Seizure(95)

Making the job that much easier.

Just one car was present, pulled close to a ramp adjoining an empty dock.

Above, eyes watched.

It was the deepest part of night, that dark period halfway between midnight and dawn.

A rough gravel road descended to the waterfront. On its shoulder, a second car idled, concealed from view.

A match flared inside the vehicle, ignited a tiny red circle. Smoke streamed outward, spread, then escaped in tendrils through a cracked window.

Suddenly, a soft buzzing carried over the water.

Finally.

Another pull. The circle flamed brighter. A diaphanous cloud swirled within the confined space.

Seconds ticked by. The buzzing deepened, grew louder.

A boat appeared in the blackness and slowly puttered to the pier. Aboard, two figures worked to tie up the vessel. They moved slowly, as though underwater or deeply fatigued.

The pair disembarked in silence and trudged up the ramp. Keys jingled. Headlights flashed on the car beside the ramp. A whop-whop disengaged the locks.

On the access-road shoulder, a car door opened.

The fiery circle tumbled through the air and landed in a shower of angry sparks.

Go time.

Boots crunched downward toward their target.





I SHOULD’VE JUST banged my head against a wall.

I’d have gotten the same results, only quicker, and with less pain.

“I’m done with this nonsense.” Shelton spread his hands in a wipe-away gesture. “D-O-N-E. Done! Put a fork in me.”

His dramatics startled Coop, who padded over to investigate.

Wednesday afternoon. Another bunker meeting, after another all-night adventure. And, once again, nothing to show for our efforts.

The only good luck I had working was Kit’s heavy sleeping.

“Calm down!” I said. “We shouldn’t rush into any—”

“This thing has gotten way out of hand,” Shelton blurted. “We almost got killed. Our powers went berserk. And there’s no treasure anyway! It’s time to throw in the towel.”

“You did it again, Tory,” Hi said quietly. “Telepathy. Forcing us to flare. And for Shelton and me, it was the second burn that night. Did you learn anything?”

“No.” My fist hit the table. “I don’t know how I do it. I tried to connect with you and Shelton when we first saw the wolves with Chance, but it wouldn’t work. Then later, at the dig site, the contact came easily.”

“Any theories?” Hi asked.

I shook my head. “I can’t explain how I reached you guys when the Fletchers showed up. I just did.”

“Terror?” Ben guessed. “Danger?”

“I was plenty nervous when the wolves circled us, believe me.”

“For some reason, Tory seems to flare the strongest.” Hi turned to me. “You can tap our minds, but we can’t return the favor. Only you can flare twice in a row. Only you can force the other Virals to burn. And we have no idea why.”

“Did you call those wolves?” Shelton seemed afraid of what I might answer. “Could you talk to them?”

“Yes and no. They might’ve contacted me; I can’t be sure. But I heard White Muzzle’s voice in my head, just like I’ve heard Coop’s before.” Pause. “At least, I think I heard it.”

That was a showstopper. The boys were struck silent.

“I’m getting closer to the answers,” I said. “I can feel it.”

“You don’t even know what you’re doing!” Shelton started ticking off fingers. “Let’s recap. We’re infected with an unknown supervirus. We cannot control it. We don’t know what crazy side effects might happen next. Our bodies might be spiraling out of control.”

My gaze hardened. “We can’t hide under our beds.”

“You want to keep treasure hunting?” Shelton sounded exasperated. “Looking for what, exactly? We found the damn chest. It’s a blank.”

“We should call the cops now,” Hi argued. “The Fletchers tried to kill us. Since there’s no treasure to hide, there’s no reason not to bust them.”

“With what evidence?” I rubbed circles on my temples. “It’s our word against theirs, and we stole the museum’s treasure map. The Fletchers can turn us in anytime they want. No one will believe our story.”

“We dropped our trump cards over the side,” Ben groused. “Those guns would’ve been useful as evidence.”

“Give me a break. I didn’t know the chest would be empty.”

“Twice we’ve risked our necks, found zilch.” Shelton crossed his arms. “Now insane married treasure-hunter museum curators are stalking us. Tell me the good news.”

“I found the phone they used to track Sewee,” Ben said. “Stashed under the life vests. It’s now at the bottom of the Atlantic with their weapons.”

“Chris said they don’t drive a Studebaker.” Hi rubbed a chubby cheek. “Think he was lying?”

I spread my palms. Who knows?

“And don’t forget Chance.” Shelton was in a state. “He saw our eyes. He could cause big trouble now.”

Shelton’s words reminded me of a topic I’d been avoiding.