“You should skip the bacon then, or you might die of happiness. Let me help you out,” Constantine joked as he reached for Second’s plate. Second stuffed two slides in his mouth, which made his cheeks bulge out like a chipmunk storing nuts. Constantine laughed and shook his head.

  “Thank you, Bob. This is amazing,” Eugene said as he let the flavors float in his mouth before he swallowed them down.

  “I’m glad, but hurry and eat. We need to get going,” Bob told them.

  “What is going on?” Second asked.

  “We intercepted a police report. One of the students at the high school just went postal,” Bartholomew told them.

  “What do you mean by postal?” Second asked.

  “He is holding the rest of the students hostage,” Bartholomew continued. “According to the officer, the kid was mumbling about seeing ghosts and demons everywhere.”

  “Would it be possible for your drugs to force a person’s third eye to open?” Constantine asked.

  “We have never seen that happen, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t possible,” Second answered. “Of course, he could just be hallucinating. It depends how strong the dose was.”

  “It was probably a really high dose,” Eugene jumped in. “The ones we found in the other carriers all varied in strength. It’s like they are experimenting with different amounts and mixtures.” Eugene stabbed at his quiche. He couldn’t be more annoyed that the werewolves were doing this.

  “Any ideas how we are going to get passed a police blockade?” Bob asked the dynamic duo.

  “I brought our IDs with me,” Second said with a huge grin.

  “What ID are you carrying that has you smiling like a diabolical dog?” Constantine asked Second.

  “The most important one. The get out of jail free card,” Second replied.

  Constantine pressed his lips together and nodded. “You have IRS badges with you? I’m impressed.”

  Second frowned. “Not nearly as good as that.” He turned to Eugene. “We really need to get a couple of those.”

  “I’ll take second best. What do you have?” Bob asked Second.

  “CDC ID cards. What every scientist needs to get anywhere,” Second announced.

  “Those worked great last time,” Bartholomew said. “Are you hitting the city quarantine again?” Excitement came from him in waves.

  “Not this time. They should get us inside the school without a problem, though,” Second told them. “Do you still have your knock out serum here?” he asked Eugene.

  “We have it by the pounds,” Eugene told him.

  “Good, we will probably need some,” Second told them, then continued explaining. “If the students are turning hostile instead of overdosing, that means they changed something in the formula. We will need to knock them out before administering the antidote or they will be too dangerous to control.” His eyes landed on Bob as he finished.

  “That sounds like a great plan,” Bob told them. “I’m all about them being asleep before trying to stab them. I’ll get the paint guns ready. Meet you both at the truck.” He turned and headed out the door.

  “Too bad we couldn’t enjoy our breakfast longer,” Second told the group, putting his fork down.

  “Take it with you,” Bartholomew told him. “That’s what we do with Isis or else she would never eat. Grab a to-go container and a drink.” He pointed at the cabinets for Second.

  Second was bouncing for joy as he ran towards the cabinet. He grabbed a container with a lid and shoveled his breakfast inside.

  “At least you have great taste in food.” Constantine grinned at Second.

  After getting their meals ready, both men ran out the door to meet Bob. The last thing Eugene wanted to do was keep Bob waiting.

  In less than fifteen minutes, the team arrived at Texas High School on Summerhill Road. The police had the grounds surrounded. Eugene had no idea how they were going to get near the school.

  After Bob parked across the street, the three of them jogged back.

  “I really hope you have a plan,” Bob told Eugene and Second.

  “We have something,” Second confessed. “I’m just not sure it constitutes as a plan.”

  The men made their way towards the police line. Three officers stopped them from progressing. Bob’s eyes shifted to the right, and Eugene followed him to find Eric. It looked like he was about to head towards the group, but Bob jerked his head in silent negation, which made Eric turn around and ignore them.

  “Gentlemen, this area is restricted. You need to clear out now,” one of the officers told them. He looked older than the rest and had an air of authority about him. Eugene had no idea what any of their ranks were, but he had a feeling this guy was high on the list.

  “Good morning, Sir. Glad to finally find you,” Second told the men in a brisk, nasally voice. “We have a situation here,” he said in a serious tone.

  Eugene scrunched his eyebrows. How had he changed his voice like that so quickly?

  “Yes, thank you. We figured that out all of our own,” the officer replied, sarcasm dripping from his words.

  “You don’t understand, Sir. We are from the CDC and this town has been under observation since last May,” Second told the officer, taking a deliberate pause to let the facts sink in.

  “This is not another zombie attack, right?” He shot Second a worried look.

  “That’s what we are here to figure out,” Second replied. “We are highly trained for this type of situation. We need to get in.”

  Eugene stood there in amazement. The poor officer was terrified, which meant Second had done his job and he’d done it well.

  “Sure thing.” The officer’s voice shivered. “We will clear a path for you.”

  “No need, young man. Just let us know where the students are located,” Second told the officer.

  Eugene raised his chin, trying to look as focused and professional as possible. When he glanced at Bob, he was doing the same.

  “They are in the library.” The officer pointed to a building to the left of the main entrance. “You can enter through the building. The outside doors are locked from the inside,” he added, shaking his head.

