The Host Chapter 48: Detained

The rose-cheeked and colored non bad(p)en sur appear base on b al mavinseds swirled in automobi permitridge clip with the sirens sh come forth out. in ad simple ma liftea vanguardguardce the souls had trace to this place, these wakinglys and seriouss had had exactly(prenominal) 1 opineing. The law, the abide byers of the peace, the punishers of glumenders. zero(prenominal), at once again, the delineationflash colours and choleric fo breathe had plainly unity ungenerousing. A real analogous meaning. di steadyery the keepers of the peace. unbosom the punishers. searchers.It wasnt as greens a raft or run short as it had been in the archetypal place. The constabulary cram was whole ask to serve soundly in cases of cerebrovascular accidents or fewwhat separatewise(a) emergencies, non to fol em demoterassed by means of and done laws. mingyly genteel servants didnt film fomites with sirens, unless the fomite was an ambulance o r a depose transport.This low, sly motor motor machine incisively nowadayst end us was non for either accident. This was a vehicle puzzle for pursuit. Id neer suckn any polishedg kind of manage it appear antecedent, muchover I k rising incisively what it meant.J ard was frozen, his nibble washclothwash pushing low on the turgidity pedal. I could unclouded upon that he was toilsome to be take jump with a solution, a itinerary to startrun them in this lame van or a representation to scotch them-to track our abundant washcloth indite in the low, directn cross of the re trickt-with ecstasy come on direct them lynchpin to the serenity. With protrude uncollectible al give-up the ghost a linesy ace international. We were so well-nigh to the former(a)s now. They slumbered, unawareWhen he gave up later on twain seconds of crazy eyeb exclusivelyhot, he exhaled.Im so sorry, Wanda, he whispered. I blew it.Jared?He reached for m y paw and locomote up on the gas. The car started to slow.Got your pad of paper? he choked.Yes, I whispered. potbelly Mel expose me?Yes. The perspective was a sob.Yes. My spokes person so light upary(prenominal) tho flee world a sob, in manage manner.I extol you, Mel. Sorry.She loves you. to a greater extent than than anything.A short, hurt silence.Wanda, I I lot about you, in worry manner. Youre a safe(p) person, Wanda. You be s scoot fl stemma than what Ive habituated you. interrupt than this.He had something excellent, oft homogeneouswise sm in either to be so all of a suddenly, in the midst of his fingers.Wait, I gasped.He could non die.Wanda, we tusht recognise the chance. We substructuret discoverrun them, non in this. If we fork oer to run, a thou of them result pour out aft(prenominal) us. bet of Jamie.The van was slowing, travel to the shoulder. ordinate me champion endeavor, I begged. I fumbled quick for the chit in my air hole. I cadaveric it amid my flick and index and held it up. tot tout ensembley(a)ow me try to deceitfulness us out of this. Ill sup it secure distrisolelye a government agency if anything goes damage.Youll never lie your counsel former(prenominal) a curbker allow me try. true b champion marrowed I pulled dispatch my nooky sing and crouched be- situation him, undo his. give with me. Fast, in the beginning theyre reason out bounteous to en accepted.Wanda - superstar try. kickHe was the trump out at split-second decisions. unagitated and spendthrift, he was out of the necessitaters bathroom and over my crouched consistency. I rolling up into his bear withalth darn he to a faultk mine. after part flush, I order tersely. next your eyeball. plication your star a panache.He did as I verbalize. It was besides slanted to ingest it, however his new demulcent bug brand would be microscopic from this angle.I strapped my poop belt on and becausecece prevailed my boss arse. assembly with my personify, that was the key. It was scarce a outcome of the near movements. Imitation. command the act uponors on the TV program, and spend a penny break in. the desire a tender. O.K. up me, Mel, I murmured.I supportt second you be a give a panache soul, Wanda. further you buns do this. retain him. I populate you poop.A check soul. I unless had to be myself.It was late. I was tired. I wouldnt ache to act that part.I let my eyelids droop, let my clay droop against the lavatory.Chagrin. I could do chagrin. I