by Raven Steele
Claire stared down at Ethan’s bloodied knuckle. She had enough to worry about. “I’ll think about it.”
Logan cleared his throat. “So, Bodian. We need to blow this whole H371 thing wide open.”
“But how?” Claire asked. “We don’t even know who’s behind it, other than someone called Blackbird. And besides, who would believe a bunch of teenagers?”
“No one if we don’t have proof,” Ethan said.
“And one lousy document with no one’s name on it isn’t going to work,” Logan added. “So here’s my plan. We go see Anne Dawson.”
“Who?” Ethan and Claire asked at the same time.
“The lady I told you about. The one who tried to blow the whistle on Bodian a few years back.”
Claire shook her head. "I doubt she even lives here anymore. I know I wouldn’t.”
"She does. My boss at the restaurant is sort of friends with her," Logan said.
"Do you know where she lives?"
“Yup. And we’re going there tonight. If you guys want, that is.”
Claire glanced back at Ethan. He was nodding his head in agreement.
“Okay. Let’s do it,” she said.
“What time?” Ethan asked. “I’ve got some things to do first.”
“Me, too,” Logan said. “Let’s meet back here at 5:30.”
After they all agreed, Claire watched both Logan and Ethan walk away. A twinge of guilt nagged at her. She shouldn’t be getting them involved. She knew how dangerous Gage was and didn’t doubt he’d kill both of them if given the chance. Just the thought of something happening to either one of them about crippled her.
She closed her eyes and hoped. Hoped that the woman Anne Dawson would help end this nightmare.
Chapter 26
At exactly 5:30 p.m., Logan and Ethan pulled into Claire’s driveway. She was speaking with a cop parked outside her house when she saw them. She turned back to Officer Johnson, an older man in his sixties. "See? Those two guys will be with me the whole time, and I'll be back before dark. So you can tell Smith I'll be just fine and if he has a problem with that, he can call me.”
"I don't know, Claire … ” Officer Johnson began, but she was already opening Logan's passenger door.
"You better be back before dark!" he called after her. She saluted him from within the car.
"What was that all about?" Logan asked.
"I relieved him of his babysitting duties," she said. "So where we going?"
"Clear up in the mountains, off Bear Creek Road," Ethan said.
"Is it far?"
"About forty-five minutes."
Logan drove fast, for which Claire was grateful. Right now Anne Dawson was the only hope they had.
"Who would live out here?" Ethan asked when their car about lost a tire going over a deep hole on the dirt road.
"Someone who's trying to hide," Logan said quietly.
Claire stared out the windows with the rest of them, watching as they drove deeper and deeper into mountainous terrain. Trees as old as the earth itself seemed to block their path, but each time Logan managed to get around them on the narrow road. An ominous feeling settled into her gut.
"Anyone else have a bad feeling?" she asked.
Ethan reached from behind the back seat and rubbed her shoulders. "It's going to be okay."
"We're just looking for answers," Logan said. "Nothing bad is going to happen."
"That's what teenagers always say when they go into the woods just before dark. And then they're murdered." She forced a nervous laugh.
Logan turned to her. "You're really shook up, aren't you?"
It wasn't like Claire to feel afraid, let alone voice her fear to others, but, as Logan had already pointed out, she hadn't been herself lately.
"There it is," Ethan said, pointing out the window to his left.
Claire could barely see it through the trees: a cabin half the size of her house. A porch on the front was partially collapsed, making it look empty, but a plume of smoke puffed from a brick chimney, making the cabin seem alive. She shuddered.
Logan turned off the car. "Let's get this over with.”
"Yeah, before Bigfoot returns," Ethan said.
Claire got out of the car and stared at the cabin, thinking back to all the events that led her here. Would this ever end?
A moment later Ethan put his arm around her and smiled. "It's not that bad. It reminds me of my grandpa's cabin."
"Who wants to brave that porch first?" she asked.
