The farmhouse was silent. The clock ticked faintly on the mantle, and the air felt heavier, as if the walls themselves were bracing for what came next.
Shay, Alena, and Grandma Shay sat at the dining table.
"Shay and Alena, I just want to tell you both that by the end of today, you will have all your questions answered. I want to wait until this evening. Everyone will know why they are here, what is really going on, and how important the two of you are to the whole situation."
"Why do we have to wait? There are too many things that don't make sense. What's going on Grandma?"
"Shay, please trust me and be patient until this evening. Can you do that for me?"
"I trust you. Alena and I both need to know as soon as possible. This is just chaos."
"I promise tonight you will understand. But right now, we need to fix breakfast for everyone and then rescue Uncle Ted and the others at the hospital," said Grandma Shay, as she turned and walked toward the kitchen. Shay and Alena followed her to help.
When the house filled with the aroma of bacon, eggs, and fresh coffee, everyone was up and about. After breakfast, the hospital rescue plan was finalized.
"Mitch, is everyone ready to go? It's almost 10 am," said Grandma Shay.
"Yes dear," said Grandpa Mitch while double-checking the sleek disruptor at his side. "We need to move before they re-establish control."
"Hospital security won't hold for long," Markey added, adjusting the strap on his disruptor.
"The longer we wait, the higher the risk," said Drake.
Alena, perched at the edge of the couch, looked up suddenly. "I'm coming with you."
"No," said Drake.
"She's right," Shay interjected. "I should go too."
"Absolutely not." Drake's voice was firm, but Grandma Shay's silence said more. He turned to her. "They're not ready for this," he said.
"They're ready enough," Grandma replied finally, her tone calm but absolute. "We don't need them for the fight, we need them for the distraction."
Shay straightened, surprised by the sudden trust. "What do you mean distraction?"
Grandpa Mitch stepped forward, holding up a hospital visitor badge, worn and yellowed. "They won't be expecting two young women. Walk in like you belong. Act like family. It'll give us cover while we move Uncle Ted."
"What if we mess it up," said Alena.
"You won't," said Grandma. "You're there to look… normal. That's all. Calm. Quiet. If something feels wrong, you have all of them to back you up." Grandma pointed to Grandpa Mitch, Markey, Macie, and Drake. "So, you two will be safe."
Shay looked at Alena. "We can do this."
Drake didn't argue again, but the tension in his shoulders said enough. He handed Shay an Alena a sleek device, its size no larger than a pocket lighter. "Emergency pulse. One push, and it'll get us out. Use it only if you have to."
"Got it," said Shay and Alena while slipping them into her pockets.
"Let's go, Markey's waiting on us outside," said Macie.
The SUV rolled down the empty road toward the hospital. Shay stared out the window. It felt strange, almost normal, as if they were on their way to do errands. But the tension inside the van told a different story.
Shay glanced over at Alena, who sat beside her. She was holding a paperback book she'd grabbed off a shelf.
"You're not reading that," Shay said quietly.
"No," Alena muttered. "It just helps calm my nerves."
Ahead of them, Drake sat silently in the passenger seat, eyes fixed on the road. Markey drove, his hands steady on the wheel. Every so often, he would glance into the rearview mirror, checking the group without saying a word.
From the far back seat, Grandpa Mitch broke the silence. "This place we're walking into—don't let the quiet fool you. Silence means they're watching."
"Good pep talk," Alena mumbled, not looking up.
Drake turned slightly, his gaze meeting Shay's. "Stay close. Don't wander off for anything. If we tell you to move, you move. No questions. Got it?"
Shay didn't look away. "We're not kids, Drake."
"No," he replied simply. "But you're not…"
The hospital came into view.
"Ten minutes," said Markey, pulling into an alley along the side of the building.
The SUV door opened, and the faint morning breeze met their faces as Markey, Drake, Grandpa Mitch, Shay, and Alena stepped out of the van. Macie got into the driver's seat.
"Drake and Markey, once we're inside, stay out of sight until I signal.
"Act normal," Drake reminded them. "No one will look twice at two worried granddaughters visiting their uncle."
Drake's hand landed briefly on Shay's shoulder, surprising her. "Be smart. Don't play hero."
"Got it," said Shay.
