Link City

All Together Now *

Chapter 27: All Together Now

“Nance, what the hell are-” Dustin didn't have time to finish.

The other guard had drawn his pistol. Jason drew his pocket knife, but Drew acted first. He drove his elbow back into the man's gut then brought both bound fists back into his face. The man was stunned, gun hanging loosely in his hand, where Jason grabbed it. Drew kneed him in the gut, taking him off of his feet completely. As his knees slumped to the floor, Drew slammed the full force of his elbow into his skull. His neck cracked to the side, and the guard slumped to the floor. Jason offered him the knife, and he freed himself, handing the blade back to the reverent boy.

“Well...” Drew was actually smiling. “I had a feeling helping you three would pay off. But all thanks aside, if you care at all about any of the lives in this city, we have a very very big problem.”

“Tell me about it.” Dustin was still very on edge. “But we have to get out of here... Jesse and Romoe-?”

Drew's eyes widened at the names.

“With Arch,” I said, “looking for him.”

Dustin's eyebrows pulled together at the mention of the agent. Wasn't he the one who had interrogated him in the prison? Whether that interrogation had stopped in the metal room in which I'd slept was a question for a later day.

From both of the fallen guards, Drew produced a machine gun. This was big artillery for prisoner transport. What had they been expecting? Us, was obviously not the answer. He offered one to Dustin who took it. This worried me. Neither of them held the same reserve for killing that I did. I told myself that it was a good thing. It was much safer to have them watching my back than Jason. I didn't want to force him to cross that line. Sure he'd pushed that guard into the fire back in the burning building, but he'd been wearing gear. There was no way to know whether or not he'd died.

Lela, was my next thought, as we headed towards the entrance. We walked in a four corned formation, all of guns at the ready. Jason and I watched our six, while the other two peered into every open room we passed, fingers on the trigger. What was Alec planning? What had Dustin so spooked, aside from the capture of someone he'd always been told was on their side? What were we leaving her to; the girl I now called my friend? I worried, but I did nothing, too tied to the adrenaline of the escape. And what of Aria? I prayed she was gone, with her parents. There was something about her sister Krystal that made me wonder if maybe she was involved as well.

We were so close to the exit now. I could see it, right on the other side of the meeting room, where I knew so many people congregated. Drew and Dustin abandoned all pretence of an organized escape and we sprinted for it.

Alec stepped into our path, Sarah and nine more men with him. All of them held guns: some pistols, and some larger. I held my gun aloft like the other three. What else could I do? They were in our way. If they were commanded to, they would not hesitate. How did I always end up here? Kill or be killed.

“I'm afraid we can't let you do this,” said Alec, almost apologetically. “I'm sad to see you three turn against the cause.”