Crystal Fire

by Jordan Dane

  She held him when he needed her strength—and her humanity.

  When he heard the soft sobs of her crying, he knew what plagued her heart. Lucas could’ve ended up in a jar and become nothing more than a footnote to Dr. Fiona’s data. What had started with the search for her missing brother had turned into a fight for survival and hope for a future where Indigos wouldn’t be hunted like animals, but the darkness of what they found in Dr. Fiona’s sociopathic science made him see the hopelessness of what they had naively tried to do.

  Seeing this locked room reminded Gabriel that Ward 8 was only one location. The Believers had a worldwide organization of followers and resources. What kinds of atrocities were locked away in other secret rooms? How many Dr. Fionas did they have doing God’s work?

  To stop the killing on a global scale, Gabriel considered the unthinkable—revealing to the world and law enforcement authorities what the Believers were doing to children—but the answer always came back the same. Revealing what they were would only increase the hunters looking for them. More children would die. It was a vicious cycle that had no end.

  He held Rayne tighter—his precious girl—and cradled her head to his chest, feeling like a drowning man. She was the only thing that kept him from sinking into a darkness that was slowly swallowing him.

  * * *

  After Lucas found insulated boxes marked for organ harvesting and a supply cart to wheel out what they planned to take, the guy quietly got down to the morbid business of dealing with the body parts floating in jars. Oliver watched him work, but he kept one eye on Zack’s brain. The girl helping Lucas, the one they called Kendra, stared at him but didn’t push him to help. As respectful as they were with the dead, Oliver couldn’t let anyone else touch his friend.

  “I’ll do Zack.”

  “You sure?” Lucas asked.

  “Yeah...I’m sure.”

  Lucas handed him a container and left him alone to deal with it. Oliver could’ve used rubber gloves as they had done, but with his gift, he had to touch Zack one last time. His hands shook when he reached into the jar and he almost couldn’t do it. The minute his fingers hit the cold liquid, a chill ran up his arm and the room went dark. He knew what would happen, but he had to do it for Zack.

  The instant he touched the brain, images flashed in his head to fill the darkness.

  Oliver saw how Zack died. He felt everything.

  Frantic pants turned into heaving sickness. The darkness of Zack’s death sent him into a gruesome tailspin that felt as if it would never end. He saw through Zack’s eyes and knew what it felt like to die alone and scared, at the hands of merciless people who didn’t even know his name. No one should die like that—no one.

  He heard a steady thump that ran a cold shiver through his body and shredded his nerves. Oliver listened and held his breath, not wanting the beating to end.

  Until. It. Did.

  He knew the beating had been Zack’s heart. In the shadowy darkness of his friend’s last minutes, Oliver heard a distant cry—a gut-wrenching wail. At first he thought it had been Zack. It took a while for him to realize that the cry had come from him. When his shadowy vision faded, he opened his eyes and felt the chill of tears on his face. He pulled his hand from the jar and saw the others were looking at him.

  He didn’t give a shit.

  Oliver felt belly-punched and exhausted. When the others quit staring, they left him alone, but someone had been with him through it all. He hadn’t felt her touch him, but Caila must’ve known what would happen to him the minute he reached for Zack’s brain. She had used her gift on him again—only this time she saw and felt what he did.

  “I had to...kn-know,” she choked. “I’m sorry.”

  “You didn’t have to...go through that.”

  Oliver held Caila and she held him back.

  What happened to Zack would never be forgotten now, but the horror would crowd any of the good things that either of them would remember about the way Zack lived. Knowing how he died was Oliver’s way of dealing with his own grief, but this girl had a choice. She didn’t have to witness Zack dying from inside his skin.

  The girl had guts.

  Minutes later

  When Oliver helped clear out Dr. Fiona’s office, he found a cardboard box of shoes and handed them out to the kids who needed something on their bare feet. He found a pair of running shoes that would work for him and tried not to think about why the doctor had the box in the first place.

