by J Gaines
John got up. “We should get out of the rain.”
Amias also got to his feet. They stood opposite each other as John looked at him sadly. “I’m proud of you, Amias. I’ve never been lucky enough to have a child or thought I would ever want one. But if I did, I’d be pleased if they were anything like you.”
Amias looked back at him, and noticed the signs of age had disappeared again. His face was youthful and honest, and precious to him. He took a step forward and embraced him. At first John seemed surprised by Amias’s gesture of affection, before he slid his arms around him and squeezed so tightly Amias could barely breathe. They held each other for a moment before John released him.
“That’s enough of that. Come on, let’s get out of this rain.”
*
He and John had parted ways, leaving Amias to return to his room alone. Although it was raining, he didn’t rush; he decided to take the longer route, which was outside. He passed the gym and looked forlornly in the direction of the fence. The urge to escape the bounds of the grounds bubbled inside him once again. It had been too long since he’d stood on the hill, and he missed it desperately. He promised himself he would go there tomorrow and ambled slowly towards his destination. His thoughts quickly turned to Jasmine again, and he looked back towards the prison.
Suddenly the sky lit up, and he saw flames shoot from behind the gymnasium as a thunderous explosion burst into the night. He instinctively ran in the direction of the blast, but another followed it, this time much closer and louder. Buildings shook around him as windows shattered and he was thrown onto the wet concrete. He watched as fire erupted into the darkness and he leapt to his feet as a new sound filled the darkness, a repetitive bang of a different kind. Gunfire.
Chapter 20
As Amias ran past the gymnasium and approached what had once been a building used for storage, the heat from the fire stopped him in his tracks. He backed away, holding up his hands against the heat. There was another smaller explosion from inside, and he froze for a moment, mesmerised by the flames and the devastation. As he watched the blaze, he remembered what the building had contained, and realised why it had been targeted first. It was used to store their weapons and explosives. More gunfire rang out over the crackle and spitting of the flames. He turned towards the fire, suddenly overcome with confusion about what to do next. If there was any chance of getting anybody out alive, he would need a weapon.
Desperate screams and shouts for help rose above the noise of burning metal and brick; his heart was beating wildly. The cries were coming from the direction of the main hall. He looked into the night and felt the rain falling on his face, cooling it; then he looked back towards the calls for help again. Something was stopping him from moving, drawing him in the opposite direction to the prison. He fought against a selfish urge pulling at every muscle in his body. He closed his eyes, fighting against the draw of Jasmine, and a fire began to take hold of him, fuelled by desperation and anger. Clenching his fists tightly, his knuckles cracked, and his hands tingled as he sprinted towards the screams.
There wasn’t time to return to his room and retrieve his sword, and he cursed the timing of the attack as he raced across the grounds. The screams and gunfire were getting louder, and he skidded around a corner that opened into a courtyard. He wasn’t prepared for what lay ahead, and he stopped, frozen, as the reality of what was happening hit him. People were littered across the concrete, motionless and bloodied. He walked to the nearest body, ignoring the gunfire that seemed to drown to a distant rat-a-tat-tat, and recognised her. The last conversation he’d had with her flashed into his mind. It was the day of the council, and he’d stopped to ask her why everyone was so excited. He whispered her name as he felt for a pulse he knew wasn’t there.
Suddenly the gunfire exploded as he was dragged back to the danger at hand. He looked up to see a group of men carrying automatic weapons throw two people to the ground. The men got to their knees and pleaded with the men to spare them. They didn’t get a reply, as more gunshots rang out and they dropped lifelessly to the ground. Unable to control himself, Amias let out a cry that tore through the night and the men turned in surprise. There was a distance of twenty feet between them, but as the soldiers swivelled their bodies and weapons towards him, he’d already covered fifteen of them. In the next five, he felt a power ripple through him and burst. The first man he reached, he grabbed around the neck and head, and twisted with a force that snapped the man’s neck in an instant. By the time the other men realised he was amongst them they were dead. He reached down and picked up one of their fallen rifles, checking the ammunition clip before he got up. Another headache was building, and he massaged his temple and jaw. Great timing.