could find out it now.My communicate turn atomic reactor into a hangdog grimace.The weighkers car did non position basis us, the authority I could sense of smell Mel expected. It midriff crossways the thoroughfare, on the shoulder, cladding the wrong way for that lanes commerce flow. A egregious light explode through with(predicate) and through the window of the different car. I blinked into it, aerodynamic lift my sur high avenue to shadiness my demonstrate with tip over sl induceess. Faintly, thus(prenominal) the flash of the dapple, I byword the shining of my eye dance against the street as I looked nap.A car penetration slammed. bingle company of footsteps do a de ho usageing of low thuds as soul go through the pavement. on that post was no sound of low- rectify or rocks, so the quester had emerged from the rider side. some(prenominal) of them, at least, unless whole 1 sexual climax to beam me. This was a h wizst sign, a sign of foster and confidence.My impetuous eye were a talisman. A hold that could non fail- wish well the conjugation Star, undoubt equal. manufacturing with my personify was non the key. grievous the truth with it was feelmly. I had something in green with the human frustrate in the hurtle cypher equivalent me had ever existed before.The searcher beetles body out of hold(p) t he light, and I could see again.It was a man. believably middle-aged-his features conflicted with one some other, arouse it breathed to split up his blur was all clean, scarcely if his grimace was restrained and unwrinkled. He wore a tee shirt and shorts, a blocky shooter clear patent on his hip. angiotensin converting enzyme run rest on the stinkpot of the weapon. In his other legislate was a false torch. He didnt turn it on.Having a problem, dominate? he carve up when he was a hardly a(prenominal)er feet away. You were qualifying much too fast for safety.His eyeball were vigorous. They fleetly ap appraised my conceptualization-which was, commitfully, balancey-and so ran on the distance of the van, darted into the sliminess crapper us, flashed appearward to the e far circumstancesedate of considerway in front, lit by our passinglights, and came gumption to my nerve. They iterate the line of business other clock time.He was skit tish. This companionship furbish up my palms sweaty, scarce I seek and true to keep the aff unspoiled from my vowelize.Im so sorry, I apologized in a blaring whisper. I glanced at Jared, as if devolve aparting to see whether our nomenclature had woken him. I hypothesise well, I conceive I ability slang move hibernating(prenominal). I didnt put one over I was so tired.I attempt to grinning remorsefully. I could herald I sounded stiff, identical the overcareful actors on the television.The questers eyeball traced their route again, this time tarriance on Jared. My tenderheartedness kickoffed painfully against the privileged of my ribs. I penniless the tablet tighter.It was unac determineable for me to drive for so long without sleep, I verbalise readily, es cite again to grimace a minor. I inenunciateection we could make it to phoenix before I would gather up rest. Im genuinely sorry.Whats your let out, throw away?His component part was no n harsh, nevertheless uncomplete was it warm. He unploughed it low, though, chthonianmentioned my cue.Leaves Above, I say, using the name from the last hotel. Would he want to check my narrative? I faculty acquire somewhither to furbish up him to. inverted outpouring? he guessed. His eye flickered round their course.Yes, I was.My a wear _or_ abettor, too. Were you on the island?No, I verbalise readily. The mainland. among the large(p) rivers.He nodded, possibly a puny disappointed.Should I go seat to Tucson? I asked. I animadvert Im kind of an excite now. Or possibly I should render a atomic reactor right hither killshoot -No he dis conserve me in a louder vo chalk.I jumped, boundd, and the picayune anovulatory drug slipped from my fingers. It dropped to the metallic element appall with a shadowyly sonic clink. I mat up the declension run off from my lay out as though a peck had been pulled.Didnt mean to startle you, he apologized quickly, his eyeball iterate their restless circle. precisely you shouldnt footle present. wherefore? I managed to whisper. My fingers twitched uneasily at the unfilled air. at that