Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
When the rippling in my body died down, the police officer stopped in front of the tent opening. He rapped his flashlight against the side of the truck.
“This isn’t a rest area,” he shouted. “Come out.”
I pretended to wake and crawled to the opening of the tent before poking my head out. From the corner of my eye, I could see Devon crouching in the bushes and in the same instant, I saw a flicker where the police car stood. For the briefest moment, its appearance had shimmered and revealed another car underneath. What the hell?
My eyes flew to the man in front of me and now that I really focused, I could see that something wasn’t right with his uniform. It was almost like a hologram, or in the movies, when they tried to use animated characters in the place of real actors. It looked like the real character, but you just knew something was wrong. It was too dark to make out much except for the white glow of his eyes on his black face, but I knew his clothes and the car were an illusion. His arm twitched and my eyes darted downward. He was holding a syringe in his right hand. The only thing that had probably stopped him from plunging it into my neck was my appearance. He seemed unsure if I was who they were looking for.
I didn’t give him a chance to make up his mind. My arm shot out and I punched him square in the jaw. He stumbled back, and the illusions flickered out, revealing a man in civilian clothes standing before a black car. Was it the FEA or Abel’s Army?
He lifted a walkie-talkie. “She’s here.”
Devon jumped out of the bushes, and in the same instant a second man popped into view—out of thin air. I saw a flash of red hair. Holly’s abductor! So we were being hunted by Abel’s Army after all. I swung myself off the truck bed and aimed a high kick at the man’s head. Redhead leaned back, lessening the blow, but I busted his lips. Devon was struggling against the man with the syringe. I aimed another punch at my opponent, but he ducked. He barreled into me. The air left my lungs in a whoosh, but I didn’t fall. I drove my elbow into his eye. His cry of pain was joined by the sound of a body slamming against the car. Devon stood over the other man who was lying on the ground motionless, his head bleeding. He must have barreled hard into the side of the truck.
I turned my focus back to my opponent and tried to kick his legs out from under him, but he stumbled backward and disappeared with a pop. A second later, he reappeared beside his partner, gripped his arm and they both vanished into thin air. I was breathing hard, but I didn’t let my guard down. They could return at any time. What about their car? Slowly, I changed back to my own body. I pulled the strings tight so the jogging pants wouldn’t slip off and turned to Devon. My heart gave a heavy thud. He was leaning against the truck. The syringe was stuck in his arm. I rushed over to him and pulled it out.
“Devon?” I said in a panicky voice. “Are you okay?”
He gave me a weak smile. “I think there was tranquilizer in the syringe. I feel a little fuzzy, but my body is fighting against it. Meds usually don’t take effect because of my Variation. I think that really scared the shit out of my opponent.”
“Come on.” I helped him into the passenger seat before I quickly dismantled the tent enough for us to drive away. I was sure they’d return soon. I slipped behind the steering wheel and drove off. Devon struggled to stay awake beside me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
He nodded. “Just let us make sure that doesn’t happen again. I really need a good night of sleep.” I forced a smile, but inside I was in full-on panic mode. How had Abel’s Army found us? And so quickly? They’d been able to find us before we had any idea how to find Holly.
Twenty-six hours and another night in the tent later, Devon and I reached Detroit. We hadn’t been attacked again, but I knew it was only a matter of time before either the FEA or Abel’s Army caught up with us.
Carl lived in the outskirts of town, in the same house he’d shared with my mother and me more than three years ago. Telephone lines bridged the street above us, some of the antennae askew. Pigeons walked the pavement, picking the ground for food. It was early in the afternoon, but this part of town—crowded with old warehouses—was deserted. We pulled into the street that led to my old neighborhood. Few people were on the street. I didn’t recognize any of them, but I hadn’t exactly been social when I’d lived here.