Another explosion ripped across the night and he watched flames scorch the darkness through the now heavy rain. Ignoring the blast, he ran across the rain-soaked courtyard and into the building that contained the main hall. The corridors were empty except for more bodies, and he slowed to a walk, checking each room as he progressed along the hallway, keeping his rifle raised and resting on his shoulder. As he neared the main hall entrance, a young man and a woman appeared holding guns similar to his. They stopped in surprise when they saw him and Amias immediately raised his weapon.
“Drop your guns.” He desperately searched their faces for some kind of recognition as they exchanged nervous glances. “Drop them now!” he screamed.
Slowly the woman began to lower her rifle to the ground, keeping her eyes fixed on him. The second that Amias’s focus was pulled away from her companion, the man raised his gun towards Amias. Two shots rang out and Amias watched in astonishment as they dropped to the ground: had he actually pulled the trigger or not? Olivia stepped out from behind the two fallen attackers. She carried a handgun in one hand and a sword in the other and strode to meet him.
“We’re overrun. We have to get out of here now.”
“What about John and the others? Have you seen them?”
“No, I haven’t seen anyone alive who isn’t one of Kaden’s soldiers. There’s fighting by the main gate to the facility, though, and more to the west.”
“Then we have to help them.” Amias turned away, but Olivia pulled him back.
“I understand that you want to help people. But you need to understand, this is only the beginning, the first wave. Kaden will have sent part of his force to test us, the rest will follow quickly. He’s close, I know it.”
“How do you know?”
She sighed. “Because he will want to see this victory with his own eyes. And if he can, he’ll try and take the biggest trophies for himself. Either you, or John.”
“Then I’m ready,” replied Amias defiantly.
Olivia looked unusually angry, and almost desperate. “You’re not ready. You know that as well as I do.”
Amias pulled his arm away angrily. “I can’t leave John and the others behind. If you want to run and escape, that’s fine. This isn’t your war and you’ve made that clear, but if I can save people, I will.” He turned and strode quickly down the corridor.
“Save people, or save Jasmine?” Olivia called after him.
Amias stopped. She’d shrewdly guessed what was really in his heart and mind, but until that moment even he wasn’t sure what he would do next. “Jasmine’s gone, and I’m going to the main gate.” He continued and then heard footsteps following him until Olivia caught up with him.
“Then let’s go, before they’re all dead.”
They cautiously peered out from the doors and were greeted by the sound of more gunfire. It was closer this time, but for now, the courtyard was clear, and they scuttled across it in the direction of the main gate. They passed more broken buildings, now animated by the engulfing fires. Olivia led the way towards the perimeter fence which was luckily still standing. They followed the wire boundary in the darkness, ignoring any sign of fighting that they passed. Keeping the
ir heads low, they ran quickly for around four hundred feet, until Olivia suddenly dropped into a crouch. She pulled Amias down beside her and held the barrel of the gun to her lips. As they knelt silently in the dark, Amias looked in the direction of the main gate. It was then he noticed something strange on the other side of the fence. The darkness seemed to be moving.
He watched intently, letting his eyes become accustomed to the gloom. Slowly, the realisation became terrifyingly clear: the fields surrounding the facility and fence were filled with Kaden’s soldiers. He dropped to his stomach and Olivia followed, watching helplessly as the armed men and women moved silently towards the gate. Olivia tapped his arm and pointed towards a building within the grounds; he nodded, and they sprinted towards it as quietly as they could. Every step and breath seemed as if it would give them away. They reached the foot of a building and threw themselves down into the minimal cover.
“There’re so many,” whispered Amias in disbelief.
Olivia nodded. “They know our people are making a stand at the main gate, and they are going to make sure it’s ended quickly.”
