by Shoraz
He then arrived at the building, and he jumped off his airmobile and headed for the stairs to Dean’s apartment. When he got there, he knocked on the door and Ava answered.
“Hi, you’re the guy from the church right, what are you doing here?” she said to him.
“Your life is in great danger, where’s your dad? You have to get out of here,” Luo said to Ava.
Surprised by Luo’s comments, Ava told him that Jonah was upstairs on the roof and she went to get him. As she arrived upstairs, Jonah was nowhere to be found. Ava looked around and shouted his name but there was no reply. Ava then paced along the rooftop wondering where Jonah could be, and then suddenly Jonah flew up from the side of the building and landed beside Ava.
“Jonah where were you, we have to go to the apartment, the guy from the church is here and he said that we’re in danger,” she said.
Confused, Jonah rushed down to the apartment with Ava behind him. As Jonah and Ava entered the apartment, Luo was pacing nervously and kept looking out of the window for the vigilantes. He showed Ava and Jonah the handcuffs and explained to them what happened; and he also explained to them that a church member told the vigilantes where Dean lived and they were headed to their apartment right now.
Jonah then explained that their father was not home and that he wouldn’t be back until later at night; he then looked at the handcuffs on Luo’s hand and asked if he wanted them off. Luo said he would like that but told Jonah that only the vigilantes had the code to unlock the handcuffs; Jonah then told Luo to stand still, and as Luo stood there Jonah focused on the handcuffs; at first nothing happened but after fifteen or twenty seconds the handcuffs were unlocked and they fell to the floor. As they hit the ground Luo’s jaws almost hit the floor as well; never would he have guessed that Jonah was a superhuman, not to mention, a seemingly very powerful one as well.
“Thank you very much, but you have to hurry and leave as you’ve lost a lot of time,” he said to Jonah and Ava, and with that, they started packing a few items for their hasty getaway.
After they had finished packing, they headed to their airmobiles, as they arrived downstairs Jonah and Ava said they were going to meet their dad at his worksite, but Luo insisted that they didn’t go there as that would lead them back into the city and straight into the hands of the violent vigilantes. He told them to head out of the city and away from the pack of vigilantes who were after them. Jonah said that they couldn’t leave their dad behind and not tell him anything and Ava agreed, and they then mounted their airmobile and started heading into the city towards their father’s worksite.
Luo, realizing the danger that they were putting themselves in tried to guide his airmobile in their way but Jonah accelerated ahead of him. Then, as they turned the street corner, Luo tried accelerating ahead of Jonah and as he did so, he saw the band of vigilantes coming towards them.
When the vigilantes saw them, they instantly recognized Luo and started firing lasers in their direction. Upon seeing the laser fire coming in their direction Jonah turned the airmobile around, but Luo kept heading towards the vigilantes. At this point he only had one choice, and that was to protect Jonah and Ava even at the expense of his own life, and with that he put his airmobile to full speed and barreled into the oncoming airmobiles of the vigilantes.
The crash was spectacular and the angle that Luo came in on allowed him to take out at least four or five vigilante airmobiles; then as the other vigilantes stopped to help their fellow vigilante members, Dylan kept on going and following Jonah’s and Ava’s airmobile. He was about thirty meters behind them and catching up fast; and Ava urged Jonah to go faster but their airmobile was at full speed.
As Dylan inched closer towards them, Jonah told Ava to take the steering wheel as he would try to use his superhuman abilities to damage Dylan’s airmobile. But Ava couldn’t do it as she had never controlled an airmobile under such a stressful circumstance before and told that to Jonah but he insisted that she take control as that was their only way to escape.
Ava then made her way to the front seat of the airmobile and took control of it and Jonah then slipped into the back seat. As Ava controlled the airmobile it was not steady and Jonah told her to keep it stable in order for him to focus and use his superhuman skills.
