The Hunt: The Oakmont Saga, Book 2

“Gabe, I talked to Mel. She’s heading to North Carolina, but I don’t know where yet. I’m going to see if I can find out, and I’ll let you know,” she said, as soon as she got his attention. Of course, it was almost impossible for him to not give it.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s had a hard time, but yeah, I think she’s okay.”

“We’ll be ready, but how will you get to us?”

“Remember, I’m a telepath,” she said, letting him feel the humor and sarcasm in her reply.

Ending the connection, she stood up and left the small common room, where her and the kids had been spending almost all of their time for the past several weeks. They’d barely left the area since the one trip out. As she entered the corridor, the several agents standing guard stood straighter.

“Can someone find Mr. Brager for me?”

“Sir, Aliyah requests your presence,” the closest said into his shoulder radio.

“He’ll be here shortly, miss,” he replied.

“Thank you,” she replied, with a smile, and returned to the room.

Ben, Eliana, I need to get some information from Uncle Randy, and he might not give it to me. Melanie is going to try and find a school, kind of like Oakmont, in North Carolina. She thinks it might be good for all of us, but she doesn’t really know where it is. I’m going to get that from him so we can tell Melanie where to go, she told them, speaking with her mind.

Okay, they both said.

A few minutes later, Randy walked in, sitting in a chair immediately. Aliyah could see the fatigue in his face, his posture and his eyes. He was working too hard. Unfortunately, he was making some decisions that she thought weren’t good.

“Uncle Randy, I’ve heard about a school in North Carolina, kind of like Oakmont. Where is it?” she asked, at the same time sending a probe to him. She felt a very strong resistance, as she did. The look on his face confirmed the school’s existence, or at least that there was a story about it.

Apparently, they had made a newer version of the block, but it still wasn’t quite good enough. She didn’t start reading his thoughts, wanting to give him the chance to freely tell her.

“I don’t know where you heard about that, but you don’t need to worry about it,” he said, and she knew there was very little chance she could get him to tell her. She wanted to try though, hoping she didn’t have to read his mind. She removed her probe, but was ready to send it back.

“Uncle Randy, I need to know about it. Please,” she said, not knowing any way to try and persuade him, other than pleading.

“I’m sorry, Aliyah, but I can’t tell you about it. That is top secret information.”

“So is Oakmont, but I know more about it than you do.”

“This is not a subject we’re going to discuss,” he replied, his voice and expression getting very firm.

“This is why Melanie didn’t trust you,” she said, and regretted saying it as soon as it was out of her mouth. It was too late though, and she knew it. The look of pain on his face was immediately replaced with anger. He turned and left, but not before she sent the probe into his mind again. There was a lot more resistance than before, but she got through anyway.

Without any effort, since she’d brought the thoughts to the surface, she skimmed those surface thoughts and had what she wanted. She then withdrew her probe, sorry she had to do that, but knowing she didn’t really have a choice.

“That was mean,” Ben said, once his Daddy was gone.

“I wish I hadn’t said it,” she replied.

“Did you find out what you needed to know?” he asked, and she nodded her head.

“Are we going with you?” Eliana asked.

“If you want to,” she told them.

“But you think we should, don’t you?” Eliana asked, and again, Aliyah nodded.

“Did Melanie say we should go?” Ben asked, and once more, Aliyah nodded.

Both of the younger children went to their rooms to pack their few belongings. Aliyah did the same, and they all returned within ten minutes. Aliyah had something to do before they left though.

Sitting down, she sent a probe to Gabe, Gabe, we’re coming, and I don’t know if we’re going to be chased or not.

We’ll be ready, he replied, and she removed the probe.

“Are y’all sure about this?” she asked the two kids, and they both nodded, Ben less enthusiastically than Eliana.

“Let’s go then. I’ll try and hide us as much as possible.”

Amazingly, she still had the bags of money and the cell phones. What she didn’t have was the serum and the notebook, and that was a problem.

“There’s something else we need, before we go,” she said, getting a curious look from both of them.

They followed her as she led them through the corridors. She sent mental projections to everyone that was near, letting them see the corridor without the three kids. She knew it wouldn’t work for any security cameras, though.

Sending another probe to Uncle Randy, she discovered where his office was, which was also where the serum and the notebook were. She had expected those things to be somewhere else, and was happy they weren’t.

Once they were in the office, she locked the door behind them and went to where the hidden safe was, easily opening the mechanism with her mind. Everything was going much too easy for them, and that worried her.

The safe was a bit more difficult than the compartment it was hidden in, and took almost five minutes to finally open. When it opened, she grabbed the serum and the notebook, and stuffed them in her pack. They walked out and saw Uncle Randy in the corridor not far away.

“Aliyah, we know you’re here with Ben and Eliana. Show yourselves and you won’t get in any trouble,” he warned them.

Ben, Eliana, this is your last chance. Are you certain you want to go with me? she asked them, mind to mind.

Yes, she heard from Ben.

I’m going with you, Eliana said.

Uncle Randy, I’m sorry, but we’re leaving. This is no better than Oakmont was, and maybe worse. At least there, I always had something to do. But the real reason I’m leaving is to go to Mel, but you won’t let me go, so I’m doing what I have to. I know you don’t agree with me, but you can’t stop me.

“Aliyah, don’t make this mistake,” he said, pulling out a headset. Although she didn’t know what it was, she suspected what it might do.

She threw up a force field and they began running the opposite direction, as quietly as they could. Of course, running in a corridor like the one they were in, made an interesting echo from the slightest sounds.

Getting to the end, she flung open the door in front of them and saw the outside. She hadn’t expected that, but she took her good fortune and led the two kids around the corner. By the time the adults made it to the door, the kids were gone and there were no cameras to help find them.

