Chapter 601
Katelina settled into the seat and tried to relax, but it was impossible. By the time they got into familiar territory she was ready to burst. She watched trees she'd known since childhood slip past, mingled with houses and barns that had once been better maintained. Finally, the edge of town came into view. She leaned forward, eyes wide. Red and blue lights flashed like fireflies in the distance. Smoke curled heavy and black into the sky. A road block turned people away before they could reach the welcome sign.
Des rolled the vehicle to a stop. A uniformed officer stepped up to the driver's side. "Sorry, no one's allowed through."
Katelina surged forward between Des and Brandle. "I live here. I mean, I lived here. My mom-"
"Have you tried calling her?" the officer asked.
"Yes, but it wouldn't go through. She doesn't have a cell, just a landline."
"All right. You can come past here, but there are other check points that might not let you by. Affected residents have been evacuated. If your mom is one of them, she's probably at the high school. They turned the gym into a makeshift shelter. If she's not, there are people there who can help locate her."
There was nothing more they could do, so Katelina gave an emphatic, "Thank you," and Des steered them through the narrow gap in the barriers.
The trees and scattered houses outside the window bunched closer together. Soon they were in the town proper. Though the outskirts showed no damage, the looming plumes of smoke proved it was coming.
An ambulance raced past them, marked for Columbus. Katelina watched it go, afraid her mother might be inside.
"We'll find her." Jorick squeezed her hand.
After a second road block, they made it to the high school. The parking lot was overflowing. Cars were parked on the grass, and along the curb. With no street lights, it was only the flashing emergency vehicles that cut through the darkness.
Katelina pulled herself together. "You're never going to find a parking place. Drop me here."
Des rolled to a stop. Katelina hopped out, Jorick behind her. "Circle if you can. Hopefully, we won't be long."
The van pulled away. Katelina took a shuddering breath. She could do this. Verchiel was probably right. Everything was fine.
Jorick squeezed her hand, as if imparting his strength. She offered a grateful smile, and headed through the parking lot. As they got closer to the building, she could see the flicker of lantern lights in the windows, and silhouettes of people. She tried to reach out with her senses, searching for her mother. It did no good. She wasn't sure if she was doing it wrong, or if her mother just wasn't there.
"I don't sense her, either," Jorick said. "But there are a lot of people."
A military vehicle was parked near the school's entrance. A deputy stood with a National Guard soldier. Though she wasn't using her gun, its presence made Katelina nervous.
She and Jorick fell in line behind a woman and child wrapped in blankets. Survivors? Whoever they were, the guard scribbled their names on a clipboard and sent them inside.
"Hello," she said when it was their turn. "Names?"
"Um, I'm looking for my mother," Katelina said. "The officer at the road block told us to come here."
"What's her name?"
"Patricia Mauldin."
The soldier looked over the list, mumbling names to herself. "Sorry, I don't see her listed. What's her address?"
When Katelina gave it to her, the woman visibly paled. "You might check the hospital. That neighborhood was one of the hardest hit."
Hospital. God, no.
"Hit by what?" Jorick asked.
The soldier looked surprised. The deputy next to her blinked, then said, "Terrorists. There's a cell of them. There was chatter for weeks, but no one took it seriously."
His answer meant one thing, the Executioners had been there, and might still be. Verchiel said he'd find her mother. Though she didn't hold a lot of hope for it, maybe he had. "Um, we're also looking for someone else. He's-" She had no idea what excuse Verchiel would use, if any. Hell, the Executioners might wipe peoples' memories of them altogether.
"Name?"
There was no way he'd be on the list. Katelina settled for muttering a quick never mind, followed by a thank you.
They started back across the parking lot. The word hospital rang in her head over and over. She hoped the soldier was wrong. Her mom
A voice interrupted her thoughts. "Katelina? Jorick?"
She turned to see a guy with piercings, black hair, and purple bangs. It was Churo, a friend of Patrick's. She hadn't seen him since Patrick's funeral last September. That he knew Jorick was a surprise.
She managed a sort of smile. "Um, hello."
"Hey, I saw on the news that you went missing. Everything okay?"
She held back a groan. "Yeah. I'm okay, I mean. Here-" She motioned to show the state of not-okay-ness. "I'm looking for my mom."
