We Shall Be Monsters Read online

  Anika ran her fingers over the book before stuffing it under her seat.

  Time to figure out the next step. Pankina had a way to control the alligators. Anika knew someone else with the same ability. Perhaps her scar-faced friend could override Pankina’s mind control. “Turn here.”

  Jackie swerved her car around the corner. “The park? Now?”

  “Yes.” The gator was her best shot.

  Jackie handed her a bag. “Hawking said to give you these.”

  Anika peeked inside. A dozen single-colored objects were piled under a tiny vial with a spritzer on the end. She placed the vial into her pocket and dumped the rest into her backpack. “We’re going to try a little experiment.”

  “What did they cook up?”

  Anika stared at the road. She felt awful, but now wasn’t the time to go into it. The clock was ticking, and Anika’s stomach lurched. Solve the next thing.

  “You aren’t going to tell me?”

  “I’m sorry, Jackie. They made me promise.”

  “Fine.” Jackie flipped non-existent hair over her shoulder and swerved one-handed around the next corner. She sniffed twice, blinking her eyes, which were not aimed at the road at all.

  Billie was with Sasha and Hawking, searching Sasha’s parents’ belongings for clues to narrow down the color her father might not be able to see with the spritz. It was a long shot, but at least they weren’t in immediate danger.

  Honestly, Anika didn’t think it was even possible, but she’d seen more bizarre things. If Anika could sneak into the lab one more time and plant her mother’s device, she could leave town for good. Billie was making preparations with Linh’s help, so they would be untraceable.

  Two of the Mistys would create false leads in separate directions. Hopefully, Ms. Bolton would run as well, creating another trail to follow. Maybe they’d get away long enough. Maybe her father would resort to Macy or Margery as a backup. Maybe her father had other children waiting in the wings.

  One of them would have to die to rid the world of Darik Dravovitch.

  Anika stood in the middle of the park where they’d tried to ambush the gator and its minions. The stupid gator had eyes everywhere. It would show up. It was probably expecting her. Still, if Linh couldn’t make it work, the plan was pointless.

  The shrubbery rustled. The alligator prowled out from the brush and crawled over to her, his jaws a grin.

  “Hi.” She took a deep breath. “A woman has captured four of your alligators. She strapped explosives onto them and is planning on blowing up buildings. Do you understand?”

  Anika studied its eyes. The inner eyelid opened.

  A yes.

  She shivered.

  “Pankina has a way to control them. She is going to kill innocent children.”

  It closed its eyelid, seemingly bored.

  “Do you know where she was keeping them after she got them out of the school basement?”

  It opened its inner eyelid.

  “Can you control them?”

  He stared blankly.

  “Can you ask them to move, or does her control of them overpower yours?”

  He lurched forward and pushed her over with his snout.

  “Hey, what was that for?” She had to stop asking questions the alligator thought was stupid. Dumb smart alligator. Anika wished she could make him speak. It would make this so much easier.

  Anika sat back up. “Can you get them to move to where she’s hiding out?”

  His eyes rolled back in his head and his jaw twitched. Either it planned to eat her, or it was checking in on the other alligators somehow. Whatever those scientists did to this animal, the results were astounding and horrifying.

  He finally nodded and turned.

  “Wait. Don’t tell them to move yet.”

  He ignored her.

  Anika grabbed his snout. “I said wait! She can’t know you’re moving them.”

  He snorted.

  Anika got up and pulled out her phone, dialing Linh.

  “Yo, Anika, dude,” Linh said. That girl was spending way too much time with Billie.

  “Did you do it?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Linh, listen to me carefully. We need to ensure that Pankina thinks the gators are where she left them. The gators are going to move. She can’t know. Understand?”

  “Hmm. An interesting puzzle. I’ll get back to you.”

  “No, Linh. I need you to do it right now.”

  “What? Impossible.”

  “This is going down right now. Every kid in this town is in danger.”

  The alligator growled, tapping his front foot.

  “Fine. I’ll do it.” Linh paused. “Anika, one is at the elementary school.”

