At 10:20 in the middle of the night, the exhausted, confused, and disgruntled travelers rented two cars from Denver and were driving aimlessly under the starless sky of mountainous Colorado. It had been nearly an hour without any signs of life. In the first car, leading the way, Lance was the designated driver. JC sat in the passenger’s seat, reading the map. Chris and Ramona dozed in the backseat.

Lance squinted his eyes, peering into the blackness. “I can barely see the road. The glare from the overhead light isn’t helping.” JC adjusted the light at a better angle, casting shadows in the backseat and putting extra light on the map. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I wasn’t blessed with night vision.” JC paused, meeting Lance’s gaze. “Lance, be honest with me.”

“I will if you’ll do the same.”

“Agreed. Look, how do you feel about…being an angel?”

For a while Lance was silent. Then he finally spoke. “At first I was terrified. I’m not that scared anymore. I don’t know. Maybe I’m even a little excited.”

“You have every reason to be. You’re special. You’ve got all these amazing abilities and this upper hand above everybody else.”

“But shouldn’t I…Jace, I kind of feel like a traitor to you guys. It’s almost as if I’ve been lying. And my biggest fear of all is that you won’t accept me, that I can’t be part of the family because I’m not human.”

JC smiled. “I sensed as much.” He put a comforting hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Lance, believe it or not, Chris and I are happier about this than you are. I’m thrilled that this is happening to you. Lance, since the beginning we’ve stuck together, for better or worse. Sure, we were shocked, but what did you expect? Now that the shock’s over, we can see the cool side of it. Basically, what I’m trying to say is I don’t care whether you are an angel sent from God or a purple person from Jupiter who lost his tour group upon visiting. Chris and I still love you as our brother.”

JC could feel the appreciation swelling inside Lance. His spirits lifted. Suddenly they sank. “What about Justin? He seems angry.” JC answered, “Although I’m not 100% certain, I’m getting the impression that he’s having a rough time dealing with this. It’s harder for some than others. Plus he may even be a little jealous. After all, most people would give their right arm for the position you’re in. Please be patient with him, man. He really does love you too.”

Ten feet behind them in the second car, Justin stared out the window at the murky masses of trees, feeling the car rise and descend on the sloping landscape. Andrew drove silently. Gabriel cleared his throat.

“Andrew, is this the road to Cat’s Eye?”

“Don’t ask me. Ask the car in front of us. They have the map.”

Meanwhile, JC chewed his bottom lip in concentration. Lance slowed his speed to 55mph.

“Jace, you are following the dotted lines, right?”

JC’s eyes widened. “The…the dotted lines?”

The car bounced, jolting Chris awake. Ramona stirred softly. Chris leaned over into the front, yawning. “What about lines?”

A heavy feeling of dread settled into Lance’s stomach. “I was checking to see what lines JC was following.” Chris turned to face the navigator. “Oh no. Tell me it’s the dotted lines!”

JC grinned sheepishly. “Um…oops.”

(In unison) “You’re not following the dotted lines?!”

The excited commotion woke Ramona. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Are we in Cat’s Eye yet?”

Chris grabbed the map, rolled it up, and smacked JC on the head. “Guess what? WE’RE LOST AGAIN!”

*~*~*~*~*~*~

BRENNER’S CAFÉ 11:30 PM

After Dianna’s incredible tale and Ruby’s horrific discovery in the kitchen, the five adults of Cat’s Eye gathered at the bar to discuss a plan. A plan upon which no one was able to agree on.

“I say we call the police.”

“You kidding? I’ll bet five bucks they’re sitting on their lazy buts sipping coffee and eating stale donuts. Who cares about a group of paranoid whiners?”

“What if the police are covering up for all this funny business?”

“If we dash to our cars and drive like bats out of you-know-where, then maybe we can reach the next town.”

“Next town? There’s about 100 miles between us and normal civilization!”

“This is total nonsense. We’re discussing the living dead and supernatural beasts.”

“Ruby, do us all a favor and shove a cigarette in your mouth!”

“No need to hurry the lung cancer.” How dare you tell me...