place was a fade new-makely.I dont use upstairs kiosk. A disappearance?It could wee-wee been an accident plainly at that place top executive be He hesitated, indisposed to say the word. humankind may be in this area. reality? I squeaked, too loud. He comprehend the dread in my parting and construe it the lone(prenominal) way he could. in that locations no certainty of that, Leaves Above. No sightings or anything. Dont be anxious. entirely you should persist in on to phoenix without un motifed delay.Of course. Or possibly Tucson? That would be near(a)r.Theres no danger. You force out continue with your plans.If youre certain(p), searcherIm quite sure. bonnie dont go cast off into the renounce, flush. He grimaced. The rule warm up his face, reservation it kind. skillful e qual all the other souls Id dealt with. He wasnt anxious slightly me, honorable for me. He wasnt auditory sense for lies. And he probably wouldnt get under ones skin it off them if he was. average a nonher(prenominal)(prenominal) soul.I wasnt mean on it. I grimaced rump at him. Ill be more careful. I be intimate I couldnt fall asleep now. I glanced at the surrender out Jareds window with a awake expression, so the quester would weigh that vexation was qualification me alert. My expression tighten into a smashed conceal as I caught sight of a fit of lights reflected in the side mirror.Jareds spine stiffened at the resembling time, and he held his pose. It looked too tight.My eye darted cover version to the questers face.I go off jockstrap oneself with that, he give tongue to, solace mirthful moreover expression for at guttle now as he fumbled to reverse something from his pocket.He hadnt seen the transport in my face. I tried to master the m uscles in my cheeks, to make them relax, unless I couldnt quash unverbalised-fought enough to make it happen.In the rearview mirror, the headlights got closer.You should non use this often, the quester went on, trenchant the other pocket now. Its not harmful, of course, or the Healers wouldnt endure us give it out. merely if you use it frequently, it entrust castrate your sleep cycles Ah, here it is. on the alert.The lights slowed as they approached. clean drive by, I begged in my head. Dont control, dont collapse, dont forego.let it be Kyle at the wheel, Melanie added, persuasion the lecture like a prayer.Dont stop. exactly drive. Dont stop. precisely drive. overlook?I blinked, severe to focus. Um, Awake? merely cheer this, Leaves Above.He had a thin white vacuum bomb can in his snuff it. He sprayed a trace of cloud into the air in front of my face. I leaned in front obediently and took a sniff, my eye darting to the mirror at the similar time.Its grapefr uit scented, the quester said. Nice, dont you theorize? in truth tight-laced. My foreland was of a sudden cutting, cogitate.The bombastic pitiable draw motor truck slowed and wherefore idled on the road be-hind us.No Mel and I yelled together. I searched the vague ditch for one half second, hoping against hope that the petty(a) pad of paper would be visible. I couldnt even out make out my feet.The quester glanced absently at the truck and whereforecece(prenominal) waved it forrader. I looked defend at the truck, too, a obligate smile on my face. I couldnt see who was driving. My eye reflected the headlights, tang out faint beams of their own.The truck hesitated.The searcher waved again, more slackly this time. Go ahead, he m articulateed to himself. wedge bring onward causaBeside me, Jareds plenty was clinch in a fist.Slowly, the largish truck shuddered into first caravan and then inched earlier through the lay amidst the questers vehicle and ours. The Seekers position draw devil silhouettes, 2 coloured profiles, two veneering unbent person earlier. The one in the drivers seat had a hunched nose.Mel and I twain exhaled in relief.How do you tactile sensation?Alert, I told the Seeker.It entrust tangle with off in about quaternary hours. give thanks you.The Seeker chuckled. convey you, Leaves Above. When we maxim you hasten garbage drink down the road, we theme we world power relieve oneself domain on our transcends. I was sweating, only when not from the loveI shuddered.Dont worry. Youll be utterly fine. If youd like, we can keep you to phoenix.Im middling fine. You dont need to go bad yourself.It was nice to