“What about blocking?” I ask.
“The most important part of your body to protect is your face. If they strike you hard enough in the right place, you’ll be unconscious and unable to defend yourself.” Neiamiah helps Tyler to his feet.
I practice the moves over and over again, with different sized opponents. Tyler, Neiamiah, Kyle, Alex, Beau, and Vi. The strength I feel while using these new skills excites me. I know it will be different when I actually have to use them. My attackers will not be my friends, they won’t be easy on me. For now, I try to push that thought out of my mind and concentrate on improving my moves.
I wonder where Sarah could be. I haven’t seen her the entire time training has been going on or at the short meeting, but there are a lot of members so it is possible I just missed her. No one else seems to be worried about her, so I assume they know where she is.
Chapter 23
Sometime in the early morning hours, we head to bed. I really should shower, but I can’t keep my eyes open. My muscles ache and I know they will give me more trouble when I wake up in the morning. Overall, I think my training went well. I’m nowhere near the perfect warrior, but everyone has to start somewhere.
◆◆◆
Louisa meets me in my dreams as soon as I drift off. She stands on a burnt hilltop, her back to me. The world that surrounds us isn’t the same. Smoke rises up from the ashes. It makes it hard to see. Everything is dark and clouded.
“You see my dear, the hate living inside humanity has brought on destruction. Their own destruction.” She looks at me. A tear falls down her cheek. “You hold the key. The key to change this. The key to protecting them.”
“I don’t know what to do,” I say.
She smiles. “You are the light, the glimmer of hope in the darkness. You were chosen to carry this burden.”
“I will do whatever it takes.”
Louisa takes hold of my hand. “So be it.”
We travel in time, everything is a blur. Then we are back home by the creek in Kentucky.
“That stone your mother carries with her, the one you now question, is an amulet. It’s charged with magical powers. You will need to locate it and keep it with you. Always.”
“She hides it in her jewelry box. I’ll have Tyler help me use a portal to go get it,” I say.
Louisa smiles. “Why wait, you’re already here.”
Running quickly through the woods, I watch for potential threats. I see nothing. From the outside, my house looks the same as when I left for the airport. I run up the porch steps and make my way inside. I take the stairs two at a time to get to my parent’s room, hoping I can return to Louisa with the stone before I wake.
My parent’s bedroom isn’t as I remember. Things are strewn everywhere, my mother’s dresser drawers pulled out, clothes are all over the floor. Someone has been in here. I become increasingly aware of every sound. My breathing and heart rate increase. Knowing a potential threat is near, I go into fight mode. I cross the room, picking up my mother’s wooden jewelry box from the floor. The top is broken. No necklaces, rings, or earrings lay in their usual places. My fingers brush the light blue velvet interior, it’s been cut. I slip my fingers under it, but the amulet is gone.
I wake myself with a jump.
Tyler takes his usual fight response, coming up swinging. Then he holds me tightly, pulling my cheek against his chest. I feel his heart beating rapidly. I know he’s more alert now than ever, and my dreams haven’t helped either of us to calm.
“You’re alright.”
I take deep breaths in and out. I want to tell him what’s happened, but I can’t. I’ll have to wait. Angela would know something’s up if I tried to communicate it to him the way only he and I can manage.
Still, my mind continues to keep me from sleep. The amulet is missing, an important piece for me to have. I don’t know who would take it, or who even knew about its existence. I have to find it.
Tyler manages to go back to sleep.
I only pretend. The missing amulet keeps my mind from accepting sleep. We only have three days before leaving the headquarters. My training is only half of the battle. Getting my family out safely, before Angela loses patience, is another.
◆◆◆
It’s morning. I roll from the bed in one swift movement to keep my muscles from aching too much. It works for the most part; my abs sting for a second. Raising my shirt, I inspect my progress in the mirror. Muscles are defining my once flat stomach.
Tyler stands behind me, a hand on each side of my hips, “You shouldn’t tease me like that.”
I smile. “It’s good for you, country boy.” The nickname I gave him when we first got together. It made him smile then, just as it does now.
He kisses my neck softly, “Time to get to work.”
“You shouldn’t tease me,” I say.
We walk side by side, hands intertwined.
I don’t know what I did right to get such a loving, kind-hearted, sincere guy. He’s my rock, and I only remain strong because of him. Is it true that our lives are already determined? We think our life’s purpose is one thing, but it turns out to be something completely different?