Ethan stepped forward. “I’ll go.”
Logan put his hand out, stopping him. “I’ve got this.” He took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."
He walked to the porch and hesitantly stepped upon the first stair. The wooden porch groaned under his weight but held. He turned around and shrugged. "I don't know what the big deal is. It’s fine." He moved to take the next step when all of a sudden the front door opened, startling him. He fell backwards, landing hard on his back.
Too stunned to say anything, Claire stared at the dark figure standing in the doorway, the body silhouetted by a soft light glowing from within the cabin.
"Ms. Dawson?" Logan said from the ground.
"How do you know my name?" a voice said, gentler than Claire expected.
"My boss is Don Garret. He sent me out here hoping you could help us. I just have a few questions."
The woman was silent for what seemed like an eternity before she finally stepped into the light. "Then you better ask them quickly. It'll be dark soon and you don't want to be out here when the sun goes down. You can call me Anne."
Ethan smiled encouragingly at Claire.
"Come inside," Anne said. "I just made bread."
Claire followed the others in, surprised at how nice the inside of the home was. It resembled a studio apartment with only a bedroom and small kitchen. A round table was shoved in the corner; two loaves of freshly baked bread sat on its top. The place was decorated in forest greens and mauves. Everything matched perfectly, including a small lamp sitting on the far end of the counter. Claire wondered if Anne had purchased all the décor from the same store.
Despite the attention to detail, there was no TV, only a tall bookshelf crammed full of books some of which had fallen to the floor.
"Have a seat," Anne said, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. The rest of it was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Claire noticed her left hand was shaking. It matched the twitch in her cheek, just above a deep purple scar. If it wasn't for the three-inch deformity, she might've been beautiful with fair skin and gray eyes.
The boys must've been just as disturbed by her appearance as Claire because nobody moved.
"I said sit down." Anne’s voice turned cold, chilling the cramped cabin.
Logan and Ethan dropped into the chairs by the table.
"You have a lovely home," Claire said, trying to warm the space back up.
“Yeah, I like your dishes," Ethan said. Logan quickly agreed.
Claire gave them a "could-you-say-anything-lamer?" look. There was only one set of dishes, a blue color, resting on the counter as if Anne was about to eat dinner. Ethan shrugged.
Anne’s expression suddenly warmed and she grinned, making her scar look like a squashed caterpillar. “I don’t get visitors often. Would you like some bread?”
“That’s okay. We don’t want to take too much of your time.” Claire looked from Ethan to Logan, and then back to Anne. "We just want to ask you some questions. About Bodian Dynamics.”
Anne’s smile disappeared. "I have nothing to say about Bodian."
"Why did you leave?" Ethan blurted.
Her head snapped in his direction, and her lip curled up beneath a flaring nose. "I didn't leave. They fired me! I loved my job."
"Why did they fire you?" Logan asked, his voice gentle.
Anne's shoulders slumped, and she motioned her head toward the door. "You shouldn't be here. Please leave."
"But bad things are happeni
ng,” Claire said, “and we think it has something to do with Bodian.”
Anne shook her head. "Not my problem anymore. I tried to stop them once, but no one would listen. And then they ruined my life."
Claire leaned forward. "But we're listening now, and we're trying to stop them too, before it's too late."
Anne took two steps into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. "Stop them from what?" She removed an antiqued looking mug and poured herself a cup of coffee.
Start from the beginning," Ethan encouraged Claire.
Claire swallowed. "Several weeks ago I was at Bodian Dynamics…” She continued telling Anne everything that had happened, including the girl she'd found at the pool and how the “fingerprints” matched those on her window, but more importantly how they weren't human. She also talked about Gage and how he was stalking her.
Throughout her speech, Claire noticed Anne growing paler, but it wasn’t just that. Her right hand, hidden from view from Ethan and Logan, clenched the edge of the counter as if she was hanging on to it for life, but Claire didn't stop. She needed answers.
