Adam screamed, “No! Sancha! Mel! No!”
He ran toward them, scanning the area as he ran to see if he could identify the manifestor who had caused the lightning. He saw Maddie and several others running to the downed people as well. He did not see Luis or Mannie. Where were they?
He saw Maddie crying and screaming. “Sancha! Mel! Oh my god!”
She got to them first, checked their pulse and listened for heartbeats. It was then that Adam spotted Ian standing about a hundred yards away with a smug grin on his face. Helen and a large group of KTP were with him.
Maddie placed one hand over Sancha’s heart and one hand over Mel’s as she closed her eyes in deep concentration. Adam felt like his own heart might stop as he ran toward them, waiting in suspense to see if they were okay.
Before he reached them, he heard a loud crackling sound and saw an orange flash out of the corner of his eye. Then everything went black.
Chapter 49
Adam’s eyes shot open when he felt something heavy come down on his chest. He sat up, swinging wildly.
“Whoa! Whoa! I’m not the enemy, man,” said Jeremy as he stepped back and held up his hands to show he meant no harm. “Ian almost took you out with that lightning bolt. Hurry, we have to catch him.”
Adam whipped his head around.
“Where’s Maddie? Where’s Sancha and Mel?”
“There’s no time. We have to take Ian out. Get up.”
“Why should I trust you?” Adam spat.
Jeremy said, “Adam, I swear to you. I had nothing to do with Ian’s attack. You have to trust me. Who do you think just saved your life? Now let’s get the son of a bitch.”
Jeremy pulled Adam to his feet. They both took off in Ian’s direction.
Ian, Helen, and a few hundred of their cronies were still about a hundred yards away and ready for them. Ian and Helen both raised their hands and looked toward the sky. Clouds swirled around and lightning bolts began raining down from the sky. Jeremy and Adam dodged the lightning as they ran.
Adam saw a lightning bolt heading directly for Jeremy. His anger and determination renewed, Adam relinquished all conscious thought and focused on saving Jeremy. In the next instant, he saw the lightning bolt bend in a sharp angle and head straight toward Ian and the KTP.
Wide-eyed, Ian and Helen barely had time to dive out of the way. A couple of their cronies were not so fortunate.
Jeremy looked at Adam like a proud father would look at his son.
When Ian got back on his feet, his mouth fell open in surprise as he was forced to dive again as another lightning bolt narrowly missed him. Then another lightning bolt hit nearby. A few more KTP fell while others scrambled to dodge them. All of the lightning bolts that Ian and Helen had manifested were now raining down upon them.
Adam looked at Jeremy, surprised. Jeremy looked at Adam, also surprised. Neither knew who was responsible for redirecting those last few lightning bolts. They simultaneously looked behind them and were shocked when they saw Luis and Mannie grinning widely.
“Great job, guys!” Adam shouted.
Behind the boys, Adam could see thousands of peacekeepers and KTP stampeding toward them. He saw Mel, Sancha, and Maddie leading the angry mob, now intent on demolishing Ian, Helen, and their cronies. Adam felt relief wash over him. They were okay.
Horrified, Ian’s and Helen’s faces fell as they realized that thousands of people were using RTP against them.
“Fire!” Ian screeched.
Ian’s supporters opened fire. Bullets ricocheted as the peacekeepers held their ground, and several of the KTP dropped at once. Ian was knocked off his feet when a bullet struck him in the chest. Helen ran to him.
Adam held his breath. Was it over? Was Ian dead?
Helen and a couple of Ian’s henchmen grabbed Ian by the arms and dragged him off into the woods. Someone hollered, “Retreat! Retreat!”
The rest of the KTP resistance started disappearing into the trees.
Without even thinking, Adam gave chase, flanked by Jeremy, and followed by the angry mob led by Mel, Sancha, and Maddie. They spread out in the woods, searching for the deserters. They searched for at least an hour, but there was no sign of them. It appeared that hundreds of people had disappeared without a trace.
Adam shouted, “Ian, Helen, if you can hear us, give up your fight now. You will never win against RTP. You are clearly outnumbered and we’re not going to take it anymore. If we have to, we will hunt you down. If you approach us, we will fight back from now on. We will not join with the likes of you, nor will we go peacefully as your prisoners any longer. We will fight until the death, whether it be ours or yours.”
Adam heard loud cheering all around him. Thousands of peacekeepers and reformed KTP were cheering, hugging, and laughing at the retreating traitors. He wanted to track Ian down and take care of him once and for all, but he had vanished. Now they didn’t know if Ian was dead or alive. For now, they would have to be satisfied with their retreat and consider it a victory.
“We will take care of them later,” Adam heard Jeremy say in a low, steely voice that raised the hairs on the back of his neck. He knew Jeremy meant it, and he knew he would not want to be in Ian’s shoes, if he were still alive when Jeremy found him.
Maddie ran to Adam, threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him so tightly that he couldn’t breathe. He picked her up and swung her around.
“You did it,” she cried. “We did it! I’m so proud of you, Adam. You led us to this.”
She planted a big kiss on his lips.
Mel approached him next. Adam thought he was
