I cringe, but take a step forward towards the shaft. Aiden needs us to be strong for him right now and this is clearly a last resort. ‘I swear Aiden, if I land on a dead body I’m never getting over this…’
Then, before I have a chance to think twice about it, I climb into the shaft and push myself down the funnel.
I almost immediately regret the decision as I plummet quickly down the slide. The slope of the shaft is steep and I build momentum quickly. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut, but it doesn’t stop them from watering. I try to remember to breathe as the air whips past my face.
As quickly as my plummet started, it stops and I roll out onto the hard concrete floor. I lurch to my feet and stumble away from the shaft’s exit. The room I’m in is dim, but there are thankfully no bodies to be seen.
There are body bags piled up in the corner of the room and dark embers light a furnace against the far wall. The place is solemn and silent except for the subtle sound of crackling from the fire.
I hear a loud, ‘umph,’ as someone rolls out behind me.
‘Can’t believe you beat me to it, Winters,’ Hunter says with a grin, as he stands up.
I roll my eyes at him and turn back to my inspection of the room. We must be on one of the lower levels of the ARC. I hope Aiden knows his way to the council chambers from here, because I’ve never been to this place before.
The others tumble out behind us, one by one. Soren is the last to come down, and he has a dark look to his eyes I hadn’t noticed earlier.
‘I assume you know the way to the council chambers from here,’ Soren asks Aiden, his voice cutting through the silence like steel. He stands slowly, brushing his hands against his pants.
Aiden goes to respond, but Lara speaks before he has a chance. ‘Are the council even in charge down here anymore?’
We all look at each other, but no one has the answer. With all the recruiters down here, and the hospital almost completely abandoned, it’s clear that things aren’t the way we left them.
Hunter shakes his head. ‘I’m not sure, but we need to work out what the hell is going on down here.’
Soren shoots Hunter a dark look. ‘You sure you don’t already know? This has your father written all over it.’
Hunter throws his hands up in the air. ‘Yeah, you’re right. This probably is Joseph’s doing, but that doesn’t mean I know squat about it. I hate that man more than anyone and it’s not like he pulls me aside to let me know his master plan.’
‘What should we do?’ Lara asks, turning to Dalton, who has been silent this whole time.
‘We keep heading for the council chambers,’ he says.
‘Right, then let’s keep moving,’ Lara says, clapping her hands together and nodding her head at the door that leads from the room.
Hunter continues to scowl at Soren, but they both move silently over to the door.
‘You do know how to get to the council chambers from here, don’t you?’ Lara asks Aiden, who gives her an affirmative nod.
‘We need to go through the Atrium to the West Wing, which is where the chambers are located.’
I swallow tightly at his explanation. The Atrium is the mid-point of the ARC and the hub of all activity. I don’t know how the hell he thinks we can get through there unscathed. If the Atrium is anything like the hospital there are bound to be recruiters or officials there, but it’s the only way to get to the West Wing from here. The only positive I can think of is that it will be so busy in the Atrium, there’s no way we will be noticed.
We follow Aiden down several hallways. They’re darker than the usual bright, white corridors in the ARC, with pipes running along the ceiling and soft blue lighting filtering down the walls. Aiden leads us up one flight of steps and comes to a stop by the door at the top of them. He pauses with his hand reached out to the doorknob.
‘We’ll probably expect to see people beyond this door,’ he says, in warning.
I brace myself as he pulls the door open, but the corridor beyond is empty. It’s got the usual harsh lighting and sterile feel to it that I’m used to seeing in the ARC and I recognise the place instantly. It’s the bottom floor of the ARC, and right near the Atrium. Aiden’s right, people frequently use this corridor. We’re going to have to be careful from here.
We slowly reassemble in our line as we follow Aiden through the doorway. My nerves are still on edge and I can feel them building the closer we get to the Atrium. All I can think is that we’re going to be found at any moment.
When we reach the entrance to the Atrium, Sebastian moves to look around the corner of the opening. A moment later he stumbles back several feet, turning to us.
