But what the figure did not realize was that as Asher fired, and kept the opposing fighter pinned down, the Rottweiler was heading towards him. Asher pulled back behind the tree as he saw the assailant's head popped out from cover. The would-be attacker cried out pitifully, as the giant dog tackled it. The Rottweiler growled, and the figure's scream went high into the air. Elena looked away, but she knew from the sudden silence that Asher and his dog won the engagement.
Asher pressed the transmitter on the earbuds that connected to the radio, and Elena saw his lips move. Between her car wreck and the small arms’ fire, she could not hear him whisper. The Rottweiler and Asher were both facing away from Elena.
Elena saw her opportunity and ran.
She took off, running, in a zigzag method, so that Asher would be confused where she was running, and, if he were planning to shoot her, she would be a moving target. After the opening, she ran from house to house, and then finally, she saw the Henryetta library. She ran towards it and burst through the front door.
“Help me! Somebody call the police! There has been a shoot-out!”
"It's no use," a voice said as she ran towards the phone, "all the power lines have been cut."
"Who said that?" said Elena.
A man stepped forward, from the library to the section where she was standing. It was the security guard at her high school, Seth Adams. He was an African-American man of medium-height but muscular build. He wore a dark blue baseball cap and a poncho that had the words "Security" on the front.
"What do you mean the lines are cut?" asked Elena.
“The fires – up north of town. Three or four power lines came down. It started a fire, and cut off all the power to the town.”
"But the cell phone towers. I have no connectivity with my cell phone either," said Elena.
"I don't know anything about those; I know there's no power in the town. They asked the security guards in town to help cover down. That fire went up north, and every first responder went that way."
"What a horrible accident," said Elena.
"It's no accident; it's a feint," said Seth.
Elena stepped back at the man's words. Why would an old man know what a feint was? She knew the term from her ex-boyfriend, who had used the term around her. Seth was not the kind old man that she remembered from her school. He had always seemed sweet and had displayed genuine care for the students, but that is not how she saw him now. His eyes were piercing, searching her face. In front of his poncho was a thin wire that reached from some unseen device underneath his poncho into two earpieces that he wore. The poncho did not sit flat against him, and something was hidden underneath it. Elena looked down and could see the tip of a rifle.
"Do you remember now, Elena?" asked Seth.
And with that question, the dream world started to cloud Elena’s mind.
The dark gray began its engulfing movement, and, the flames started to grow.
Then suddenly, the old man threw back his poncho, revealing his assault rifle. The weapon brought Elena out of the dream world and back into reality, and Elena immediately ran away from Seth Adams. Seth Adams then pulled to his assault rifle to his shoulder, and fired three shots as she ran. The shots were muffled, just like Asher's had been. The violence not only scared her but confused her. Had Seth Adams been firing at her?
Or was he, the security guard whom she had seen her entire time at Henryetta, confident enough in his tactical abilities to be firing so close to her?
Looking over, she got her answer, Seth was standing over the body of a downed figure, with one hand searching for anything valuable, and the other pressing down on the transmitter of his radio. Elena assumed he was relaying information to Asher Cries-For-War. Another ski-masked figure appeared. It tackled Seth Adams. While he was bent over, a character which she had not seen grabbed him, and speared him across the chest.
Just like Elena had seen in MMA fights, Seth fell on his and assumed the guard, wrapping his legs around the figure's waist. The figure tried to reach his upper body, but Seth was in control.
"That's a triangle choke!" she ejaculated, as she realized what Seth was doing, “Chance taught me that. That’s a triangle choke!”
Seth used his free hand to reach for a pistol that holstered onto his hip. Elena did not want to see any more violence, so she turned and ran.
She heard the shots ring out from the library and barreled through the building’s front door. Off balance, she ran down the stairs. Her body fell forward over the rail, upper body going first while her feet flew into their air.
Elena smashed into the stairs and began to roll down. When she landed on the pavement, she jumped to her feet and started to run
“Elena!” cried a voice at the base of the stairs.
The voice was high pitched and frantic, but something about it felt familiar.
Elena turned around to see it.
Behind her was a black-masked phantom, smaller and more slender than the others had been. It was holding a yellow device which looked like a toy.
BZZT
A wire, and what looked like confetti burst from the device. A barb stuck into Elena’s chest and navel. A shock of electricity travelled through her body and she fell to the ground, screaming in paralyzing agony. The cellist felt the hands of multiple dark creatures grab her arms and legs.
A bag was thrown over her face. Elena tried to kick and fight before another current shook her body. Again, her arms and legs were grabbed. She could feel her body being lifted and she screamed in pain.
An isolated shock hit her on her arm and she was roughly tossed into a small compartment. Inside, she was free but confined. She pulled the bag from her face and realized she was in the trunk of a car.
A hand closed the trunk-lid and Elena’s whole world went dark.
CHAPTER 20: A PLOT REVEALED
Elena - Henryetta, Ok
“Awake, ye daughter of Elvinmeyer.”
