“A smile comes to my lips.
“Just then, the alert goes off on my scanner. There’s an enclave of humans nearby. My smile grows bigger. Time to get back to work.”
“What do you think?” said Graham. “In the next chapter, he’s going to meet up with another hunter, and they become partners.”
“It’s good,” said Eli, drumming softly on his legs. He couldn’t quite look at Graham as he said it. “I could really picture it.” The images lingered, and his pulse had quickened.
“Yeah. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Riding across the land, making it ours?”
“It would be sad, though, right?”
“Why?”
Eli hesitated. “Just having everybody be dead.”
“Oh.” Graham closed the notebook. “I don’t know. That’s not really the point. I mean, I wrote it for us, but if you think it’s stupid…”
“No, I just said I liked it. You’re a good writer.”
Graham shrugged. “Whatever.”
“No, really. It was cool.” Eli checked his phone. “We should go.”
“Right.” Graham perked up, balling the paper scraps and shoving them into his pocket. “We need to get there before my mom gets home. I have something even better to show you!”
They crawled to the trapdoor, got their backpacks, and headed down. The drama club was spread out onstage, rehearsing a scene. They left the auditorium and pushed through the double glass doors that led outside. The sky was heavy with clouds. Eli couldn’t help scanning the area: that triangular corner where kids often smoked, the bushes by the stairs to the front entrance, that nearly vacant parking lot.
Don’t be foolish. When I come, I won’t be this obvious.
His phone buzzed. It was Maya: Are you around for Tech Squad? I have rehearsal. Meet up after?
No sorry. I’m going to Graham’s.
Boo.
“Who you texting?” Graham asked.
“Just my sister.”
“You’re quiet today, even for you.”
Sorry. “I don’t like people knowing what the house looked like.” He’d actually been thinking about Graham’s story, but for some reason it had also made him picture Gabriel’s house.
“Why not?”
It makes me feel weak. “It makes me feel weak.”
“Oh, no way,” said Graham. “I think it’s the opposite. Do you know how many other people would have died in that place, or blown themselves up in that mall? That’s why I called the character in my story Jacob. If the Trax ever came to Earth, you’d definitely be one of the worthy. You’re, like, the strongest kid I know.”
Eli looked up.
Graham smiled and brushed his hair out of his eyes. “It’s true. You proved it. Most of us never get that chance. Well, not that you wanted that kind of chance, but you are. Strong.”
Thanks. Could he really see himself that way? Graham wasn’t the first to tell him he’d been strong to survive, but coming from adults, it had always sounded like something out of a book.
They reached Pearson’s car, idling by the bench, and got in.
“Sorry we’re late,” said Eli as he took his afternoon pills.
“Good to see you, Detective,” said Graham. He flashed that smile he always put on for adults.
“Nice to see you too, Graham.” Pearson pulled away from the curb, glanced at Eli in the rearview mirror. “So…how did it go today?”
“Okay. It, um…”
“Detective,” said Graham, “I saw the reports about you finding Gabriel’s house. Are there any clues yet about his whereabouts?”
“Well, first off, his name is Stephen, and even if there were, I couldn’t share them with you. We’re still analyzing the house, and we’re getting the suspect’s picture and information out there, so we hope it will only be a matter of time now.”
“Is there going to be, like, a nationwide manhunt?” Graham asked.
“Essentially there already is,” said Pearson, “and has been, this last year. But these things don’t work quite like you see on TV. It’s a slow, thorough process.”
“I heard this guy on the news saying that now that you knew his identity, it might make him desperate and he might try to blow himself up or kidnap another kid or something. Or he might even come after Eli.”
Eli’s insides burned.
Pearson eyed Graham in the mirror. “People on the news are entitled to their wild speculation, but I can assure you that’s not the case.”
Eli lowered his window, his face in the breeze. Cool damp air, my hair blowing around, the whoosh as other cars pass…Good things for a list with Maya.
