“Let the fella rest—” Dean said.
“Tell us what happened,” Ella prodded.
“These crystals are mind-blowing. It was like I floated out of my body and, and, I saw Scarlett.”
“Is she all right?” Dean asked with a note of surprise.
“Not for long. It’s the feeling I’m getting.” Zac couldn’t describe the event he had just witnessed, the compelling knowing Scarlett was in peril.
“It’s your internal knowing,” Twila explained.
“You astral projected,” Ella clarified. “Shari taught us that meditation, but I haven’t mastered it. All I want to do is float around with the angels.”
Luther's eyes narrowed with suspicion. “You all are scarin’ me.”
“Sometimes I hung out with my mom when she meditated. Nothing like this ever happened. Are you sure this isn’t witchcraft?” Justin babbled.
Luther gulped.
Zac had known a few New Agers in his time. He had basically humored Shari when she had told him his aura needed cleansing and had doused him in sage smoke. “I didn’t think this metaphysical business was legit.”
“Okay, okay, but can you save Mommy? Before it’s too late.” Twila practically sobbed.
“I’ve got to!” Zac didn’t mention the X-strain lurking in the background. It looked like they were digging their way out of Zoat. That part of the vision remained unclear. Hazy.
“That settles it. When are you leaving?” Dean asked anxiously.
“I’m still disoriented. This ball of energy is driving me nuts. It’s moving up and down the center of my body. Now it’s in my heart.”
“O-M-G, spontaneous kundalini awakening. It happened to me the first time I meditated with selenite,” Ella exclaimed with big round eyes.
“Kunda whut?” Luther grimaced.
“It’s a real thing,” Ella insisted. “You need grounding.” She reached for the pouch necklace around her neck. “Hematite. It will ground you. Twila, will you get the tape from the kitchen drawer?” Ella emptied the pouch. “I’ll tape these tiny flat pieces of hematite to the bottom of your feet. It will balance you.”
Zac glanced at the stones, wondering how they could possibly stabilize him. He needed food, pronto. “I could wolf down two animal-style double bacon cheeseburgers.” Man, does that sound good. Along with a side of fries, onion rings, and a large strawberry shake.
“Dude, you’re making me hungry,” Justin said.
“Where is she?” Dean asked while Ella taped the flat metallic stones to the bottom of his feet.
“I saw a network of caves and rooms connected to the tunnel we used.” Zac had noticed the tunnel had seemed different. But he had been more concerned with hightailing it out of there after the attack on Boom Town.
“Holy shi—crap,” Justin stopped. Ella didn’t like it when he swore. “That tunnel gives me the willies. I found a shredded rucksack when I went through. I even saw—” He looked around at everyone. “I thought it was a ghost. I got out of there hecka fast.”
“The tunnel has definitely been modified.” A sudden surge of energy rushed out the soles of Zac’s feet. The silver hematite stones seemed to pull him back down to earth, stabilizing the flighty feeling that had taken over his mind.
“Why don’t you rest. We’ll hash out the plan after a hardy lunch?” Dean glanced at Ella.
“We’re stuck with spaghetti,” Ella said.
“Food. Finally, something I can relate to. Ella, you rest.” Luther eyed Ella’s swollen belly. “I’ll cook us an early supper,” Luther announced from the doorway.
“Ah, you’re so sweet.” Ella dramatically rolled her eyes at Justin.
“Uh, I was going to offer,” Justin remarked with a guilty smirk, “but my cooking sucks.”
They laughed at the cute couple rolling their eyes and blowing kisses at each other.
Chapter 35
Twila Lewis nibbled the spaghetti and pushed the noodles around her plate, pretending to eat. No one paid any attention to her as usual. They treated her like she was just a child.
“A cold front’s moving in. I feel it in my aching bones,” Dean said.
“Your arthritis must be acting up,” Luther said.
“Yep, it’s another thing you’ve got to put up with when you get old,” Dean said. Twila heard the unhappiness in his voice.
She sent Dean a gentle wave of healing energy. The glittery lights swirled around his body and settled into his fingers, shoulders, and elbows. No one noticed except for maybe Mindy, who stared at Dean, and then glanced at each person around the table while baby Starla pointed at Dean and made silly spluttering sounds.
