Turn Back Time

by Stacy Claflin

  Lottie stumbled over a rock. The ground came at her before she had time to react. Four hands grabbed her and pulled her up.

  The older woman scowled at her. “You need to be more careful. If you dirty your clothes, you must go through the cleaning ritual again.”

  “I couldn’t help it.” Between the eye slit and the shapeless, long robe, she had no way of seeing the ground below.

  “Well, you’d better figure out how.” She squeezed Lottie’s arm and yanked her forward. “We need to hurry. If we don’t reach the fence by the time it’s fully dark, we’ll all be forced to sleep outside the wall.”

  Lottie glanced up. Stars were already appearing in the sky. “How much farther?”

  “Stop talking,” she snapped.

  “I’m not going to do anything to get you in trouble. I’m well aware of Jonah’s rules.”

  “Then be quiet!”

  Lottie took a deep breath and lowered her gaze to the ground, keeping a lookout for anything that might trip her up. After about a half an hour, the enormous fence came into view. Her mouth gaped. It was nearly ten feet tall and black, like it had been covered in tar. Spikes loomed at the top of each thick post.

  Was it larger than before, or did it seem more intimidating now that she wasn’t there of her own free will? Neither would have surprised her.

  They walked in silence until they reached the large structure. Rustling and muffled conversation sounded from the other side.

  Lottie’s heart thundered against her chest. She was about to enter, never to leave again. Everything in her screamed to run. She would have, too, if she thought she stood a chance of getting away. But armed guards patrolled the periphery, and the older woman had taken the knife out from the folds of her robe and pointed it toward Lottie.

  One wrong move, and she’d be dead. Maybe that would be for the best—if Jonah was planning to put her on trial, who knew what torture he had in mind? He’d had over ten years to think of new ideas while he sat inside a jail cell. No doubt he blamed Lottie because her son had been one of the ringleaders in what had happened that fateful night.

  She shuddered at the thought. Hopefully no one knew where he and Macy lived.

  “Open the gate!” shouted the older woman. She squeezed Lottie’s arm. “It is Mary and Ruth! We have the prisoner, Lois.”

  Lottie’s stomach twisted at hearing the name Jonah had given her so many years earlier.

  “And James and Asher!” shouted a man from right behind them.

  Lottie’s heart felt like it would burst through her chest.

  A loud squeaking sounded before the gate in front of them groaned in protest as it slowly opened.

  Tired

  A crashing noise woke Macy. She sat up, trying to figure out where she was and what had just happened. It took a moment to realize she was on the couch in her living room. Her cell phone had just fallen on some empty glasses and plates on the floor. Luke sat at the desk in front of his laptop.

  She picked up her phone and wiped it off. The screen showed it was close to eleven. She rubbed her sore neck and rose to her feet. “Maybe we should go to bed, babe.”

  Luke didn’t respond.

  “We’re not going to be able to help find her if we’re too exhausted to function.”

  He still didn’t say anything.

  She picked up the plates and glasses from the floor and headed for the kitchen. That’s when she realized he was sleeping on the keyboard. Macy took the stuff and put it in the kitchen sink before returning to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and rubbed. “We should go to bed.”

  Luke sat up. “What? What’s going on?”

  She continued massaging. “It’d be more comfortable to sleep in the bed. Come on.”

  “No, I need to post about her disappearance on more sites.”

  “There are hundreds, and you’ve already fallen asleep at the desk. We can do this in the morning.”

  “That’s valuable time lost,” he snapped. “I have to do this now.”

  “A lot of people have gotten the word out. It was even on the news. Those missing person forums are all filled with people looking for their own loved ones.”

  “Someone could’ve seen her. I need to post the flier on as many sites as possible.”

  “I’ll help you in the morning. We’ll work twice as fast after getting rest.”

  “I don’t care about rest.” His eyes narrowed. “Get some if you want. I’m going to do everything I can to find her.”

  Macy bit her tongue. He wasn’t usually so short with her—not that she could blame him. “I’d help you now, but I can’t stay awake.”

  “Great.” He turned back to the laptop and started typing.

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “You, too.”

  She sighed and went into the bedroom, not bothering to change out of her clothes. The bed seemed empty without Luke. Her eyelids were heavy, but her mind wouldn’t slow down. She tossed and turned for a while before sitting up. She needed to talk to Luke.

  He was sleeping at the desk again. She sighed. Maybe it was best that she let him sleep there since he wouldn’t go to the bedroom. She grabbed a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders. He didn’t even stir.

  Macy went back to bed, but still couldn’t sleep. Between thoughts of Lottie and being alone in the bed, she just couldn’t relax. Maybe a walk around the neighborhood would help. Fresh, chilly air and some exercise ought to be enough to push her to exhaustion.

  She took several fliers just in case she ran into anyone, folded them, and slid them into her coat pocket. On her way out, she kissed Luke’s forehead and whispered, “I really do love you. We’ve been through so much together, we’ll get through this, as well.”

  His eyelids fluttered, but he didn’t wake.