“What’s your policy on the suspect?” Graham asked. “Is it, like, shoot on sight?”
“That would never be our policy. We are still in the business of building a case, making an arrest, and having a trial.”
“Hmm,” said Graham. “Suit yourself, I guess.”
Eli saw Pearson frown.
“How was Maya doing today?” she asked.
“Fine, I think.” Don’t bring her up!
“You guys keep tabs on her too?” Graham asked.
“I was just referring to Saturday,” said Pearson. “It was hard on everyone. I thought I might check in on her tonight.”
Eli felt Graham looking at him and couldn’t quite meet his gaze. “She came with us,” he admitted.
“You brought her to the house? Like, to look at evidence?”
“Kinda.”
“It was nice of her to come,” said Pearson. “Very supportive.”
“Huh.” Graham shifted and looked out the window.
It’s not a big deal. Except Eli had known it would be.
When they arrived, Graham got out of the car and headed straight for the door without saying goodbye.
“What are you guys up to this afternoon?” Pearson asked.
“Just hanging out, I think,” said Eli. A wave of adrenaline crested inside him. Just stay calm. She has no idea. He was so close, couldn’t blow it now.
Pearson looked at the house. Graham had already gone inside and left the door open. “Sorry if I made things awkward by mentioning Maya,” she said. “Graham seems like he’s pretty sensitive.”
“Yeah,” said Eli.
“And it’s all right? Spending time with him?”
Eli wondered why she was asking. “Yeah. He’s a good friend.”
Pearson watched the door for another moment. Eli wanted to shout at her: Go! Finally, she pointed up the street. “Jennings and Hart are here. They’ll take you home at five. Have fun.”
“Okay, bye.” Eli walked up to the house. Checked the high hedge at the corner of the yard, the sidewalk in both directions, the car up the street, watching him. Their bait, hoping he’d attract a fish from the deep.
Still too obvious. When you least expect it.
No. I’ll be ready.
The front door was open, the kitchen silent. He heard a thumping sound and went downstairs to the basement. Found Graham coming out of the guest bedroom, struggling to carry a large, circular mirror.
“What’s that for?”
Graham knelt on the couch and thrust the mirror up against the wall behind it, balancing it on the back of the couch. It slipped a little, catching his finger.
“Fuck!”
Do you want some help?
“I got it.” Graham adjusted the mirror and stepped back, breathing hard and checking himself out in it, then brushed by Eli out of the room again. When he came back, he was attaching his phone to the end of a selfie stick.
“Is this what you were going to show me?”
Graham shoved the coffee table toward the TV, then stood in the middle of the room facing the mirror, holding the stick toward it. “Yeah,” he said. “I m
ean, if you don’t want to see it, you can leave. I don’t care. I have a lot to do.”
“No, I do.”
“Fine.”
Graham grabbed the standing lamp beside the couch. He positioned it at a triangle with himself and the mirror, then twisted the lampshade to angle the light toward the mirror. The reflected glare hit him in the face. He pulled a pair of black sunglasses from his back pocket and slipped them on.
“You know,” he said, “I’m not sure I believe your detective.”
Why not?
“If Gabriel spent all that time working on you, training you, it seems weird that he’d just give up on you and run away.”
Stephen, not Gabriel. He’s just a man. “What do you mean?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? That he’s waiting for your anniversary?”
Yes. “I don’t know.” But the very same thought had been on his mind. One of the reasons he was so anxious to get here this afternoon, why his heart was hammering now.
Graham shrugged. “That date was probably important to him. And the anniversary makes it double significant. If I were him, that’s when I’d come after you and Maya the hero, but who knows? Maybe he won’t. Or maybe he grabbed another kid and is gonna blow them up.”
The red dark when he blinked. Eli looked at his finger, the roll of paper there. Rubbed his other finger against it. You got this.
Graham’s hand fell on his shoulder. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
“It’s okay.”