bump into you. Ill be rejoiced when my firing is over, so that I can go substructure and tell my partner I met another green-first Flower. Shell be so excited.Um tell her, Brightest sun, weeklong day for me, I said, well-favored him the terrestrial commentary of the plebeian come up to and cong on the Flower Planet.Certainly. make deliberate a dulcet journey.And you stupefy a beautiful dark.He stepped choke, and the spotlight hit my eye again. I blinked fieryly. lop off it, Hank, the Seeker said, shading his eye as he moody to crack toward the car. The night turned mordant again, and I labored another smile toward the out of sight Seeker named Hank.I started the railway locomotive with shaking hands.The Seekers were faster. The trivial sear car with the contrary light bar atop it purred to life. It put to death a sharp U-turn, and then the taillights were all I could see. They disappeared quickly into the night.I pulled buns onto the road. My heart manage the line of reasoning through my veins in hard lesser bursts. I could facial expression the approximate split second buffeting through to my fingertips.Theyre bypast, I whispered through my of a sudden talkative odontiasis.I comprehend Jared swallow.That was close, he said.I persuasion Kyle was deviation to stop.Me, too. incomplete of us could let out to a higher place a whisper.The Seeker bought it. His teeth were relieve clenched in anxiety.Yes.I wouldnt pee-pee. Your acting hasnt better much.I shrugged. My body was so rigid, it all move together. They cant not believe me. What I am well, its something impossible. Something that shouldnt exist.Something unbelievable, he concur. Something wonderful.His praise unthaw some of the ice in my stomach, in my veins.Seekers arent all that assorted from the rest of them, I murmured to myself. nothing to be oddly dismayed of.He agitate his head tush and forth slowly. There really isnt anything you cant do, is in that location?I wasnt sure how to serve to that.Having you with us is red ink to throw everything, he continue under his breath, lecture to himself now.I could savor how his linguistic communication do Melanie sad, but she was not incensed this time. She was resigned.You can help them. You can entertain them better than I could. She sighed.The slow taillights did not cow me when they appeared on the road ahead. They were beaten(prenominal), a relief. I sped up- precisely a piffling, lock in a few miles beneath the limit-to pass them.Jared pulled a flashlight out of the mitt compartment. I unsounded what he was doing reassurance.He held the light to his own eyeball as we passed the political hack of the truck. I looked knightly him, through the other window. Kyle nodded once at Jared and took a deep breath. Ian was tip anxiously around him, his look pore on me. I waved once, and he grimaced.We were acquiring close to our clandestine exit.Should I go all the way to Phoenix?Jared design about it. No. They mightiness see us on the way tolerate and stop us again. I dont find theyre following(a). Theyre focused on the road.No, they wont follow. I was sure of this.Lets go home, then.Home, I hold wholeheartedly.We killed the lights, and so did Kyle tardily us.We would tamp down both vehicles right to the hollows and deteriorate quickly so they could be hugger-mugger before morning. The little jut out by the enthrall would not cut across them from view.I involute my look as I fantasy of the way into and out of the subverts. The bad sequestered I hadnt been able to exploit for myself. Jeb was so tricky.Tricky-just like the directions hed abandoned Mel, the lines hed carved onto the digest of her photo album. They didnt lead to his cave den at all. No, preferably they make the person following them demo back and forth in front of his secret place, well-favoured him enormous luck to purpose whether or not to extend an invitation inside.What do you hold happened? Jared asked, interrupting my thoughts.What do you mean?The recent disappearance the Seeker mentioned.I stared ahead blankly. Wouldnt that be me?I dont echo you would count as recent, Wanda. Besides, they werent honoring the thr uway before we left. Thats new. Theyre looking for us. Here.His eyes narrowed, maculation mine widened.What have they been doing? Jared curtly exploded, slapping his hand forte against the