  Macy kissed him again, and then went outside. The cold night air clung to her in a way it only did after a good rain. She zipped her jacket, stuck her hands in her pockets, and headed down the dark street. Clouds blocked the moon and most of the stars, only showing a few patches here and there. The scattered streetlights didn’t illuminate much.

  Everything was quiet, other than the soft sloshing sounds of her sneakers on the wet pavement. Macy glanced up at the night sky and wondered where Lottie was, and if she was looking at the same stars. Her chest felt tight. Would she ever see her sweet mother-in-law again? The woman would sell everything she had to help others—she didn’t deserve anything bad happening to her.

  Hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It felt like someone was watching her.

  Scrape, scrape.

  Macy froze in her tracks and spun around. Nothing looked out of place. She studied the yards and driveways on both sides of the street before turning around and walking again.

  Scrrrape.

  Her heart raced, but she kept going, picking up her pace. She glanced over her shoulder, still not seeing anything or anyone. Maybe it was just a dog in someone’s backyard. Or kids sneaking out, up to no good—that had to be it. That’s what kids did. Macy should know. That’s how she wound up getting abducted.

  She sped up and turned down the next block. Now she was halfway home either way she went, and she didn’t want to head in the direction of the noise.

  A crow cawed overhead on a power line. Macy jumped and chastised herself. It was just a bird. She quickened her steps again, now only three blocks until she made it back home.

  Scrape.

  Her breath caught. Maybe it was only her imagination. She stood taller and increased her stride again—any more, and she’d be jogging.

  Two more blocks. She turned down the next road and prepared to scream as loud as possible if need be. At the end of that block, she turned again. Her house was in view.

  Scrape, scrape.

  Gasping for air, she broke into a run. She slid on a puddle, but caught her balance, and kept going. Four more houses. Three.

  Caw! Caw!

  Two more houses. She wa
s almost there, and she was in a full run. She cut across her next door neighbor’s lawn and made it to her own yard. She reached into her pocket and found her keys. With the push of a button, she unlocked her car and then jumped in, locking the doors.

  Macy started the car and pulled out her phone. There was no way she was going to fall asleep now, so she called her brother.

  “Is everything okay?” he answered.

  “Meet me at that coffeehouse that stays open late on Thirty-Third. You know the one?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

  Coincidences

  Alex set down his mint mocha as he sat across from Macy in the back of the dim, quiet coffeehouse. She played with her cup and barely looked up at him.

  “Are you okay?” Alex slid his jacket off and rested it on the back of his chair. “You know, besides Lottie.”

  She glanced up at him, her face pale with dark circles under her eyes.

  “Did something else happen?” Worry pumped through his veins.

  Macy took a deep breath. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  “What happened?”

  “It’s probably nothing. I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk. It seemed like someone was following me, but it was probably my imagination. I’m exhausted and stressed. It’s the perfect combination for my mind to make up things that aren’t there.”

  “You went for a walk alone at night?”

  “It’s a safe neighborhood.”

  “Yeah, but still. It’s just asking for trouble.”

  “I’m not looking for a lecture from my little brother.”

  “Little? I haven’t been smaller than you since I was, what, nine or ten?”

  The corners of her mouth twitched up slightly. “Try closer to thirteen or fourteen.”

  “Tell yourself what you have to.” He sipped his hot, sweet mocha.

  “It’s kind of nice teasing each other. Makes things feel a little more normal.”

  “Always happy to help.” Alex took another long swig, allowing the liquid to warm him. “How are you holding up? You look like you could use some sleep. No offense.”

  She sighed and sipped from her cup. “I tried.”

  “Maybe don’t drink covfefe.”

  Macy laughed and pushed the mug forward to show him the yellowish drink. “It’s lemon chamomile tea.”

  He grimaced. “I’ve never known how you could drink that stuff.”

  Silence sat between them.

  “How’s Luke holding up?” Alex asked.

  His sister frowned. “Not well, but what else can we expect? Lottie’s gone without a trace.”

  “Well, maybe this’ll help.”

  Macy’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I was just at the Meriwether, asking questions.”

  “The apartment complex Luke heard about at the shelter?”

  Alex nodded. “There’s another missing guy, and he lives there, so I thought I’d check it out.”

  “You should’ve told the police.”

  “You think I didn’t try? Nick’s number went straight to voicemail. I’m gonna call him later, but I wanted to look around myself.”

  “Why didn’t you leave a message?”

  “Because I wanted to check things out myself.”

  “He’s a cop, Alex.”

  “I had to do something, and leaving a message wouldn’t help. He’ll see my missed call.”

  Macy paused, reached across the table, and squeezed his hand. “I guess I get that. It wasn’t dangerous, was it? I mean, two people are missing from there.”

  “You’re asking me about dangerous? You went walking alone in the dark when people are being abducted left and right.”

  “Not in my neighborhood.” They stared each other down until Macy spoke again. “Was it dangerous?”

  Alex gritted his teeth. “I wouldn’t want you going there alone, but I was fine. The—”

  “Did you find anything out? You said you knew something that would help.”

