Fated

by T. L. McDonald

  All around me voices ring out, some in whispers, some in shouts, all asking each other what they should do as hidden weapons are revealed in the trembling hands of scared boys pouring out of their dorm rooms. Some of them don’t look any older than twelve or thirteen, though they all wear the same fierce look of trained warriors upon their faces. For their sakes I hope they are.

  Once we're at the bottom of the stairs, Will leads us to the back of the building away from the front doors and the sounds of battle coming from the other side of them. It sounds pretty intense and I wonder just how many Fallen are out there and how many of them are searching for Jared right now.

  At the emergency exit door, Will pauses. Holding up his hand to silence us, though no one is actually making a sound, he opens the door a fraction to peer outside. I hold my breath the entire time. Closing the door with a soft click Will turns to face us and I let out my breath. "I don't see any of them out there, but that doesn't mean they aren't. The three of us," He points to himself then to Owen and Luca as they unsheathe long blades from under the backs of their jackets. "We'll do what we can to protect you," he says to Jared and I. "But if The Fallen happen to break through and you have to fight, make sure you get them in the heart. It's the only way to take them down. Hit them anywhere else and it's only going to temporarily wound them and royally piss them off." He looks directly at Jared as he says this.

  Jared squeezes my hand. Whether it's to reassure him or me, I don't know. Gripping the knife Will gave him tightly in his other hand, the pulse at his neck beats rapidly keeping pace with my own racing heart. Hand in hand and one deep breath later we follow Will, Owen, and Luca outside leaving the safety of the building behind us.

  The sounds of fighting and potential death assault my ears kicking both my fear and my need to protect Jared into overdrive. I squeeze his hand so tight it probably hurts; yet he doesn't say a word or try to pull away. Moving from building to building, shadows cling to everything and I have a small heart attack each time we near one for fear of what could be hiding in them. Wherever this church is, I hope we get there soon.

  An electric current begins to hum below the surface of the symbol warming my skin as energy begins to build in my veins. A feeling of utter unease creeps in to set up shop in the center of my chest the further we go. Not a good sign. Something bad is about to happen. I can feel it.

  Just then, a giant ball of flame shoots into the sky, the blast echoing in my ears. Turning on his heels, Will throws his arm around me slamming me against the back of a building, shielding me. Owen and Luca do the same to Jared.

  Letting me go, Will first makes sure I'm okay before running ahead a few feet to see where the blast came from. His body goes rigid. "Shit!" Spinning around he slams the palm of his hand against the building. "That was the church."

  "What do we do now?" Owen asks, panic lacing his voice. He moves beside Will to peer around the edge of the building. "We can't stay here."

  "I don't know." Will grips the blade in his hand so tight his knuckles turn white. "Let me think."

  The symbol on my wrist begins to burn brighter, the really bad feeling harboring in my chest intensifying until it hurts. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I'm overcome with the urge to look behind me. Upon seeing them I have just enough time to yell watch out before three Fallen are upon us.

  Luca reacts first. Swinging his arm back he slices one of The Fallen across the face. On his left a second Fallen slashes out, but Owen intercedes before The Fallen can hit his mark, while Will takes on the third.

  Grabbing ahold of The Fallen's upper arm, Owen rams his blade through The Fallen's back, piercing the heart. As Owen shoves him to the side, I watch the skin on The Fallen’s face wither and peel away layer-by-layer leaving what’s underneath exposed until that too withers to nothing but bone and ash.

  Beside me, Jared looks like he's seconds away from throwing up. The knife he's holding onto so tightly shakes in his hand. I know exactly how he feels having experienced the sight of this once before myself.

  More Fallen come around the edge of the building—way more than we can handle on our own. I step in front of Jared, the symbol on my wrist burning bright with raw energy coursing through my veins. Everything around me slows down and stillness settles over me. I know exactly what I need to do. "Everyone get down!" I shout.

  Will glances at me, our eyes meeting for a brief second before his gaze moves to my wrist. He kicks the Fallen standing in front of him in the stomach sending him flying backwards. "Do what she says!" Will orders. Diving to the ground he rolls onto his back then shoves his feet upward to kick at the same Fallen he'd kicked just moments ago.

