Metamorphosis: Science Fiction Adventure: Book 1

by Kimberly Smith

"The plate number you gave me took some time to track back to the true owner. It was listed as belonging to one shell company after another. Finally, I was able to find out that it belonged to the US government. I also got into Brian Wood's phone records, home, and cell. He's been making regular calls to a phone that also tracks back to the US government, but in particular, to an account registered to a guy name, Neil A. Hunter." He paused, taking a quick breath, "I started trying to find out who this Hunter guy is, but it seems like he's a ghost. There aren't any other records for him. No birth certificate, death certificate, no school records, medical, or military. It seems as if he doesn't exist, and since I wasn't having much luck, I contacted a few friends and connections that I have from work, asking for some help. It wasn't more than a few minutes after I talked to a contact who works for the government. My friend called, telling me to stop asking questions about this guy. Whatever it is you are into, leave it alone."

  "Thanks, Andy," Taylor said, clearing the screen and putting the phone back in his pocket.

  Kyla stood and started back up the dock. Her mind was a jumbled mess. The government? Why would the government be interested in her mother? What if her mother was a spy? What if her uncle was right? Kyla didn't go back to the house. She walked around the lake following a trail between the trees.

  "Kyla! Where are you going?" Taylor was following behind her. "Would you just stop," he said, grabbing her by the shoulder?

  Kyla swung around to face him. "This doesn't make any sense. My mother wasn't a spy. What the fuck is happening?" Her emotions took hold, She was confused, angry, and sad. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Taylor wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close while she sobbed uncontrollably. She held onto him, taking comfort in his embrace while she purged herself of her grief.

  Kyla wasn't sure how long they had stood there, but she knew that when she finally stopped crying and her breathing had returned to normal, she made herself a promise. She wouldn't cry for her parents again until she had some answers. Her uncle and anyone involved with their deaths would pay for what they had done. She pulled away from Taylor, looking up into his clear blue eyes. "What did you mean when you said to Crystal that this wasn't about your feelings?"

  The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile, displaying the dimple in his cheek. He swallowed, "I … have feelings for you. I have for a long time, but I …" Kyla didn't let him finish. She cupped his face bringing his lips down to meet hers. Kyla had wanted to kiss him for so long. If she had ever thought there was a chance that he felt the same, she would have told him how she felt. The kiss was sweet and full of hope for what could be between them. Kyla pulled away from him, enjoying the moment, but knowing that most likely, there would never be anything more between them. At least, not until she had solved the mystery regarding her family.

  Taylor's phone rang again. "It's Crystal," he said, answering the call. "Hello." Kyla couldn't hear her friend, but the look on Taylor's face let her know that whatever Crystal was saying, it wasn't right. "Okay, thanks," Taylor said after a while. He ended the call. "We have to get out of here, right now. When Crystal got home, there were men there looking for you. They told my folks that your father had been murdered by your mother, and they were afraid that she had done something to you. My father was telling them about the lake house, but Crystal overheard one of them saying that they already knew about this place, and a group was on their way here to check it out."

  Taylor was looking over her shoulder towards the house. She turned, following his gaze. They were standing just beyond the edge of the tree line. She could see the house. A man in dark clothing was moving around the living area. They were too far away to see them clearly, but Kyla already knew who it was. The man in the living room walked towards the back door, which Taylor had left open when he joined her on the dock. He glanced around the lake and then zeroed in on their position. Kyla grabbed Taylor's phone and slid it in her pocket. "We have to get out of here now," she said, tugging his hand as she ran through the woods, away from the house.

  Chapter Six

  Kyla let go of Taylor's hand, allowing him to take the lead. She followed him through the trees, occasionally glancing over her shoulder. They had a head start on the men, but these guys were moving fast and closing in on them. Taylor was familiar with the area and moved quickly, but she was only a few feet behind him. Several men were chasing them, and they were catching up, but Kyla and Taylor could still get away from them, she hoped. A road sign flashed in her head, Route 14 West! She had no idea how she knew it, but something deep inside her was sure that was where they needed to get to.

