Free Paladin Prophecy 2: Alliance by Mark Frost

the cops had him cooped up in some kind of secret medical lockdown unit in the medical center, and now he’s on the loose—”
    “ That’s who we saw?” asked Brooke, her eyes opening wide.
    Will nodded grimly.
    “Wait, you saw Lyle?” asked Elise.
    “A glimpse of him,” said Will. “Near the medical center. He went out through the windows. From his room on the fourth floor.”
    Brooke drew back, wrapped her arms around herself, turning pale. “There goes six months of therapy,” she said.
    “Don’t worry, kid,” said Nick, putting an arm around her shoulder. “We’re not letting that bubonic meatbag anywhere near you.”
    “There’ve been many rumors about Lyle floating around, Will,” said Ajay, looking around the table. “So this is why he wasn’t in the hoosegow with the rest of his hooligans.”
    “Dude, I’d heard Lyle had pretty much turned into a zucchini,” said Nick.
    “From what I saw happen to him last year, that wouldn’t surprise me,” said Will. “The wendigo zombified him—not an exact medical term, but I don’t know how else to put it.”
    “So how does a ‘zombie zucchini’ survive a four-story drop?” asked Elise dryly.
    “Good question,” said Will. “I snuck in and saw a security video of him making the jump. Lyle didn’t exactly … seem like himself.”
    “What does that mean?” asked Nick.
    “He wakes from a seven-month coma,” said Will, “and Lyle’s first move is to smash through reinforced glass, jump fifty feet to the ground, and head out for a jog.”
    “Sounds like you, ” said Elise as she elbowed Nick.
    “Yeah, practically my morning routine,” said Nick.
    “He seems even less human than before,” said Will. “For instance, he got taller. By a lot.”
    “Okay, that’s unusual,” said Nick.
    “So what should we do about it?” asked Ajay.
    “Look, the cops are going to be all over this,” said Elise, glancing at Brooke. “I don’t think any of us have too much to worry about.”
    “But don’t forget Lyle had abilities, too,” said Will. “He can influence minds, attack people psychically. His powers were stronger than all of ours before he got whacked. And there’s no telling what they’ve been jacked up into by what he’s gone through since then.”
    Will made a mental note to ask Coach Jericho, What happens to surviving victims of a wendigo?
    “If you’re deliberately trying to freak me out,” said Brooke, wrapping her arms around her drawn-up knees, “brilliant job.”
    “That’s not what I’m trying to do—”
    “You keep forgetting, Will,” she continued, “I don’t have any abilities like you all do. None I can use against the creep who kidnapped me, anyway.”
    “No sweat, Brooksie, we got your back,” said Nick kind of tenderly, putting an arm around her.
    That’s what I should have said, thought Will, kicking himself. And done.
    Then Nick spoiled it by lifting Brooke from her chair with one hand, popping a biceps, and saying, “Check those guns at the door.”
    Brooke swatted him away. As Nick put her back down, Will got up from the table and paced around.
    “I think Elise is right,” said Will. “We let the police and the school handle Lyle. Maybe that gives us the cover we need to work our own investigation. And our first order of business is getting back down into those tunnels to find the key to Nepsted’s cage.”
    “Dude, let’s go tonight, right now!” said Nick, jumping up and pounding on the table. “What’s stopping us?”
    “You mean, aside from how stupid and suicidal that would be?” asked Elise.
    “This will require extensive preparations, Will,” said Ajay. “We need equipment, resources, and most importantly an excellent plan. ”
    “Working on it,” said Will.
    “I like it!” said Nick, pointing at Will and hitting the table.
    “Where do we start?” asked Elise.
    “The tunnels under the island,” said Will, glancing at Brooke as well.
    “The island in Lake