by Dee J. Stone
“But stealing…it’s not right,” I say.
X shakes his head. “It’s not. But what other choice do we have? They...” He points to the door. “Put us in this position. If we want to find the others and clear the League’s name, we need to do whatever it takes to survive.”
He knows what he’s talking about. He’s a survivor. If anyone’s going to make sure we’re okay, it’s X. I trust him.
“I can always control their minds…” Kale offers.
“Nah,” I say. “That feels worse.”
“Most stores are empty, anyway,” X says. “Many people are hiding in their houses. I’ll sweep the area for security cameras and alarms. We’ll raid the ones without.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kale says. “I’ll check if anyone’s around, just in case.”
“What about me?” I ask.
“You,” X answers, “will unlock the stores.”
“Cool.”
“We need to be careful,” X warns. “Make sure we don’t expose ourselves or our powers.”
Kale and I nod.
“All right.” X heads for the door. “Let’s go.”
***
Back at the house, Kale and I unload the carts while X rushes to turn on the TV. He returns to help us, informing us that there are no updates. The hot topic is still the KOJ incident, but the reporters are also talking about other news going around in the world. Life continues, I guess.
“Still no word on Samson and Cindy,” I say to encourage Kale. And myself, too. “That’s good.”
Kale shrugs as he pulls some bananas out of the cart. “Unless they’re keeping it from the public.”
“Oh, yeah.” My shoulders droop.
We work silently and efficiently. Soon, all the food is packed away in the fridge and cabinets. X dumps the carts far away from the house.
“So…” Kale plops down on the couch. “Who’s cooking?”
All three of us exchange glances. I raise my index finger. “I can make spaghetti. My mom used to make it.”
Back in the League, we had a chef who cooked our meals. Most moms know how to cook, but they hardly did. A few, like mine, took over the kitchen sometimes. You know, for special occasions and stuff. Cindy cooked a lot, too. When I was ten, I was in this spaghetti and pasta sauce phase, and I only wanted my mom’s. So she cooked it for me like every night. I stayed in the kitchen with her and learned a thing or two.
I look at the guys. “Never made it myself, but I’ve watched her.”
Kale smiles crookedly at X. “What do you say? Ready for some food poisoning?”
“Hey!”
Kale laughs.
X shrugs, his eyes glued to the TV. “Not hungry. You guys go ahead.”
Kale gives me a sad look. X will never be the same. Heck, we’ll all never be the same. Even if we manage to locate our lost League mates, will the Keepers of Justice return? Or will we have to live in fear? What if we can’t clear our names?
“You gotta eat, X,” Kale says.
“I’m fine.”
We don’t say anything as he passes us to go to the bedrooms. He’ll be okay, Kale tells me. I hope he’s right. I wish he wouldn’t shut us out.
X comes back just as the water boils for the spaghetti. “Only two bedrooms. I’ll take the couch.”
“The master bedroom has a huge bed, if anyone wants to share,” I offer.
X waves his hand. “I don’t mind the couch.”
“Okay,” I say. “But you’re eating.”
He doesn’t answer, just clenches his jaw. I know he hates when people tell him what to do, but someone needs to take care of him. He won’t take care of himself. “You’ll see. Once you taste this spaghetti, you won’t want to stop eating.”
The food comes out good. Not great like Mom’s, but good enough. The three of us are sitting on the couch, watching sports. None of us wants to turn back to the news. We’ve heard enough. X is actually eating my food. We’re all starving and take seconds.
I tap his arm. “Told ya. You can’t stop.”
He laughs a little.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, I forget for a second where I am and what happened. I’m in my parents’ huge bed. Kale let me have it because my limbs tend to move around and stretch all over the place during the night.
Last night was no different—worse actually. I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened to the League. I tossed and turned, my body shaking so badly I’m pretty sure X heard my legs banging against the wall next door. All I saw before me was my parents with longing looks on their faces. Like they were begging me to come save them.