Sarah’s at the door of the gym, “Good morning, lovebirds.” She smiles.
I smile. “Morning.”
Tyler grips my hand tighter. He stops just before we reach Sarah.
I look at him, “What are you doing?” His eyes are wide, his lips in a tight line.
Looking at Sarah, I notice what’s wrong. She stands there, not blinking, with the same smile, but doesn’t move nor does she speak again. Her eyes don’t look to be her own. As I inch closer to her, she doesn’t respond. I feel my fight response taking over me; my sense of danger intensifies. I keep ahold of Tyler’s hand.
We open the door to the gym. Everyone seems to be different. They are going through the movements, but they aren’t themselves. Their eyes are empty. Is Tyler really Tyler? Am I really me? I feel like me, but am I? I watch Tyler, he blinks, that’s more than the rest of them are doing.
“Notice anything odd?” Tyler asks.
“Yes.”
“Some people are missing. Neiamiah, Kyle, Alex, Vi, and Beau. Do you see them?”
They aren’t in their usual spots. They would’ve greeted us if they were here. “No.”
“Kris, I need you to make a run for it on the count of three.” His voice is low but serious. He strokes my hand with his thumb.
“Where?”
“Just run. No matter what happens. Keep running.”
The knots in my stomach tighten. I swallow hard to keep the tears away.
“1… 2,” Tyler leans down and kisses me, “3, go!”
Without hesitation, I run out of the gym door, past Sarah and down the hall. The air is chilly, yet sweat forms all over me. Tyler is behind me. I run faster, hoping to get us both free. I’m halfway up the first flight of stairs that leads up to the library.
“Get off me!” Tyler yells.
Turning, I see Tyler, restrained by two of Angela’s expressionless deputies. “Let him go!” I run down the stairs. Tyler frees himself enough to get to me.
Hugging me tightly, “1-8-6-4” he whispers, then releases me from his grasp. “Run, Kris!” he demands.
Tears fill my eyes. I take the stairs two at a time, hoping I get to the library before they apprehend Tyler. My heart aches, I can’t handle it if something happens to him. Using my anger to push me, I reach the library in record time. I wipe the tears away with the back of my hands.
I press the tip of my boot to the bookshelf; it pops up and the silver keypad emerges. My hands shake and I worry I will enter a trap. Still, I know it’s my only chance of getting out of here. I press in the code, 1-8-6-4. The light turns green. This time the wall behind me divides in half. A bright light shines through into the dark library. Before I step through, I have to say it.
“I love you, Tyler.”
Chapter 24
I step through
the portal door; the light is dim and I take a second for my eyes adjust. I still feel my fight response. Now, everything is clear. I’m in the cabin in Kentucky. Moving quietly, but quickly. I go over to the window and peer out. Beau, Neiamiah, Vi, Kyle, and Alex are standing by the creek. Unsure if it’s really them, I stay hidden. Neiamiah and Kyle turn towards the cabin. I kneel out of view. He must sense me.
The cabin door opens. I jump up and pin Kyle against the wall, my forearm up against his throat. “What was my nickname as a kid?” I hiss.
He coughs, “Izzy, what are you doing?”
“That’s not it.” I press my arm harder against his trachea. “What is it?”
His face is turning red, his lips purple, “Crazy Izzy.” He blinks.
I release him.
He falls to the floor, coughing and holding his neck.
I kneel beside him and touch his arm gently. “Kyle, I’m sorry.”
“It’s. Fine.” He coughs, “Where’s Tyler?”
The tears sting my eyes, “They got him.” I stand and try to get myself together. “What’s the plan?”
Neiamiah enters the cabin with purpose, the others follow close behind. “Angela is one of them.” The news isn’t surprising. We all knew something was off about her.
I turn to face them, “We can’t leave them there.” I feel the stream of warm tears falling down my cheeks. “I made a promise and I’m not breaking it. You guys can help me or not, that’s up to you, but I’m not leaving my family, Sarah, or Tyler there.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you know we’re not bad people.” Neiamiah walks closer, “You can’t possibly think we’d just get ourselves out and leave the rest of our own family in there, do you?”
Of course, they wouldn’t. What am I thinking? I smile. “No.” These people have become friends of mine. I know I can trust them. Tyler trusts them, so I trust them.
Vi hugs me, “You’re not going to attack me too, are you?”
“No.”
