by R. J. Lloyd
Eva ran for it, touching the answer icon and putting it on speaker before lifting it off the table. “Michelle?”
“Close, but no.” It was Mitchell. “Neat trick, right?”
“You said you couldn't travel with someone.” Eva choked out her words around her sobs.
“What can I say? I lied. I couldn't just tell you and your boyfriend all my secrets, right? Kind of like you and your little trick in your garden.” He chuckled.
Eva was furious. “Let me speak to her.”
“Can’t. She’s asleep.”
“What did you do to her?” Eva's voice cracked.
“Well, nothing but knock her out since she was screaming so much. But I think she’s a really good candidate for the program. What do you think?”
Ian stepped in. “What do you want?”
“Someone to spend the remainder of my eternity with, and since Eva is hellbent on breaking my heart, I thought maybe I could kill two birds with one stone—break hers and find me a new wife.” He sounded amused.
“Please don’t,” Eva begged.
“I won’t promise anything, but I will tell you her fate does rest on you two helping me,” he offered. “So, in light of your big move, I’ll grant you this week. But get that truck unloaded and start looking. The sooner you find our little renegades, the better.” He hung up.
Eva just stood there, staring at the phone. Her tears had stopped, but she couldn’t speak. Ian touched her shoulder, but she jerked away. Part of her wanted to call Michell back, but she didn't know what to say if she got him back on the line.
She finally looked up. Her eyes met with Ian’s. “I did something. I did something, and I don’t know how I did it.”
“Did something? What do you mean?”
She tried to find the words. “I was angry, and instead of screaming, I did something. It was like a burst of energy, and it knocked them down. I don’t know how I did it. I just did. I need to figure out how I did it.”
“You did that? Like you have some ability like him?” Ian sounded baffled. “We could maybe all have something we can do then. That might help.”
Her feet broke free from the ground, and she ran to him. “What are we going to do? He’s going to kill her. I know he is.”
“He might not if we do as he wants,” Ian suggested.
She shook her head. “But that's what I don’t get. He is willing to kill to get us to stop these others from being killed again? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I know. There’s got to be more to the story. But we won’t know until we find out.” He kissed her on the head. “Come on. You need to rest. He said he won’t do anything right away. We need to be ready for the movers tomorrow. If we’re going to figure this all out, I can’t have you collapsing.”
“I'm not tired,” she exclaimed.
He ran a hand through her hair. “You look exhausted. Not wanting and not needing sleep are two different things.”
She fought a yawn. “I just want to go find her.”
“And I want you to get some sleep so when we go looking for these people, you have your wits about you.” He guided her into the bedroom. “Come on, please, Eva. You’re not slowing down, and that’s not going to help. Just take a couple hours.”
She continued to protest going to bed even as he undressed her, laid her down and curled in around her. Once she was snoring lightly, Ian got up and checked all the doors and windows. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep well, if at all that night. There was no way his brain was going to allow him to drop his guard. Instead, he propped himself up against the headboard. Eva rolled over and rested her head on his lap, and he ran his fingers through her hair until she was sound asleep again.
His eyes opened slightly to the sound of his phone vibrating. Eva was no longer in bed, and the number of the moving company flashed across his screen. “Hello?”
“Yes. Mr. Fuller? This is Right Moves Moving Company. Our men are out front of the house, ready to work.”
Ian swung his legs off the side of the bed. “I’ll go let them in. Thank you.”
He opened the front door and waved in the workers. Satisfied they saw his signal; he went in search of Eva. Checking the patio, bathroom and living room, he started to panic slightly and went to the garage to check and make sure her car was still in there where she said it was.
It was, with Eva sitting in the front seat.
He approached the driver’s side window and knelt down. She didn't look at him, but she rolled the window down, her gaze still fixed on the dashboard.
He put his hands in the sill to steady himself. “Going somewhere?”
She wrapped her fingers around the top of the steering wheel. “I was, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know where to go, and I knew you would be angry with me.”
“Yes. I would,” he confirmed. “The moving crew is here. You want to come in and direct us?”
“Can you get them started and give me another moment?” she asked.
“Yeah. We can finish the bedroom since that’s all yours.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
As he went inside, she leaned back and closed her eyes, allowing every bit of air escape her lungs in a slow, relaxing exhale. She had been replaying the scene on the patio from the night before, over and over, trying to pinpoint what exactly happened inside her to make that electrical force happen. But she couldn’t. She had only meant to scream. Every inch of her wanted to scream.
Eva glanced at the time, seeing it was seventeen minutes after eight. She knew they needed to get the house packed up and loaded if she wanted to get back to Detroit, look at the files and start tracking anyone down to get Michelle back. Forcing herself out of the car, she set out packing and loading with determination.
Twenty-Three
The Hunt
The moment they walked through the door to the house in Detroit, Eva dropped her purse and went for the box of files. The flight was late, putting them at the house well after midnight. Ian had already called Kyle and arranged for him to be home the day the moving truck arrived and told him about Michelle’s kidnapping and how they needed to go find someone to get her back. Kyle suggested calling the police, but Ian reminded him of their condition.