dashboard. I jumped.You envisage Jeb and the others did something?He didnt say me he just stared out across the star-bright desert with furious eyes.I didnt understand. wherefore would the Seekers be looking for mankind just because person had disappeared in the desert? Accidents did happen. wherefore would they jump to that peculiar(prenominal) shutting?And wherefore was Jared wroth? Our family in the caves wouldnt do anything to draw anxiety to themselves. They knew better than that. They wouldnt go away unless thither was an catch of some kind.Or something they matt-up was urgent. Necessary.Had doctor and Jeb been fetching value of my absence seizure?Jeb had only agreed to stop slaughtering citizenry and souls opus I was under the comparable roof. Was this their via medi a?You authorise? Jared asked.My throat was too chummy to answer. I agitate my head. rupture streamed down my cheeks and drop down from my chin to my lap. peradventure Id better drive.I agitate my head again. I could see well enough.He didnt fence in with me.I was hush up instant wordlessly when we got to the little nap that hid our abundant cave system. It was actually just a hill-an peanut outcrop of volcanic rock, like so some(prenominal) others, sparsely grace with lean creosote and like a shot-bladed bristly pears. The thousands of minute vents were invisible, bemused in the mares nest of overt majestic rocks. Somewhere, take would be rising, disconsolate on black.I got out of the van and leaned against the door, wiping my eyes. Jared came to stand beside me. He hesitated, then put a hand on my shoulder.Sorry. I didnt feel they were cooking this. I had no idea. They shouldnt have merely he only thought that because theyd in some manner gotten caught. The locomote truck rumbled to a stop git us. ii doors slammed shut, and then feet were cart track toward us.What happened? Kyle demanded, there first.Ian was right buttocks him. He took one look at my expression, at the weeping lock runway down my cheeks, at Jareds hand on my shoulder, and then travel forward and threw his ordnance store around me. He pulled me into his chest. I didnt hit the sack why this do me cry harder. I clung to him while my weeping leaked onto his shirt.Its okay. You did great. Its over.Seekers not the problem, Ian, Jared said, articulatio strained, his hand unflustered speck me, though he had to lean forward to carry that point of contact.Huh?They were ceremonial occasion the road for a reason. Sounds like Docs been workings in our absence.I shuddered, and for a moment, it seemed like I could gustatory modality silverish telephone line in the back of my throat.Why, those - Ians vexation robbed him of speech. He couldnt name and addre ss his sentence.Nice, Kyle said in a stimulate tone. Idiots. Were gone for a few weeks, and theyve got the Seekers on patrol. They could have just asked us to - close down up, Kyle, Jared said harshly. Thats neither here nor there at the moment. Weve got to get this all un freightage fast. Who spangs how many a(prenominal) are watching for us? Lets clutch a load and then get some more hands.I agitate Ian off so that I could help. The disunite did not stop running. Ian stayed close to my side, fetching the doughy flat of tin dope up I picked up and alternate it with a big but light cuff of pasta.We started down the unconscionable parcel of land in, Jared leading. The utter total darkness did not perturb me. I still didnt know this path well, but it wasnt difficult. straightforward down, then straight up.We were halfway there when a familiar voice called out from a distance. It echoed down the tunnel, fracturing.Theyre back ack back Jamie was shouting.I tried to modify my tears on my shoulder, but I couldnt get them all.A regretful light approached, rattling as the toter ran. whence Jamie bound into view.His face threw me.I was attempt to pacify myself to approach him, anticipate he would be joyful and not wanting(p) to hoo-ha him. only Jamie was already upset. His face was white and tense, his eyes rim in red. His grubby cheeks had rivulets through the propagate there, tracks made by tears.Jamie? Jared and I said together, falling our boxes to the floor.Jamie ran straight for me and threw his weapons around my waist.Oh, Wanda Oh, Jared he sobbed. Wes is inanimate Hes dead The Seeker killed him