by Lizzie Rose
‘I’ve got cars and buses coming from the commune,’ Jamie interrupted. ‘They should be here any time now if they’re not already here. My wife’s driving one of them.’ He grinned at me proudly.
‘Great. Well, get everyone over there and do what you can. You’re going to need all the Nexes to work together to stop the guards. Don’t wait for me. I’ll get there as soon as I’m done here.’
‘Are you sure? I can leave a car for you.’
‘That would be very helpful if I could drive one! Don’t worry, I’ll sort myself out. Just do what you can and stay safe, ok?’
Jamie saluted me and Noah kissed the top of my head. Then they turned and disappeared into the crowd.
*
Racing down the length of the room, I released the final cells.
‘How do I get down to the basement?’
One of the inmates hesitated and pointed behind me to a corridor that ran behind the row of cells. At the end of it was a dark open doorway that had been carved into the stone wall. Beyond it was a spiral staircase leading down into the unknown.
As soon as I passed through the doorway, the temperature dropped and the hairs on the back of my arms stood on end. At the bottom of the staircase, the cells were spaced out along the left-hand side of the corridor and all their doors were open except for the one at the very end. Creeping along I glanced inside the cells and was shocked at what I saw. They were tiny, dark and empty except for a single mattress on the floor, a toilet, a sink and a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. As I approached the final cell, a shiver ran down my spine. Tentatively, I reached out my hand and pushed the door open.
Chapter Twenty Three
Someone was curled up on the floor in the middle of the cell. I could just make out purple streaks in long, dark hair.
‘Kenzie!’
Skidding across the floor, I fell to my knees. She lay on her side, her hands and feet tied together with thick coils of rope.
‘Kenzie, it’s me. Don’t worry, I’m going to get you out of here.’
‘Ava,’ she croaked, ‘watch out!’
Excruciating pain shot through me, making my entire body go rigid from the force of it. Flung across the room, I collided hard with the wall. A figure loomed in front of me.
‘Hello, Ava.’
‘Linda?’
She was standing right in front of me, her hands on her hips. Crouching beside me, she placed her index finger on my forehead. I screamed and writhed across the floor, trying to break the contact. Laughing, she released me, her usually bright eyes now clouded with malice.
‘You’re a Nex?’ I managed to splutter.
‘That’s right. And I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’m sick to death of having to run around after you all the time and because you spoilt our plans.’
‘What plans?’
‘Well you see, we wanted to come at this with you totally on our side, but then you started slipping away from us. After all the time and effort we put in to pampering you. No matter how hard we tried, we could see that you weren’t completely committed, even after we removed the negative influences.’
‘Gracie?’ I gasped.
She cackled and the sound echoed around the cell. ‘Gracie . . . Joe . . . the nurse . . .’
‘No!’
‘But still you resisted. So, we had to resort to Plan B.’
‘And what was that?’ I whispered.
‘To lure you here and let you act the hero as we knew you would. It should buy us enough time to gain control.’
I tried to sit up but she pressed her hand to me again, sending white-hot pain through my battered body. I felt myself falling away from consciousness and fought to hang on.
‘Paradise is our future, Ava,’ she whispered in my ear. ‘But in our Paradise only the strongest Nexes will survive. We are superior beings. Never again will we be treated like second-class citizens. Never again will our sanity be questioned, just because we have powers. We deserve to be treated like gods.’ The whites of her eyes gleamed as she clapped her hands together like a child who had just worked out the answer to a puzzling problem. ‘Once we’ve got rid of the trouble makers, the Standards will become our servants. But I’m afraid I can’t allow you to enjoy the show – not with your penchant for feeling sympathy towards the pathetic creatures. By the time you get out of here it will all be over. Sweet dreams!’
She reached over and grabbed my head with both of her hands.
*
I was enclosed in something solid and heavy. When I attempted to move my head, it hit something hard. Coughing and spluttering, I tried to move my hands up to my face, but there wasn’t enough room.
