“Sir, if you don’t comply, we will have no choice but to detain you,” he said. Evan swallowed before nodding in agreement. I peered over the railing upstairs as Aaron and two more soldiers trudged through the house, their thick boots creating a boom that seemed to shudder through me.
“Ma’am, we’ll need you to come down here please,” a soldier said. “Once you’re cleared, we’ll need to see citizen identification.” I eyed Evan as I crept down the stairs.
“Arms out,” Aaron said firmly, staring Evan in the face as he patted him down, hoping the other soldiers wouldn’t figure out he was our friend.
“Search the bags,” said another soldier.
“It’s alright. I got this,” Aaron said, glancing backward. The other men nodded as Aaron approached me. My focus flashed to Evan, the nervous sweat trickling along the side of his forehead. I held my breath as I reached my arms out. Aaron stood ahead of us, eyeballing Evan as he patted me on my sides. Evan grimaced at the bag next to me. If they found the guns, we’d be done.
Time went by in slow motion as Aaron unzipped it, the other soldiers standing several feet out of its sight. And in the instant he paused, I thought it was over. But instead, he sealed the bag quickly, pretending as if he hadn’t seen the guns. I released a breath in silence as Aaron shot back up.
“They’re clean,” he said, glaring at Evan as a final warning.
“Good. Aaron, stay on guard. As for the rest of you, let’s get a move on. We have six more houses up here to clear,” the soldier ordered. And with that, the three of us remained.
24 BARRAGE
“What is going on? Where have you been lately? And why the hell didn’t you warn Jake about the tunnel?” Evan asked Aaron in a tense breath, grasping him by the collar of his uniform before shoving him backward. Aaron’s thick helmet smacked against the wall. “You killed him…” Evan scowled.
“Just calm down, alright? You know I have to obey orders around here. And casualties are to be expected in times of war!” Aaron shouted. Evan gripped him harder.
“Quit speaking to me like a soldier and start talking to me as a friend,” he choked.
“Hey, I saved both your asses, remember?” Aaron coughed from Evan’s stranglehold.
“Evan, stop…” I said. He released him before concentrating on the floor. Aaron readjusted his uniform in a huff.
“You both have some explaining to do yourselves. You could’ve been carted away to the prison camps for having what you have in there. Go on,” he said, hinting at the bruises Evan sustained, his torn up house, and lastly, the guns in the bag.
“Not until you explain to us what the fuck is going on,” Evan said. Aaron snorted.
“What do you think, man? We’re preparing for war like we always have. It’s nothing new,” he said with a sneer.
“Please… just tell us what you know…” I said. Aaron glanced back at me before drawing in a breath. He waited as he grasped his collar again. “It’s okay. We’re your friends, remember?” I repeated. The stubbornness in Aaron’s eyes faded as he peered at Evan again.
“We were advised of a possible large-scale attack developing from the east. We’re being ordered to initiate Operation Vermillion,” he said in a rough voice.
“Large-scale attack? Vermillion? What does that mean?” Evan asked, shaking his head in a scowl.
“It means that the territories might not exist anymore if they strike. We wouldn’t have the capability to respond to this type of attack if they hit here. Our military would be outnumbered by injured civilians, especially if we’re facing casualties. But we can’t go around telling people that, can we?” Aaron spit out his message in a gruff tone.
“When are they planning to strike?” Evan asked in alarm.
“We don’t know yet. But there’s more going on out there than we think. Our armed forces and intelligence units have confirmed our enemies still have weapons that could kill tens of thousands of people. They could wipe out entire cities. We’re not sure what their specific targets are, but they’ve had their motives in place for a while. This is a high-risk operation,” Aaron said with weakening eyes.
“What type of weapons?” I asked.
“Missiles, bombs, chemical warfare…” Aaron said. Evan threw his head back.
“Then why would they put us on lockdown like this?” he asked.
