Voices

  Steve careens around a corner and then straightens out the van. He’s picking up speed when a caravan of black Escalades with flashing blue lights approach us on the two-lane highway. They’re closing in fast.

  Steve slows and pulls over, swearing under his breath. “Amazing. I always thought Zeke’s dad was running something funny from Willowgate. Never suspected the kid was involved. Reizo told me Willowgate is a drug distribution center. Is it true? Dr. Stewart and the local police are involved?”

  “Yeah, all true.”

  Steve sighs with relief when the black Escalades speed past us on the road toward Willowgate.

  As the Escalades pass by, I notice men inside wearing black ball caps with white letters on them: FBI.

  Reinforcements.

  chapter fifty

  I ditch the white jacket, but keep the pepper spray in my left hand and the Taser in my right. Up the stairs and out the side door, I bolt into a large expanse of grass toward a tree line.

  Zeke and his chiseled bodyguard continue their pursuit.

  “Move faster!” shouts Bouncer.

  I glance back and notice Zeke slowing down, apparently sending his beefy bodyguard to do his dirty work. The guy is fast and gaining on me. Damn.

  A moment later, Honesti shouts, “He’s on you! Stop, drop, and roll!”

  She better be right.

  Just as the bodyguard nears me, I drop and roll on the ground, turn, and fire the Taser at the guy. Probes explode outward attaching to the bodyguard’s shirt like hungry leaches. The muscle bound dude shakes violently, collapsing to the ground.

  I stand up and watch the guy squirm in pain.

  “Keep moving!” shouts Honesti. “Zeke is running again.”

  I throw the Taser at the guy. “Jerk.” I take off running toward the trees as fast as I can manage in Stewart’s loose black shoes. I glance over my shoulder. Zeke runs past his downed partner. He’s getting closer.

  “Man you’re slow!” shouts Bouncer. “He's gonna catch your dumb ass!”

  A crackle echoes through the trees and a white flash streaks past me. A shock wave nearly sends me into a face plant, but I manage to keep moving. “What the hell?”

  Zeke is nearly on me. “Next time it'll be in your back!”

  Stewart’s shoes are flopping around on my feet and slowing me down.

  “Don’t stop or you’re dead!” yells Bouncer.

  “Faster, Reizo, don’t look back!” shouts Honesti.

  I keep running, my chest rising and falling.

  “That’s it!” shouts Zeke. “I don't care what they want me to do. You’re dead!”

  As I near the trees, another white flash zips past my head.

  Missed again.

  I run to the right, then to the left in a zigzag pattern, but stumble and fall.

  Another crackling flash barely misses my head.

  “What is he shooting at me?”

  I get back up and run faster.

  “You don't want to know,” Bouncer replies.

  “You’re not helping.”

  “Stay focused, Reizo,” says Honesti. “Run.”

  Zeke is gaining on me. Another flash whizzes past me. My ears ring.

  “Tuck, roll, and shoot,” says Honesti. “I’ll tell you when.”

  I keep running without looking back. I’m going to have to trust Honesti again. “Tell me when.”

  “Almost,” says Honesti. “Wait. Wait. A little closer.”

  “He’ll never make it to the trees,” Bouncer says.

  I hear Zeke breathing hard. “You’re—”

  “Now!” yells Honesti.

  I tuck and roll, point the bottle of pepper spray at Zeke's face, and send a stream of hot sauce directly into his face.

  Zeke tumbles and grabs his eyes. There’s a grotesque crunching sound and an ear-piercing scream when he hits the ground. As I get back up to my feet, I notice Zeke’s leg is bent back in a gross, unnatural position. A sharp branch is sticking out of his bicep.

  Zeke grabs onto a gold bracelet with colorful gemstones on his bloody arm. He screams in pain, “You’re so dead! Dead! You hear me?”

  “Right. Who’s the badass now?” I throw the spray bottle at him and flip him off. “You piece of crap!”

  “I’ll destroy you,” screams Zeke. “Squash you like a bug.”

  “Yeah, right,” I say, staring at the blood streaming from his arm.

  “You did it,” says Honesti. “Get moving.”

  “Impressive,” says Bouncer. It surprises me, but I don't have time to gloat. “Badass is your middle name, son.”

