Brianna Acero and the Second One's Return

75. The dead come back to life

The boy was right, Spell Bird Lake was only a ten-minute drive away from the compound. I silently say sorry to Daniel for disobeying his orders and going out on our own to get Diana. We're probably about to get ourselves into trouble, but I don't think about that as we walk up to a little cabin that is located just a few feet away from the water's edge. It resembles an old fisherman's cottage, not abandoned, just uncared for judging by the state of the windows and the paint flaking off the walls.

"We can't just walk in, it's not safe!" Says Cassie, staring at the rot on the walls and the termite-eaten boards that were once a roof.

We tried to come up with a plan on the way here, but we were all too nervous or scared to think straight. Looking back, we should have told someone where we were going, and yet we couldn't bear the thought of getting more people involved, of any more people ending up like Anna.

We creep around the house and find that there is a back door that hangs ajar on ancient, crumbling hinges, glass so dirty we can't see inside. Kalen pushes it open, and we all tense as the wood creaks. I hold up my gloved hands defensively, and Jayson trains his twin pistols on the door. But no one comes out, so we creep into the little hut. We hide in the small room connected to the door, what probably used to be a little storage area, and peek out from behind the wall that separates it from the rest of the cabin

"Just think," I hear, a deep scratchy voice that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, a voice that belongs to a grown man.

Dominic.

"A world where there is no more suffering, no more division. We can finally use our Gifts for good! Don't you see, Diana. It was meant to be!"

So, it looks like our crazy theory is right, he does want to get rid of Gifts! I knew it! And yet how...

"They're here."

Crap, that's the voice of the boy that I saw in my vision. One by one we hesitantly step into the room, taking in the scene before us.

Dominic is flanked by seven Gifteds, all wearing masks, all dressed in black. I can make out a couple of women among them, but the rest seem too big and broad-shouldered to be anything other than men. I spot the boy sitting cross-legged in front of a crumbling fireplace, hair plastered to his forehead as if he had just decided to take a dip in the lake. His eyes, the way they watch me, are unsettling. It feels like he can see anything with those eyes, and I don't like it one bit. When he smiles at me it reminds me of Dominic, like he isn't all there, his head isn't as it's supposed to be, especially not for a little boy.

"Ah yes, come please, join us!" Says Dominic, motioning us forward with a wave of his hand.

For the first time, I get a good look at the man we have been hunting for so long, and I have to say, I'm not impressed. He isn't as tall as his older brother, not as toned, and wrinkles decorate his once handsome face. The scar above his eye sticks out like a sore thumb, the stubble on his chin makes him look unkempt, and his hair is a dull mop on top of his head. He is wearing that strange suit that keeps his Gift in check, covering every inch of his skin, but it looks as old and worn as the man wearing it.

All in all, I am thoroughly disappointed.

I look for the only person I care about in this room, and she stares at me with a mixture of shock and guilt. But something else is shining in Diana's eyes, something I don't like one bit: purpose.

"Diana," I start, keeping my distance from Dominic and his group of thugs.

"You can't seriously be thinking of joining him," I search her eyes for any sign that she is scared, scared, and in need of our help.