Chapter 15

Asylum:

Sammy sat back against the seat and stared blindly out of the window. She felt numb. They had all heard the distorted mayday that came from the other helicopter, before watching in horror as parts of the other aircraft were ripped off and the remains tumbled to the ground below.

Sammy wiped at the tears that coursed down her cheeks. Todd was blissfully unaware of what had happened. He had fallen into an exhausted sleep shortly after they had taken off and he was still out.

Storms had formed out of the thick green fog, rising up from the ground instead of down from the sky. Rolling waves of gas, bizarre funnel clouds, and lightning shot upward like greedy hands reaching for them. They had been behind the other helicopter and had seen the storm suddenly appear. Their pilot had veered to the left, moving away from the storm.

“We’ll be landing in a half hour,” the pilot instructed.

Sammy was startled when Daciana touched her arm. An expression of frustration etched the other woman’s face. Sammy brushed another tear away.

“What is it?” Sammy murmured.

Daciana shook her head and looked at the man sitting across from them. He had turned away and was talking to the copilot. She lifted her finger to her lips.

Sammy shook her head in confusion. Why should they not talk freely in front of the soldiers? Sammy looked at the soldier across from them when he turned around. He caught her look and narrowed his eyes. To cover her unease, she wiped at a fresh tear.

“Will they send a search team to find them?” she asked in a trembling voice.

The soldier didn’t answer her. At first, she thought he hadn’t heard her through the headset, but then he shot a quick look at the pilot, and she thought he just wasn’t allowed to answer her.

“Who’s missing, Sammy?” Todd asked, sitting up straight and rubbing his eyes.

“The other helicopter crashed,” Daciana announced.

“Be quiet!” Sammy hissed, wrapping her arm around Todd’s thin shoulders.

“Why? He should know what is happening. His life may depend on it,” Daciana stated.

“He doesn’t have to know what happened so bluntly,” she angrily retorted.

Daciana shrugged her shoulders. The soldier shot Daciana a dark glare, and Daciana smiled back at the man. His eyes narrowed with suspicion, but he leaned back in his seat when the look in her eyes caused him to think twice.

“Are Dust and Josie okay? Dust is special. He could have survived a helicopter crash, couldn’t he?” Todd persisted.

“Yes, Todd, he could have,” Daciana answered in a surprisingly gentle tone.

Sammy looked at the other girl with a disbelieving expression. Shock was a mild way of saying what she felt at the moment. First Daciana said she needed to be blunt with her little brother and then the She-Devil gives him hope.

Daciana turned away from her, leaving Sammy alone with her thoughts. After a moment, they both turned in their seats and watched as the helicopter flew over a large wall. Sammy grimaced when she saw the barbed wire around the top and the armed guards. This was more like a prison than a city.

She turned and looked at the soldier across from her with a frown. “I thought we were going to be dropped off outside of the city,” she said.

The soldier silently stared back at her. Perhaps Daciana had been onto something, because Sammy was definitely feeling uneasy now. She reached for Todd’s hand and held it tightly in hers. Looking out the window again, she wished that Dust were here.

The helicopter circled over before landing on the tarmac. Almost immediately, a group of soldiers surrounded the helicopter. From the reaction of the crew, this was a normal procedure.

“Don’t move until you are told to do so,” the soldier across from them instructed.

“What’s going on, Sammy? Why are they acting so weird?” Todd asked, peering around and looking out of the door when it opened.

“I don’t know, Todd,” Sammy murmured, reaching over and pulling his helmet off before doing the same with hers.

Daciana removed her helmet and placed it on the seat. They watched as the three men exited the helicopter. Only when they were alone did Daciana turn to Sammy.

“I sense danger and deceit. Do not trust any of them,” she instructed before she looked at Todd. “And do not let them separate you.”

“What about you? We could tell them that you are family. This way they will keep us all together,” Todd said.

Sammy saw the ghost of a smile curve Daciana’s lips, and the woman’s eyes reflected her surprise and humor. Glancing out the door, she observed the soldiers move into a line and stand at attention as a tall man in a long, dark blue coat approached.