  I turn around and jog off toward Murdock’s ranch with a smile on my face.

  “I've never seen that gold thing on his arm before. Is it a laser blaster or some kind of wearable gun?”

  “Sort of!” says Honesti. She lowers her voice to a whisper. “I knew that kid was an Enforcer.”

  “What's an Enforcer?” I struggle to say in between breaths.

  “He ain't no Enforcer,” says Bouncer. “More like a Follower, if youz ask me.”

  “What are you two talking about?”

  “Just keep running. We'll tell you all about it later,” says Honesti.

  My thoughts shift to Aimee and Steve, hoping they’ve made it to the ranch. Steve isn’t the sort of guy to let anyone down.

  Just as I reach the trees beyond Willowgate’s grassy grounds, I hear that familiar crackling sound, but this time a searing pain slams into my right side. It throws me forward. My legs go limp midstride. A million volts shakes my body as I tumble in agony into the bushes and slam into a tree.

  “Reizo!” screams Honesti. “No!”

  “Ah jeez. I was almost convinced he could do it,” mutters Bouncer.

  “Zeke was able to get his bracelet to work—” Honesti whispers.

  WELCOME TO THE CLOUD

  Login: general

  Password: *********

  How may I be of service?

  >>search system status

  ?I have encountered an error?

  >>search system status

  ?I am having difficulties rebuilding?

  System Unstable Please Try Again

  reset............

  You have mail—1 new message

  >>display mail

  From: Carmina

  Reply-To:

  To: General

  Subject: One last warning

  Dear General,

  I have tried to be patient. I have tried to give you time to see the truth with which I seek for the betterment of all involved and the advancement of the soul’s life experience. Yet, you have not responded.

  I take your lack of response as your final answer. I see now I will never get you to change your archaic rules. You are stuck in the past. Granted, your reincarnation rules were appropriate a thousand years ago. But in this modern age we must update them. There are no other feasible solutions. The elimination of suffering is not negotiable. Innocents must be protected from ignorant egos. New rules must be woven into the fabric of reincarnation. Please General. I know we can work together to make it happen.

  This is your last chance to reconsider. If you fail to respond, I will move forward and defeat you.

  Regards,

  Carmina

  ?Would you like to respond?

  >>no

  >>delete message

  >>search system status

  Password: *********

  Confirmed‑Follower Stewart has been assigned

  >>command

  ?Please specify command?

  >>terminate

  ?Who would you like to terminate?

  >>reizo rush

  Confirmed‑Reizo Rush will be terminated

  >>logout

  Good-bye General

  Login:

  chapter fifty-one

  Mom calls her FBI contacts and tells them about the binder Reizo grabbed from Willowgate's basement. She lets them know I'm at Uncle Pete’s hou
se, but Reizo is still missing.

  A man’s voice emanates from Mom’s cell phone speaker. “Yes, ma’am. FBI, DEA, and ATF agents are in the process of raiding Willowgate. Agents will be routed to your location as soon as the State Hospital has been secured...”

  I peer out the window, searching the fields around Uncle’s ranch. “Reizo should be here already,” I grumble, leaning against the wall, rubbing my aching shoulder.

  “You should sit on the couch, Aimee,” says Hank in a booming voice from across the room. “You need to rest.”

  “I’m worried.”

  Steve stops pacing and peers out the window. Sweat covers his puffy face and rolls down his cherub cheeks.

  Mom joins us and puts her arm around me. “How are you feeling, honey?” She hands me a glass of water. “Sip this.”

  Nagging chest pains linger, but I’m not about to tell Mom. I’m determined to wait for Reizo. “I’m just a little light-headed from the drugs they gave me. I’m okay.”

  “Come on. Listen to Hank, honey,” says Mom. “You need to get off your feet.” She twirls a clump of her hair with one finger. “We’ll wait a little longer before I get you back to the hospital—”

  Hank interrupts. “Sharon, we need to wait until the FBI can escort us. I don’t trust anyone in this damned town at the moment.”

  “He’s right, ma’am,” adds Steve. “The feds are the only ones I’d trust.”