“Sir, we lost my son and my two nieces,” Randy told his boss.

“How?” the voice asked.

“They ran away. They think they’re going to find Melanie, but they have no idea where she is,” he began and stopped.

“We need those kids, if we have any chance of stopping the DOD,” his boss replied, not realizing Randy was deep in thought.

“I think I know where they’re going,” Randy said, his voice somewhat distracted, as he was deep in thought. “God, I hope they’re not going there.”

“Where?” the voice asked.

“Werdlmyre,” was the single word answer.

“But they don’t know where it is,” he said.

“They might. I need to go,” Randy said.

“Good luck, Randy,” his boss said.

“Thank you, sir,” he replied and hung up.

“Laird, get in here,” he called, and a moment later a young soldier walked in.

“Yes, sir,” the young man replied.

“How long would it likely take someone to drive from Seattle to western North Carolina?” Randy asked.

“If they were driving hard, they might be able to do it in a little under three days, but most likely four, sir,” Laird replied.

“Thank you, Laird. Arrange transport for me, my wife and a small detachment to arrive in Asheville in three days,” he said.

“Sir, is your wife able to make the trip?” he asked.

“She’ll have two to three more days to recover, but I’ll make sure the docs are okay with it before we go. Find out if a medical team is needed, as well,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” Laird said, and left.

Pulling out his phone, he called Brian. “Brian, I think I know where they’re going,” he said, as soon as the phone connected.

“So do we. But let me hear what you know,” he then said.

“They’re going to try and find Werdlmyre,” Randy told him.

“That is correct,” Brian replied, but Randy realized he sounded off, somehow.

“Is anything wrong?” he asked.

“Everything is perfectly fine, like it was the last time we spoke,” Brian replied.

“Have you been captured?” Randy asked.

“No, nothing like that,” Brian said, almost laughing.

“Melanie’s there,” he said, suddenly understanding.

“That is fairly accurate,” Brian told him.

“Has she confirmed that as the destination?” Randy asked.

“Yes. She wants to talk to you,” he then said.

“Daddy,” I said into the phone, using the childhood address of him.

“Sweetheart, don’t go there. We don’t know anything about it, and I don’t want you hurt again,” he said to me.

“I always hurt. I need help from people that know how to deal with me. This is my only chance,” I told him, not really holding myself together, my voice cracking.

“Sweetheart, what happened at the Gardner’s?” he then asked, a question I wasn’t prepared for. I was unable to answer him, as I began sobbing. I couldn’t stop it.

“Angel, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked about that. I should’ve known it would hurt you,” he said.

“Dad, you can’t stop being a soldier. It’s who you are. That’s why you couldn’t tell me anything, even though I know more about this stuff than you do,” I told him, and this time I heard a sob from him. I’d never heard him cry, ever.

“Aliyah said something very similar recently,” he said, once he regained control.

“Is she okay?” I asked, knowing I couldn’t ask what I really wanted to ask.

“She’s gone. Aliyah, Ben and Eliana ran away earlier, and we’re going to try and catch them. At least I know where they’re going.”

“Where?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t tell me.

“It’s a school named Werdlmyre, in western North Carolina. It’s a similar program to Oakmont, and I don’t want you going through that again,” he replied, surprising me.

“Dad, I need you to promise to do something for me, and I need you to really do it,” I said.

“Anything, angel,” he promised.

“Destroy the serum, and the notebook, and don’t keep anything on it, nothing. It’s evil. Please, Daddy,” I begged him. There was a very long pause, before he responded.

“Sweetheart, that’s a promise I can’t keep, even if I wanted to,” he said.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” I said, and hung up.

“Melanie, what was that all about?” Mrs. Stone asked.

“He won’t do it,” I replied.

“Why would you tell him you’re sorry, then?” she asked.

“Because I’m going to destroy myself to do what he won’t,” I told her. She didn’t know what to say to me. Her mouth was slightly open, but no sound was coming out.

“You can’t,” she finally said.

“You should know better than to tell me I can’t,” I replied, with an ironic smile.

“Melanie, please, don’t,” she then said, pleaded.

“If he won’t, I have to. That stuff can’t be used again. None of it,” I stated.

I closed my eyes, ignoring her pleas, and sent a probe to all of the telepaths with me. “I need your strength again. My Dad has the last samples of the serum that gave us our powers. They need to be destroyed so they can never do this to people again.”

Not giving them a chance to answer yet, I continued, “This will hurt, a lot. This will be further than I went the last time, and I can’t promise anything, but I need to do it.” With that, I prepared to wait. I did wait, but not very long before the link was sent to me and I had the energy of the entire group, all but the one kid driving the other bus.

“Thank you,” I told them, feeling more gratitude than I’d ever felt, and allowed that feeling to transmit across the link. I knew tears had to be leaking from my eyes, even though I couldn’t feel them.

Tapping into the abilities loaned to me, I sent the probe speeding back west. As with every time I’d done it, the pain built the further I went. By the time I knew I was in Washington, and only on the eastern side, my head felt like it was exploding.

Just before I pushed further, I felt Aliyah not far away. I knew it was her, and I went to her, although I knew it was a distraction.

“Aliyah, I’m going to destroy the serum and the notebook. I’m not sure I’ll survive it,” I told her.

“I have them,” she said, shocking me. Suddenly, I was very glad I’d decided to give in to my distraction. It had likely saved my life.

Before I could say anything else, the link feeding my energy collapsed. The explosion of pain was immediate and I felt like I’d just died. Actually, death probably wouldn’t have been as painful.