  Teaming up, Luca and Owen take down The Fallen Luca had previously injured. Dropping to the ground, both guys roll away from The Fallen's remains as it rapidly decomposes.

  Inside me, barely contained, the power growing intensifies until my whole body hums with it. I glance back at Jared who's still standing. "Jared, you have to get down." Not hearing me, his big green eyes stare past me at the approaching Fallen. Facing forward, I watch as The Fallen move methodically toward us as if we're easy prey they don't have to worry about.

  If only they knew how wrong they were.

  Grabbing ahold of Jared's hand, I pull him down to the ground. Turning back around, I face The Fallen, letting loose all the energy that's been building inside. I drop to my knees with the force of it ripping from me like a tidal wave destroying everything in its path. All the windows in the building closest to us shatter, trees uproot, and The Fallen get swept away in the blast, being tossed somewhere into the distance.

  "Holy shit," Owen says in amazement as he climbs to his feet while dusting of his knees. "How the hell did you do that?"

  "Have you always been telekinetic?" Luca adds. Standing beside Owen, he studies me.

  "We can all marvel at Hanna's telekinetic abilities later." Will places a hand on my shoulder giving it a squeeze. "But right now we need to get the hell out of here before more Fallen decide to show up." Giving my shoulder one last squeeze he moves forward to peek around the side of the building.

  Still on the ground, and most likely totally shell shocked, Jared stares up at me with this odd detached distant look in his eye and for a moment I'm completely terrified he's going to be just as a afraid of me as he is of The fallen who are after him.

  Taking a deep breath and a hard swallow, I kneel down in front of him. "Are you okay?" Stupid question. Of course he's not okay. After everything he's witnessed tonight, no one in their right mind would be okay.

  I take ahold of his hand; his eyes clarify, focusing in on my face. "Hanna." Jumping to his feet and nearly knocking me over in the process he drags me up with him, wrapping me into an un-breathable hug.

  "Can't breathe," I wheeze.

  He releases me, but not by much.

  "I'm sorry, it's just," He looks past me to stare at a spot on the ground where the grass has died. "I've never been so scared in my entire life and the way the Fallen decomposed like that, so fast, so...absolutely disturbing, is something I don't think I'll ever get out of my head. At least not without lots of money and years and years of extensive therapy." His eyes refocus on mine. "But you, you were amazing. The way you blew them all away... You were fearless."

  I smile just a little, glad that he's not afraid of me. "I promise you, there was a whole lot of fear involved. I'm really not as badass as you think."

  "Hanna. Jared. Let's go," Will calls from the edge of the building just up ahead.

  Catching up, Jared and I stand beside Luca and Owen, all of us waiting for Will to tell us what to do next.

  "Luca, Owen, you guys stay here and protect them at all costs." Will tilts his head toward Jared and I. "I'm going to move around the side of the building to get a better look at what we're dealing with."

  Owen and Luca each produce another hidden blade so that they have one held in each hand. Owen then moves to my side while Luca moves to Jared's. />
  I peek around the corner of the building watching Will make his way towards the front. At the edge he leans forward sticking his head around the side. Judging by the slight droop of his shoulders and the tension in his frame, I'm guessing that what he's seeing isn't good.

  Sticking to the shadows, Will inches his way back to us. He wipes a hand down his face once he arrives. "It's total chaos out there, but that may work to our advantage. If we can make it to the southeast corner, we can jump the wall and make a break for the abandoned church out in the woods. On foot it should take us about twenty minutes to get there."

  "Did you just say jump the wall?" I ask. The wall surrounding The Compound has to be at least fifteen feet high, if not higher.

  "Yes. Sam and I used to do it all the time. Besides, the church out there is the only safe haven we've got right now and jumping the wall is the only way we're going to get there."

  "Why don't we just grab a vehicle and drive the hell out of here?" Jared asks. I'm with Jared. Driving out of here seems much more appealing than scaling a fifteen foot wall.