  There was an elementary school? Anika never bothered to ask if any of her friends had any snot-nosed younger siblings running around. Was she that bad of a friend? “Where are the others?”

  “The junior high. And the preschool.” Lihn’s voice went wobbly. “Anika, my sister is at the preschool.”

  “Start the loop,” Anika said.

  “This is bad.”

  Anika stared at the alligator. She was boring it, which was probably the worst thing she could do right now.

  “Linh, you let me worry about the alligators, okay? You worry about the signal. Make sure she doesn’t know.”

  Anika heard her fingernails clicking on her keyboard. The girl was multitasking. “Linh?”

  “I got an idea. Tell your friends they can go.”

  Anika sighed. “Linh. I could kiss you.”

  “Ugh. No way.”

  Anika hung up and fell back to the ground. “Okay. I need you to move the gators.”

  He nodded, turning away.

  Anika crouched near his head. “I don’t think those alligators are going to survive. I’m sorry. I don’t know how to save them. Do you understand?”

  It nodded and walked gingerly into the brush. That thing was either going to save her hide or eat her someday. Anika was pretty sure it hadn’t decided which.

  Anika ran toward the car where Jackie was waiting, but Jackie was already driving away. “Jump in!”

  “What?” But Jackie was headed out of the park. Anika changed directions to meet her near the exit. Jackie slowed.

  Anika jumped into the backseat. Jackie gunned it.

  “Pankina’s already called the lab!” Jackie yelled over the whipping wind.

  Anika sucked in a lungful of air. And another. She stared up at the cloudy sky, lying in the backseat, her feet sticking out into the open.

  The laboratory spires came into view as Jackie pulled into the parking lot. Anika sat up, grabbing her backpack. As soon as Jackie stopped, Anika jumped out of the car and ran into the lobby.

  Tony shot to his feet, but he couldn’t quite pull his attention from his screen. “Anika, this isn’t a good time.”

  “I have a way to stop Pankina!” Anika slammed her face into the eye scanner.

  The door opened.

  “What?” Tony followed her inside. “How?”

  Anika ran for the central room. Pankina wanted her father out. Wasn’t that a good thing? Shouldn’t Anika let her plan unfold, now that the kids were out of danger?

  She wasn’t even positive the gators had moved, but it was the only card she had to play.

  She pulled the door open and poked her head inside. Her father, a dozen scientists, guards and techs all stared up at a screen outside of Anika’s view, but she knew the smug face with the hairy lip stared back at them.

  “Dammit, Pankina,” her father said. “What do you want?”

  His eyes flicked to Anika a moment. His fingers waved her back.

  “I want you, Darik.” Pankina’s voice came from a dozen places around the room, causing a strange echo. “I want things back the way they were. You and me versus the world. We did great and terrible things together, and it was glorious.”

  Her father snarled. “You’re crazier th
an I thought. Stop this. Don’t harm the children.”

  “That’s up to you, dear,” she said. “Leave your lab. Leave it all behind. Come away with me.”

  He ran his hand through his wild white mane. “Never!”

  “Well, then it’s up to your employees. A vote. If the majority votes you out, by your own silly rules, then nothing happens to the poor children. But if they don’t… if they stand beside you, ignoring their own progeny…” She waved to something out of sight on the viewscreen. “I will press this little button and send them all to hell.”

  Dravovitch slammed his palm on the desk. “You’re a monster.”

  Anika eased around a machine to peek at the screen. Even at the far angle, Anika could make out Pankina’s smug expression.

  “Oh, come on, Darik.” Her voice oozed like melted sugar as she inspected the others standing around the room. “It’s not like you’re taking care of your little flock, are you? None of you are. They are your little test subjects. I’ve seen it. Don’t pretend you’re innocent.”

  Dravovitch glanced at Anika out of the corner of his eye. “What do you expect them to do?”

  “Pick up your phones and vote. But do nothing else. I’m monitoring the schools. If anyone tries to leave, I’ll end this prematurely.”