Not only did I think about my parents, I dreamed about them. About us taking walks in the park and going to a water park we went to when I was ten. We have pools at the Tower, but I wanted more. We ended up staying longer than we planned. They had an awesome time, too.
But unlike the memory, my dream was a little different. My parents were on a slide together, Dad’s arms wrapped around Mom’s waist. When they slid into the pool, their bodies were covered in blood, their eyes lifeless.
I woke up sweating.
I know it was just a dream, but it felt so real. Like it was actually happening. I hope it’s not some sort of message telling me they’re dead.
I get into the shower and try not to think too much, but I do. I quickly rush out so I won’t linger on it. After dressing into some of Dad’s clothes I find in the drawers, I go downstairs. Kale and X are watching the news. Seems like people are protesting. They don’t like the government hunting down the Keepers. Others are supporting the government. Fights start. Cops try to stop them.
Kale is eating cereal on the couch. X is sitting on the floor, legs crossed. He doesn’t take his eyes off the TV.
I sit down near Kale. “Any updates?”
“Nope. Nothing from my parents, either.” He rubs his temples.
I grab a bowl of cereal from the kitchen and join the others in the living room. “What’s the plan for today?”
“We search for the others,” X says.
I walk to the window and peek through the blinds. It’s basically empty outside. A few people walk around, some running to their cars.
That’s when I see them. Three soldiers walking up the block. My breathing stops, making me choke. “G-g-guys!” My hand shakes as I point to the window. “S-soldiers.”
X and Kale leap to the window. X yanks the blinds apart. “Crap.”
“What do we do?” I squeak.
It doesn’t take X two seconds to come up with a plan. “Kale, control them to get the hell out of here. Have them report to their bosses that they didn’t find anything.”
“What if they have telepaths protecting their minds?” Kale asks. “I won’t be able to invade their thoughts.”
X places his hand on Kale’s arm. “Their telepaths aren’t as strong as you. Push them out.”
“What if they’re stronger?”
“Try. If it doesn’t work…”
We’re pretty much screwed.
Kale shuts his eyes. I watch the soldiers move closer to the house. They have determined and confident looks on their faces.
I glance at Kale. His eyes are shut tighter and he’s biting his lip hard. The soldiers are inching even closer. In just a few seconds they’ll barge through the front door. Then they’ll grab us or shoot us, or I don’t know!
I don’t want to die again.
“Kale! They’re getting closer.”
Kale shakes his head. “It’s not working!” He opens his eyes and peers outside. He gulps. “Oh, man.” He backs away, hands trembling.
X grabs his arm. “You can do it. We need you to do it.”
“I…I can’t.”
“You can. Focus. Block out any other thoughts or distractions.”
Still shaking, Kale takes a deep breath. He looks outside for a second before closing his eyes and trying again. The soldiers don’t change.
“Kale!”
“I’m trying!”
Crap, they’re at the door. That’s it. We’re dead.
I want to hide inside the coat closet, but I won’t leave my friends. If the door opens, I’ll stretch my arms to grab them and shove us all in the closet.
“Yes,” X whispers. “Good job, Kale. Keep going.”
I look outside. The soldiers are retreating from the door. They exchange glances before turning on their heels and walking away. They’re like robots, marching in unison. I watch them until they disappear down the block.
“Dude, that was awesome!” I hold out my hand to Kale for a high-five.
Laughing a bit, he slaps my hand. “I can’t believe it worked.”
X sighs in relief.
“I thought we were for sure dead men,” I say. Then something dawns on me. “Guys? How did they find us?”
All three of us look at each other. “The telepaths,” Kale says. “The ones probing our League mates’ minds. They must have read about this house. They know everything—what we look like. What the other survivors look like. Everything.”
“The Elites have blocks, though,” X says. “Our secrets should be safe.” Cindy put blocks on the Elites’ minds in case one gets captured, all our secrets wouldn’t be exposed. The Elites know more than the regular members of the League, so Cindy’s not blocking everyone. It wouldn’t be right.