“Oh, that makes perfect sense,” Kyle crosses his arms in front of him, “Don’t trust the guy you’ve known since childhood but trust the people you only just met.”
“You know why she did that,” Neiamiah interrupts, “I think it’s an improvement on her behalf. She’s starting to use her head.”
I’m going to take that as a compliment, especially from Neiamiah. Vi stays with me and the other’s head back outside. I feel bad for attacking Kyle, but I thought he was a robot-like Sarah. I know we will come up with a plan to get everyone out. Still, I can’t keep the tears from flowing. Vi sits with me and comforts me. The shoulder of her shirt is drenched from my never-ending tears.
“Tyler can handle himself. Don’t lose hope just yet.” She tries to reassure me.
“But, what if he can’t take it? What if Angela does something to him and my family? If only Tyler could shift, he could find an easier way out.”
“There are a lot of ifs in that sentence.” Vi squeezes my hand, “We’ll get them out, Kris.” Her eyes are full of confidence, “Don’t let fear take over you. It just makes people shut down and give up.”
“I won’t give up,” I say.
I pull myself together, dry the tears from my eyes, and force myself to turn my fear into strength. Vi smiles, seeing the determination on my face. We head outside to meet the guys and see what they’ve come up with.
“Tyler and I had started forming a plan to get your family out. However, it’s very dangerous and we could be severely injured if not killed.” Neiamiah pauses, looking at each of us in the eye, “We had planned to cause a distraction to obtain access to Angela’s office where all the controls for her robot deputies are held.” I remember Tyler talking about this, but we never continued the conversation.
“Then let’s do it,” I say.
“Hold on there, superstar, we need a more solid plan,” Beau says. I still dislike my nickname very much, but at least when he says it, he does it in a non-taunting way.
Vi slides her hand into his to shut him up.
“Now, things are more complicated. She has the rest of the headquarter members under her control, along with the deputies. The skills they taught us in training mixed with the trigger-happy deputies are a death sentence if we don’t approach this carefully. Even then, it’s not guaranteed.” Neiamiah takes a knife from his pocket, “The robots aren’t actually people.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Before Angela killed my brother, he informed me she was working on something in her lab. It turned out to be one of her first deputies. It’s a replica of a human, but it’s all mechanics.”
“If she only uses the bodies to make models for the robots, where are the actual people kept?” Vi asks.
“She hides them or kills them, depends on how important they are to her.” Neiamiah pulls something wrapped in a blue velvet cloth from his pocket. “I believe this belongs to you.” He places the wrapped object in my hand.
I recognize the blue velvet, it’s from my mother’s jewelry box. Unwrapping it, there it is, the amulet my mother wore around her neck for so many years. The brown leather strips, still tied to each end of the stone. I rub the stone and smile. The slight pull of energy enters my fingertips. I feel it. I feel the power it holds.
Nobody questions what it is. They all seem to already know. That means Tyler knew about my dream. He knew what was going on. The little glimmer of hope that Louisa has described to me fills my soul. I know there’s hope.
Vi takes the stone amulet from my hand and ties the leather ends together around my neck.
The power and strength that I’ve gained in training only intensify the power held in the amulet. It’s Louisa’s power, my mom’s power, my power.
“I’ll be the distraction,” I say, confidence flows within my voice.
“Are you sure?” Neiamiah raises an eyebrow, “Tyler would kill me if something happened to you.”
“It’s me she wants. It seems like the best way to distract her.”
“Alright, superstar." Neiamiah jokes. “If you think you are up to the challenge.”
Beau laughs.
Vi elbows him.
My eyes meet Beau’s, then Neiamiah’s, “It’s your inspirational comments that led me to want to be the distraction. After all, acting is my preferred career. Though now, it seems a little boring compared to all of this.”
The men nod.
“It’s settled; you’ll be the distraction while the rest of us attempt to gain access to Angela’s office. It will take all of us to accomplish it. The office will be heavily guarded, especially now that she knows we’ve escaped.” Neiamiah explains.
“We’re in,” we say in unison.
“What about weapons?” I ask.
“Tyler took care of that.” Kyle nods to the porch, “Look under it.”
I squat down on my knees and take a look. He’s right, Tyler has supplied us with knives, tomahawks, axes, and bows and arrows. When did he do this? Did he know this would happen? He didn’t show it.
Fighting Secrets: Unbreakable Series, Book 2 Page 14