Shay and Alena entered the hospital. Grandpa Mitch, Drake and Markey planned to enter five minutes later, and they would meet up with Shay and Alena soon after in Uncle Ted's room in the ICU.
Alena stood beside Shay. "You ever notice these places smell the same?" asked Alena.
Shay inhaled deeply, a sharp antiseptic with an undercurrent of still air, and exhaled. "Yeah. I hate it."
"Let's get the show on the road," Alena whispered.
They walked toward the entrance, shoulders hunched slightly, heads down just enough to look unsure.
Shay's stomach twisted as the automatic doors slid open with a groan. Inside, the lobby was almost empty, and the air felt colder now.
A security guard sat behind the desk, his face blank, staring straight ahead as if he hadn't noticed them. Shay stepped forward with practiced hesitance.
"Excuse me," said Shay, her voice wavering just enough to sell the act. "We're looking for our uncle. Ted Tanner? ICU?"
The guard blinked slowly, as if processing her words through a haze. Finally, he pointed down the hallway to the right. "Second floor. Follow the signs."
"Thank you," said Shay.
Shay grabbed Alena's arm, steering her toward the elevator down the hallway. The guard didn't follow them with his eyes. He just… stared straight ahead.
"Is it me," Alena whispered as they walked, "or does he not look real?"
"Not just you," Shay replied, her voice low. "Let's keep moving."
Shay glanced over her shoulder once, twice, but the security guard hadn't moved. He was still staring blankly at nothing.
"Second floor," Alena muttered, more to herself than Shay. She clutched the paperback tighter to calm herself.
Shay pushed the elevator button, its faint ding far too loud in the silence. The doors slid open with a mechanical groan, and the girls stepped inside.
"Please don't play the elevator music," whispered Alena. On cue, the elevator music started. Shay rolled her eyes, then Alena rolled her eyes. They both chuckled at the whole situation.
The elevator door opened to the second floor. As they walked toward the ICU, they both looked at each other and shared a moment of discomfort, like they were in an old sci-fi horror story.
"ICU's that way," said Shay, pointing to a small sign on the wall. As they moved down the hall, Shay's steps faltered when they passed a nurse's station. The three nurses on duty never looked at them as they passed unnoticed.
Shay grabbed Alena's sleeve. "Don't look," she whispered.
"I wasn't planning on it," said Alena.
The sign for the ICU came into view: large, block letters above double doors. The sound of beeping monitors was what they heard as they walked down the hall looking for Uncle Ted's room.
"This is it," Shay breathed. "You ready?"
"No," Alena said honestly. "But let's do it anyway."
Shay pushed the door open slowly. When they entered Uncle Ted's room, he was plugged into many machines with occasional beeps.
"Aunt Martha, Bob Barkson, Dr. Roy Rolls… I'm glad you're here," said Shay.
"Alena, Shay, I'm glad you come to visit." said Aunt Martha.
Alena let out a small sigh of relief. "He's alive."
Shay moved closer, pausing at the foot of the bed. "Uncle Ted?" she whispered.
His eyelids fluttered, a faint groan escaping his lips. His head turned slightly toward them, he was caught between sleep and waking, but his eyes never opened.
"Uncle Ted?" Alena repeated softly. "It's us, Shay and Alena."
"Drake, Markey, and Grandpa Mitch are supposed to come in and grab him, right?" Alena asked, her voice barely audible.
"That was the plan," Shay replied, glancing nervously toward the door. "But where are they?"
Shay heard footsteps coming closer to their room. Shay pulled the sleek emergency pulse device from her pocket, her thumb resting on the side of the button.
"Drake," said Shay softly under her breath. "Now would be a great time."
The footsteps grew louder. Alena shifted nervously, her fingers tightening around her paperback as if she could throw it at whoever was coming through the door.
The door slowly opened, and both girls turned, shoulders stiff with tension.
Instead of Drake, a nurse stepped inside. "Only two visitors at a time are allowed," the nurse said, her voice flat.
"Sorry," Shay stammered, trying to keep her tone steady.
"Only two visitors at a time are allowed," the nurse repeated, stepping closer.
Shay's hand tightened around the device in her pocket. Her other hand found Alena's wrist, pulling her subtly backward toward Uncle Ted's bed.
"Something's wrong with her," said Alena under her breath.
