Edgewood Series: Books 1 - 3 Page 6

  “And you brought back a dead person,” Nadia said. “So it’s pretty easy to figure out what your superpower is.”

  “Oh, no,” I said. “That wasn’t me. I mean, I was there, but I didn’t bring her back from the dead.”

  “Did she have a pulse?” Jameson asked.

  “Not that I could find. But,” and here I held a hand up for emphasis, “that doesn’t mean she was dead. Her pulse was probably too faint for me to detect. I was pretty rattled. A trained professional probably could have found a pulse.”

  “So you’re saying she wasn’t completely dead, just a little bit dead.”

  “No, I—” The way Jameson twisted my words was starting to get me mad. “She wasn’t dead at all, so I couldn’t have brought her back to life.”

  “But you did bring her back to life,” Nadia said.

  “Whatever.” I didn’t want to argue about it, but I knew I was right. I’m a fairly observant guy when it comes to new things going on in my own life. I noticed right away when I started getting armpit hair. I sure wouldn’t miss suddenly getting a superpower.

  The waitress brought the bill, and everyone scrambled out of the booth. I followed, still trying to process what I’d just been told. At the register, Mallory paid for everyone. Nadia and Jameson didn’t even look in their pockets or try to pay.

  “Thanks for the food,” I said as we left the diner, the door slamming shut behind us. “It’s been great.”

  Mallory said. “Thanks for the food? It’s been great? That’s all you have to say after we told you this huge secret involving superpowers?”

  “You don’t even have any questions?” This from Nadia, who trailed behind us. She hadn’t pulled her hood down the entire time we were in the diner, and now she was completely hidden behind it.

  “Only a million of them.” It was true, I could have talked about it all night, but it was later than the time I normally got home, and that made me worried. I’d never been caught being out at night before, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t this time. Just my luck I’d get in the house at the same moment my mom was getting up to go to the bathroom. Why someone couldn’t go a whole night without peeing was beyond me, but I often heard the downstairs toilet flushing at night, and I always knew it was her. She blamed it on menopause. Actually, she blamed a lot of things on menopause. “I have to get home,” I said, shoving my hands in my pockets. “We can talk later, right?”

  Mallory nodded. “I’ll explain it all to you after school. Just remember that what we’ve told you is strictly confidential. Only the four of us know this.”

  “Wait. So you’ve known about this for a year, and none of you have told anyone else?” We’d been crossing the parking lot, but now I stopped to face them. “Why not?”

  Nadia’s head was down. Her voice floated out from under her hood. “In comic books they never tell.”

  “Well, yeah…” It was true, but this wasn’t a comic book, and I wasn’t Peter Parker. Telling someone in authority seemed like a good way to go.

  “The main reason we decided not to tell anyone is that we think it might be dangerous at this point,” Mallory said. “You need to trust me on this. Don’t tell anyone, or Google anything about this, or text anyone. That can all be traced. We have to do this old school and talk face-to-face. Someone else knows about this, and they’re trying to find us. We’re still trying to figure out who knows and what they want. When we do, we might go public. For now, we’re keeping it to ourselves.”

  “How do you know that someone knows and is trying to find you?”

  “Mr. Specter knew, for one,” she said, ticking off on her fingers. “And the fact that it’s not in the news or online. There are other things too. Someone is hunting for us. I’ll tell you more next time.” She looked up at the night sky. It was a clear night and above us the stars shone brightly. “Just be careful, Russ. I think if we stick together we can figure this thing out.”

  “What do you mean someone is hunting for us?”

  “Maybe hunting is the wrong word. Trying to get us to come forward is more like it. I’ll tell you more tomorrow.”

  “For now, just keep your mouth shut, if that’s possible,” Jameson said, pointing a finger at me. “Try not to screw things up.”

  “I can keep a secret,” I said, matching his rude tone.

  “I hope so,” Jameson said, pushing his glasses up with one long, pointed finger. “Mallory vouched for you. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be here.”

