Unleashed (21 page)

"You shouldn't hurt yourself more than you already are," he said. While still holding her wrist, his free hand reached inside Claire's pant packet and removed her phone. "Time to call the police." He dropped the phone a few feet from her. "Remember, don't say a word. See you soon, Claire." He let go of her and straightened.

As soon as he did, the morning sun burned bright into Claire's eyes. She closed them and turned away. She waited a few seconds to see what he'd do next, but when nothing happened she opened her eyes and looked around.

Gage was gone.

She reached for her phone and dialed 911.

TWENTY-NINE

Thirty minutes later Claire was sitting in the back of an ambulance next to an unconscious Kate as it drove to the hospital. She held Kate's good hand tightly. The other one was clearly broken; bone had punctured through her skin. In addition to her broken arm, Kate's whole face was beginning to swell.

Claire was in a lot of pain, too, but refused to let the EMT's spend any time on her. She didn't deserve it. All the pain she felt was her punishment for putting Kate in danger. She should’ve listened to Smith.

"Can I at least bandage that cut on your head?" an older EMT with graying hair and crooked glasses asked. "We've taken care of your friend. There's nothing else that can be done until we get to the hospital."

Claire raised her head and looked at Kate. Despite the swelling, her expression looked peaceful. Claire nodded and turned to the EMT who began to wipe at her face with an alcohol wipe. "That's some cut on your head. Do you have a headache?"

She shrugged.

"You're pretty tough," the EMT said. "A lot of girls in your situation would probably be crying." He taped a bandage to her head. “That will work until you get stitches.”

"Thank you," she whispered.

The EMT leaned back. "I haven't seen you call anyone. Is there someone who can meet you at the hospital?"

Claire exhaled, thinking first of her mother. She probably should call her. And then Ethan of course. She'd have to call Stephanie, too, and tell her the news. This brought tears to her eyes.
The band.
They wouldn't be playing anywhere this weekend, and by the looks of Kate's arm, she wouldn't be playing a guitar for several weeks.

"Are you okay?" the EMT asked.

She tightened her hand, making the cut in her hand sting. The pain pushed the tears back into a deep reservoir. "I'm fine. I think I'll call my mom."

She turned on her phone and dialed home. Most likely her mom was still asleep, but she hoped she'd be awake. On the sixth ring the answering machine picked up. Claire decided not to leave a message. "No answer," she said. "I'll try again later."

Just then her phone vibrated. Claire looked at the caller ID hoping to see Ethan's number, but instead she saw that it was Smith's. Tears fought their way back to the surface. "Hello?" she said trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"I just heard what happened," he said. "Are you okay? I knew I should've followed you."

"It's not your fault. It's mine." Claire tightened her fist again. She almost told him right then and there that it was Gage who had caused the accident, but decided against it. At least until she had more time to think about what that could mean.

"I'd like to meet you at the hospital if that's okay. I want to see how you and Kate are doing."

"I'd like that."

"Do you think you'll be up to telling me exactly what happened? The officers told me this wasn’t an accident.”

Claire closed her eyes, trying to shut out Gage’s image. "Sure."

"Good. I'll see you soon." He hung up.

Claire stared at the phone in her hand, knowing she had to tell Steph now. Too afraid to call, she sent a text:

“Turn around and come back. We've been in an accident. Kate's hurt bad, but she'll be okay. They are taking us to the hospital." Claire paused before typing, "I'm sorry."

She sent the message and just as it went through, Ethan called.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey to you, future music star. Sorry I missed your call.”

“It’s fine.”

“So are you guys halfway there yet? “

Claire smoothed back Kate's hair, her finger caught in dried blood. "Um, not really. We're sort of coming back."

"What? Why?"

She took a deep breath. "We were in an accident."

"Like a car accident?"

"Uh-huh."

It took a moment before he said, "Are you alright?"

"Good enough, but Kate's hurt bad. They're taking us to the hospital." There was silence on the other end. "Ethan?"

"When will you get there?"

Claire winced when she tried to turn her neck to look out the window. "Soon, I think. Ten minutes."

"I'll be there."

"Thank you."

"Hang in there."

Claire closed her eyes.

"I'll see you in a few, okay?" he said.

"Okay."

"Hey Claire?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. Do you know that?"

His words made her feel uncomfortable.

"Claire?" he said.

"I have to go," she said, "but I'll see you soon. Bye." She hung up before he could say anything else.

Right before the EMT pulled into the hospital she decided to text Logan and let him know what was going on, too. He'd be mad if she didn’t. The doors on the back of the ambulance opened. Two men slid out the stretcher Kate was lying on and rushed her away. The older EMT offered his hand to her. “Careful getting out,” he said.

Because Claire's vision was still swimming, she took his hand and stepped down from the ambulance. But the moment both feet were on the ground, her brain decided to check out.  "I'm going to faint," she said and hoped it was loud enough for him to hear. That was when the world turned black.

THIRTY

Claire heard voices. Gentle whisperings fluttering all around her, teasing her skin, urging her to wake up. Occasionally, she heard a familiar voice. She tried to open her eyes. Something bad had happened. What day was it? She went through the events of the last week: A biology test; she wondered if she passed. Corey, his fist against her head. Her eyelids fluttered.