  Thirty phones buzzed or played a crappy pop song from a dozen years ago. Dravovitch’s minions flicked their phones and stared at their screens. Anika saw the large Yes and No buttons on the few screens she could see. A simple touch with dire consequences.

  Anika noticed a dozen or so people without a phone out, without a vote.

  Dravovitch turned to a prim man in a suit who flipped through a large book. His eyes widened as he read the page he’d landed on.

  “His lawyer,” Tony whispered, standing behind Anika. “He’s verifying the contracts to see if Pankina can invoke the Exit vote.”

  “Do you have any kids?” Anika asked.

  “Two.”

  The lawyer took a deep breath. “I’m afraid this is within her right.”

  “This is coercion,” her father bellowed. “This can’t hold up, can it?”

  The lawyer hesitated, glancing at the pages in front of him. “I’m afraid so. Your words. You insisted, if I remember correctly. A vote with no precursor. No reason needed. No explanation needed. If your employees did not share your vision, then maybe you were blinded. Your words.”

  Her father gawked at Pankina. “You would kill them? Children?”

  Pankina smirked. “Never stopped you.”

  He turned toward his employees, resting his hands behind his back. “Fine. My friends, if you think I have lost my way or no longer share my vision, then please, vote me out.”

  Anika could end this right now. She could spare these people from having to make such a terrible choice. But maybe things would turn out better for her if Dravovitch were voted out. What would that mean? Would he walk away? Or would he hide out in his laboratory cave and keep his grand scheme the same?

  Anika had no way to know, so in spite of the rage welling up inside her, she let things proceed. If she butted in, she could make things worse for herself.

  Anika leaned against a metal cabinet and met the gaze of each person who stared at her. Most of them glanced away, but a few, and those without phones out, looked to her with hope.

  The choice should be obvious, shouldn’t it?

  Anika wanted to scream. Even in this place, the consequences could not be worse than losing their children. Right?

  The votes poured in, tallied on monitors around the room. The ticker scrolling wildly on one side. It was a landslide. Twenty-two employees voted for the ousting out of the 211 people who got a vote. Only twenty-two voted to save their own kids. Against reason, they chose Dravovitch and his twisted vision. Words scrolled across the screen:

  Motion Failed!

  Pankina slammed her fists on her desk. Spittle flicked onto the camera. “Fools!”

  “Please don’t do this,” her father pled, his hands together in front of him. “I will pay you anything.”

  Pankina stopped pouting and ran her hands through her hair, straightening her curls. “You know what’s the biggest shame? Your precious Anika won’t be around for you to toy with.”

  She held the detonator in her fist. Her fat thumb quivered over the button.

  Anika pulled away from Tony and jumped into the scene. “Wait!”

  Pankina’s shoulders drooped as she focused on Anika. She snarled. “Can’t you ever stay put?”

  “I moved the alligators.” Anika waved her arms. “Don’t do it. I moved them.”

  “Impossible, darling.” Pankina examined other screens. If Linh came through, Pankina was watching video feeds of the schools just as she expected to see.

  “I know you’re hurting,” Anika said. “I can relate, believe me, but this isn’t the answer. I looped the video feeds. Please, walk away.”

  “Child.” Pankina’s face resumed smugness. “You expect me to believe you circumvented my machinations in a single day? I’ve been planning this for years. The gators are mine, you arrogant little…”

  Her gaze fixated on the button.

  A male scientist wept in the corner. Linh’s distraught parents held hands. Claire’s parents held onto each other. Blake’s mom had a thin smile on her lips. A few guards glowered in rage. Anika made eye contact with Misty’s dad, but he glanced away.

  Pankina pressed the button.

  “No!” Anika reached out her hand.

  The screen flashed a brilliant white for an instant, then went black.

  Dravovitch grasped the edge of the desk, waiting for the fallout of Pankina’s twisted plot.

  Anika grabbed the edge of a table. What if Linh hadn’t been successful? What if they were all dead? Anika’s knees went wobbly, and the rumbling in her belly threatened eruption. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see anymore faces. “I moved them.”