  “Thank you, good man. We will take the outside door,” Second informed them as he led the team towards the library.

  “I hope you have a plan for breaking in,” Bob told Second.

  “That part is easy. Getting close to the library without him seeing us might be a little trickier,” Second told them as he stopped and analyzed the building.

  “I can help with that part,” Eugene told Bob and Second. “Bob, you still have your grenade launcher?” Eugene asked Bob.

  “I never leave home without it,” Bob told Eugene as he pulled off his backpack. He lifted a retractable grenade launcher from inside and handed Eugene the weird device.

  “Thank you,” Eugene told Bob as he took out the grenade-sized balls from his own backpack.

  “What are you carrying with you?” Second asked, examining the odd-looking bubbles.

  “I have been wanting to paint my room, but I’m too lazy to do it by hand,” Eugene explained. “I created giant paint balls that automatically spread out when shot on a wall.”

  “Rookie, that is brilliant. Why are you not using them?” Second looked at Eugene expectantly.

  “I have never tested them,” Eugene admitted.

  “Sounds like today is a great time to do so,” Bob told Eugene, taking the launcher and the experiment. Before Eugene could protest, Bob fired on the building.

  The result was not what Eugene expected. Bob had excellent aim and hit the blasts right in the middle. Within seconds, the formula spread all over the wall and glass.

  “I’m pretty sure they won’t be able to see us,” Bob told the scientist.

  “Let’s hope the school doesn’t sue us. I have no clue how to get that stuff off,” Eugene admitted, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

  “Let’s worry about that later. One problem at a time,” Bob answered and pulled out his paint gun.

  All three men ran across the grass area doing military maneuvers. Eugene was grateful for Bob’s dedication. He did not want to get killed by a kid today. When they made it to the door, Bob covered them. Second took a small syringe from his lab pocket.

  “What is that?” Eugene asked.

  “Acid,” Second replied.

  “Do you normally carry acid in your pockets?” Eugene asked Second, taking a few steps back.

  “As you get older, you will be surprised how handy this stuff can be,” Second told Eugene.

  Second sprayed the lock’s core, as well as the door handle. Within seconds, the metal in both areas disintegrated. Eugene was impressed, and Bob nodded in agreement. Before either scientist could move, Bob wrenched the door open and rushed in. Eugene and Second followed close behind.

  Eugene paused, taking in the sight before him. A group of students were huddle in a corner crying. One tall student stood over the group, holding a bat above their heads.

  “Get out, warrior,” the student screamed right before he charged at Bob.

  Bob didn’t hesitate. He shot the student in the chest. In a way, Eugene felt bad for the kid because he hadn’t stood a chance. Bob was an accurate shooting machine who did not miss, and within three minutes, all hostiles were contained.

  “Damn, you are good,” Second told Bob.

  “Plenty of practice,” he said plainly. He wasn’t bragging, just stating a fact. “Now what?”

  “We administer the antidote and check the rest of the students,” Second told him. “If they are showing signs, they get the antidote. We have to make sure nobody is infected.” Second glanced around the library as he spoke.

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ll go get the cops while you guys to that.” Bob ran out of the library before either man could answer.

  “Is he always that intense?” Second asked Eugene.

  “Nope, normally that’s Isis’s job,” Eugene told him. “You take the left side; I’ll take the right.” He pointed towards his side.

  “Let’s fix this now,” Second said, and they moved, checking each student and giving them the antidote.

  The police had the campus cleared within thirty minutes. All the students were brought to the library for a healthy inspection. Bob had volunteered to help the police while Eugene and Second ran their tests. Fortunately, only ten out of one hundred students had been infected. Eugene was grateful for that little miracle.

  “Boys, we got to go,” Bob told Second and Eugene.

  “What now?” Eugene asked, hearing the urgency in Bob’s tone.

  “Shorty called. There’s another situation at the water park,” Bob told them.

  “Oh no, that sounds awful,” Second said.

  Eugene and Bob picked up most of their tools and headed towards the library door. Second followed closely behind.

  “We are all set. The officer will call me if anything else happens,” Second told Bob and Eugene as they rushed to the truck.

  It didn’t take the team anytime to reach the water park behind the convention center on the Arkansas side. Eugene was always confused why both the Texas and Arkansas sides decided they both needed their own convention center. Instead of making two medium size centers, they could have made a large one that would’ve fit thousands of people. The Reaper team all pretty much felt the same. Especially Bartholomew, but it was a sour topic for him because he’d been hoping for an arena-sized center so concerts could take place there.

  Bob drove around the center and pulled right in front of the water park. People were running all over the place, screaming, and bumping into each other. The gate to the park was hanging open and there were kids everywhere. This place used to be the happening summer spot, at least until the werewolves attacked it.

  “Do we really need to go out there?” Second asked from the back seat. Eugene turned around to face him and realized Second looked a little pale.

  “We got this,” Eugene told him, pumping a fist in the air.

  “I don’t know. These are little kids, Rookie,” Second told him. “Kids scare me.” It might have just been Eugene, but he could’ve sworn Second’s face was a little green around the edges.

