The Covenant 2- The Ipswitch Curse

Chapter 6: The Silence Broken

Reid scrambled to his feet and raced down the road, running as fast as he could away from the scene of the crime, and before any of the residents of the stirring houses would notice that he was the one who had done this.

Even he was confused as to what at happened... as he explained to the Tyler and Caleb back at the Danvers Estate.

"I was completely fine, I swear," he assured Caleb. "One minutes I was using fine and then- well, you heard me!"

"That's exactly how Pogue described what happened to him," Tyler explained.

"We'll tell you what we told him," Caleb said very seriously. "No more Using. At all. I mean, straight up, cold turkey. This has become entirely too risky."

"Yeah, no shit," Reid mumbled. Caleb looked at him with that one look he loved to give him, one that said he was wondering whether he dared to ask or not, because he feared the answer, but he knew he must, especially when it came to Reid. He sighed quite loudly, and then asked the dreaded question.

"Did anyone see you when you lost it, Reid?"

"Oh, what does it matter?" Reid challenged lamely. "Aaron and his boys were way too drunk to remember anything."

"Why were you Using on Aaron and his lackies?" Tyler asked.

"Besides the obvious, that is," Caleb added on.

"No reason besides they deserved it," Reid lied naturally in his usual illusory way. He thought it better to keep the fact that he had been protecting Elle to himself for now, in case he made Tyler freak about it.

"Are you sure about that?" Caleb pressed, notably not convinced.

Reid looked at Caleb like he couldn't believe he was asking him the same question twice. Just like Caleb had that time when all along it had really been Chase Using, not him.

"Yes, I'm sure," Reid said, making sure Caleb knew this was not something to push any further.

Truthfully, if it had been just Caleb standing over him asking the question, or even Pogue, he would have told the truth. But the fact that his competition was standing right there next to him made him reluctant to do so.

Caleb's cell phone rang then, and he turned away from them to answer it.

"Hey, Sarah. What's u-" he stopped in mid-sentence, as if she had cut him off. He listened intently for a moment, then his gaze fell on Reid.

"What?" Reid asked innocently.

"Thanks for the heads-up," Caleb said to his phone, then ended the call and went to the nearby television. Reid's heart began to thumb nervously as Caleb flipped the channels. He had a feeling Caleb wasn't looking for his favorite late night show right about now.

He stopped on the news, which confirmed to Reid that this was not good for him. The screen showed the street he had been on last night, complete with the gaping hole and overthrown trees and cars. A newswoman was reporting it with intensity, talking quickly and clearly.

"—large rounded hole, as you can see here. This mysterious bomb appears to be the cause of a severe nearby accident involving drunken teenagers, who were the explosion's sole witnesses. They were found thrown from their cars just near where the explosion occurred. Their recollection of the events were hazy, but none hazier than the seemingly drugged girl who was found among them."

Elle next appeared on the screen, her eyes droopy and she was holding her head as if fully bewildered. A doctor was nearby, checking her over for her well-being.

"God!" Tyler exclaimed. "That's Elle!"

"I can see that, Tyler," Caleb told him coldly, distress evident in his voice, but his eyes glued to the TV.