I don't know how I made it out of the building without security stopping me. Even though they apparently did not hear the scuffle in the office, I'm sure I was running. I'm sure I looked psychotic. I certainly felt that way on the inside. Sometimes my body flips to auto pilot, though. Sometimes it gets me through those last few seconds when my brain is starting to surrender to the hum.
I can barely concentrate on the road as I stomp the gas. If anyone pulls me over, I will likely kill them. I won't have a choice. Nothing can stop me from getting back to Karl. To make him recant the wish before things get out of hand.
Karl has recanted his wishes a few times before, due to his own change of plans. So I know it can be done. The question always is if he will.
He has to, I tell myself, over and over. This wasn't my fault. The safe wasn't there.
My fingers grip the steering wheel until they hurt, but I don't let go. My vision tunnels, but not because I'm being summoned.
The hum is evolving. I'm moving farther and farther away from what I was told to do, even though I tried. I didn't succeed. I know I can't succeed. But the hum will make sure I figure something out.
I have no idea where the safe could be.
The Corolla's tires squeal up the mansion carport. I jump out of the car, engine still running, and race—stumbling—across the lawn.
I shout Karl's name, and I can't stop shouting it. I know what's going to happen.
The hum is a monster.
I burst through a set of front doors and don't slow down as I head for the summoning chamber. Karl won't be there, but I can't think of where else to go, where else he could be. How can I reach him?
I stuff my hand into my pocket and fumble for my phone. He has to recant the wish. I slow just enough to find his name among the few contacts and press dial, shaking my head like it will quiet the hum.
The line rings once.
“Dimitri?”
I have never been so relieved to hear him say my name.
“Karl!” I gasp, my lungs straining against my ribs. “The safe wasn't there!”
“Where are you?” His voice has a hard edge.
“Recant it!” I know I shouldn't yell at him. I know I'm showing fear, but it's growing with the hum. “Recant the wish! Take it back!”
“I'll meet you in the chamber.” He hangs up.
I jam the phone into my pocket and run. I think I knock into a table, sending a few things to the ground. Neither my vision or mind are working so well at the moment.
I shove open the chamber door, the scent of argan oil spreading through my head.
“Dimitri,” Karl says. “Come here.”
I squint to see. He is at the throne.
I hurry to him, then stop, hands on knees, struggling to breathe. “Recant … ”
“Where is the safe, Dimitri?” His voice is reprimanding. I can tell even through the noise in my skull.
“It wasn't there. I got in, but it wasn't there. I looked. I swear, I looked. It wasn't—” I can't finish my words because my abdomen clenches from the agony in my brain.
“You know you have to bring it back,” he says. “Why would you let me down?”
I'm still hunched over, unable to find enough air. “I tried. It wasn't there. Recant the wish. Please.”
My father would be angry if he knew I was begging, but I bet he begged a few times himself. No one can handle the hum once it evolves. That's the entire point.
Karl just sits there, staring at me. The look on his face would make anyone else fear he was going to hit them. But Karl has never raised a fist at me, ever. He doesn't need to. My punishment is encoded in my DNA.
Shadows move toward me. The guards. Something pricks my arm. Warmth flows through my skin. I drop to the ground and black out.
***
As soon as I wake, I know Karl has recanted the wish. Nothing else makes the hum stop: sex, weed, benzos. My head is silent now. Besides a few sore muscles, I feel fine.
I sit up. I'm on a hospital bed in a small room. To the side is a sink and counter. Opposite, a locker, a trash bin, and a computer-on-wheels.
The infirmary. Since I don't actually exist on paper, I always wind up here for medical care. I suspect Karl wouldn't let any other doctors touch the prized pet anyway.
The medical staff who work in the infirmary must have a massive non-disclosure agreement.
A man enters, wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope. I've never met him before, but I rarely visit this part of the mansion. Thankfully.
He stands next to my bed. “How are you feeling, champ?”
I shrug, feet planted on the floor. “Ready to go.”
I begin to stand, but he touches my shoulder.
“They gave you a sedative,” he says, “so you can't drive for another two hours.”
I groan as I sit back down. Two more hours of this place. Chances are, Karl's going to want to discuss the missing safe before I leave. Not like I have anything else to say. I broke in to the office, and the safe wasn't there.
He needs to fire whoever was in charge of last night's intel.