Hunted (33 page)

“We’ll start in the parking lot where you and Billy got away from Tyler,” Holly said. “We won’t be there for a while, though.”

I rested my head on the seat back, trying to pretend I was on my way somewhere fun—like a movie or shopping—but the smells in the car made it hard to immerse myself in that fantasy. There was a slight odor of vomit—probably from some poor person who had recently been hauled out of their house, and an underlying scent of fear. Maybe that was emanating from me, but I still sensed it.

A while later we turned into a parking lot. It was mid-morning on a Friday and there were lots of cars and activity here.
 

“Where did you go once you got away from Tyler?” Holly asked.

I knew I didn’t have a choice. For my own survival I had to cooperate. “We ran in that direction.” I pointed to the street Billy and I had run down.

Mills drove out of the parking lot and slowly cruised down the street. It looked different during the day, but it still looked familiar.
 

“Now where?” Holly asked.

“We spent the night in a shed in someone’s backyard.”

“Point out the house.”

I remembered it was on the right side of the street. Looking for the shed roof above the fence line, I stared out the window. “There.” I pointed to the side yard of a house where the shed could be seen above the fence.

“Good.”
 

I could hear the excitement in Holly’s voice but I couldn’t work up enough energy to care. Mills pulled up to the curb and Holly wrote down the address.

“Then what did you do?” she asked.

“We spent the night in the shed, and the next morning we followed some kids to the high school.”

“Which direction?”

I pointed and Mills pulled away from the curb.

“Turn right at the corner,” I said.

Mills did as instructed and after a few minutes the school came into view.

“Is that it?” Holly asked.

“Yes.”

“Pull into a parking space, Mills,” Holly said.

A moment later we were stopped.

“Now, Morgan. Let me tell you how this is going to go.” As she spoke, she pulled a small case out of her purse, then took the torture device out of the case. “You’ve become familiar with this, yes?”

I nodded, terror winding its way around my body and squeezing, like a thick rope.
 

“We’re going to walk into the school together and you’re going to look for Brynn. If you see her, do not speak to her. Just point her out to me or Mills.” She paused. “This is the important part. Do not, I repeat, do not do anything stupid or I will not hesitate to use this.” She held up the torture device. “Are we clear?”

I nodded.

“One last thing before we go in.” She paused. “Describe Brynn to me.”

Her question caught me off-guard. Should I tell her the truth or make something up? She held up the device, which decided it for me. “She has long auburn hair that she usually puts in a ponytail, and she likes to wear dark eye-liner.” I felt despicable for telling her the truth.

Holly smiled and patted me on the knee. I leaned away from her, disgusted by her touch.

A few minutes later the three of us walked through the main doors. There weren’t very many kids walking around as most were still in class. Near the entrance was a large, open area filled with long tables with benches attached to them.

“It’s almost time for lunch,” Holly said. She led us toward an area that had a good view of the seating space and we stopped. Mills stood on one side of me, Holly on the other.

A short time later a bell rang and kids started pouring out of classrooms and flowing in our direction. I looked at the faces, searching for Brynn and hoping with all my heart that she was absent.

“You’d better hope she’s here today,” Holly said, as if she read my mind.

I wondered what would happen if she wasn’t. As I looked at the faces of the kids in the room, I didn’t see anyone who looked familiar. Then I noticed some kids looking our way and pointing. Holly must have noticed too, because she sighed loudly and said, “Any luck?”

I almost laughed. I was having zero luck lately. Instead I said, “No.”

“Are you even trying, Morgan?” she asked, irritation in her voice.

“Yes, but I don’t see her.” Then I did. She was walking with two other girls, talking animatedly to them, oblivious that dangerous people were here to find her. And she looked exactly like I’d described. As much as she enjoyed changing Billy and my looks, I’d hoped she had changed her own.

It only took a minute for Holly to notice her too. “Is that her?” She pointed in Brynn’s direction.

I couldn’t deny it. I was petrified to lie, knowing what Holly was willing to do to me. My head still pounded from the questioning the day before. “Yes,” I whispered, feeling sick.