‘That place is crawling with officials,’ he hisses.
I cautiously approach the corner and peek around it to look at the Atrium myself. I quickly jerk my head back. He wasn’t kidding. There has to be twenty officials out there and who knows how many of them are recruiters. The place is completely deserted of citizens though and nothing like the Atrium I expected to see. It was always heaving with people and buzzing with activity, but now the place is almost completely deserted.
‘What do we do?’ I ask the others.
‘Our group is too big and there are too many of them for me to manipulate,’ Hunter says, as he walks back from having a look himself. ‘Especially if there are recruiters in there.’
Everyone falls silent and tension seems to hum through the group. I glance at Lara who shrugs at me. She’s got no idea what to do and she’s not the only one.
‘We could fight them,’ Luke suggests.
Sebastian raises one eyebrow at him. ‘You really think that’s a good idea?’
Luke’s hands clench and unclench at his sides and I catch sight of a wisp of smoke dancing across his knuckles. He’s been silent for a while now and he looks like he’s itching for a fight. ‘I’m sure we could take them.’
Lara shakes her head. ‘One of us will get hurt if we fight them,’ she says. ‘We can’t take them all.’
Luke glares at her. ‘You can’t maybe.’
‘Luke!’ I hiss at him, causing him to turn his glare on me.
‘Don’t get me started on you, princess.’
‘That’s enough,’ Dalton growls, catching Luke’s eyes and signalling for him to back down. ‘Is there another way around?’ he asks, looking to Aiden.
Aiden shakes his head. ‘We have to go through the Atrium.’
‘Would it be better on another level?’ I ask.
Hunter moves for the entrance again and sneaks a glance upwards. I can easily picture the glass walkways high above the Atrium floor. He comes back and shakes his head. ‘They’re just as bad. There are less recruiters, but the walkways are only narrow.’
Soren turns to Sebastian. ‘Can you teleport to the wing?’
‘Yes, with one other person,’ Sebastian responds. ‘But I don’t think I could make the trip more than a few times and I’ll be completely wiped if I need my talent again.’
Soren glances at Dalton, who gives him a small nod, before turning back to Sebastian. ‘We’ll have to risk it. I don’t see any other way.’ He readjusts the official’s jacket he wears. ‘Take Aiden first, then come back.’
Sebastian nods and reaches for Aiden. Once his hand is clasped firmly around Aiden’s arm, the two of them disappear. Several moments later Sebastian reappears alone. His skin looks a little whiter than it was before, but he seems to be holding up okay. The furthest I can remember him teleporting was across the river from North Hope, and that didn’t end well. The Atrium isn’t quite as wide, but he can’t be finding it easy.
Soren glances around our small circle. ‘Lara, you next.’
Lara glances at me uneasily, but I give her an encouraging nod. I can tell she doesn’t feel comfortable leaving me behind, but she needn’t worry. I’ll be in the West Wing soon.
Sebastian takes Lara and when he reappears again he is visibly struggling. He’s sweating profusely and he looks shaky on his fee
t. He’s going downhill quickly and I feel almost certain he won’t make more than one final trip.
‘Elle,’ Soren says. ‘You next.’ I glance up at him, Dalton, Luke and Hunter.
‘No, one of you should go next.’
Soren shakes his head. ‘Sebastian won’t make another trip, not unless we want him to collapse. Dalton and I will take Luke and Hunter through the Atrium. They’re the strongest and will be able to defend themselves if needed. We will be fine.’
Feelings of guilt cause my stomach to curdle as I look at the four of them. I would be the strongest if I had better control of my talents.
‘I could try to teleport myself,’ I suggest.
Sebastian shakes his head. ‘You’ve never tried something so far before on purpose, and now isn’t the time to be taking that risk. Soren is in an official’s uniform; it’ll look like he’s escorting them somewhere. Hunter should be able to use his talent to help. Right?’ He glances at Hunter.