The days continued on. They stopped when she remembered Anne. A cold chill woke her senses and shocked her nerve endings. The bed beneath her was hard and a light blanket covered her body, but it provided no warmth. She closed her eyes tight, ignoring the growing lump in her throat.

"I think she's waking," a voice said. The tone helped her relax.

"Claire?" Ethan asked.

She opened her eyes or tried to anyway. One parted open; the other was swollen shut. Ethan was watching her intently, eyes concerned. But as for the rest of him, he looked as rigid as a crowbar, down to the tiniest muscle in his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and winced when a cut on her lip cracked open.

"How can you ask that?"

"You look tense.” This time she didn’t flinch. She wouldn’t.

Ethan relaxed a little, but she noticed it took him great effort.

"How are you feeling?" Logan asked. He moved out from behind Ethan. Claire sucked in air when she saw him. It was the saddest he’d ever looked. Usually he was very good at hiding his emotions, but right now he looked like he was doing all he could just to keep from falling apart. His eyes were red, and deep lines she never knew existed creased his forehead.

"You guys need to chill out," she said. "You're visiting me in the hospital, not attending my funeral."

Logan tried to smile. "You'd probably look better dead."

"Do I look that bad?"

Ethan's rigid expression returned. "You look like you hurt."

She raised her arm to dismiss the idea, but instead grimaced and lowered it back down. "I'm fine," she said. "How's Kate?"

The boys looked at each other. "She'll be okay," Logan said. "Smashed her arm pretty good. They're taking her into surgery in just a little bit."

Claire turned toward the window. The sky was gray. And dark. The sun had disappeared. "It's that bad, huh?"

Ethan touched her elbow. An odd place to be touched. She must be worse off than she thought. She looked at Logan. "Did you talk to Steph?"

He nodded. "They should be here in another hour."

"Were they pretty mad?"

"More like worried. We all are." Logan inched closer to the foot of her bed. "The doctor said you cut your head pretty good."

She remembered the glass window shattering. And then she remembered more. Gage! She moved to sit up, but a searing pain in her sternum stopped her. Gage was coming. She had to leave. Had to get away before Sunday night.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked.

"I—” she looked at him. How much should she say? Would Gage hurt him, too?

"Claire?" Logan asked, looking just as concerned as Ethan.

She forced herself to calm down. "It's nothing. I just remembered the accident. Would you mind putting some pillows behind me?” she asked Ethan.

Ethan grabbed some nearby pillows off a chair and tucked them carefully behind her.

“About that,” Logan said, “how did your car flip over? I asked one of the cops and he said a chain was in the road, but I still don’t get it.”

“It had been strung across the road,” she said, still not ready to tell them the truth. “It was pulled so tight that when we hit it, the car flipped.”

"But who would do that to you?” His tone was accusing.

Ethan turned to him. "You think this was a deliberate act toward Claire?"

She waited for Logan to reason through it. He always was good with puzzles. She noticed his hands tighten around the bottom of the bedrail. His knuckles looked like they were going to pop from their skin. "Come on, guys. You know who did this," he said.

The air was heavy, and she took a deep and painful breath.

"Don’t scare her, Logan,” Ethan warned through his teeth. “You don't know it was him."

“But it was,” Claire said, her voice quiet. The eyes of both boys met hers. Before either one could say another word, she asked, “How could Gage have known what road I was traveling on?"

"You mean the old highway?" Ethan asked through a clenched jaw.

She nodded. “I wanted to take the back roads so I could speed." They gave her a disapproving look, but she ignored them. “Only a few people knew that. How could he have known?"

"Who did you tell?" Ethan asked.

She thought about it. "Well, you guys knew. And Steph, Kate, and Audrey."

"I know I didn't tell anyone," Logan said.

"Neither did I," Ethan said. "Maybe one of the girls told someone, or maybe Gage overheard us talking."

Claire shook her head. "It just doesn't make sense." She thought of Gage and all the personal things he knew about her, like where she’d first learned to ride a dirt bike. How many people knew that about her?

Logan released his grip on the bed. “What if Gage is someone really close to you?"

Claire tightened her lips, remembering how Anne had suggested the same thing. Maybe Logan had overheard.

Ethan straightened. “That’s crazy. None of us would hurt her.”

Logan paced the room. “But Anne said the rats changed into something else, a different rat entirely. Why would a human be any different? Think about it. What men in your life are you close to?”

“Well it’s not one of you. Ethan’s right. That’s crazy.” She sighed, but in the back of her mind she asked, then how did Gage know what road I’d be driving on?

"Maybe Steph or Kate said something to someone,” Ethan offered. 

Too afraid to explore the topic further, she asked, "Has my mom called yet?"

Ethan leaned forward and gently took her hand. "Steph talked to her. She was going to pick her up and bring her here."

Claire peered into his eyes and saw her faint reflection. She looked from Ethan to Logan. How could she not trust these two men? One helped her feel again and the other kept her from disappearing altogether.

"What are you thinking?" Ethan asked.

"I need to see Smith."

Ethan rested his hand on her elbow again. "Why don't you get some rest first?"

She shook her head. “I have something important to tell him. To tell the both of you. And it can't wait."