  “Yeah, I got that,” I said. The guy clearly had a serious problem with me and I wasn’t sure why, but I wasn’t going to take his abuse even if he was a friend of Mallory’s.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  We said good night and parted ways. I started to head for home, but somewhere along the way, a thought nagged at me that I needed to go back to the abandoned train station and check out the field where I’d seen the lights. Mallory’s group said they’d gone back a few days after their sighting and the fragments were gone, all gone. I had no idea how that could be. It would take one person forever to pick up the individual pieces. Even a crew of people couldn’t possibly get them all. There were thousands, maybe tens of thousands of fragments. There had to be some proof left behind. If I recovered a piece I would definitely one-up that smug bastard Jameson, who thought he was better than me. Okay, maybe he was smarter. So what? That didn’t mean I had nothing to contribute. What had he said? I’d give my right arm to be able to study a chunk of that stuff. I didn’t want his right arm, or any part of him at all, but I’d love to see the look on his face if I had a piece of something he wanted.

  I made my way toward the field as quickly as possible. When I was nearly to the train station, I saw the lights off in the distance. Not the kind of lights I’d seen falling from the sky earlier in the week. These were man-made lights, accompanied by the buzzing of some kind of electrical equipment. I walked up a small hill and darted behind the boarded-up train station building before peeking around the corner.

  The field had been marked off like a crime scene. Each corner was staked and connected by yellow tape. Bright lights on tripods illuminated the space where the light spiral had been just a few nights ago. Two armed guards stood on either side of the field, each of them carrying a gun in a shoulder holster. Their guns weren’t as long as rifles, but they were bigger than handguns. From this distance it was hard to identify them exactly. I didn’t recognize their uniforms either. Not the police or any military that I was aware of. What could this be all about? They were guarding rocks?

  Inside the taped area, at least a dozen men walked slowly while waving a device like a metal detector over the ground. They wore white jumpsuits that zipped up the front. Their hands sported oversized white gloves like Mickey Mouse. No one spoke, but the device made an odd, high-pitched EMF noise I found maddening. Back and forth the men walked in slow, careful steps, their gaze on the ground. They were looking for the pieces of stone that had fallen from the sky, I was sure of it. The event had happened two nights ago. Maybe they’d picked up most of it already and now were checking to make sure they got it all?

  As I watched, one of the devices went off, making an annoying beeping noise like an old-fashioned alarm clock. The worker turned off the alarm, tucked the device under his arm, and bent at the waist to pick something up. I couldn’t see what it was, but he was able to hold it in the palm of his hand, so it wasn’t big. He walked over to a man who stood just outside the perimeter.

  I hadn’t noticed that man before. He was dressed differently from the others—no white suit for him, so clearly he wasn’t one of the workers. I only saw his back, but he was trim and tall, and dressed in dark clothing. He had the authoritative stance of someone in charge. He was overseeing this operation, was my take on it. The worker showed the boss whatever it was he’d picked up, and when he got a nod of approval, plunked it into what looked like a cylindrical container the size of a garbage can. The two exchanged a few words, and the next thing I
knew, the worker was headed my way, the detector tucked under his arm.

  Oh man, he was coming right at me. This couldn’t be good. If I was spotted I was so screwed. If I started running now, I thought it would attract attention. I froze and shrank back against the building. Involuntarily, I raised my hand to my mouth, willing myself silent. On my side of the building it was fairly dark. Maybe I would be okay.

  And then I had another thought. What if the boss man had noticed me lurking and sent him to grab me? What had Mallory said about getting found out? That it would be dangerous. That was the word she used. Dangerous, as in life-threatening. I didn’t even want to know what those armed guards would do to a trespasser.

  I heard the worker rustling through the tall grass, getting closer and closer. My heart pounded so loudly I was afraid it would give me away. But no one else could hear that, could they?