“My parents aren’t Elites,” I say. “Only they know about this house. Those government guys must have read it in their minds.” Which means they were captured…or at least one of them was. Probably my mom.
Kale rubs my shoulder. He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t need to.
“Let’s go search for the others,” X says.
***
It’s eight PM. The crowds are small but loud as we make our way past them. Their voices ring in my ears, mostly bashing the Keepers. We speed up so we won’t get caught in middle of it. Kale’s wearing a long, black wig to cover his blond hair and his cap is down low on his eyes. He’s got brown contact lenses on. X and I are also wearing contacts. X refuses to put on the red wig we bought. His dark, messy hair is hidden in his beanie.
“X,” Kale says. “See any Keepers?”
“No. Sense any?”
“Nothing.”
I stop walking. “Does that mean everyone’s captured or dead?”
“I don’t know, man.” Kale sucks in some air. “But we gotta keep trying.”
We trudge on, checking around for anything out of the ordinary, but the streets are pretty much deserted.
“Dead end,” I say. “What now?”
“We continue looking,” X says.
Wandering around for another hour, we find nothing.
“Let’s head back,” X says. “We might find some others on the way.”
Kale and I slouch behind him. I rest my head on Kale’s shoulder. “So tired.”
He shrugs my head off. “Me, too.”
I put my head back. “Can barely keep my head up.”
Now he shoves my head off with so much force my whole body flies back. I crash into a pile of black garbage bags.
“Man,” I mutter, shaking the junk off.
“Whoa. Sorry, man,” Kale says. “Didn’t mean to do that.”
I laugh hard. Kale laughs too. So does X. Glancing around, I make sure no one’s in the vicinity before I stretch my arms out to each of them. “Help me up?”
They yank me to my feet. “Watch it,” X says. “You could have drawn attention.”
I poke his chest. “Admit it, you needed that laugh.”
He swats my hand away and walks off.
I turn to Kale. “He totally needed that.”
Kale rolls his eyes and leaps to join X. I linger behind, sniffing myself to make sure I don’t stink. Ah, who am I kidding? Of course I stink. Probably will for days, no matter how many times I shower.
Chapter Eight
Kale and I are sitting on the couch, watching some game show. X is standing by the window. He’s not looking outside, though.
We searched for more League mates this morning, but nothing again. No one was waiting for us at the house when we returned. And there’s still no word from Kale’s parents. We’ve only been searching in Queens, since none of us can fly. We plan to rest for a bit, then try to catch a cab to take us around other areas in New York.
“I wonder if Furball’s okay,” I say.
“I wonder where Lindsay is. If she’s safe.”
X shifts, but doesn’t utter a word. We all know what he’s thinking about—Stealth. He’s got no way of contacting her. He doesn’t know if she’s all right. I can’t imagine what it’s like for him.
He changes the channel to the news. The anchor is talking about a virus that’s going around.
“What?” all three of us say, bending closer to the TV. From what I can understand, a few hours ago, a virus began to spread. Fast. Much faster than a typical virus. It started in Washington D.C. and branched outward. A few nearby states are getting infected, too.
“How did we miss this?” Kale asks. “Dammit. Shoulda been watching the news, man! A virus? You don’t think—?”
X motions for him to lower his voice. The anchor continues, “We’re updating you on the latest news. Government officials have pinpointed the source of this terrible virus. The Keepers of Justice have struck again. This time, Kale Zenith, son of Samson and Cindy Zenith, has chosen to terrorize civilians.”
“What the hell?” Kale’s eyes are the hugest I’ve ever seen.
The TV changes to a camera footage. Kale is seen climbing into the window of a house. It’s nighttime, probably last night. I guess the inhabitants have cameras around. He walks into the living room, where two kids are sleeping. A teen and a little kid. Kale walks over to the younger boy, lifts his hand, and stabs him with a syringe. With a mischievous smile, he leaves through the same window.
