Suspicious Minds (Stranger Things Novels #1)(75)

“Stay here,” Dr. Brenner said softly. Then, to the assembled crowd of pale men in dark suits, he said, “And here is another promising subject to observe test subject eight with you.”

Kali smiled with clear delight at the attention.

One of the men raised his hand and gestured in Kali’s direction. “Is this just going to be some kind of parlor trick?”

“What’s a parlor trick?” Kali interrupted.

The man had the chagrin to study the floor.

“Something they can’t do,” Terry said, raising her voice.

“Oh.” Kali nodded sagely.

Dr. Brenner gave Terry a look that was all about being seen and not heard, as if she were a child herself.

“How’s this demonstration to proceed then?” the man asked. He had too much wax in his hair. The overhead lights made it gleam.

“Get the lights,” Dr. Brenner said to the orderly.

He walked to the wall and flicked a switch. The room around them went dark as a theater before curtain, dark as the void.

“Kali,” Dr. Brenner said, clearly giving her a cue.

“What is this?” A man groused in the darkness.

And then another. “I can’t see a damn thing. Turn the lights back on.”

“This is an utter farce. We’ve seen enough.”

“Kali,” Dr. Brenner’s voice commanded her.

Flames burst into existence. One moment the room was black as a pit, the next it was ablaze. The phantom fire raced across the room from Kali toward them all. The men screamed, not in pain but in shock.

The wall of fire crackled and licked the air.

Terry wanted to run.

But she could hear Kali’s sobs and so she walked through the flame to the girl. She told herself, It’s not real. Hard as that was to believe as she navigated slowly through it. Every part of her brain believed it was and kept telling her, Get out of here. Save yourself.

She focused on Kali. When she reached her, she put her hand gently on the child’s shoulder and pulled her close. The fake flames grew and grew.

“Kali, you can stop this. You don’t have to do this. I’ve got you.”

The inferno seemed like it would never stop.

The girl shook and sobbed. “I can’t…”

“You can,” Terry whispered.

The flames died as suddenly as they’d started. Terry felt Kali go limp against her in the darkness.

The lights came back on.

Two of the men in suits had pulled firearms and pointed the handguns toward her and Kali. Terry moved her body to shield the still-crying girl.

“Stop,” Terry said. “Don’t shoot.”

Now was the time to run and find the reporters—but there was no way to do it.

Kali was at their mercy here. So was she. There were no options.

Brenner had established the rules and, for today, she had no choice but to follow them. These men had seen what Kali was capable of.

The moment of silence stretched.

Dr. Brenner broke it, giving that charming smile of his to the man between the two with guns. “Impressive, yes, Director? I’d say miraculous, if I believed in miracles instead of science.”

“Yes, very impressive,” the director said. “I’m sorry I used the word farce.” He looked over at the man with too-shiny hair, who holstered his gun. The other armed man did likewise. The director got to his feet and stared with awe at Kali. Then at Terry.

“Imagine…” He advanced toward Brenner.

“Imagine if we had more of them, and more powerful.” Dr. Brenner walked closer and put a hand around Terry’s shoulder. “And we will.”

“You’re sure?” the director asked.

“We’re nurturing the next generation of wonders and miracles, as I’ve told you.”

“I’m glad you summoned us here—we might have made a huge mistake,” the man with the shiny hair said, joining them and gawking at Terry head-to-toe, like she was a prized mare. “Tell us about the rest of your subjects her age. Any potential there?”

“A great deal,” Brenner answered. “One is very receptive to electroshock…”

There was something about the way all these strange men were studying Terry that made her stomach flutter in panic. She thought of Brenner’s words about having more like her, about the next generation…And then…

Of how tired she’d been. How hungry. How prone to tears.

The ways her body had changed.

The symptoms he’d warned her about.

Why wouldn’t he tell her? Why would he continue this if he knew? What possible purpose could it have?

I could be wrong. I could be jumping to conclusions.

But…there was no doubt he was capable of experimenting on children.

She started toward the door, nearly staggering. “I need to lay down, please,” she said, and she put her hand on her belly once she’d turned where he couldn’t see. She felt as if her heartbeat was there. The room swam.

“That’s fine,” Dr. Brenner said behind her. “Well done, Miss Ives.”

She hadn’t done anything except be there for Kali. Something he hadn’t done.

The orderly took her arm again, and she shook him off so she could keep her hand at her belly. Her heart beating, beating, as she panicked and wondered if there was another heartbeat like it inside her.