The skin on my arms scraped against the roof above me, and the pain triggered something deep inside. Placing my palms flat against the rock above me, I focused. It shuddered slightly and then, to my relief, the stone began to move very slowly upwards. A shaft of light hit the hole I was lying in and I realised that not only could I smell burning, but the floor beneath me was vibrating. Scrambling up the nearest slab of stone, I scanned the ground for Kenzie. Her body lay crumpled and broken amidst the rubble and I knew she was gone. My cheeks were drenched with tears as I tried to move towards her, but then there was an almighty bang and large cracks appeared in the walls on either side of me.
Leaping out of the way, I narrowly missed another fall of rock which crashed down on to the floor, covering Kenzie’s body completely. A loud creak came from above me.
‘I’m so sorry,’ I whispered, knowing that she couldn’t hear me. The ground under my feet began to shift. Wrenching off my cumbersome boots, I ran for the door.
*
Everywhere was total devastation. As I reached the stairwell, the entire corridor behind me fell through, swallowed by a cloud of dust. Two floors up, I was met by a wall of flames. The only option I had was to climb up the lift cable. As I shimmied myself up, the lift car gave way below me and plummeted down, out of sight. Seconds later, fingers of flame reached up towards me.
My heart pounding in my chest, I pulled myself upwards and kicked the doors open on the top level. Vaulting out of the lift shaft, I landed heavily, staggering slightly before pushing myself upright again. The way ahead was ablaze but it was the only way out. Pain seared through the soles of my feet as I sprinted forwards, passing the deserted offices and reception desk. With a final surge of adrenalin, I flung myself out of the main door.
Behind me, the prison erupted into one enormous ball of fire, knocking me to the ground. Struggling to get back on to my charred, smoking feet, I screamed with frustration. Knowing that my friends were in terrible danger so far away was agonising.
Then, from somewhere in the distance came a dull thudding noise. A dark-grey horse was galloping towards me. It slowed down as it approached then suddenly reared up on its back legs.
‘Venus?’
The horse snorted hot air at me and nuzzled me with its nose, stamping its feet impatiently.
‘Have you come from the farm? Are they ok?’
Tossing her head, she looked pointedly towards her own back.
‘You have to be kidding me! I’ve never ridden a horse before. Are you serious?’
She pushed me roughly with her nose.
‘Ok, ok,’ I grumbled loudly. ‘Jeez! Ok, here goes nothing.’
Grabbing a handful of mane, I jumped and swung my leg over her back. As soon as I was astride her, she took off.
‘Whoa!’ Gripping tightly with my legs, I wound my hands into her mane and hung on for dear life. We were travelling so fast that the wind whipped my hair out behind me. Although she was slower than a car, she knew the terrain well and, just as I started losing the feeling in my arms and legs, we thundered into town.
Pulling my feet up so that they were flat on Venus’s back, I crouched, and as soon as we drew level with the crowd of people in the street I vaulted into its midst, landin
g silently and ready to fight. Two men in red uniforms were rolling around on the floor at my feet. The one on top had bright blue sparks dancing across the palms of his hands and was trying to press them on to the other guard’s face.
Grabbing hold of the back of his shirt, I yanked him backwards. He yelled and twisted in my grip, grabbing hold of both of my arms with his hands. The blue sparks danced across my skin but I felt nothing. Calling the sparks from his hands to mine, I touched a finger to his skin. Instantly, he fell backwards, his eyes rolling back in his head. A burst of violet light sprang from the middle of his chest. It engulfed him and when it faded away he was gone.
Turning, I offered a hand to the other guard who was still lying on the floor. He eyed me suspiciously.
‘It’s ok, she’s with us,’ someone called out from behind me. Jamie yanked the guard up on to his feet then pulled me into a one-armed hug. ‘It’s about bloody time you got here.’
