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Jimmy sat at the table, working at his laptop. Matthews stood beside Mordia at the edge of the hallway. They whispered, but not so low that Jimmy couldn’t hear.
“There’s only two,” Matthews said. “That won’t be enough to gather data.”
“It’s a start, though. A male and female test subject. So we will see how the serum works based on gender.”
“That’s true. Good observation.”
“Other than being hungry and dirty, I think they are good subjects to begin with,” she said. “Don’t you?”
“They seem healthy enough, but Eric hinted about drug use.”
“I know.”
“The good thing is that he doesn’t exhibit any signs of withdrawal. So he could be clean.”
“Do you think they’ll still be willing to cooperate in the morning?” Mordia asked.
“They had best.”
“And if they don’t?”
Matthews offered a grim smile. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
***
Sheba led Mitch and Cassandra to an old mechanic shop on the edge of town. The windows were boarded up. Rusted car bodies and parts lay scattered on the ground. Ivy and briars clung to the paint-peeled walls. The old chain-link fence towered eight feet. Sheba pulled back part of the fence where the links had been cut. With no streetlights brightening the night, it was difficult to see what was enclosed inside the fence.
Cassandra felt blind. Mitch held her hand, following behind her. She doubted Mitch could see any better than herself. She could only guess that Sheba must be blessed with night vision like some animals possess. For all she knew, Sheba could be luring them into another trap, but Cassandra had run out of options, at least until Mitch’s friends arrived. She had to begin trusting others eventually, but that was still difficult under current circumstances.
“You stay in here?” Cassandra asked.
Sheba stopped inside the fence. “No, I only come to visit.”
“Why such a rundown place?” Mitch asked.
“No one comes here. It’s quiet.”
Sheba led them to the side of the garage and pushed aside a large piece of tin. She listened for a moment before entering.
“Come on,” she said.
Cassandra followed. Her mind raced with every possible thing she might encounter. Snakes, spiders, and other nasty creepy crawlers brought chill bumps down her arms and behind her neck. She stopped walking when she worried that there might actually be others like Sheba waiting inside the garage. Or, the cats might lurk in the darkness, which might actually be a good thing.
Mitch bumped into her.
“Sorry,” he said. “What’s wrong? Why’d you stop walking?”
“It’s nothing,” she replied.
“It’s safe here,” Sheba said from across the room.
A light flickered and brightened. Sheba struck a long kitchen match. She lit an oil lantern and shook the match until its flame died. Adjusting the wick, the light intensified and chased away the darkness. A couple of old cars were parked with flat tires. Layers of dust coated them. Wrenches, screwdrivers, and assorted tools hung on the walls above workbenches.
Sheba carried the lantern and placed it on a table. Her voice rose with a pleasant eagerness that was unfamiliar to her nature. “Come look.”
Cassandra and Mitch walked to the table. Cassandra studied Sheba’s face in the glow of the lantern. All the piercings, the tattoos, and her running dark mascara seemed contrary to how she was acting now. She sounded like an excited child that had found a toy.
Sheba wiped a thin layer of dust off the cover of the large binder. She opened the book and smiled. “These are the reasons I come here.”
Mitch looked over Cassandra’s shoulder and frowned. “Photos?”
Sheba nodded. “Yes. You see? This is Gloria and I at the park. Beverly had taken that one. Here’s one of Beverly and Jill on the rickety old seesaw. Then here’s one of us all at Gloria’s last birthday party before the incident that changed our lives. Her mother had taken this one.”
Cassandra glanced at Mitch with uncertainty. He nodded reassuringly and mouthed, “It’s okay.”
“So you come here to look at them?” Mitch asked.
Sheba smiled. “These and other things. I have Gloria’s teddy bear and a few of Jill’s dolls. Some other toys we played with, too.”
Mitch frowned. “Alpha has Gloria?”
“Yes.”
“You’re positive she’s still alive?” he asked.
“Yes. I know she is. He won’t let me see her.”
Cassandra shook her head. “Why is he keeping her?”
“To make me do what he wants.”
“Have you ever called his bluff?” Cassandra asked.
“No. He’d hurt her. I know he would.”
Mitch looked at Sheba. “Has he ever let you see her since that night she went missing?”
“Once. So I know he has her.”
“Inside New Horizons?” Mitch asked.
“Maybe,” she said.
Mitch stared at Gloria’s face in the picture. “Where else might he be keeping her?”
Sheba’s lower lip puckered. “The asylum.”
“With Beverly?”