“Do you really think Dust and Josie might have survived the crash, Daciana?” Sammy quietly asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

They grew quiet when two soldiers approached. “Follow us,” one of the men ordered.

Daciana exited the helicopter first. She turned and helped Todd down. The two stepped aside as Sammy climbed down after them.

Sammy rubbed her cold hands against her jean-clad thighs. The icy winds felt like they were slicing through her jacket. She reached over and pulled Todd closer when she heard his teeth chattering.

Her grip on Todd tightened when the man continued to walk toward them. He stopped in front of them, his gaze piercing as he studied first Todd, then Sammy, and finally Daciana. She was stunned when he pulled his fist back to strike—at Daciana. Without thinking, she released Todd and reached for his arm. She needn’t have bothered. Daciana caught the man’s wrist and held it firmly mid-blow.

“What are you doing?” Sammy angrily exclaimed.

The man stared into Daciana’s dark eyes before he turned to Sammy and Todd. Sammy could see the rage, fear, and a touch of madness in his soulless eyes. She looked back and forth between the two in confusion.

“I can smell a changeling,” the man growled.

Daciana chuckled. “So typical of a human reaction—the sweet smell of terror,” she murmured, releasing his arm when he tried to pull away.

“You creatures were supposed to be separated and eliminated. Only humans were to be transported inside,” he replied.

“What do you mean eliminated?” Sammy demanded.

“They were going to separate you and Todd from the rest of us. General McCullon instructed the crew to land outside of the wall and release us. This man instructed the crew to land and kill us,” Daciana answered with a shrewd expression.

“Is that true?” Sammy asked in horror. “Why? Dust and Josie never did anything but help us. Without them, my brother and I would have died countless times. The Cheyenne complex and its residents would have all been destroyed without them.”

The man’s eyes glittered as he focused on Sammy. His mouth tightened in anger. He raised his hand and the two soldiers on each side of them moved close to her and Todd. She glanced at the two flanking men before turning her attention back to one in front of them.

“Take these two to the evaluation center,” the man ordered.

Sammy flinched when one of the soldiers grabbed her and another grabbed Todd. She began to fight, kicking out her feet and struggling to punch the guards, when she heard Todd’s cry of fright. She cried out in pain when the soldier escorting her twisted her arm behind her back. Tears burned her eyes when she felt cold steel against her flesh.

“Sammy!” Todd cried out. He began to struggle as the soldier picked him up.

The man in charge motioned to the group of soldiers who had closed in on Todd and Daciana. Sammy stumbled when she looked over her shoulder. Daciana’s face was changing, her long dark hair becoming a sleek fur pelt. She was taking on the appearance of the She-Devil.

“Kill her,” the leader ordered.

“No!” Sammy screamed, struggling against the soldier pulling on her arm.

“Daciana!” Todd cried.

Tears blurred her vision when she heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire. Her view of what happened next was cut off when more soldiers came out of a truck and stepped between them and the helicopter. She turned and searched for Todd. He was hanging over the soldier’s shoulder—sobbing.

A Humvee pulled up and stopped in front of them. The soldier motioned for her to climb inside. Unable to use her hands to help steady herself, she tumbled into the vehicle. A rough hand gripped her arm and straightened her. Sammy bit her lip to keep from crying out. Across from her, Todd and the soldier who had carried him sat in silence. Grief poured through her when she saw the tears coursing down her brother’s cheeks. He had known so much heartache and sorrow in his short life. It wasn’t fair.

Looking out the window, Sammy wondered how much more they would have to endure before the world found a way to right itself. She blinked back her tears and began a silent chant in her head. A chant that she hoped would come true—and that Dust would somehow, someway be able to hear.

Please be alive. Please come help us, she repeated over and over until she felt a sense of calm sweep over her. She hoped that Daciana was right,—that Dust and Josie had survived the crash—and that the crew that had been assigned to kill them had not.