فصل 20

chapter-20 Always been together.

I rode back to the ranch with my mother and the Lisses, leaving Taylor and her parents behind with Gervaso to watch over them. It was well past midnight when we got back. As we were entering the ranch’s dirt road entryway, we passed two Kane County police trucks carrying the four hunters.

As we passed each other on the narrow road, one of the hunters glanced over at me. Electricity snapped between my fingers. I wanted to shock him.

The lights at the main house were still on as we pulled up the gravel driveway, and even though we had already phoned back the news, most everyone was still awake and waiting for us. I suppose they wanted to hear what was going on in person.

The chairman walked out to our car as we drove up. “How is he?” “He’s stable,” I said, getting out of the car. “We didn’t get to see him, but Mrs. Ridley filled us in.” “Is Gervaso staying with him?”

I nodded. “And Mrs. Ridley and Taylor are spending the night.” Jack, Zeus, and Tanner walked up. Jack and I man hugged. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. What’s going on back here?”

“We took care of the hunters,” Zeus said.

Tanner grinned. “Every time they tried to move, Zeus shocked them.” I looked at Zeus. “You’re not afraid they’ll tell someone?” “No one would believe them if they did,” Tanner said. “They were so drunk, they couldn’t even speak. It’s like they were crazy.” “What do you mean?”

“They were morons,” Jack said. “They just babbled. It was like they were speaking a foreign language. I didn’t hear one real word out of them.” “They weren’t babbling when I saw them,” I said. I wondered if Taylor had broken their minds.

“Well, they were seriously messed-up dudes,” Tanner said. “The police couldn’t make sense of them.” “What will happen to the hunters?” I asked the chairman.

“For now the police will probably put them in the drunk tank, then keep them in jail until someone posts bail.” The chairman’s voice was slow, and he had dark rings under his eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was worried or weary, or, most likely, both. “We’d better get some sleep. We just got new intelligence from the voice that I’ll share with you tomorrow. We’ve got a lot to prepare for.” * * *

I said good night to my mother and the Lisses. Then Jack, Ostin, Zeus, Tanner, and I walked back to the bunkhouse. We didn’t joke around like we usually did. Not even Tanner, who pretty much joked about everything.

I don’t remember falling asleep, but I do remember the nightmare I had. Taylor, Jack, and I were being hunted in the dark by the four hunters. They cornered me, and I tried to use my electricity against them, but it didn’t work. Then one of them came closer. His face was blurred but somehow familiar.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I’m the voice,” he said.

Then the hunter next to him said, “You know who I am.” It was Hatch.

“Why are you together?” I asked fearfully.

Hatch put his arm around the voice and laughed. “Don’t you know? We’ve always been together.”