  In the distance I still heard the buzzing and the movement of the other men, but it was the one walking toward me I worried about. Closer, closer, closer. He cleared his throat in a threatening way. Just when I thought I should make a run for it, the worker stopped walking. I was in the back of the building and he was around the adjacent side, so close I was willing to bet I could reach my arm around the corner and touch him. Near enough he could jump out and grab me.

  But neither of those things happened, because the next thing I heard was the sound of a zipper and the unmistakable sound (and smell) of pee hitting the side of the building. The guy wasn’t coming to find me; he just needed to take a whiz. I looked up at the starry sky and thanked God. What a relief. I exhaled silently and gave my heart permission to slow down.

  As soon as the guy was done I vowed to head straight home to the safety of my bedroom. And never leave again. I wasn’t made for this much stress. I waited while the guy peed, and peed, and peed some more. Man, he really had to go. I leaned my head back against the building and let myself relax, just a little bit. In a minute I’d hear him walk back to the work site and then I’d be safe.

  I heard the stream taper off, and a zipper being yanked up. And then a click and the EMF humming like he’d turned the detector back on. A few seconds later, his detector made the raucous beeping sound it had made earlier in the field. Startled, I jumped. Over the noise, I heard him say, “What the hell?” to himself, and then he shouted back to the others, “I’ve got something here.”

  I didn’t wait around to see what happened next. I ran. I ran as fast as I could, which suddenly didn’t seem fast enough. I heard the guy yell, “Hey!” and knew I’d been spotted.

  There was a small incline behind the building and I was out in the open. Not great, but that’s the way it was. I didn’t have time to think about it much anyway. I was on fast-forward, my legs fueled by adrenaline and fear.

  I’d have more places to hide once I got to the houses of Old Edgewood, the neighborhood where Nelly Smith (now in the hospital) resided. But that was three blocks away. Behind me I heard the pounding feet and a voice calling out for me to stop, but there was distance between us, and besides, I was younger and faster.

  When I reached the road, I made a rookie move and looked behind me. I told myself it was just a quick glance to assess the situation, but it turned out to be a big mistake. Two men were coming after me. The worker who’d stopped to pee was the closest of the two, the detector dangling from his hand; periodically it would beep, which was weird, since we weren’t anywhere near the field with the fragments. The other guy was one of the armed guards, a burly man whose large shoulders and overall build made him resemble the Hulk. Despite their advanced ages, they were speedy, and my pause to look helped them to gain on me.

  I’d been on the track team in middle school, but I heard how competitive things got in high school and didn’t even bother joining my freshman year. A good decision, I’d thought at the time, since I’m really not much of an athlete. Since middle school, I’ve played baseball with the local rec team over the summer and disc golf and basketball with my friends just for fun, but that was the extent of it. None of it had prepared me for this night.

  “Halt!” one of the men shouted behind me.

  “Stop or I’ll shoot!”

  Halt. Stop or I’ll shoot. Unreal. Like in a movie, or a dream. It occurred to me then that maybe I was in the middle of an extremely vivid nightmare, one of those where all your senses are engaged right down to the bite of the night air and the frantic realization your life was in danger. The situation was bizarre enough to be a nightmare, but it felt too real. I was out of breath, panting, but still my legs kept pumping, almost on their own. Fear is a powerful motivator.

  I felt something hit the base of my neck. The sensation was followed by a sharp sting and a burning sensation, but I didn’t have time to think about it. The pain, and the fact that I was close to Old Edgewood, gave me a surge of strength. In a minute I’d no longer be out in the open, but close to houses and trees and fences. Places to hide.

  Despite the burning on my back, I just kept moving. When I got to the edge of the residential section, I leapt over the curb. I had a stitch in my side like I used to get as a kid when I ran with my mouth open. I’d been sweating so hard my T-shirt was glued to my body. My sweatshirt suddenly felt overly warm, but the dark color also gave me some protection. I ran in between the houses and made a dash for the thick shrubbery that divided two properties. The pounding of the men’s footsteps seemed to be getting further away, but I didn’t let up. I gulped in air and crouched down between two rows of bushes. Although there were streetlights there, I was a ways back from the road and almost invisible in the shrubbery. As an added bonus, I could push through to the neighboring yard if I needed to.