“Mills,” Holly said. Then she gestured with her head in Brynn’s direction. Holly looked at me, warning clear in her eyes, then she held the torture device in her hand in such a way as to remind me that she had it—as if I needed reminding.

Mills walked away from us and toward Brynn, who was on the other side of the room. There were dozens of kids between him and Brynn, slowing him down.
 

“Is that Morgan Campbell?” a boy sitting nearby called out.

Dozens of heads turned in my direction—evidently I was famous—and then loud chatter erupted. Several kids started walking in my direction, smiles on their faces and cell phones in their hands. I ignored them, my gaze going to Brynn, who had been too far away to hear my name. She was in deep conversation with her friends, unaware that Mills was approaching her.
 

Warn her
, my mind screamed. It was bad enough that I’d led them right to her, but now I was going to stand by and watch her be captured? They would inject the same object into her neck that they’d put in mine. I pictured her writhing on the floor in unimaginable pain, telling them where Jack’s house is, which would lead them to capture Jack, Dani, Mitch, Kelly, Tracy, Nathan, and anyone else who was at the house. I couldn’t stand by and let that happen.

A handful of kids were nearly upon me.

“Can I take a picture with you?” one girl asked.

“Me, too,” another said.

I could tell Holly was getting nervous, but there wasn’t much she could do. I glanced at her and saw that she was looking toward Mills, watching his progress toward Brynn. Then I looked at her hand and saw the torture device sitting loosely in her palm.

Hope surged inside me, a feeling I’d been lacking as of late. Could I do it? Could I get away? Deep within my gut I knew this was my chance, my
only
chance. Before I had time to think it through, I grabbed the torture device from her hand and bolted away, not even looking back to see her expression. Then I pulled in a deep breath and at the top of my lungs yelled, “Brynn. Run.”

She looked up from her conversation and stared at me. Her eyes widened in recognition, and then she saw Mills bearing down on her. She turned and ran back the way she’d come, putting distance between her and Mills. Seeing that her chances of escape were good, I ran toward the main doors and burst out into the sunlight, my legs pumping harder than they’d ever gone before.

When I reached the parking lot I saw a vehicle with Enforcers inside moving toward the school. Panicked that I would be caught, I changed direction and ran along the school building, staying close to the bushes. I shoved the torture device in my back pocket so that I wouldn’t drop it, and kept going.
 

“Morgan, stop,” Mills called from behind me.

Not likely.
Adrenaline pulsed through my body as pure terror pushed me forward. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Mills gaining on me, but the Enforcers in the other car had turned before reaching the school and were out of sight.

I kept running and cleared the school grounds, but I could hear Mills’ feet pounding behind me. Even though I’d had a head start, he was bigger and faster than me and I knew I couldn’t outrun him for long, but I was desperate to try.

I turned down a street lined with houses. I didn’t see anyone around and frantically tried to figure out where to go. I glanced behind me and saw Mills catching up, but I didn’t know what to do to lose him. Then I saw a gate leading to a backyard. It hung open like an invitation. I raced through it, shutting it behind me. A pair of garbage cans were next to the house and I shoved them against the gate, which would at least slow Mills down.

I tore around the side of the house and went to the back door, but it was locked. I heard Mills trying to open the gate. Complete and utter panic pumped through my body, pushing me into action. I threw myself against the nearest fence, desperate to get over, but my feet refused to gain purchase. Splinters dug into the tender flesh of my palms as I tried to scramble upward. Finally I managed to pull myself halfway to the top. The top edge of the fence dug into my armpits as I tried to heave myself over.
 

Powerful arms wrapped around my waist and tugged me downward. Absolute hysteria gripped me and I screamed as loud as I could as I kicked at his chest. Mills ignored my efforts and yanked me to the ground.

“Shut up, Morgan,” he demanded, but I couldn’t stop screaming even if I’d wanted to, but I didn’t want to.
 

I kicked and scratched and fought as hard as I could. There was no way I would go back to Camp Stonewater—or any F.A.T. center for that matter—willingly. At any moment I expected neighbors to come pouring out of their houses and help me, but there was nothing. Not a soul. Were they not home? Or were they just too frightened to get involved?