  A shock wave hit the lab, shaking the walls, rattling the windows. The sound arrived a few seconds later, a low rumble, like thunder, followed by car alarms. Anika opened her eyes. One boom. Not four. Just one.

  Dravovitch was on her in two wide steps, grabbing her arm. “Where?”

  Anika stared into his face. He wasn’t angry or upset. “I sent them back to her.”

  He pointed at a tech. “I want the drones in the air, now.”

  Some tried to make calls, perhaps to their kids. Hypocrites.

  Dravovitch snapped his fingers. “Get the school on the line.”

  A woman in a rainbow-colored sweater filled the screen. “Mr. Dravovitch. Was that an earthquake?”

  “There was an incident,” he said. “Is your school secure?”

  “Yes. Everything is fine here.”

  Vanderbleek filled the screen. “Sir. What was that?”

  “Is the school secure?” Dravovitch asked.

  Vanderbleek nodded and was replaced by a lady with wild gray hair and thick bottle glasses with bright red lipstick. “Hello.”

  “Is your building secure?”

  “Well, I suppose.”

  “You suppose?”

  “Yes. We’re fine.”

  She was replaced by a man in a suit. “Sir, we’re secure. Every child accounted for.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Simial. False alarm.”

  The screen switched to an aerial view of a 50-foot crater in the swamp, which was filling up with mud and rubble.

  Her father gawked at the screen. “The kids are safe?”

  Anika pulled her arm out of his grasp. “Pankina blew herself up.”

  Dravovitch’s mouth hung open as he gawked at her, a grin forming at the edges. “You did this?”

  Anika leaned awkwardly against a cabinet. “Yes.”

  She ignored the voice in her head telling her she hadn’t done it alone. Linh’s amazing ability and cleverness made it happen. She deserved the credit. Jackie’s insane driving had delivered Anika in time. Her friends hid behind her for
a reason. Good reasons, but it still felt wrong to accept all the credit. A sentient alligator had more claim, sending the other gators to move to Pankina’s location.

  Anika had strange friends.

  The scientists, guards, and techs either nodded toward her or mouthed a thank you. Well, except for Coralynn, who scowled. Both reactions caused Anika’s chest to swell, or whatever that feeling was where you knew people believed in you, knew you were smart, and saved the town. Her father’s smile elated her ego perhaps more than anything. She’d proven herself in his eyes. She was amazing!

  Tony pulled Anika into a bear hug. “Thank you.”

  Anika’s ego crashed into the floor. Was Tony one of the twenty-two that voted yes? If he’d voted no, would there be repercussions? Anika decided she didn’t want to know. She wanted to get out of Moreau and never look back.

  Tony let her go and headed back to his post.

  Dravovitch tugged on his goatee, still grinning.

  “What?” Anika asked.

  He chuckled. “Well, I’d like to know how you pulled that off.”

  Anika’s turn to smile. “I’m sure you would.”

  “Come, come.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Let’s get ice cream and waffles.”

  Apparently, the lab always held waffles and ice cream in reserve for special occasions. By the time they reached the break room, a large woman in a dirty apron was scooping vanilla out of a cardboard tub. Anika had never been slapped on the back so many times in her life as on that short walk down the hall.

  Even Coralynn got in on the action, though Anika suspected it was just to get a smack in. That woman still owed her answers, and Anika would make her pay up. Right after a celebratory dessert, of course.

  Dravovitch was right beside Anika and beamed as his employees thanked her profusely. She’d saved their babies when they were incapable or unwilling to go through with saving them themselves. Anika’s skin crawled. She wanted to shout at them how horrible they all were.

  Instead, she smiled and shoveled dessert into her face. As new people approached, Anika tried to place them with their high school students. Some were easy based on nationality, race, and accents. Misty’s dad sat at the end of the table and nodded to her. How had he voted? Did it matter that he still believed two out of three of his girls were still in Europe?