Jag chuckled. “Sure. We’re just passing through here ourselves, actually, but we are right—” As he raised his finger to the map, the man suddenly shoved the chart toward Jag. Mariah heard a quick metallic clinking before seeing the man toss a spherical object the size of his palm through the window. Jag let out an oath. Before anyone could react, a pall of light blue smoke filled up the car completely.
Mariah felt her chest tighten at once as her breathing shortened. She tried to yell out but it felt as if invisible hands were wrapped around her neck, choking her. Terrified, she reached out to the others for help but saw them all struggling to breathe through the strangling smoke as well.
Jag was the first to open his door and throw himself out. Tegan followed suit, as did Aari and Kody. Mariah was the last one out of the vehicle. She fell onto the gravel as she desperately tried to gasp for air. Her airway, filled with smoke, rendered her attempts futile. After several panic-filled moments, she finally felt minute streams of fresh air seep into her lungs. Feeling a glimmer of hope, she gulped in as much as she could.
She lay on the ground for a while, feeling weak, before slowly rolling onto her back and covering her face with her hands. The sounds of the others’ sputtering and gasping reached her ears as they lay on the ground, splayed and exhausted.
It took a couple of minutes before Jag was able to pull himself up. “You guys alright?” he wheezed.
“Think so,” Mariah answered feebly.
Aari coughed for a bit before replying. “Well, I can breathe now . . . ”
‘Yeah’ was all Kody could say before he resumed sucking in air.
“Teegs?” Jag called.
“I’m okay,” Tegan responded from the other side of the Jeep. “Just trying to get my breath back.”
The friends eventually got to their feet and staggered to the front of the vehicle. “What just happened?” Kody rasped. “Who was that man?”
“And where is he?” Mariah looked around; their assailant was nowhere to be found, and neither was the red Mustang.
“He’s driven off,” Jag said angrily before erupting into a series of coughs. “We should report this.”
A silver SUV pulled up beside them. To Mariah’s surprise, Tony jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward them, looking worried. “Hey, you guys okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so.” Jag dusted himself off. “Thanks.”
“What happened?”
“Some guy acted like he wanted directions. The next thing I know, he popped a smoke bomb into the car and drove off.”
“Any one of you know him?”
The five shook their heads.
Tony stared at the exit of the parking lot, eyes narrowed. “Going after a bunch of kids . . . What’s wrong with the world today? You know what, you guys stay here. I’ll be right back. Do you know what car he was driving?”
“It was a red Mustang,” Mariah answered wearily. “But what are you—”
“Stay put!” Tony was already running back to his SUV. “I’ll be back as soon as I can!”
The friends watched the silver vehicle tear out of the parking lot as if in pursuit. “What is he doing?” Aari asked, bewildered, between sporadic coughs. “Is he really going to go after that jerk?”
Mariah leaned against the hood of the Jeep. “I think so.”
“He’s like a guardian with black belts in multiple forms of self-defense.” Kody paused dreamily. “You know, I quite like that.”
Mariah sighed and rubbed her eyes as Jag took it upon himself to check over every one to ensure that they were, in fact, alright.
It was nearly fifteen minutes later when the SUV returned to the diner’s parking lot and pulled up beside the five. Tony got out, wearing a look of satisfaction. “That guy’s not going to be bothering anyone anytime soon.”
Jag looked over at him. “What did you do?”
Tony shrugged and smiled a little. “Taught him a lesson he’s bound not to forget. Don’t worry, he’s just a crazy prankster. You guys are safe.”
Kody shook Tony’s hand, obviously liking that they seemed to have gained a protector. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem. You guys found a place to rest tonight?”
“We were gonna check out that motel there,” Aari said, pointing to the building across from the diner.
Tony grimaced when he saw the motel. “I wouldn’t suggest staying there. Weird stuff goes down inside—not particularly family-friendly. There’s a hotel a few blocks away where I’m staying. I’d recommend that one. Not too expensive either.”
Jag nodded. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
“Anytime. I could lead you guys there. Just follow my car.” The young man turned and started toward his vehicle.
“Sure,” Jag called out after him, then shepherded the others into the Jeep.
Inside, Mariah picked up the small glass container that had been tossed in and was about to chuck it out of the window when Aari intercepted her.
