Read The Return for Free Online

we have here,” he said aloud.
    He picked it up and placed it carefully in his pocket. There was no need to examine it. Kull already knew who it belonged to.
    â€œLet’s get you back to your owner,” he said with a sly smile.
    He made his way back to the entrance leading to his home. Climbing the rungs to the cover, it seemed to take more effort than usual to push it aside.
    Pulling himself up into his basement, he replaced the cover and locked it in place.
    His clothes were covered in dirt. It fit the nickname “Mud Puppy,” given to him and other military police when he was in the service what felt like decades ago.
    Another life, he thought to himself.
    No time to reminisce about that now, he had to get ready.
    Tim would be coming back to the tunnel to look for his phone, and they had to be ready for him.
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    If he could have avoided school all together, he would have.
    The day passed incredibly slowly. All Tim could think about was the phone, the tunnel, and Rusty. Max wasn’t in school. His parents had decided to keep him home to rest. Emily was absent as well. At lunch, Nina suggested a walk around campus instead of the usual cafeteria seating, and Tim eagerly agreed.
    She looked worried.
    â€œWhat happened to you yesterday?” she said softly. “I was . . . I was
really
worried.”
    They hadn’t had a chance to talk about it yet with all the chaos over Max getting lost.
    If there was anyone Tim trusted with all his heart, it was Nina. But he wasn’t sure he should involve her in whatever he had uncovered. However, he felt the strong need to talk to someone about Rusty.
    She placed her hand in his as they walked along.
    â€œNina, how much to you trust Rusty?”
    â€œTrust him?” she looked confused. “Well, a lot I suppose.”
    â€œYeah, me too, well I mean, I did . . . but,” he trailed off.
    â€œTim what is it? What happened? Did Rusty say something to you?”
    He thought carefully before responding.
    â€œI overheard him on the phone. I think I heard him say something about Earth.”
    She dropped his hand and turned to face him.
    â€œYou mean the same place that horrible man with the yellow hair talked about?”
    â€œYes, but there’s more,” he said as he took both her hands in his. “I’m pretty sure he said something about getting the other kids out of here and back on Earth or the plan would be ruined.”
    â€œThe plan . . . what plan? And what did he mean
back
on Earth?” she stammered. “Tim, have you told anyone else about this yet?”
    â€œNo, only you.”
    She grabbed hold of him and squeezed him tightly. He grabbed back.
    They stood there hugging in the middle of the school field for a long time.
    He felt good, safe.
    When she finally let go, she looked at him with very serious eyes.
    â€œTim, you can never go near him again, he’s dangerous. We have to tell the authorities right away.”
    He reached out and brushed a hair away from her face. Her eyes were filling with tears.
    â€œNina, I promise we will, but you have to give me a few hours,” he pleaded. “I have something important I have to do first.”
    The bell rang out signaling the end of lunch.
    On the way back to class, she tried very hard to convince him they had to go tell someone now. When it was clear he wouldn’t budge, she tried to talk him into letting her come along, but there was absolutely no way he would agree to that.
    â€œCome to my house when you’re done, and we’ll go tell the authorities together,” she said just before they had to make their way to separate classes.
    Then she hugged him again.
    He could definitely get used to this.
    After school, he made his way to the beach access where he knew he had left the cover unlocked.
    Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he brushed off the sand and moved the lid aside, replacing it once he