Turn Back Time

by Stacy Claflin

“I am,” Nick assured him. “Chester Woodran is not getting out of that prison. You have my word.”

  Alex suddenly felt like Ariana wanting reassurance that she could do the math problems—only this bet had far graver consequences than long division. And the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach didn’t help ease his worries.

  “I’ve got to go, Alex. I’ll let you know when Chester’s there.”

  “Just for the record—I have a bad feeling about this. It’s not just that I hate the idea. I really and truly feel like this isn’t going to end well. We’re all going to regret this decision.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence. You’ll be singing a different tune once we have a lead that directs us to the cult’s new location.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it. Call me.”

  “Will do.” The call ended.

  Alex swore. He wished he could believe his friend, but the gnawing feeling in his gut only grew worse. He’d long ago learned to trust that instinct. Something was going to go terribly wrong. If Chester didn’t escape the lower-security prison, then something else would happen. Alex would’ve staked his life on it.

  He got up and paced, his mind racing. Macy. He needed to call her. She deserved to know what was going on.

  Alex grabbed his phone and called his sister. It went straight to voicemail. Alex swore again. He ended the call and redialed. Straight to voicemail.

  “Answer, would you!” He called her again. Voicemail. Alex released a string of profanities as he gave it one last go. He got her message again. This time, he waited for the beep. “Macy, listen to me. This is important. Like, seriously the most important thing I’ve ever said to you. Do not, I repeat, do not go anywhere alone. Chester’s being transferred as we speak. That psychotic cult is already after you—we know that—but I’m extra worried now. This might be a sign for them to act. I don’t know. They’re not going to let Chester talk, or if he does, they’re going to be furious. Just be careful. Please.”

  He ended the call and paced some more, pulling on his hair. There had to be something he could do. Leaving a message wasn’t good enough.

  Luke. He had to call him. Maybe he knew where Macy was. She might even be with him.

  Alex called his brother-in-law.

  “Is everything okay, Alex?”

  “No. Is Macy with you?”

  “She’s at work. I’m at work. So, no. Why?”

  “I can’t reach her.”

  “What’s going on?” Luke demanded. “You’re worrying me.”

  “Chester’s being transferred to a closer and less secure prison right now.”

  “What?”

  “Exactly.”

  Silence screamed between them.

  “Does Macy know?” Luke finally asked.

  “Her phone is going straight to voicemail!”

  “Let me try. Then I’ll get back to you.”

  “Thanks.” Alex ended the call.

  Knock, knock. Knockety-knock.

  He took a deep breath and opened the door. Ariana stood there, smiling with pride.

  Alex shoved aside his worry and anger and forced a smile. “Did you complete the problems?”

  “Yeah. I double-checked the answers. I think you owe me five cookies.”

  He pulled her close and held her tight.

  Unfolding

  Jonah repositioned himself behind the large, prickly bush and turned to Isaac, who now wore all-black, including a mask only providing small holes for the eyes. Jonah adjusted his own mask. “When is the truck supposed to be here?”

  “Could be five minutes, could be thirty.”

  “Great.” Jonah glared at him. “Where’s the truck that’s supposed to cause the accident?”

  “Like I told you, waiting at the convenience store down the road, listening to the scanner and waiting for the call. If one fails, the other won’t. Our bases are covered.”

  The unusually hot May sun beat down on them. “You couldn’t have picked a shadier location?”

  Isaac’s face contorted like he wanted to snap at Jonah. “You could’ve waited back at the community. In fact, you still can go back.”

  “I’m not missing this. My newest upcoming high prophet is about to rejoin us.”

  Isaac nodded and then rose, glancing at the road beyond the bushes. He remained standing.

  “Do you see something?” Jonah rose and peeked. The street was empty, but a low rumbling sounded in the distance. He arched a brow at Isaac.

  The younger prophet gave a slight nod. The noise grew louder, causing the ground to vibrate slightly.

  Excitement radiated through Jonah, starting from his belly. It was about to happen. He would get to witness the accident and then help free his second-hand man.

  The rumbling finally gave way to the sight of the armored transport vehicle. It was still far off, appearing smaller than Jonah’s fist.

  From the other direction, the sounds of multiple engines roared to life. A black van pulled out of the parking lot of the convenience store followed by a large, blue pickup truck and a gray van. If the first vehicle wasn’t enough to stop the transport, they had backup.

  “It’s really about to happen.”

  “Remember, stay back unless they call us over.”

  Jonah ignored him and watched as all the vehicles seemed to move in slow motion. He wanted to shout for them all to hurry. Patience. They hadn’t made it this far by being rash. Before he knew it, they’d be heading back to the community with the last freed prophet.

  “Down.” Isaac squatted behind the plant.

  Groaning, Jonah joined him. He moved aside branches and looked down both directions, though the vibrating ground told him all the vehicles were near.

  “It’s going to be loud,” Isaac said.

  “That much I expect.”

  The transport van was almost directly in front of them, and the other three were nearly there, also. With a sudden jerk, the black van crossed the center line. The transport van swerved and honked. Burning rubber filled the air as it skidded across the concrete. Metal crunched as the two vehicles collided.

