“We are very much in pursuit of this terrorist group. We ask if anyone has seen or knows the whereabouts of these leaders, please contact the emergency hotline.” On the screen was a picture showing Meg and Alik—clips from the footage taken that very day.
“As you can see,” The projector came to life showing the scene where Meg stood in front of a squad and sent out a psychic blast powerful enough to distort the camera’s line of sight. “These are not normal human beings. They are powerful and dangerous. We are working to determine their next target, but it could be anywhere. They’ve already hit Kentucky and now Arizona. Your hometown could be next,” Arkdone looked directly into the camera as he spoke. His eyes sparkled with just the right amount of heartfelt emotion.
Silence trickled like beaded sweat down the temple of the room before hands shot up. “Senator! Senator Arkdone! Question over here, sir!” A chorus of voices rose from the previously enraptured room.
Arkdone pointed to one reporter, giving him the right to speak. “Sir, what are they after? What do they want?”
“What does any terrorist group want? They just want to wreak havoc on civilized society. So far, they have not made it clear what they’re after or why they’re choosing certain targets. All we know is that they’re organized, they exhibit extraordinary abilities—” Another image flashed on the projector. This time it was of a hulking Alik lifting a car and flipping it over, crushing no fewer than five SWAT members. “—and they’ve decided to come out of hiding to destroy our peaceful way of life.”
“Senator! Senator!” More hands flew in the air, begging for attention. Arkdone pointed at another reporter.
“Sir, we’ve seen what they can do to a small army. How would they have gotten these abilities? Are they even human?”
“How?” Arkdone shook his head dramatically. “I’m just being honest with you here: I have no idea. Are they human? Again, I really don’t know. We’ll be looking into finding some DNA samples from the crime scenes in hopes of getting some answers. For now, just pray that we get those answers and a resolution to this madness soon. Thank you. Goodbye.”
“Senator! Senator Arkdone! One more question!”
Arkdone looked on the reporter with a keen eye then slowly, dramatically stepped back up to the podium. “Yes, young man?”
“Well, what actions should Americans take?”
“Just keep living the good life, son. Go out to the movies. Take your wife to a restaurant. Take in a ball game. Don’t let these terrorists stop you from living. Keep your eyes open; call the emergency hotline if you see these fugitives, but do not engage them. They are heartless. Every soldier you saw in that video ordered by the girl to lie down, died within five minutes from unexplained heart attacks. We believe she ordered their hearts to stop beating. However, we cannot let this evil force us to hide in our homes. That would just give the Winter Clan more power.”
“But how are you going to stop them?”
“We were kind to use only tasers to try to contain them today. The SWAT team had orders to capture, not to kill. The standing order will change now. We will have to reevaluate what means will be necessary to stop these domestic terrorists. But make no mistake, our resolve is decisive. Let’s see if that girl can order a bullet to stop before it stops her heart the way she stopped the hearts of all those poor soldiers out there. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am helping notify the victims’ next-of-kin.”
He nodded once, stepped decisively off the podium and strode out of the room, his entourage right at his heels. A steady applause could be heard all the way down the corridor as the press cheered his inspiring words.
Chapter 30 And the Oscar Goes To
Alik shut off the television with such force he nearly crushed the cheap plastic remote in his hand.
“That lying piece of shit!” he hissed, trying not to disturb Evan as he barely hung on to life in the next room.
Meg sat beside her brother seething with as much disgust as Alik, if not more. Unable to sit for another restless moment, she stood from the cheap, plastic-like comforter and began pacing the room.
Meg held her tongue long enough. Theo, Greg, Alik, Creed, Farrow, Cole and Sloan were watching her pace out of the corners of their eyes, and again, she sensed fear trickling at her from people who were supposed to be her family. Evan had tried to warn her, but it didn’t lessen the anger she felt at being silently accused.
“I did not kill them!” Meg’s face was beet red with rage not only because she was blamed of something so heinous, but because she had thought of doing that exact thing to them.
“She didn’t kill them,” Cole shook his head, backing up Meg’s story. “Hell, we just talked about this in the truck right after it happened.”