Ian set their luggage down and found Eva in the bed with all the files splayed out in front of her. She flipped through the pages, trying to find clues as to where any of them might be. But all the files had listed was their original names, how they were collected, what experiments were conducted, if they stabilized, any issues they had with the process and their new names. She couldn’t find anything that might lead her in any directions since there was no intimately personal information. All of it seemed like a jumbled mess of mismatched details and dead ends.
Her shoulders dropped as he entered the room. “Names. That's all we have. Names and grainy pictures. How are we supposed to find one of these people, let alone all of them, going only on names and grainy pictures?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up one of the files. “We search names online and see if we get any hits.”
She put her face in her hands. “Why didn't I think of that?”
He grinned. “That’s why we make a great team. Don’t worry about it. Do you have your laptop unpacked from the car?”
“No.” She shuffled through pages again.
He reached across to his dresser and pulled over his. “Here. The password is walkingtaco89, all lower case. I’m going to grab a shower. Do you need anything?”
She stifled a laugh.
“Don’t judge.” He eyed her playfully.
She was already inputting his password. “Nope. Not me. I am so not judging.”
“Mhmm…” He shook his head as he left the room.
When he returned, still toweling off, Eva was furiously flipping back and forth between the files, searching things online and taking notes. She didn’t even look up as he crossed the room. “Schroeder could be just outside Rochester, New York. Warner m
ight be near Bismarck, North Dakota. Both Edwardsons might be in Price, Utah. But I focused on Tripp when I saw some clues that point to Alpena, Michigan. I haven’t looked up the other five since…” She turned the laptop to face him, lifting one of the files up as well. “See? That’s got to be him. Jason Tripp. It’s the employee roster at a local factory. There’s a couple pictures from a company picnic, too. I think he’s in those as well.”
Ian’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He nodded and looked over the information on the screen. “Alpena is less than a four hour drive. We can go up in the morning. Do you know any more details to find him?”
She flipped over to her notes. “I have a few leads, I think. But even if this is him, how do we convince them who we are?”
“I'm not sure. We will find a way. I’ll call Mitchell tonight and tell him we’re going first thing in the morning.”
Pushing the files back slightly, Eva sighed. “Are you sure we should tell him where were going before we get there and ask this guy’s side? I mean, Mitchell seems to have a few secrets.”
“I think, if we want to get Michelle back, we need to do what he says until we find a way to beat him.” Ian replied.
“But we can play it a bit cautious. We can tell him we’re unsure, but our lead is in Michigan, and were going to follow up on a few possibilities. Leave it vague.”
Ian nodded. “If he doesn't dig for information, fine. But I don’t want to jeopardize Michelle’s safety any more than it is already.”
“I don’t either.” She closed the laptop. “I’ll get this all around and ready so we can just get up and go tomorrow. Should I pack to stay up there a night or two?”
“Probably for a few days, just in case,” he suggested.
Pulling into Alpena, Eva could understand why someone would want to live there, even to hide out. It was a small town out of the way, full of charming store fronts and well manicured and decorative houses, right on the water. A good selection of retail businesses and eateries with an obvious, strong community base gave the town a strong appealing quality.
They checked into their room at the 50 Winks Motel on the coast and then ventured into town for a bite to eat and to go over their leads. After a full basket of chips and two bowls of salsa, they came to the conclusion they were basically going to have to float around for a few days and hope to run into him. One would think that would be easy, but small towns were usually full of people who liked their seclusion. And when it came to someone hiding out, both Ian and Eva doubted he was becoming the president of any volunteer organization or hosting any large parties.
“Can we afford the time and money to stay up here for several days?” Eva asked.
Ian gathered up their things and signed the receipt for their meal. “If that’s what it takes. I called Mitchell when you went to the restroom to tell him we were on our first lead. He seemed satisfied. I even heard Michelle’s voice. She sounded angry, but I don’t think he’s hurt her.”
“You think? I can’t even imagine how furious she is right now. And I know her. She won’t be quiet about it.” Eva felt her own anger well up inside of her.
Ian held the door open as they exited. “It’s better than sounding injured. That's how I took it.”
Eva felt his words like a slap. “You’re right. Neither is good, but angry is better for sure.”
Someone walked briskly past them as they exited the restaurant, bumping Eva in the shoulder as he went. “Excuse me.”
Ian smiled and nodded. “Sorry.”
“Jason,” Eva breathed.
The man stopped, but he didn't turn back. He just froze.
Ian stepped forward, slightly shielding Eva from the stranger. “Jason? Jason Tripp?”
“No.” The man started walking again. Only, his pace was much faster.
Eva shouted, “Jason! Stop! Please.”
“Eva?” Jason whipped back. “You’re here? Why are you here?”
“You know me?” She closed the gap between them with Ian close behind her.
He looked at the other man. “Ian? You two are together? How? What’s going on?”
Ian took Eva’s hand. “We found each other through our dreams. But that's a long story. We came to find you.”
“Dreams? Figures. Eva always could do some pretty amazing things.” Jason laughed. “But find me? Why?”