“Folks, calm down.”

“Calm down?! I won’t calm down! My mother was staring at me, the kitchen was torn to pieces, and we cannot ignore…”

“Okay, okay, we’ve established the fact that there are creepy murders happening right under our noses. Swell! Now what do we do about it?!”

The café fell silent. They listened to the sound of the wrenched water pipe of the kitchen sink dripping onto the floor. Wind howled softly outside. Dianna shivered. She suddenly remembered poor little Cricket, the frightened girl running away. Where was she now? With the new pack of creatures? Or hanging on to that delicate thread that separated life from death?

Harper chewed his lip, more from concentration than nervousness. “The window was smashed. If we board the windows and bolt the doors, nothing could possibly get in.”

“Yeah,” Trace chimed in, “Nail shut every nook and cranny, stand guard, make a pot of coffee, take shifts sleeping, never leave anyone alone, etc.”

“What is this, a stakeout?” Kellen interrupted, “This isn’t television.”

“You got a better plan?”

“Why not arm ourselves with guns and shoot the creatures?”

“That’s just begging to become a McDonald’s happy meal.”

“Judging by the suffocating love in this room, we might kill each other before the night ends.”

“Fine, I don’t like any of you anyway.”

“Harper, you ever murdered anybody?”

“Why?” He grumbled.

“Because you’ve got the attitude of a serial killer.”

“Well now you’ve caught me. I enjoy spending time with dead people. You don’t believe me? Go ahead and die. It’ll perk me right up!”

Dianna shook her head. “Come on. We need to stick together. For once, pretend the universe doesn’t revolve around yourselves and help somebody else.”

“I wouldn’t call you Gandhi,” Trace muttered.

“Big deal, so I don’t spend my time feeding third world countries. My life is at stake.”

“You four are the biggest bunch of loud-mouth hypocrites I’ve ever met,” Kellen sighed, leaning forward on his elbows, “Let’s not lie. We all want to save our own butts, right?”

“Right,” They agreed in unison.

“And in order to do that, we’ll fight as a team, because whatever’s out there is fighting as a team, right?”

“Right.”

“So in order to do that, we’ll have to swallow large doses of happy pills and glue smiles on our faces, right?”

“Right.”

“You know what?” Ruby stressfully puffed her cigarette, “I hope you choke on your happy pills.”

“Thanks, I love you too.”

“Stuff it.”

“Is this friendly pow-wow over? I need to use the restroom,” Trace said, standing up and heading to the right.

“Where are some tools?” Harper shouted after them.

“Does this look like a garage?”

With Trace gone, Harper and Kellen set to work. Ruby dragged furniture out of the kitchen, piling it against the swinging door. She also retrieved shards of glass, placing them on the bar counter.

Trace returned, using his keys to lock the windows and doors. They shoved all furniture and objects imaginable against the front and back doors.

Next came the windows. Ruby disappeared behind the counter, brewing coffee for the clan. The rest paused, taking a break for the work to come. Trace remembered his father kept a toolbox under the bar. Thanks to the frequent fights, repairs were often needed. Harper raised his eyebrows. “So this is no garage?”

“Shut up.”

Although the flooring consisted of tiles, the bathroom floors were wooden boards. Taking all tools and using all possible methods, the boards were ripped up, and then with plenty of difficulty and a few swollen thumbs, nailed over the few windows.

“Now what?” Kellen panted, collapsing onto the barren floor. Brenner’s Café looked somewhat peculiar, with the main floor almost completely barren (they had literally piled everything up against every exit).

Holding coffee, they sat in a circle, unsure of what to do next. Dianna hugged her knees. “We’ll need weapons just in case it’s necessary to hold them off.”

“There’s a revolver in my purse,” Ruby volunteered.

Trace piped up, “I have a rifle under the bar counter. Fights can get out of hand.”

Dianna grinned. “Toolboxes, rifles…our equipment is located under the liquor? Say, you wouldn’t happen to have nuclear weapons under there too?”

“Left those at home. Sorry.”