“To protect you, alright? Look, I’m just following orders. I don’t have all the answers,” Aaron said. This time, there was a hint of fear lingering in his eyes, giving away his honesty. And with that fear, I sensed he too had been damaged by this war in his own way, even without being on the front line of battle. Evan pulled back, releasing Aaron as he backed up beside me in surrender. I gazed at the floor while they both caught their breath.
“Fine. But you still didn’t answer a question I know you know the answer to. What is Vermillion?” Evan asked, cautiously looking up at him again.
“It’s an evacuation of the territories,” Aaron said, letting his shoulders fall in defeat. Evan’s eyes widened, and with the sound of Aaron’s words, I became paralyzed. Staring at Evan seemed to be my only choice.
“To where?” Evan asked.
“The only place civilians have left before the big one—the camps. They’re made for citizens in the event they become displaced, such as in an attack. Think of them like temporary refugee camps,” Aaron exhausted.
“Where are these camps?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Only the highest in our chain of command know their location,” he said. Evan stared ahead of him before the emptiness of horror on his face forced me to look away.
“There. I told you. Now you tell me… what happened to you guys? And how the hell did you get ahold of a gun?” Aaron asked. I clutched Evan’s arm, stopping him from his explanation as I opened my mouth to speak. He had never been a good liar, which was one of the many reasons I trusted him, and only him. But it was also why I needed to speak for us.
“We were attacked by rebels last night. We managed to take their guns before they did any more damage, but they got away,” I said, swallowing back the guilt of my white lie.
“Shit,” Aaron sighed. “I was wondering what happened here. I figured looters came here after last night’s rioting in town. Are you sure these people were rebels?”
“They were dressed differently. I’ve never seen anyone like them around here before,” Evan said, raising his brows. Just then, Aaron nodded toward the bag.
“That’s the truth, right? You two weren’t planning on running, were you?” he asked in suspicion. I swallowed as he stared at Evan, who remained speechless, the curiosity in Aaron’s tone suddenly making him less trustworthy.
“No. We were just preparing in case something happened. We saw the riots in town and figured it wouldn’t hurt to gather up what we could use. And after getting attacked, we wanted something to use in case they came back,” I chimed in. Evan nodded in agreement, his eyelids flickering. Aaron stared at the two of us before letting out a heavy breath.
“I have no choice but to confiscate those guns. It was stupid of both of you to think you could get away with this,” Aaron muttered, pulling the guns out of the bag. Evan’s expression grew angrier the longer he thought about it.
“No. What’s stupid is sitting around here waiting to be killed,” Evan snapped.
“We have no choice. We can’t evacuate the cities and defend them at the same time,” Aaron said.
“Why the hell not? You have time to barge into people’s homes on the brink of attack, don’t you?” Evan asked with a snide look.
“Look, right now it’s only a precaution. If our armed forces see them approaching on their radar, there’ll be plenty of time to counterattack before they reach the territories. Your best bet is to lie low,” Aaron said.
“He’s right,” I said to Evan, pulling on his arm, his jaw tensing as he bitterly accepted our situation.
♦ ♦ ♦
That night, the familiar roar of
helicopters and monstrous vehicles was replaced with an eerie silence. Between the static on Aaron’s pager, the house stayed quiet. Too quiet. My eyes snapped open from a restless sleep as the cool breeze brushed against my cheeks. I was curled up in an awkward position, my head resting against the torn sofa. Several blankets were wrapped around me, the same sweatshirt and pants from the day before still hugging my body. The afterglow of dying coals just lit the room as the neon green glow radiated through the shattered windows. Without the heat from the fire, the brisk air cut through me as I lifted the blankets. My boots rested beside me. Evan must have taken them off for me. But when I turned over, he wasn’t there.
I sat up, blinking to adjust to my surroundings. Military dogs barked in the distance, their piercing howls ringing off the mountains. All it took was the sound of their howls for the doubts to invade my mind again, recalling my mother’s quest to find my sister. That’s when Evan’s words replayed. “She knows what she’s doing, Aubs.” But my confidence in her survival was fading as the threats loomed.
