by Stacey Jay
The gated complex. I'd forgotten about the gates! The electrified gates that completely surrounded the compound. There was no way over those suckers and only one way out-through the main entrance, where a security camera monitored anyone coming or going. The guards in the control room would surely notice a kid leaving on foot. I'd be snatched up and thrown back into my room before I could say, "There's no place like jail."
I was trapped, unless…
My parents were already going to kill me once they realized I was gone-how much angrier could they get once they realized their car had disappeared too?
As I climbed out onto the roof and tiptoed over to the edge of the condo closest the ground, I plotted my dash across the parking lot. Only twenty feet to Mom's Corolla, which was always left unlocked and had that extra key in the glove compartment because she kept misplacing her real keys. Then I would be on my way to really getting myself grounded for the rest of my natural life.
Assuming I didn't get myself or Jess killed or my family relocated, I figured it would just about be worth it.
CHAPTER 16
Twenty minutes later, I was pulling down a narrow gravel road at the edge of the Carlisle farm, shaken up but thankfully still alive. The whole driving thing was way harder than it looked, at least once I left the deserted roads near the SA compound and entered real traffic. People in Carol drove like maniac Indy 500 qualifiers on crack!
If I made it to tomorrow morning, I was so going to write a letter to the paper urging people to slow the hell down.
Right now, however, the living-through-the-night thing wasn't feeling like a given. It was even creepier out here knowing there weren't seniors enjoying a bonfire nearby. And of course, I would actually be on Carlisle's land as soon as I stepped into the woods, not skirting the edge of it. The old man would have every right to shoot me as soon as I trespassed, and I knew he'd have no problem pulling the trigger. Dude was completely, should-be-in-a-room-with-no-doorknobs insane.
All because he'd once dared to spend the night in the haunted church back in the woods behind his property.
He'd been a young man then, so the urban legend went, and there hadn't been much to do in Carol. (Not that there was much to do now if you weren't into the burgers at Sonic, or bowling, or if the pool was closed for the winter.) So he and some buddies had decided to camp out in the old church, one of the only remaining buildings from when Carol was settled in the late 1800s.
Nathaniel Carlisle had been the only one of the five boys to make it out alive and had been a wacko ever since. He'd babbled about ghosts, about living skeletons who had eaten every last one of his-
"Stop it!" I hissed to myself. The last thing I needed to be doing was mulling over old ghost stories. There was probably a perfectly rational explanation for what had happened in that church.
Like… Nate Carlisle had killed all the other boys and hacked them up and buried them somewhere on his property, and the whole living-skeleton, "I'm so crazy" story was just to throw people off his track.
Great job with the self-comfort, Megan.
But there was no turning back now. Just ahead, off to the side of the road, sat Jess's little silver VW Bug convertible, the one she wasn't supposed to be driving alone for two months. Her dad was going to be excessively pissed if he found out, but Jess had risked her father's fury. I had to get my butt in gear and help her before it was too late.
I pulled Mom's Corolla in just behind the Bug and shut it off but left the key in the ignition. I'd seen enough horror movies to know I didn't want to mess with trying to fumble the key into the slot while an ax murderer was close on my heels.
No more horror movie thoughts!
It was so much easier to freak out about pretend scary stuff than to think about the very real and very whacked Settler gone bad who could be, even now, lurking somewhere in the dark woods.
I'd been too worried about avoiding a wreck to get seriously freaked out before I got here. But now I couldn't deny the really bad feelings skittering across my skin as I shut the car door and started down a faint trail I was hoping led to the church. My gut was telling me to turn around and run for my life, but I couldn't. So I forced my feet to move along the path instead of cutting through the woods and across the street, where the homecoming dance would just be starting.
Ahh… crepe paper and balloons and the cheesy fog machine they always cranked up before the announcement of the homecoming king and queen. If only that were in my future tonight.
Instead, I was up for more dark woods and potentially near death experiences. What fun.
At least the eclipse hadn't started yet. It was only a little after nine, and there was still enough moonlight that I could find my way without tripping over rocks and tree roots, but it was too dark to feel completely safe. Anything or anyone could be hiding in the shadows, and I wouldn't know they were there until it was too late.
Still, I forced myself to move a little faster. I certainly wouldn't want to be on this path at ten o'clock, when the lunar eclipse would eliminate all the natural light in Carol-not to mention turn up the dark power available for Monica's ritual, whatever that might be.
It still made my chest ache to think about Ethan being so into a chick who was so evil. How could it have felt so right to touch him, how could that kiss have rocked my world so completely if he was on the verge of declaring his undying love to Monica? It just didn't seem right.
Didn't seem right. Hmm…
What if Monica had done more than raise zombies with magic? What if she'd found a way to put some sort of love spell on Ethan? That would certainly explain-
I shook my head. I couldn't dwell on Ethan right now. I had to get to the church, ASAP.
My best friend could already be dead, ripped apart by RCs, her poor little body mutilated on the floor of the old church. By now, the rats that called the place their home could be descending on her corpse, ready to-
I started to run, concentrating on dodging obstacles in the path instead of on visions of Jess's dead body, pushing myself to move as fast as I could without making too much noise.