Harper stumbled up, shuffled to the rearranged jukebox, and set the tunes on rock. “It’s the End of the World” started playing.

“Change that song!” Everyone complained.

Harper snorted. “How about this?” He switched it to “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.

“Nice improvement,” Kellen replied, stretching out on the floor. “Anybody got a pillow and blanket I can borrow?”

“Got it under the counter.”

“You prepared for a Soviet Invasion or something?”

“I was just kidding. Roll your jacket into a ball and curl up.”

Ruby also stretched out on the floor, moving her coffee cup. “I’m not sure how I’ll relax enough to fall asleep.”

“Chill, at least we got a plan,” Harper reassured bitterly, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Kellen responded, “That’s what I said on my wedding day, exactly one hour before I dropped the ring, lost the honeymoon tickets, and my future mother-in-law showed up drunk.” Kellen rolled onto his left side, turning quiet. Pretty soon Ruby snored loudly.

Trace sat at one end of the room by the front door, rifle ready for action. Harper stood on the other end as erect as a soldier, twirling Ruby’s revolver in his hands. The jukebox switched to classical tunes, playing “Summer Place”.

Dianna, on the far end, leaned against the bottom of the karaoke stage, fingering a razor-sharp blade of glass. Could I really kill one of those things? Is it in me? What if it’s my mother? Could I do it?

She took one look at the pathetic lot of them. Harper and Trace were poised with guns, listening for the smallest sound and watching for the tiniest flicker of shadowy movement. Two people slept. Dianna’s own eyelids were growing heavy. The clock read midnight, sending a hollow chime through the café. Harper’s shoulder blades tensed. Trace jumped. Ruby whimpered in her sleep. The room grew darker. An owl hooted and flew near a window. Its feathers broke the fearful silence. Dianna thought she heard faint scratching at the kitchen door, but decided it was only her exhausted imagination.

Dianna fought to stay awake, but the enticing fingers of sleep continued to caress her senses. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. As sleep began to claim her, Dianna was vaguely aware of the frightening emptiness of the karaoke stage. She also realized that something might pop out and sink its claws into her skull.

CHAPTER 31

Andrew blinked his eyes furiously to stay awake behind the wheel. Justin lowered the volume of the radio. “We must’ve driven off the edge of civilization.”

Gabriel threw down the book he’d been flipping through. “We’re lost.”

“Great. Swell,” Justin answered, “It’s my guess we have the geniuses in the front car to thank for this grand little detour. Now, if nobody minds, I say we…”

Suddenly, in front of them, Lance honked the horn excitedly. Soon Andrew saw the reason. They were at the threshold of a city. Trees gave way to tiny dots of light, billboards, and a few other cars.

The two cars drove down a slope at the left, curving into the downtown area of the city.

In the front car, JC pressed his face against the window, looking for a sign. “Hey, we’re in Nowheresville!”

“Very funny,” Ramona grinned. Chris looked out the rear window. “No seriously, he’s telling the truth. This city is named Nowheresville.”

“Now I’ve heard everything,” Lance said, lowering his speed as they approached a gas station. After becoming used to driving in darkness, the sudden brightness and the fluorescent lighting of the station pierced their eyes. Ramona wrinkled her nose at the gas fumes. “I see we’re the only ones here.”

Lance parked the car beside a tank. Andrew did the same. Everybody was thrilled to jump out of the cars and stretch their legs. Ramona scrambled inside the station. “Man I’m starved! They better have a cappuccino machine handy.”

Chris noticed the station was adjoined with a run-down diner. He read the sign.

ARTY’S: EAT HERE AND GET GAS.

“I hope that’s not a comment on the food,” he said flippantly.

“If it is, then Ramona can ride in the trunk.”

Gabriel and Andrew paced around in front of the building, muttering to each other. JC leaned against a car, watching the scene. Chris went inside to pay for gas and check out the food and entertainment selections.

Lance stuck the gas nozzle into the car, steadily filling the tank. Justin was doing the same to his car, staring angrily at Lance. Lance met his gaze, then turned away, careful to mind his own business.

