Wendy rolled over as she slept. Something tickled her nose, a harsh smell that reminded her of camping.

Smoke! Not just smoke! Fire!

A blaring alarm pierced the air, making her clasp her hands over her ears.

Wendy jumped up disoriented and pounded on the door. Another buzz and click sounded as her door automatically unlocked. She rushed out into the smoke-filled hallway and got lost among the uniforms of soldiers running to investigate.

She frantically made her way down the hall to the girls’ wing. Her heart plummeted when she saw the double doors secured with a chain. Girls crowded on the opposite side of the door, banging on the window. Lily was near the front. All the girls screamed at her, trapped in the hall.

“Help us!” Lily shouted, her hand snaking through the opening to grab Wendy’s nightgown.

Wendy shook the door and the heavy chain rattled against the handle. “I can’t! The door is chained. We have to find a different way out.” A few, clearly not in their right minds, stood idly in the middle of the halls, not moving. Just standing and staring.

A door opened behind them, and Red Skulls came in with guns. Immediate fear flooded her. The soldiers weren’t there to help them. “The whole wing is compromised. We have to clear it. Follow us, girls.” They directed the mob of girls down a hallway.

“Noo!” Wendy tried to reach through and pull on Lily’s arm, as if she could forcefully squeeze her through the six-inch opening between the chains.

A Red Skull grabbed the girl from behind and dragged her away kicking and screaming. Her little hand gripped Wendy’s nightgown so hard, it ripped. The thickening smoke made breathing difficult, and she couldn’t focus. She had to find a way out. The Red Skulls were herding the girls down the halls to the farthest west wing, an area the children were forbidden to enter.

She ran into the common area and even more smoke filled the air—but not the same as the smoke from before. This bitter smoke stung her eyes, making her cry.

Tear gas?

Wendy’s mouth started to burn as hacking coughs wracked her lungs. She pulled her shirt up over her mouth. The closer she came to the exit, the thicker the smoke grew. She could feel the heat on her bare arms.

Shouldn’t the sprinklers have kicked on? Why weren’t there any water sprinklers? A sinking feeling came over her. They didn’t want any. This was a horrid facility, not government run. If they wanted to dispose of the place—and fast—this is how they’d do it.

With fire.

She passed a few frantic nurses in the corridor, but they were all running away from the closest exit, and she wasn’t sure why. She released a breath, covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve, and saw movement as a yellow siren light begin to flash on the other side of secured door. It was a large fire door dropping from the ceiling, about to close her in.

Wendy looked over her shoulder and saw another one coming down behind her.

She was out of time. Trapped between two closing fire doors.

Trembling, Wendy spun to gauge the possibility of making it back the way she came before the door closed. She was about to give up when a dark body ran and slid in her direction under the fire door—just before it slammed into the ground.

Gray. He rolled to his feet and continued running toward Wendy.

“Move!”

She moved to the side. On his way by, Gray grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. This fire door was lowering more slowly, but she still didn’t think they’d make it. Wendy slowed her steps, fear making her freeze.

But he tugged her hand, wouldn’t let her stop.

At the door, she froze anyway. There was only a two-foot gap.

“I can’t. I can’t do it,” Wendy screamed.

“Do you want to die?” Gray shouted.

“No.”

“Then roll.” He grabbed her by the neck, forced her to her knees, and shoved Wendy under the fire door. And she rolled. It wasn’t the most graceful attempt, because she landed on her fist and knocked her head into the lowering wall. But she continued to roll, scared that if she stopped, she’d be crushed to death.

She stopped and glanced over just as Gray tried to squeeze through the twelve-inch gap. He didn’t have room to roll, so he lay on his back and slid under, his face turned to the side. Both fear and determination were evident in his eyes as the wall started to pin his chest down.

He cried out, pushing with his feet and scrambling backwards. He pulled his foot out just as…thud. The door closed.

Gray dropped his head to the floor and lay there for a few seconds. But he quickly regained his composure and was up on his feet. Grabbing Wendy’s hand, he led her out the main doors and into the night through the forests.

“This way,” he called and ran ahead of her.

“How do you know where to go?”

Gray wouldn’t meet her eyes, but kept escorting her through the woods until they were joined by others in lab coats who were also ushering kids into the night. Wendy recognized Dr. Barrie, whose flashlight moved to blind them for a second before he directed the light back down to the earth. A look of relief crossed his face. As he ran, the glow of the inferno from the building illuminated Dr. Barrie from behind.

The mixture of the damp earthy forest and the acrid smoke lingered in the air, making Wendy’s stomach roll.

Movement sounded from behind them, and Dr. Barrie turned with his flashlight on a group of scared kids and a tech who held up his hand to shield his eyes from the light.

