by Emery Hale
Exit Point One, I knew that’s where we’d have to get to, Quinn could be there, but the path we had to take could be swarming with Trojan agents.
‘Fuck. This whole thing is a trap,’ Lily muttered, picking up her gun.
‘A trap?’
‘All of us split up, and now they’ve cut our comms. People are shooting at us. You do the maths.’ She shook her head. ‘Trojan wanted us to come. James was the one who gave us this op.’
‘James isn’t working for Trojan,’ I said – the idea was mad.
‘Naomi, you may want to take Jess’s family down from that pedestal of yours,’ Lily said. ‘Her family has notorious relations with Russia – I don’t even know if I trust Jess anymore.’
What? Could that be true? Would James send us into a trap?
‘Lily, you can’t know that,’ I said.
‘What do you actually know about them? Jess, for a start?’ she asked.
What was I supposed to say, her favourite colour? I went to speak, but Lily beat me to it.
‘Her family, her past – yes, you went to school with her, Naomi, but you don’t know the first thing about her.’
‘That’s not true, I know my best friend.’
‘Then you’ll know she had a kill count of thirty-seven by the age of seventeen?’ I felt ice growing in my veins. ‘You’ll know her mother trained her with the Pyramid Delegates, which have been infiltrated by Trojan for years. Naomi, she murdered her older brother Charlie.’
With every word I felt myself shrink – of course I didn’t know any of this. Murder? That couldn’t be right. She told me she hadn’t killed anyone.
‘You don’t know her, OK,’ Lily said, her voice a little softer. ‘Don’t be so quick to defend her.’
This couldn’t be possible – the Jess I knew would never have done that. There must have been circumstances – Charlie was her brother. She wouldn’t do it just because she was bored.
Did I really know her though? Everything that I’d learned over the past two weeks told me otherwise. Jess had a whole other life that she’d hidden from me; the idea that she could be so cruel wasn’t out of the question. Could she be a murderer? A monster?
Was everything I knew about her a lie? We went to school for years and she told me so many stories about her past and family – were they all fake? The days she ran off to last-minute rehearsals – were those the times she spent training with her mother? Jess told me she hated her, was that just another lie? If the team she was supposed to lead barely trusted her, then how could I?
I didn’t get the chance to speak as something grabbed Lily’s attention. She checked the coast was clear before standing up and walking behind the glass cabinet, her gun raised. I gripped the small knife she’d given me earlier and held it out in front. Not that anyone knew I had it but Lily trusted me enough to carry it.
But she lowered the gun, and I saw her face contort.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ she said holstering her gun.
When she tried to usher me to the door I pushed away, skirting around the counter, but came to a sudden halt. It was a body: an older woman, probably in her late seventies. Water sat in her mouth like a pool, her clothes soaked.
‘They drowned her.’ Lily spoke from behind. ‘Fuckers.’
I’d never seen a dead body before. I’d attended a couple of funerals, but never of anyone I knew. I didn’t know this woman, yet I felt responsible for her. We were meant to save people.
Abruptly, gunfire sounded from outside. Lily and I both dropped to the ground, slowly peering through the glass cabinet. The door was also made of glass, so I had the perfect view of what was going on. Three thug-looking men stood guard outside while a tall man in a suit paced up and down the street. He looked like a James Bond villain, fanatically waving a long rifle in the air, letting out a couple of rounds. Each one jolting through me; ringing like it was right in front of me, inside me.
My mouth withered to a desert as I saw who the gun finally came to a stop at: Kayson and Chris. Both men were forced onto their knees and shouting things I couldn’t quite make out.
BANG
Chris jostled back, his body slamming to the ground, his head bouncing off the concrete. Had they killed him? A dryness spread through the back of my throat, the spice of bile following suit. I didn’t even register my knees leaving the ground as my eyes fixed solely on Kayson. I couldn’t let him die. I wouldn’t.
I felt a sharp tug from Lily, pulling me back down. I tried to explain myself but she only held a finger over her lips and shook her head. Maybe running head first into a gun-fight with a single knife wasn’t the best idea.