Yay, they have the Gift of Sight. That’s why they’re still alive. Twila had been waiting to make friends, wanting to see beyond Mindy’s auric shield to make sure she was a good person. Her etheric shield was too strong for Twila to break through. Nervous, Twila took a bite and shuffled her food to the other side of the plate when Mindy’s eyes came to her.
Twila didn’t always know who was good and who was bad. The Ancient Ones were getting trickier. Twila felt Mindy’s eyes on her. She forced herself to look across the table at Mindy. Mindy smiled. Twila smiled back. Mindy was sweet, Twila decided, relieved.
A force struck Twila in the forehead. Probing! Twila fought it back. Then Twila realized if Mindy had seen her etheric body, it meant Twila’s shield wasn’t working. She wasn’t ready to blame the probing on Mindy. She was just tired and worried for Mommy. She needed to try harder to block the roaming energies. But she had to keep the connection open a little because Mommy might try to contact her at any second.
Dean held up his hands, made a fist with each, and then he opened and closed his hands a few times. He looked at Twila and didn’t say anything. He winked at her. Twila took a gulp of water. “Summer will be here before we know it. How hot does it get in the panhandle?” Dean asked.
Jeez Louise, are they ever going to talk about saving Mommy?
Zac started to talk. “It gets hot in—”
Blah, blah, blah—Twila tuned out their boring conversation. Someone was coming!
“So, how are we saving Scarlett?” Justin finally said. Twila perked up.
“I want to arrive at the tunnel’s entrance just before dawn. During their inactive state. It’s only an hour drive. I should leave around four a.m.,” Zac said.
Twila tuned into their frequency of thoughts. Shari had told her it was impolite and considered taboo, except for when she was worried for her safety. She did it anyway. They were stupid. They should hide their thoughts better. They had gifts, but they didn’t try hard enough.
Dean was happy his hands had stopped hurting. He worried for her and thought she was frail and too sensitive. Zac wanted another plate of spaghetti, still feeling light-headed from the meditation. He was thinking hard on sneaky ways to save Mommy. He thought she was gifted but needed lots of therapy. Luther, he was confused. He wanted to believe but was afraid metaphysical abilities came from devil energy.
She skipped Mindy and went to Justin. Justin worried Last State would find them and steal their son. He thought she was insane. Ella was scared she would have the baby too soon. Ella was always singing a silent lullaby to the baby, telling him to wait a little longer.
Shari had believed in her too just like her spirit guide, the Silver Lady had, only her spirit guide hadn’t visited much since they had arrived in Last State. It was too dangerous. The Ancient Ones had found her, so she had to hide between dimensions, watching and sending messages when she could. The Silver Lady had helped more than she was supposed to because she loved humanity with all her heart. Maybe if she cried, the Silver Lady would cheat again and help.
“Help us find Mommy,” Twila pleaded.
There was no answer.
Justin scurried around the lodge’s dinner table and gathered their scraped-clean dinner plates, stacking them like a goofy circus clown. All but hers. She forced down another bite.
; “Don’t start the plan without me,” Justin yelped as he darted to the kitchen with the stack of plates, catching the top plate before it fell to the floor.
“I’d love to tag along,” Dean said.
“Ditto,” Luther chimed in.
“Dean, you should stay here,” Zac said. “You’re the only one Last State isn’t looking for. I’ve got a stash of ready-made fake digital IDs. I’ll CitChip you and Luther. Actually, I might chip the rest of you when I get back. It might thwart the drones’ random scans for a while.”
“I’m coming.” Justin dashed back to the table, plopping down in the chair next to Ella.
Ella gave Justin a squinty-eyed pirate look, which meant No way, Jose. I don’t want you to leave me.
“Now, Justin, unless you can grow a full-blown beard in the next few hours, you’d better stay in hiding,” Dean warned. Twila loved Dean. He wanted to save everybody.
Dean was the perfect grandpa. If she was really good, maybe he would be her grandpa someday. It would be so fun if they could all live together like a big happy family, and Ella and Scarlett could have lots of babies. She could teach them so many things when she was older. Why does it take so long to grow up?