“Mitchell…”
“Mitchell? No.” Jason backed up a couple steps, hands out in front of him. “There's no way you’re working with that psycho.”
“It's his father who’s the psycho. Mitchell just wants to help you all,” Ian explained. “Or so he told us.”
Jason scoffed. “You have either lost your minds, or don’t remember anything.”
“Remember?” Eva put a hand on his arm. “You have no idea what we don’t remember. I could fill this town with what I don’t remember. But Mitchell said about ten of you escaped, and his father is hunting you all and is going to take you all back to the labs to do more experimenting. He asked us to find you so we can get you somewhere safe.”
“He’s going to lengths to make us help you all,” Ian said.
Jason stepped back. “Mitchell is working with his father, and is using you because of your abilities, Eva. He was who came for us when we first escaped, and killed our friend, Tracey, right in front of us. He killed her because she struggled to get away. He said it was to show us what would happen to the rest of us if we didn't come peacefully. That was when we scattered. I think most of us got away, but Pete and Shay were either caught or killed. I don’t know. We haven't contacted each other since, just to be safe.”
A shot of guilt went through her, realizing she didn't remember people that, clearly, she should have. Names Jason mentioned like all of their long-term friends.
“Maybe he’s changed?” Eva was hopeful that she wasn't sending the other spirits to an eternity of torture.
Jason put his hands on her shoulders. “Eva, he's in love with you, yes. To a frighteningly, obsessive degree. However, he’s using you for your powers.”
“Powers? You and he keep saying I have powers, but I don't know of anything I can do that's any different than you or Ian.”
“You really don’t remember anything, do you? Ethan was right; they really did wipe your memories.” He shook his head. “I’d love to stick around and tell you all about the good ole days in the labs, but if you’re here, and if you’ve told him where you are, he's on his way.”
Jason turned around to leave, but before Eva or Ian could say anything or ask any questions, Jason slammed into someone behind him.
“Jason! It's great to see you again.” Mitchell smirked. I see you’ve done some catching up with our friends, Eva and Ian. Aren't they so cute with their whole soulmate thing?”
“Listen. I’ve barely spoken with them, and how much I did is about one hundred percent more than I want to say to you. I’m just trying to live my life here, Mitchell. Can't you just…”
“Leave you alone to not age, not get hurt and be loose on society to do as you please?” His smug tone radiated across his face. “I don’t think so. I’m here to help.”
Jason gritted his teeth. “Help, or kill?”
Mitchell laughed. “Kill? You’re already dead.”
Eva tugged on Jason's arm to step back with them. “Mitchell, I'm not going to trade his or anyone else’s life or after life for Michelle.”
“You don't have to,” he replied. “I have plans for our little Michelle. What plans I choose will depend on how much you cooperate in finding everyone.”
“I’m not going to run all over the world to find a handful of people,” she growled.
He rolled his eyes. “If you would just use your gifts, you wouldn’t have to.”
“I don’t have any gifts!” she shouted.
Mitchell stepped toward her and leaned in, speaking in a low voice. “How do you think you found Jason?”
She crossed her arms. “Google.”
“Yea
h, Google put you at the right spot in this town you know so well, walking out of that restaurant at the exactly moment to run into him, tight?” He sneered. “I don't think so.”
“Well, even if it was due to some ability you claim I have…”
“Is it so hard to believe you might be able to do things like that after finding out you’re not even alive? After seeing your boyfriend immune to injury?” Mitchell grazed his fingers over her arm.
Ian swatted his hand away. “Let Michelle go.”
“Ummm… no.” Mitchell shrugged. He stepped to the side, in front of Jason, and grinned. “And as for you, it’s time to go.”
Jason spit in his face. “I'm not going back there.”
“No, you're not.” Mitchell’s hand flew forward and pressed to the man’s abdomen. “But you are going away.”
Eva screamed.
Ian lunged toward the two men, pushing Eva out of the way. Before he could do anything, Jason dissolved in a swirl of smoke and sparks. It was quiet, eerily quiet, like what was unfolding before them sucked the sound out of the atmosphere. All the hair on Ian’s arms stood up on end. And a shot of energy, like a pulse, ran through him as sparks fell and hit his boots.
“What did you do?” Eva ran over to Mitchell, throwing her fists against his chest.
Ian pulled her back and stood fully in front of her. “Eva, no. I don’t know how he did that, but I’m not giving him the chance to do it to you.”
She stared at Mitchell, completely enraged and in shock. “What did you do, you monster?”
“Monster?” He looked offended. “I gave him the death that was completely overdue. He is finally going home.”
“Home? Now you're a religious spirit?” Ian scoffed.
Mitchell shrugged his shoulders. “Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, the afterlife, whatever you want to call wherever he went. Who knows? It could simply be his energy just dissipated, and he’s gone back into the cosmos to help make up something else… like a pretty, little flower. Wouldn't that be nice? Maybe not, though. I mean, he could be some beautiful flower that you, Eva, would just love. But because he is growing in the wrong spot, he spends his life being shit on by dogs and picked brutally by some kid who gives it to his mother who is neglectful and just tosses it into their nasty trash bin to wilt and die a slow, painful death.”