When Claire finally finished, she said, "So we need to know if the reason you were fired has anything to do with what's going on now, and we need to know how to stop Gage and Bodian. We need to expose them for what they've done."
At this, Anne shook her head and began to tug at her hair, pulling brown strands out of the ponytail. "That's not possible. They will bury all of you if you say anything."
"But what if we can get proof?" Logan asked. Claire noticed he was sweating. She glanced at Ethan. He looked cold. As for her, she felt numb.
"Proof?" Anne said and turned her head to look out the window.
Claire followed her gaze. The sun was just beginning to set. Its fading light shined into Anne's gray eyes, and Claire thought she saw a spark of hope, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come.
"It doesn't matter," Anne said. "I had proof. Even a video tape of what they were doing."
"What exactly were they doing?" Claire asked, hoping for the spark to return.
"I haven’t spoken about it for three years. They forced me into silence."
"Forced you? How?" Ethan asked. His eyebrows were pulled tightly together.
Anne looked up at him. "They threatened the lives of my parents, my sister, even her children."
Ethan sat up straight. "But they were just threats, right?"
"That's what I thought, too. But then my parent’s house burned to the ground. They barely made it out alive."
"You think it was Bodian?" Claire asked.
"I know it was." Anne took a sip. The glass shaking in her hands barely made it to her lips. "After that I moved away from everyone. I told Bodian I'd never talk about it again, but it wasn’t enough. They followed me everywhere for weeks until they left me this," she pointed to her scar, "to make sure I'd keep my mouth shut, and I have and will. You’re wasting your time."
Claire stood up. She wasn't about to let things go. "But they won't know we've been here! We promise not to say anything."
For the first time, Anne laughed. It was sweet sounding like the sound you’d hear at a child’s birthday party.
"They already know you're here, dear," she said. "Don't you get it? Bodian knows everything."
Ethan stood up next to her. "They're not gods. They can be stopped."
Anne placed her mug on the counter. "You guys think you're being brave, but you're not. You're being naive. You have no idea who you're up against."
"Then tell us," Claire begged. "Please?"
Anne looked at each of them.
Claire softened her voice. "Surely you can't like living out here away from your family and friends. I know Bodian took everything from you, but you have a chance now to get back at them. Share with us what you know, and I promise we'll bring them down."
Anne grimaced like she’d bitten her tongue, and her eyes changed to the color of a dying storm. She reminded Claire of her mother right after her father was sent to prison, and the only word she could think to describe her was broken.
Anne leaned further into the counter until Claire thought she'd collapse.
"Anne?" Claire asked.
Anne's eyes met hers. "Bodian was conducting these experiments on mice first. Our lab manager had us inject them with this serum. We were never told what was in it, just that we were to monitor the animals’ behavior. If he didn't get the results he wanted, then he'd take the serum away, sometimes for several days, then return and ask us to try again. We begged him to tell us what it was for, but all he'd say is it was for national security." Anne slumped even further until she was sitting on the kitchen floor, her back against the counter.
"After a few months we began to notice changes in the mice. Seconds after we'd inject them, they'd change. They were more aggressive and calculated in their movements. It's like they got smarter. And when mazes no longer posed challenges, our manager told us to start running cognitive tests, like what they do with monkeys. At first I laughed. Mice don't have the brain size to comprehend those kinds of tests, but,” Anne shook her head, "they passed. The mice were thinking at a primate level. This is when he took the serum from us for several months. So much time passed that we almost forgot about it, but then he returned and asked us to start testing it on rats.”
Anne smiled. “I have to admit, I was excited at first. I was anxious to see what they'd done to it and how much more a larger animal could learn. Whoever he had working on it, must have done some major changes to the formula because in a short amount of time the rats changed, and not just in intelligence and strength. They physically changed to the point where they were an entirely different rat altogether, but once the serum wore off, they'd return to normal." Anne lowered her head to her bent knees. "Two different creatures in one body. One normal, the other...something else." She paused, then lifted her head and looked at each of them.