The nurse stepped closer, her movements jerky and unnatural. This wasn't just strange, it was wrong.
"What's wrong with her?" asked Aunt Martha, barely audible."
Before Alena could answer, she heard another set of footsteps moving faster and heavier toward their room.
"Please be Drake," mumbled Shay.
Drake appeared when he opened the door. "Move!" He raised his rod, sending a pulse of energy that slammed into the nurse, and she collapsed to the floor.
Grandpa Mitch and Markey followed Drake in, his disruptor already scanning the room. "Get Uncle Ted. Now," commanded Grandpa Mitch.
"About time," muttered Shay, stepping aside as Drake rushed past her to Uncle Ted's bedside. He moved quickly, unclipping the wires and tubes with precise motions.
"What's going on?" asked Bob Barkson, a friend of the Tanner family.
"No time to explain, but if you want to live, follow us now," said Drake.
"Did you hurt… kill her?" asked Dr. Roy Rolls, Dr. Broke's friend.
"No, but there's no time to explain," said Drake.
"Why does everyone here act robotic?" asked Alena, her voice shaking.
"They're not acting. Will explain later," said Drake while hoisting Uncle Ted over his shoulder with a grunt.
"You shouldn't be getting him out of the bed," said Aunt Martha, raising her voice.
"Trust me, Aunt Martha. We're here to save him and all of you here with him," said Alena.
"Not the time for a lecture. Move!" said Drake, cutting through the tension.
The group opened the door and entered the hallway. Ted's weight looked effortless on Drake's shoulder, but Shay could see the tension in his face.
"What now?" Alena asked, glancing nervously down both ends of the hall.
"The elevator's a no-go," said Grandpa Mitch. "We take the stairs."
Markey led the group. They turned the corner just as the faint sound of alarms blared from the ICU.
"They know we're here," said Markey.
Shay's pulse raised as they sprinted toward the stairwell, the tension in her chest tightening with every echoing alarm. Alena stayed close, her face pale but focused.
"We're almost out," said Drake, his voice strained under Ted's weight. "Keep moving!"
The stairwell doors were just twenty feet ahead, but another sound made Shay's blood run cold… footsteps pounding down the stairs from above.
"They're coming down," Alena breathed.
"Everyone move faster," whispered Drake.
Markey was the first to the bottom of the stairs. He opened the door, Macie pulled up in the SUV to pick everyone up and get on the road. Markey had texted her two minutes earlier. Markey opened the van doors.
"Hurry, get in quickly," ordered Markey. Within one minute, they were all in the SUV.
"Hit it, Macie. Go!" commanded Drake.
"I've blocked their tracking on us," said Grandpa Mitch. "Macie, one mile ahead on the right side there will be a gravel road, turn there, then in a half mile you will see a barn. It will open automatically when you trigger and underground pressure point. Pull in and stop. Hurry, we need to get there fast."
"Got it. Everyone hold on," said Macie. Up ahead, one mile, she turned right and then a half mile later turn straight for the barn and it opened. Macie drove in and stopped.
"Listen everyone. I don't have time to explain everything. I just want everyone to sit still and close your eyes and not open them until I tell you. Understood?" asked Grandpa Mitch.
Everyone in unison responded, "Understood."
"Okay, three, two, one… now!" said Grandpa Mitch.
The air shifted, like static crackling before a storm. Shay felt woozy, lightheaded for a split second, and then everything was still again.
"Okay, everyone, open your eyes," said Grandpa Mitch.
Shay opened her eyes and didn't know where she was. Everyone was still sitting in the SUV, but had been transported to another location. Shay looked around her until she met Drake's eyes.
"Everyone is safe now. I'll explain after…" said Drake.
Shay interrupted him. "What the hell! Where are we? Drake, enough! I want answers now," she demanded.
"Let me save his life first," said Drake, as he picked up Uncle Ted and carried him to the next room.
"Ah, yes, of course," said Shay. What the hell is going on? I need a drink! Where is Grandma Shay? It's time for everything to be explained.
Shay noted in her Next! Notebook… "August 11, 2024, 11:26 am. Hospital Rescue… What the hell just happened? Where's Grandma? Where's the truth? I want answers. And coffee. Or something stronger! Actually I want…"