Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories #6)(28)

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the officer said. “Where’s the fire?”

“Please, you have to let me through,” Conner said. “It’s an emergency.”

“Sorry, no one is allowed past this point,” the officer said. “They’re clearing up a nasty gas leak up by the library. It isn’t safe.”

“Yes, I know that’s what they’re telling people, but my sister is the one at the library! I need to get to her before someone harms her!”

“Young man, the library has been evacuated,” the officer said. “I promise, wherever your sister was, she’s been moved to a safe location.”

“No, you don’t understand!” Conner yelled. “She’s the one causing all this! You need to let me through so I can help her!”

As if Conner were on autopilot, he pushed the officer out of his way, squeezed between the rows of police vehicles, and made a run for the library before he even realized what he was doing. Unfortunately, he was only half a block past the barricade when he was tackled to the pavement by another police officer. Conner fought the officer off with all his might, determined to reach the library. It took two more officers to keep him pinned to the ground. They handcuffed him and threw him into the backseat of the nearest vehicle.

“You’ve got to let me go!” Conner pleaded. “The whole world may be in danger if you don’t let me find my sister!”

“You’re out of your mind, kid!” an officer said, and slammed the car door. “Stay in there and chill out!”

It all happened so fast, none of Conner’s friends knew what to do. They were vastly outnumbered by the police officers standing nearby. If they tried to intervene now, they’d all get arrested. Conner looked through the window at his friends standing helplessly on the sidewalk and mouthed “Sorry.” Now that he’d been detained in the backseat of a police car, the odds of finding Alex had plummeted. One impulsive move to save his sister might have cost them everything.

Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate. Everyone in the area worried it was an earthquake until the vibration was accompanied by the sound of roaring engines. Conner, his friends, and all the police officers looked down Thirty-Eighth Street and discovered a long row of beige Hummers speeding toward them. The police allowed the Hummers through the barricade, and they parked side by side in an impressive straight line. Swarms of United States Marines emerged from the vehicles in camouflage uniforms with their weapons ready.

An older man with gray hair and broad shoulders stepped out of the first Hummer and all the Marines lined up behind him. Unlike the soldiers, the older man wore a green dress uniform decorated with medals. He also wore dark sunglasses and was smoking a cigar. He scanned the area like he had just stepped into a war zone and then directed his stern gaze at the police officers.

“Which one of you is Commissioner Healy?” he asked.

An older African-American man in a navy blue suit stepped out from the group of police officers.

“General Wilson, I presume,” the commissioner said. “Thank you for coming, sir.”

The commissioner and the general shook hands just a few feet from the police vehicle that Conner sat inside. Thanks to a slightly rolled-down window, he could hear every word the men were saying. He ducked down in the backseat so they wouldn’t see him eavesdropping.

“Commissioner, will you please tell me what the heck is going on in your city?” the general said. “What could possibly warrant the president’s decision to put boots on the ground?”

“I wish we had more answers for you, General, but we’re still trying to figure it out,” Commissioner Healy said. “Long story short, the library is under attack. Two of my officers responded to a distress call early this morning and discovered a young girl with strange abilities. She caused lightning to appear and somehow made the lion statues on the library steps come to life. The lions are currently guarding the library and attack anyone who tries to enter it. Once we were able to obtain photographic proof, we contacted the White House.”

Interestingly, the general didn’t question the commissioner’s report, as Conner had expected.

“And where is the girl now?” the general asked.

“As far as we know, she’s still inside the library,” the commissioner said. “What she’s doing is anyone’s guess.”

General Wilson took a long drag on his cigar and slowly exhaled as he absorbed this information. After a moment, he turned on his heel and addressed the Marines behind him.

“All right, soldiers—it’s time to get to work,” the general ordered. “I want the barricade around the library extended eight blocks in each direction. Contact the Pentagon and have them establish a no-fly zone above the city of Manhattan—I don’t want anything leaking to the press. I want snipers stationed on every roof surrounding the library. Once we take our position at the base of the steps, we’ll open fire on the statues and try to take them out; then we’ll find the girl inside.”

The commissioner was appalled by what he heard. “General, you can’t shoot the lion statues! They’re national landmarks!”

General Wilson removed his sunglasses and looked the commissioner in the eye.

“Thank you for your input, Commissioner, but your little backyard circus is now a matter of national security,” he said. “I’ll decide what measures I should or should not take to ensure that your city stays in one piece. If you have a problem with that, I’ll have you placed on the other side of that barricade faster than you can say ‘I Love New York.’”