Protective Measures

by Jessica Arman

Halo said.

  After a few more minutes of discussion, the fake guards came through the front doors. The excitement moved up a few notches. Ryker was shaking with anticipation, and Tracker started jumping up and down stretching out.

  “So?” Ryker asked Sam.

  “She’s fine, and we told her it'll be tonight.” Sam responded.

  Ryker let out a sigh. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to lead, but he did not have another option. “Well, looks like it’s show time.”

  “Is everyone ready?” Tracker yelled to the crowd.

  Everyone cheered. Some people threw napkins into the air. They were finally going to get some justice.

  “Give me five minutes,” Ryker said. He did not tell anyone what he was doing, but they already knew. He made his way to Laiken’s room. Ryker had written the note that morning explaining the plan and what to do if they did not make it back.

  When he walked through Laiken’s door all of his excitement left. He sat in the chair next to Laiken’s bed. “I don't know how this attack is going to play out, but at least you're safe. I wish you were coming with me…us. I’ve always looked after you like a little brother. You were a pain in the ass, but it was worth it. I know you always put away your pain just for me. I’m sorry I didn’t see it. Anyway, we’re going to get Taryn back. That school is history. You better be doing good when we get back.” Ryker's voice cracked, and he put his head down. Tracker came into the room but stopped short when she saw Ryker breaking down.

  “He’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine. When we get back he’ll be at the doors waiting for you,” Tracker said calmly.

  “I’m good,” Ryker said wiping his face and regaining his composure. “Give me a minute and we can go.”

  “You got it,” Tracker said, turning around and leaving.

  “I’ll see you when we get back,” Ryker said, patting Laiken’s hand. He got up and went back to the dining hall where everyone was waiting.

  “Let’s go kick some ass,” Ryker said to Halo. Halo clapped him on the shoulder and showed him the biggest grin anyone had managed in a long time.

  “I’ll take my group and get positioned,” Devin said. He went to the front door and called the snipers to action.

  Ryker and Halo started handing out weapons.

  “Remember the plan,” they would say every so often. Once the weapons were dispersed, Ryker, Halo, and Tracker separated their groups. They waited for the doctor to give them the all clear.

  'TONIGHT'...WHAT DID THAT MEAN? There are only two options. Taryn was running the possibilities through her head. It either means that tonight’s the night I die in front of my friends, or tonight’s the night that they’re coming for me. But why didn’t the guards tell me? What was their role? How did Sam get here? She was becoming overly excited at the thought that the guards were there to help. Do they hate Alloy as much as everyone else, or is there another reason? She did not care; after tonight she would either be dead or rescued. Hoping for the latter, she began running tactics through her head. She had to be ready to fight if it was a rescue. “Hopefully my legs still work,” She accidentally said out loud, but she was too excited to care.

  BACK AT THE SAFE HOUSE, Ryker’s and Halo’s groups were the only ones left. The doctor had taken her group and the bombs to their location. Tracker's responsibility was to lead her group as close as they could get to the school.

  “Halo, I’ll take my group first and get situated, then you can surround us,” Ryker said.

  “Sounds good.” Halo said.

  “Alright, my group, we’re moving out.” Ryker said. “When we get to the school take your positions and don’t make any noise until Halo’s group surrounds.”

  The group members nodded in agreement and started filing out the door. Ryker took one last look toward the hallway to Laiken’s room then followed his people.

  ALLOY CAME BACK INTO THE room, but even the sight of him did not discourage Taryn. “Still alive, are we” as asked with a disappointed tone. “I figured you might be getting lonely, so I brought you some company. Although he doesn’t do anything, so it will still be like you’re alone. Guards, bring him in.”

  When she saw what the guards were bringing in, her heart dropped to the very pit of her stomach. They deposited Laiken’s motionless body onto the floor in front of her. He was pale and covered in stitched cuts.

  “What did you do to him” Taryn spat.

  “I didn’t do anything. That was the work of my spy,” Alloy said. “Oh, and one more thing: your friends will be here shortly. But don’t get your hopes up.” With that he left, leaving Taryn with the guards and Laiken. The guards cut her loose and left.