JC unrolled the map onto the hood, carefully studying the lines. “Hmm, if we turn on this exit…go straight…past Deertrail Pike…turn onto highway 13…” Justin and Lance stopped filling the tanks, joining JC. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get us back on track.” JC leaned into the open door, dug through the glove compartment, and retrieved a pen. They darkened the path to Cat’s Eye, then carefully sorted through the roads. After about five minutes, JC sighed with relief. “I’ve figured it out.”

“Figured out what?”

“We’re not lost. We just took the extra long route and more than a couple added detours, but with these lines I’ve darkened in, we could be in Cat’s Eye in less than an hour. Bingo.”

The very mention of Cat’s Eye sent chills down Lance’s spine. “Wait a sec. Is it smart to barge in, especially at 1:00 in the morning? We’re trespassing on dangerous ground. They have the upper hand. Why don’t we check into a motel, wait until morning then…”

Justin smirked. “Scared? Please. Come morning, come noon, come night, the danger will always be the same. Let’s get it over with. Won’t they expect us to take precautionary measures? Us crashing the party may be a smart choice.”

Lance shook his head and shrugged. “I was only suggesting…”

Justin glared. “Why? Because you’re always right? Being an angel doesn’t automatically crown you king. We’ll go with my plan.”

“Still, I was just saying…”

“Give me a break! Think you’re better than everybody else? Heck, your memory’s shot and when discussing battle maneuvers, your grand suggesting is hiding! You’re a coward groveling behind a great revelation. Why this honor was bestowed upon you is beyond me.”

Lance gulped, took a deep breath, and walked away from the hood, returning to finish his job with the gas nozzle.

Lance’s refusal to participate in a stand off further infuriated Justin. He distantly wondered, for there was a queer feeling tugging his heart, why he was so jealous. Was a Lost Soul playing with his mind? Justin didn’t know, but if that was the case, then he was powerless to stop it at any cost.

Whatever the reason, Justin’s face flushed. Lance, an angel? Why didn’t God pick me? Why? Why Lance? It’s not fair! He can’t outshine me!

Abandoning the gas tank, Justin marched over to Lance. Lance pretended not to feel uneasy. He knew Justin was marching over to apologize. When he opened his mouth to speak to Justin, he was grabbed by the shoulders and shoved into the gas filler. The nozzle clattered to the ground, a thick black river flowing onto the concrete. Pain shot up Lance’s upper back and neck and his mouth continued to hang open, not in pain but surprise.

Justin shoved him again, this time slightly harder. “You’re a freak! You’re not even human!”

Lance’s eyes brimmed with tears. It hurt to hear his brother say such awful things, but he also realized there was no point in getting stomped on. Lance shoved back. “I’m not a freak!”

“Yes you are!”

“No I’m not!”

“YES YOU ARE!”

“NO I’M NOT!”

Justin glared, clenching his teeth. “It’s not fair! God chose you to be special and not me, not anyone else! Sure I can make fire and read people’s minds, but whoop-dee-doo! I look like a first grader playing with finger paints, sitting beside Picasso in art class!”

“You’re jealous,” Lance whispered angrily, “Well don’t be mad at me. I never asked for this.”

Justin was rational enough to realize Lance was right and he shouldn’t be so upset, but suddenly a deep rage ruptured inside him. White-hot anger exploded in his veins, pounding at his temples and making his fingers curl. He lunged at Lance. Lance, fed up with being “nice and understanding”, didn’t hesitate to fight back.

Gabriel and Andrew were too preoccupied with their conversation to notice the explosive argument/fistfight that broke out nearby. JC stood in stunned silence, listening to their angry shouting.

When he was about to step in and intervene, JC frowned. Something didn’t feel good. Sure, when he or the other guys argued, it was a crummy feeling, but this one had taken on a new, more peculiar twist.

At first it was barely noticeable. The dull throbbing headache pulsated above his left eye. JC blinked rapidly, gulping in mouthfuls of air. The headache spread across his forehead, reaching his right eye. He developed a frightening sensitivity to light and sound. The noise exploded in great vibrations inside his eardrums. JC’s stomach churned in a terrible nauseousness. His throat constricted.

