Adam's Pulse

Part 18

Her hands slid down the door as her head rested on it.  It looked as if she was going nowhere, something she knew would most likely happen.  Deep down, she had hoped they would let her go, that they would let her have at least a chance.  It was stupid to even hope though, not with Ally and her family’s lives in danger.

“Banging on the door never helps,” a voice said from behind her.  “All the rooms are soundproof, and the doors are too sturdy for even us to bust through.”

She jerked around, her eyes flying in all directions, but she saw nothing.  “Who’s there?” she asked, her voice breaking so bad that she didn’t know if they could understand her question or not.

A sigh met her words, but before her eyes, a man came into view.  When he saw her expression, one she was sure was mixed with fright and confusion, he motioned towards himself.  “Anthony,” he said slowly before smiling.  “The more handsome and talkative of the twins.”

“You look the same,” she blurted, making him laugh at her.

“Even with all this you come up with jokes.”

Her fright inched away slightly as a frown flew onto her face.  Did the man honestly think she was joking?  To her, they did not look different at all.  The only thing that set the two of them apart was the way they held themselves.  Drew was more reserved, standing back waiting his turn, while Tony seemed to be in the middle of everything, often talking for his brother.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked, proud of herself when only one word cracked.

He tilted his head to the side, reminding Sloan of the leopards she had seen in a zoo not too long ago.  “You are locked in a room with one of us, and the first thing you ask is what I’m doing in here?  Shouldn’t your question be why I am in here?  Shouldn’t you be wondering if I wanted to kill you after all those thoughts that just flew through your mind?”

“How—”

Tony tapped the side of his head with a smile.  “We can all talk to each other if we try.  It comes in handy when only a couple of you read minds, but everyone needs to know what someone is thinking.”

“Stay out of my head,” she snapped, as her eyes narrowed on the man.

“You’ll have to tell Zeke that the next time you see him.  My particular gifts don’t run in that direction.”  He smiled at her, before taking a step in her direction.  She tried to back up, but the door was already at her back.  “It was easy to be left alone with you in this room.  All I had to do was wait for Adam’s little heart to heart to start and sneak back in.”

She took a deep breath and let it out.  Her hands were shaking, and she curled them into fists to hide her fear.  “You can make yourself invisible?”

He nodded his head before rolling his eyes.  “You stink of fear, and to be honest, you’re one of the first who I’ve ever gotten that reaction from.”  Another step towards her, and this time, his front was almost pressed against hers.  His hand snapped out, and she jerked while closing her eyes as if waiting for an attack.  Instead, a click met her ears.  

She opened her eyes and saw Tony several feet away with a key in his hands.  “You better run,” he whispered.  “You have five minutes until they come looking for you.”  He glanced down at his watch. “Make that four.”

“Thank you,” she whispered while turning to yank the door open. 

“Wait,” he whispered, making her freeze.  “Drew’s keys are in his vehicle.  If you want to get out safely, it’s your best bet.”

Nodding her head, she didn’t waste any more time.  Her feet slammed against the floor as she ran towards the door she had entered in earlier.  No one stopped her; no one even came into view as she darted out of the cabin.  Glancing around, she let out a relieved breath when she saw no one standing outside waiting for her. 

When she reached the car, her hands shook as she pulled the door open.  It slammed shut behind her, and it took her two tries before the engine came to life.  She kicked it into reverse, not bothering to look behind her for too long.  Her eyes were too busy looking through the forest, too busy waiting for leopards to jump out at her.  She shifted back to drive, going as fast as she could down the long road that had led her there.  When she glanced into the trees, she could have sworn that she saw eyes watching her, but she still did not stop.

She drove and drove until she was miles away from everything.  Only then did she pull over to the side of the road.  Only then did she reach towards the seat beside her.  Digging around in the purse she had left there earlier, she curled her fingers around the familiar object.  Pulling her phone from her purse, she flipped it opened and held the speed dial until it dialed the number she already knew from heart.

“Hello?” a gruff, annoyed voice answered.

“I know where they are.”