  The two remaining cars also crossed the line, skidding to a stop. More crunching sounded as the pickup collided into the wreck. Gunfire sounded, and the front window of the armored van deformed but didn’t shatter. Two gun-bearing guards came out. One aimed his weapon at the other and shot him in the neck.

  “Now!” someone yelled.

  Isaac grabbed Jonah’s arm and yanked. “Come on!”

  Jonah scurried to his feet. Everything was a blur of yelling and people running around. The guard that had shot the other ran around to the back of the vehicle. By the time Jonah got there, the guard was already unlocking Chester’s chains.

  Once free, Chester ran over and jumped onto the concrete. “I’m a free man.”

  The guard turned to Isaac. “Someone needs to beat me.”

  “What?” Isaac stared at his friend like he was crazy.

  “The only way I’ll be able to convince them I wasn’t part of this is if I’m in bad shape.”

  Chester turned to him. “I’ll be more than happy to help.”

  The guard grimaced. “At least we’ll know it’ll look convincing. Make sure I’m still conscious.” He stared Chester down. “I still have to disengage the cameras and destroy the recordings. They’re already on their way, so hurry.”

  “My pleasure.” Chester rolled up his sleeves and stared at the guard with hungry eyes before punching him across the face. Blood spattered on the van. He hit him on the other side, then shoved him into the side of the door and wailed on his chest.

  “Remember he needs to live,” Jonah reminded the newly-freed prisoner.

  “Fine.” Chester squeezed the guard’s arms and threw him on the ground next to the road. He slid backward on the dirt and rocks. Part of his uniform tore, and the whole thing was covered in dirt and dust.

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  “Run!” The guard pu
lled himself up. “I need to get the cameras.”

  “You already disconnected them from being online, right?” Isaac asked.

  “Yes. Go!”

  Jonah exchanged a quick glance with Chester and then Isaac. They burst into a run, heading for the van that hadn’t been involved in the collision.

  Fear

  Luke ended the call after getting Macy’s voicemail for the fifth time. Maybe she was on an important call or busy with a client or a meeting. There had to be a simple explanation for why her calls were going straight to her message.

  What if there was a simple explanation, but it was because of something nefarious?

  Chills ran down his back. Something had to be wrong.

  Luke took a deep breath. He was on edge because of his mom. Macy was probably just in a meeting and didn’t want to be disturbed. He could always call the front desk at her work. Then they could set his mind at ease and he could get back to his job.

  He went to his contacts, found the number, and called. His mind was racing so much that it didn’t register when someone answered.

  “Hello? Is someone there?”

  “Sorry,” Luke said. “Is Macy there? This is Luke, her husband.”

  “Oh, hi, Luke. How are you?”

  “Okay. Is Macy there?”

  “She left for the day. Lucy said she wasn’t feeling well.”

  Macy had gone home sick without calling him? Not even a text?

  “Are you there, Luke?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  “Have a great evening.”

  “You too.” He ended the call, his stomach tightening. It wasn’t like Macy to leave work early without telling him. Could she really have been that sick to not think of letting him know? Or was she upset about Chester’s transfer?

  Or what if his transfer was a signal to the leaders to take Macy? They’d already taken Rebekah, but for some reason had left Macy alone—who Jonah and the others believed to be Chester’s daughter, Heather.

  He called her cell phone again, but as expected, it went right to voicemail. They needed a landline in their home.

  Luke gathered his things and went out to the main desk. “I need to leave early. If anyone needs me, I can work remotely.”

  The receptionist looked up from her computer. “Is everything okay?”

  “I… Let’s hope.”

  Her eyes widened. “Is it your mom?”

  Luke shook his head. “No. If Paul needs me, have him call.”

  “Sure thing, hon. I hope everything’s all right.”

  “I’m sure it is.” Luke hurried out of the building and headed to his truck. He drove straight to Macy’s work, wanting to see for himself whether she was there. But just as he’d been told, her car wasn’t in the parking lot. He pulled into a spot and called her again.

  Voicemail.

  “Where are you, Macy?”

  He called Alex.

  “Did you find her?”

  “No,” Luke said. “She’s not at work. I’m going to check at home next, and as soon as I find her, I’m having a landline put in. Have you heard more about Chester’s transfer?”

  “Not yet,” Alex grumbled. “Nick was supposed to call me, but I haven’t heard anything. It could be nothing, though. He might’ve gotten called somewhere about something else.”

  Luke raked his fingers through his hair. “Okay. If you hear anything, let me know right away.”

  “You, too. I’m really worried about Macy.”

  “That makes two of us. I’ll call you either way once I get home.”

  “I’ll see if Mom and Dad have heard from her.”

  “Good idea.” Luke ended the call and pulled out of the parking spot. As he drove home, his mind raced, trying to think of anywhere else Macy might’ve gone. Nothing came to mind.

  Luke passed a walk-in clinic and pulled into the lot. Lucy said she hadn’t been feeling well. Maybe she’d gone to see a doctor. He drove around the building, looking for her car. There were a couple similar ones, but not hers. Had she gone across town to their family doctor?