  He noticed that Lucas and Kendra had sorted through the files in the cabinet and tossed most of them into boxes that they’d loaded onto the pushcart, but a few folders were thrown onto the desk. He didn’t have to wait long to find out why some files were being singled out.

  “We’ve pulled the files they had on us. Oliver and Caila’s too,” Gabriel said. “I figured you’d want to see what they had on you, but that’s up to each of you to decide. The rest of the records we’ll take with us to study later. If we can warn others that the Believers have them on their sick radar, we’ll do that too.”

  He told them how they’d leave the hospital. All the deception that had gone into sneaking in was no longer necessary. Gabriel and the others weren’t concerned about any confrontation with security guards. From the expression on the Crystal child’s face, he looked fried—and something dark had a hold of him, something Oliver understood.

  He still wanted to help them find Rafael, but after that, he’d be on his own. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  “You curious about what they have on you?” Oliver asked Caila.

  “No, I can’t look. I don’t wanna know. That doctor told me enough,” she said, without hesitating. “I’m gonna burn mine. I don’t want anyone seeing it.”

  “I can understand that.” He nodded.

  After an awkward moment, she said, “I’m going with Rayne. She’s got...Zack.”

  “Yeah, I’ll catch up, as soon as we’re done here.” Oliver watched her leave, but Caila never looked back.

  “Grab those files on the desk, will ya?” Lucas called out to him. “We’ll put them on top.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Oliver made one final pass through the empty room to grab the handful of files stacked on the desk. There were folders on him and Caila, Lucas, the guy named Rafael Santana and one for Kendra Walker. When he saw the sketchy surveillance photos Dr. Fiona had shown him of Gabriel Stewart, he realized how much she had manipulated him. If she lied about the Crystal kid, he couldn’t trust her on anything else.

  Instead of grabbing his own file, he reached for the one marked Caila Ferrie. He didn’t have a right to pry into her private information, but something made him read the file.

  What he saw surprised him.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  Oliver stuck the contents of Caila’s file in the back of his, where it wouldn’t be easily spotted. After he handed the stack of folders to Lucas and saw where he’d put them, he felt like an ass. Lucas and the others were ready to leave. He couldn’t change his mind now, even if he wanted to.

  There were days he hated having a conscience.

  “Shit,” he whispered.

  Oliver didn’t know what to believe anymore, but if Zack wanted to protect this girl, he had his reasons. He had to find out the truth about Caila—for Zack’s sake and his own.

  18

  Haven Hills Treatment Facility

  9:10 p.m.

  What they’d done to cripple Ward 8 should have felt like a small triumph, but coming away without finding Rafael and seeing the wall of jars left Gabriel feeling empty. Even though leaving Haven Hills had gone off without a hitch, he thought it had been too easy. The lobby had been quiet and the lights were dimmed for the evening hours. Only one guard had stopped them from going out the rear entrance. and the
man didn’t put up much resistance after the Effin brothers took care of him.

  Rayne and Caila wheeled the cart that held Dr. Fiona’s macabre collection of body parts, and Uncle Reginald took charge of the Indigos they’d rescued and held little Noah in his arms. The boy had fallen asleep. When none of the new kids bolted, Gabe took that as a positive sign when everything else felt hollow.

  But as his eyes searched the darkness, something felt off and he wasn’t sure what.

  He didn’t feel the usual psychic push, like when the Believers were closing in. As he glanced over his shoulder, he saw the look of worry and tension on Kendra’s face and knew she must’ve had the same feeling. She caught up to him and spoke in a low voice. No doubt whatever speculations she had, she didn’t want to scare the hive by passing her fears on to them.

  “Boelens was here earlier. I saw him,” she muttered under her breath. “He had his van parked at the rear entrance, but I didn’t see it anywhere when we came out. I don’t like it. He’s not the kind of guy to roll over and play dead. He wouldn’t do us the favor.”

