drifted through the trees — a thick coastal fog was blanketing the area. As much as I hated to admit it, the place looked haunted. I expected an army of ghosts to appear any second.
“Alcuin, please hurry. I need you,” I whispered urgently.
From the corner of my eye I saw one of the shadows separate itself from the trees and dash to the cabins opposite side, then another did the same, and another.
I wanted to believe my eyes were playing a cruel trick on me, but I knew otherwise.
I wasn’t alone out here. I was being surrounded.
***
Chapter 33
Faster than I thought possible, I scanned the area for my supernatural stalkers. Seven showed up on my mental radar. Five were mutants. Two of them, I wasn’t certain which ones, caused my fear to escalate. The mutants made sense. I should have expected an attack. I’d gotten complacent with Zane always around. Tonight, I was on my own. But one thing was certain, I wasn’t going to roll over and die without a fight.
I hoped Zane had left behind his pistol.
He had wanted to equip me for the worst during our searches of the murder scenes. It sure wouldn’t hurt to have some old-fashioned fire power on hand despite my aversion to guns.
I remembered my stepdad’s gun collection with mixed feelings. Bob had made it a priority to show me gun safety basics, too bad he hadn’t thought teaching me to shoot was as important.
Frantic with fear, I dug through the glove compartment and was preparing to scramble into the back seat, to access the trunk, when I remembered my very effective, mind-bending barrage in Vegas. I could only hope my abilities had expanded yet again, because I was planning an attack on multiple levels. Reaching more than one mind at time wasn’t something I’d ever attempted.
Another shadowy form ducked behind the cabin. They were going to systematically attack me.
I had to act now.
Not sure how to start, I allowed my anger at Zane, Jazmine, and the mutants to soar to the surface like scorching lava rising in an erupting volcano. Until now, I hadn’t a clue to the extent of my bitterness.
A rush of crimson and black filled my mind like a whirling tornado. I was somehow controlling the swirling mass. I probed the minds around me.
Picturing a huge weapon, loaded with tormenting pain, I readied myself to fire.
“Three, two, one! Take that you freaks!” I screeched.
Something inside my head burst outward like a series of guided missiles launching from an aircraft carrier. My mental missiles hit their targets at once. I knew they’d made impact by the screams and roars that followed. Opening my eyes that I must have closed during the “launch” provided all the confirmation I needed.
Writhing on the ground, around my car, were the five mutants. They were all gripping their heads. One by one, they stopped moving.
Still wary, I opened my door and leaned out, surveying the scene. The mutant closest to me was staring with blank eyes at the starry night sky. His eyes locked in what I’d come to think of as the death gaze. Feeling bolder, I leapt from the car. The four other mutants were lifeless.
I’d killed them.
A little shiver trailed down my spine. My animal reading capabilities had turned from healing and helping to inflicting pain, even death. I wasn’t ready to accept myself as someone who killed. I doubted I’d ever be.
“You had no choice,” a familiar voice said from behind.
Not sure who or what I’d find, I forced myself to turn. I was facing two of the cloaked, ugly men. They were very similar in appearance, but I was able to recognize the one speaking as the same creature I’d met before. The other nodded his agreement.
I took a slow step backward — the car’s safety beckoning.
“Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help. We’ve been keeping an eye on the park’s property. The mutants have been congregating at this cabin,” the creature explained.
I realized then I was no longer afraid. There was something calming about these misfits. “Who are you? Can you tell me what you know?”
“My name is David,” the familiar one answered.
What was it with the ordinary names? I still expected every supernatural being to have some exotically foreign name. “David? Not what I expected.”
He chucked. “It wasn’t my first choice either.”
“The coins …” I started but was interrupted by a flash of light and the sudden appearance of none other than Alcuin.