Part 10 (1/2)
”We lost her in the mob of zombies at the school,” I reported. ”My mom and Jeb need to go back and get her while we deprogram Iggy.”
Total shook his s.h.a.ggy black head. ”Not long after you left, your mom and Jeb disappeared. Nudge and Gazzy didn't even seem to notice they left-both of them are still here.”
”They left? Where did they go?” I asked. ”Did they take the car?”
”That's the weird thing,” said Total. ”They walked out. After a couple minutes, I thought, 'Hey, maybe I should check on 'em,' you know? So I went out. The car's still here, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I even flew around and searched the whole area. It's like a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p picked them up or something.”
I looked into his bright black eyes and saw worry there.
”c.r.a.p,” I said and went inside. In the living room, Nudge and Gazzy were sitting on the couch watching news stories that featured-you guessed it-the Doomsday Group. After one brief mention yesterday, the Doomsday Group now dominated the coverage on every news channel.
”One Light,” Iggy said serenely, reaching toward the TV.
”Okay, we've got to get him back from never-never land,” I said. ”Angel, can you get in his head, sort of do a reset?”
Angel sighed. ”I told you. I've been in his head. It's jumbled up, just like the minds of the rest of those kids at the rally. Everything's a mishmash. I don't even know how to untangle all the weird thoughts.”
”What kind of weird thoughts?” Dylan asked.
”It's more like pictures, like dreams, sort of,” Angel tried to explain. ”But as soon as I try to follow one thing, it slips away.”
”Kill the humans!” Iggy yelled.
”Those kind of weird thoughts, apparently,” I said. ”He's just too way out right now. In the movies, they always throw people in cold showers to make them calm down. Think that'd work?”
Angel gave me a look. ”Max, when has Iggy ever been docile about taking a shower?” She had a point, but it was worth a shot anyway. We didn't exactly have a backup plan.
It wasn't pretty. It took all three of us to get Iggy into the tub and turn on the cold water. Then Iggy went haywire. He bolted like a wild horse and tried to leap out. Dylan and I grabbed him, using all our strength to wrestle him back under the shower.
”What are you doing?” Iggy wailed in a voice I'd never heard before, as if the water were acid. ”What are you doing?”
He seemed terrified, but the three of us fought to hold him under the shower while he thrashed around.
”Stop! Stop!” Iggy yelled, tears running down his cheeks. He was drenched, like the rest of us, his reddish-blond hair flopping to one side. Tiny water droplets clung to his eyelashes, and his cheeks were flushed. ”What's happening?!”
”I don't know!” I shouted.
”You're killing me!” Iggy shrieked, hardly sounding human. He writhed and moaned, wrenching his body back and forth.
”I'm dying!” Iggy wailed, his hands clawing at the side of the tub. ”I'm dying!!”
I was seriously freaked. I mean, all the kids hated taking showers, but I'd never seen anything like this.
Then Iggy suddenly slumped down in the tub, his eyes closed.
”Oh, my G.o.d!” I panicked. ”Turn it to warm water, Dylan-now!”
”I'm getting in,” Angel whispered as the water temperature rose. ”Lines of communication are opening up, and if I work at these crazy knots of death thoughts, I can break through to him. He's still freaking out, but there doesn't seem to be the same level of resistance.”
Then he twitched.
”Iggy...” I held my breath.
He blinked slowly and shook the water out of his eyes.
”What... what are you doing?” he asked, sounding kind of groggy. Groggy... a lot like the old Iggy.
My eyes brightened, and Dylan and Angel and I all exchanged hopeful glances.
”Iggy?” I asked again.
”Yeah?” He blinked, wiping his face with one hand. ”What are you guys doing? If you wanted me to take a shower, all you had to do was pay me ten bucks, like you usually do.” He ran one hand through his hair, making it stand up in wet peaks.
I let out a deep breath and looked at Angel: her face was beaming. She looked at me and nodded-his thoughts were back to normal.
”So what's going on?” he demanded, sitting up a bit.
”How do you feel?” I asked.
”Like a wet dog,” he answered irritably. ”What's wrong with you guys?”
39.
”I WON'T DO IT,” Star said.
”Then I guess this whole trust exercise has failed,” Fang said mildly. The gang had fun together earlier-he'd forgotten how simultaneously repulsive and delicious Cheez Whiz could be-but within minutes they were all at each other's throats again.
Max used to threaten and bully people into working together. But that approach quit having the desired effect long before Fang had left. He needed to do something different, something better.
So, he Googled ”team building.” Which, he discovered, really meant a rousing little game of Never Have I Ever.
”I don't even know how to play,” Holden Squibb complained.
Ratchet cackled. ”That's 'cause you're a baby, Starfish, even if you can regenerate limbs and stuff. What are you, like, twelve?” Holden glared at Ratchet.
”Cut it out, guys,” Fang said. ”Look, we're six really different people. But we need to work together as a team, or we'll all end up dead.” The surprise on their faces made Fang think that maybe the word dead dead was a bit too strong. But he knew what he had said could possibly be true. was a bit too strong. But he knew what he had said could possibly be true.
”All you have to do is say 'Never have I ever...' and fill in the blank. Then anyone in the group who's done it has to raise their hand, including you, if you've actually done it. If you want to reveal something about yourself, say something you've done. If you don't want to reveal anything personal, say something that you think someone else in the group might've done. Cool?” Fang sighed. He felt like a camp counselor or something. It was exhausting.
But to his surprise, everyone formed a circle, even if they did roll their eyes.
”Great. I'll start,” Fang said. He sure hated being the leader all the time. Why did Angel always want this job so much? Why did Angel always want this job so much? he wondered. ”Never have I ever... played a team-building game as stupid as this before.” Maya smiled, but everyone else's eyes shot daggers at him as he raised his hand. he wondered. ”Never have I ever... played a team-building game as stupid as this before.” Maya smiled, but everyone else's eyes shot daggers at him as he raised his hand.
”Never have I ever... gotten mistaken for a ten-year-old when I was almost fifteen,” Ratchet said, and no one budged.