It made her miss her friend Katie from California. The sickness had only turned her a little bit: Katie’s heart hadn’t died. If only Twila could have healed her before the treehouse had broken and made them leave the forest. It had been the best place in the whole wide world. But the Silver Lady had told her it had been time to leave so they could work on their Soul Missions—the Grand Plan to Save Hu-manity.
“He’s right. Besides, Ella looks close. She needs you,” Zac said as if Justin needed to be reminded about the new baby.
“Thank you,” Ella mouthed.
“All this mumbo jumbo has me worried about the gals,” Dean said.
“My thoughts exactly,” Zac agreed. “If Krasinski and Lopez are taken into custody, Enforcers will be making another visit. The women and children need to hang in the hidden room in the partially finished basement.”
Twila groaned. The basement didn’t sound very fun.
“Luther, I’ve seen you in action. You’re one helluva fighter. I could use your help,” Zac said.
“I’d do anything to save Scarlett,” Luther said.
Yay, Luther’s going to help save Mommy! Twila loved Luther, too. He had a big heart. It glowed a pretty pink. She wanted to tell him, but he wasn’t ready to accept his metaphysical side. Shari had told her to watch what she said. People didn’t like hearing the truth.
“Shari’s old Ford truck is in the garage. It didn’t start earlier. I’ll have to install a fresh battery after I eat,” Zac said.
“The rebuilt starter you installed is a dud,” Ella said, surprising everyone. “It only works sometimes.”
Zac wondered how Ella had known it was a rebuilt starter. “Well, I don’t have a spare.”
“If you can’t get the truck to start, just hit the starter with a hammer or something. That usually works,” Ella said.
“Thanks for the tip,” Zac said.
“Say, Luther, you want to help me tinker with the pickup? Between the two of us we ought to be able to get it running,” Dean said.
“Do you have tools?” Luther asked.
“The basement is stocked with tools, batteries, and supplies,” Zac said.
Stop talking. And leave, Twila yelled at them in her mind. It always took adults sooo long to get ready. She would just leave. Mommy always had her go-bag ready. “It will be too late,” Twila burst out.
All eyes turned to her.
Ella cleared her throat. “I know Twila’s a child. But, she knows—things,” Ella whispered. “She’s a Starseed.”
“You’re not supposed to say it out loud,” Twila scolded.
“So sorry, but the guys don’t understand what we know,” Ella said sweetly.
“Folks, I’ve got a nagging hunch Twila’s an integral part of the equation,” Dean said. “Let’s give her the floor. What do you want to say?” Dean looked deep into her eyes.
Twila took a long, deep breath. “They put me on this planet, at this time to heal the sick ones.” Oopsy, that got a bunch of blank stares. I have to explain it like they are six-year-olds, and I’m the adult.
“Out of curiosity, how do you plan on healing them?” Dean asked. He was only being nice. But a part of him did believe.
Why did he have to ask such a hard question? She didn’t know how. Yet. “The Silver Lady said I would have more time. I’m not ready. I can’t heal the bad ones or good ones yet.”
“Why not?” Zac asked.
“ ’Cause something went wrong. Something scary-bad. They think Mommy’s the Healer. But it’s supposed to be me.”
“The good ones and bad ones. Are you talking about the regular slow-poke zombs and the X-strains?” Zac asked.
Finally, someone understood. “Yes! Yes! See, in the beginning, me and all the Starseeds and Lightworkers,” Twila whispered, “were supposed to heal the ones who caught the Super Summer flu. But the Ancient Ones figured out our Grand Plan to Save Hu-manity. And they sent evil spies to find us.” Twila looked around the room. “And destroy us!”
“Like Father Jacob finding all the pregnant women,” Ella interrupted. “He thought he had been doing God’s plan. When he found out he was working for the other side, he sacrificed his life for my baby and me,” Ella said with tears twinkling her eyes like stardust.
“Then you killed baby Miguel!” Twila glared at Justin. She had never been able to release her resentment for Justin.