“What you just witnessed was Kale Zenith, of the Keepers of Justice, invading a home and infecting a little boy with an unknown virus. He was rushed to the hospital, where he infected the entire staff and all the patients. Several hours later, more than half of our nation’s capital has grown ill. The virus is spreading. It is highly contagious. Doctors and scientists are baffled, but have managed to treat it. They claim that if treated correctly, this virus is non-lethal. Government officials see no need to evacuate, and are doing everything in their power to bring the culprits to justice. If you have the following symptoms, seek medical help immediately: severe abdominal pains, excessive vomiting, and some patients have been coughing up blood. Again, if you have these symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as possible.”
The footage shifts to hospitals and doctors’ offices in D.C. People are lined up, waiting for medicine to help with the symptoms. They’re all clutching their stomachs. Some have bloody cloths pressed to their mouths.
Kale jumps to his feet. “What the hell is this crap?”
Chapter Nine
X paces around. He mutters and curses under his breath. “Those bastards. I can’t believe she actually did it.”
“Did what?” I ask.
Kale looks at X. “You really think it’s…?”
“Yeah.” X punches the wall. “She did it. Damn, she did it.”
“Guys?” I ask.
Kale turns to me. “You know about the virus thing and Vlayne, right?”
“Yeah. The Blades want to release it to the world and kill off the humans.”
I missed a lot when I died, but Kale and X updated me. Apparently, Virus Boy was in the ShadowBlades’ possession fifteen years ago. Vladimir, who was the leader back then, wanted to release the virus to the world and kill off the normies. His daughter, Vlayne, fell in love with a normie. She didn’t want him to die and convinced her father not to release the virus. But one day, she found out her boyfriend was cheating on her. Furious, she wanted to punish him. Not to kill him, but to have him suffer. X’s mom—his biological one—was working for the Blades
as a scientist. Vlayne forced her to change the virus, to make it kill over a long period of time, as opposed to killing him instantly. What she didn’t know was that X’s mom also created an antidote, a cure to the virus. X’s mom asked Scar to conceal her thoughts from Vlayne so she wouldn’t find out about the antidote.
X’s mom created the new strain, and Vlayne’s boyfriend got infected. But then Vlayne learned that she made a mistake. Her boyfriend didn’t cheat on her. In a rage, Vlayne killed X’s mom and dad. X’s mom’s dying wish was for the antidote—that would cure any strain of the virus—to be safe. She knew the Blades would eventually release the virus and she wanted the humans to be safe. Scar hid the formula in X’s head.
Four months ago, as the three of us were trying to expose Lightning as a spy for the Blades, Vlayne found out about the formula in X’s head. Her boyfriend is still alive, but he’ll eventually die. That’s why she wants the formula. The League got it out of X’s head to save Kale, when he got sick from Lindsay, because it also repairs damaged cells. Samson and Cindy have the formula hidden somewhere Vlayne can’t get it.
“Guys,” Kale says. “Vlayne would never release the instant-killing virus to the world, because her boyfriend would die. Which must mean this virus doesn’t kill. It must be the same one her boyfriend has.”
“So why did she release it now?” I ask.
X turns around from the wall. “She wants the antidote. She knows Samson and Cindy will give it to the humans.”
“So this is good,” I say. “Samson and Cindy have the formula. They’ll cure the normies.”
“Will they?” X says. “The League’s gone. Maybe the formula’s gone, too.”
“But then Vlayne wouldn’t have a cure for her boyfriend,” Kale says. “None of this makes sense.”
A shadow passes over X’s face. “Unless Vlayne’s so pissed she doesn’t care about her boyfriend anymore. Or maybe she has him isolated on some island.”
“Then why not kill the humans instantly?”
“Um, guys?” I ask. “Maybe this has nothing to do with the Blades. Maybe whoever set Samson and Cindy up is setting Kale up, too.”