Mills just seemed irritated by my attempt to break free. Finally he took the stun gun off of his hip, jammed it against my side, and pressed the button. I went limp and silent as I stared at him. A thin track of blood seeped out of a scratch on his cheek and I knew it was from me, but it hadn’t been enough to stop him.

He looked down at me for a moment, then pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and spoke to someone on the other end. “I’ve got her.” Then he gave the address of where we were.

As I lay there, completely helpless, he took a syringe out of his pocket, and without a word he slid the needle into the skin of my upper arm and depressed the plunger, injecting some unknown liquid into my body. My vision went black but I was still aware enough to feel him lift me up and throw me over his shoulder, then I felt movement as he carried me off.

Then…nothing.

Chapter Thirty-Four

When I woke up I was strapped to a bed, an IV dripping clear liquid into my arm. The back of my neck was sore and when I turned my head I saw a bandage on my right arm. Confusion and fear battled for control of my emotions. Where was I? What had happened? I remembered getting away from Holly and running into someone’s backyard, and then Mills catching me and tasering me, then injecting me with something that had knocked me out.
 

I must be in the medical section of Camp Stonewater, I thought, terrified. Why did my neck hurt? Had they put in a different kind of device? Something that would kill me instead of hurting me? What about Brynn? Had they caught her? I hoped with all my heart that she had gotten away.

Then I realized my glasses were gone. Any proof I’d collected would be gone with them. I closed my eyes, the level of my failure crushing me. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remembered was a voice that sounded like Billy’s.

“I’m sorry she gave you so much trouble,” the voice said.

My eyelids felt heavy and I wondered if I was dreaming. Why would I be hearing Billy’s voice in Camp Stonewater? Had they caught him too? Fresh despair washed over me. I’d been so sure he’d gotten away. But why would he be apologizing for the trouble I’d been?
Was he in on it too?
Keen disappointment shot through me to realize the boy I’d trusted with my very life must have turned against me.

I lay there a while, allowing the grogginess to dissipate, and as I became completely lucid, my sadness and despair at my situation only grew. Then I felt someone lean over me, but I was afraid to open my eyes and verify the truth I didn’t want to accept. I’d been betrayed.

“I think she’s awake,” the voice that sounded like Billy’s said to someone else in the room.

I couldn’t pretend anymore and I slowly opened my eyes. When I saw Billy leaning over me, looking like himself again, and with a wide smile on his face, I didn’t know if I should be elated or petrified.

“Hi, Morgan.” He seemed very happy to see me. “How are you feeling?”

My eyes went past him to the person standing in the corner of the room.
Mills
. He leaned casually against the wall, his Enforcer uniform unwrinkled after our chase, although the scratch on his face was pink and puffy. He met my gaze and smiled, then held up the torture device. “I got this out of your pocket.”

I began trembling, preparing for the inevitable shock that had to be coming. He set the device on a table.

“She doesn’t need to worry about that right now, Mills,” Billy said, looking over his shoulder.

My gaze shot to Billy. Was he going to keep them from using it on me? Maybe he did care about me after all.

Mills pushed himself away from the wall. “Guess I’d better get going.”

“Yeah,” Billy said. “Thanks for bringing her.” Billy watched him leave, then he looked down at me.

“I can’t believe you’re working with them,” I blurted, as tears filled my eyes. “How could you? After all we’ve been through?”

He looked stunned for a moment, then he laughed. “Oh, Morgan.”

I knew I was missing something, but I was too worried about my fate to try to figure it out.

Billy leaned toward me and put his arms out, like he wanted to hug me, but I swung my arms wildly.

“Get away from me,” I screamed.

He straightened abruptly and looked hurt. “You need to calm down.”

I couldn’t believe he would say that to me.
He had no idea what I’d been through. What they were still going to put me through.

“I think you’re misunderstanding what’s going on here.” He folded his arms across his chest, making no move to get any closer to me. “I’m not working with
them
. Mills is working with
me
.”