Tainted: Book Two - Coerced

6. Appa-where?

Kerry

"How fast can you get a team together, boy?"

"Huh?"

I wiped the sleep from my eyes with one hand while I held the front door open with the other. I blinked a couple of times, but Clem's wrinkled old self was still standing on my front porch at the butt crack of dawn.

Guess I ain't having a nightmare.

"I need a team to kill something in the mountains of Appalachia," he shot out. "You're going to lead it. I already cleared it with Hank. Grab your go bag, get a team together ASAP, and meet me at the bus stop by the library. We leave in twenty."

"Wait. What?" I yawned. "Appa-where?"

"Appalachia. North Carolina, to be specific." He started to walk away. "Now get moving."

"What's a go bag?" I called after him.

He spun around, glared at me, and stomped back.

"What's Hank been teaching you all this time?" He came in and headed toward my room.

"Well, we started with how to pee in the pot." I rubbed a hand over my stubbly jaw and followed him. "Then we moved on to how to shower and shave."

He stopped so quick, I almost walked into him.

"Sorry, son. I sometimes forget what you're dealing with."

"Just show me what a go bag is."

Anyone can tell you I am not a morning person, but adrenaline kicked in and I was suddenly wide awake.

"Call your team and get them in motion while we pack." He gave me a wolf-like grin. "Unless you're as chicken as everyone right now and don't want to step foot in the Real World."

I drew my shoulders back, pride stiffening my spine.

"I fear one thing, old man, and it ain't the Real World. How many can I bring?"

"I don't care. A dozen is probably too many. And I'm curious now. What's the one thing?"

"I don't even know a dozen people," I scoffed. "And the one thing ain't none of your business."

"Then as many as you do know and want to come along. Not Kyo Yumi, though. He's too young." He shook his head. "I hope you're ready for this."

"Ready to do something, anyway." I yawned again, stretched, and flattened my palms on the ceiling. " 'M tired of just going to class. 'S boring! I ain't used to so much down time."

"I understand that. And, well, Hank and I think you'd better disappear for a while after that incident with the Fanishell kid the other day."

"That was not my fault." Just hearing his name made me mad, and my skin glittered blue.

"I know. Calm down. I know it wasn't. But as I'm sure Hank told you, several wardens on the Council see you as too dangerous to be at the Sanctuary, let alone go to school. We want to get you out of sight for a while until you're out of their minds."

"You and Hank can play politics all you want." I shrugged. "I just wanna hunt something down and kill it."

"Well, then, get on the horn to your friends."

"Horn? What horn?"

"Never mind! Just call them!" His voice sounded strangled. "And tell them to pack for hiking in snow."

I shook my head, grabbed my phone from the nightstand, and did as I was told. Meanwhile, he found a duffel bag in my closet and stuffed it with clothes.