“I’d like to have a look at it later,” he explained when she looked at him questioningly.
Jag pulled out of the parking lot and followed the SUV down the road. They turned into a small but clean hotel a few minutes later and got out. As they stood in front of the building, sizing it up, Tony joined them. “Not too shabby, right?” he asked.
Jag gave a half-smile. “Nope. Just hope there are a couple of rooms available . . . And thank you, by the way. We really appreciate your help.”
“Hey, don’t even mention it. Come on, let’s get you checked in.”
“Hold on, someone’s gotta make the call,” Mariah reminded her friends.
They stared at her blankly. She raised an eyebrow. “We call one of our parents every night we check into a hotel, remember?”
“Oh! Right, right. I’ll do it.” Kody took out his cell phone. “You guys go ahead, I’ll join you in a bit.”
Once checked in, the five gathered their bags and headed up the elevator to the fifth floor where they found their rooms, which were right across from Tony’s.
“Alright, I’ll be on my way now. I’m exhausted. Have a good night, guys.” Tony waved at the friends before entering his room.
The friends smiled slightly and waved back, then Aari turned to Kody. “What exactly did you tell your parents when you called?”
Kody wore a sheepish look. “That we’d arrived safely in Utah and just checked into a hotel. I opted out of telling them about the, ah, incident. I mean, just imagine how they’d react. On the first day of our road trip, we get attacked by some lunatic with a smoke grenade. Oh yeah, that’s just perfect. We’ll never be allowed to leave our rooms until we’re forty. And even then they’ll probably have us on a short leash.”
The others exchanged uncertain looks, then Jag grunted. “Kody’s got a point. I’d hate to have our trip cut short within the first fourteen hours because of some nutcase. And you guys know that we
need
this.”
“And Tony did deal with him,” Kody added. “We’re safe. No need to worry anyone.”
“Yeah . . . alright.” Tegan heaved a sigh and opened the door to the room she and Mariah were sharing. “I’m really tired. Bedtime for me.”
Mariah yawned. “And me. Good night, guys.”
Jag smiled as the guys headed into their room as well. “Sleep tight, you two.”
* * *
It was half past three in the morning when Jag woke with an outcry. He threw the blanket off himself and stumbled into the bathroom. He slapped the wall, trying to find the light switch. The light came on, nearly blinding him, but he didn’t care and quickly turned on the tap to splash ice-cold water on his face. His undershirt became soaked but he didn’t notice as he stared himself in the mirror, eyes stretched wide.
Aari and Kody poked their heads into the bathroom. “Hey, what’s the matter?” Aari slurred, looking confused and sleepy.
“I—nothing. Nothing at all.”
Kody snorted. “I’m not even going to tell you how lame that sounds. Come on, dude. Nightmare?”
Jag continued to stare at himself for a while longer, then picked up a towel and dried his face and neck. He remained silent, which annoyed the other two.
“Jag, we’ve been best friends all our lives,” Aari said. “If you can’t talk to us, then something is really wrong.”
Jag glanced at them. “It was a nightmare.”
“There you go,” Kody said triumphantly and turned to walk back to his bed.
“No, hold on.” Aari grabbed Kody by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back. “Jag, this isn’t like you. I know there’s more to this. What’s going on, bro?”
Jag took a deep breath. As he opened his mouth to tell them the story of his recurring nightmare, there was a scream, followed moments later by frantic pounding on their door. The boys hurried over and opened it. Tegan stumbled in, Mariah following closely with a worried look on her face. Tony was behind them in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, his hair tousled.
“What’s wrong?” Jag asked, alarmed, as he reached out to hold Tegan.
“I heard a scream and ran out of my room to find these two in the hallway,” Tony said, sounding as if he’d just woken up. He cocked his head at the girls. “What happened?”
“She had a nightmare,” Mariah started, “and she woke—”
“Nightmare?” Aari interrupted. Frowning, he pointed at Jag. “She’s not the only one.”
“Hey, Teegs, come here.” Jag gently guided Tegan to a chair and sat her down. Slowly, he asked, “What was the nightmare about?”
