Paranoia (The Night Walkers) (20 page)

“No … you can’t.” My heart ripped a new tear with each beat and I was flooded with memories of losing him the first time.

“From the moment I realized what Eclipse could do, my life was over.” Dad’s eyes were haunted, tortured. “But I’ve never told anyone how to make it or even what goes into it.” He gestured to the wall with a proud half-smile. “I’ve requested hundreds more ingredients than I actually needed. Even if they had a list, it could still be a century before they figured it out.”

Then the smile turned fierce. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure they don’t have any list … or me to chase down anymore.”

“No—no—” The repeated word was empty hope, but I clung to it anyway.

“This hasn’t been a life, Parker.” Dad’s eyes were sad and so tired. “Not for me, and not for Jack. This is my gift to you, your mother, your friends, and everyone you will ever love. They know the prisoners are out of their cells by now, but they don’t know you’re here. I can distract them, and then destroy this lab while you two get yourselves and the prisoners out safely. This is the only thing I can give my boys that’s worth anything. Please don’t take that from me.”

He turned toward Jack. “Remember me as Dad. You’ll never have to call me anything else ever again.”

Jack’s shoulders were trembling, but when Dad looked at him, he gave him a firm nod and a hug. Dad whispered. “You’ll be the answer. You’ll know what to do.”

“I love you … Dad.”

Jack’s eyes were wet, but I was numb. How was I supposed to know how to finally find, and then lose, my father in under an hour? How could I do this? But knowing what he was about to do, about to sacrifice, so that our lives wouldn’t have to be spent on the run like his had … how could I not give him whatever he needed from me?

Dad pulled me against his chest and rubbed his hand across my hair as tears broke free and fell down my face. “I’m so sorry you couldn’t see me, but know that I was always watching over you. I’ve always been more proud of you than you’ve ever known. I couldn’t be there for you myself, but I gave you the greatest treasure I’ve ever had—your mom.”

He lifted my face and smiled. “Now it’s your turn to take care of her. And when you finally decide to tell her all of this, please tell her that I have never,
will
never, stop loving her.”

I drew in a shaky breath. “I will. I love you.”

Dad turned his gaze on Jack, then released me as he reached out and pulled Jack into his arms. “I know you can do everything you’ll need to. I’d never trust anyone else with that paper.
No one else
.” Jack hugged Dad back, but he kept a firm hold on his emotions as Dad continued. “I’ve always had more faith in you than you’ve had in yourself. Now is no different. I love you and I know you can fix everything I’ve broken.”

“Are—are you sure—” But before Jack could finish, Dad patted him on the shoulder and turned him back toward the door.

“Now go. Be careful. Make sure you get
everyone
out safe.” Dad met my eyes and I understood his message. Then he grabbed the walkie-talkie from Jack’s belt and waved us out.

We listened, waiting for boots in the hall. I looked back one last time before following Jack around the corner. Dad gave us a brave smile, then ducked back into his lab.

“Wait … ”

Jack looked at me, his voice still choked up with emotion. “What? We can’t … he won’t … ”

“I know. Is he … how is he going to do it?”

Jack blinked at me. “He’s a phenomenal chemist with a lab full of chemicals. You have any wild guesses?”

“That’s what I thought.” My words shook as I swallowed back the massive lump of loss in my throat. Then I walked quietly toward the room we’d left the prisoners in. “Let’s make sure we hold up our end of the deal.”

“How many are there?” I whispered, my voice so small I could just barely hear it.

“Eight in the hall, more inside.”

I could hear whimpering and crying from the prisoners on the other side of the wall we were leaning against. The walkie-talkie of one of the guards sparked to life and I heard Dad’s voice loud and clear. “This is Daniel Chipp. You’ve done just about all you can do to make my life a living hell. You’ve stolen my family and my freedom. Eclipse isn’t what I started out trying to make, and I’ll be damned if I give you a way to extend your lives when you’ve cost me so much of mine.”

I peeked around the corner just in time to see the guards exchange panicked looks. One spoke sharply to the others. “We’ve got this situation under control. You five go check his lab and cell. Find him!”

Five gone—at least three to go.

As soon as the group of guards was dispatched, I decided to move. Even though I knew this might be the stupidest thing I’d ever done, I didn’t let myself think about it too much, just untucked and rumpled my shirt and messed up my hair, letting it hang down across my face. “Don’t let them kill me, okay?”

Before Jack could even question me, I turned the corner into plain view of the remaining guards. Stumbling noisily as I walked down the hall, I yelled, “Jennifer! Are you here?” I sniveled and argued with myself. “No, she isn’t. She wouldn’t leave us.”

