“Oh, my turn.” Ella took over. “It’s like this omniscient diary of all the souls—throughout the multiverses.” Ella had learned so much since her time with Shari. “Think of the universe as a supercomputer where all events, actions, and thoughts are stored. Every single intent, feeling, and thought really does matter.”
“Ye-ah, okay,” Justin said. “Like a cosmic cloud where all the data that ever existed is stored. It reminds me of Edgar Cayce. My mom used to talk a lot about him. She believed in all that stuff.”
“Well, don’t you? After everything that has happened?” Ella chastised.
Justin shrugged.
“Did this tea concoction do the trick?” Dean asked.
“I’m not sure. It certainly affected them.” She couldn’t get that disturbing scene of the creepers diving into the steaming cauldron out of her head. And the King of the Undead’s unwavering black, fiery eyes . . . A wave of repulsion rippled through her at the thought of the King wanting her for his wife.
Twila gasped. “He wanted to marry you?”
I need to block harder. Either Twila’s abilities had strengthened, or hers were still weak. Everyone stopped eating after Twila’s outburst.
Scarlett couldn’t recall much after that. “Luther and Zac saved me before the actual marriage ceremony.” But, she wasn’t so sure.
“Guys, guys, this is getting freakier by the minute.” Justin and Ella held each other’s hands.
“What do you make of this bizarre turn of events?” Dean inquired.
“It’s difficult for our egocentric brains to comprehend,” Scarlett attempted to explain. “All things have a cosmic consciousness. Think of it this way. The regular creepers and X-strains have evolved into two different races. They’re learning the power of their innate abilities while we’re still struggling to accept our latent abilities.” In that sense, the undead had surpassed humans.
“Kumbaya . . . Kumbaya . . . Kumbaya.” Luther’s nervous chatter released a bout of pensive laughter.
Poor Luther. This was too much for him.
“So, what can we do?” Justin asked.
Scarlett had thought about that during her imprisonment. “We have to stay a step ahead of them. I think there will be a battle between the two races as they struggle for superiority. Let’s hope they’ll be so obsessed with winning, that we can find a stronghold in the Lost States.”
“Meaning, heed that little voice in the back of your head otherwise known as our gut instinct,” Dean said matter-of-factly.
“That’s what I was trying to tell everyone,” Twila burst. “We need to use our special abilities. All of us! When we work together, we solve the riddle faster.”
“Mystery Theater,” Justin sang in a sinister tone.
“While we’re waiting for Zac at the safehouse, I should teach everyone a simple Merkaba meditation. If we combine our energies, it will be harder for the Ancient Ones and X-strains to penetrate.” She didn’t know how they would take her suggestion.
“That’s a great idea,” Ella said. “Twila helped for a long time in the cabin until Justin saved us.”
“I knew I wasn’t done with this Voodoo shi—nonsense,” Luther denounced with vehemence.
Ella and Twila giggled.
Dean checked his watch again. “Folks, hate to interrupt this enlightening chat. We’ve got maybe forty-five minutes before it’s too dark. Only take what you can carry without impeding your agility. I’ll take a look-see outside, see if the coast is clear.” He opened the door. “You see anything?” Dean sincerely asked Twila.
Twila covered her ears with a grimace. “Only a bunch of noisy trucks. I could tell you more if someone—” Twila glared at Justin. “Hadn’t broken my special crystal.” She sighed heavily. “But I’ll try again.”
Scarlett needed to talk to Twila about that. The crystal Merkaba was merely a tool to help activate one’s dormant abilities. Using it as a crutch only held her back. Once the child realized it, her abilities would be even more powerful.
Dean tapped the back of the van. “Time to skedaddle. I’m hearing all sorts of traffic several streets down. Better leave before they discover the van.”
One by one, they stepped out of the van. Justin wore a small backpack and had the baby in a tote bag around his neck. Ella was looking frailer by the minute. Luther, strong as he was, strapped on a large, green duffle stuffed with supplies.
“Guys, hide your weapons,” Justin warned. “If a drone IDs weapons, they’ll send in troops.”
“Scarlett, hand me your M4. We only got two of these.” Luther bundled them in a HAZMAT suit.
“Walk single-file. Except, you might want to hold Twila’s hand,” Dean said pointedly to Scarlett. “We could be spotted from the road. Absolute quiet.”
Scarlett held Twila’s hand, and they followed Dean. They darted from building to building with trucks rumbling in the distance. It sounded like Last State had called in the National Guard. An intense knowing warned the X-strain army could starve-out the citizens if they thought to do such a thing.
Humanity would soon be at the X-strains,’ mercy . . . but mercy wasn’t in their mindset.
Chapter 5
Estella Marie Vasquez-Chen lazily opened her eyes. Confusion overtook her. Where am I? A mix-match of Mexican and Native American blankets hung from the ceiling and gently swayed around her. She propped her body on her elbows, realizing she was on a mattress, which sat on the floor. All by herself.
Realization settled in. “Huh, mijo?” she cried out.
Justin brushed aside a blanket and hurried to her with Mateo in his arms. “Hon, everything’s okay.”
“Where are we?” Ella was so out of it. Then she remembered why. Scarlett had demanded she drink the special tea after they had snuck into the Forbidden Zone yesterday evening.
“This is the safehouse Zac told us about.” Justin gently rocked baby Mateo in his arms. “You slept nearly twelve hours straight.”
Ella rushed to her feet. Is he cuh-ray-zee? “Mijo can’t go that long without