I heard Kayson’s yells and then quiet; the man in the white suit knelt in front of him grabbing his chin. They shared a conversation which only lasted a couple of seconds, before Kayson spat in the man’s face.
Then Lily and I were forced to watch as Kayson and Chris were dragged away; the only evidence they were ever there, a small pool of blood.
I thought we were in the clear, I thought that the thugs and their leader had left, but the next few moments happened so fast that I only recall flashes. The door burst open, uncountable figures all dressed in black flooded the place with guns. I heard the snap of Lily’s gun as she stood up to fight but soon lost her amongst the crowd. My eyes focused on the one man dressed in white, stalking towards me like prey.
‘All this violence. So disconcerting, so unnecessary.’ His accent was Scottish, but it was clear and precise. He wore a kind smile but there was something in his voice that made me reel back. ‘Tell me, little one, where’s your Team Lead? The boys were very uncivilised but I have a feeling you’ll be most useful to me.’
Well, I didn’t actually know where she was. I stayed quiet, lowering my head a little but then he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. He didn’t let up – and for a second I thought he might kill me.
‘I don’t tolerate insolence. Tell me, where is she?’
‘I don’t know,’ I shot out, and even though it was the truth it sounded like a lie.
My whole body was shaking, adrenaline pumping through my veins at a colossal rate. Every second I spotted something new – the symbols on the thugs’ uniforms, Lily’s hand, different sizes of guns, and then Lily’s unconscious figure, blood dripping from her head. My eyes widened and without thinking I stepped forward. No, they couldn’t take her! Lily!
The man let go of my chin but grabbed my shoulders, throwing me into the arms of two men dressed in black. The material on their gloves was rough and their grip was unchallengeable. Even though I tried to squirm, the burning grip of their fingers clamped around my arms.
‘Let’s keep this quick, we’re on a schedule.’ The man motioned to the men restraining me.
I tried to wiggle my way out, even tried to unbalance one so I could run, but the thugs were as solid as statues.
‘Sorry if we’re interfering with it,’ I snapped.
It wasn’t the best move but I was pissed off and past showing fear – not to the likes of him. I was more concerned about my so-called best friend. Jess was lying through her teeth, no one trusted her. and now we were stuck in the middle of a terrorist trap.
‘Oh, little one.’ He walked closer, taking a strand of my hair and pushing it behind my ear. I yanked my head away but he only laughed. ‘Don’t worry that pretty head of yours. What is your name?’
I had my alias name that I used in the Academy which was Ellie Smyth, but if this man had access to the system, he would know it was a lie. I was too old to be a first year and looked nothing like my photo.
‘Are you going to keep me waiting? The longer you do the more blood your friends lose,’ he sang, mockingly.
‘Katie Danvers,’ I blurted.
Oh poop, why did I use her name? She’s a real person!
‘Well, Katie, I hope you enjoy the show,’ he said.
I stared at him in confusion before a veil of darkness was thrown over my head, grainy shoots
of sunlight spotting through, and two burly arms hurled me back at immense speed. The scratchy material grated my skin but I didn’t put up a fight. If I went willingly they’d be less likely to hurt me – and hopefully, I’d find Jessica too.
* * *
Well this was a great way to spend the evening, being dragged through what I presumed was some kind of field with a bag over my head. It must have been raining earlier because my heels sunk into the mushy ground, but what made my pause was the metallic taste coating my tongue. That wasn’t rain.
The two men’s grip on my arms disappeared and I lurched forward, about to run, but stopped, hearing the crack of knuckles on bone. Throwing the bag off my head I saw Kayson had managed to take one down, then, with a final punch underneath the jaw, the second one fell. His movements were sharp, like he’d already calculated their movements and knew exactly what to do next. The cogs in his head that I’d seen turning before were still; now it was like his body was on auto-pilot. Like the weapon he’d been forced to become had taken over. Any ounce of emotion had been thrown aside, all his focus pinned on the men in front. From what I could see the two men weren’t even men, they were our age, in dark uniforms with a serial number branded on the material.