Hunter nods. ‘There are a lot of minds out there to control, but I should be able to get them to lose interest in us. They hopefully won’t question Soren since he’s in uniform.’
I slowly nod and take a step towards Sebastian. I still feel uneasy about leaving the others here. What if something happens to them while they’re trying to cross the Atrium?
Hunter reaches out and grabs my arm. ‘Look, if anything happens to us in there, you guys run. Okay?’
I hesitate.
‘Okay?’ he repeats.
I give him a small nod, but I’m not certain that my heart agrees. I can’t just abandon them if something goes wrong.
I step into Sebastian’s arms. ‘They’ll be okay,’ Sebastian says softly, as he takes hold of me. His grip is so gentle and he pulls me close, enveloping his arms around me. He rests his chin on my forehead and his proximity causes my stomach to flutter. He hadn’t held any of the others this way and I smile as I close my eyes and place my head against his chest.
A rush of cold air flows over my skin, before disappearing just as quickly as it came. When I open my eyes I’m staring at Aiden and Lara.
Lara lifts an eyebrow at me and gives me a knowing smile. I take a step away from Sebastian’s arms and immediately miss the feel of them around me. I glance back at him. His hands rest on his knees and there’s a touch of blood at his nose, which makes me worry. He’s overexerted himself. What if he needs his talent again later?
‘You two need to get a room,’ Lara mutters. I feel my cheeks grow warm with embarrassment and I struggle to meet anyone’s eyes.
‘Are you going back for the others?’ Aiden asks.
Sebastian shakes his head. ‘Soren is going to bring them over.’
I walk over to the West Wing entrance to the Atrium and look in. It’s strange to see it so empty of people, with only the officials loitering in the large and open hall. Worry gathers in the pit of my stomach as I consider what has happened here. It can’t be good.
The TV screens scattered on the walls that used to show the news are ominously quiet. Some of the TVs used to broadcast footage of the abandoned surface above the ARC, and even without those haunting images constantly flickering across their screens, the place seems truly lifeless.
I catch movement on the far side of the Atrium and watch as Soren emerges into the hall with Luke, Dalton and Hunter by his side.
‘They’re coming,’ I whisper to the others. I turn back to watch them cross and I feel Sebastian come up behind me. His chest presses into my back as he lightly takes hold of my arms and peers over my head.
None of the officials have noticed the four of them yet, and they walk through the Atrium with such confidence, looking just like they’re meant to be there. Watching them makes my skin crawl and my talent ripples across it. I can’t stand to look, but I can’t seem to take my eyes off of them either.
Time stretches as I watch them and an eternity seems to pass as they slowly make their way towards us. Most of the officials stand near the exits and the three of them look so exposed as they walk across the open expanse in the centre of the room.
Fear grips my insides as I stand and wait. Something could so easily go wrong for them. There are more officials in that room than I’ve ever seen in one place before, and if Hunter loses his concentration for even a second they could easily be caught.
Soren’s confidence is effortless as he walks with Dalton, Luke and Hunter in tow. With his head held high and his chest puffed out, he plays the part of an official well. Luke is scowling, but that’s not anything unusual for him, and Dalton watches his surroundings warily. Hunter’s eyes are locked on to the far wall. He walks without seeing, as his mind focuses fully on the men who surround them.
They are just past half way to the West Wing entrance, when an official steps out from the wall and moves towards them.
‘Where are you going?’ the man asks Soren.
Hunter’s focus drops from the far wall to the man standing before them. His eyes become tense and I can see purple flaring in them as he attempts to manipulate the official.
Soren stands a little straighter. ‘These three were in the hospital. I’m returning them to their quarters.’ His voice is strong and filled with calm certainty. It’s said so convincingly that I almost believe what he says, despite knowing it’s not the truth.
Hunter takes a step backward. The movement is subtle, but I catch it all the same. There’s a slight crease in his brow and the corner of his mouth is twitching. His gaze flickers past the official, in our direction.
‘This man’s a recruiter,’ comes Hunter’s voice in my head. ‘Get out of here.’