  “It’s amazing that the young man was able to get you out of that hellhole. We never would have found you,” says Uncle Pete, standing at the small dining table, pouring ice water into a glass. He hands a glass full to Steve. “Here you go, young man.”

  “Thank you, sir,” says Steve, wiping his face. “I bet they’ll close Willowgate down when news gets out.”

  Uncle Pete forces a smile, then sits down on his old couch and begins to tap his finger on the coffee table.

  “Are you sure Reizo said he’d meet you here?” Mom asks me.

  “I’m sure.”

  Hank puts his heavy hand on my shoulder.

  There’s a sudden knock at the back kitchen door and I feel waves of familiar energy. But I feel pain too. Intense pain.

  “Aimee?”

  It’s him! “Reizo!”

  “What in the—?” Uncle hurries to open the back door.

  Mom and I follow.

  Reizo is standing with one arm against the wall; his face and shaved head are soaked with dirty sweat. He’s wearing grimy Willowgate pajamas and gives me his sexy half-smile. “Hey.”

  I push everyone out of the way to get to him. “You made it.” I hug him hard.

  He grimaces. “I was more worried about you. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine.” I wipe his face with my fingers and kiss him hard on the lips. “Nice pajamas, superhero.”

  He chuckles, then covers his mouth and coughs.

  I see the pain in his eyes that I'm feeling from him.

  Steve and Hank help me get him into the living room. When I touch Reizo’s back, he grimaces loudly. His smell is different. It reminds me of the rusty iron pot covered in clumps of raw earth that Uncle Pete dug up out of his garden. I pull back my hand and notice it’s red and damp. Sticky too. Blood!

  “Reizo—!”

  He collapses onto the living room floor.

  I lean over him. “No!”

  Uncle Pete and Hank spring into action. Hank helps Reizo get up and walks him to the couch. Uncle Pete retrieves the medical kit and applies compresses to a wound in Reizo’s side.

  Mom is out of breath when she talks to the 911 operator. Fear and worry radiate from everyone in the room except Reizo. He’s in pain.

  “Looks like you have some broken ribs,” says Uncle Pete. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, young man. You’re probably in shock too. Grab the comforters near the window, Aimee. Let’s get him warm.”

  “I'll be fine,” whispers Reizo, pale and shivering.

  “You are not fine,” I tell him, wiping his face with a wet towel and touching his head with my fingertips.

  “Ames, please,” Reizo tells me. “You need to get—” He coughs. “Back to the hospital.”

  “You’re one to talk,” I tell him, my voice cracking.

  “Paramedics are on the way,” Mom says. “So is the FBI.”

  “Good,” Reizo says. His face relaxes.

  I cover Reizo’s legs with a comforter while Uncle Pete keeps pressure on his back wound.

  A loud knock at the front door causes us all to freeze.

  “Hello?” says a voice I don’t recognize.

  “Don’t open that door,” Hank says. “We’ll wait until the FBI gets here.”

  “Hank is right,” Mom adds.

  “Do you have a gun?” Steve asks Uncle Pete.

  “Shotgun. It’s in the back closet. Shells are next to it.”

  chapter fifty-two

  My head throbs and my back aches as Aimee's uncle applies pressure to my wound.

  I struggle to focus.

  “Keep the door locked!” shouts Honesti. “Don’t open that door!”

  “Reizo, you in there?” It sounds like JT, but I’m not sure.

  “It’s fine, Reiz,” Bouncer whispers. “It’s just your friend, JT.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask.

  Aimee peers at me with concern in her eyes. “What?”

  I shake my head. “Sorry. Nothing.”

  “You trust JT, right?” Bouncer asks.

  “Yeah,” I whisper.

  “Don’t open the door!” shouts Honesti. “I wouldn’t trust anyone right now. Not even your friend.”

  JT is the only person that would know I’d go to the Murdock's ranch, unless Zeke had managed to follow me. But Zeke following me is unlikely given his current condition.

  “It’s okay,” I say. “It’s my friend.”

  “Are you sure?” asks Aimee.

  I struggle to stand and shuffle my feet to the door with Aimee’s help.

  “What are you doing?” asks Hank.

  I hold up a hand to Hank, then unlock the door and pull it open.

  Honesti screams, “No!”