“How many?” Dr. Barrie yelled to a young technician who met up with him, leading kids hand-in-hand through the dark.

“Not enough.” The technician said, his eyes blood shot. Black soot covered his jacket. “They knew. They cut off the group escaping through the west tunnel. They” his voice dropped to a whisper “didn’t make it.”

“What about the lab?” Dr. Barrie asked.

“Destroyed. We erased the computer data and burned all our research.”

He hadn’t done enough. Each breath became harder to draw as guilt assailed him. So much lost, but at least they were able to save the kids. “Have you seen Dr. Mee? What about the girls? She was going to get the girls.”

“Here,” Dr. Mee called out of the darkness. She ran toward them carrying a wrapped bundle. Her feet were bare and cut up, her heels abandoned somewhere in the forest behind her.

Dr. Barrie looked behind her and waited. “Any more, Dr. Mee?” The fire glowed red above the tree line. He hoped that the fire would destroy Neverland, that no one else would ever trespass or learn of the sins they’d committed there.

The glow made Dr. Mee’s tears glisten in the dark as they washed streaks through the soot that spattered her tan face. “No, I tried to get to the girls in time, but I didn’t make it. The Red Skulls had already taken them and cleared the floor.”

An intense throbbing filled his chest and he gasped in agony. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of his pills, barely able to shake two into his palm. They hurt as he swallowed them, and he waited for the pain to subside, but a pill couldn’t quell the guilt. And he didn’t have enough to last him more than a few months once he made it safely home.

“I was able to grab this little fellow,” Dr. Mee said. “He was the only one in the nursery. The others were gone. I don’t know how this little one got passed up.” She pulled back the blanket and showed Dr. Barrie the infant, who started to cry when his face was exposed to the cold air.

Dr. Barrie considered the number of kids surrounding him—so many less than he had hoped. He looked back at the burning building and he fell to his knees, overcome with guilt. “We failed. We didn’t save them.” He pitched forward, his hands burrowing into the dirt.

“Shh, you saved them.” Dr. Mee turned and gestured to the group of children, standing scared and huddled together for warmth.

“God will never forgive me,” he cried out. He pulled himself up and turned to wrap his arms around the nearest boys. “I promise you, I will take care of you forever. I’ll build a haven for you where you’ll be safe, where you will be accepted…as God is my witness.”

“Mr. Barrie?” One of the technicians came up with his flashlight. “We need to get to the boat. We need to get the children to safety before the Red Skulls find us.”

“Yes, yes you’re right.” He gestured for the boys and Wendy to follow. “Come, children. Quickly, to the boat.”

Wendy’s lungs burned. She kept coughing and trying to catch her breath as they ran barefoot into the night, heading toward the shoreline. They were trying to be quiet as they ran, but she heard crying and whimpering from the boys as she followed the glimpses of white and blue pajamas in the darkness. She lost Gray as they were running, and she couldn’t see Teddy no matter how hard she searched.

She tried to focus on following the others, but then she heard something crashing through the darkness behind her. Fear of the unknown caused her to look over her shoulder, and she tripped. Wendy let out a terrified scream as she slid down an embankment.

“Over here, I heard something.” A male voice called out from above.

The Red Skulls!

She pressed her body against the hill and hid under the fronds of an overhanging bush. A flashlight beam passed over the exact spot she had vacated seconds before. Her hands flew to her mouth and tried to stifle her frantic breaths.

The loud crashing continued, but was moving farther away. Then she heard a shout in the distance as the Red Skulls spotted and began to pursue the others. She leapt up and tried to run after her group, but now she was behind the Red Skulls. There were no paths to follow. Just forest and the sound of the ocean.

She jogged as quietly as she could and tried to head toward the shore. The ground under her feet became softer. She must be getting close to the beach, just a little farther. Then six shots echoed in the night, her heart thudded in dread with every single one. Her legs pumped harder as she tried to catch up to the others. Hoping that she wouldn’t be too late.

One second she was surrounded by trees, the next Wendy stumbled onto the beach and the ocean loomed before her.

Farther ahead, she saw a yacht moored to a dock and Wendy didn’t stop running until her feet thudded on the wood. She slowed when she recognized Dr. Barrie standing at the edge of the dock, looking into the water. He tucked something into the back of his pants and leaned down to toss the lines to cast off. Dr. Barrie’s shirt was ripped, like he had been in a struggle.

“The Red Skulls are here!” Wendy tried to warn him.

“I know.” He turned his head toward the edge of the dock. “More will come.”

A large objected floated in the water, catching her eye. It bobbed once, then twice, before sinking into the dark depths of the water—a body. She looked behind her and spotted a second Red Skull unmoving in the sand; he looked like he was sleeping, except for the splash of red across his chest.