Another Nex guard was running at us, the entire lengths of her arms covered in what looked like tiny forks of lightning. Jamie aimed the weapon in his hands at her and a bright blue rope shot out of the end of it, wrapping itself tightly around her torso. She let out a scream then dropped to the floor. Bending, I absorbed her power then returned it to her and she exploded in the same way the previous guard had.
‘That ought to do it.’ Jamie shook his head in amusement.
‘Where did you get that weapon?’ I asked, pointing at the blue rope that was now disappearing back inside the barrel of the gun.
‘From the commune – Nicholas’s private stash. Don’t think he’ll be too happy about it but needs must. Do you want one?’
I shook my head.
‘I guess you don’t need it, do you?’
‘No, I don’t. And you be careful with it, won’t you?’
He rolled his eyes at me. ‘We’ve needed them up until now. These guys fight nasty and it’s hard to tell which ones are on our side.’
‘Assume they’re the ones who are trying to kill you and you won’t go far wrong,’ I replied.
‘That’s really helpful, thanks,’ he muttered sarcastically. ‘Anyway, there are still quite a few people here but a lot of them have gone over the barricade, towards the village. We tried to hold them off but there’s just too many of them.’
‘It’s ok, I’m here now. Let’s finish this.’
A tight knot of guards hurtled towards us. Working together, Jamie and I dealt with them swiftly, then moved on to the next ones. We made our way through the High Street, gathering supporters as we went. As we reached the park I saw bodies laid out in lines on the grass.
‘Are they . . . ?’
‘No,’ Jamie answered quickly, ‘just injured.’
I walked through the gates to take a look while Jamie ran off to help another of our fighters nearby.
‘Hi, Ava.’
I turned to see Connor and one of his friends carrying a body between them. They laid it gently on the ground.
‘What are you doing here?’ I breathed. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
‘Just doing my bit to help.’
‘Why aren’t these people being taken to hospital?’
‘Didn’t you hear? The hospital was attacked. There’s nothing left of it.’
‘What?’ My insides heaved as I thought of Gracie. ‘But I thought Nicholas owned it. Why would they attack it?’
‘Because they’re out of control, that’s why. But it’s ok – they evacuated it just in time and took all the patients to other hospitals. We’re just waiting for the ambulances to come back and get some of this lot. We’re doing what we can for them in the meantime.’
‘You are?’ I couldn’t keep the shock from my voice. He pulled a face and dropped his eyes to the ground.
‘Look, I’m really sorry about the way I treated you. I deserved what you did to me and my dad was wrong to send you to prison. It turns out that he’s a Nex too. He’s kept it secret all these years – didn’t even tell Mum. Anyway, I feel kind of responsible for everything that’s happened and I just want to make it up.’
‘Who are you and what have you done with Connor?’
He laughed and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could we were interrupted by one of the guards.
‘Ava, you need to come quickly – it’s Jamie.’
Sprinting after him I saw a small huddle of people just out of sight of the park gathered around Jamie who was lying on the ground.
‘Thank goodness you’re here.’ Simeon pushed his way forwards and laid a hand on my shoulder. ‘I can’t believe what’s happened.’
‘Why, what did happen?’
‘It was Nicholas.’
‘What?’
‘Believe me I’m just as shocked as anyone. Ava, I’m really scared. Everything’s out of control and now I’m worried that Nicholas is going to come after the rest of us.’
‘He’s already turned Linda,’ I told him. ‘She attacked me at the prison. She’s a Nex.’
‘No!’
I nodded grimly. ‘Will Jamie be ok?’
‘I think he’s just unconscious. I’m sure he’ll be fine. I need to find Naomi and get out of here.’
‘Ok, just stay where you are. I’ll get Jamie moved, then we’ll sort the rest out. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.’
I turned to the guard who had summoned me and he nodded. Carefully, we positioned ourselves either end of Jamie and lifted him as gently as possible, carrying him over to the park.
‘Is he a friend of yours, Ava?’ Connor asked, peering at Jamie’s face.
‘Yes, he is.’
‘Ok, put him right here by the gate, I’ll make sure he gets on the next ambulance.’
