by Leigh Vernon
"What did you just do?" Justin shouted at her. "We had her. We had her right there!"
"Of course, we had her, but strange as it may sound we also need her to stay alive," she answered him.
Justin looked back. The woman was still standing at a part of the road where she had stopped limping.
"What do you mean we need her alive?" He asked.
"Because we need her to help bring him back and end this once and for all."
"Bring who back?" Justin asked.
"You'll find out soon enough," she said to him as they continued their journey. "It's a pity we didn't get that helicopter ride. God, I wanted it," she added quickly.
Justin didn't say anything in reply. He just wanted this over with.
Chapter 8
Justin could feel his heart beating loudly. He thought he was imagining things and shook it off. How could he be listening to his own heartbeat this loud? He took another step forward and felt a strong wave of pain hit him in the chest. He tried to remain on his feet, but the pain was so much that he fell on his face. Sarah stopped walking and came to stand in front of him.
"You need to endure the pain for a little while more. We're almost there," she said to him.
Justin turned on his back and stared at her blankly. He tried to say something but the words got stuck in his mouth.
"Don't try to say anything - it'll only get worse," she said to him.
He stopped trying and took deep breaths to steady himself. He realized it worked wonders.
"How'd you know that?" Justin asked when he was able to talk again.
Sarah ignored him and sat on the ground gently. She reached into the backpack she was carrying and brought out a bar of chocolate which she offered to him.
"No, thanks," he said, still trying to find his voice.
Sarah shrugged. "Your loss."
He glowered at her. She was every bit as annoying as Denzel was.
It's the same person, you know?
For a while there, Justin had forgotten about the other person occupying a portion of his mind. He was going to say something when he heard Sarah say loudly, "You might as well just know that he's the reason you're feeling that much pain. Your body is trying to get rid of him."
Justin's mouth flew wide open.
She's right. Your mind is a very strong one; it's been trying to get me to leave for a while now and anytime I fight back, you feel the pain.
"Why don't you just get out of me, then?” Justin asked.
"Because he needs you to reach our base, take the oath and go back to defeat the darkness," Sarah answered.
Justin sat upright. "What darkness?"
Sarah didn't answer him. Instead, she munched on the chocolate bar silently, watching the sky as she did. Justin took that as his cue and sank back. This was going to be a very long journey.
---
"You had them and you let them get away?"
Gianna looked away. In all her years, she had never failed a mission before. It took her by surprise that these two were very undeterred by everything she threw at them. It was even more alarming that they had had the chance to finish her off and the woman had driven off instead. Who was she, anyways?
"Gianna!" Sam thundered. "I'm talking to you!"
She straightened herself up and stared at him. "Yes, they got away, but that was because I underestimated them. It won't happen again, I promise you."
Sam threw the fork in his hand at her. It stuck into her shoulder, a blotch of blood appearing in the seconds that followed. Gianna looked at him with pity in her eyes before she took out the fork and dropped it on the table.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she said calmly.
Sam sighed heavily. "It had better not." He picked up the fork and continued his meal. "Now, the crypt has been found. What's the next thing to do?"
"We need the compass, and we need it as quickly as possible," she answered him. The blotch disappeared as she mumbled a few words.
Sam looked up. "And where is this compass?"
"Eastern Road. The Red Mantis Cult had it for a while but it was stolen from them. There is news that a group of old supers have it."
"How many of them, these supers?"
Gianna stopped to think. "More than a hundred of them."
"That's a lot of work if we're going to wrest it from them," Sam told her as he cleaned his mouth with a napkin. "Send word to the Red Mantis. I'll see if I can locate the compass using the Third Eye."
Gianna seemed shocked by what he was saying. "You do realize that using the Eye makes you weak, and they will know?"
Sam brushed off her words with a wave of his hand. "That's why you're my head of security. Between then and when I recover fully, I expect you to keep me safe and sound. Or is that too much of a task?"
"No, it's not."
"Good," he said as he rose from the table. "Now, what are we doing today?"
Gianna produced a tablet for him to go through. "You have two meetings: one with the Governor's replacement and another with a doctor from a university."
Sam's brows pooped up. "A doctor from a university?"
Gianna also looked puzzled. "I'm guessing it's a degree and not a profession."
Sam grunted. He had been feeling a little stressed of late and the things going on around him were not helping matters. He needed to feed.
"Have you gotten anything from those little fools yet?" He asked loudly.
Gianna shook her head. "They had been done with them before our men could get to them."
"How many?"
"Sixty-five. Three escaped."
Sam's blood rose with excitement. "Find those three. I'd love to meet them."
Gianna nodded and headed towards the door. She paused when he called to her.
"You should get some rest yourself. Let the men handle this one on their own."
Gianna turned towards him. "I understand you perfectly well, but I have failed you once already. It'll break my heart to fail you again."