As the fighting grew worse, JC’s arms and legs went numb. Sweat poured from his forehead. His skin paled to a sickening grayish color. Lance’s yelling and Justin’s biting accusations fevered his strange symptoms.

“Guys,” He gasped weakly, leaning against the car for support, “Please stop…fighting…” Bile rose in his throat, and he feared he would soon vomit. His vision became blurry. The gas station spun wildly.

Echoing faintly, JC heard concerned cries from Andrew and Gabriel. Footsteps rushed in his direction.

JC suddenly felt as if he was flying. He flew into a peaceful blackness. The concrete came zooming up to meet his face…

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ramona was paying for her Kit Kat bar when Chris ran out the door. The cashier, lost in her own world inside a headphone set, didn’t mind their hurried behavior. Ramona absently handed her the money, her head turning to look out the glass into the gas tank area. Her mouth dropped open. Everyone was crowding around JC, who was lying in a pitiful heap on the ground. No wonder Chris dashed off so quickly.

Ramona joined them outside, wind blowing her hair. She didn’t notice the cold. Her eyes were focused on JC’s body. The commotion rose to a loud pitch. With people huddled around JC, uttering assurances to him (though mostly to themselves) and babbling in panic.

Ramona shoved through them, kneeling beside JC. Luckily, her mother was a nurse. Ramona had only minimal training in the field, but knew how to help.

“EVERYBODY SHUT UP!” She screamed. Silence. She spoke. “Give us some room. I need my space.” She checked JC’s pulse. “Well, thank goodness he’s alive. His pulse was irregular, but is growing steady. His skin is a little feverish, but not so bad.”

“Since when did you become an expert?” Justin spouted.

“My mom is a registered nurse.”

Lance ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I should run inside and call an ambulance, just in case?”

“NO!” Ramona barked harshly. She lowered her volume, “Sorry, but we don’t want to attract attention. People might get suspicious. However, Lance, help me carry JC onto the backseat of the first car. I’ll ride in the back with him. In the meantime (she looked around)…uh, Chris, why don’t you run back into the store, buy some Tylenol if there’s any, and sit inside until I call you. We need as little amount of people around as possible for the time being. Also Justin, collect everybody’s jackets. I’ll use them to keep JC warm. Gabriel and Andrew…stand aside until I give you a job.”

Chris, hugging himself, trudged back into the store, trying to conquer is fear. JC will be okay. Yeah. He’s just passed out. No big deal. He will be okay. He will be okay. God, please don’t let anything bad happen to him.

The cashier briefly glanced up. “Car trouble?” She asked, smacking her gum. Chris glumly nodded. “Sure. Whatever. Do you sell Tylenol?”

“Nah, but the pharmacy on Caldwell Street can help you. Headache huh? Can’t say I blame you. My family and I took a cross-country trip to Florida once, and I can tell you it was…”

Chris tuned her out as he wandered to the cappuccino machine. Guess I’m now either the driver or navigator. May as well buy insurance against sleepiness.

After paying for cappuccino, Chris decided to check out Arty’s, not to satisfy his stomach but to find a place to sit. Arty’s was perhaps ½ a step up from the adjoining gas station. Then again, Chris didn’t expect a four star restaurant in Nowheresville. On the radio, “Bad Moon Rising” began playing.

Slumped in a booth, nursing a Cappuccino, Chris wondered if Ramona was taking good care of JC. She acted like she knew what she was doing, but there was always room for doubt. Chris spotted a magazine lying on the table. Restless from frazzled nerves, he flipped through it.

Star spottings, movie and music reviews, celebrity news, advertisements, and…a certain section caught Chris’s attention.

INTERNATIONAL SNOOP FANS: RECOGNIZING PSYCHIC POTENTIONAL. Are there things about you that you can’t explain? This may have all your answers.

For ten minutes Chris skimmed through a collection of articles. Normally he was the purist of skeptics as far as psychic hype was concerned, but with Lance being an angel and after seeing Justin make a ball explode…well his perception was somewhat altered.