Kayson stared long and hard at the men, both now on the ground but then he grabbed my hand hard, snapping out of it.
‘We need to get you out of here,’ he said.
His face was marked with dirt and dried blood, his lips cracked. Kayson’s warm arms embraced me as we ran for cover through the trees. I didn’t even know where I was, the Exit Point could be anywhere, but I trusted Kayson to get me there. I didn’t look at the fire behind me because the smell was more than enough – what the hell were they burning?
‘Let’s not get too hasty!’ a voice shouted. ‘You wouldn’t want my finger to slip now, would you?’
Kayson pushed me behind him but it did no good, I heard footsteps approaching from . . . well, everywhere. A hand rose to my mouth as I saw the man from before holding a gun to Lily’s head, three men pinning her down. Strands of her hair slowly drifted through the wind but her chest was manic and eyes wild. She screamed but it wasn’t high pitched, it was low, like a feral growl. Her arms were branded red by her captors, while the blood trickling down her face didn’t appear to have an end.
‘Come back, it’s no fun if you just keep running.’
‘Gabriel for fuck’s sake, let her go,’ Kayson snarled. Wait, he knew this person?
Kayson stood in front of me like a shield – even when I tried to move his hand wrapped around my arm, forcing me to stop. This had to have been planned, or someone must have leaked our plans.
Suddenly, echoes and whispers surrounded us like ghosts, the dead rising from the ground.
‘I know you could take down my men. Might take a while, but you could. They’re all like trained monkeys, you see.’ Gabriel stood a little taller as he grabbed Lily by the roots of her hair, tearing her head back, then placed the gun under her chin. ‘Now if you would come back, this is a new suit.’
I tried to run to her but Kayson grabbed me by the arms hauling me back around – what was he playing at? We had to go back, I wasn’t going to let her die. Lily squirmed as much as she could but Gabriel only seemed to enjoy it more. The sick bastard.
‘Do it!’ Lily snarled. ‘Go on then, do it!’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, why would she even say that? I turned to Kayson but his mind appeared wild, looking like he was trying to come up with a plan, but I would have no part in it. I wasn’t leaving Lily behind, not now, not ever.
‘Oh, Katie must be your Carrier,’ Gabriel mused. Hopefully Kayson picked up on the memo. ‘I guess they had to replace the old one at some point, didn’t they.’
Abruptly, Kayson yanked me close, holding me tightly, his hand caressing the base of my neck, his thumb rubbing soothing circles. It was only then I realised two men stood behind us, both armed. Then he leaned down, whispering into my ear.
‘Run to the left, I’ll deal with the others. Just run,’ he said.
‘I can’t do that,’ I whispered back. ‘I won’t leave Lily.’
‘You don’t have a choice.’
‘Oh, lovers’ quarrel,’ Gabriel mocked. ‘It tickles me, now come back over or I will shoot her. If either of you run she dies. If that wasn’t made clear. Don’t try to plan around a trap, it doesn’t work that way, little one.’
Lily’s death wasn’t going to be on my hands.
I threw my hands up and twisted, jostling to get out of Kayson’s grip and landing a solid hit to his ribs, then marched towards Gabriel and didn’t stop until I looked the sorry excuse of a man in the eye.
‘Let her go,’ I demanded, but even then my voice sounded weak.
If I was shaking before, now I was trembling because Gabriel moved the gun from Lily’s chin to my forehead. My feet were frozen to the ground, the only thing I could see was the black barrel of the gun, unmoving and deadly. Would he shoot me? If I died here would anyone ever know the truth, or would it be covered up like Willow? Would I become a faceless girl in the newspapers?
I heard Kayson charge forward but Gabriel pulled the gun away with a laugh. ‘Like a deer in the headlights,’ he muttered under his breath.
There was a spark in Gabriel’s eyes, a secret. The way he walked and talked was all too cocky, like he knew something we didn’t. Had Gabriel figured me out? Was there a team already assembling the bomb? If this whole thing had been a trap, why not blow the place already? What was he waiting for?