So much death.

“Isabelle, tell them to start the engine,” Dr. Barrie yelled to a young girl who peeked out of the bridge. He turned, and she saw the handle of a pistol in his waistband. Wendy’s heart stuttered, but she willed it to slow. To trust. Dr. Barrie was on their side—one of the good guys, one of the guys risking everything. The engine turned over, and the white yacht pulled away from shore, picking up speed. The children stood at the stern by the rails and watched the beach light up with flashlights followed by a spattering of gunshots from the shore. Some ricocheted off the boat.

Wendy screamed and took cover. Another engine roared nearby, and she realized where the other Red Skulls had gone. A military speedboat raced down the coastline toward them.

“Jax!” Dr. Barrie yelled toward Gray, who was shivering in the night.

“Yes sir,” he said, looking up at Dr. Barrie with wide alarm-filled eyes.

“I need you, son.” He touched Gray gently on the arm. “I know what you can do. I’ve seen your reports. Can you do it again…once more…for me?”

Jax shook his head in defiance, and Dr. Barrie’s face crumbled. “I know. It’s not fair of me to ask, but if you don’t, we’re going to die…all of us.”

Jax looked back at the speedboat now gaining on their slower moving yacht, doubt evident in his face.

“No, Barrie,” Dr. Mee called when she overheard what he was trying to do. She still held the baby close to her chest. “Not fear. That one is motivated by anger.”

“But he can do it?” He looked at Dr. Mee with hope in his eyes. “He’s done it?”

She nodded her head. “He’s done it once…and only once.”

“Okay, son, do this for me tonight, and I swear I’ll never ask you to use your gift again.” Jax hesitated. “They’re not going to take us prisoner, Jax. We’re disposable to them. You’re the only one who can stop them now. If you don’t, everyone on this boat will die.”

Jax looked over Dr. Barrie’s shoulder. As the boat pulled up beside them, the soldiers turned their guns on the yacht and opened fire.

Ping. Ping. The bullets hit railings and the sides—some found their marks, and voices screamed in pain.

“Quick! In here!” The same young girl with white-blonde hair came down a ladder and opened the door to the main living deck. She gestured for the boys to take cover inside.

“Isabelle, stay inside!” Dr. Barrie shouted.

There was a mad rush as the boys ran and pushed to avoid being hit by the bullets. The yacht bounced as it tried to fight the waves, to evade the attack of the Red Skulls. Wendy darted across the deck, but the yacht turned and her feet slipped from beneath her. She slipped under the guard rail just as the boat tipped on a tall wave, and she slid over the edge, just barely clawing and catching the rail post. She screamed and clung for her life.

“I got you.” A boy rushed forward and grabbed ahold of her arm, struggling to pull her back onto the rocking ship.

“Don’t let go!” Bright green eyes—was she hallucinating again?

“Boy!”

He grunted as he held tight, trying to lift her dead weight.

The Red Skulls fired, another stream of bullets sprayed the boat.

The boy cried out as one hit him square in the chest, and a splattering of blood hit Wendy’s cheek. His grip loosened just as her own gave out, and she screamed in terror as she fell below the crashing waves of the relentless ocean.

Dr. Barrie and Jax spun at the scream, in time to see Peter hit by the bullets, to know someone fell into the ocean. One glance at Jax’s determined face told Dr. Barrie what was coming.

Jax stood, hands clenched at his sides and shaking with rage. A primal roar tore from his mouth, all of his anger focused on the Red Skulls’ boat. His right hand came up, glowing red with power.

The boat exploded outward, and flaming pieces of wreckage rained down around them. Even though Peter was bleeding, he tried to go over the rail and dive into the water after whoever had fallen in.

Isabelle ran onto the deck as Dr. Barrie shouted after her, grabbed the boy around the waist, and pulled him back over the rail.

“NOOO!” Peter screamed when he couldn’t go after her.

“Stop! You’re wounded.” Isabelle yelled.

Dr. Barrie joined her, but it took every ounce of strength they had to drag him back onto the deck and over to the galley. He pulled a kitchen towel off the counter and placed it against Peter’s chest.

“It’s suicide to go back out there,” Isabelle said.

“I can still save her. Let me go!” The boy pushed her away and tried to fight.

“It’s too late. We can’t go back.” One of the male nurses came to her rescue with a first aid kit from the head.

“No,” he rasped out between clenched teeth as he fought for his own life. “I can save—”

A voice cried out from the water.

Dr. Barrie rushed to the railing and looked over, Jax still standing there in furious silence. A head bobbed from the side as a Red Skull began to climb aboard, his hand pointing a gun right into his face. Barrie heard the gun cock. He swallowed his fear and stared down the barrel of the gun.