One particular article intrigued him. PSYCHIC ABILITIES. HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE THEM? Below the headline was a list and description of 10 different abilities. Chris found both of Justin’s. The fifth one shocked him, and after analyzing the events outside, he began scooting out of the booth.

Gabriel was already strolling into the diner. “Thought I’d join you since Sergeant Ramona has taken charge. Besides, I feel useless. Hey, what are you reading?”

“Gabriel, you won’t believe what I’ve discovered! I think I know what’s wrong with JC.”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows and sat down in the seat across from Chris. “Let me see.” Five minutes later, Gabriel and Chris were engaged in an intense conversation. It both electrified and chilled Chris, because if what they were saying was true, then all their lives could take a mind-blowing turn.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

They lay JC in the backseat. He stirred but remained unconscious. Lance switched on the overhead, casting a warm light over the seats. He rolled his jacket into a ball, placing it under JC’s head. “You’ll be alright,” he whispered assuringly, confident Ramona would do her best.

In the second car, Andrew buckled himself into the driver’s seat. “When Gabriel and Chris return, we’ll switch places with your car,” he hollered at Ramona, “Then Gabriel follow the map while I lead the way! Okay?”

“Fine!” Ramona crawled onto the backseat floor, sitting on her knees. Lance slid into the driver’s seat, slamming the door and honking the horn twice. Chris and Gabriel burst out of the gas station. Each held a magazine. Gabriel piled into the backseat with Justin in the second car. Chris jumped into the passenger’s side beside Lance. “Go ahead and drive. I’ve got news that’ll send you through the roof!”

CHAPTER 32 BRENNER’S CAFÉ 1:30 AM

Urgent voices startled Dianna out of a restless sleep. At first everything seemed surreal, fuzzied and bright. Then, after grinding sleep out of her eyes and shaking her head, the scene cleared. Trace and Harper, both looking worried, were posed tensely near the exits, knuckles white from their tightened grip.

“What should we do?” Trace swallowed. Dianna stood, stretched her legs and joined them. “What are you two…”

“Shhh!” Harper put his hand over her mouth. “Quiet…” The air stilled. A hushed silence fell over the café. Even Ruby and Kellen, who rose with stiff backs, stopped moving.

Scratching sounds scuttled along the walls. It seemed to be scraping from the outside and inside.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Dianna gasped. “Something’s out there.” Ruby wrung her hands nervously. “It-it’s coming from in here.”

Unexplainable shadows creeped along the wall. Dianna’s eyes couldn’t stop watching them float past the stage. Stark terror gripped her heart. Sweat broke on her forehead. Ruby trembled uncontrollably. Harper’s eyes widened.

“They’re in here…innocents…need…want…must have…”

The voices made Trace jolt out of his frozen position. His reflexes forced a bullet to break the silence and blast the wall. Dianna screamed.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Even with the mound of furniture, the front door shook from insistent knocking.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Screeecccccchhhhhhh………..

The sound, like fingernails on a chalkboard, made Kellen throw his hands over his ears.

“Need…want…must have…get them…the Master will need them soon…”

“Stay back!” Trace yelled to the unseen invaders, although a slight tremor in his voice “Leave us alone! I’m warning you! Stay back!”

The lights faded. The temperature dropped.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

This time the floorboards and the ceiling rattled. The horrified citizens were thrown against each other, screaming in fright. Trace’s gun slid across the floor, slamming in the jukebox. “Crawling” seeped from the jukebox. Funny thing, but the jukebox cord was ripped from the wall.

Thunder rumbled in the night sky. Then silence.

Suddenly wood splintered. Two tables flew to the opposite wall, smashing to pieces. Wood chunks and sawdust covered the floor. Harper dodged, bumping into Kellen, who collided with Dianna, who hit Ruby. Two light bulbs on the far end of the café exploded, plunging the bar into darkness. Sparks showered from the electric fixtures.

“Need…want…come to us…time to die…”

The shadows whipped around the group. Harper shot at one of them. The bullet whizzed through the transparent figure.