  I kept low to the ground and listened. My hands rested on the ground and I got a whiff of my own perspiration mixed with the smell of dewy grass. Even though I’d dodged them, the men weren’t giving up. Their voices drifted from the street, talking about me.

  “Where did he go?”

  “We couldn’t have lost him.”

  The sound of a car approaching made me hopeful. Maybe it would make them wary and they’d retreat. With any luck, it would be a cop and my worries would be over. A guy in a white suit accompanied by a dude carrying a gun would have some explaining to do.

  The car stopped, its brakes squealing slightly, and I held my breath, listening intently. Instead of a cop asking what they were doing out and about in the middle of the night, I heard the sound of multiple car doors opening and the footsteps of the passengers leaping out. Then men’s voices, all talking at once.

  “Quick, before we lose him!”

  “Which way did he go?”

  “Did you get a good look at him?”

  “Men, spread out and comb the area. He couldn’t have gotten far.”

  This was starting to sound like an FBI manhunt. For trespassing? I was in so much trouble. Would I be better off running or staying put? I couldn’t decide. When I’d been running I didn’t have much time to think or feel—I was too busy fleeing. Now I felt a tidal wave of terror come over me. Panicked, I peered out of my hiding place, trying to decide what to do. Think, think, think. I watched as four men in white dispersed, all of them holding their buzzing detectors in front of them. The armed guard conferred with the man in the dark clothing, the one I’d thought was the boss of the operation.

  A front door creaked open and an old woman dressed in a green bathrobe stepped out onto the porch. “What’s going on out here?” Her tone was sharp. No one I’d want to mess with.

  “No need to get alarmed, ma’am. Just a civil defense drill,” the boss said.

  She shook a finger at him. “A civil defense drill? In the middle of the night? I’ve never heard of such a thing. I’m calling the police!”

  “Please, ma’am.” The man’s voice got louder as he approached. “Let me show you some identification. That should ease your mind.” He walked briskly up the walkway and onto the porch.

  “Get off my property! I don’t wan
t to see any—”

  Silence. I held my breath, wondering what he’d done to make her stop mid-sentence, but when I peeked out, all I could see was the two of them standing side-by-side, his hand on her arm. He spoke so softly I could just hear him. “Just go inside and go back to sleep. Forget you ever saw us.”

  She looked around, confused. “Go back to bed?”

  “Yes, that’s right. You’ll sleep soundly, and when you wake up you won’t remember any of this.”

  “All right then,” she said, turning and going back into the house.

  The boss walked back to the car, and he and the armed guard got in and drove away. As I watched the taillights go off in the distance, I felt relief wash over me. I wiped my sweat-slicked hands on the front of my jeans and blinked back tears.

  Only then did I stop to think about the throbbing on the back of my neck. I reached up to rub the spot and found it sticky and wet. When I pulled my fingers away and looked, I realized that what I’d thought was sweat plastering my shirt to my body was actually blood. I had no idea how this had happened. The men who’d been chasing me hadn’t even come close. But something clearly had made contact with my neck, causing the stinging sensation. And that something had broken the skin.

  I didn’t have time to think about it. I had to go at least a mile before I got home, and I needed to do it without getting caught. I looked up and down the street before crawling out of my hiding place. Lights were on in a few of the houses, and the streetlamps lit up the road, but the trees, mature and abundant in this part of town, would help me hide along the way.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  I’d gone through Old Edgewood so many times before that I knew all the good hiding places. I darted between parked cars and behind hedges. Crouched behind garages and moved stealthily between trees. The men in white had their detectors on, so I knew I’d hear them if they were close. Meanwhile, I could be absolutely silent. I tried not to think about the man with the gun. Maybe he and the boss had left for good.