“You, stop there!” The guards turned their attention on me.

“I’m not, you are. No—no, I can’t.” I kept muttering, careful to keep my hands open so they could see I had no weapons. I slid one foot like I had a limp and breathed as loudly as I could.

The front guard drew his gun. “I said, stop!”

But I was almost there … just a few more feet and I’d make it. I’d seen Jack at work; for this to have even a chance, the positioning had to be right.

“Jen-ni-fer?” I sung out the name and slowed down, leaning against the far wall like it was the only thing keeping me upright. Then I grew even more agitated with my muttering. “You promised she wouldn’t leave me. Shut up! Yes, you did.”

“STOP!” The front guard pointed the gun at my right temple and I froze, breathing hard, knowing I wasn’t quite in the right position yet. I still needed another couple of feet
.

I stared straight at the gun and squinted as my palms sweated like mad. “Jennifer?”

Then I fell straight forward, letting my body go limp and pushing off my toes so my face crashed into the floor first. My head exploded in pain, but I knew I’d made it. The guards bent over me, their backs exposed to Jack as they muttered about “another prisoner going crazy.”

And my brother didn’t waste the opportunity.

He sprinted silently up and kicked the legs out from under one guard, sending him crashing headfirst into the stone wall. Then Jack grabbed the now-lowered gun out of the hand of the other guard before he could react and brought it down hard on his head. More guards came out into the hallway, just as Jack pressed the gun to the third guard’s temple.

“Everyone drop your guns and move back inside the workshop.” Jack voice was low and almost sinister.

The first guard to follow orders lowered his gun directly in front of my face. When I grabbed it from him and climbed to my feet, the guards’ eyes went wide.

“Jennifer?” Jack grinned over at me. “Nice … but maybe clue me in next time?”

“Just the first thing I came up with. I’m hoping there won’t be a next time.”

Jack kicked the foot of one the guards who was mov
ing too slow. “Then you’re more optimistic than I am.”

As soon as we were back inside, a couple of prisoners stepped forward and tied the guards up while Jack and I kept our guns trained on them. As soon as they were secure, I took one of the walkie-talkies and we lead the group down the halls toward the medical center where we’d come in.

We hadn’t made it far when we heard an emergency beacon come over the walkie-talkie. “Red Alert: All security to the lab. Red Alert: All security to the lab.”

By listening to the team’s coordinates, we were able to avoid the guards remaining in our section. Dad had security fully distracted, as he’d promised … now we had to get out of here before he finished his plan. I reminded myself not to think about Dad and pushed back another devastating wave of loss. Focusing on getting Audrey and the other prisoners out alive, I forced myself to keep everyone moving.

I stood beside Chloe’s bed, trying to decide on the best way to move her. The curtain shifted aside, and the nasal man with the medical training stared at me before suddenly laughing.

“I should’ve known you might be here. Your father is so—” He made a soft whining noise as Jack swung twice
and knocked him out cold. Jack stepped on the man’s fingers.

“Do
not
talk about our dad” were the only words he spoke as he turned and lead the way through the labyrinth of curtains.

Most of the people behind us stepped carefully around and over the man, but I saw a couple of light kicks as well. I figured he might be a little sore … if he survived the coming explosion.

And after what they’d done to my family and these prisoners, I didn’t feel even a little bit bad about that.

Picking up Chloe, I swung her IV bag over one shoulder and her body over the other. Then I felt a slight tug on my arm. Audrey reached up and took the IV bag for me.

“Thank you.”

She gave me a shy smile, and when she said “You’re welcome” it made a little whistling sound between her teeth.

Jack found a couple of flashlights in a nearby supply room. We’d reached the end of our secret tunnel when he turned to face the rest of us. “Okay, looks like the easy part is over. Everyone ready?”

The prisoners stared back, determined and terrified. And they waited for directions.

“We’ll be leaving through this hatch directly above me. To the left is a building where they have keys for the cars in the parking lot on the right. We’ll be going out in groups of about eight, so everyone find a group. Make sure you have someone who can drive. The driver is responsible for getting everyone in the group back to their homes. I’ll go out first and break into the building to hand out keys. I’ll signal my brother when it’s time to send a new group. When you climb out, come to me to get the key, then go to your vehicle and duck down inside it and wait. If you start the car and leave early, they’ll catch you and you’ll die. Only start your car when you hear my whistle, or if you hear nearby gunshots. If we all leave at the same time, I can dump the rest of the keys and they won’t be able to catch us. Everyone understand?”

Murmurs of assent spread through the group. I was impressed.

“Dad teach you that?” I asked as Jack reached one hand up onto the ladder.

