Ignoring Zane, Ford looked back to Charlie once again.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok. Just stop fighting ok?”
“Sure. So what’s going on this morning? All seems quiet out there.”
Charlie glanced at Zane who gave her a slight nod of his head, letting her know that she shouldn’t hold anything back from Ford or the others.
“They’re getting ready to flush the town out and give us an ultimatum to surrender or be killed. Although I don’t think that’s what they are going to use to coax people out of their homes.”
“And what are we going to do about it?”
“Well, you are going to stay here with El’ and Matt. Zane and I are going to kill Mikal and then work on the rest of the plan after that.”
“You are not going without me. I failed to look after you last night, I won’t do it again.”
The look on his face told them both that he had made up his mind and there would be no changing it. If they didn’t allow him to go with them, he would follow them anyway. There was nothing for it; it looked like the three of them would be going to take down Mikal together.
Chapter Fifteen
They didn’t bother taking the tunnels to Mikal’s coffee shop for two reasons. They didn’t want to alert the Valguard to the fact that a system of tunnels ran under the whole town and because there was no point in trying to surprise them. Mikal needed to be confronted, and Charlie needed to be the one who confronted him. He was her father after all.
“I never thought I would be walking alongside you two to kill my own father you know.”
It was a weak attempt at lightening the air and it was apparent by the eye rolling from both Zane and Ford that they thought so as well.
“Save it Charlie, we both know you’re terrified and one of us will be the one to have to take him down.”
Ford was out of line and couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Oh really? You think I’m going to let you jump in and be the big hero Ford? You have no idea what I am capable of.”
“Obviously or I would have known better than to have been with you in the first place.”
Zane drew a deep breath trying to keep his aggravation towards Ford as low as possible for the time being.
“That was out of line Ford.”
“Yea and you moving in on my girl wasn’t?”
Deciding to step in before their words turned into fists Charlie stopped in front of them blocking their path and looking decided angry.
“He never moved in on me, I just moved out so get over it and move on. And thanks but I can handle my own drama’s Zane. I seem to remember you were there the day that I told Ford I was a big girl and can handle things on my own and make my own decisions so stay out of it. Now can we just get on with what we are supposed to be doing and not what has already happened?”
All three looked between each other and coming to a silent mutual agreement started moving forward.
As usual the trek to the small coffee shop in town was far too short and didn’t allow Charlie time to prepare adequately for what was coming. Maybe Ford was right, maybe one of them would end up killing Mikal for her. No. This was something she needed to do, for herself and for the residents of Tole. She had to take a stand against her own father whether she was ready or not.
“Is Mikal in?”
Zane had directed his question at the new counter hand in the shop but was pointedly ignored. Moving along the counter with him, Charlie spoke up irritated by the lack of respect and hospitality shown by the attendant.
“Hey! He asked you a question.”
“Yea and I have strict instructions not to talk to anyone but you.”
Charlie looked around her then and realized that the shop was deserted. Well of course it was, ninety per cent of Mikal’s customers were human. So why did he need an attendant in here at all?
“So? Is he in?”
“No.”
“Where is he then?”
“Not here.”
Charlie was over the counter so fast that neither Zane nor Ford could catch her. Grabbing a fist full of shirt she saw the name plaque on the attendants badge then and for some reason it gave her satisfaction knowing his name.
“Tell me where he is James or I swear to god I’ll rip your throat out before you can utter a single world.”
What was that look in his eyes? Loathing? Anger? No, it was fear, as plain as day. But why? Charlie was the size of a flea compared to him, why should he have any reason to fear her?
“He’s downstairs ok, just let me go, I’ll take you down.”
“I’ll let you go when my friends are on this side of the counter.”
Zane and Ford were over the counter and standing by her side in a flash and as promised she let James go and followed him out the small back door that she knew led to Mikal’s office. Once inside he led them around to where Mikal’s chair stood shoved it aside and reached for something on the floor. It was a small brass handle that brought a concealed door upwards as he lifted.
The descended in single file, Ford and Zane going ahead of Charlie. After a half-hearted scuffle to see who would win out at following immediately being James, Zane gave in a little too easily and followed after Ford while leaving Charlie to mumble something about testosterone and pissing matches before she herself started the journey underground.
They came out in the same ill-lit room that Charlie had seen in her vision and just as he had been in the same vision, Mikal was seated behind the small desk in the center of the room his back toward the clock that now read 12:02. Unlike in her vision though, she could see no one else in the room bar James and clearly he wasn’t a threat at this stage.
“Ah daughter, how nice of you to join me.”
“Save the sweet talk Mikal, you know why I’m here.”
“Of course I do. You think you’re going to kill me today.”
“No, I know that I’m going to kill you today.”
Mikal let a small chuckle slip out before composing his features into something somewhat scarier than Charlie was used to seeing.
“So, is there anything you’d like to say first? Any last meaningful words for your father?”
“Just this. You’re not my father, I don’t have a father. Just because your blood runs through my veins doesn’t make you my dad any more than it makes Ford my dad and if I could drain every last bit of Valguard body from my blood it still wouldn’t be enough. You disgust me.”