If Monica was waiting for me somewhere in the dark, I didn't want to give her advance notice that I was on my way to kick her ass. And kick her ass I would, even though my fighting skills were probably on par with those of the grandmas who took Tae Bo down at the senior center.
But if Monica had dared to hurt Jess, she was going to pay for it. Big-time.
"Megan? Is that you?" It was barely more than a whisper, but I recognized the voice immediately.
"Jess? Where are you?" Seconds later Jess emerged from the shadows a few feet behind me. I turned to see her standing in the middle of the path, her hair a mess and mud on her T-shirt but otherwise in one piece. "Are you okay? What happened? I made it here as fast as I-"
"I'm so glad you came!" She flung herself into my arms and hugged me like she would never let go. "Monica tried to kill me! Like, for real kill me! She had a knife, and I had to fight her. London ran away. I screamed for her to come back, but I guess she didn't hear me or maybe she's in on it too. I don't know; I-"
"Okay, just take a deep breath," I said, holding her by the shoulders. "Where is Monica? You fought her and then what happened?"
"I won, I guess," she said, looking confused. "I punched her and she hit her head pretty hard on this old stove in the corner of the church. While she was dizzy, I took off my sweatshirt and used it to tie her up."
"So… she's tied up?"
"Yeah. On the floor, even though I felt bad because it's super dirty." Only Jess could feel bad for leaving someone who tried to kill her on a dirty floor. "My cell isn't getting reception, so I was on my way to the pay phone near the football field to call you when I heard something on the path and decided to hide."
"So Monica's tied up because you totally kicked her ass," I said, unable to keep the smile off my face. "That's awesome, Jess! I didn't know you were secretly channeling Sydney Bristow."
"Neither d
id I," she said, and I heard the giggle in her voice, though she still looked pretty freaked. "Monica was so pissed. I could tell she thought she wasn't even going to break a sweat killing me."
I shivered, the &-word wiping away my grin. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"And I'm glad you're here. Now we can carry her out of there." She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the path. "Hurry, let's go get her before anyone else shows up."
I followed her a few paces while I chewed over the details of our situation. "You know what? We should probably get our cars and head back to the school."
"You have a car here?"
"Yeah, I sort of borrowed my mom's car. The place where they were holding us isn't near a bus stop."
"Wow, Megan. You stole your mom's car. That's pretty-"
"Yeah, I know, she's going to kill me. Listen, let's get the cars. I'll head over to the pay phone near the football field. I'll be in clear sight of the people headed into the gym, so I'll be safe while I call SA to come get Monica. Meanwhile, you can go home and get ready for the dance and actually enjoy your night."
"Kyle isn't picking me up until nine thirty; I'll make it home in time," she said, sounding positively chipper. "Besides, this is more important than any dance. We have to make sure Monica doesn't have the chance to hurt anyone else again. This is your future we're talking about."
"But my future won't be in Carol, Arkansas, if anyone finds out I told you I was a Settler." I stopped in the middle of the trail, tugging on the hand Jess still held, wanting to make sure she understood how serious I was. "I'll be relocated, and I wouldn't put it past Settlers' Affairs to try to do some sort of freaky mind wipe on you or something. They're really psychotic about our world staying secret."
"Okay, I understand. I won't say a word, but please, let's just go get Monica," Jess said, pulling me into motion once more. "I don't know how tightly I tied those knots, and I don't want her to get away. I won't be able to leave my house again if she escapes."
"All right," I said, speeding my pace despite my reservations.
"Faster, Meg. We have to hurry." Jess ran faster but still didn't let go of my hand. It was almost like she was afraid to keep going without holding on to me, which was completely understandable considering what she'd just been through.
But for some reason, I got the urge to pull my hand away, an urge that kept getting stronger as we neared the black shadow of the old church and its eerily crooked steeple. There was something wrong, something more wrong than me getting ready to take a fellow Settler into custody and potentially risking my life if she'd already set her zombies in motion.
"Come on," Jess whispered, motioning for me to lead the way around the building. "Let's go in the side door in case she's managed to get free and is waiting for us at the front."
"Okay," I whispered back, running my hand lightly along the rotted wood as we waded through the grass, the smell of decay filling my nostrils.
Visions of rats and snakes and all the other things that liked to live in old, deserted buildings were making my heart race as fast as fear of what might be waiting for us inside. Jess's concern that Monica might have somehow freed herself was totally catching. I could just imagine Monica huddled in the dark behind the old stove or whatever else was in there, waiting to pounce on me with her knife. The knife she would be entirely capable of gutting me with.
I was not secretly channeling any kick-ass crime fighter, real or imaginary. If I was channeling anyone, it was probably the pig from Chicken Little, the one who wanted to be left behind with some chips and ammo while everyone else kicked alien ass.
"Ohmygod!" I squeaked before slamming my hand over my mouth and stopping dead in my tracks. Oh. God. Something had just run over my foot, something too heavy to be a cute little mouse.
"What's wrong?" Jess hissed from behind me, clearly annoyed at my inability to be stealthy and quiet.