He gave me a sad smile and nodded. “Dad taught me everything I know.”

Instead of my normal jealousy, I felt curiosity … and a little pity. I’d had a pretty normal childhood. Jack had been raised to fight and to lead. “Maybe when all this is over, you can tell me more about that.”

“Deal.” He climbed up to the top and listened. I silenced the prisoners and we waited. After a few minutes, Jack gave me a thumbs-up and opened the hatch. I handed Chloe off to one of the stronger prisoners and climbed to the top, then watched the path for the security patrol as Jack took off his black jacket, wrapped it around his fist, and punched through the glass pane next to the door of the key shed. The glass was so old that it broke like spun candy. Jack unlocked the door and crept inside.

Then I saw the patrol coming in the distance. It seemed that due to the breakout, they’d doubled the frequency of their perimeter sweep. It was obvious from the lack of a bigger search out here, though, that they believed the prisoners were still inside the base.

I lowered the hatch, hoping Jack had seen them … but the door to the key shed was still open. It would be obvious. Turning off my flashlight, I waited, hoping and praying in the hushed shadows of night. Just before the patrol rounded the closest corner, I saw the door close softly and silently. I finally relaxed.

Listening close, we stood motionless in the pitch-black tunnel. Every tight breath and muted gasp of the prisoners felt like it was lending its tension to me. We were their only chance, and I wasn’t sure how long Dad would give us to get out of here. He probably thought we were already gone. How would he know? I heard a soft sob from a couple of the prisoners, but nothing loud enough to be heard outside. Finally the patrol was out of the area, and I lifted the hatch an inch. Jack already had the door open again and was using something metallic to bounce the moonlight back at me—car keys.

“First group, time to go.”

twenty-seven

It took about twenty minutes to get almost everyone into the vehicles, but Jack’s plan worked smoothly. At the end the only stragglers were Audrey, Delilah, and a grumpy middle-aged man named Mason. He kept watching Audrey like she was an animal he didn’t trust.

“You sure we shouldn’t … tie her up? Or gag her or something?” he grumbled to me when Audrey wasn’t looking. Delilah’s eyes went wide.

“Um, why?” I stared at him and could almost swear he flushed behind his full beard.

“She’s a kid,” he said as she looked up and he took a small step away from her. “Kids are loud.”

Delilah smothered a laugh behind her hand and turned away.

“Yeah … I’m pretty sure she’s been quieter than half the other people in the group.”

Mason turned away and I barely made out his response. “So far … ”

He was definitely not a kid person, but at this point it didn’t matter. This last group would go with Chloe’s body and me in one of the vans.

Jack put one key in his pocket and brought all the rest back to me as we climbed out. I handed him Chloe—my shoulder was aching. Taking the final key we’d need, I tossed the rest of the keys down the hatch.

“They might have some trouble finding them down there.” Jack grinned as I closed the hatch and locked it as securely and tightly as I could. Then I took Chloe and her IV bag back and motioned for my group to follow me. Jack picked up a few handfuls of dirt and threw them over the hatch. The sky was still pitch black as Jack led us to the parking lot and helped me load Chloe into the backseat of our van.

“I’ll go help Mia and Addie get Finn into the car and then give the signal. You be ready to go.” Jack glanced over his shoulder; the patrol unit’s flashlight was far enough away that we knew they couldn’t see us, but they’d be here soon enough. Mason sat in the passenger seat, silent as a stone. Audrey was shivering next to Delilah in the second row of seats.

“Have Addie call me when you get on the road and let me know everyone is safe,” I said.

“I will.”

Jack snuck across the road and up the hill so quickly that after a moment, I couldn’t even make him out in the brush across from me.

“Everyone stay low and still,” I whispered to the others as I ducked down in the driver’s seat and waited, counting down the minutes until we could leave. Counting down until Jack would tell me that my friends were all still okay.

The patrol came by, and there was an urgency to the swing of their flashlights that turned me cold. They’d figured out now that we’d left the base. They were looking for us—hunting the prisoners they’d spent so much time collecting … and the people who’d freed them.

Our van was parked in the first row. The guards walked to the empty car next to us before I realized that we hadn’t locked our doors … I could see Mason remember this at the same time, and when he lifted his hand up to push down the button, I heard a guard outside yell, “There! That one!”

The van’s side door was yanked open and before I could blink, there was a gun to Audrey’s head. She whimpered and tried to pull back, but the guard wrapped his fingers around her frail arm.