“You’ve got your mother’s spirit I see. Such a shame that Mayor Reynold’s did away with her, she made a perfect trophy wife, don’t you think?”
“She was never your wife, she never would have been!”
“Ahh but you are wrong again, she could have been if she had just learned to keep her dam mouth shut! That was the only problem with Eva… Too much spirit.”
Charlie saw a slight movement from the corner of her eye and before she could stop him, Ford had launched himself through a half open doorway where she could see the faint outlines of a glowing set of eyes. She knew in that instant that the Valguard knew about the tunnels, they probably always had, so why hadn’t Kara seen it?
Her thoughts didn’t progress any further after that because just as she asked herself the question, Mikal had jumped the desk and was heading for the stairs and toward escape.
She’d concealed a knife in the waistband of her bloodied cargo pants before arriving at the coffee shop but now unsheathed it and in one fluid movement spun herself on the spot her knife held at throat height and brought the blade across Mikal’s neck with precision. He fell to the ground gasping for air, the blood that poured from his wound creating a stark contrast against the white concrete. Knowing he would bleed out from a wound like this Charlie turned and ran through the concealed door after Ford. In amongst the chaos Zane must have headed that way too because she could find no sign of him anywhere else. It was hard to navigate the tunnels without a torch – both of which Zane still possessed – but with h
er Valguard eyes she could see more than a human would. It was so dark underground that she wondered how Ford had managed to get even this far without any source of light.
Zane’s discarded torch cast a shadow across the wall of the tunnel and though she couldn’t see them yet, she could see their figures in the shadows on the wall. Two were down on the ground; one was leaning over them, his body moving rapidly up and down. Was it the Valguard plunging a knife into a chest? Was it Zane or Ford doing the same to the Valguard? Her pace quickened as she turned the corner to discover the fate of her friends.
It had been Zane that was hovering over the bodies of the Valguard and Ford but he wasn’t plunging a knife into anyone’s chest, he had his hands crossed over Fords chest, right where his heart was situated. He was trying to resuscitate him, frantically pumping on his chest a few times and then blowing his own oxygen into Ford’s lungs. She could see the steady rise and fall of his chest as Zane worked over him; she looked around trying to figure out what had happened here. There was no blood, no signs of a struggle, no weapons. Just the eerie silence, one dead Valguard and one fallen friend.
“I’m sorry Charlie, he’s gone.”
“No. Keep working, he’s going to be fine. He needs to be fine.”
“I’ve been here for five minutes, even if I can revive him, the brain damage will see him being a vegetable for the rest of his life. We need to get out of here.”
“No. Better a vegetable than dead. Move out of my way.”
Zane slumped to the side and allowed Charlie to work on Ford while he gathered himself but he knew it was a pointless effort, Ford was gone.
“Charlie, we have to go. They know about the tunnels, James escaped.”
“No, I’m not leaving him. He’ll be ok.”
Charlie was shouting through thick sobs now, barely able to contain the pain that was about to burst through her chest.
“We can’t stay here, you know that.”
“Well I’m not leaving him ok! I can’t. He’s going to be ok!”
Charlie kicked and screamed as Zane lifted her off Ford’s lifeless body, trying desperately to get back to her friend, to save him. She couldn’t leave him there with that scum.
“Let go! I’m not leaving him! How can you just leave him like this?! Put me down, I can save him!”
There was no response from Zane who was struggling to keep his grip on her as she flailed her arms and legs in her effort to be free of his clutches.
Finally she let the grief take over and let the tears fall and became still. She felt herself being gently placed on the ground in the underground office where she had killed Mikal. Her grief turned to anger the moment she saw Mikal’s lifeless body laying not meters from her. She knew that the only thought that was going to get her through this was that she was going to make the Valguard pay for what they had done. She might not be able to kill all of them, but she could make them suffer.
Gathering herself and standing slowly she turned to Zane. She could see the faint glow of her own eyes through the contact that lenses that once protected her identity and started to move forward.
“What should with do with him?”
Zane was pointing towards the spot where Mikal was laying surrounded by a pool of blood.
“Leave him here to rot.”
She pulled the concealed door they had entered through shut on her way out, twisting the small brass handle which clicked into place, sealing Ford, Mikal and the guard into a makeshift tomb.
The walk back to El’s place was somber and seemed to pass in a daze; before she knew it they were standing on the porch and she was trying to decide on the best way to tell her friend that her brother was dead.
“I can’t do this. She’s not going to understand. I don’t understand.”
“Just let me do the talking ok. It’s going to be alright.”
Zane tried to comfort her by putting his arm across her shoulders, but Charlie knowing El’ the way that she did, knew that it wasn’t a good idea and shrugged it off before walking inside.
“Ford? That didn’t take long, who got the honor of killing the ‘lord and ruler’ himself? Ford?”
El’s voice had been coming from the lounge but when there was no answer from her brother she stepped into the entry way coming face to face with Charlie and Zane. Charlie’s tear streaked and reddened face spoke louder than any words could and the small sarcastic smile that El’ had warn upon entering vanished in an instant.
“No. He’s not dead! He’s not! Where is he?”
