Chapter 2

The title read, "Mass Casualty at the Test Site. 43 Confirmed Dead at Redmont High School".

The article was published 30 minutes ago.

My fingers began to tremble. I scrolled down, but the crime scene photos were heavily blurred, showing nothing more than yellow police tape and white body bags.

43 people.

Excluding me, there were exactly 43 people in that room.

"How…" My voice seized up, barely a whisper. "How did they die?"

Isaac said nothing. He reached for my phone and pressed the power button. Then he rolled down the window and hurled it outside.

"What are you doing?" I yelled.

"That thing can track us through phones," Isaac replied. "From now on, no phones."

I stared him down. "How do you know all this? What the hell are we running from?"

Isaac went quiet for a few seconds before speaking up. "I can't tell you. You'll understand once we reach Mount Aethel."

"What?"

"I can't say it out loud." He turned to me, his eyes full of conflicted emotion. "You have to figure it out yourself."

"Figure what out?" I asked.

He didn't answer.

The low-fuel warning light buzzed to life on the dashboard.

Swearing under his breath, Isaac pulled the SUV into a roadside gas station. "I'm grabbing food and water. Stay in the car. Don't step foot outside."

He opened the car door, then glanced back at me. "No matter who knocks, do not open the door."

The station was lit by a yellow glow that cast long shadows across the convenience store front.

As I watched his retreating back, a knot of dread tightened in my gut.

Before Isaac threw my phone away, I hadn't even checked if my parents had messaged me. If they realized I was missing, they'd be out of their minds with worry.

Two minutes later, something rapped against the window.

I jerked my head toward the noise.

Another Isaac was standing outside, his pale face reflected in the glass. "Trevon… get out of the car, quick!"

His uniform was stained and torn. "The guy who was driving is a fake! I've been tailing you two this whole way just to catch up!"

What?

My heart hammered against my ribs.

He looked frantic. "Come with me! It's coming back! Did it throw your phone away? Everyone's looking for you—"

"Don't move!"

The other Isaac stepped into the yellow light with a plastic bag in hand. "Trevon! Don't open the door! Don't listen to a single word he says!"

My mind reeled. The two Isaacs had the same voice, identical faces, and even the exact same manner of speaking I remembered.

"Trevon!" The Isaac outside the window yanked out a phone. "Look! Your parents have been calling me nonstop! They can't get hold of you! We need to go!"

I glanced at his screen. Missed calls from "Mr. Pace" and "Mrs. Pace" glowed bright red, timestamped around the time I got into the SUV.

"I'll go with you. Just tell me what our secret phrase is," I said.

The figure behind the glass froze. The panic melted off its face, replaced by a slow, grotesque smile.

"Damn it. So close."

Terror spiked through me. I lunged into the driver's seat and slammed the gas pedal to the floor in reverse.

The SUV bucked with a heavy thud as it ran over the thing standing by the door. I jerked the wheel, whipping the car around to pull up right beside the real Isaac.

Isaac jumped into the car with a plastic bag in hand, still shaken.

Cold sweat poured down my neck. I felt like throwing up.

What the hell was that thing? How did it look exactly like Isaac?

The engine roared as I floored it out of the gas station. I caught a glimpse of the rearview mirror.

The other Isaac was sprawled on the pavement, its bones snapping and popping as if being dismantled and reassembled.

Drenched in dark blood, it pushed itself up joint by joint. Its head twisted a full 180 degrees to lock its gaze onto me.

I slammed my foot down even harder.

Beside me, the real Isaac was breathing heavily, clutching his arm. In my mad dash to hit the gas, he had barely made it inside before the car took off.

"What was that thing?" My voice shook violently.

"I can't say," Isaac replied. "But it can take the form of anyone."

"Anyone?"

"Anyone." He glanced at me. "Your parents, me, yourself, anyone you trust."

My hands were slippery with sweat on the steering wheel.

We drove straight to the train station.

Since our driving route was already compromised, we had no choice but to ditch the car and take the train.

The waiting hall was mostly empty. Isaac and I crouched in a quiet corner, scanning every face that passed by.