Justin’s vivid aura flashed and then turned murky. She saw the hurt eating at him. She relived his moment of pain. The ugliest pain ever, when he released baby Miguel’s tormented soul. Mommy had healed Justin’s pain before, but his hurt always came back because he couldn’t forgive himself for the monstrous thing he had done that day. Twila didn’t think she could ever forgive him even though she wasn’t supposed to hold on to resentment, anger, and hate, the ugly parts of humans.
Ella clutched her burning heart. It turned from bright pink to a dull gray. Ella jumped up from the chair and knocked over her water glass. She darted to the kitchen, holding her tummy. Justin ran after her.
“I’m sorry.” Twila’s throat went scratchy. She never said the right things. She needed Mommy, Shari, and the Silver Lady. They understood her. She didn’t mean to be bad.
“Alrighty then—” Dean started to say something.
A banging at the lodge’s front door brought everyone to their feet except her. Their guns came out. They were scared. “He just wants to sell you food,” Twila said, crossing her eyes.
Zac peered into her. Was he seeing the truth yet? The kundalini awakening should make him understand. “Believe . . .” Twila whispered into his mind.
Ella yelled from the kitchen, “Oh yeah, Shari receives weekly deliveries from, uh—” Ella couldn’t remember.
“Roberts,” Twila said.
“Basement.” Dean pointed to the basement door.
Justin helped Ella down the stairs. Mindy and the baby went next. Twila pretended to follow. She stopped when the men left the dining room. She stood out of sight, listening.
“The sign says we’re closed,” Zac yelled from the other side of the door.
“Got Shari’s delivery,” the man shouted back.
“Your name?” Zac yelled.
“Roberts. Is Shotgun Shari here?”
Zac and Luther went outside. Dean saw her peeking from around the corner. His stern look warned she had better go to the basement before she was in big trouble.
Twila ran down the basement stairs and straight into Ella’s arms. “I’m sorry I made you sad.”
Ella led her over to the far end of the basement. “We must never speak of that day,” Ella whispered. “The pain of losing baby Miguel still stabs my heart. When I think of him dying in such a godless way—I want to die.”
Tears gushed down her cheeks. “I
’m very, very sorry,” Twila sobbed.
“I know, honey. But you hurt Justin, too. We all struggle with our own traumas, pains, and fears. Regrets. Remember what Shari said? Only use your gifts for the greater good.”
Ella hugged her. Her forgiving-light energy told her Ella still loved her, but for some reason, Twila could not take away Ella’s pain this time. Everything was too much. She needed Mommy.
Justin watched them hugging. Did he hate her? To Twila’s surprise, he joined their hug. “I didn’t want to. I couldn’t let our son live like that.” Tears glittered in the corners of his pretty slanted eyes.
During their soul-bonding hug, Twila abruptly realized how much Justin had loved baby Miguel. She should only hate herself, not him. She should have been able to heal baby Miguel. Ooh, I need to hurry and grow up so I can follow my Soul Mission.
The basement door opened. “All clear,” Dean announced.
Everyone hurried up the stairs. Luther and Zac set down crates of food on the dining table. “I told you it was the food man,” she shouted internally to Zac.
Zac turned to her. “Look, I’ll leave right now if we can get the truck started. Can you send your mother a message?”
“Mommy’s blocking me. I can’t see her. She doesn’t want them to see me on the outer-realms.”
“What do you see?” Zac asked firmly.
“Something very, very important is about to happen. And . . .” Ooh, how can I make him understand? “The bad ones are digging their way to her this very second. They want to consume her lifeforce!”
Zac flinched. “I love that woman so much it hurts. I mean, it actually hurts when I imagine my life without her.”
“Wait—why haven’t they eaten Scarlett?” Justin blurted.
“These ones want her to be their very own queen. And then I’ll never see Mommy again,” Twila said, getting the shivers. “Ooh, please bring Mommy back before they turn her into one of them,” she wailed.
Zac grabbed her shoulders and looked into her. “I will, so help me if there is still a god left, I will do everything in my power to save her.”
“Then you must leave this very second! Mommy has the magical tea. They are having a very, very special tea party soon.” Twila thought hard. “I think you can save her right after they drink the tea.”
Only The Dead Don't Die (Book 3): Last State Page 30