Sam snickered. "Your heart's been broken for as long as I can remember now. There's nothing there but bitterness and evil."
Gianna's lips curved into a wide smile. "Maybe that's why I hate to disappoint."
Sam nodded. "Just make sure nothing happens to you. I'd hate to lose you anytime soon."
She turned and walked out the door, the smile still spread across her face as she walked on.
---
Justin woke up with a start. He was sweaty and his breaths were uneven. He had seen her again, and this time, she looked worse than he had imagined. Beads of sweat ran down his face as he tried to steady himself. He didn't understand why she was in that kind of place or why she was being tortured that much, but something told him he had to find a way to get her out of there as quickly as he possibly could. There was no telling if she was alive or dead, or whether what he was seeing was just a figment of his own imagination.
"And that's how you'll continue to see her in your dreams," Sarah said to him. She was nibbling on another chocolate bar.
Justin tried to make out their position. It seemed like they were in a forest of some sort as he could tell from the tall trees and landscape, but he needed to be sure.
"Where are we?" He asked.
Sarah shot him a look. "In the forest, of course. Where else did you think we were?"
He rubbed his eyes.
"There was no way we could have made it to a motel, the way you were going on last night with your chest pains. So, I drove us here. At least no one would be looking for us here."
Justin blinked rapidly. He was trying to remember everything that had happened the day before. Then, it struck him with force. What he didn't remember was them entering this forest.
That's because you passed out several times.
Sarah threw a chocolate bar at him. "Eat," she said. "You'll need your strength for what's coming."
He gave her a blank stare. "It's a bar of chocolate. That's not food."
Sh
e smiled at him. "That means you understand why we need to get to base as soon as we can."
Justin got up from where he was sitting. He realized they were inside the car too late as his head hit the roof.
"Hey! Don't hurt Grace!" Sarah howled at him.
He didn't know which one made him look more stupid - the fact that he was listening to a total stranger tell him not to hurt a car with a name, or the fact that he hadn't realized they were inside a car in time. He rubbed his head instead as he reached for the door and opened it. He stepped out and let the wind blow around him.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sarah asked him from behind as she also stepped out of the car. "Nature has survived this long despite what humans do to it every single time."
Justin found himself nodding at what she said. "I guess we're the very evil we try to save ourselves from."
"I guess so," she replied absentmindedly. "Come on. We still have a long way to go."
She turned and got back into the car.
"Where are we going exactly?" Justin asked as he joined her.
"Have you heard of the Wheeled Town before?" she asked him.
"Old county?"
"Yes, the very one."
Justin's face lit up with excitement. There had been stories about how a town was always running on wheels in the Old County. Of course, the wheels were more of a metaphor, but it excited everyone who heard about it. The most exciting thing was that the city held memories of the old war and it was the birthplace of most of the Powered. There was no better place for anyone like Justin.
"I've always thought of the possibility of going to the Old County, but it's unbelievable that I’m going there under these circumstances," he said out loudly.
Sara smirked. That was the same way she had felt long ago when she made her own first journey.
"You seem awfully quiet," Justin pointed out to her.
"You said you fought in the civil war, didn't you?" She asked him.
"Yes."
"I'm pretty sure you're wondering why many of us chose not to follow in that footstep, yes?"
"Last you told me, you said you didn't want to be involved in a senseless war. Oh, and that you knew what the outcome would be."
Sarah laughed a little bit. She seemed amused by the way he was handling the whole issue. If he had seen the things she had seen, maybe he would understand better, or perhaps he needed to see things for himself in the Old County.
She glanced at him. "What really excites all of you about the Old County? The history, or the people?"
He seemed taken aback by the question. Everyone knew why the Old County meant so much to everyone who was powered. Everyone wanted to go there because of the history it held.
"Why'd you ask me that kind of question?" He asked back.
Sarah was more focused on driving. She turned into a sort road and eased her foot on the accelerator. The car came to a top in front of an old building.
"Before we go into the city, there's something I need to show you," she said as she turned towards him.
"Why do you sound like I'm not going to like this at all?" He asked in a concerned voice.
She sighed. "Because, truthfully, you're not going to like it."
They both got out of the car and walked into the building. As soon as they stepped in, the building collapsed and they were inside an elevator. She pushed a button before Justin could ask any questions. The elevator jolted once and then they were descending fast into somewhere he couldn't tell.
"Where are we going?" He asked her. There was fear in his voice.
Sarah ignored him and brought out a device from her pocket. She stabbed it into him and watched as he fell to the floor. The last thing he saw as darkness embraced him was her face. She was smiling down at him.
The next time he opened his eyes, they were greeted by several others peering down into his face. He brushed them aside quickly and tried to stand up, but they held him back down. He fought with all his might but somehow, he felt himself lose his strength each time. When he finally became calm, he saw that all the eyes were one and same. He had been wrestling with just one girl who had transformed herself into many.
