Liz turned for the door when Max stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Liz," he said, pointing at the wait- ressing uniform that she was still wearing.
"Oh yeah," Liz said, smiling. "I'll just be a second." Liz followed Bell into the kitchen.
Grabbing her clothes, Liz watched Bell go to the open base- ment door and shout down, "Sam, let's get a move on.”
Smiling, Liz went into the bathroom. She quickly took off her uniform and put on her street clothes. She stopped to check herself in the mirror when she heard a dull rumbling… like the sound of a large truck barreling down the highway in the distance.
The problem was that she wasn't near a highway.
Then she felt a vibration in the floor. As soon as she felt it, she realized what was happening. From that moment on, what followed seemed to happen in slow motion. The sound and the rumbling seemed to be coming from the rear of the diner, in the alley behind the kitchen area where Liz was herself.
Bell, was her first thought. She's back there.
With agonizing slowness, she reached for the doorknob of the bathroom and opened it. The rumbling was now a roar in her head.
The light in the kitchen was dimming, but she could still see the open basement door. She also saw that the back door was open. Bell must be outside, probably taking out the garbage. She found her voice and called out, "Bell!”
There was no answer, but Liz thought she saw a figure silhouetted outside. It was hard to tell because the world went almost completely dark.
No, it hasn't gone dark, Liz realized. A dark cloud was covering it somehow. It was a cloud you couldn't touch or feel, but it somehow covered light in blackness.
No, Liz could feel the cloud. She felt it right in her stom- ach in a twisting mass.
Don't look, she thought, and willed her eyes shut.
She felt only slightly better. Whatever that cloud was, it was penetrating even her closed eyes. She felt queasy, and her legs were rubbery under her.
She pushed all that aside. Bell was in trouble. And she didn't need her gift to see Bells future unless she did some- thing.
Liz didn't know what she could do, but she wouldn't stand here while whatever was out there took Bell.
Before she could think, Liz found herself running toward the back door. Her hip banged into a counter, and she opened her eyes. It didn't help. The dark cloud was everywhere, and she couldn't make out anything.
Using her hands, she felt her way. Then there was a strangled cry. Liz was sure it was Bell.
"Bell! Hang on!" Liz said.
Then there was a voice calling her name.
"Liz!" It was Max's voice.
Max would help. He would know what to do.
Then Liz's hand found the open door that led to the alley behind the diner.
"Liz," Max called again. It was hard to judge where his voice was coming from. Max might be right next to her, or on the other side of the diner. She couldn't wait, and stepped out into the ally, feeling her way through the night air even though she couldn't see anything. Her stomach was doing flip-flops, and she had to struggle not to retch.
"Bell!" a voice called out. It was Sam's and he sounded desperate.
"Bell!" Liz called, reaching out with her hands.
Nothing but air. Then… something.
But it wasn't Bell. Liz grabbed hold of something and then suddenly realized that something was grabbing her back.
It was hard, but alive. And Liz was immediately certain that it wasn't human.
It felt like a claw and pulled Liz forward in a single sharp movement. Liz felt a slight pressure on her neck, and plunged into the darkness.
21
It took Max an instant to place the sound. By the time the floor started to shake, he was already on his feet. He got up so quickly that his feet got tangled in the chair. He would have fallen if Michael had not been there, holding on to his shoulder.
"Liz," he said, voicing his thought.
She had gone into the back. Max headed for the kitchen at a run as the diner went dark. He banged into a table and heard Michael and Kyle doing the same.
"Close your eyes," he heard Kyle say, and did so immediately.
It helped relieve the nausea and the lightness in his head… a little.
It seemed to take forever to reach the back of the diner. Then Max's hand found the door to the kitchen and pushed it open. Michael and Kyle were right behind him, he knew and he pushed on. He felt the energy crackling in his hands as he ran, fear for Liz summoning it. He would make whoever was doing this regret they had ever come to Stonewall… if he could see them long enough to strike at them.
The ground was shaking so hard that Max found he had trouble keeping to his feet. Still, he felt his way back. There were screams and the rumbling all around them changed pitch. Something was happening.
"No!" Max said.
Then there was an odd whooshing sound, and the dark cloud lifted. Max opened his eyes, trying to readjust to the light in the alley. By the time his vision returned, he realized that the rambling had stopped. In fact, the alley was deathly quiet.
And Liz was gone.
"Bell!" a frantic voice called out next to him. It was Sam; he had a desperate look on his face.
Max knew exactly how he felt.
"Did they take her?" Sam said, his eyes wild.
Michael put a hand on the mans shoulder, and Max knew what he had to do.
Reaching out, he cupped his hand around the back of Sam's neck and concentrated. Slowly, the man crumbled to the floor.
"What did you do, Max?" Michael said.
"Put him to sleep for a while, 1 think," Max said. Lean- ing down, he touched the man's forehead.
"He's all right," Max asked.
"Liz," Maria said, from behind him.
Max shut out everything and concentrated on the prob- lem at hand. "Michael, help me with him.”
Together, they half carried, half dragged Sam into the diner and drew the curtains.
"Maybe, we should call someone," Maria suggested as Max and Michael drew all the blinds.
"No. No police. We don't call anyone," Max said.
There was no one to call. There was no one who could help them… no one who could do what he had to do now.
"Isabel, I need to connect with Liz. Asleep or awake, I need to know where she is, now," Max said, his voice tight and controlled… nothing like the swirling mass of grief and fear inside him.
"I'll try," Isabel said.
"No, don't try. Do it. Like you did with me when I was in the White Room. Direct contact," Max said.
Isabel nodded and sat down in a chair. She closed her eyes and fell immediately and deeply in to a trance. With- out asking, Max knew that Isabel was pushing the limits of her abilities.
A few moments later, Isabel came out of it, gasping for breath. "I know where she is," Isabel said, taking deep breaths. "She's not in the big room. She isn't on a table… yet. Bell is there and someone else," Isabel said.
"Dawn?" Kyle asked.
"I think so." Isabel said.
"Where?" Max said.
Isabel pushed her way out of the diner and scanned the road in the distance. "She could see outside for a second. There was a window, or a screen.”
Searching in the moonlight, Isabel pointed to a hill a mile or so in the distance. "There, behind that hill.”
Max turned to Kyle. "I need the keys to the van," he said.
"Max, you can't," Isabel said. "It's too dangerous. You said it yourself. Even our powers…”
"I'm going," Max said, his tone inviting no argument.
"Then we'll all go," Maria said. Max heard steel in her voice too. He understood. Liz was her best friend.
"No," Michael shouted. "Absolutely not.”