside that beautiful mind somewhere and he hoped she couldn’t see what Jeremy did to her now.
She took the tip of the knife and placed it against the collar of his t-shirt, slowly cutting a slit down the front of the material. The fabric now hung mostly loose, with only the very ends keeping it together.
Jeremy chuckled behind her, clapping his hands in enjoyment. “This is going to be absolutely entertaining.” He peeked his head around so Colt could see him. “As I once told you before, all those muscles don’t mean crap against people like us.”
Jane took a steadying breath, then put the knife between her teeth and used her hands to rip away the remaining fabric. She ripped it off him and tossed it aside. He looked down into her eyes and for a moment he thought he saw something flicker in her hazel irises. She blinked and as quick as that she’d turned back to the cold, numb demeanor of before.
She took the knife in her hand once more and froze.
Jeremy waited a moment, then spoke up. “What is it? What are you waiting for?”
She frowned as she stared at Colt’s bare chest. She stepped closer and ran her finger tips over a tattoo on his chest, tracing the purple petals and green infinity stem. Her eyes met Colt’s and she held his gaze.
Gregory lost patience and moved her aside. He took the knife from her hands and slashed at Colt’s torso. The tip of the blade caught him just above his bellybutton. Jane gasped loudly.
Jeremy’s anger rose and he pulled her to him. “Shut up! You don’t know him and you don’t care what happens to him!”
He released her and turned back to see Gregory staring at Colt. Blood ran down his stomach, but the wound had quickly healed on its own.
Gregory dropped the knife. “What the hell?”
Colt laughed. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. By some odd twist of fate, I now am among the gifted.” He jerked his arms forward and the restraints broke free of the concrete wall. Jeremy grabbed Jane and put her between him and Colt. Gregory jumped back and put his hands out, using his gifts to hold Colt back, only it didn’t work.
Snickering sounds from the doorway caused Jeremy to look behind him. Karen and all of Colt’s friends had quietly entered the room. In a panic, Gregory turned one hand to them, hoping to knock them back, but again, nothing happened.
Cameron chuckled. “Hard to get past the shield I put you in, huh? You should have dosed me more. That little bit you gave me wore off some time ago.”
Gregory frowned and took a step forward, running into an invisible wall. He got a nasty shock and jumped back.
Rachel rushed to Cameron’s side and released his restraints while he struggled to keep Gregory contained.
Jeremy turned to Karen and she smiled at him. “It was awfully nice of you to let the enemy walk right through your door.”
“Why would you help them?” His disbelief evident.
“Because my last name is Henderson.” She took extra time drawing out the syllables of her last name.
Jeremy’s expression dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
She shook her head and Brett stepped forward, draping his arm around Karen’s shoulders. “What kind of mom would she be if she didn’t have our backs?”
Jeremy pulled Jane close and held his hand on her throat. “I’ll hurt her. I swear I will. Let me go, and I’ll let her live.”
Colt shook his head. “Oh, no. We’ve been down this road before—I don’t like the way it ended last time.”
Jane coughed out words as best she could while under Jeremy’s grip. “I’ll go with you, Jeremy. You’re my friend.
You’re real. You want to help me.”
He smirked at Colt. “See? She’s choosing me over you. Now let me pass!”
Karen and Brett cleared a way for Jeremy and he slowly moved out of the door with Jane in his grasp.
Gregory yelled at Jeremy from his invisible prison. “You can’t leave me here, Jeremy! You can’t do this! If you abandon me, you will pay!”
Jeremy never looked back and continued to make his way to the room Elana had been in. He pushed Jane through the metal doors and disappeared.
Jane waited until they had made it outside into the crisp night air before she whimpered, “Please, Jeremy, my throat hurts.”
He lifted his hand from her neck and looked at her closely. “You really want to go with me?”
She nodded. “Yes. You’re my friend. You’re—”
He interrupted. “I’m real. Yeah, yeah. I got it.” He looked around. “There’s the van. Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he quickly walked to the road where it was parked. As they got near the vehicle, the door opened and Caesar stepped out.
His youthful face was full of anger. “What are you doing with Jane?”
Jeremy laughed. “You can’t do much, little man. Stand back so you don’t get hurt.”
Caesar refused to budge. “No! I won’t let you hurt Jane!”
Jeremy chuckled and with a swipe of his hand knocked Caesar to one side, his small body slamming against the van. He slumped to a heap on the ground.
Pain shot through Jane’s head and she grasped both sides, falling to her knees. Jeremy frowned. “What’s the matter with you?”
She saw shapes form and a kaleidoscope of images came rushing through her mind like a flood; she saw herself sitting in a chair while the darkness took over; Colt’s tattoo; Caesar being hurt in a van that had wrecked. Something snapped. She stood and stared at Jeremy.
He rolled his eyes at her. “Come on, drama queen. Let’s go.”
She glared at him. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” The wind began to pick up behind her, blowing in Jeremy’s direction.