She covered her face with her hands. “There was . . . I was in a battle or something. I saw a woman collapse in front of my eyes. There was blood on her. A . . . a bullet wound to her chest.” She absently rested a hand under her collarbones, presumably where the bullet had struck the woman in her dream. “And what makes me feel sick is that it felt real. All my senses were engaged throughout. I could smell things and hear screams and . . . and it was as if I was actually there.”
As Jag listened, he became visibly paler. “Did the dream end there?”
“No. It went dark at one point and I thought it was over, but then a voice spoke. Directly to me.”
Jag paled further. “What did it say?”
Tegan just shook her head and slumped down in the chair, looking spent. Aari got her a glass of water, of which she only took a sip. There was a pregnant silence, broken a couple of minutes later by Tony. “At least it was just a dream . . . I thought someone was attacking them.” He went over and gave Tegan a comforting pat on the shoulder. “You should get back to sleep.”
She licked her lips and nodded. Jag and the others watched as she and Mariah silently headed back to their room. Tony left after them.
Kody shut the door and suppressed a yawn. “I’m taking Tony’s advice.” He returned to his bed and was out like a light within moments. Aari gave Jag a reassuring look before he retired as well.
Jag, however tired he was, couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep until an hour later. He and Tegan would have to talk. It was too much of a coincidence that they’d had similar nightmares on the same night and woke up around the same time.
Can it get any weirder than this?
he wondered as he finally drifted off to sleep.
T
egan and Mariah walked out of their room with their bags at ten the next morning. The boys were already packed and were waiting in the hallway. Aari playfully tugged at Tegan’s earlobe. “Morning. Did you sleep okay the rest of the night?”
“Considering what happened, yes.” Tegan looked at her watch. “We really should get going.”
“They’re still serving breakfast downstairs,” Kody said. “We’ll leave after we’ve eaten.”
The five headed down to the main floor where breakfast was being served beside the lobby. As they waited in the short line to get food, a voice behind Tegan sang, “Good morning!”
Startled, she turned around and relaxed when she saw Tony, who looked fresh-faced despite having had his sleep interrupted. She smiled. “Hey!”
“You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you.”
“Thanks. And you . . . ” She scanned him from head to toe. “ . . . are still wearing striped socks.”
“Life’s too short to wear boring socks,” he responded poetically with a dramatic wave of his hand. “Oh, whoa, who’s got that flowery perfume?”
Mariah laughed. “That’s Tegan’s lavender-and-lilac shampoo. Her mom made it. We’ve all gone nose-blind to it, though.”
“Your mom makes shampoos?” Tony asked.
“It’s her hobby,” Tegan said, blushing slightly. “She crafts handmade soaps and bath bombs, too.”
Tony smiled. “Handy.”
By this time the others had noticed Tony and greeted him warmly. “So you’re driving all the way to Cali today?” Tony asked as they piled food onto their plates.
Tegan got some syrup for her waffles. “That was the plan, but we’re off to a late start. We’ll be staying in Vegas for the night instead.”
Tony’s eyebrows rose. “We may as well be traveling together—I was planning on stopping at Vegas for dinner, but I’ll be continuing through the night. Maybe I’ll see you guys there.”
Tegan smiled. “In a city like that, the chances are slim. But who knows. It sure would be cool if we did.”
The five and Tony checked out after breakfast. Tony shook hands with each of them as they stood in the parking lot under the blazing sun. “It was a pleasure meeting you guys,” he said with a slight bow. “Take care, you hear?”
Jag grinned. “You too, Tony. Thanks again for helping out yesterday.”
“Anytime. Hopefully this won’t be the last time we talk, you guys seem like a really great bunch.” Tony smiled amiably at the five one last time before getting into his car and slowly driving off the premises.
The five watched until the SUV was out of sight. Kody sighed. “Such a shame to meet someone like that, only to never see him again.”
“Yeah . . . ” Jag slid into the driver’s seat of the Jeep. “Come on, we really need to get going. We were supposed to be in Vegas by noon, but that’s not happening now.”
“We needed the sleep,” Kody said as they quickly clambered into the vehicle; Tegan sat beside Jag, and Aari and Kody on either side of Mariah in the back. “Matter of fact, I
still
feel like I need to grab a catnap.”
Aari rested his head against the window. “Judging by the bags under everyone’s eyes, I’m guessing the feeling’s mutual.”
Jag pulled out of the parking lot. “Sleep, then.”