Sheba nodded and gently ran a finger across Gloria’s picture. Tears welled in her eyes. Mitch stepped beside her, placed his hand over hers, and squeezed.
“Listen,” Mitch said. “When my friends get here, we’ll find her. You’ll get to be with her again, but we need to hide until morning.”
“We can stay here,” Sheba said. “There’s an old mattress over in that corner. You two sleep and I’ll keep watch.”
Cassandra sighed. “I’m exhausted, and as much as I appreciate the offer, I honestly don’t think I’d sleep a wink here.”
Mitch placed a hand on her shoulder. “We could at least try. If nothing else, we can rest.”
“I need some rest. I’ve been running full speed all day. Food would be nice, too.”
Sheba said, “I have some food. Dry cereal and pastries. A few bottles of water if you’re thirsty.”
“Right now, anything sounds great,” Cassandra said.
Sheba turned and pulled open a filing cabinet drawer.
Mitch’s cellphone vibrated. “It’s Kat. Her text says that they’re on the plane and will be here by sunrise.”
“Good,” Cassandra said. “Maybe this will be over tomorrow.”
“I hope so,” Mitch said.
“Stopping Alpha won’t be an easy task,” Sheba said.
“I know,” Mitch replied.
Sheba placed food and water on the workbench. “You felt his power when you risked your life for me.”
“Yes.”
“Magnify that by one hundred when you get within his sight. You were at a distance. The closer you get to him, the stronger his power.”
“Damn,” Mitch said softly.
“I wanted to give you the heads up on that. You’ve not tasted his full strength. No one has ever survived it.”
Mitch and Cassandra grabbed something to eat and a bottle of water. Mitch sat on the mattress and patted a spot beside him. Cassandra plopped down next to him. A small cloud of dust puffed upward. She coughed and waved away the dust.
Mitch drank the water and scooted back against the wall. Cassandra did the same. After she finished eating, she leaned and rested her head against his shoulder. She thought of Alicia for a few moments before her heavy eyelids closed and she surrendered to sleep. Mitch did the same.
***
Officer Parker awoke with a quick start. He shook his head and instantly felt woozy. He ran his tongue across his shattered teeth and his anger boiled.
“Damn bitch!” He rose to his feet and wiped blood from his lip and spit tooth fragments on the dusty warehouse floor. “I’ll kill you for this!”
Parker attempted to stand, stumbled, and caught himself inches before his face smashed against the concrete. He pushed off from the ground, much like doing a pushup, and steadied himself. He shook his head. Everything appeared blurry. For a young lady, she had one hell of a punch.
He turned on his flashlight and staggered across the floor. Seeing his gun reflect in the light, he made his way toward it. Sharp pain pulsed through his jaws and stabbed into his brain. He avoided breathing through his mouth because the cool air coming across his broken teeth increased the pain.
Parker knelt at the gun and picked it up. He didn’t rise too quickly because he knew he was close to losing consciousness again. He rose and the room shifted. Nausea churned inside his stomach.
“Steady,” he told himself. He holstered the gun.
One carefully took one step at a time. He’d have joked about failing his own sobriety test had he not hurt so badly.
In a couple of intense minutes, he made his way to the door, opened it, and leaned against the frame. All the lights on his patrol car were flashing, but the engine wasn’t running.
“Dammit!” He didn’t have to look to know that she had taken his car keys.
He wobbled to the car and opened the door. He got on his radio and called dispatch.
“Send someone out to Dirsch’s Warehouse. I need my spare set of car keys.”
“Roger that,” came back over the radio.
Silver shimmered across his eyes. He growled with delight. His pain diminished and renewed strength flowed through his body.
“You’re going to suffer for this, Sheba,” Parker said. “This time I’m going to kill you.”
***
Alicia slept quietly, dreaming of her mother’s loving smile. In her dream, she reached to hug her mother but felt a presence in the room.
Voices in the small room awakened her. She bolted up and looked around. Seth was still asleep on the other end of the couch. The large cat remained rigid and alert outside the door with its back to her.
“Sorry that I’ve awakened you,” he said.
Alicia turned quickly. The man stood in the corner across the room. A large cat sat at his feet, and he rubbed between its ears. He smiled when her eyes met his.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Does a name really matter? It won’t make you know me any better.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why am I here? Why are we here?”
“You are being protected.”
“From whom?”
“It’s too complicated to explain, but I assure you, you’ll be released very soon. Once those who wish you harm are taken out of the way, you’re free to go.”
Alicia studied the man. He had blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. His skin was tan, and although he was muscular, he wasn’t a massive person.
“Is my mother alive?” she asked.