‘Thanks Connor. I . . .’
A shriek from behind me made me spin around.
‘What’s happened now?’ I yelled.
‘It’s Simeon,’ someone shouted back. ‘He’s done a runner.’
‘Where’s he going? I told him I’d take care of him.’
‘Well, apparently he didn’t want to wait.’
Shaking my head in frustration, I jogged over to the place where Jamie had been just minutes before, but there was no sign of Simeon.
‘Venus?’ I didn’t need to raise my voice. She cantered towards me and I sprang up on to her back. ‘I need to get to the farm, please.’
She reared up into the air, her front legs kicking wildly. Flinging my arms around her neck I clung on tightly, determined not to fall off in front of Connor. Then we set off at a gallop and my thoughts turned to the task ahead of me.
*
Venus veered off from the main road and cut through a lane at the side of some houses, coming out on the moors. We reached the top of a gentle hill. At the bottom stood the farmhouse, and even from this distance I could see sparks flying as people fought in the yard.
‘Stop,’ I murmured to Venus who did so instantly, throwing me forward along her neck. Sliding sideways in a rather undignified manner, I landed heavily on the ground. Venus snorted loudly which sounded suspiciously like laughter.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered in her ear. ‘I may need you again but for now please find somewhere safe to go.’ She galloped back the way we had come and out of sight. My fingers burned as the powers built up inside me. A gust of wind rippled over my skin. I pulled it on to the palm of my hand, circled a finger in mid-air and watched as the wind folded in on itself, spinning faster and faster.
‘Bigger,’ I whispered. The whirlwind surged upwards, reaching for the dark clouds in the sky above. A fork of lightning hit the top and zigzagged down the spiral until it hit my hand at the bottom. My whole body lit up but I felt no pain. In fact, all the aches and pains I had endured that day disappeared completely.
Stooping, I set the whirlwind down on the ground beside me then began to walk down the hill, trailing my fingers into the wind as I went. It felt as though I had put my hand inside a velvet glove. With every step I took I felt stronger.
&n
bsp; *
At the bottom of the hill I met the outer edge of the crowd. One burly guard spotted me and sprinted towards me, his hands balled into fists which glowed with amber light. When he was close enough for me to see his bloodshot eyes, I pulled the whirlwind forward slightly. As he reached to grab me, the wind touched his arm and he was lifted off his feet and sucked into the spiral.
The tube of wind crackled and flashed violet, spinning so fast it blurred. When it slowed, the guard was gone. Glancing down I saw Noah lying on the floor, a woman guard straddling him. His eyes were scrunched up and his back was arched as she pressed her hands to his bare chest. With a flick of my wrist, the whirlwind sucked the woman backwards into its midst, flashing and spinning as it consumed her.
Noah sat up, panting. I helped him to his feet then, without a word, moved on to the next guard. When I’d worked my way to the midpoint of the yard, the remaining guards panicked, dropping their victims and racing for cover.
I was nearing the paddock area when Nicholas’s voice spoke softly in my head. Such a disappointment, Ava!
Simeon was standing in the doorway of the barn, his head moving backwards and forwards as though he were looking for someone. Surely Naomi wouldn’t be here?
I’d have given you everything, the voice continued, quite literally the whole world. All you had to do was join me.
‘I don’t want anything from you!’ I screamed. All around me people stopped moving and stared at me.
That is a shame. After all, the commune was the only place that you fitted in, wasn’t it?
‘The commune was a sham.’
It was an example of how things could be if you join me. You liked being special, didn’t you, Ava? You liked being wanted?
‘The only thing you wanted was to use me. But I’m not playing that game any more. It’s over.’
No, it is not over, it has only just begun. You dare to stand there and preach righteousness to me? You who have used your powers against others? You who have relished the power that comes with leadership? Why deny that you enjoyed every minute of it? I will win this battle with or without your help. You can join me right now – the offer is still there, or you can play the martyr. Which will you choose, I wonder?