  As they began to run up a steep hill, weaving in and out of the trees, something struck the tree near Kyla. Wood splintered off, flying in all directions. The men were shooting at them. Taylor looked back and slowed down, grabbing her hand, pulling her along. They were both breathing hard when they reached a flat area. Taylor started toward the trail to the left, but the ground to the right shimmered, outlining a path. Again, she wasn't sure how, but she knew it was the right way to go. Kyla stopped him, pulling his hand. "We need to go this way."

  Taylor looked behind them, seeing the men. As they focused on climbing the hill, they weren't shooting. He nodded and turned to the right, continuing up the hill. It wasn't as steep as before. The trees were closer together, providing them with more cover. As the terrain started to level out, the image of an old blue suburban entered her mind. She could hear cars, and within a few moments, they could see the road ahead of them. Another shot rang out from behind them.

  When they reached the road, Taylor ran to the center of it, facing the oncoming traffic. There wasn't much of it. A single four-door sedan was coming towards them. Taylor began waving his arms and screaming, "Stop, please!"

  The car passed them, the driver honking and looking at them as though they had lost their minds. Then Kyla saw it, an old blue SUV sitting at the curve in the road ahead of them. Kyla screamed at Taylor, "Come on! She turned and ran towards the vehicle. She could hear Taylor running close behind her.

  More shots rang out behind them. When they reached the car, Kyla got behind the wheel as Taylor ran around to the passenger side. She reached under the steering wheel, pulling out the wires, she quickly connected two red wires and touched the ends to a brown wire. The engine started, and she put the car in drive, speeding away as more gunfire sounded behind them.

  She kept her head down as they sped away. When they were far enough away, she glanced at Taylor. He was holding his side. "What's wrong?" Taylor held out his hand, looking down at it. It was covered in blood. "Shit, Taylor, we're going to get you to a hospital. Put your hand on the wound and press as hard as you can. It'll slow the bleeding."

  She knew she'd heard that in movies, but in her head, Kyla heard her father saying it to her, just as she'd heard his voice telling her how to hotwire the car.

  "There's a town a few miles from here. It's where we shop when we stay at the lake in the summer. You were with us the last time we came up here. Do you remember," Taylor asked, not waiting for an answer? "There's a medical center there," Taylor said, groaning and laying his head back against the seat.

  Kyla's foot pressed harder on the pedal. She wasn't going to let Taylor die. She had lost enough. "Talk to me, Taylor."

  He groaned, "About what?"

  "Anything. Just talk to me, so I know you're okay."

  Taylor started talking, and Kyla listened as she focused on getting him help. "You were about thirteen the first time I realized that I liked you. I overheard you and Crystal talking about some boy that you thought was cute. Until that moment, you'd always been like a little sister to me. I had never thought of you in any other way, but that day all I could think of was breaking the guy's nose if he ever put his hands on you. After that, I kept telling myself that I was just looking out for you, protecting you 'cause you were family. "Do you remember going out with Mike Granger?"

  "Yeah, he was my first date ever. He was so scared.
He wouldn't even hold my hand."

  "Wanna know why?" He watched as she nodded her head. "Because I threatened him. I told him that if he laid one finger on you, I would break it, and his nose." Taylor chuckled and then groaned.

  "Wow," Kyla said, thinking. "Wait, was he the only one you told that to?"

  "No, every guy that asked you out, had a conversation with me."

  As Kyla maneuvered the car off the highway, she realized now why she had a hard time getting dates. Taylor had been cock-blocking her. "You did all of that, but never told me that you liked me. Why?"

  "You made it clear on more than one occasion that you weren't interested in me. You rolled your eyes at me, stuck your tongue out, and made it a point not to be anywhere that I was if you could help it. You would hardly ever talk to me."

