I pictured Liz and called again. Nothing. I imagined pulling Liz through. Nothing. I tried harder, still clearly focusing on her image. I kept checking the bird and kept looking—hoping—for any sign of Liz herself.
“How hard should I try?” I asked.
“As hard as you can.”
I thought of what the demi-demon had said about raising zombies in a cemetery two miles away. I was sure she’d been exaggerating. And yet…
“Try as hard as you’re comfortable with,” Derek said when I hesitated. “We can always do more another time.”
I ramped it up a little. Then a little more. I was closing my eyes after checking the bird again when Derek said, “Stop.”
My eyes flew open. The bird’s wing was twitching. I stood and moved toward it.
“It could just be the maggots,” he said. “Hold on.”
He got up, took a branch and was reaching it toward the bird when his chin shot up. His eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared.
“Der—?”
A distant crack cut me off. He lunged and hit me in a football tackle. I toppled over. Something stung my upper arm right above the bandages, then whizzed past as we dropped. It hit the ground behind us with a thwack and a geyser of dirt. Derek quickly lifted off me, but stayed over me, like a shield…or more likely making sure I didn’t jump up. He glanced over his shoulder.
“You okay?” he asked. As he turned to me, his nostrils flared again. “You’re hurt.”
He plucked my sleeve. There was a hole clear through a fold in it.
“I think they shot a dart,” I said. “It grazed me. It landed over—”
He’d already found the spot. What he dug out, though, wasn’t a tranquilizer dart.
Forty
AS DEREK HELD UP the bullet, my heart slammed against my chest. I took a deep breath and pushed aside thoughts of the Edison Group.
“Are we on Andrew’s property?” I asked.
He nodded.
“But it could still be hunters.”
Another nod. He shifted off me and surveyed the forest. All was quiet.
“Crawl that way,” he whispered, “into the thicker bushes. I’ll get closer and take a look—”
The long grass at our feet erupted. Derek threw himself over me again with a whispered “Stay down!” like I had a choice, with a two-hundred-pound guy over me.
A horrible squawking echoed through the forest, and we looked down to see the dead bird on its feet, wings drumming the ground. I’ll point out, with some satisfaction, that I wasn’t the only one who jumped.
Derek scrambled off me. “Release—”
“I know.”
I crawled to the other side of the clearing, far enough that I didn’t need to worry about the bird trying to jump on me.
“Hear that?” a voice called between the bird’s cries.
As the bird screamed, I concentrated on releasing its spirit, but all I could think was Shut it up. Shut it up! Another crack. We both hit the ground. A bullet zoomed over our heads, hitting a tree trunk in a rain of bark.
Still lying on my stomach, I closed my eyes. Derek grabbed my arm.
“I’m trying,” I said. “Just give me—”
“Forget it. Come on.”
He propelled me forward, hunched over, moving fast. Behind us, the bird continued to scream, covering the sound of our retreat. When it stopped, we did. I could hear something thrashing in the undergrowth—the bird or our pursuers, I couldn’t tell. After a moment, the bird started again, its cries taking on an edge of panic that made my skin crawl.
I closed my eyes to release it.
“Not yet,” Derek said.
He led me farther, until we found a cluster of bushes. We managed to get into the middle of them and hunkered down. The bird’s cries subsided, but I could hear it moving.
“What the—?”
It was a man’s voice, cut off by a pfft that anyone who watches crime movies recognizes as the sound of a silenced gun. I was pretty sure they didn’t make silencers for hunting rifles…and that hunters didn’t carry sidearms.
The bird’s cries got louder. And the man’s curses got louder still. A couple more silenced shots, then a crack, like he’d tried the rifle, too. The bird’s screams turned to an awful gurgling.
“Jesus, what is that thing? I practically blew its head off and it’s still alive.”
Another man answered with a harsh laugh. “Well, I guess that answers our question, doesn’t it? The Saunders girl found those boys.”
I glanced at Derek, but his gaze was fixed straight ahead, in the direction of the voice. I closed my eyes and focused on the bird. After a moment, those pathetic sounds finally stopped.
When another squawk came, I squeezed my eyes shut, certain it meant I hadn’t released the bird’s spirit after all. But it was only a radio. Derek strained to listen. I couldn’t catch most of what was said, just enough to confirm that these men were indeed an Edison Group security team.
They’d found us. And they weren’t bothering with tranquilizer darts anymore. Why would they? We were dangerous experimental subjects who’d escaped twice. Now they didn’t need an excuse to do what they’d have been happy to do all along: abandon rehabilitation and “remove” us from their study. The only one who might have fought to keep me alive was Aunt Lauren, a traitor. Easier to kill us here and bury the bodies, far from Buffalo.
“Simon!” I hissed. “We need to warn him and—”
“I know. The house is through there. We’ll circle.”
“But we can’t go back to the house. That’s the first place they’ll go, if they aren’t there already.”
His eyes dipped away, his jaw setting.
“I—I guess we have to try, don’t we?” I said. “Okay, if we’re careful—”
“No, you’re right,” he said. “I’ll go. You wait here.”
I grabbed the back of his coat as he crawled forward. “You can’t—”
“I need to warn Simon.”
“I’ll come—”
“No, you stay here.” He started turning, then stopped. “Better yet, get farther away. There’s a road about a half mile north.” He pointed. “You can’t miss it. It’s an easy walk—Simon and I used to do it all the time. When I give the signal, take off. Get to the road and hide. I’ll find you there.”
He started walking away. I wanted to argue, but knew there was no use—nothing would stop him from going back for Simon. And he was right not to want me along. I’d only be one more person to protect. Best to wait for his signal and—
Derek’s earsplitting whistle cut through the night. Then he whistled again, and a third time and I knew that’s what he’d meant by “signal,” not just for me, but for Simon, trying to wake him up.
It was loud enough to wake everyone up—and to tell the whole security team exactly where—
The thought stuttered in my head. Then I started cursing him, mentally calling him every name I could think of, including a few I didn’t realize I knew.
He knew his whistles would draw the attention of the entire Edison Group team. That’s why he’d done it, rather than something subtle like throwing stones at Simon’s window. He was drawing their attention to himself, giving Simon and me a chance to get away.
I wanted to scream at him. Those men had guns. Real guns. And they weren’t afraid to use them. If they did take his bait—
He’ll be fine. He gave you a chance to escape. Now use it. Move!
I forced myself out of the bushes and set out at a slow, crouching jog, picking my way over open area and avoiding the noisy undergrowth. When I heard footsteps, I glanced around for cover and, seeing none, hit the ground.
Two figures passed just ten feet away. Both were dressed head to foot in camouflage, like army snipers. Even their hats had net screens covering their faces.
A radio squealed, and a man’s voice came over it. “Beta team?”