Eager to find Evan, I stumbled around in the dark. Through the window, soldiers lined the street outside the house. Gripping their rifles, they paced back and forth in boredom. Boredom was good. It meant we were safe. Sitting in a chair beside the front door lied Aaron, asleep with his helmet covering his eyes. His mouth hung open and head leaned sideways. I wanted to laugh, but I was too afraid.
My footsteps were inaudible as my feet crept across the kitchen and up the stairs to Evan’s room. I peered over the railing, making sure Aaron hadn’t heard me. Luckily, he hadn’t.
Evan’s shadow flooded the floor of the bedroom, the thin black curtains swaying in the wind. He stood on the patio, leaning forward against the rail. I placed my hand on his shoulder before he faced me. Panicked and alert, he seemed caught off guard at the sight of me.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered as I squinted at his battered face in distress. He blinked as if I startled him out of his gaze, but he didn’t bother to answer me. “Why aren’t you asleep?” I asked, glancing twice out at the dark town.
“We’re still out of power,” he said.
“It must be taking them longer to restore it. Why don’t you come back inside? It’s late...” I asked. He pursed his lips and shook his head.
“Something doesn’t feel right, Aubrey...” He winced.
“What do you mean?”
“I heard something. It sounded like an explosion,” he said. His face was serious and afraid.
“Evan, the military is on full alert. If there was a real threat, they’d warn us,” I pleaded.
“What if they didn’t? What if our so-called enemies were using the outage to their advantage?” he asked, his expression wide with terror.
“But we get blackouts all the time,” I said, running my hand against my forehead, trying to relax. My eyes widened as I continued to stare at his unaffected expression.
“Exactly. But what if our communication systems were down? Other cities might be under attack right now and we’d never even know what hit them...” he said, wincing. I froze in fear as my eyes wandered.
Above us, the sky gleamed in cascading teal and emerald sheets, casting shadows against the mountains to the west. Below, our town was a collage of objects obscured in dark grays and blacks. The luminescent green tones gave way to the shapes of houses and Humvees parked along each street. Still exhausted, I didn’t want to think about the possibility. But before I could convince him he was being paranoid, a slight rumble vibrated beneath us. It didn’t last long. Five seconds at the most, but it was enough to ignite a deeper sense of panic.
“Something’s happening out there, Aubrey. I know it,” he said. Glancing back at him, he seemed so sure of himself, his chest inflating and deflating more rapidly.
Worried, I gazed out across the town again, trying to convince myself it had only been a figment of my imagination. But before I blinked, a streak of red light filled the sky just long enough to notice. Reminding me of a shooting star, it sprawled throughout the auroras before fading away beyond the horizon. Evan stopped breathing.
“What was that?” I asked, my body jittery from the rapid surge in adrenaline. Horror flooded his eyes as they wandered toward the skyline.
“It looked like a distress signal.”
Now, his hands gripped my shoulders as he jerked his head around in warning, standing mere inches from me. The air from his rapid breathing brushed my lips as he spoke, his sight beaming like daggers into mine.
“Aubrey, listen. You need to go downstairs and load those bags with water, clothes, whatever you can find that’s still here. We have to get to your mom’s cellar before the other guards notice, or we’ll never get out of here in time,” he warned in an unstable tone.
“But there’s too many of them. We’ll never make it,” I shrieked, not having a second to spare. I was too late anyway. He was already gone.
I chased Evan down the stairs as another rumble shook the ground. It felt closer this time. The rustic chandelier rattled through the emptiness overhead, forcing me to a skidded halt. I crept through the darkness of the kitchen swiftly before my eyes adjusted to the dark, the dying fire my only guide as I grabbed as much as I could from the pantry. The few remaining cans and boxes of food crashed to the floor as I attempted to keep a steady grip on his bag.
Out of nowhere, Evan appeared from around the corner as the ground quaked again, his head darting in every direction. The lights flashed on before blacking out again, the shouting of soldiers outside sending me in a whirl of tension as the adrenaline sparked my pulse. Then, my vision centered in on the empty chair in front of the door. Aaron had disappeared.