Ava continued trying her best to keep control of the airmobile, but still her control was not steady enough. Jonah then told her to open the door of the airmobile; she refused at first but he reassured her that he had a plan. Ava then put her trust in her brother and opened the door of the airmobile. Then, with the door now open the airmobile was now even more uncontrollable that before.
“What now?” Ava said to Jonah hoping he had more of a plan.
“When I count to three, stop the airmobile, if we can’t out race him, the next best thing is stopping him,” and with that Jonah counted, “One, two, three,” and Ava abruptly stopped the airmobile.
As soon as she did that Jonah jumped out and was facing in the direction of the incoming airmobile. When Dylan saw that, it took him by surprise but he still kept coming towards Jonah. He was now only ten meters away and Jonah was in his bullseye; Ava looked back in disbelief as well as confusion as to what plan her brother had in mind. As Dylan’s airmobile got closer, Jonah stood there not budging or moving and was focusing solely on the incoming airmobile that was heading towards him at full speed. It was now less than three meters away and as Dylan closed his eyes in anticipation of his collision with Jonah, his airmobile suddenly stopped and it was being raised up and away from the ground.
Dylan, expecting Jonah’s certain death from the collision stared at him in disbelief, while John, who was sitting in the back of Dylan’s airmobile, was also mesmerized. Meanwhile, Jonah stood there with his hands in the air controlling the every move of the subdued airmobile, and Ava then began running towards him for directions on what to do next. Jonah then told her to get their stuff from their airmobile and bring it to him and she ran back to their airmobile as Jonah instructed and did as he said. Jonah then opened the roof of Dylan’s airmobile and using his superhuman skills he levitated both Dylan and John out of it.
While doing that he also took Dylan’s vigilante jacket as well as his lasers and knife and as he did so he told Ava to put their stuff in Dylan’s airmobile. He also told Ava to drive the airmobile; and she said that she couldn’t drive at the moment as she was nervous and felt uneasy about the situation, but Jonah told her she had to as he was in no condition to drive as he spent almost all of his energy using his superhuman abilities, and in addition to that his head was in severe pain.
As soon as Ava sat in the driver’s seat and started the airmobile Jonah slowly walked back to it while keeping full control of Dylan and John as he sat in the back seat. Once he was in position, he told Ava to fly as fast as she can away from the city and she then closed the roof of the airmobile and as it began flying away, Jonah slowly released his grip on his two captives.
Once he felt that he was at a safe distance away, he released his grip and then slumped in his seat from exhaustion and he was almost in a state of unconsciousness. Then, with his last bit of energy he muttered, “Go west Ava, go west,” and then lost consciousness.
Back at the scene of the crash, hordes of onlookers were now gathered; the vigilantes that came back helped their fellow crew members back on their feet and tended to those who were injured. In the distance, Dylan began walking back towards them wondering why his airmobile was the only one chasing after Jonah and Ava. Once he saw the scene of the collision, he wondered how two kids and an old man escaped the clutches of his band of well trained and ruthless vigilantes.
As his fellow crew members saw him, a couple of them ran towards him to help him but he just kept on walking towards the collision, “Where’s the old man?” he asked, and his question was met by a wall of silence. He then repeated the words again and the two vigilantes ran towards Luo’s airmobile and when they looked inside, it was empty and Luo was nowhere to be seen
.
Dylan then commanded the vigilantes to find Luo; and as they searched the scene of the accident they saw him trapped behind one of the damaged airmobiles, and he was severely injured and was unable to move as the vigilantes gathered around him with their weapons drawn and pointed towards him.
John meanwhile, still in disbelief from what he saw Jonah do earlier started walking back towards the scene of the collision. As he saw the hordes of onlookers and saw the vigilantes with their weapons drawn and pointed towards his friend Luo, he called out to Dylan and Dylan looked back at him.
“Please Dylan, don’t do it,” he shouted.
“We all know the rules John,” Dylan said.
As John ran towards them he saw Luo lying motionless on the ground.