She was so much better at this. She should have been the one born with weird paranormal power. She probably would have loved getting on the fast track to an Enforcement career. Weird to think about since I'd never thought of Jess as the ass-kicking type, until tonight.
"Megan? What's wrong?" Jess asked again, poking me softly between the shoulder blades.
"Something just ran over my foot. I think it was probably a rat." I was shaking for real now, certain I wouldn't be able to force myself to take another step.
I shouldn't be doing this. I had to turn around and get out of here before it was too late. But Jess was so set on us going, and she'd already risked her life and nearly been knifed by a psychopath. How could I tell her I was too chicken to walk around a dark building?
I couldn't. I had to keep moving, just putting one foot in front of the other until-
"Ack!" My cell was vibrating like crazy in my back pocket. At least I hadn't turned the ringer back on, but it still nearly scared me to death. My spandex pants were really tight, so the phone was making my entire backside buzz.
"Megan! Turn it off, quick!"
"Right." I ripped the phone from my pants and pressed the mute button, but not before I saw whose call I had missed.
It was Ethan! "Jess, we have to turn around. That was Ethan. I'll call him on the way back to the car and he can come help us-"
"You really think he'd help us? Monica's his girlfriend. He'll never believe she's the one who did all those bad things to you."
I winced. The words hurt, and worse, they held a ring of truth. "If I tell him everything that's happened, I'm sure he'll at least-"
"He'll just think you're jealous because he dumped you for Monica," she said, then continued on in a softer voice. "Besides, we don't have the time to waste. She could already be loose in there. I'm not sure how good my knots are. I was never even a Girl Scout or anything, you know."
"I'd just feel better if we had someone bigger and stronger here. That's all." And Ethan was a Protocol officer and would surely know more about taking a Rogue Settler into custody than I would.
But I couldn't tell Jess that.
I'd already spilled the goods on Monica. I couldn't expose Ethan too. I was just going to have to do this and wait to call Ethan back until I had Monica bundled into the trunk of the Corolla. Besides, Jess was right-I wasn't completely sure I could trust Ethan. What if he really was under some kind of spell that made him loyal to Monica? He might untie her and take me into custody for being a crazy lady for all I knew.
"Okay, let's go. Let's just get it done," I said, my voice tight with anxiety.
"Megan, I know you're scared, but I believe we can do this." Jess's voice was soft, soothing, like she was talking to a total basket case. I had to pull it together. I was supposed to be the one experienced with creepy situations.
"Yeah, okay. We can do this." I just wished I felt more certain of the words.
"We're almost there, and if we take the path that goes straight to the football field, we won't even have to go bring Monica to the cars. We can take her with us to the pay phone and then come back and get them later, when it's safe."
"There's another path to the football field?" I asked, slowly resuming movement around the building, wondering how Jess knew so much about Nate Carlisle's property.
"Megan, I thought you turned that off," Jess whispered when my cell suddenly chimed, notifying me I'd received a text message.
"I must have pressed the wrong button," I hissed back, flipping open the phone and punching the power button without retrieving the text from Ethan. There wasn't time to worry about him right now. We had to get Monica and get the hell out of here.
I shoved my cell back in my pocket, thinking how strange it was that I was getting such great reception when Jess said she hadn't been getting any. Our phones were the exact same brand and we used the same company. We'd signed up for them at the mall together a year ago so that we'd get unlimited calls to… talk to… each other… all… the…
Oh… God. No. It couldn't be… It couldn't…
At that moment,
I realized what had been bothering me since the second I got out of my mom's car. I'd never told Jess you had to use a totem to focus a Reanimated Zombie on its target. She'd supplied that information about using my clothes to make the undead attack me on her own. Just like she'd gotten out of the house and attacked me with zombies in Perkins Park.
She'd known exactly when Ethan had asked me to homecoming, and she'd known exactly where Josh and I would be going on our first date. Hell, she knew everything about me because I told her everything. Because I was the stupidest, lousiest detective in the world and couldn't see the truth until it was shoved right up in my face.
But it wasn't too late. It couldn't be. For some reason, she wanted me inside the church, and if I didn't let her get me there, maybe I'd be okay.
I slowed my pace and gradually worked in a tiny limp. When I spoke, I did my best to sound normal, even though I felt like I'd swallowed hummingbirds. "Hey, Jess? I think I did something to my ankle."
"Really? When? Are you okay?" She sounded so normal, so concerned for me.
Surely she couldn't sound so relaxed if she was getting ready to kill me. But I couldn't get the totem thing out of my mind. I knew I hadn't told her that part, knew it with the same gut instinct that was wailing for me to run like mad from the psycho behind me, to haul ass first and fake sprained ankles later.
"No, I don't think I am. I don't think I'm going to be able to carry Monica. Let's go back to the car. We can just call-"
"You're not going to be calling anyone, Megan. Give me your phone." Her voice was still calm but with an underlying coldness that banished the last of my doubt. Jess, my best friend, was the one who had tried to kill me. "And don't think about running. I have a knife and I will gut you."