"What the...? What am I doing here?" He asked.
Sarah asked the girl to let him be. As soon as she held back from him, Justin got up with a start. He steadied himself and got ready to fight.
"You better save your strength," someone said to him.
He turned to see an old woman sitting in a wooden chair, eyes white and cold. At first, it seemed like she had been sitting there for hundreds of years, but when he looked closely enough, Justin could have sworn she had not been there minutes ago. There were some old bones at her feet, and an inscription he couldn't really read out.
"What's all this?" He asked loudly, turning from the old woman towards Sarah, who didn't seem a little bit bothered. "Is this some sort of trick?"
There were two others in the room with them, apart from the girl who had held him down before. They were men who looked like they were in their seventies. He turned from one to the other.
"Justin, meet the Elders of the Cross. Elders, Justin," Sarah announced nonchalantly.
The men turned towards him at the same time and Justin jumped back. They had eyes that bore into him and the way he saw it, they were twins.
"Young Justin," one of them called to him. His voice sounded angry yet calm at the same time. "You're not the light, but you carry the light within you. If you don't mind, we would like to speak with him now."
Justin looked around. He didn't understand one bit of what was going on. "Sarah? What's this?"
"They just want to talk," she answered.
"Well, here I am."
"Not to you."
A hand grabbed him from behind and he turned. Before he could utter a word, two others grabbed him until he was held down. One of the men walked towards him and touched his forehead.
Chapter 9
"How long do you think he will last?" Sarah asked Shay.
He looked at Justin for a long time. If there was a better way, he would have taken it. "Honestly, I have no idea. He seems fierce and has a flair for battle, but he doesn't know what's coming."
The twins talked at the same time, their voices sounding like rushing waters. "There's not enough time to think about things; his servant has found the crypt. It's only a matter of time before he begins to look for the compass."
Shay turned to them. "And the Bear? They know who he is yet?"
Sarah smirked. "They thought it was Denzel."
"I'm sorry he had to die that way," Shay told her.
"He was going to die anyway. He just didn't know how." She turned to Justin. "Should we tell him who the compass is or keep him in the dark about it? He was touched and they showed him where his sister was."
"We can't risk telling him anything for now. If he reacts too strongly, his heart will collapse," Shay said. He looked a little sad.
"You care about him?" One of the twins asked.
"We need him to stay alive. At least, until the very end."
He turned to the woman in the wooden chair. "All of this will be over soon. Your sacrifice won't be in vain."
She smiled ruefully at him. "I have already accepted my own fate. I knew what the end would be."
He turned back to Sarah. "It is settled, then. Take him to the city and show him what he must do. The rest is left to him now."
---
When Justin woke up, they were back in the car. He looked around to be sure of where he was before saying anything.
"What happened back there?" He asked.
"Nothing much. You shouldn't even remember it," Sarah answered.
"Neither should you think about it," a voice added from behind.
Justin turned to see the girl who had held him down before staring back at him.
"Is she coming with us now?" He asked.
"I have a job to do. Whether you like it or not, you can't do this alone. Plus, you need me
more than you can imagine."
Justin turned back to Sarah.
"You do need her," she said, before easing the car back on the road.
They drove silently into the city, each of them lost in different thoughts. Justin kept turning to look back at the girl in the backseat and each time he did, he always found her staring at him. He felt uncomfortable and told Sarah about it.
"Gem," Sarah called.
"Yes, Sarah."
"Would you be kind enough to stop staring at Justin?"
"Only if he doesn't turn to look at me again," Gem replied.
"You heard that, Justin? She's staring right back at you because you're doing the same," Sarah said as she stood on the accelerator.
The city was in full view now, and Justin could not hide his surprise at what was before him.
"Welcome to Old County, Justin. We hope you're not too disappointed." Sarah turned to see the shock on his face. She would have laughed at his silly look has she not seen the truck driving towards them at full speed.
"Hold on!" She shouted to the others as she braked sharply and made a big turn.
The truck missed them by inches, taking the front bumper with it. Sarah looked back. The driver was turning.
"Fasten your seatbelts, ladies. The welcome party is here," she said as she stepped on the gas.
---
Gianna heard the man say something, but she wasn't concerned. She was more focused on the task before her.
"She's good!" One of the men said loudly. "Just look at that drift!"
Gianna plucked him from where he was sitting and flung him out the window. He landed with a thud and writhed in pain as he tried to get back on his feet.
"Run him over!" She said to the driver, who was about to step on the brakes.
The sound of his head breaking as the truck ran over him was enough to make the others fall silent. Gianna's face never left the car in front of them as he weaved in and out of many street corners. The truck was a little unprepared for such twists and turns, but the driver did his best to keep up. He was afraid of being thrown out the window like the other man had.