“Please let him go Dylan, it doesn’t have to be this way. I brought you to them, and I did as you ordered me to do,” John said.
“But he didn’t and we all know the laws of the vigilantes, I don’t want to do it but I have no choice in the matter,” Dylan replied.
As Luo lay on the ground he pleaded for his life with what little strength he had left telling Dylan that he had a niece and two nephews as well as a sister that he had to look after, tears then began flowing from his eyes as he thought of leaving them behind to fend for themselves in this horrid world.
“I am not your enemy; you know who your enemies are, please let me live,” Luo said to Dylan, referring to the betasapiens, who are the common enemy of all humans.
Dylan then gave his crew the go ahead to kill Luo and told them to make it painless for him. John tried to intervene but Dylan held him back and pulled him away from Luo. As Dylan pulled him away John asked Dylan for permission to say goodbye one last time and Dylan agreed.
He then ordered the vigilantes to step away and they looked at each other in confusion as this was an awkward order to give during an execution. John then kneeled beside Luo and whispered to him that Jonah and Ava got away and asked if he had any requests or messages to pass to Sarah.
“Tell her to look after my family,” Luo said to him. He then pulled him close and whispered in his ear, “Find their father and tell him what happened,” and as John was pulled away Luo said, “Please look after them and tell my niece that uncle Luo will see her in the next life.”
“I will do that for you my friend,” John told Luo as Dylan gave him a signal to move away from his soon to be executed companion.
As John moved away Dylan ordered one of the vigilantes to kill Luo, the vigilante then took out his knife and stabbed Luo in the left temple and he died instantly. Then, as the vigilante was about to put the mark of the vigilantes on Luo’s forehead; John asked Dylan to let Luo be buried with honor and not with the mark of the vigilantes.
Dylan agreed and Luo was spared from being branded; he then told the vigilantes to head back to basecamp and that he would take John, as well as Luo’s dead body back to the church. The vigilantes then mounted Luo’s body in an airmobile and John and Dylan flew back in the direction of the church with it. As they flew back to the church there was silence the entire way; when they arrived, John got out and took Luo’s body out of the airmobile.
Dylan then asked John if he knew who Jonah and Ava were and John replied that he didn’t know them prior to meeting them tonight, and as John replied to Dylan that he had never before seen Jonah or Ava, little did he know that he was unknowingly lying to Dylan and that if the truth of the matter became apparent to them both, they would have given their lives to save everything in existence from the abhorrent evil and absolute hate and horror that lay ahead. But for now, the fact of the matter was that neither of them, nor anyone else on earth, knew the truth of what lay beyond the veil of existence and nearly everyone lived their lives based on the realities of their understanding of what this life truly was.
Then, after John answered that he had no idea who Jonah and Ava were, Dylan also asked if there was anyone else with them when they brought the dead knight to the church, to which John replied, “They were alone, and they acted alone, no one else needs to die,” as he walked away carrying Luo’s dead body.
As Dylan flew away, John looked up to the skies hoping to find an answer, a sign, or anything else that could help him understand why Luo would risk his life to protect Jonah and Ava. As he looked up he didn’t find what he was looking for but as he lowered his head and carried Luo’s body back to the church he knew that he wouldn’t let Luo’s death be in vain; and for some unknown reason he knew that he had to find Dean even if it meant putting his own life in danger for a promise that was made many lifetimes and eons ago.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As Sarah started regaining consciousness she tried to open her eyes but the light was blinding and she quickly shut her eyes. Her head was in severe pain, and her body ached, and she called out, “Is anyone there?” but there was no answer.
She tried standing but was unable to move her feet as there were restraints on them, and her hands were also tied up. She tried using her superhuman abilities but nothing happened. She then lay on the floor and a voice spoke to her, “Hello, I see that you are awake. My name is Jane.”
“Hello Jane, can you please help me? I am in pain and I need to get to Alaska; I am on an important mission,” Sarah said to Jane in hopes of finding any sympathy from her captors.
