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| Obadiah: The Wing Clipped Chronicles |
As mysterious fires continue to trouble Baylor City, Antioch sets another plan in motion. Sheriff Spriggs struggles to uncover the truth, while Allen begins connecting disturbing clues. Meanwhile, an unexpected sighting of Colin Mercer could change everything.
The house on Winter Street looked nothing like the abandoned property Antioch and Isis had entered weeks earlier.
Fresh paint covered the walls. New furniture filled the rooms, and sunlight streamed through the tall windows overlooking the quiet neighborhood.
Isis stood in the living room, examining a framed painting above the fireplace.
"I must admit, your Reapers have excellent taste."
Antioch glanced up from the sofa. "Surprised?"
"Considering what they usually do for a living? Very."
He chuckled.
A news anchor's voice interrupted their conversation.
"Authorities are continuing their search for seventeen-year-old Colin Mercer, who remains wanted for questioning in connection with the recent fires in Baylor City."
Colin's photograph appeared on the television screen.
"Sheriff Conrad Spriggs is urging anyone with information about the teenager's whereabouts to contact the department."
Isis turned toward the television. "Our young friend is becoming quite famous."
"Fortunate for us.”
"Perhaps you shouldn't have given him something he couldn't control."
Antioch picked up the remote and switched off the television. "Colin is learning."
"At the expense of half the town?"
Antioch waved a hand. "A few fires hardly amount to half the town."
She laughed. "So what happens to him now?"
"His usefulness is far from over."
"What about the police?”
"They'll have their usefulness."
Isis studied him. "You're planning something."
"Of course."
She shook her head and walked toward the window. "Well, while you're plotting the boy's future, I have an interview to prepare for."
"Baylor High School?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"Are you prepared?"
Isis gave him an offended look. "I've watched civilizations rise and fall. I believe I can manage a room full of teenagers."
"Teaching them is one thing. Controlling them is another."
She smiled. "Children are easy to influence."
"Not all of them."
"I just have to discover which ones are worth the effort."
A door opened behind them.
Colin entered the living room, dressed in dark jeans and a neatly fitted shirt. His hair was freshly cut, and he carried himself with a confidence neither of his parents would have recognized.
Antioch glanced toward him. "Colin. It's time for you to go home."
Colin nodded. "Yes, sir."
He turned and walked out without a backward glance.
Isis watched the door close before looking at Antioch. "You're sending him home?"
Antioch settled back into his chair. A faint smile crossed his face. "The police are looking for him.”
Isis glared at him. “And?”
“This way they will find him.”
___
Sheriff Conrad Spriggs arrived home that evening, tired and frustrated. Despite hours of interviews and reports from the fire department, investigators were no closer to determining what had caused the fires spreading through Baylor City.
Allen was at the kitchen table, working on his homework. His textbooks and notebooks were spread out in front of him, with his phone resting beside his laptop.
"Hey, Dad. Any luck finding Colin?"
"Not a thing. And the fire investigators aren't having much luck either. They still can't explain how those fires started."
"That's weird."
"Tell me about it." Conrad pulled out a chair and sat across from his son. "We spoke to Rachel Abner at the hospital. She's recovering, but she's telling a story I don't know what to make of."
"What kind of story?"
"She says Colin came to her house frightened and exhausted. When she offered to call for help, he panicked. Then she claims she saw someone standing behind him."
"Someone?"
"That's the strange part. She described a tall figure, shaped like a man, but with skin that looked like charcoal. Said its hand was burning."
Allen stopped writing and looked up at his father. "Burning?"
"That's what she said. She remembers the porch light flickering, then feeling intense heat. She insists the fire hadn't started yet."
Allen's thoughts returned to the Community Center. He remembered the shadow in the smoke and Colin walking through the flames as though they couldn't touch him. Then there was the glowing amulet, the one Laric believed was connected to King Manasseh. They had been trying to make sense of it for days, but Rachel's description raised questions neither of them had considered.
"Did she actually see the guy start the fire?" Allen asked.
Sheriff Spriggs shook his head. "She remembers being struck in the head. The doctors found burns near her temple, but that doesn't tell us what caused the fire."
Allen considered telling his father about the video and what he and Laric had witnessed. But what could he say? That Colin had walked through a burning building without getting hurt? That an ancient amulet might have something to do with it? Even he wasn't sure what to believe.
"That is strange," Allen said.
"Strange doesn't begin to describe it." Conrad sighed. "And after everything she's been through, Rachel's still worried about Colin. She thinks the boy needs help."
"Sounds like Miss Abner."
"It does." Conrad looked at his son. "You and Laric haven't heard from Colin since that night, have you?"
"No, we haven't."
"Well, if he contacts either of you, I want to know about it."
"Sure, Dad."
Conrad pushed back his chair and headed upstairs, leaving Allen alone with his thoughts.
Rachel had described something that sounded remarkably like the shadow in the Community Center footage.
Maybe he and Laric needed to take another look at that video.
___
Dr. Cassandra Gregory stepped out of Mrs. Whitmore's house and closed the front door behind her. The elderly patient had been recovering from a respiratory infection, and Cassandra had promised to check on her before heading home.
She was walking toward her car when her phone rang. “Dr. Gregory.”
It was the hospital, calling about a patient scheduled for discharge the following morning. Cassandra listened while searching her purse for her keys.
"That should be fine. I'll write the orders when I get in.”
As she ended the call, a neighbor's dog barking insistently across the street caught her attention.
A young man emerged from the narrow passage between two houses. He kept close to the hedges, his hands tucked into his pockets, and glanced toward the street before continuing down the sidewalk.
Cassandra recognized him almost immediately.
His photograph had been on the evening news, and Rachel's account of what happened at her house was still fresh in Cassandra's mind.
Cassandra watched Colin disappear around the corner before reaching for her phone.
"911. What's your emergency?"
“I'm calling about Colin Mercer. I just saw him.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
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