“El’ we couldn’t save him. We tried, I’m so sorry.”
Although Charlie had had no idea what to say when standing on the porch, it didn’t seem right to let Zane do the talking for her, this was something she needed to do.
“You’re lying!”
El’ was positively screeching now, sending Matt flying into the room where they all stood now on opposite sides staring at each other.
“Eloise, she’s telling the truth. Ford ran off into one of the underground cellars chasing one of Mikal’s guards. He couldn’t see, the guard waited for him around a corner and shot him in the heart with this.”
Zane fiddled in his pocket for a second and then held up a small rectangular device with wires hanging from one end. A Taser. That’s why there was no blood, Ford had been shot in the heart with an electrical current.
“Don’t you even talk to me! We were fine before you came to town. Happy, unaware and now look at us. My sister’s dead, my brother, Charlie’s a freaking Valguard and we’re all about to be herded like cattle so that we can surrender and live out the rest of our lives being lorded over by your people or die. Get out of my house.”
Charlie had seen El’s temper before, even been in the firing line of it but she had never seen her like this; so full of contempt and anger that she seemed to be bursting with it. Charlie had to do something to calm her down before she did or said something that she would regret later on.
“El’ calm down, it’s not Zane’s fault, it’s…”
“Yours? Yea, I know. Because if you hadn’t have strung him along like a puppy dog and them dumped him like a stray, we wouldn’t be here right now would we? And If you hadn’t dragged every single person in town out into the square last night no one would be dead. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from you now Charlie, you’re one of them. A mindless killing machine that needs humans to control in order to feel powerful. You disgust me. Just get out.”
“El’ please.”
“Get…Out!”
As they walked out the door, they could hear El’s frantic sobs turn into screams of agony and though Charlie would have given anything in that moment to turn back and hold her best friend until the worst of the pain had gone she knew that going back in there would only make matters worse.
They walked across the yard to Zane’s house in silence, neither wanting to be the first to break, both needing more comfort than they would admit to.
Charlie’s anxiety sky rocketed upon walking into the house she had resided in for almost three weeks now. The pristine condition that the house was always kept in was now a wreck. Lounges and tables had been upturned, every painting had been carelessly thrown from the walls and tossed into a heap on the floor, every dish in the kitchen had been smashed to pieces, the bedrooms pulled apart, their clothes scattered from one end of the second floor landing to the other. Zane had been right when he had told her going back to the house the previous night was definitely not safe. The Valguard had wanted them to know they had been here looking for them, it was a message left behind by destruction that they were not happy.
“Let’s get some clothes and supplies and get out of here before they come back.”
“We need to seal the shelter first.”
Zane nodded, picked up a few pieces of his clothing from the floor and lobbing them into a nearby bag before handing the bag to Charlie to do the same. She wasn’t fussed on what she picked out, she just grabbed the closest jeans a
nd shirts she could find, chucked them in the bag and handed it back to Zane before they made their way back downstairs.
Back in the kitchen, they both went to work, grabbing everything they could get their hands on and throwing it carelessly into the shelter behind the pantry, filling up the space with lounges, dining chairs, a table, smashed dishes, pots and pans and anything else that had been left lying around by the Valguard. Soon enough the shelter was full to the top of the stairs with odd bits and pieces and they firmly shut the wall in front of it all. There is no way anyone was getting through there but just in case they did, Zane grabbed a few boards from the basement and nailed them across the pantry wall and then again across the section of wall that opened from the shelter into the basement. They had no idea why they did this, it wasn’t like they were going to be spending much time in the house now anyway, it was just the thought that the Valguard could enter whenever they wanted without the use of the front door and practically unnoticed that fueled their desire to seal off the entry they once felt was their greatest secret.
Not wanting to take to the streets they slipped out the back door, making sure no one saw them and headed the back way into the woods.
The backwards hike to the forest where Kara’s cottage dwelled wasn’t an easy or quick trek, instead of walking along the smooth, flat and straight road that led into the woods, this way was uphill, winding and with no real path to follow. By the time they had reached the top and could see over the town, Charlie was exhausted. From up here she could see every house in Tole and although she couldn’t see it, she could pick out the exact spot where the cottage was hidden from view by the dense amount of trees that surrounded it. She thought briefly about making their way through the thick bush land to hide in the safety of the small house but decided against it, not wanting to be too far away from where she could see the town and what was going on. For now, they would lay low in the woods and come up with a plan of attack against the Valguard.
They sat in silence for almost three hours on top of that hill, both lost in their own thoughts, both trying to think of a plan to win against the Valguard, neither coming up with anything of worth. There was no way to beat them, they were too strong, they had already proved that they could stand against the humans and win. Sure they had suffered losses too but on the short walk to Mikal’s earlier that day Ford had revealed to them that more than 350 of the town people had perished in last night’s attack against the Valguard. It was a big loss considering the Valguard had only suffered minor losses – about sixty men, some of them the human’s that worked for them – and had regrouped this morning to put their strongest foot first. Mikal had been their strongest foot and now all Charlie could hope was that without him there to make the decisions, the rest would fall into discord.
Destinata (Valguard) Page 17