More wood splintered. The kitchen door bent back and forth. “Whatever’s pounding on the front door is also breaking through the kitchen!” Ruby squealed in a panicky state. CCCCRRRREEEEAAAAAKKKKKKK! Two chairs flew from the narrow hall in the back. “Great. They’re breaking the bathroom doors down too,” Trace whined miserably.

Kellen paused to examine the chaotic situation. Although considerably pale, he said calmly, “Let’s hide. It’s our last prayer for survival.” At the mention of hiding, an idea popped into Trace’s head.

“Quick!” He said fiercely, “Follow me!” They ran up the side steps onto the karaoke stage. “We can’t duck behind the curtains,” Dianna objected, but Trace hushed her, leaned over, and fingered the trap door carved into the wooden platform. “This door leads to underneath the stage. Before my father turned this place into a bar it was a small theater. Actors hid under here for stage effects.”

Wicked laughter faintly echoed throughout Brenner’s. Personally Dianna felt that no matter what they did, they’d be caught in the end.

Trace tugged on the handle, raising the door. A cloud of dust emerged. Underneath was a rickety ladder. Trace helped Ruby climb down. Harper and Kellen soon disappeared below, leaving Dianna and Trace standing on the karaoke stage.

Dianna was soon enveloped in darkness. Dust tickled her nostrils. The area was hot and musty, not to mention crowded by the others. A small square of light peeked in from above, which was extinguished after Trace climbed under the stage.

“Well,” he whispered sadly, “The countdown begins. We’re like the ten little Indians. Who’s gonna be next?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~

SOMEWHERE IN COLORADO: SIX MILES SOUTH OF CAT’S EYE

Ramona checked JC’s pulse. “It’s normal,” she observed, “He’s sleeping.” Chris passed around the article he’d read in Arty’s. “Don’t you see? It all fits perfectly. Gabriel agrees. In fact he even knew most of it, just couldn’t fit the pieces together.” Chris launched his theory.

“First, Justin finds out he’s telepathic and pyrokinetic. Second, Lance discovers he’s an angel. Turns out there’s a war going on and if Lance doesn’t retrieve his memory, the results of that war will be an apocalypse. Lance is a key figure. But suppose God designated a few people to help him? The job’s a lot for any one person to handle. Maybe, just maybe, me, JC, Justin, and Joey are those people!”

Ramona nodded slowly, toying with the notion. Why not? Lance also seemed to agree. “Okay. We can bounce that around, although I’m not saying I accept your theory.”

“Sure we need further proof, but JC’s ‘illness’ suggests evidence.”

“How is his ‘illness’ justifiable as proof?”

“Listen. Number five reads: ‘Empath. A person who is uncannily in tuned to other people’s moods or emotions. Respond well to positive energy but negative energy may produce serious effects.’”

Ramona wrinkled her nose. “Negative energy? You mean like evil, quarreling, violence, etc.?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. (Looks at Lance) You were outside. Did anything significantly bad happen?”

Lance’s expression saddened. “When Justin and I started fighting, JC asked us to stop. He sounded sick, but Justin and I were so angry…we couldn’t stop.”

“Exactly,” Ramona added, “all the negative energy floating in the air personally affected JC. He couldn’t handle it. His body went into overload, and-Ta da! -He kissed the concrete.”

Lance felt overwhelmed by this sudden wealth of information. I’m not alone. The other guys also have special abilities that separate them from normal humans. Does Gandor or Emerald know? More than likely. That makes them even more desperate to kill us.

Ramona frowned. “Chris, what kind of powers do you and Joey possess? Lance is an angel, Justin is a telepath/pyrokinetic, and JC’s an empath. What about you?”

“I don’t know yet,” Chris admitted, “But it’s my guess that I’ll find out when I’m ready. As for Joey-isn’t it obvious he has enough problems at the moment?”

“His problems are our problems,” Lance replied, “And not just in the sense that he’s our brother. Gandor is using him to wipe us out.”

“When do we tell Justin about JC?” Ramona asked.