He nodded. “She’s fine.”
“And Seth’s?”
He looked away and his shoulders sagged. “Regrettably, we weren’t able to get to her in time.”
Sadness filled Alicia’s eyes. “Why would anyone want to kill her? She was a wonderful person.”
“I know. But greed has a hand in this.”
“Why haven’t you brought my mother here?”
“We’re working on it.”
“Really?” she asked, staring at him with skepticism.
“Yes.”
“But the people who killed Deidre might kill her.”
The man nodded and smiled. “We’ve been protecting her day and night. You’ll be with her soon. You have my word.”
Alicia pondered the man’s statements. “This is an odd place to keep us.”
He shrugged. “It’s the safest place in Salem for you. These old steel walls . . . they keep the intruder out. He cannot find you here. And trust me, he wants to find you. He’s looking for you now.”
“Does he want to kill me, too?”
“No. Perhaps much worse.”
Alicia gave a shrewd stare. “What’s worse than death?”
“Many things, I’m afraid. Loss of freedom. Loss of love. Those are two things I think are worse than death.”
“I suppose.”
“Do you not feel them now?” he asked. “You’re temporarily isolated from your mother and held here in this room. How does that make you feel?”
“Lonely. And I hurt inside because I miss her, and I’m worried about her.”
“See?”
“I understand.”
He smiled. “No, not really. You see, this is temporary. If he gets you, this type of isolation will be the remainder of your life. Only not in this room. In his laboratory or a cage. You and Seth are very special and have unique abilities that he wants to use for his own gain. I won’t allow it. And he will be stopped. Soon.”
“How will you do that?”
“In due time, young lady. In due time.”
***
Jimmy sat at the desk and quietly disassembled his computer setup. More than an hour had passed since Beth and Eric had taken their showers, eaten more pizza, and Mordia showed them to their rooms to sleep.
Mordia slept on the foldout couch. Matthews chose the room nearest the bathroom and hadn’t come out for quite some time.
Jimmy thought it odd that Matthews hadn’t invited Mordia to his room. She was a very attractive woman with a great figure, but Matthews had expressed no sexual interest in her at all, in spite of his constant praises toward her beauty and intellect. When it came to work, Matthews always presented everything in a stiff, professional business manner.
Jimmy tucked several computer attachments into the laptop case and slid the laptop into its compartment. He didn’t attempt to zip each compartment closed because the sound was certain to awaken Mordia. He held the handles together and tiptoed to the apartment door.
He slowly unlocked each deadbolt as quietly as possible. Each quick click caused him to close his eyes and hold his breath. They seemed strangely loud. After the fifth turned, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it silently. Pulling the door toward him, he took a slight step backwards. Cold metal pressed beneath his right ear.
“Going somewhere?” Matthews asked with a broad smile.
Jimmy took a quick breath and swallowed hard.
Matthews shut the door and with a nod, he motioned Jimmy toward the desk.
“Mordia!” Matthews said.
She rolled over on the couch and blinked with surprise.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I need your help.”
Mordia pulled off her blankets and walked toward them. “What do you need?”
“Sedate him.”
Mordia looked at him questionably. “Why?”
“He was attempting to leave.”
Mordia frowned. “You mean he has to stay?”
“He was sneaking out with all his stuff.” Matthews glared at Jimmy. “What was the photo for earlier?”
“I told you.”
Matthews shook his head. “No, a better question. Whom did you send that photo to?”
“No one. I swear.”
Matthews stepped closer to Jimmy and stared him in the eyes. Jimmy looked away.
“See? You’re lying. I can tell.”
Matthews held the gun on Jimmy. Mordia grabbed a syringe from her bag, thumped it twice, looking for air bubbles, and then she inserted the needle into Jimmy’s hip.
The room began to spin. Jimmy dropped his computer case and grabbed a chair to keep from collapsing to the floor.
Matthews smiled at Mordia. “Looks like we have a third participant in this project.”
Jimmy felt his body numbing. He tried to hold himself up, but the drug was too powerful. He released his grip on the chair and fell forward on the floor.
Matthews leaned down and turned Jimmy onto his back. Matthews grinned. “Was it worth it, old friend?”
Jimmy lost consciousness.
***
Mordia looked at Matthews and said, “Now what?”
“We start the project.”
“While they’re asleep?”
“Why not? No protest if they change their minds.”
Mordia shook her head. “You’re more shrewd than I imagined.”
He smiled. “You’ve never seen me when I don’t get my way.”
Mordia grabbed her medical bag. “Well, I don’t intend to start now. Let’s go.”