  When the door closed, Taryn sank down to the floor next to Laiken. She stroked his face, ran her fingers through his hair, and checked his pulse. He was still alive. “We’re going to be fine,” Taryn said to his body. “Ryker is coming.”

  At the name Ryker, Laiken stirred and let out a low moan.

  “Hey,” Taryn said.

  “What’s happening?” he asked, barely audible.

  “We’re going to war,” Taryn said.

  “Where are we?” he asked, sitting up.

  “Back at the school,” she said, supporting him. “We were captured.

  “Again,” he said with a sigh.

  “Yeah, but Ryker and everyone else are coming for us.”

  I should still…be there,” he said, short of breath.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “I should have…been paying…attention.”

  “To what?”

  “Remmy. He did this…kept saying he was sorry…with each cut…said he had to…had to do it. I should have fought him off.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Taryn said.

  “I’m sure Ry…Ryker thinks it is.”

  “No he doesn’t,” she said. “He would never blame you for something like this. He’s probably worried sick. If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”

  Laiken looked at the floor. Taryn could tell he still blamed himself. She though, All of this is my fault, but none of it’s going to matter after tonight. Things are going to be put in place.

  THE AIR WAS CRISP, BUT there was a slight warm breeze. Ryker's group followed the path of beaten-down grass from previous groups. Ryker, evidently going over the plan and speech in his head, did not notice they had stopped until he ran into someone.

  “Why did we stop?” he whispered.

  “We’re here. People are starting to disperse,” someone whispered back.

  There was rustling in the trees behind Ryker. He looked around his circle formation. Right across the field, one of his people disappeared, as if he (she) had been pulled backwards by something. As Ryker scanned the tree line, more and more kept vanishing. He turned to find one of the school guards pointing a gun at his face.

  “Drop your weapon,” the guard said.

  Ryker put his gun down and slipped a hand behind his back. He held up two fingers then immediately made a fist. The distress signal. He repeated this four or five times, but nothing happened.

  One of the guards took a step forward, and blood splattered all over Ryker's face and shirt. A bullet hole showed up on the guard's forehead, and the guard went down. Ryker turned around; someone was on the roof of the school. Ryker bent down and picked up his gun. He scanned the tree line again; his people were back in form. “Thank God for snipers.” He went over to the fallen guard and took his weapon.

  A few guards exited the school, walked to the front lawn, then turned around and tossed some kind of canisters to the roof.

  “Damn,” Ryker said after smoke began to rise. He did not notice the guard behind him until it was too late.

  When Ryker came to, he was lying in the grass in front of the school. He picked himself up. Everyone from the safe house group was on their knees, surrounded by guards. They were in rows facing the steps of the school. “I should have known there'd be more than one spy. Now they're all waiti
ng for their deaths,” Ryker said.

  “Hello all,” Alloy's voice rang out over the safe house group. “I don’t know how you expected this to work out, but it looks like I win.”

  Ryker panned his view to the side and saw Halo with a bloody nose and Tracker with a deformed arm. Neither Devin nor any of the other snipers were in sight. “They're probably still knocked out on the roof,” Ryker said aloud, looking up at the roof. “No guards. Maybe if the snipers wake up in time, they might still have a chance,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

  “I hope the entertainment I have set up will prove my point. Guards,” Alloy continued, “if you would please bring out the show.”

  Mumbles went through the crowd of safe house people. A couple of guards walked out the doors of the school, one with Laiken limping, and the other with Taryn walking behind. Both Laiken and Taryn had battered faces, but they still looked hard-set and proud.

  Taryn scanned the crowd and locked eyes with Ryker. A quick wave of relief swept across her face. Laiken grimaced with pain every few limps.

  Ryker's brows furrowed, and he squinted at what was before him. “Laiken? Still, Laiken did not look up at Ryker.

  “As I said, entertainment,” Alloy gestured toward Laiken and Taryn. “Bring the boy.”

  The guards brought Laiken forward, made him face the crowd, and kicked him behind the knees so he would fall. His knees hit the cement, his face could not hid the extreme pain, but he did not make a sound. One of the guards handed Alloy a small handgun.

  “Now, we can make this easy or you can make this