The expression on my face drops and I take a rapid breath in as my body tenses.
‘What is it Elle?’ Sebastian whispers.
‘He’s a recruiter,’ I reply, as the fear in my chest deepens. ‘We can’t leave them.’
‘Elle…’ Sebastian’s voice holds a warning in it, but I’m not listening to him. We can’t leave them with a recruiter. They’ll end up being taken away, or worse, if he knows they are talented.
‘Looks like you’re heading to the West Wing,’ the recruiter questions Soren. ‘Their quarters aren’t in the West Wing.’
Soren gives a short laugh and rubs his face. ‘You’re right. It’s been a long shift. We were going to the East Wing.’
‘You mean the North,’ the recruiter responds, his voice filled with suspicion.
‘Yeah, North, didn’t I say that?’ Soren responds.
The recruiter shakes his head. ‘You should really get some sleep.’
‘Tell me about it,’ Soren says.
He moves to walk away, and I let out a short sign of relief, but then a group of adults dressed in their greys emerges from the North Wing. There’s about twenty of them slowly moving in two rows, flanked by officials on either side. They look to be heading towards the hospital. Soren and the others halt as they look across the Atrium and see the group making their way across it.
‘What are they doing with all those people?’ I whisper to Sebastian, but he shakes his head, as confused as I am.
As I focus back on the group I see a man stumble out of line. An official leans over, grabbing him by the cuff of his grey top, and shoves him back towards the group.
‘Back in line,’ he growls at the man.
The man falters though and looks back at the official. ‘Where are you taking us?’
‘Do not ask questions!’ the official replies. ‘Get back in line!’
Another citizen in grey stops and turns to face the official. ‘We just want to know what’s going on,’ he says.
The official’s eyes darken and a smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. He holds out his hand and a coiling whip of sparking electricity unfurls from his palm, appearing out of thin air.
‘What did I say about questions?’ he yells, drawing the whip of hot, white, blinding energy back behind his head.
The men’s eyes widen and they cower back from the official, pure t
error lighting their faces.
The official begins to lower his arm, his whip lashing out in a glaring arc towards the men. But, just before it reaches them, a ball of bright purple fire rushes through the air towards the recruiter, completely engulfing him in flames. Luke stands there with his right arm outstretched, flames dancing from his fingertips, anger flaring in his eyes.
The room erupts in chaos as the group of citizens scream while the officials leave their posts and run towards our friends. Some officials stay still, shock evident on their faces, but most are straight into action. I move to run into the Atrium after them, but Sebastian pulls me back.
‘What are you doing?’ I shout at him, pushing against his hands.
‘We can’t go in there!’
‘We can’t leave them!’ I yell back.
Aiden grabs hold of my other arm to help drag me back from the entrance, but he quickly jerks his hand away as though he’s been shocked.
‘Elle, you need to get control of yourself,’ Sebastian says.
His arms are around my waist, trying to pull me away, but I shake my head and keep my eyes trained on the room before me. Luke is hurling balls of fire around him and Soren is a blur as he darts from one official to another. Dalton is using brute force on his opponents while Hunter stands completely still, his eyes flaring purple as he focuses in on any men who approach him.
An official tackles Luke to the ground and without a thought I grasp at the air around my fingers and hurl it at the man, throwing him off Luke’s back. Luke quickly jumps to his feet and hurls another fireball from his fist.
Hunter looks in my direction. ‘Elle, get out of here!’ I hear his voice speak in my mind before he turns back to focus on a man who has bolts of electricity dancing across his skin. It’s another talented recruiter in an official’s uniform. How many of them are there down here? Hunter and the others have no chance of escaping if the room is filled with recruiters. They need our help.
Sebastian won’t let go of me and he keeps trying to drag me away to safety. Judging from the amount of recruiters in the Atrium though, nowhere in the ARC is safe anymore.
I glance back at Sebastian, looking him deep in the eyes. ‘I know Hunter said to run, but they need our help in there.’
Destined (The ARC Book 4) Page 18