Evan, Sloan, Cole and Farrow sat lost in their traumas in the back of the SUV. A few times, Evan and Alik exchanged silent, tear-filled glances in the rearview mirror. They were missing their sister and so scared for her.

No one spoke for the first fifteen miles.

Evan broke the silence. "Where are we going, brother?"

"I only know where we're not going. We can't go home."

"What?" Cole blurted. He had been thinking about how anxious he was to get back to the house so they could regroup as they always did after some horrendous run-in with Williams.

"We can't go home," Alik repeated softly.

"Why?"

"We're being hunted by two different monsters now. Mom is in a wheelchair because of one of them. Theo has his hands full taking care of her and now they also have little Danny to take care of. We can't go home because we are being hunted and they'll track us back to our family. I couldn't live with myself if they were killed because of us."

Evan sighed and nodded. "I agree. There's no going home. Not until we finish this. Matter of fact, we need Mom, Theo and Danny to go into hiding. Both Arkdone and Williams have already proven they have no qualms about attacking our home."

"Where do you expect them to go?" Sloan asked, mulling over all that was said. She'd never had to worry about others before now. It was always a "fend for yourself" way of life at the Facility.

"We can't know where they're going," Alik said thoughtfully. "I don't want to accidentally give their location away and have them used as bait for us."

"What are we going to do about Meg?" Creed asked the SUV full of torn up and terrified metahumans.

"I don't know," Alik shook his head, the rims of his eyes reddening.

"We're going to have to devise some kind of plan," Sloan blurted.

"Of course we will," Farrow reassured her.

"We just need time to think-just a little time to figure this out." Evan rubbed his tired eyes, careful to avoid the gash on his cheek compliments of Bjorn and his scalpel.

"Evan, we need to call Mom."

Evan swallowed hard. "How exactly are we going to tell her what happened?"

Alik's eyes began to glow violet with righteous anger as he thought.

"How are we supposed to tell Mom that Arkdone gave Meg a precise concussion rendering her memory blank? And that she has no memory of her, of us, of anything except what that sadistic monster is programming into her?" Evan's voice hitched painfully. "Oh, God Alik! What is he doing to our sister?"

Alik slowed the SUV and pulled off to the shoulder, "Farrow, are you okay to drive?"

"Yes, of course."

"I have a phone call to make."

Chapter 67 Run.

The water from the hose was cool and clear. Danny stood shirtless and barefoot in the yard between the house and the barn holding the green rubber hose in two little hands. His tummy was just starting to develop a little pooch after all the healthy foods and protein drinks he'd been fed over the past two weeks since Meg found the little boy dying of starvation and thirst. Margo watched him whip the hose just enough to wet himself with the cooling water. His laughter bubbled from that little tummy and gurgled like a brook in his beautiful throat. Margo was mesmerized by his innocence. How could anyone have strapped this little angel to a bed in the Facility's secretive basement of the hospital?

After a life of wearing no shoes, Danny wasn't accustomed to the feel of them. Theo would find them tucked in little hiding spots throughout the house, so determined to get to stay barefoot was the clever little boy.

Even now, he stood trickling water on his feet and peeling in laughter at the sensation. He ran in place, a huge smile on his sweet little face, curls stuck to his head from a combination of sweat and hose water.

Margo couldn't help but giggle watching the little squirmy boy. He had a big glop of sunscreen still on his back where he just wouldn't hold still long enough for Theo to slather him properly.

Just as he was about to start watering the dirt to make more mud, Margo's pocket chimed. It was the ringtone that played when it was a call from Alik. Margo nearly dropped it in her rush to answer the call.

"Alik?"

"Hi Mom."

"Oh thank God, you're all right."

"I'm fine Mom. Farrow and I both are. We were able to rescue everyone..."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Margo cut in.

"Wait Mom, I was going to say, we were able to rescue everyone except Meg." He flinched knowing he may as well have just punched his mother in the gut.

"WHAT?"

From just inside the house, Theo heard Margo yell. He came running looking first for Danny to be sure he wasn't the reason for her cries, then rushing to Margo's side, falling to his knees when he saw the look on her face. Tears spilled hot and painfully down her cheeks, one weathered hand pressed to her lips in shock and terror at what was said to her.

Danny had moved closer to the base of a live oak tree where the grass was sparse and was having fun squishing his toes into the mud he was making there. That's when he saw the bird on the ground.

Her body was small and slender, but that wasn't the problem. The bird's head hung at an impossible angle. Danny knew instinctively the bird was dead, but that didn't stop him. He dropped the hose away from the creature and sat beside her. His large blue eyes studied her pathetic body for a full minute.

Then, with gentleness far beyond his three years, Danny lifted the bird into his hands and held it close to his bare chest. His tiny fingers carefully righted the bird's head as he braced the cold body against himself.

He leaned down, his lips mere millimeters from the dead bird and whispered softly enough so only the creature could have heard him, if she were alive.

Moments later, a soft fluttering of feathers tickled the little boy's bare skin.

The End.

Book #5 in Winter's Saga is scheduled for release March 2013.

end.