  "I didn't want you to know that I had a crush on you. I especially didn't want Crystal to know." Kyla turned and followed the signs through town, indicating where the medical center was.

  "Well, what are we going to do now?"

  Kyla looked at him as she stopped at the stoplight. "We're going to get you some help." She turned the corner and entered the covered parking area of the medical center and parked by the door.

  "That's not what I meant, and you know it," he said as she jumped out and went around to help Taylor out of the car. She put her shoulder under his arm to support his weight. She placed her hand over his wound as they went into the building. It looked like he was bleeding less, but it hadn't stopped completely.

  As the doors slid open, she called out, "Help, we need help!"

  Doctors and nurses rushed to them. "What happened?"

  "We were hiking, and he got shot. It might have been a hunter or something," Kyla lied easily. They put Taylor on a bed and wheeled him away. "We'll finish this conversation when I'm done," he said as they took him down the hall. Kyla tried to follow, but they wouldn't allow her past the double doors. A nurse talked to her, asking her to fill out forms with information about Taylor.

  Kyla did what she could and then excused herself to the bathroom. While she washed the blood from her hands, she thought. How had they found her at the lake? Kyla could hear her father's voice in her head again, "GPS tracking. They can find you with your phone."

  She couldn't remember having these conversations with her dad, but she must have. Why else would she be recalling his voice saying these things. They couldn't be tracking her phone. She had left it at her house. "Fuck!" she said as she realized that it could have been Crystal's phone or even Taylors phone. They were probably on their way to the hospital.

  Kyla pulled out Taylor's phone and sent a text to Crystal, "Taylor's at Parker County Medical Center. He's going to be okay, but get your parents here fast." Kyla started to remove the backing of the phone to take the battery out but stopped. She sealed the phone's backing in place and slid the phone back in her pocket.

  She left the bathroom, passing the waiting area outside of the emergency room. She knew that Taylor would be okay and that his family would soon be there. She had to leave him. It was the only way to keep him and Crystal safe. At the exit, she planned to get in the SUV and drive away, but a security patrol car was parked behind it. The security officer was looking inside the vehicle.

  Kyla strolled passed him, walking to the street and crossing it. She walked for a while until she came to an intersection. She needed money, and she needed to get rid of Taylor's phone. Kyla crossed the street and went towards a restaurant in the strip of stores. As she passed through the parking lot, she looked at the car's license plates and found one from Illinois.

  She walked around the automobile, looking in the windows. It was packed with clothing and laundry baskets of books and small household items. She looked around, not seeing anyone close by. She tried the doors of the car. All were locked, but the back-passenger window was cracked open about a half an inch. Kyla silenced the phone, turning off all sounds and vibrations. Then she slipped the phone through the window of the car. She watched as it fell to the floor of the back seat. It wouldn't be seen easily. Kyla looked around again and walked away. If anyone was following the GPS on Taylor's phone, they would now be looking in the wrong place. That might give her a chance to get away.

  Kyla needed to find a place to think. She didn't think it was a smart idea to head back towards the highway. Kyla needed somewhere that was quiet and isolated. She walked through a nice neighborhood and continued until she crossed into an area of rundown properties and trailers. It amazed her how different it looked just a few streets away. Dogs barked here and there along the road.

  Some of the properties she passed had numerous cars parked in their yards. Most of them in need of repairs along with the houses. A few had clotheslines with assorted clothing hanging from them. Kid's toys and bikes were scattered through the yard. A few children were playing in their yards, and she spotted an adult here and there, but it seemed that no one was interested in her or what she was doing. This was the perfect neighborhood to get lost in. Kyla had no doubt that the men searching for her would be arriving at the hospital soon. Hopefully, whoever owned the car where she had dropped the phone, would lead them away while she tried to figure out her next move.