“Sorry but I cannot help you. I am the artificial intelligence system that controls the facility, including the room that you are currently in. I am programmed to keep you safe and secure and locked in this room. You have been given medication which took effect approximately five minutes and twenty seconds ago. Your superhuman abilities have been neutralized, and you are no longer a threat to yourself or those around you,” Jane said.
“What do you mean a threat? I am not a threat to anyone,” Sarah replied to Jane.
“According to the information I have been given, you attacked a search party based out of this facility. You used your superhuman abilities and killed six men and two women. You were then captured during the battle and brought to this facility,” Jane said in a monotone and unemotional voice.
As Jane described the events of the night, it triggered Sarah’s memory and she remembered it all clearly now. She remembered being ambushed and attacked by the outlaws who were in a group. The outlaws who were a band of somewhat out of control hooligans and criminals had control of some areas across the Americas and were in constant battle with the vigilantes over the land and sparse resources available.
After they had ambushed Sarah, she tried fighting back and took out the six men and two women Jane mentioned, but it was them who attacked her first and her attack on them was in self–defense. During their ambush on her she fought well and put up a good fight, but defeating twenty–two outlaws in a fight was too much for almost any superhuman.
Sarah who was still in pain tried to explain her side of the story to Jane but she did not believe Sarah. As they talked back and forth, Jane suddenly stopped talking mid–sentence and the door to the room opened and in stepped Xavier, one of the outlaws along with five others.
“That was a good fight you put up there lady, too bad you lost,” he said.
“My name is Sarah and I didn’t attack you, you attacked me,” she shouted back, irritated at the thought that her captors would accuse her of attacking them first.
Sarah then called out to Jane but there was no answer.
“She can’t hear you now. We shut her down in this room before we came in, now let’s go,” Xavier said.
“Where are you taking me?” Sarah asked.
“You just come along now Sarah, you don’t have much of a choice,” Xavier said to her.
The outlaws then untied the restraints on Sarah’s hands and feet; and as they exited the room they went down a long dark hallway with rooms on each side of it; when they reached the final door which was straight ahead, they unlocked it to reveal an open field. The sky was dark but Sarah could tell that they were headed to the well–lit buil
ding about two hundred meters in front of them.
To the right of her there were gates, and they looked as if they were the main entrance into the facility and were well guarded. As Sarah walked along, she made mental notes of the facility in case she needed them for a possible escape. Finally, they arrived at the main building which was where the leaders, as well as the majority of the outlaws lived.
As they entered, Sarah wasn’t sure what to make of the place, it seemed to be well–run and somewhat organized but at the same time, it was rundown and subnormal. As she continued walking, she saw people sleeping on the floor and there was even a dead body just lying on the floor with a dagger stuck in its eye.
“Sorry about that Sarah, don’t mind it, somebody will clean it up soon,” Xavier said.
He then shouted to one of the outlaws to take the body away.
“Hard to find good help these days you know,” Xavier said as he chuckled about the dead body.
Finally, they arrived at their destination, “And here we are,” Xavier said to Sarah pointing to a door guarded by two heavily armed men.
“A present for the boss,” Xavier said to the two men as one of them came forward, grabbed Sarah and pulled her towards him.
“Whoa, whoa there kind Sir, that’s no way to treat a lady,” Xavier shouted to the guard.
The guard then knocked on the door and once he received permission to go in, he entered the room with Sarah and shut the door behind him.
“Well what do we have here; it’s been a long, long time since a superhuman, especially one as powerful as you, was in the hands of the outlaws. Imagine what we can do with you,” said Amare, who was the boss of the outlaws in the region.
“Look, I don’t know who you are, but why am I being held hostage?” Sarah asked.
“How rude of me, my name is Amare, and I am the leader of the outlaws in this region, and yes, you are my hostage. Sorry about neutralizing your superhuman abilities, but it’s just a precaution to keep us all safe,” Amare said to Sarah.