Free Paranoia (The Night Walkers) by J. R. Johansson Page B

enough.”
    “Again … what do they want from him?” I was tired, scared for my dad, and getting really tired of repeating myself.
    Jack leaned over and rested his forehead on the smooth wood of my desk, as if every piece of energy that kept him upright and animated had been sucked out by me asking the question again. “They want him to keep them alive—for a long, long time.”
    The bag slipped out of my hand and I barely caught it before all the contents fell out again. “W-what?”
    Jack sat up straight and pivoted his chair toward me. “It’s a complicated brain chemistry thing that I’m not even sure I understand, but here’s the general idea. Your dad is a chemistry genius. The Takers want him to make them a magic drug that will let them take over Dreamers’ bodies long-term. We aren’t sure exactly how long, but from what I understand it could be indefinite. They call the drug Eclipse. In theory, it would allow a Taker’s body to rest in perfect health for a much longer time period without moving or eating, which enables the Taker to just stay in the body and brain of a Dreamer. They’ll run the Dreamer’s body into the ground, the same way they do now, but when the body finally dies of sleep deprivation, the Taker will just switch to a new one. If your dad gets the formula right, Eclipse could enable Takers to survive—possessing bodies and never technically sleeping—for at least a normal human lifespan, maybe even longer.”
    I slouched down on my bed, trying to comprehend what I was hearing. “Are the Takers all crazy?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why would they think he could make this drug? It’s not even possible … is it?”
    “Before he left your family, he was working on a drug to help the rebellion, to make Takers more like Watchers. He wanted to find a way to make them sleep somehow, so they could survive. He thought that if they could live longer by using his drug, then the rebellion could use it to get the Takers under control and stop the fighting. Instead, he ended up creating the prototype for Eclipse. His plan backfired, big time. The drug had major problems and wasn’t safe, but still, the Takers were enthralled by the potential of what it could become. Your dad ran because they wanted him to keep working on it, trying to fix it.” Jack shrugged. “Who knows if he can? But it doesn’t matter because they think he can, and as long as they think he can, they need him alive.”
    Nodding, I didn’t move. My entire world had turned upside down in under twenty-four hours and I felt like I was still trying to shake it around to make everything fall into place. Exhaustion pinned me down and every movement felt like a struggle. I missed Mia’s dreams and real sleep. I missed Finn and his ability to make everything seem more manageable.
    I missed Addie—how everything about her made me believe I could handle anything.
    “What else haven’t you told me?”
    Jack turned in the chair and seemed very interested in a picture of Finn and me on the soccer team. “I told you everything I think I can trust you with—that’s all I can do for now.”
    “You don’t trust me?” I was oddly offended by this.
    His head spun toward me and he squinted. “Can you think of a reason I should?”
    “I can’t think of a reason you shouldn’t.”
    “The way I see it, you don’t trust people until they earn your trust.” Jack leaned forward and stared hard at me. “And for now, the simple fact that you’re Divided is all the reason I need not to trust you completely.” He scoffed, then muttered, “Hell, you don’t even trust you completely.”
    I closed my mouth on any response I might have had. I didn’t like it, but he had a point.
    Jack picked up the camcorder from my desk, pushed a few buttons, and pointed it at the bed. I’d forgotten to check it when we got home, but I didn’t need to. I knew what it would show, and I really didn’t want to see Darkness controlling my body again. I’d