Amias suddenly felt lost. “It can’t end like this.”
Olivia was silent for a few moments. “It doesn’t have to. You were right, we can fight, but only where we can make a difference. The prison isn’t far from here. If Jasmine is still alive, and she can fight, we’ll need her strength.”
“What if she’s still with Kaden, and what if she won’t fight?” replied Amias.
“Then this is where we find out,” replied Olivia as she got to her feet. Amias followed, but their attention was drawn back to a noise coming from the fence. A large part of Kaden’s force had changed direction. They’d broken through the fence and were streaming towards the main hall and courtyard.
“They’re looking to come at the fighters from both sides of the gate.” She turned to Amias. “This is where we fight, but not together, I’m afraid. You go to the prison. I’ll do my best to stop them.”
They stood and looked at each other for a few moments. Olivia dropped her head low and began racing alongside the unsuspecting soldiers who were streaming through the fence. Amias turned and ran in the direction of the prison.
When he reached it, his heart sank as he saw bodies strewn on the ground in front of the doors. He walked slowly, holding his rifle tightly to his shoulder and unable to stop himself checking the faces of the dead for Russ. He recognised some of them as altéré and guessed the others must have been from Kaden’s forces. Rain ran down his face and onto his gun as he approached the door. Bullet holes riddled the thick glass, and a body propped the door open. He pushed the barrel of the gun through the doorway and peered inside. Another guard lay dead, and the room showed signs of a fierce gun battle. He followed the now familiar route to the cells.
Lights flickered in the corridors. With each turn, he found more dead bodies and with each one, his hopes of finding Jasmine alive were fading. He’d almost reached the cells when he stopped; the unmistakable sound of voices was coming from the direction in which he was heading, followed by gunfire. He ran to the automatically sealed door and peered through the glass as he heard more muffled gunfire, and saw flashes through the door leading to the cells. Was somebody trapped inside? A distant hope began to rise inside him.
The door was made of thick wood; he could shoot through the lock, but if he did, it would alert whoever was in the cells. He looked through the window again; the door to the cells was also made of wood. Whoever was shooting in the cells wasn’t trying to get out; the door was closed but unlocked. He saw more flashes and the sound of more gunfire reached him again through the two closed doors. He was growing more desperate with each shot and he turned angrily, raising his weapon to target the lock. As he did so, he noticed the smell of laundered washing and suddenly had an idea. He pulled the trigger and tore the lock of the door apart with a quick-fire spread of bullets from his rifle. The door fell open and he moved quickly into the room containing the laundry, dropping down behind the many sheets.
The shots from the cells stopped, as well as the voices, and he crouched in his hiding place and waited for the inevitable. It was only moments before he heard what he’d been waiting for: slow, careful footsteps making their way along the corridor. He clasped his gun tightly and waited. The footsteps passed the room but then gradually made their way back again – and into the makeshift laundry room. A large shadow, silhouetted by the lights from the corridor, appeared against the sheets and Amias could see the person was armed with a rifle. The shadow moved carefully and flickered with the lights.
As he watched the person approach, he still couldn’t be sure if they were an enemy or not. Whatever he was going to do, he had to find out first. The figure was now only a few feet away, and he made his decision and carefully placed his rifle onto the ground. When he looked up, to his surprise he saw the shadow was gone. Unsure of whether they’d left the room, he got up and slowly walked between a row of the sheets towards the door. The sound of footsteps had gone, and he cursed inwardly: he’d lost his opportunity. He turned to retrieve his gun when suddenly everything went black and his air supply was cut off. He felt the suffocating cotton of a damp sheet tightening around his face and head. As panic overcame him, he writhed and twisted, only for the sheet to constrict. He struggled blindly, stumbling backwards and falling into his attacker. Desperately, using all of his strength, he pushed himself against the other. For a few moments, his assailant was driven backwards, and they hurtled into more sheets. But then, as he felt his arms became entangled with more laundry, he lost contact with the assailant and was alone in the darkness.