“You better not even breathe, sweetheart. I’m not in a good mood.” The man leaned back and I saw his face in the moonlight. His eyes were so dark they bordered on black, and the dark circles under his eyes were like giant pits in his face. Wrinkles hung across his loose skin in unnatural directions that made him look sick. He was far more ragged than Cooper had been, and ten times worse than me on my roughest day. This was a Taker nearing his end … there was no doubt about it. That kind of future bred desperation, and you could see it in his eyes. It was the kind of hunger that deprived you of your humanity. Deprived you of your soul.

The shockwave from the explosion shattered the front window of the small sedan next to us, sending the guard reeling backward. His gun went off, shooting into the sky, and then he dropped it. Mason and I both shoved him back and locked all the doors. It didn’t matter. The guards weren’t paying attention to us anymore. One was running toward the nearest entrance to the base while the other was searching the ground for his gun.

My eyes were glued to the inferno that lit up the night.

On the opposite end of the parking lot, some of the ground caved in and a few motorcycles and four-wheelers went down with it. All my eyes could see was the giant ball of flame that shot up into the sky before snuffing out into nothing. My ears rang, and above the din my heart raced in my chest. If there was a whistle from Jack, I didn’t hear it, but then all around me vans were starting and racing toward the exit. I knew I needed to move, to fall in line. Just as Jack had planned, no Takers who survived the blast would have a clue which vehicles to follow.

But all I could do was stare at the flames and think about what it meant. People were dying in there. Knowing this was the plan and seeing the carnage were two different things. I saw figures in flames. I felt the heat from the fire warming the air even inside the van. This was the war. This was what Jack had grown up knowing. It didn’t mean victory or a real chance at escape and a future, like it was supposed to. All it meant was that my dad was dead.

I rested my face on the wheel and breathed … through smaller explosions in the distance, I breathed. The voices of Mason, Audrey, and Delilah started soft, but soon they were yelling my name. They wanted me to move, to drive, to go—but everything in my body had slowed to a screeching halt. Even with the sound of vehicle after vehicle driving past, I just kept breathing through the finality of the pain that was expanding in my chest and threatening to take over my world.

And then I remembered Finn and Addie.

And I remembered that if I just sat here breathing, the people in my van would be hurt. And everything my dad had just done would be for nothing.

I sat up straight, started the car, and got in line behind the other vans driving toward the exit.

One time—five times—a dozen. I had no idea how many times I called Addie’s phone. It was all a blur. Everything that had happened over the past few weeks had created some kind of protective barrier around me against the pain, and losing Dad had been the final straw. My mind, my fragile sanity, my emotions were all wrapped in a giant bubble—I wasn’t even capable of responding normally anymore.

It became a pattern: I drove toward home hitting redial. I got voicemail, drove a little farther, and called again. Over and over until it seemed like the only logical option was to keep doing it. One by one, the other vans we’d taken disappeared, the prisoners heading back to the lives they’d been ripped from. Some had taken back roads or split off onto other highways. Several had waved as they departed, and one older woman blew me a kiss. Now we were the only van left on this road.

There had been no sign of any pursuit. Dad took care of that.

“Is it your mama?” Delilah’s whispered words floated up from the backseat. “Or your dad you want to hug first?”

Dad—the word sent a fresh storm of anguish through my mind and I did my best to force it away. I couldn’t deal with that pain … not yet … not right now.

“Both of them,” Audrey replied, excitement evident in her every word. “And my dog. He’s a Chihuahua. His name is Bubba.”

Delilah laughed softly. “Of course it is.”

Mason and I stared straight ahead. Neither of us spoke, but I thought I saw him wipe a stray tear off his cheek once. My wall of anxiety and fear wouldn’t even let that kind of emotion through.

I pressed
call
on my phone again, glancing down at the smiling picture of Addie on my screen. I’d taken it the day they found out about their trip. Mr. Patrick had given them all Mickey Mouse ears. Addie was wearing them in the photo and even though she was grinning, the look in her eyes and the cock of her eyebrow was saying something more like
“Uh oh. Now what?”

I’d teased her, saying that this was her permanent expression around me.

“This is Addie’s phone. I’m obviously doing something extremely important or I would have answered your call. Leave a message. Bye!”

I pressed the
end call
button and threw my phone as hard as I could. It bounced off the dashboard and fell down on the floor. The van around me went silent. Then Mason reached down, picked it up, and handed it to me.

“Jack doesn’t seem like the type to give up.” Mason’s voice was a low and quiet, but the southern twang came through loud and clear. “It don’t seem right that you give up on him neither.”

“Right … thanks.” I put the phone back on my lap and glanced over my shoulder at Audrey and Delilah. “Sorry.”

