The Enlightened (Mind Dimensions #3)(38)

He’ll heal, I tell myself and phase out. As soon as the sounds of the airport are back, I run.

The young monk yelps in pain, meaning I probably have the older one on my tail.

The people I Guided behave as they should. Without knowing why, they step aside for me.

As I run, I phase in to see if the monk is pursuing me, and I find that he is. And it’s not just him. A few other monks are right behind me too. The new ones must’ve arrived as I was dealing with the Master. Fortunately for me, the regular airport travelers have formed an impenetrable wall in their path.

I’m halfway to the gate when the people around me start speaking in unison. “Run faster, Darren. Caleb is right behind you.” This cacophony of voices is eerie, and I instantly know it’s Hillary warning me.

I phase out and look for Caleb to see how bad the situation is.

Eugene is holding on to Caleb’s leg, not unlike the way the Master grabbed me. There’s a black and blue shiner under my friend’s eye where Caleb must have punched him.

I touch Eugene to bring him in.

“Buddy,” I say as soon as he shows up. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m stalling him,” he says, “to give you a chance.”

“Look at that.” I point to the people surrounding him and Caleb. They look like zombies zeroing in on yummy brains. “Hillary has these people under control, so Caleb isn’t going anywhere. No reason to get yourself killed.”

“Oh,” he says. “I’ll let go then.”

We get back to our bodies, and as I phase out, I continue my desperate dash for the gates. I was never much of a sprinter, but I am today. My heart is pounding in my chest, and my breathing is shallow. As I run, I hope what I told Eugene is true.

After a few more feet, I unconsciously phase into the Quiet. My body must be confusing the effects of this run with a near-death experience.

In the Quiet, I make my way back to where I left Caleb. Eugene’s released him. The zombie people have moved in on Caleb. But Caleb has managed something I’ve never seen before. He’s basically climbing on top of the crowd surrounding him. He looks like a rock star doing a strange, upright stage dive. The crowd is trying to grab him, but he’s dodging their arms. I Read a man who has a nice vantage and see Caleb moving surprisingly fast despite this strange mode of locomotion. I have to hurry.

I get back to my body, phase out, and sprint harder.

I’m approaching the door when I notice Caleb standing on someone’s head and shoulders. He’s planning to jump at me.

No f*cking way, I think as he launches himself into the air.

At the last moment, I dodge.

Caleb lands next to me, but I’m already flying through the doorway.

I smack the door in his face—literally. I think I hit his nose. Not caring what happens to Caleb, I instantly lock the door.

I hear banging behind me as I run for the plane. When I find my seat, I feel real hope. Bert looks at me with no expression whatsoever. Ignoring my friend and my full bladder, I phase into the Quiet again.

I make my way to the pilots. I’m lucky the boarding isn’t officially over as far as the pilots are concerned, or else this door would be locked. Once inside the cabin, I get inside their minds. My Guiding command is simplicity itself:

Get in the air as soon as safely possible.





Chapter 14





It’s only when the plane is rolling down the runway that I allow myself a sigh of relief.

“What the hell?” Bert says in confusion when I sit down next to him. “How did I get here?”

Ignoring my friend, I phase in.

The plane stops moving, along with the rest of the world. I make my way to the door and exit the plane using the inflatable evacuation slide. Luckily, this thing seems to run off compressed air and not fancy electronics.

Monks aren’t climbing up the wheels of the plane, action-movie style. Good. No one is running after us. Even better. I think I actually escaped them.

I just need to find out whether my friends are okay.

I find a way back into the airport. It’s easy to navigate high-security places in the Quiet, since I don’t have to worry about security guards and can take ‘personnel only’ pathways—at least the ones that are not important enough to require keycard entry.

I make my way to the closed gate. Caleb is frozen in the midst of a passionate argument with the mousy-looking boss.

“Good luck with that,” I say to frozen Caleb. “There’s no f*cking way you’re stopping a flight that’s already en route.”

Gloating done, I find Eugene. He got up from where he’d been holding Caleb and looks to be walking away. He actually got farther than I’d expect given what just happened to him. I take that as a good sign. His eye is swelling, but I don’t see any other damage. I touch his forehead to bring him in.

“Darren,” he says. “What the hell happened now?”

“Nothing,” I say. “I made it. I’m on the plane.”

“Good. Now come, let me show you something.”

I follow Eugene as he leads me toward the gate. Two cops are heading in Caleb’s direction.

“Hillary’s work,” Eugene says. “Caleb is about to be apprehended. Not sure how long it will last, but there’s no way he can strong-arm his way onto your plane now.”