  “That’s a guy I’d like to see fitted for a coffin,” he said. “Don’t tell Lucas I said that.”

  Even in the dim light, Gabriel saw the faint twitch of her lip.

  “Your secret is safe with me. I swear, if he took Rafael...” She didn’t have to finish for Gabe to know what she would do.

  “We won’t quit until we find him, Kendra. The Believers have him somewhere else, that’s all. Maybe Oliver can make a difference. We’re lucky to have him with us.”

  Gabe stole a glance at the others and saw Rayne. Her brother had taken over pushing the cart for her and Caila. Lucas had done the gentlemanly thing, but the boy didn’t have the instincts of a warrior like the rest of them. He should have stayed alert and been ready to fight if they were ambushed by Boelens or anyone else. He’d chosen to help his sister instead.

  Luke would learn, but Gabriel envied his innocence.

  “You feel anything?” he asked Kendra. “’Cause I don’t, if you don’t count the hair on the back of my neck crawling up my skull. Can’t put a finger on why I’m on edge, but I am.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

  She kept her eyes alert as they slipped into the shadows beyond the hospital parking lot, heading for Uncle Reginald’s Navigator and the doctor’s Mercedes.

  “To be safe, we shouldn’t dawdle at the vehicles. We’ll pack up our dead comrades and move out,” he told her. “Oliver rides with you and me.”

  “I hoped you’d say that.” She dared to smile, but she looked more worried than happy. “I’ve gotta know what he can do to find Rafael.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  Gabriel prayed Oliver would help them find Rafe, but he had another reason for wanting to see how the guy worked.

  If Oliver found Rafael, he could also help him locate his father. What he would do when he found the man had been festering in his mind. After seeing Dr. Fiona’s unchecked cruelty under the watchful eye of his father, a man he’d grown to despise, Gabe no longer feared his dark thoughts. There would come a time he’d have to embrace them.

  He wasn’t noble like Lucas—and never would be.

  Minutes later

  Gabriel approached the vehicles they’d left behind with caution. He half expected to see Boelens jump from every shadow. Oliver must’ve sensed his tension, because the guy stood at his shoulder with his eyes alert. Gabe liked Oliver’s instincts. He didn’t talk much, but he felt connected to the guy. He was certain he’d known Oliver in another life and they’d been close.

  But a warning from an unlikely source caught Gabe by surprise.

  “Hold up, you guys,” Rayne whispered, and grabbed his arm. She looked spooked. “The Mercedes... It’s rocking. I saw it move.”

  They all stopped a safe distance from the Navigator and the Mercedes. Gabriel had been so distracted—waiting for Boelens to mess up their exit strategy—that he forgot about the vehicle they’d stolen from Dr. Fiona.

  “You hear that?” Caila looked at Oliver. “I hear someone...screaming. But it sounds far away.”

  Even the Effin brothers got quiet. Considering they didn’t talk, that was saying something. Gabriel glanced at Oliver and raised an eyebrow. Oliver only shrugged.

  “Wait a minute. Everyone is freaking out...” Kendra narrowed her eyes at him and Oliver. “...except you two. What’s up?”

  Gabriel rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. Without any more drama, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to the Mercedes. The rocking got worse and the screams Caila had heard became louder. The noise came from the trunk.

  When he unlocked the cargo hold, the interior light came on and Gabriel backed away to let them see. Caila and Rayne gasped and Lucas looked confused. The twins snorted a laugh—twice.

  Kendra was the only one who found the sight mildly amusing. Dr. Fiona was duct-taped in the trunk looking like a prize sow with her eyes bugging out of her head. Her hair hung over her eyes and made her look like a madwoman.

  Fitting.

  When all eyes shifted to Gabriel, he winced and said, “Surprise?”

  19

  West Hollywood

  “It’s not like I took her...as a souvenir, exactly. I had a reason,” Gabriel said.