Claws gripped Elena's hair, yanking her to her feet. A blindfold covered her eyes. She felt a rough fingernail traced the pointed top of her exposed ears.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen. You were once a queen, and we were slaves, but now…now we are more than kings. We are conquerors, and you are the one who is dependent on others," said one of the creatures.
"I don't know what you're saying," said Elena.
There was a growl, and what felt like nails grabbed her by the arm. The creature released its grip as the voice began to speak again.
"You may claim ignorance, Elvinmeyer, but ignorance does not save your people," said the voice.
"I don't understand. My name is Elena Doolin.”
"No, your name is Elena Elvinmeyer, and it is time you see your captors," said the voice.
She felt a release of pressure as the cloth dropped from her eyes.
Two figures stood in front of her. One figure's height and weight were hard to determine because it had a distorted body and it hunched over. The bent-over creature wore no equipment vest like the other creature. It had a pack on its back. The creature had an assault rifle slung on its back. The gun did not have the scope and equipment that the others had. From her experience, Elena could tell that the distorted figure did not perform regular weapon maintenance. The distorted figure wore gloves with fingers roughly cut out, exposing long, dark, unsightly fingernails. He wore ragged clothes which reminded her of the homeless she had seen in Henryetta. His mask was not a ski-mask, but a rough burlap sack, with eyes crudely cut into it.
The creature was bent over, more at the waist, and Elena could hear its breathing.
There was a huge contrast between the second creature and the other one. It stood over six feet tall, with impressive muscularity. A sleek black mask covered its face, and it had what appeared to be tinted lenses over its eyes. It wore a tactical vest with high capacity magazines on the front of its chest. This figure reminded Elena of the way Asher Cries-For-War wore his equipment. In what Elena assumed was an act of intimidation
, the second figure slowly removed its jacket and threw it to the ground. The tactical vest had no sleeves, and the creature had thick green arms that were so muscular the beast could have been on the front of a muscle magazine.
"My name is Elden Orkenkind, and this is my leader, Gorgon Bartok," said the second creature. "We are the Sons, and you are our subject.”
“We will have our revenge!” Gorgon Bartok yelled as he moved forward and kicked her in the thigh.
"The sins against my people will not go unaccounted for, Elvinmeyer," said Elden.
"Why do you keep calling me Elvinmeyer!" screamed Elena.
“You – Elena Elvinmeyer. The last surviving member of the Elvinmeyer clan. Yes, you hid as Elena Doolin, but we found you. We are not mindless beasts like your race tends to think," said Elden.
Bartok started to talk, but Elden lifted his hand and stepped forward.
“Now, Elvinmeyer, you will look into the face of the people you have oppressed.”
Gorgon Bartok and Orkenkind tore at their masks. Gorgon ripped the burlap bag apart, and Orkenkind gently removed the baklava from his face.
Elena screamed in horror.
Elden Orkenkind had a streak of unkempt brown hair that was knotted and ran to his shoulder. His eyes were blue, and his skin was dark green. His jaw extended forward, exposing a row of sharp bottom teeth. He removed his gloves, revealing sharpened nails, similar to Gorgon's but more kept. Elden and Gorgon may have been the same creatures, but there was a huge contrast in their appearance. Gorgon Bartok head was bald, that revealed a pair of large triangular shaped ears.
Gorgon's face may have had a green face like Elden’s, but his countenance was different. Elden’s face was intimidating, but Gorgon's looked evil. Gorgon flashed his jagged fangs at Elena. His face had hives underneath his eyes, which Elena assumed were from the fact he had been wearing a burlap bag. Gorgon opened his mouth, and flicked his forked tongue. Elena concluded this tongue had been modified after seeing Elden and the other creatures.
"You shall be a ransom," said Elden, "to answer for the crimes committed against the orcs!”
Part II
Freeborne
"Searching for the moment to face what I've become"
Face It - Shadowkast
CHAPTER 1: THE BROKER
Gavan – Oklahoma
"You said their house is right behind the library?" asked Gavan, his cell phone held up to his head.
"Yeah, just two blocks north of it," Zena’s voice gurgled through the cell phone.
Gavan answered. Some of the staff at the church had gotten together to devise a way to talk in town without the cellphone towers. They were a loving but hard-headed bunch. They followed the tradition of their pioneer and tribal ancestors by refusing to quit. The church had to find a way to work without cellphones.
One of the church members was writing his Master Thesis on Bill Tighlman and had gone north into Dodge City, Kansas to do research on where the Oklahoma Senator had started in his career. He noticed there was a better signal out of state. The church had given him them their cell phones. He had put a talk-about application on each phone. The signal was decent. Gavan and others were able to go and feed the poor, visit the sick and continue with other acts of charity. "Do you ever watch apocalyptic movies?" asked Gavan.
"No, I'm not much into scary movies."
"Well, that's not the point. I just mean it’s the town. There’s energy. The food is stale, the drinks are flat."
"What does that have to do with checking on our widows?"
"Nothing. That's all I mean. Right now, it’s like the whole town of Henryetta died. I don't see anyone."
"Well, that's why the elders sent you out there. To check on anyone who needs help."
"This really wasn't in my job description. I thought I was just supposed to-"
Gavan stopped.