  “Yes, and they will be dead kids if we don’t help,” Bob told both Interns. “If we don’t do something now, Death will be here in no time,” he reminded them as he jumped off the truck.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Eugene asked Second.

  “No, but I will have to be,” Second replied honestly. “Bob is right. We don’t have time.” With a shrug, he followed Bob outside.

  As they got near the park, a horrible thought struck Eugen, making him take a step back and analyze things in a different light. He understood his job at the lab, but for the first time, he felt conflicted. He’d never really thought about kids being affected by his experiments, but he couldn’t ignore the fact any longer. They were targets, and they didn’t deserve to be. Instead, they deserved a chance at living before judgment day.

  Eugene followed Second, carrying a full bag of antidote. The situation was bad, and there was no way to sugarcoat it. Inside the park was the worst, and as he ran in, he found Bob already working on a young girl. Her pale skin told Eugene all he needed to know and thank goodness Bob was with her. He administered the antidote, then bent his ear to her mouth to make sure she was breathing.

  “Big Bob, over here,” Shorty yelled over the crowd.

  Bob secured the young girl and took off at full speed. He leaped over lounge chairs like a professional sprinter. Eugene was amazed. Bob was in better shape than most eighteen year olds.

  Eugene followed Bob at a much slower pace. Shorty was between two maniac teens. They were attacking everyone and throwing things at people, including chairs.

  “Shorty, duck,” Bob yelled as he pulled his paint gun from his pocket and fired while he was still running. Eugene couldn’t believe it, Bob actually hit both teenagers.

  Eugene made a mental note to himself: next laser tag game they played, Bob was on his team. Isis was a great marksman, but Bob had style. If he was going to be hanging out at Reapers, he needed to start taking lessons. This group was lethal.

  “Shorty, hurry. Hit them,” Bob shouted at Shorty.

  Shorty turned around and kicked the closest kid with his boot.

  “What was that for?” Bob asked him as he came to a stop next to Shorty.

  “You said to hit him,” Shorty explained, pointing at the kid.

  “With the antidote, Shorty,” Bob clarified, rubbing his temples.

  “In Shorty’s defense, you didn’t say that,” Eugene jumped in.

  “Good looking out, E,” Shorty told Eugene and they gave each other a fist bump.

  “Fine, next time I’ll be more specific. Don’t kick the casualties,” Bob told both Eugene and Shorty in a stern voice.

  “Got it,” Shorty replied with a salute.

  Eugene shot both kids with the antidote. “How many kids have been trying to fight today?” he asked, trying to see if there was any kind of pattern.

  “These two are the first ones,” Shorty told him. “What is the plan in this situation?”

  “From now on, if you find any crazy ones like these, knock them out first and then tag them,” Bob told Shorty.

  “Ideally, if we can reduce their chances of hurting themselves, it would be great. It would be even better if we could stop them from hurting anyone else,” Eugene answered.

  “Make that four people fighting,” Shorty told Eugene as he pointed to another pair of kids on the far side of a pool. “Let’s go, Big Bob.” Both men took off running towards the pair.

  Eugene had just finished checking vital signs when he heard a loud splash behind him. He turned around to find a comatose child, maybe four, in the pool, and they were sinking fast. Without thinking, Eugene jumped in the pool to get the child. It was harder than he thought. The kid was maybe forty pounds, but it was dead weight. He barely managed to get the kid to the edge in time for Second to help pull the kid out.

  “There has to be an easier way of doing this,” Second told him as he dragged the child to dry ground.

  “If you find one, please share it with me,” Eugene told Second, then he climbed out of the pool. Water avalanched off him, pouring from his soaked clothes.

  “He isn’t breathing,” Second told him.

  “Hurry, give him CPR,” Eugene told Second as he made his way toward the kid.

  “Rookie, I don’t know how,” Second told him, the words rushing out in his panic.

  “Don’t worry, I got him,” Eugene told him. “Just give me some space.” He kneeled next to the unconscious child, then tilted the child’s head back and opened his mouth to clear his airways. That was when he found the piece of caramel lodged in his throat.

  “Second, hurry. Administer the antidote while I start CPR.” Eugene proceeded to give him mouth to mouth respirations and started chest compressions. When he was in college, taking CPR had been a joke—an easy elective. Now he was grateful for the training.

  “Done,” Second shouted, and right on cue, the small child started coughing. Eugene fell back, landing on his butt, but he didn’t care. He was too relieved to care.

  “I don’t think we have time for a break,” Second told Eugene.

  Everywhere Eugene looked, there seemed to be another teenager having a seizure. There were so many of them, but not nearly enough of him. He didn’t want to leave the little boy alone, either.

  “Help, over here,” Second cried.

  “What are you doing?” Eugene asked.

  “We need more able bodies,” Second told him. “We got a crowd of people just staring at us over there. Let’s put them to work.” Eugene couldn’t see where Second was pointing, but he heard people running towards them.

  Over twenty people rushed in their direction. It was the staff from the hotel—everyone from the maintenance crew to the cleaning staff. Eugene couldn’t believe it. In most cities, people would go out of their way to avoid helping each other. But in this small town, they were coming in waves to assist.

 

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