  "You'll see why in a second," Will answers. Addressing the rest of us he says, "Okay, so here's the plan. I want everyone to stick close together and try to hide in the smoke and shadows as much as possible to avoid being seen. We're not that far from where we need to go and once we get there, just do what I do."

  Right. Just do what Will does. Sounds easy enough. If I were a well-trained ninja maybe.

  Fighting off a panic attack, I glance over at Jared who's on the verge of having one of his own. Shoving down my fears, as much as I can anyway, I put on a brave face. "Hey, I know you're freaking out, I am too believe me, but I promise we're going to get through this." I hold out my hand. "Do you trust me?" Jared stares at my hand for a moment. With a nod of his head he places his hand in mine.

  "Everyone ready?" Will asks. Owen and Luca raise their blades in answer. Jared and I stare at each other, he squeezes my hand. Turning my gaze to Will, I nod. Will positions himself at the head of our little group. With a backwards glance he waves us forward and together we run.

  Smoke and ash sting my eyes as we reach the street. Red-hot flames lick away at every vehicle parked along the sidewalks. So that's what Will meant when he said ‘you'll see why in a second’. The Fallen may have taken away potential means of a quick escape, but from what I can see, we're winning. For every Fallen out there, there are four of us, striking them down. A small seed of hope takes root. Maybe, just maybe, luck will be on our side and we'll make it out of here and The Fallen can all go straight to Hell where they belong.

  Several minutes that feel more like hours of concentrated fear at knowing a Fallen could jump out and take one of us down at any moment passes before we reach the wall, but now that we're here and the wall is looming in front of me, I have no idea how Will is expecting us to jump it.

  Wiping away the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Will stands before us. "I'll go first. Owen and Luca, one of you two, bring up the rear." Looking at me, Will grins. "Just do what I do." And with that he takes off running at full speed towards the corner where two walls meet. Once he's close enough he jumps using his momentum to propel himself upward, bouncing from one wall to the next. With one final push he grabs ahold of the top of the wall. Throwing a leg over he straddles it as he motions us forward.

  Will is absolutely insane if that's how he's expecting everyone to get over the wall. Who does he think we are, Jackie Chan?

  Luca takes off next. Flying past me he clears the wall easily.

  "Now you two," Owen instructs encouragingly.

  Jared and I stare at each other.

  "You go first," I say. He starts to argue. I cut him off with a press of my lips to his. "It's you they’re after. You go first. I'll be right behind you. I promise."

  He kisses me hard and desperate. "Right behind me."

  "Right behind you."

  Jared takes a deep breath, tucks the knife in his hand into the back of his jeans. "Here goes nothing," he mumbles more to himself than to anyone else. With one last deep breath he takes off. Even though I'm half afraid to watch for fear he'll misstep, fall, break a leg or an arm, I can't tear my eyes away. Reaching the target area Jared leaps bouncing from wall to wall, maybe not as gracefully as Will or Luca did, but good enough to get to the top.

  "Your turn," Owen says, hand on the small of my back to nudge me forward.

  "My turn."

  Okay. I can do this, I tell myself.

  I look up at Will still sitting atop the wall. He did it. Luca did it. Jared did it. I rub my thumb over the symbol still faintly glowing against my wrist for luck. Here's to hoping it'll give me that extra boost of super abilities I need to make it.

  I take a deep breath until my lungs are filled to capacity. The symbol begins to burn brighter, my senses sharper. I take off at top speed even though everything seems to be happening in slow motion. My foot hits the wall, pushes off, and then hits the next, over and over until I'm at the top.

  My heart slams against my ribs. Holy crap, I did it.

  Will takes my hand as I straddle the wall beside him. "Now you have to jump down the other side." I start to panic, my heart pounding like a jackhammer in my chest so hard I'm sure it's visible from the outside. Will squeezes my fingers regaining my attention. "Don't worry, you can do this. Slightly bend your knees when you jump, moving your hands forward. When you land, touch down with your toes first, letting your knees bend to absorb some of the impact and as you lean forward, use your hands and arms to brace for the rest as you roll forward."

