THE ENEMY WITHIN

THE ENEMY WITHIN Chapter 9

9.

Gargling echoed from the bathroom at dawn.

Max sat up and rubbed his eyes. He waited for the splash of liquid in the sink, but it didn't follow.

Noah emerged a moment later and pulled on a faded Calvin & Hobbes T-shirt.

"You didn't spit it out," Max said.

Noah snorted. "Yeah, I'm going to waste Jack Daniels."

It took Max's sleepy mind a few seconds to process that. The thought of rinsing his mouth with whiskey made his stomach turn. "You OK after last night?"

Noah waved it off. "Looked worse than it felt," he said putting his sunglasses on.

"Your blood burnt through the sheet," Max said, holding up the evidence. "And the mattress!"

Noah pulled his shades down just an inch. "What do you want me to say, bro? We're dying. Hangs over us all the time. And it doesn't look like our dads are swooping down to save us. So we keep moving." Then the wall came back up. He slapped Max on the shoulder. "Devil hasn't caught me yet." With that, he launched out into the morning.

A chill greeted Max when he stepped outside. Gunmetal gray clouds hid the sun. Jamie and Vincent were already by the SUV as Max came over.

"Time for you to wake up," Vincent said.

"I am up," Max said. "And the way you put it sounds like something I don't actually want to do."

"I suspect you won't enjoy it as much as the pancakes," Jamie said. "Don't worry, if you survive ... well, let's wait and see if you do first." She got in front beside Vincent.

Max climbed in back with Noah and watched the Paradise neon sign flicker for the last time.

*

Mist descended over the woods. Max stuck his hands in his pockets trying to keep warm. He trailed just a bit behind the others as they moved deeper into the forest, way from civilization. Evergreens towered over them, blocking out what little light there was. His sneakers sunk into the moist earth. "This where you bury the bodies?" He got a couple amused glances, but no one said a word.

They strode over a fallen log to cross a wide burbling creek. Despite its slickness, the others walked across as if strolling down a sidewalk. They never looked down. Aside from one near slip, Max did the same. If the others noticed that he almost fell, they didn't acknowledge it.

Pushing past long stalks of thick brush, the four emerged into a clearing surrounded by a wall of rock on three sides. Had there been elevated seats, the location could pass for an amphitheater.

Vincent fell in beside him while Noah and Jamie went to opposite sides, waiting. "We need to know what you can do. Stakes are too high to leave this to chance," Vincent said. "They're going to push you. You've got to push back no matter how much it hurts."

This did little to alleviate Max's concerns. If anything, they took on life and death significance.

"It's about survival instincts," Vincent continued. "What are yours telling you?"

"To run," Max said, every nerve in his body coming alive, vibrating so fast he thought he heard the air around him buzzing.

"It's all about shifting molecular structures. You were born for this, you're one of us," Vincent said. "Fear is good. It keeps you safe. But too much can paralyze you. Use it – but don't let it hold you back."

He didn't know what he was born for, but he hoped it was for more than being savagely broken. "Just like that, just think it and it happens?"

"Not really," Vincent said, moving out of range. "You have to really figure it out on your own. We're just accelerating the process. But I suggest you do so quickly."