Chris answered, “Gabriel’s taking care of business. He told me in the diner that he felt something odd about the rest of us, but couldn’t pinpoint it until now.”

“If Gabriel gives his affirmation, then I guess it’s in the bag.”

“No kidding.”

Little raindrops fell on the windshield. Lance watched lightening ripple across the sky. Somehow the impending storm held a terrible omen. Suddenly the car in front of them stopped. As Lance drove to catch up, he became aware that the road ahead was blocked.

The road was blocked by a row of people.

Lance slowed his speed, puzzled. Chris looked at him, eyes wide with worry. “Look at them. What’s different?”

Upon closer inspection, the dark figures were different. Lance rolled down the window, but quickly rolled it back up after hearing snickers and growls.

“Lost Souls…” Chris whispered. “They’ve found us.” JC groggily pulled himself into a sitting position. “What’s wrong?” Ramona shook his shoulders. “Jace, you gotta snap out of it! We’re in trouble!”

Lance stopped the car, staring at the dozens of tiny pairs of red eyes moving hungrily towards them.

Through the windshield, they watched Andrew, Gabriel, and Justin jump out of their car. Lance did the same, shivering in the night air. Chris and Ramona supported JC to his feet, and then ran to join the group.

Evil hung in the air. The Lost Souls started howling. Ramona, too afraid to make eye contact with the beasts, buried her face on Lance’s shoulder. JC snapped into full alertness.

“At last, the chase is over. I’m rather sick of this running.”

Emerald’s voice startled them. Gabriel took a few steps away from his friends. “What is this about?” He demanded, “Who are these poor souls? Why have you made them into monsters?”

“Gabriel, let’s make one thing clear. I ask the questions. That’s right. I’ve got the advantage. Now, these Lost Souls are just a few citizens of Cat’s Eye. I’m counting close to one hundred. We’re rebuilding our army.”

Fear rose in Lance’s throat. He choked on a scream. Oh no! I still haven’t recovered my memory! They’ll eat me alive!

Emerald made a gesture with her hand. The first row of Lost Souls advanced.

“Destroy them,” she ordered.

Suddenly Justin sprinted off the road, running in the direction of the wooded area hugging the mountains. Chris took off on the other side of the road. Several Lost Souls chased after the two fugitives. Emerald’s eyes blazed.

“DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!”

Andrew, JC and Ramona began running, using the precious little time they had to their benefit. Another row of Lost Souls scampered toward them. Gabriel stood in front of Lance.

“Go,” Lance said dejectedly.

“I won’t leave you alone.”

“Gabe, I can handle myself,” Lance insisted, “I’m an angel, remember? How hard can this be? NOW GO!”

Emerald laughed cruelly. “Yes Gabriel, go. Lance is mine.”

When Gabriel vanished, more Lost Souls dashed in his direction. Emerald pointed her finger at Lance. “Kill him!”

Lance, unsure of what to do, dove to the asphalt, scrambling under the car. A Lost Soul’s teeth narrowly missed his ankle. The demented howling became deafening. Claws reached under the car. Lance lay as flat as he could on his stomach, unable to see much, sending fervent prayers to God.

One Lost Soul thought to crawl on its belly, meeting Lance’s terrified gaze and sliding under at the front of the car. Lance couldn’t roll left or right, otherwise he’d be straight in the hands of the monsters. The car shook violently. Metal dented. He was surrounded, unable to escape.

The Lost Soul’s hot breathing hit Lance in the face. He coughed, backpedaling towards the bumper. Another Lost Soul sank its teeth into Lance’s right ankle. Lance screeched as white-hot pain shot up his leg. Warm liquid trickled down into his shoe. Lance grit his teeth.

Smoke seeped under the car. Smoke? The car was on fire. It might explode, and if it did, the burning chaos would topple onto Lance.

The Lost Soul in the back bit harder at his ankle. More blood. Lance coughed in the smoke, now able only to see red eyes looking at him. The Lost Soul at the front bit his wrist, pulling it. Tiny droplets trickled down Lance’s left arm. Lance gasped violently. He distantly heard Emerald’s laughter.

Then the car exploded.

continued