"Oh, sorry. I don't know anything about her. I'm here with my girlfriend." He nodded to the building. "We just got an apartment in town two months ago. Think I should have stayed in Dunwick." He eyed her hand in Jorick's. "Are you guys together?"
"Um, yes." She offered a fake smile. "Sorry, I don't have time to chat."
"No worries." Churo stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I hope you find your mom."
"Yeah, thanks."
She dragged Jorick away before they could get trapped in a conversation.
As they trooped toward the street, she asked, "You know Churo? Anything you want to tell me?"
"I spoke to him a few times. I already told you that."
Katelina squinted as she sorted memories. "Yeah, I guess you did. You said he took you to the house where we met. In a trunk, because it was daylight."
"Yes. It was him and Patrick's other friend. I forget his name."
It was old history that didn't matter, so she let it go. They waited at the corner in silence for the van to come back. When it did, Des pulled over and Brandle leaned out the window, holding Sorino's cell. "The Executioner is on the phone again."
Katelina took it quickly. "Hello?"
"Hey, Kately! You're in town, right?"
"We're at the high school where they have a shelter"
"Yeah, I know. I was stationed there for a while."
"You're the one who gave the deputy new memories? Good lord, terrorists?"
"I know. There's going to be some real world ramifications, but those were our orders. What else were we going to say? In case you haven't noticed, the humans called in bomb squads, National Guard, and everyone they could think of. They had terrorism in mind. It makes it easier to give them new memoires if they already half believe it. Not that I blame them. Have you seen the damage?"
"Not yet. We came straight to the school."
He hesitated. "When you see it, you'll understand. In the meantime, I found your mom. Meet me at the hospital."
Katelina caught her breath. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know yet. I just got here. I'll see you in a bit."
He hung up before she could get any more.
"Get in," Des snapped impatiently. "I've got a cop behind me."
Katelina did as instructed. They pulled away from the chaos of the school. She gave him directions to the hospital, Verchiel's words playing in her mind.
Have you seen the damage?
Though she wanted to get to her mom, she needed to see. A few minutes delay wouldn't make a difference. It wasn't as if she was a doctor.
"No, turn here."
"You do know where we're going, right?" Des asked.
She didn't bother to answer, but turned her attention to the town outside. A few blocks in and she could see bits of debris scattered in yards, then in the street. Small bits grew larger, until Des swerved to avoid a broken porch swing.
A roadblock reared up among the chaos. The officer ordered them to turn around. Jorick leaned forward. In a few moments they drove through. As they headed down the street, the houses on either side started to show signs of damage: broken windows, missing roof tiles, ruined yard ornaments. An ambulance was parked in the yard of a house whose front door lay on a parked car. A lumpy sheet stained in crimson covered one body on the ground, while paramedics worked to load a second on a stretcher.
Katelina directed Des to turn onto Main Street. One look was enough to make her heart stop. Buildings that had been there since before she was born were now piles of rubble, outlined by yellow barrier tape.
Like a TV show, a broken hydrant shot a spray of water. Police cars and ambulances, most from neighboring towns, were parked at intervals along the street, lights flashing as they did their grisly work. Katelina saw rescuers digging through a collapsed house. Farther down the block, a firetruck battled a blaze that belched smoke into the night.
Des turned short of the fire. They wound around, looking for a new way to get to their destination. Sirens screamed, and an officer waved them over. A quick conversation revealed that all the residents for an eight street area were evacuated to the school. There was no open path to the address they wanted.
"It's a mess," the young man said, eyes glazed with Jorick's influence. "It looks like aliens attacked."
If only it had been aliens.
Des parked at the entrance to her mother's street, down from another military vehicle. The road curved away so that only the closest houses were visible. That was enough. The Barber's house was half caved-in. A tree was knocked down, as if by a tornado. The house across the street, where an old woman used to live, had shattered windows and a collapsed roof.
Des interrupted her thoughts. "Do you want to walk from here?"
"Yes." Jorick slid the door open. "Come, little one."
Katelina shook her head. Her mother's house was four blocks down. If the chaos got worse the farther they went, she could only imagine what it looked like. It was more than she could deal with. "No. Let's Let's go to the hospital. We've seen enough."
Des shot a questioning look, but Jorick pulled the door closed. "We'll come back later, when they have the fires out."
As if later would be better.
