CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

AFTER LEAVING THE diner, Adel, Evie and I gathered under a large pecan tree in front of a stone building that served as Everlast’s courthouse, post office and bank.

“What now?” I held Evie close, conflicted between the joy of having her back and the anxiety over protecting her.

“We have weapons that will help in the battle, along with a few dozen people trained to use them.” Adel shook her head. “I won’t start lying to you now, Jim. None of it will matter if you can’t level the battlefield. In a conventional war, our firepower should be an even match for their increased agility, speed and strength.”

She sat at the base of the tree. “Against telekinetics, we won’t last five minutes. Hell, they’d simply tear us apart.” She reached up to take Evie’s hand, tugging her down beside her. “Sorry to be so graphic, honey. There’s no sense in protecting anyone at this point.”

Evie nodded thoughtfully. “So side effects of the twitch virus have always included telekinetic ability?”

“Along with rapid cell death and mutation,” Adel said. “The two always balanced each other out to an extent.”

“Now with the lost gene…” Evie left the statement unfinished. Everyone nodded, contemplating the implications silently.

After a moment Adel picked it up. “My knowledge is based on what I’ve been taught. I’m not nearly old enough to know from experience, but our history maintains that without the lost gene, a twitcher’s mental abilities are only effective in tandem with one or more of the five senses. Too much of their focus is scattered by their degenerating bodies for them to utilize the sixth sense.”

“So they can only affect the things they can see or hear?” Evie asked.

“Essentially.”

I paced back and forth beneath the shade of the tree. “But I don’t have the gene.”

Adel shrugged. “Somehow you do. Incidental exposure, I don’t know.”

I slapped my forehead. “During the attack on the lab I crushed several of the samples. Combined with the ultrasonic cleaning, if sonoporation…”

“Look, doc, how isn’t important.” Adel stood, helping Evie up. “No matter what the rest decide, we’ve got to get you to a place where you’ll be isolated from the five senses, yet able to defend the entire town with your sixth sense.”

“That you hope I have.”

“You have it.” She waved for us to follow her across the street. “Trick is, we got less than thirty minutes to find it.” She stopped in the middle of the road. “How are you at hide and seek?”