  “Something that might help. I talked to everyone I came across, and some of them talked my ear off. Anyway, one woman said she’d seen Luke’s mom bringing groceries to one family every week or two for a while.”

  Macy’s mouth gaped. “She knew it was Lottie?”

  “Yeah. I showed her the flier and got a positive ID.”

  “But Lottie never told us she’d been going there.”

  “Maybe it didn’t seem like a big deal.”

  “But nobody saw her get taken?” Macy held Alex’s gaze.

  He shook his head. “Nobody I talked to. Only the one person even knew she stopped by. One other person thought he saw her leaving earlier in the week, but he wasn’t a hundred percent sure. Not that I’d trust his judgment, anyway. The dude was stoned out of his mind.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes. “Do you want to head home?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not going to be able to sleep.”

  “What if I follow you there, and make sure you get inside safely? Would that help?”

  “Maybe.” She seemed to want to say more.

  Alex hesitated to ask, but did anyway. “Is everything okay between you and Luke?”

  Tears shone in her eyes. “It’s just hard, you know?”

  He put his hand on top of hers. “I know all too well how hard it is.”

  She nodded. “You definitely do.”

  “You guys have to fight to stay together. This stuff can tear couples apart. When you were gone, I thought for sure Mom and Dad would split.”

  Macy gave him a double-take. “What?”

  “Obviously, they didn’t, but it wouldn’t have surprised me.”

  She looked like she was going to be sick.

  “You and Luke are strong like them. You’ll make it. The two of you, you have history. This’ll make you stronger. Not like Zoey and Kellen—they were doomed from the start.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so.” He gave her the most reassuring expression he could muster.

  She pulled her gaze away and sipped from her mug again. “What about you and Zoey?”

  The question shocked him. “What do you mean?”

  “You guys seemed like you were close before, but now… it’s different.”

  Alex sighed. He didn’t feel like getting into that—not even with Macy. Zoey deserved more than he could give her, and it would take time before he was able to get on his own two feet. “I’m going to call Nick again.”

  This time the captain actually answered. “Alex?”

  “I found someone who thinks he saw Lottie around the time she disappeared.”

  Shuffling sounded in the background. “Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single detail.”

  Alex told him everything he’d just told Macy about the two people who’d seen Lottie at the Meriwether.

  “Where did you say you went?” Nick asked.

  “The Meriwether apartments.”

  “That’s right. Luke mentioned them—and I have another missing person from there. An eighteen-year-old.”

  “A third person?” Alex exclaimed. “What does it mean?”

  “Third?” Nick demanded. “Who else?”

  “Someone contacted me to put it on my blog about her missing boyfriend.”

  “Email me what you’ve got. I’m heading over there now. And Alex?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Let us handle this from here on out.”

  “Right.”

  “I’m serious. We don’t know what we’re dealing with. It could be dangerous.”

  “Okay.” Alex had no intention of backing away. Not with three missing people who were all connected to the Meriwether. It was too much to be a coincidence. Way too much.

  Plotting

  Early morning light poked through some of the beams in the chilly meeting room. Though the building was new—everything was—little particles of dust danced around in the slender rays of light. A mist also moved around amongst the
air.

  Jonah tapped his thick fingers on the newly stained and polished table as he looked around at the other robed men. “We need to have someone re-tar the outside of this building.”

  “Consider it done,” Isaac said. “I’ll make sure it’s fixed by lunchtime.”

  “Good. All the people sleeping outside the wall can come inside once we adjourn this meeting.”

  “I’ll see to it,” Abraham said.

  “Make sure the prisoners receive water and nothing else.”

  “Already did.” Asher gave a quick nod.

  “About Chester and Elijah…”

  Isaac leaned forward. “Chester is still in the world’s jail, with no chance of parole. Elijah has left his worldly life and is making his way here.”

  “And Chester? No chance of parole?” Jonah narrowed his eyes, staring down the younger man.

  “H-he’s still locked up with no chance of parole.” Isaac cleared his throat. “He has those extra charges, Great High Prophet.”

  Jonah clenched his jaw. “Right. He failed to mention those before joining. It’s no matter. We’ll get him out. The trials cannot start without him. Not that we have all of the rebels yet. We need the rest of them, as well.”

  “It will all come together, Great High Prophet.” Abraham gave him a reassuring nod. “We just need patience—and you have more than anyone I know.”

  “True. We’re going to have to think outside the box to get him and find the rest of the rebels.”

  Isaac cleared his throat. “Great High Prophet.”

  “What?” Jonah snapped his attention to the younger adviser.

  “I know someone on the inside.”

  “We all do.”

  “Someone with connections. He might be able to help us with Chester.”

  Jonah rapped his nails on the table. “In maximum security?”

  “You said to think outside the box, right?”

  “Yes. What are you thinking?”

  “I’m not entirely sure yet, Great High Prophet. But the guy I know—he’s not afraid to bend rules.”

  Jonah nodded, deep in thought. “We do need the help of those who don’t respect the false authority of the outside world. Next time you go out to find more of our rebels, you’ll reach out to your contact?”