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I’m still lying on my back when I realized what’s happening. I struggle to my feet and look around. Every single person around me is standing still, the same blank expression on all their faces. Di is still in a defensive stance, waiting for them to attack again.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this happen.”

An eerie silence falls over the parking lot. I feel a light breeze on my face, like a light wind meandering through a forest. I poke one of the people standing near me, and he doesn’t budge. It’s like they’ve all frozen in place.

Di doesn’t waste any time and works through the crowd toward the entrance. Following her lead, I shoulder my way through the forest of humanity between me and the building. No one moves.

We reach the base of the steps leading to the building, where I see a man standing with arms crossed, staring down at us. I don’t need an introduction. I know who this man is before he begins to speak. He demeanor commands obedience.

“That’s quite a stunt you pulled there,” John Malcolm says. His voice is level, unperturbed, as if he had expected something like this to happen. “I have a few tricks of my own.”

After he says this, I feel myself being pulled backwards. The forest is animated once again, and hundred of arms warp around me, securing me tightly.

I struggle momentarily, but I give up. It’s no use. Too many of them. I sag my weight into the blanket of arms behind me.

John swaggers down the steps, never taking his eyes off me. When he reaches the bottom, his eyes dart of to Di, who is also secured by a mass of people.

“I figured you would eventually lead him back to me,” he says. “I just needed to give enough chase to force your hand. Thank you, my love.”

He smirks and then returns to me. I can feel the millions of minds linked to mine. There’s a haze that clouds them all, like a fog blanketing the city.

“Now,” John says, “let’s finish this quickly. I’ve a busy schedule, you know.”

He reaches inside his coat and pulls out a pistol. Instead of pointing it at me like I expect, he grabs the barrel and offers the handle to me.

I can’t hide my confusion, but suddenly my mind freezes. I feel my right arm moving toward the gun. What am I doing? Stop it.

Then, I know. The knowing look in John’s eye. The involuntary movement of my hand.

I can feel him. He’s in my head. I can feel his mind digging in, just like a carpenter bee digging into a threshold. Boring into my mind.

I feel the cold metal secured in my hand. A sudden urge overcomes me. No. I turn toward Di and point the gun at her. Her lips are pursed tightly. There’s a hint of fear in her eyes, but there’s also a determination in them. A fighter to the end.

“You thought you could use him to overcome me,” John says. “Now see what your ignorance has brought upon you.”

The urge to pull the trigger grows stronger. Trying to resist, I clench my teeth so hard that I can almost feel them cracking under the pressure. My mind pulls at my arm, but my fingers is squeezing.

I let out a low growl as I try to move my arm, but it’s not working. I can feel my mind slipping.

My finger tightens on the trigger. I hear the crack of gunpowder and feel the pistol kick back in my hand. Di’s eyes go blank as her head slumps down. She falls out of the arms of those holding her and drops to the ground.

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