Claire wanted to say something, maybe some encouraging words, but a lump was stuck so far in her throat, she was afraid she'd choke on it.
Logan spoke for her. "What happened next?"
"They took the serum again. I couldn't imagine what they'd do differently, and the possibilities scared me. I had nightmares for weeks." She took a deep breath. "And then he returned. And the tests began again. The rats were like they were before, but something had changed. After several doses, the rats no longer needed the serum to complete the transformation. They'd just change into this other thing, but this isn't what terrified me. What they changed into was something dark and evil."
Ethan spoke, his voice heavier than the suffocating room, "Evil? How could a rat be evil?"
Anne turned her head to him; the motion looked like it took her great effort. "We took one of the infected rats and placed him with a normal rat. While in his normal state, the infected rat behaved as expected, but as soon as he transformed he became fixated on the uninfected rat until he ultimately killed it. And it wasn't a normal attack. The transformed rat tortured the other one in such a calculated manner all of us scientists were terrified by the results. We told our supervisor that something must be wrong with the formula, but he told us to continue working. He had us film everything. The kinds of things I witnessed still make it hard for me to sleep at night."
"But evil?" Ethan said again.
Anne paused, then slowly pushed back into a standing position. "Yes, evil. I know what I saw and felt."
"Felt?" Logan said.
"Have you ever been inside Alcatraz or visited a concentration camp? There's a feeling there, something dark and heavy. It's where evil's walked."
"I've felt it," Claire whispered.
Anne walked to her, staring hard. "When?"
"The boy. Gage. There's something inside him." A cold shiver fingered its way up Claire’s spine.
"The day I decided to go public,” Anne said, “was the day I overheard our manager on the phone saying they were ready to begin testing on primates." Her eyes moved to the window agai
n. The sun had set; the glass held the darkness at bay. Just then a sudden wind picked up, shaking the window.
"That's some wind," Logan said and chuckled uncomfortably.
"It's the devil's breath,” Anne whispered. “You need to leave."
"But if a human's been injected,” Ethan said, “then we need to know how to stop him."
"There's only one way.” Anne turned to him. “You'll have to kill him when he's in his normal state."
Claire gasped at the same time Logan said, "Isn't there another way?"
Anne shook her head. "It's when the beast is at his weakest. While unleashed, the rats were too strong, too smart. I can only imagine a human to be so much more.” She shivered as if imagining the possibility.
"But what about a cure?" Logan asked.
"I never knew of one." Anne walked to the door and opened it. "I've told you everything. Please leave."
Claire remained frozen until Ethan's gentle touch nudged her back.
"Let's go, Claire," he said.
Logan passed by Anne. "Thank you for your time. I know this must've been difficult."
Anne nodded.
Claire stopped at the door, letting Ethan by, and looked at Anne. "We'll fix this. You won't be here forever, I promise."
"Don't worry about me," Anne said. "Worry about yourself." She looked out the door to where Logan and Ethan were walking toward the car. She gripped Claire's arm suddenly and hissed in her face. "You say you've felt it—the evil. Listen to me closely, Claire. Gage is someone close to you. A boy that’s been unleashed, and the only way for you to survive is if you kill him."
Chapter 27
It had been two days since Albert slept. Ever since he left Anne's house in the woods. Ever since he found out there wasn't a cure. Ever since he found out Gage was permanent.
He stood up from his bed and looked at the clock. Three in the morning. Almost time to go. He pulled a t-shirt over his head.
Albert couldn't believe there wasn't a way to fix this—to fix him. The thought of Gage taking over any time he wanted had already made him vomit twice. Whether out of revulsion or the fact that it was taking all his mental strength to contain Gage, he wasn’t sure. He guessed he had maybe another day before his strength gave out and that was only if he kept his emotions in check, which he’d almost lost control of when Corey hit Claire.
