Lucas
Damn it! Where is she? I searched in every nook and cranny and there's no trace of her inside. My head is filling with horrifying thoughts each one worse than the last. Icy shivers puncture my chest forcing me to stop for a second and breathe out the air from my lungs. I ignore the strange pain as I try to clear my mind and focus on the next step.
Alright, think Lucas, think goddammit. I haven't spotted anything suspicious all night. That's good. If Iron Guard decided to gate-crash the party we would definitely know. I've seen Blondie earlier with the rest of the team and Sesh is with Matt. If everyone is here, then where is she? Great, I start to puff again. I haven't had any drinks tonight, why am I so slow? I bite my knuckles in despair as I always do when things get out of hand. Somehow, it calms my nerves grounding me to here and now. Knowing how stubborn and childish she can be sometimes, she must have gotten out
Nathan Come, Nathan, a few more steps. You can do it. Talk to me!' Grace's raspy voice keeps bringing me to reality. I am not sure how many times I've dozed off. Every move feels like the skin is tearing off from the bone. The pain is unbearable and I don't know for how long I'll manage to stay awake. Grace's weak body struggles to hold mine, still, she doesn't show any sign of giving up any time soon. The truck, a foggy illusion in the distance, roars abandoned for us to get in. Those monsters have kept their part of the bargain and left us alone. Tears start to pile up thinking about the price she had to pay for our lives. Tammy, our saviour. We leave a trail of salty droplets behind, feeding the scorched land with our sadness. She helps me with my mask, silent and mournful. Any words would be useless right now. I lay hopeless in the back as she steps on it, propelling us closer to safety and to a pointless life. I would have rather died t
TammyDon't do anything stupid!' Luther jumps off of his throne, shaking and visibly awestricken. You heard her! Bring them in!' He adds through gritted teeth, his eyes fixed on the gun pointed to her head.Soon the door slams open revealing two rebels carrying a barely conscious Nathan. His foot is still bleeding and the wound has doubled its size. He slowly raises his head towards the centre of the room, choking with blood when he sees her bargaining for their lives. Tammy gasps in horror at the sight of him, once a beautiful face now painted in bruises. A swollen black eye covers half of one side, while the other is bleeding, leaving out only the light blue in a sea of red. She tightens the hold around the grip as a burning wish of punishing everyone present flames her entire body. They lock their gaze for a second while she watches him being dumped at Grace's feet, his cracked lips begging her not to die. Tammy moves her to stare away, battling the tears that are gat
TammyWhere are you taking him?' Her desperate cries are growing louder and louder as the door closes shut behind Nathan's body.She's on the verge of losing her self-control. The adrenaline has made her muscles weak and soon her legs turn to jelly. This is not happening!', she keeps telling herself, yet the pool of blood at her feet is more than a cruel reminder her best friend just got shot. What's worse, is the crowd's noise only intensifies her meltdown and the lack of response drives her insane.Where is Nathan?' Tammy asks again, this time shouting to cover their cackles. Her hands are shaking and it feels like thousands of pinpricks are crawling up to her shoulders.The room turns into an uproar. Her pain entertains them and they are having a blast. Suddenly, Lucas's words fill her mind stopping her train of thought and bringing her to reality. They are not to mess with, Tammy. They are not stable.', he had told her
TammyThe underground is nothing more than a complicated maze of tunnels and quarries. Down there the oxygen is scarce and the air so damp soon their skin gets covered with sweat. They keep running, their boots splashing in puddles, and growing the distance between them and the guards with every single breath. Still, the deeper they get into the unknown, the more unbearable the smell. It started as a mixture of dust and grease and something vaguely metallic, only to morph into a defensive odour of sulphur and mould. The walls have long lost their human touch, concrete turning to hard clay and wood pillars barely holding up the roof. Whoever continued the digging must have been in a rush, determined to never coming back, for their sloppy work is a miracle it hasn't collapsed.They continue following the winding tracks and looking over their shoulders every time they hear the distinctive sounds of splitting and cracking of timber. The white beams of their flashlights captu
TammyYou need what?' He snaps at her, his whole body shaking in denial, shocked and unwilling to believe her words.Nat, listen to me, please.' Tammy starts begging and furrows her eyebrows at him. She truly needs him to focus. There's no time to waste.You must be joking, Ner. What the heck do your need dad's gun for?' He continues in the same harsh tone, ignoring her insane plea.Then, puffing out the air from his lungs, he moves away, pacing the room and combing his fingers through his golden hair when the locks fall over his forehead. He had shown her the weapon when they were kids, long before his father got promoted. He's seen it one more time since then but never dared to ask any questions. Why on Earth is she bringing it up now?Tammy walks to him and gently grabs his arm. Her touch compels him to look at her, in spite of his efforts to keep his stance. An instant later and all his barriers are shattered to pieces. One a luxuriant forest and th
NathanAnother flawless presentation, Mr Oaks. We wouldn't have expected anything less from you.' The chairman's adenoidal voice breaks the silence.I have always disliked him. There's an air of double-dealing and deceit hanging over his words. He would constantly praise my father's abilities during his fancy dinners, yet his face had betrayed his hollow actions every time. We started as poor and we will forever be tainted by our inferiority.Today's meeting is held in the old Library, a sign of power and fatuous attachment to our history. The room oversees the whole campus and it looks more of a vault rather than a boardroom. The glass wall that encircles us seems too fragile to protect all the leaders of the state gathered in one place. Still, I know better than all, the invisible shield is nothing more than a honeycomb mesh of trillions of nanites programmed to emulate the strongest material on the planet. Nothing comes in or out, other than air.Everyone