  I nod to show I understand since I can't seem to find my voice. I search the ground below me for Jared. He smiles encouragingly, waving me forward. I look to Will one last time. You can do this, he mouths, and then I jump.

  I land flawlessly. Every bone in my body screams at me. Taking my hands, Jared helps me to my feet.

  Looking up, I see Will jump...to the wrong side and there's no sign of Owen. Inside, I start to completely freak out, and on the outside, I'm gripping Jared's arm so tight he has to pry my fingers away. The Fallen must have discovered Owen and Will must have went back to help. Luca starts to pace. Jared rubs at the hand print I left behind with his eyes glued to the top of the wall, and I—all I can do is think, please let Will be okay, Owen too—as the minutes tick by at an agonizingly slow pace.

  Silence hovers over us. No one says a word and I'm about to test the limits of my super abilities by seeing if I can jump straight up to the top of the wall when I see Owen throw himself over the edge. He's going too fast. Missing the landing, the sound of bones snapping reverberates through the trees. Owen bites down on his lower lip drawing blood, dousing his screams of pain as his eyes slam shut and his arms wrap around his knee to pull his leg close to his chest.

  I glance up at the wall hoping to see Will jumping over while I run to Owen's side. No such luck. He's not there. "Owen, where's Will?" Worry hanging on the verge of total panic saturates my voice.

  "I don't know," Owen says through gritted teeth. "He was right behind me."

  I spare another glance at the wall. Still no Will.

  "Let me take a look at your leg," I say, focusing all my attention on Owen to keep myself from losing it over Will's absence. Reluctantly, Owen lets go of the hold he's got around his knee to allow is leg to lay flat. His face scrunches in pain, holding back a scream that’s no doubt lodged in the back of his throat.

  I push up his pant leg; he winces, fingers digging into the dirt. "I can't get a good look. I'm going to have to cut your pant leg, okay?" He nods. Removing the knife from the waist of my jeans I begin to cut along the seam of his pants while trying not to jerk his leg too much as I make a slit up to his knee. His shinbone is visibly broken, though thankfully not protruding through the skin.

  Luca drops to his knees beside me examining Owen's leg. His jacket sleeve is torn from his elbow to his wrist. Dried blood covers the side of his arm, a faint white scar showing
beneath. His hazel eyes shift to me. "We're going to have to set it if it's going to heal right."

  "I have no idea how to do that."

  "I do. Hanna, Jared, if you would, hold Owen down because this is going to hurt like hell." With Owen lying flat on his back, Jared holds one shoulder down while I hold the other. "Ready?" Luca asks Owen. Not waiting for an answer Luca pulls, setting the bone in place. Owen jerks, his back coming up off the ground in an arch. Still he doesn't scream.

  I would have screamed.

  "How long will it take to heal?" I ask Luca.

  "It's hard to tell. Could be a few minutes. Could be hours. The healing can be a little tricky when it comes to breaks."

  We don't have hours, I think to myself as I glance over at Jared. I healed him once before bringing him back from the brink of death without so much as a scar left behind. Maybe I can do the same for Owen.

  I move from Owen's shoulder down to his leg. "I might be able to heal you, though I have to admit I've only ever done this once before." Jared's eyes lock onto mine and I can't help but remember the moment he almost died. The paleness of his skin, the loss of color to his eyes, the blood—so much blood—pouring from his chest. Breaking eye contact with Jared I meet Owen's blue eyes. "So no guarantees."

  "Do it." He hardens his face, jaw clenched shut. He's trying to be brave, but I know from personal experience that the healing of a bone can be more painful than the breaking of one. I learned that lesson the hard way when Blondie so graciously broke my arm while corrupting the symbol so he could hijack Sam's memories.

  Owen takes a sharp inhale as I place my hands on his leg. Closing my eyes, I focus on what I want to happen. The symbol on my wrist warms against my skin; total calmness washes over me until I'm only aware of Owen and the task at hand. Letting the symbol guide me I imagine his bones mending to the way they were before the break. I imagine all the swelling going down and all the bruises scattered up and down his leg fading away to nothing.