Jackson Humes is Not a Superhero

CHAPTER THIRTY

Accidental Psychotropic Chemical Spill Leads to Mass Hallucination in Stanley. That was the main headline on the local news. As soon as Josh had received Diego's email he began monitoring the events in Stanley. When he caught wind of the numerous and odd 911 emergency calls he sprang into action by cutting our town off from all online communication and dispatched the military.

During a press conference held later that evening, a military official explained that two escaped convicts had opened fire on a military vehicle transporting a top-secret and highly volatile substance. The vehicle had crashed causing the volatile substance to go airborne, affecting hundreds of innocent civilians within the area. Although the effects were said to be temporary, an emergency tent was setup near the hospital to treat those who believed they were still suffering from hallucinations. Over the next couple of days a surprising number of people went in to get treated.

Only one image of the event was released to the public. It showed a military vehicle on its side with several yellow canisters with the international sign for danger stamped on the sides. Josh had staged the image carefully and had used Diego and his telekinetic skills to carefully overturn one of their transports in an alley close to the football field.

The few people who had taken video of the events had their cell phones confiscated as part of the investigation. When the phones were returned, the footage had been completely wiped clean. It should have been worldwide news but it barely received a passing mention on most news sites. Those who reported it did so with a smirk and a wink, making it obvious that they weren't taking reports of flying men and a giant spider too seriously.

There were a few dissenters. Among the most vocal was MaryAnn who swore up and down to anyone that would listen that the military was lying and that her dear brother had been killed by a giant tarantula. But the majority of the people seemed like they wanted to forget the entire ordeal. 

Although dozens of people ended up being taken to the hospital, no one had been seriously injured. Only the councilman, the pilot of the helicopter, Doctor Norman, and his two goons had perished. The one bit of truth that had come out of the whole ordeal was that the two men were indeed escaped convicts who had been trying to make their way south. Josh assumed that at some point Doctor Norman must have stumbled upon them and given them an offer that they couldn't refuse. They were using the men as an alibi for Tanner's disappearance.

All charges were dropped against Alex when Jesse and I gave statements to the police about his innocence. Tracy Banks' parents made a huge stink about it and threatened to sue the entire police department, but Candice's account was discredited after it was revealed that she had asked Alex out on a date and he had turned her down.

                                   *    *    *

After my shift was over, I joined Amy and Caleb at their table. I pulled the straw out of my iced tea, dried it off on my shirt, and shoved it under my cast scratching the spot that had been itching like crazy for the last five minutes. The instant relief was definitely worth the risk of potential infection that the doctor had warned me about.

"You know you shouldn't be doing that," Amy said, crinkling her nose. "If your aunt sees you she's going to have a fit."

My aunt was behind the counter taking a customer's order. She appeared to have aged several years in the last five days. She blamed herself for Tanner's disappearance and had spent almost every waking minute of the first seventy-two hours searching for him. On the fourth day I finally convinced her to get some sleep and go back to work. I wanted to tell her that Tanner was most likely not in the country, but it was agreed by everyone who knew the truth that I should keep her in the dark. I still wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do and found myself overcome by guilt about fifteen times a day. Diego and another agent had left for the location in Canada where Officer Velasquez had traced his phone, but we hadn't heard anything from them yet.