“And don’t worry, I don’t care that you brought Maya to the house on Saturday. I get it. But you did see the picture of her that’s been going around, right?”
“What about it?”
“Just…yikes.” He shrugged. “Then again, give a mutt like that any attention at this point, and she’ll do whatever you want. That’s actually not a bad angle.”
Angle? What was he talking about?
“Here. The show’s almost ready. Have a seat.” Graham put the selfie stick down, motioned to the couch, and then jogged up the stairs.
Eli sat. His heart racing. His lungs felt thick and heavy, made of metal. Anniversary. The mask against his face, the weight of the bottles strapped to him, the warm, sweat-slicked metal of the bomb trigger in his hand. Gabriel’s fingers on his neck…He blinked and saw the hidden room, the cot, the pail.
Of course I’m coming back. We belong together.
“Okay.” Graham returned holding a large blue-and-silver plastic microphone. “Check this out.” He held up the mic. “Welcome to your destruction.” It made his voice low and distorted and monsterlike. “You want some now, you—” The electronic voice cut out. Graham frowned and shook the microphone. “I got it at Value Village. Only problem is the batteries run out super-fast. But I have more.” He disappeared again and came back with a small screwdriver and a handful of AAs. He knelt and started unscrewing the panel on the side of the microphone. “Has one of those stupid childproof covers. This will just take a sec.”
Now! Go now! Eli dragged himself to his feet. His lead arms. His steel lungs. His red thoughts. “I’m gonna use the bathroom. Should I get us Cokes?”
“Yeah, totally. I put the rum behind the couch, as is tradition.”
Eli headed upstairs. Reached the bathroom door and swallowed hard.
Stay focused! Can’t mess this up.
He closed the door without going in. Slid off his sneakers. Crossed the hall and started up the wooden stairs on his tiptoes.
The blinds were down in Jules’s room, the shadows deep. Eli opened the closet, carefully undid the latches on the trunk…
The cool steel of the gun. The weight of its potential. It immediately calmed him, and yet he could still feel his heart racing.
We’ll be safe now.
He checked the safety, left the holster behind—too thick—then stood and slipped the gun into his pants. Pulled his hoodie down as far as it would go.
“Did you bomb out my bathroom or what?” Graham asked when Eli returned to the basement.
“Sorry.” Eli tossed a Coke can to Graham, but with his anxious energy he threw it too hard.
“Whoa!” Graham fumbled the catch and dropped it. “Sheesh, settle down, killer.” He picked it up. “Fire in the hole!” Popped it open and it sprayed onto his shirt and the floor. Held the bottom of the can to his mouth, the foam dribbling in.
Eli sat back down on the couch. Slowly, feeling the unyielding press of the gun inside his belt. The point digging into his abdomen. One hand in his hoodie pocket to make sure it was covered.
Graham unleashed a long burp, rolling his head in a circle. “Allll righty then, I think we’re good.” He put down the can and unfolded a piece of paper from his back pocket. Laid it on the floor just in front of him. Eli saw that it was full of writing.
Graham stood and slipped on the sunglasses. He faced the mirror, bathed in the glare of the lamp, selfie stick in one hand, kids’ microphone in the other. “I can’t wait for you to see this, at long last. Ready?”
Eli nodded. For what?
“Greetings!” he boomed into the mic. “Oh…recording didn’t start.” He tapped the phone and held it back out. “Greetings, losers, sinners, the meek and mundane.” Graham grinned as he spoke, his voice warbled and twisted by the microphone. “That’s right, he’s back, your judge, jury, and executioner, the one who sees you in all your wretched misery, who listens to your incessant whining and knows what you all really yearn for…the peace and wisdom of death. And also my cock.”
He laughed: a low chuckle. “Well, don’t worry, jocks and bitches, the Alpha has a promise for you.”
Eli stiffened. Glanced worriedly at the window, as if someone might be watching.
