Chapter 9
I took the back alleys and snuck out of town before anyone could stop me and ask why I was skulking around looking suspicious. I needed to try to beat Lily home, climb back up into my room and hope that Sam hadn’t been looking for me. It was a Monday and Sam let me sleep in, sometimes until noon. It was normally my one day without chores when I was free to do as I pleased. I had every intention of going straight home, until I saw Tyler walking along the side of the road with his fishing pole, headed toward the ravine.
I caught up and matched his long stride. “Hey Tyler. Going fishing, huh?”
He broke into a grin when he saw me. “Zeph…I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I’ve been laying low. You know how it is.” If anyone understood me and my predicament, it was Tyler. He’d lost his mom the same way I had, more or less. I wasn’t sure about the details, but I knew she died in childbirth and I knew Tyler felt partially responsible. It was the one thing, besides fishing, that we had in common, though we didn’t talk about it much anymore.
“Yeah, this is the first time in months my dad has let me out of his sight. I figured I’d better make good use of his being too busy to pay attention.” Tyler rested the rod over his shoulder. His skin was a shade lighter brown than that of his brothers. His mom must have been a white woman, whereas his dad’s skin was very dark. Tyler was a nice mix that gave him a mocha coloring and dark eyes that seemed deeper than a cavern, and equally as mysterious. He didn’t talk much, but I found his knowing expression to be comforting somehow.
“I know what you mean. Sam just tried to confine me. I don’t know why they think we need to be protected.” I kicked a rock, shooting it across the dusty road that led out of town and into the hills.
“Maybe it’s not us they’re trying to protect,” he said, raising an eyebrow in my direction.
“Yeah, maybe.” I’d been thinking the same thing but not willing to say it out loud. “Can I hang out with you for a while? I’m not ready to go home just yet.” An ache in my chest had taken up residence since that Industry agent had laid out his threat. He hadn’t fooled me with his “tell-that-kid-if-you-see-him” routine. He obviously knew who I was and had been playing me, hoping I’d go with him willingly in return for him leaving my family alone. The com unit lay in my pocket, heavy for such a small device.
“Sure, c’mon.” Tyler picked up the pace. “So what’d you do to get on Sam’s bad side?”
I filled him in on the wild pig fiasco. Tyler was one of the few people who knew my secret and didn’t freak out about it. He had his own secret to protect, so we’d made a pact not to tell anyone what we knew about each other. “I don’t blame him for being tough on me about it, but he’s gotta’ know I don’t like that I have this…condition…any more than he does.”
“That’s a funny way to describe what you can do,” Tyler chuckled.
After a moment of considering the potential disaster my oversharing might cost me or our friendship, I told him about the Industry agent I’d met in town. “What do you think I should do?” I asked, already regretting my decision. “I mean, if I contact him and choose to go with him, it might save Sam and Lily a lot of grief. And maybe I would get some answers about how to control this freakin’ curse.” I kicked another rock.
“I hear you, man. I’d give anything to be able to tune out people’s thoughts and not see the crap that’s in their heads.” Tyler’s “gift” wasn’t any easier than mine to deal with in some ways. It kept him isolated, driven to the brink of insanity if exposed to the overwhelming deluge of thoughts that radiated from a crowd.
“A sad pair we are, huh?” I nudged his shoulder and his face lit up with a wide grin.
“I don’t know. Just think about what you and I could do together if we teamed up and combined our skills. I bet we could take over the world.”
“That’s what Sam is worried about. He thinks if the Industry gets their hands on us, they’ll try to use us to create some invincible army.”
Tyler shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know what their plan is. All I know is that living in this town where my dad won’t let me out of his sight for two seconds is driving me crazy. He’ll be screaming mad that I left the ranch when he catches up with me later.” The Johnson’s had the largest horse ranch in the county, and grew most of the hay for the local livestock. They had all the amenities the government could provide outside the cities—payment to Mr. Johnson for keeping the people of Stanton in line.
An idea struck me. “Would you ever think about going to the Western Desert with me?” A burst of excitement flooded my veins. “Like you said; the two of us together would be unbeatable. With your ability, we could always have a jump on what they were thinking and planning. They couldn’t really make us do anything we didn’t want to do, right? If they tried, I could just suck the life out of them.” As soon as I said it, doubt crept into my head. I wasn’t sure I really had the nerve to use my power to murder someone in cold blood.
Tyler shrugged, unfazed by my bold suggestion. “I’d have to have a better reason for taking on the Industry than wanting to escape my life here.”
I considered what might be enough motivation for him to think about it seriously. “I bet it would get us one step closer to finding the man who did this to us—that Dr. Bartholomew guy I told you about.” I glanced sideways at Tyler, letting him see that I was only half-joking, and that I would love nothing better than to get my hands on the monster responsible for all our troubles.
The view up ahead stopped me in my tracks. I pointed toward the ravine where a cloud of smoke was curling into the sky. We ran to the edge and peered down the thirty-foot slope. The industry vehicle I’d seen earlier in town lay overturned, its roof caved in and the whole thing engulfed in flames.
“That’s the guy!” I yelled over the crackling blaze.
Tyler put his arm up to shield his face from the heat. “There’s no helping him. It’s way too late.”
The body burned inside the vehicle, and the smell of biodiesel and death filled the air. We watched the blaze for some time longer, debating on whether we should go back to town for help. But it seemed pointless to get involved. There would only be questions neither of us could answer, and with both of us already in trouble at home, it was best that we leave well enough alone. We parted ways, promising that we’d keep one more unfortunate circumstance hidden in our mutual pact of secrets, and intent on returning to scavenge the vehicle for parts some time later.
As I made my way up the timber trail road toward home, I examined the communication device Agent Marx had given me. A small, flat comp screen lit up when I pressed a green button on the side. A short list of numbers appeared. The first was marked with a star and had the name “Agent Marx” beside it. The second sent my heart racing. It said “Industry HQ.” I hit the red button and turned off the comp screen. Sweat trickled down my neck. Certain they’d be sending someone else when Agent Marx didn’t check in, I stuffed the com unit into my pocket and set aside the thoughts that burrowed deeper into my mind.
Hopefully, time was on my side. I needed to figure out what my next move should be. Being able to protect my family seemed like the one benefit of having this ability. I hated that it felt like their fate was in my hands. It didn’t matter if I stayed or left. They would still be in danger because of me. Frustration seeped from under my skin, adding heat to my already burning flesh. The sun was blazing hot in the sky by the time I reached the farm. It seemed pointless to try to sneak back in with the screen door wide open and voices emanating loudly from the kitchen. I’d have to face up to breaking confinement and hope that Sam would understand my need to escape. The bigger question was whether I should tell him about Agent Marx.
As I busted through the screen door, my sister’s hysterical sobbing stopped me cold.
“I didn’t mean to kill him!” Lily cried.
With tears streaming and a horrified look on her face, I knew in that instant, t
hat whatever my problems were, they didn’t compare to my sister’s dilemma, and adding mine wouldn’t help the situation.