  For a stunned moment, no one said anything. They stared at him in shock. Dr. Fiona wiggled and screamed and fought the duct tape that bound her hands and legs and covered her mouth. Her pale skin glowed red under the trunk light, and streaks of makeup ran down her face and made her look like the monster she was.

  “It would be in your best interest to shut up,” he told her. “You can trust me on that one.”

  Gabe saw the whites of her eyes. She looked plenty scared, but she quit struggling.

  “I thought you’d...killed her. I think we all did.” Lucas had a hard-to-read expression on his face. Gabriel couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or pleased.

  “Well, it’s not like she didn’t deserve a little killing.” He shrugged. “I didn’t know what to do with her. I thought we could decide after we hit the ward.”

  “But why didn’t you tell us she was in the trunk?” Kendra asked.

  They stared at him, waiting.

  “To be honest...” Gabe flinched. “I forgot.”

  “Oh God.” Rayne muttered.

  Gabe thought he saw her smile, but surely he’d been mistaken.

  “Well, I’ve had a lot on my mind.” He raised his voice. “I was...busy.”

  “So, what are you gonna do with her, now that this place is history?” Caila crossed her arms. “She killed Zack...and tortured Oliver and she had these kids locked up. In those files, you’ll see what a psycho she is. We can’t let her live. She’ll only keep doing it.”

  Lucas looked as if he would take a stand against killing the doctor, but when he stopped, Gabe wasn’t sure what to make of his change of heart. If it had been only the two of them, he would talk it out, but he wouldn’t do that in front of the others.

  “Shall we flip a coin?” he asked them. “No matter what we decide, there will be consequences. I don’t believe killing should be our only answer, not even with her, but we can’t drop her off at the next bus stop either. Anyone with a brilliant idea, please. I’m all ears.”

  No one said anything, but the tension was suffocating. Gabe had said enough. He didn’t want the decision to be his, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. Even Uncle Reginald kept his silence as he watched him. It felt as if his uncle was waiting to see what he’d decide on his own, but the problem with growing up and becoming a man was that a guy didn’t always feel grown up. Sometimes he felt more like a kid. And waging war—against the Believers or anyone—came with a price he wasn’t sure he was ready to pay.

  Gabe stared into
the precipice of the bleak decision he knew was ahead. Letting the doctor go—or killing her—either way would cost them and he knew it would fall on his shoulders, squarely. He couldn’t see anyone else paying that price, but when Oliver stepped forward, the guy got his attention.

  “I’ve got an idea,” he said. “But I’ll need Caila to make it work.”

  Gabriel stared at him and let out the breath he’d been holding.

  * * *

  Oliver stared down at Caila after he’d made his case. The girl didn’t look convinced.

  “You don’t understand. My gift doesn’t work like that. I can’t flip a switch and make it happen,” Caila told him. “I have to...be threatened before it...protects me.”

  What she said made sense. Oliver remembered how scared she had looked in the alley, when the Believers had abducted them.

  “Look at her, Caila.” He pointed at the squirming woman tied up in the trunk of the Mercedes. “She killed Zack. Doing the same to her is off the table. We gotta find another way, but she’ll keep killing kids if you don’t figure out a way to make her stop. If that doesn’t make you feel threatened, I don’t know what else will.”

  The girl stared at the doctor and finally nodded. “I’ll try.”

  The other Indigos cleared a path for her to do her thing with Dr. Fiona. The girl stood over the woman who had killed Zack. Oliver could see her whole body shaking, especially when she reached out her hands and grabbed the woman’s head. The doctor fought the girl but couldn’t break free of her grip. Dr. Fiona’s eyes rolled back into her head, and her body convulsed until she collapsed and Caila took a step back.

  Oliver felt his body tingle, just standing next to her. His memory of their kiss stirred in him too.

  “Something happened. I could feel it.” The girl half smiled, as if she’d surprised herself. “She’s someone else now. I replaced her memories and planted new ones. This place and what she’s done? She won’t remember it.”

  Oliver felt proud of her, but Gabe wasn’t as convinced.