“You’ve all been wondering when I’ll have my say,” Graham continued. “You’ve lit up my account with your horny eyes. You’re all desperate for me to reveal my big plan. When I’m going to decree silence upon your miserable lives. When I’m going to enroll you all in STFU University. Get it?” He sighed. “Probably not. Well, you’re not worth it, but what the hell, I’m going to tell you anyway. Here’s the big announcement. Ahem! I’ve decided on a date for your salvation, for my retribution, and it couldn’t be more perfect. Because this world needs saving from the Barons”—his eyes flashed at Eli—“from their greedy and corrupt system. You’re all sad little sheep, and that’s why I’m going to free you, because it’s not even your fault. You didn’t ask to be born as whining little consumers, swimming around in fashion and popularity and hate and jealousy, unable to admit your despair, to understand the true purpose.
“So, Elliott High, I declare that the date is close at hand. We’re going to shut you up and set you free, so very soon, on the same day that you were almost saved last time. Have you figured it out yet? I hope not. That would spoil the big surprise. Then again, I don’t expect you to be the thinking types. If you are, maybe you’ll be one of the chosen who survive the fall. Who help me rebuild on the other side. See you soon, sheep. Oh so very soon. Until then, remember: I’m in the corner of your eye, I’m the shiver in your spine. That fear you feel? It’s real. It’s me.”
Graham chuckled again, a thin smile on his lips. Then he stopped recording. Sighed and took off the sunglasses. He was breathing hard, his face red. Dropped the mic and grabbed his Coke. After a big swig: “What did you think?”
Eli’s heart hammered. His hand was pressing the gun into his abdomen so hard that it hurt. “You’re the Alpha.”
Graham bowed. “In the flesh. I’ve been waiting to share that with you forever! I think that was my best one yet. We’ll see if it gets any more views. My first post got over five thousand, but the last few have been going down.” His face fell. “But now that I’ve got a date, that should get people’s attention.”
“You talked about the Barons,” sa
id Eli. “And the Purpose.”
Graham shrugged. “Was that cool? I thought it was such good material. I mean, just the parts that are true. Your Gabriel was a sick fuck, but you have to admit some of that stuff is right on the mark. Visionaries are usually pretty tortured. But if you think about it, on principle, blowing some shit up definitely seems like a reasonable solution these days. How else can you change anyone’s minds? It’s cool too, because if people Google that stuff, it will connect back to the mall case and that will freak them out, you know?”
I know. There was a metallic taste in his mouth. A wide expanse in his head, like he was floating in space, up and down getting confused. You should say something. But what? And why? Graham wasn’t really serious. He sounds serious. But this was important to him. He sounds like Gabriel. But he wasn’t. They were just videos. They weren’t real.
Graham was busy tapping his phone.
“You’re really going to post that?” Eli asked.
“Not from here, are you crazy? Didn’t you see that email the school sent home?”
“My mom mentioned it. She didn’t think it was a good idea for me to watch the videos. I’ve only seen the one you showed me…and today.”
“That’s okay,” said Graham. “I had to watch one with my parents! Talk about awkward. Anyway, the Feds could trace the IP address, so I need to post from somewhere anonymous. I’m going to take this over to the Broadview library. Someone always forgets to log out of a computer. Then I’ll upload it from there so it’s clean. I do a different library each time. You want to come with me?”
“I don’t know….” Say something! Eli thought, except at the same time: Keep quiet! Questioning the plan is weakness! No. He struggled on. “I mean, I’ve heard kids at school. They think the Alpha might be real.”
“I am real,” said Graham.
“No, I know, but I mean, like, serious. Like seriously going to attack the school or something.”
“Well, that’s what people are supposed to think.” He gulped down the last of his soda and held out the camera, the video playing. “See, it looks cool, doesn’t it? Totally stealth.”
The shot was mostly washed out in the lamp, but then there was this silhouette of Graham, distorted by light and glass.
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