Help Me

Epilogue

A week had passed since Andy and Nathan had run into the police station, blubbering like two dumbfounded fools. Everyone in the building had rushed to the clinic. Samples were collected, bodies moved across the square to the morgue. Andy and Nathan’s parents had been called to collect their traumatized children and the Reids got a call they’d never expected to get. When they arrived at the station, Mrs. Reid had glared accusingly at the two boys through tear-stained eyes. Mackenzie Gray wrapped the two boys in a tight embrace and glared back. 

Now the reports had been filed, the clinic shut down, and the investigation was done. All that was left to do was bury the dead. Glancing around at the mass of people, Nathan figured the whole town had come to pay their respects. Some of them he didn’t recognize, out-of-towners probably. He fidgeted next to his mother, who for once didn’t scold him. There were tears in her eyes as she listened intently to the preacher describing how great they had been. Nathan himself hadn’t been able to find the tears since the day they’d died. 

The police had blamed the entire fiasco on Dr. Thomas. They were saying he’d kidnapped children for the fun of it and killed them when he was bored. Few people knew the truth about the werewolves, even though they were burying one this very day. Thoughts of Elizabeth flooded his brain and reminded him that another experiment, one of his best friends, was still missing. Dr. Thomas had said she’d run off, but he wasn’t sure if he believed that. 

“In times of trouble and sorrow, we are encouraged to band together for the sake of each other,” the preacher was concluding, “This is a strong town, but it has lost three of its own. We take hope, though, in the fact that one day we will see them again in Heaven.”

Nathan’s searching gaze found Andy. To his surprise, Andy was staring at him. They locked gazes for a second, speaking through their eyes. Worry clouded Andy’s face, but there was also pain that was mirrored on Nathan’s own. They’d just lost their best friend, their brother, and now they would have to cope. 

Now the tears came, falling as freely as a waterfall. As people began to shift and move about, he made his way over to Mrs. Reid, who was standing as still and cold as a statue next to her husband. What was it, he wondered, that had drawn them all together? So many different personalities, ideals, secrets. Yet, the three families had stuck together through it all. 

He opened his mouth to apologize, but she cut him off with a glare, “What do you want? Can’t you see I’ve just lost my son? And now you dare speak to me, when it was you who led him to his death. What nerve have you?”

“I’m sorry,” was all Nathan could say. Then he returned to his parents’ side. 

“Are you okay?” his mother asked, running her hand through his hair.

“Is anybody?” he replied.

She sighed, “No, but we’ll get through it. We always do.”

Nathan nodded solemnly. It was going to hurt for while and he was going to grieve. Maybe he would never get over the fact that it was his fault his friend was dead, but he would still march on for everyone else’s sake. 

He stuffed his hands in his jacket, feeling the crisp edge of paper. He’d gotten the letter a few days after everything happened. There was no name or return address on it, and at first he hadn’t wanted to open it. But curiosity had won out and he’d ripped it open, devouring the words on the single sheet of paper. It said that what had happened here wasn’t the end of it. There were others, not just werewolves, but more species. The writer warned him that he was different, too, and a new generation of what they called “Specials” had begun to awaken. 

He wasn’t sure what to think, but there was one thing he knew for sure: he was going to find Suzie Blake and together, with Andy, they would figure things out. They always did.