Gale Smith's door was wide open.
"Gavan, Gavan are you alright?" asked Zena.
A shiver ran up his spine as he slowly walked towards the door.
"Gale?" cried Gavan "Are you alright?"
He continued moving towards the open door. His heart beat harder it felt like a boxer was pounding on his chest.
"Gale?" he cried.
He was now on the front porch. Silently and carefully he stepped towards the glass door. He leaned towards the door and looked in.
Leaning towards the door, he looked inside and noticed an old woman sat with an oxygen mask over her mouth. She had on a purple robe and sat in a lawn chair. It was a cane that propped open the door.
"Gale, are you okay?" asked Gavan through the screen door
The old woman nodded her head.
"I hate for you to see me like this, young man."
"We were worried about you."
"I'm fine, sonny. My son came and checked on me. He should be back in a few minutes."
"Did you see or hear any of the commotion?"
"Yes, there was quite a bit of commotion coming from the main street."
"Main street?"
Gale nodded her head and sucked in air through the gas mask.
"If the church is trying to help people, go down the main street. I heard some people down there."
"But the police?"
"We haven't seen any lawman out this way, on account of the fires."
Gavan looked back at the woman. He had played sports growing up, graduated from college and attended a rigorous preaching school. He nodded his head and laughed. At times the hardest coaches he had in his life were the old women in the church. Her words went through his head again, "If the church is trying to help people, go down the main street."
His whole life, Gavan had visited the church in Henryetta every now and then. If he was still a kid, Gale would be trying to protect him, but now she was putting him in harm’s way. That old woman would have willingly sacrificed herself for the church's children. But he was no longer a kid, and though crippled this old woman was still putting her foot down and telling him what she thought the right thing to do was.
"Are you sure your son is coming back?" asked Gavan.
The old woman nodded her head again.
"Can I get you something to eat before you go? Maybe some pecan pie?"
He wasn't sure if her hospitality was to make him feel guilty, motivate him, or the random senile thought.
"No, ma'am. I know what I have to do. And this work ain't getting any easy here just by sitting back and eating pie."
The preacher stood up and exhaled. He was going into the danger-zone. He was going to see if anyone needed help. Gavan contacted Zena over the radio application and let her know Gale's condition. Zena spoke back to him, but he was too concentrated on his surroundings to pay attention to the garbled words that came through the phone.
"Made it to the main street," Gavan said to Zena.
"Alright," he whispered to himself. "Alright, alright. No one is here. Let's get out of here. Let's get out of here."
Gavan's head continued searching left and right as he started walking toward his car. Getting in, he made sure that he turned off all his music so that he could listen for any cries of help as he prepared to go into down-town Henryetta. As if on cue, a blood-curdling cry rang out.. Gavan jumped behind his car. He crouched down and hid behind his steering wheel.
He heard the cry again.
"These old women are going to get me killed," Gavan spoke to himself. He stood up and felt the urge to vomit but he couldn’t.
Gavan knew what he had to do. There was no one else to help. It was his turn to do right. In that instant, he ran toward the scream. He ended up at the Canton Financial Office. A car caught his jacket as he crossed the street towards the office. The preacher cried out, and jumped back, falling to the ground.
He looked up and saw an Aston Martin S10 Martin speeding past him. The sports car kicked polluted snow into the air, leaving Gavan covered with it.
The door stood wide open. Inside, Gavan could hear the so
und of sobs.
"Hello?" he cried out as he approached the Chance’s heavy wooden door.
"I'm sorry we're closed," said Julie.
“No, I’m not here for business, I’m here to see if everything is alright.”
Julie came from Chance's office. Her tears mixed with her make-up, leaving an abysmal trail of mascara down her face.
"Are you alright?" asked Gavan.
Julie nodded but appeared about to cry again.
"What happened?" asked Gavan.
"My boss, he has become something horrible," said Julie.
“I’m sorry. I’ve seen people change too, and it’s not fun -” Gavan stopped his own words, as he looked at Julie's terrified face
"Not like this you haven't," Julie replied.
Gavan opened his mouth to reassure her, but stopped himself. There was something bizarre in her face, and he knew not to argue.
"What do you need?" asked Gavan.
"I need the police,” she started, and almost hyperventilated, “but all the lines are out. My phone has no signal.”
"Well, let me get you out of here," said Gavan.
“I need to grab something from the office -”
"Are you kidding me? Your boss could be back any second."
“I know," said Julie, "that's why we have to grab it now."
"You can go in without me," said Gavan. "Wait, what do you mean?"
“It’s for my friend, Elena Doolin.”
Elena's name made Gavan take a step back, and reconsider what he was doing.
"I'll help you, but make it quick," said Gavan.
Quickly the two went into the office. Gavan felt both unsafe and stupid, but knowing he would feel worse if he let Julie go into a dangerous place alone, he followed her into the office.
“LORD, my Creator, watch over Elena Doolin!” he whispered to himself. Before him, he saw what appeared to be a sociopath monument to his friend. Julie worked quickly, her thumb pressing the button on her phone.
"What type of business is this?" asked Gavan.
"Finance," said Julie.
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