  He’d check there if she wasn’t home. His pulse raced faster with each passing minute. Finally, he made it to their neighborhood. When he neared their house, his heart sank as he saw the empty driveway. They almost never parked in the garage. But maybe she had this one time?

  Luke sent a quick prayer up, begging that Macy had parked in the garage. His worry was turning into desperation. He turned into the driveway, squealing his tires and slammed to a stop barely an inch in front of the garage. Heart pounding, he flung open the door, cut the engine, and ran to the side of the house and looked into the garage.

  No car.

  The desperation clawed at him. Luke ran to the front door and struggled to get the key in the hole. Once inside, he called for her. “Macy! Macy!” He ran through each room, finding them all empty. “Where are you?”

  Luke collapsed onto the couch and found the doctor’s number in his phone. He could barely speak a coherent sentence, but managed to find out that Macy hadn’t been in or called recently.

  His breathing grew harried. There was no way he could lose his mom and Macy. No way.

  Luke took some deep breaths and then tried Macy’s number again. Voicemail. Just as he was about to try again, the phone rang. He didn’t even look to see who it was. He just accepted the call. “What?”

  “Luke,” Alex said. “You’d better check the news.”

  Blood drained from his body. “Why?”

  “Just do it. I gotta go. You can come over here, though.” The call ended.

  Fear tore at Luke. What could be so bad that Alex wouldn’t even tell him? He reached for the remote. His hands shook, making it hard to push the right button. First, he accidentally turned on the streaming. Then he managed to switch it over to cable and find a local news station.

  A woman spoke on the screen. Behind her was a car crash and flashing lights. Police combed the scene. A ticker at the bottom read something about an escaped criminal and a botched prison transfer.

  Luke’s blood ran cold. An escaped criminal from a transfer?

  Chester.

  And Macy was nowhere to be found.

  Alone

  Scrape. Scratch. Scrrrrape.

  Macy opened her eyes. The room wasn’t much lighter than the dark behind her eyelids. She sat up, gasping for air. Where was she?

  Scrape-scrape.

  Her eyes adjusted and her gaze landed on her desk. She was in her office. On her couch.

  She leaned back and caught her breath. The events of the afternoon flooded her mind. After going to the drugstore, she’d come back and fallen asleep on the couch. That must’ve been some nap since it was now dark outside.

  Macy spun around to look out her window. All the lights were off in the main part of the building. Everyone must’ve left, thinking she was gone. Probably because she’d told Lucy she thought she was coming down with that stomach bug. Only her nausea was because she was pregnant—not from illness or anxiety.

  She rested both palms on her nearly-flat belly. It hardly seemed possible that there was a little person growing in there—someone who was half her and half Luke. Sadness washed over her. Would the baby ever get to know its Grandma Lottie?

  Macy stretched and rose from the couch. She found her purse on the floor next to the door and rifled through it, looking for her phone.

  Scrape. Scratch.

  She snapped her attention toward the outside window where she could see the shadow of the tree outside moving back and forth. It must have been pretty windy out there. Macy turned her attention back to her purse and finally realized her phone wasn’t in there.

  It had died. Hadn’t she plugged it in before going to the drugstore? She made her way over to the desk, but didn’t see her phone. She opened drawers, feeling around for it.

  Her shoe bumped into something. Macy lowered herself and felt around. Her phone. How had that gotten there? She picked it up and pressed the butt
on.

  Nothing.

  She hadn’t charged it? There was nothing she could do about that now. She’d just have to plug it in at home. Speaking of home, Luke had to be worried sick.

  Macy stuck the phone in her purse and headed out into the dim lobby. Only a few night lights along the floor helped her see where she was going. Just before going outside, she turned to punch the code into the security system. The pad was completely dark. All of the buttons should’ve been lit even if the system wasn’t set—and it should’ve been when the last person had left.

  Weird.

  She tried setting the alarm, anyway. Nothing happened. Well, it wasn’t like anyone ever bothered the building. They could have someone fix it the next day. She was too tired to deal with it then.

  Macy dug her keys out from her purse, stepped outside, and locked the door. She turned around and froze.

  The parking lot was empty. She’d parked her car in her usual spot after returning from the drugstore. Sure, she’d been feeling out of it, but she had parked there.

  What was she supposed to do now? Call Luke first, or report the theft? She reached into her purse. Just as she wrapped her fingers around the phone, she remembered it was dead.

  She’d have to go back inside and make the calls. Macy turned around. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and a chill ran down her spine.

  Slowly, she spun again and scanned the area. The parking lot was empty. Macy couldn’t see anyone, but the crawling of her skin told her someone was watching her. She was as sure of that as she was her own name.

  Macy reached into her purse for her keys and turned back for the door.

  Footsteps sounded behind her.

  She swallowed and studied the window in front of her for a reflection of whoever was there. The outline of a bald man stepped toward her.

  Her heart pounded so hard it might explode.

  Focus. Macy took a deep breath.

  The man took another step toward her. She had two options—fight or flight—and he wasn’t leaving much room for the latter choice. Macy wrapped her fingers around the key, pulled her arm out of the purse, and turned around to face the man.