The Red Skull never had a chance to pull the trigger. He erupted into a ball of flames and fell backward into the turbulent waves.

Dr. Barrie released his breath and felt his heart collapse with guilt and gratitude as he looked over at the young boy, who’d just ruthlessly murdered to save him. Jax wouldn’t look at him, instead choosing to watch the burning boat slowly sink into the water. Dr. Barrie knew it wouldn’t be the end.

He and his crew would be hunted for the rest of his life.

Neverland would never let them escape. His gaze turned back to the island—then toward Jax.

“Jax, dear boy.” He held his arm open to the young boy who was staring at the devastation he caused. “One more time. We can never let what happened on Neverland be duplicated. Can you do it again?” He pointed to the facility. To Neverland. The fire might not reach the lower levels, and they needed everything erased.

Jax’s face was streaked with tears, but he didn’t need more urging. He closed his eyes, his hand reached toward the facility. The entire brick building exploded outward, the sky so bright with flames that it looked like morning.

“Goodbye, Neverland.” Dr. Barrie spoke quietly. “You promised dreams, but you only brought us nightmares.” He gave Jax’s shoulder a slight squeeze and offered the boy words of affirmation. “You did good, son. You did good.”

Jax looked up at him, horrified. “I’m not your son.” He shrugged Dr. Barrie’s arm off and stormed into the cabin.

“Sir, the yacht’s navigation system is down. I don’t know where to go,” one of his newer lab technicians whispered in his ear. “How do you own a five million dollar yacht without navigation?”

“It’s a requirement of working here. No one is allowed to know where Neverland is, not even us.” Dr. Barrie admitted.

“How do we get back to land?” He looked absolutely bewildered. He had come to the island like the rest of them, blindfolded.

Dr. Barrie grabbed his shoulder and pointed into the night sky. “Do you see that bright star there?”

“Yes?”

“Count over two. You see? Follow the second on the right, and sail straight on till morning. ” He patted the technician’s shoulder encouragingly.

“I’ve never sailed by the stars before.” The man looked unsure.

“That’s the problem with your generation. Let me tell you, boy. You’ll have quite the story…if we live to tell anyone about it.”

His young technician smiled worriedly and headed back to the engine room.

Dr. Barrie turned back to assess his circumstances—the boat filled with boys, his daughter Isabelle tending to Peter, who was covered in blood, his face a mask of agony. Peter hadn’t left the island. He must have stayed close by for a reason.

They were helpless unless they could get to the mainland, to a real hospital. Dr. Mee, who seemed very calm and collected amidst the chaos, was holding the young baby while sitting next to Jax, trying to comfort him.

Jax—the utter destruction he’d caused—all because Dr. Barrie had asked it of him. He’d just made the twelve-year-old a murderer. He only hoped he hadn’t permanently scarred the boy, who was even now beginning to retreat behind a stone-faced mask of indifference. A ploy, a trick to protect himself from what he had just done.

The baby in Dr. Mee’s arms made a slight cry.

A second later the baby disappeared with a flash of light and reappeared in Jax’s lap. Jax’s face went white with shock, and he almost dropped the baby, but caught him at the last minute. He held the small infant in his arms, looking very uncomfortable, but the baby just cooed and laughed, putting his chubby little fist into Jax’s face. Jax tried to hold back the chuckle and looked around to see if anyone had noticed his slip.

“Well,” Dr. Barrie thought to himself. “Maybe there’s hope after all.” He looked around for the young girl, surprised that he couldn’t find her.

“Where’s the girl? She was just here.”

Peter’s eyes were red rimmed, and he grimaced in pain, mumbling the words over and over. “Lost…I lost her…Lost girl.” His head fell back against Isabelle’s shoulder and he passed out.

---

Wendy coughed, her lungs expelling black water. She rolled over and found herself on a rocky coastline, shivering, freezing, and covered in seaweed. Seagulls called to each other, and one picked at something in Wendy’s hair before flying away. Her eyes stung from the salt, and it was easier to keep them closed.

“George, there’s something over here,” a woman’s distressed voice called. It sounded sweet and loving, and it was drawing nearer.

“Stay back, Mary,” a man’s voice warned. “Oh, Lord, it’s a child.” A warm hand touched her throat, then her wrist. “Call 911. She’s still alive.”

Wendy cracked her eye open—just a slit.

“George, hand me your sweater.” Mary commanded the boy next to her. “We’ve got to get her warm. You too, John.”

Wendy felt something soft wrap around her freezing body as the commanding woman’s voice comforted her. “I’ve got you darling, I’ve got you. I’m not letting you go. I promise.” For the first time in forever…she felt safe.