The three men holding Lily hauled her up, snatching the comm unit from her ear and handing it to Gabriel. Before I could say anything, hands clamped over my chest, jerking me back. They weren’t Kayson’s. They were calloused and sweaty, and that was when I screamed and thrashed, all of my training gone. Adrenaline taking over. I needed to get out of here.
What if he shot me?
‘Oh, she’s screaming! Do it again!’ Gabriel exclaimed.
I heard Kayson’s grunts and Lily’s cries as men in black emerged from the trees, like an endless army. Were they all Trojan agents? Where were they all coming from?
The man threw me to the ground and I knew I had to stay still; if I moved they would shoot me. There wasn’t any sound or movement at my back but I was certain there was someone there waiting, just begging for an excuse to pull the trigger.
THUD
Chris’s lifeless body was thrown next to me, his eyes fluttering open and shut as thick blood pooled beneath him. Fear enveloped my body but my hand didn’t move to see if he was OK, it remained shaking at my side. Wasn’t he meant to be older, wiser? If he had been taken down then what were the chances I’d make it out of here alive? I had to stay still, I couldn’t end up like that. My mouth clamped shut, my lips pressed tightly together.
That was when I saw it, felt it, the insidious inferno. When I took a closer look I realised the searing wall was made of people. No . . . holy fuck, please don’t tell me.
‘Do you like it?’ Gabriel asked. ‘I made it myself.’
People, children, teenagers – ‘No!’ I screamed, tears flooding my eyes. I felt as if someone had put a boulder on my chest, the weight crushing my ribs, nearly sending me to the ground. My soft t-shirt like lead as it pummelled me down.
That was when Gabriel stepped forward. ‘Then you probably won’t like the news about your two friends. My sniper took care of them.’
‘You bastard!’ Kayson yelled. ‘How could you?’
Jessica was dead? No, this couldn’t be happening, she couldn’t be. I would feel it. I knew for a fact she couldn’t be, right? He had to be wrong, she couldn’t be dead, they couldn’t be gone.
All I felt was the breath of the fire worming its way through my body, pain stabbing through the rocks in my chest. It was almost as if she was up there on that wall, staring back at me, her cold blue eyes now empty. Even Grace’s face haunted my vision, her arm hanging out from the wall, her di
sapproving glare. This was my fault.
I shook my head, this wasn’t real. ‘I don’t believe you.’
I couldn’t look at the wall any longer. This was Trojan’s doing – they had murdered an entire town and for what? James had sent us here and now I questioned why. Was it to witness their power? Was James working for Trojan? I barely remembered that the lapel camera on my jacket was still recording, would anyone even watch this? Would anyone even care?
‘Little one,’ Gabriel cooed, grabbing my chin. ‘Jessica and Grace are long dead by now. I took care of that, but not to worry. They aren’t in pain, I’ve released them from their mortal shells.’
She was dead, Jessica was dead. Grace was dead.
That was when a small crackling popped in my ear – had Quinn gotten control of the comms? That must mean she’s alright. At least one of us will make it out of this. Gabriel looked at the comm unit in his ear, a look of confusion sweeping across his face before he placed it in his ear.
‘I hate to disappoint, but I think it’s the other way round, mate.’ Jessica’s voice snapped.
I couldn’t help the sigh of relief that burst from my mouth – of course she wasn’t dead. Took more than a bullet to kill her. I whipped my head around trying to find her, but couldn’t see a thing. If she was close by she must have been masked by the fire. I didn’t pay attention to what was spoken about next, I just relaxed knowing that Jess was safe, because that meant so was Grace.
Maybe this guy wasn’t so powerful after all; maybe he was nothing against Reign students. I saw in his eyes that the playfulness had disappeared, replaced by impatience.
Grace’s shrieks of pain cut through the field, her blood-soaked shirt falling to my right as a woman forced her to her knees. The sniper had got her, she looked ready to pass out, her eyes drooping and skin grey.
‘Grace?’ I asked, trying to go to her aid, but then I felt the cold barrel of the gun press against my head.