“He’s gone!” My eyes flung from left to right, the shouting interrupted by the engines of endless military trucks parked along Evan’s street. A soldier gestured the rest of them with hand signals and commands, their orders clear, concise, and distinct in their execution.
“Shit. We have to leave! Now!” Evan warned.
In an instant, the rippling of helicopters burst through the air. We darted to the window, our curiosity a side effect of the chaos unfolding. On the southern edge of town, a black helicopter struggled to stay above the mountains. The way it wobbled indicated its fate. It couldn’t be real. But my doubts were proven wrong as it lost control, dipping downward and ending its descent in tragedy along the mountain. The horror reflected in Evan’s eyes.
My ears rang after the other choppers passed. Neither of us could move, our bodies paralyzed by denial.
Before we knew it, a deafening roar approached from the vicinity, snapping me out of shock. This time I had to plug my ears. Fighter jets pierced through the auroras, heading westward, creating a shuddering boom that sent us into a panicked frenzy. Soldiers raced down the streets, armed and yelling as they prepared for the worst. In the town below, civilians scattered in panic as guards tried to get them under control. But it was no use.
“Aubrey, we have to move!” he screamed above the sounds before darting back into the kitchen. All of it seemed to pass me by in slow motion. But the next sound signified I couldn’t wait a second longer.
Fear froze through my icy veins as the blaring of a horn deafened the entire town. It was so loud, so sudden, that I felt nauseous upon realizing what it was. The air-raid siren sealed the deal. This was it—that single moment I had feared ever since the beginning. The anthem of our fall.
Everything around me swirled in circles. Out of air, I choked on my gasps. Evan’s eyes grew larger as he shoved past me, grabbing the bag and filling it with anything he could. We had little time, but my body wanted to faint. I struggled to avoid it, prying my eyes open, forcing myself to come out of its poisonous undertow.
As we bolted toward the garage, the lights flickered again as another boom shook beneath us. The house rocked so violently, the chandelier hanging above gave way, shattering on the living room floor. I looked up as I stood there in the dark, taken by surprise at the sight of sha
rds spinning beside my feet. My face flushed as I pulled my boots back on. Evan called from down the hallway.
“Aubrey, let’s go! Come on!” He motioned for me.
In my peripheral vision, two guards from the street charged toward the house. I plunged in Evan’s direction. After reaching the garage, the footsteps of soldiers got closer.
“Shit!” he burst out in frustration.
My heart stopped as I jolted my head in his direction. He leaned over the gas cap of his dirt-covered jeep. A pump and set of tubes lied on the cement next to it. It had been siphoned. Without fuel, we’d be trapped.
I tried not to panic, but the terror had already unleashed within me. The screams continued in town, seeping through the walls. He dove to the other side of the garage. There stood his father’s old classic, restored mustang—unused since the year he died. A loud thud rattled the walls, the ground rumbling beneath us again.
“Help me!” he shouted, tearing away the cover of the black beast. I didn’t hesitate. Afterward, Evan’s fingers stumbled upon a set of keys as the shouts of guards and gunshots prevailed in the distance.
“Hurry!” I warned. He bit down on his lip, unlocking the doors. I tossed our belongings into the back as I slid into the passenger seat. Stumbling into the car, he forced the key in the ignition. But there was no guarantee it would start after all these years. His breathing was out of control as the panicky sweat trickled down his face. I held my breath as the engine choked.
“No… don’t do this,” he said through gritted teeth. Tears fell down my cheek as I closed my eyes with crossed fingers. He twisted the keys again, his expression a painful, panicked grimace as he held it down for several seconds. The car hiccupped, its deep, dark roar desperately wanting to come to life, but it wasn’t enough.
“Damn it!” He slammed his arms into the steering wheel.
“They’re coming!” I warned in a shaky tone as guards flung through the garage door.
The Luminosity Series (Book 1): Luminosity Page 21