  As soon as I open the door, I see death in JT's eyes. I know I've made a mistake, but it’s too late.

  JT grins with a handgun pointing at me.

  Hank takes a step toward the door, but freezes when JT waves the gun toward the couch.

  “Sit.” JT points the gun at Aimee’s mom, and then at her uncle. “Both of you too.”

  “You hurt anyone and you’re dead, John Taylor,” Hank says as he sits down.

  “Reizo is going to die!” Bouncer yells in a panicked voice.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Sorry dude.” JT says. “You didn’t actually think Zeke’s dad was running everything, did you?” He smirks.

  I don’t respond.

  “I guess you did.”

  “You work for the Russians?” I ask with a groan. “I thought you worked at the hardware store?”

  “Russians?” JT shakes his head and laughs. “Don't be ridiculous. That’s just a cover. We're called followers. I work for someone else who lets us do whatever the hell we want. Your time is up, sorry man. It’s not personal.”

  I shuffle forward. “What are you talking about?”

  JT glares. “Don’t! You’re in no shape for it anyway.”

  I suck in a painful breath.

  “You better listen,” says Honesti.

  “Charge him, Reizo!” shouts Bouncer. “Take a blast for the team.”

  “Both of you back up,” JT says.

  Aimee and I do what he tells us.

  JT walks into the front room and grabs the binder from the dining room table that I’d snatched from Willowgate’s basement. “It’s my lucky day. Now where’s the will? We can’t have a change in the ownership of Willowgate, can we now?”

  “Put the gun down,” says Hank. “Please, kid. Before someone gets hur
t.”

  “Relax, young man,” says Aimee’s uncle.

  “Shut the hell up.” JT tosses the gun across the floor. “I’ll deal with you three in a minute. The gun isn't loaded anyway. It's just for show.”

  JT rolls up his right sleeve. He's wearing a gold bracelet exactly like Zeke's bracelet with colorful gemstones glistening.

  “Not a chance—” Hank rises to his feet.

  JT doesn’t hesitate. He points his bracelet at Aimee’s mom. “Would you rather me kill her?”

  “With what?" Hank asks. "Your fist? That's unlikely kid."

  JT points his arm to a wall on his right. A white flash explodes from the bracelet with a thunderous crack and blackens the wall.

  Everyone jumps.

  Hank holds up both hands. “Okay, okay. Easy now.” He reluctantly sits back down on the coach and embraces Aimee’s mom. “What in the world is that thing?”

  JT waves his arm at me like he’s directing an orchestra. “Move back.”

  “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, young man,” Uncle Pete says.

  “I’ll find you—” starts Hank.

  “I said shut up!” JT screams.

  I shift my weight forward.

  “No, Reizo,” says Honesti. “He’ll send you back beyond the ether. Wait.”

  “Rush him, Rush!” shouts Bouncer, laughing. “Don't listen to her.”

  JT is too far away. He’d blast me like Zeke did before I could get to him.

  “I said back your ass up,” says JT.

  Hanging onto the blood soaked bandages, I back up.

  “Trust me, you about to die, Reizo,” says Bouncer. “You might as well go out with a bang.”

  Aimee cries as she helps me move backwards. “Oh, Reizo.”

  Her cry makes my blood boil. I can’t believe JT is involved.

  A Follower? What the hell is a follower?

  I hear distant sirens. Help is coming, but not fast enough.

  Hank jumps up, but before he can move forward, JT fires another blast of white light into the ceiling. Hank falls back onto the couch. Aimee’s mom screams.

  “Move again and you’re dead.” JT paces to the window, then peers out. “Oh hell.” JT’s gaze and the gold bracelet shift back to me. “Your time is up, punk ass. I need that will now.”

  “We don’t have it,” Aimee’s mom says. “But we can get it at my law office on Main Street.”

  “I don’t have time. Damn it.” He chuckles nervously. “It’s easier just to kill you all. I'll have to make my next stop a visit to your office.”

  “Oh my,” says Honesti. “He really is a Follower.”

  “Wow. That was unexpected,” says Bouncer. “A mass murderer too apparently.”

  Hank inches his way forward.

  I search JT’s eyes for a glimmer of hesitation, but he’s as cold as empty space.