Instinctively he dropped to one knee as stars exploded inside the blackness of his mind. He ignored them and tried to regain his bearings as his chest and lungs burned, desperate for air. The moment of reprieve was taken away suddenly, as the person used the sheet around his head to pull him backwards, throwing him off balance. He crashed onto the floor as the cloth wrapped itself more tightly around his face. He was losing control of his senses and his legs weakened as he was dragged roughly across the floor. As he lurched forward and unsuccessfully tried to regain his footing, a final possibility dawned on him; he took hold of the sheet with both hands. Using his last remaining strength, he heaved against the sheet. He fell awkwardly backwards as his attacker was pulled towards him and he grabbed out desperately with both hands, holding onto the person’s clothes. He heard a cry of pain, and with the chance of escape, a last burst of strength flowed through him. Clenching his fist, he channelled everything into a punch. Flailing forward, he felt the strike connect with something and the strain on the sheet stopped. He dropped to his knees and began to pull at the sheet as he felt himself slipping out of consciousness. The sheet seemed to go on forever but finally it loosened, and, in another moment, cool air hit his face as he ripped himself free and fell to the concrete, breathing in the detergent-filled air greedily.
Unable to fully recover, and aware his attacker was still near, he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled blindly through the sheets towards the door, ripping down the washing lines with the laundry still on them. He’d almost made it when a force crashed into his side. He flipped sideways and his assailant fell on top of him, wrestling his arms to the floor and grabbing him around the throat. He looked up into the other’s eyes and realised he knew him.
Sebastian looked down and smiled. “Bet you didn’t expect to see me again.” He laughed and squeezed even tighter. “I couldn’t believe my luck when I found the traitor and your bitch locked up. And now I have you as well. You broke my sternum, and now I’m going to break your skinny neck.” His eyes flashed with enjoyment as he renewed his efforts, squeezing even tighter. Saliva dropped from his mouth as he laughed into Amias’s face. “Kaden used to want you for himself. But now our orders are to kill you on sight. I’ll give him all of your heads together.” Amias grasped his arms and vainly tried to pull agains
t them as he tried to regain his focus and strength, but his lungs burst, and his head throbbed as he felt himself losing consciousness again. “What are you fighting for, Amias?” Sebastian spat. “She’s dead already and so is the traitor.” He laughed and lowered his face, so it was an inch from Amias’s. “She screamed as I put bullets into her knees.”
Amias looked into his eyes and saw death. But as his strength left him, his instincts returned him to his childhood. He knew there was a way to escape Sebastian’s hold, but the memory he required to find the answer was fading as quickly as he searched for it. And then, as his eyes became blurry and he could no longer see Sebastian’s face, he remembered. Hours spent practising mixed martial arts in the local club, fighting on top, fighting on his back, stand-ups and take-downs all came at once as he raised his legs and locked them around Sebastian’s head and neck. He felt the grip around his throat tighten for a moment and wondered if he’d taken too long as he squeezed, channelling every bit of energy and strength through his legs. As he pushed his thighs backwards and towards the ground, the fingers around his neck loosened, and he was free as Sebastian fell awkwardly onto his back. Amias’s chest heaved as he sucked in air, lying on his back as Sebastian’s legs writhed like two trapped snakes. Jasmine came into his mind, in pain and crying for help, and he gritted his teeth as he squeezed his legs tighter still. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Sebastian’s body jerked violently before falling still.
Amias wasn’t sure how long it was before he finally got up. Rolling onto his side he freed his legs from the motionless Sebastian. He rose shakily, and fought his way through the remaining clotheslines until he reached the door. He walked unsteadily across the hallway and through the door that he’d filled with bullets. There were more dead bodies in the room before the cells, and the secure door also hung open. He stopped, not wanting to face the reality of seeing Jasmine dead. He couldn’t see their cells, but the floor outside of them was covered in blood.