  She was getting close to the edge of town when she came to a lot with overgrown grass and a shabby little house, pushed back from the road with its windows boarded up. Kyla stopped in front of the house, looking around to make sure she wasn't seen. She didn't see anyone looking in her direction. She quickly ran around to the back, looking for a way to get inside. The windows at the back were boarded up as well. Kyla noticed that the door wasn't. It was locked, but the lock looked old. She knew that she could pick the lock if she had a thin piece of wire, but she was out of luck in that regard. Kyla tried throwing her weight against it. The door shook but the lock held. She tried again, putting more effort into it. It stayed in place, but Kyla could tell that with a few more tries, she'd be able to get it open.

  Three tries later, the lock gave way, and the door swung open. Kyla got inside and pushed the door closed. It was dark inside except for the break in between a few of the slats of wood covering the windows. Kyla walked through the rooms. She was sure that the house had been empty for a while. There was no furniture or any other items in the house. Kyla went back to the door that she'd used to get inside and sat on the floor leaning against it. If someone tried to come in, she'd know it instantly.

  Chapter Seven

  Kyla’s head jerked upright. It was dark outside. She’d fallen asleep shortly after sitting down on the dusty floor of the abandoned house. She had no idea how long ago that was. If things had gone the way she wanted. The men after her would have followed the signal from Taylor’s phone and would be far from where she was. She shook her head, thinking about the dream she had woken up from.

  Her mother and father had put her to bed, but Kyla had woken up. She could hear them talking in the living room. They were arguing when she eased around the corner from the hall. “I know that you want her to have a normal life, but we have to prepare her, just in case something happens to us. She’ll need to know how to protect herself, how to hide from them, and how to find Arthur,” her father said as he took hold of her mother’s hands.

  “She’s too young to understand this.”

  “We will find a way to teach her how to survive. We’ll make it like a game, and we’ll leave clues that only she will understand. We’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.”

  Kyla couldn’t remember much of what happened after that except electric blue light and what looked like an explosion. She didn’t think that it was just a dream. It felt like a memory. Just as hearing her father’s voice instructing her to hotwire a car and how to take care of a wound, felt like a memory. What if they were memories that she’d forgotten or locked away? What if there were clues hidden in her home, something that might help her understand what was happening? She had to go home.

  She needed a change of clothes. She remembered see
ing clotheslines on a few houses along the way here. Kyla retraced her steps down the road. The houses were dark, and one still had clothes hanging on the line. She could see the fabric being lifted by the breeze. She tipped through the front yard, hoping this wasn’t one of the places with a dog. She reached the gate separating the front and back yards. There was no lock on it.

  Kyla opened the gate and entered the yard, crossing quickly to the clothes hanging on the line. She grabbed a dark hoodie and a tee shirt. As Kyla walked back to the gate, her foot hit a beer can that lay on the ground. She heard growling behind her. Kyla stopped dead in her tracks, afraid to move, she slowly turned her head to see a large black dog baring its teeth and snarling at her.

  “Nice, puppy,” she said softly. She knew that the minute she started to run that the dog would charge, and in the dark, she couldn’t tell if he was on a chain or not. He hadn’t barked, which was good. That would have alerted whoever was inside the house. Kyla turned back to the gate, judging the distance between Kher, and it. Kyla took off, running as fast as she could. She could hear the dog charging as he finally let out a bark. Kyla made it through the gate and closed it. Kyla half expected the dog to jump the fence or burst through the gate. Please stay on that side, she prayed as she continued across the front of the yard to the street. The dog continued to bark, and Kyla looked back just in time to see the light in the house turn on.

  The dog wasn’t behind her, and his barking was fading as she ran back towards the main road of town. She continued running until she was sure that she was far enough away. She stopped running as she passed through the nicer area. People here would be more likely to call the police, and Kyla didn’t want that. The streets were quiet, with the occasional vehicle passing on the main road. She went behind a building and changed her shirt, putting the hoodie on and pulling the hood over her hair. She tossed her shirt in the trash and walked back to the street with her hands in her pockets to keep her fingers warm. She surveyed the area, trying to make sure that she remained aware of anyone that could be lurking in the darkness, looking for her.