Eve of Redemption by Tom Mohan Page B

looked like you were having a hard time back there at the house. Thought I’d help a friend out.”
    “Who are you? Where’re you taking me?” The injuries to his head, along with the less than smooth motion of the car, made him too nauseated to say more.
    “Oh, sorry. Guess I forgot to introduce myself in all the excitement.” She half-turned and Burke saw the face of a girl who couldn’t have been any older than twenty-one. Short dark hair framed a pretty face that sported a couple of small tattoos. “I’m Kayla. You can probably tell from my accent I’m not from these parts. There’s big happenings in the world right now, Mr. Burke. Big happenings. And this here part of the country’s the place to be if you want to be a part of them. And believe you me, you are a part of them. You’re a very popular man, Mr. Burke. Just relax now. I’ve got no wish to harm you. Not like that guy back there. Trust me, you’re much better off with me.”
    Burke fought to control his growing nausea. “I don’t understand,” he managed to say. “I’m no one.” He felt the car slow to a more reasonable pace.
    “Oh, you’re someone, all right. Don’t look like much though, do you?” Kayla snickered. “Of course, they don’t tell me much, so I really couldn’t tell you why you’re so important. But orders are orders.”
    Finally, the car slowed, and then pulled to a halt. Though the early morning was still dark, Burke recognized their location. He had spent uncounted hours staring at this very building—Christ of God Church, the last know location of Laura and Sara. The church looked much the same as it had the night of the disappearances. Graffiti covered the once-white walls of old peeling paint. From his position in the backseat, Burke could look up through the rear windshield into the dark shadows of the steeple. If the bell was still there, it was hidden in darkness. It still amazed Burke that the building had, in an instant, gone from a friendly, well-kept church to this ruin when the disappearances occurred. Just another mystery that had never been solved and eventually faded from memory.
    “Well, here we are, Mr. Burke,” said Kayla. “We lost your cop friend a ways back, so don’t be expecting him to come along anytime soon.”
    Burke glanced out the back window of the car. She was right. If Martinez had been following, he was nowhere to be seen now. Kayla climbed out of the front seat and opened the back door. She leaned in, grabbed him by one arm, and jerked him from the car. The strength of her small frame surprised him.
    She must have noticed the startled look on his face. “Stronger than I look,” she said, smiling.
    She half dragged him a short distance before shoving him against a wall. “Just hang tight,” she said. Her eyes took in every detail of their surroundings. She seemed nervous, but not fearful.
    Burke considered yelling for help. He squashed the thought as quickly as it came. No one would come outside this time of night to help a stranger. Probably wouldn’t do it for a friend, either. He heard what sounded like nails being pulled and looked to see Kayla using her bare fingers to force open a door that had been nailed shut. Again, he was grabbed by the arm and dragged into the building. He tripped over the threshold and the girl let go, allowing him to crash to the floor. Unable to use his hands to break his fall, he landed hard on his left shoulder. He gasped as the fall knocked the wind from his bruised body. The door slammed shut behind him.
    “Come on, come on,” Kayla said. Burke detected an urgency in her voice that had not been there earlier. She grasped his wrist and pulled him across the room.
    Burke stumbled along as he was dragged across the bare wood floor, his awkward steps echoing in the large empty room. He was all but blind in the darkness and wondered how Kayla could see where she was going. She seemed in a much bigger hurry now, as though time were running