Audrey’s eyes looked heavy and she lay down on Delilah’s lap. Delilah smiled. “Now stop that. It’d be hard for you to do anything worth apologizing for after getting us out of there.”

I inclined my head and turned back toward the road. About a mile farther on, I pushed
call
again. Even if Addie didn’t answer, hearing her voice on her message kept me from totally losing it.

By the time the sun rose, I had to stop for gas. Handing twenty dollars to Mason, I sent the others inside to get food and drinks. I put the gas nozzle in and pulled the handle. Every motion was done without thought. I couldn’t think anymore. The ticking of the gas meter was oddly soothing. I rested my forehead against the van as other vehicles came and went around me.

“Hey, buddy, you okay?”

I looked up. At the pump across from me stood a
thirty-something man with a receding hairline and a toddler in his backseat.

I tried to give him a quick smile, but nothing happened so I just nodded and fell back on my old go-to response. “I’m fine, just tired. Thank you.”

“Okay.” He gave me another worried look as he got in his car and drove away.

A new vehicle pulled up behind me as I finished up and put back the handle. I didn’t even glance back. I didn’t want to risk any more questions.

“You look terrible.” Addie’s warm voice made me spin in a circle—then she was wrapped around me before I could really get a look at her. Mia ran up behind her and hugged us both. The bubble around me popped, and every emotion I’d been holding back exploded. We laughed until we cried, and then laughed again. Jack stepped out of the car and grinned from behind the rear passenger door. He had a few cuts on his face, but it was all superficial.

“Glad we found you.” He inclined his head my direction. “My phone is dead and in the rush after the … ” He cleared his throat and looked down. “We left Addie’s behind.”

I kissed the top of Addie’s head and gave Mia a tight squeeze before disentangling myself from them. Peeking into the car, I could see a lumpy form wiggling around a bit in the back. Finn—or his body, anyway—was fine too.

Walking up to Jack, I grabbed him and gave him a tight hug. “Thank you. Thank you for getting them all out safe.”

Jack seemed absolutely stunned at first, then hugged me back. “No problem. I—I’m glad they’re all okay. Where’s your group?” He glanced into the van.

“Chloe is in the backseat and the others went in to get some food.” It was amazing how much better I felt just knowing my friends were okay. I walked back to Addie and pulled her against my side. “Let’s drive over to that storage unit complex and switch our passengers around. I’d like to spend the last hour of our drive having a little chat with Finn’s parasite.”

“I think you need to understand that things have changed.” I held the knife in plain view as I spoke.

Mia was driving the van, and even though Finn’s body was still tied up, we’d removed the gag and hood and placed him securely in the backseat. Audrey and Delilah had moved to my car, which Jack was driving, but Mason sat next to Finn, a disapproving glare firmly in place.

No response. Finn’s mouth was set in a hard line and he stared straight ahead.

“My dad just blew up the NWS compound.”

Finn laughed. “That’s not possible.”

“Why not? Because you’d be dead?”

Finn rolled his eyes and shook his head in such a distinctly feminine way and I almost laughed. “For starters … ”

“We stole your body just before the explosion. It’s lying across the seat behind you. If you weren’t tied up you could see it yourself.”

Finn’s skin paled and his mouth opened and closed a few times. “You’re bluffing.”

“Not even a little bit.” I stared him down, showed I was telling the truth.

“On top of that, your body is down to the last little bit of the drug. No more Eclipse will be made again,
ever
. My dad took that secret w-with him.”

Mia’s face whipped around toward me, but I kept my eyes on Finn.

“You know what that means, right?”

Finn shrugged, but he was pale—scared. “If that’s true … then your friend and I will both be gone.”

“That’s one option.” I blew a puff of air out and looked down at the knife.

“You think you have another?” Finn seemed incredulous and highly suspicious. The Taker had no idea if any of what I was saying was true.

“I hope so. And right now, I have no reason to lie to you, so you should consider believing me.” I leaned a little closer. “Whether you help me or not, I’m going into that brain you share with Finn and I’ll do everything in my power to separate you two.”

“Th—that’s not possible.”

“How do you know?”

“I—I … ” he stuttered, eyes wide.

“You don’t know.” I shrugged. “And to be honest, I don’t know if it’s really going to work, but I’m going to try. The question is: will you help me?”

Finn blinked once … twice … no response. Then Mason elbowed Finn in the side, hard. I turned toward him in surprise, and he shrugged and looked out the window at the sunrise while Finn caught his breath.

“The only question you need to answer is, which path do you want to choose?” I continued. “Do you want to die for sure? Or do you want to at least try to help me, for the chance to live in your own body again? Think about it. Let me know what you decide.”