The Reincarnation

“Get that van out of here. I don’t care where you put it, just get it out of sight,” Grey instructed his Army. He again thought about backup, but quickly disregarded it. He didn’t want excess people at the cabin. He knew that when there were too many people anywhere, they made noise or got distracted. As long as he was in charge, he wasn’t going to let that happen. Besides, with his personally trained Army, Grey knew nothing could go wrong.

They set up in the woods surrounding the cabin. With all of his Army trained as snipers, Grey figured it would just be a matter of taking out the ones who weren’t important. Then he would tranquilize the Golden Child, and mark a notch on his belt for another personal victory. He was still cautious, though. He had been “on” since he got there, and couldn’t believe his quarry had left without a trace. He had torn the cabin up looking for any signs of where they might be. He knew the woman who lived there must have lived simply because there were no signs of the outside world. No bills, no correspondence, no phone, nothing. Nothing that Grey could go on. Not even car tracks. The gravel driveway and road obscured everything.

The pigeon always flies home, though, he told himself, he just needed to wait it out.

“We better get going – fast,” David said, throwing the rest of their stuff under the hood of the Bug.

“Shhh,” Donna answered. “I hear a motor.”

David cocked his head at an angle and listened. He heard it too.

They walked back to the shed, and used the viewing device to look over the bluffs. The illusionary field still covered the quarry, but there was no sign of anyone.

“Let’s draw them out,” David said. “We’ll bring John along.”

Taking the viewing glasses with them, they walked back to the camp. Laura had found a megaphone in the shed and brought that too. David pushed energy to John after untying him, saying, “Okay, I trust you. We need your help.”

John didn’t stretch. His muscles no longer knew cramps, or pain. He merely stood up at attention. Finally, he spoke. “Just let me know what to do.”

Together, everyone walked cautiously toward the woods on the other side of the quarry. Facing the direction of Donna’s cabin, Laura shouted through the megaphone, “WHAT IF THE LAB SHOWS UP?” She handed the megaphone to David.

“SHIT MAN, I THINK I SEE SOMEBODY COMING.” David handed it off to Donna.

“RUN, TAKE COVER.” Donna tried to hand the megaphone to John, but he stood like stone, staring straight ahead.

They jogged back behind the outcropping, carefully avoiding the deadly illusion at their feet. It was a fifty foot drop to the icy waters of the quarry, where the cold would shockingly shatter the illusion of the field, if the fall hadn’t already.