Agro

0.7 - Preparing

I arrive at the Hollow and try and look for any clues that Megan would’ve left. I walk over to the weapon wall to see a hand gun missing. Out of the corner of my eye a red flashing light catches my attention. I run over to the desk to see that it is an ear piece we use as a radio for Megan and myself to communicate. I pull off the flashing light and stick the radio in my ear. I can hear men talking, one talking particularly louder than the others. His voice croaky sounding. I try and focus on his voice when suddenly one of the computer screens turn on automatically.

I walk over to it with curiosity. A map loads up onto the screen with a flashing light on it. “Megan.” I say to myself when suddenly I can hear Megan’s voice in my ear. Her voice full of fear, her words all mumbled up. I try and focus on what she is saying. It seems to be the same thing over and over. “3 men in the building, a sniper in each building surrounding, troops outside taking hostages. All armed.” The words frozen solid in my head. 

I start thinking of how I should go about saving the hostages and Megan. Still with those words repeating in my ear. I study the map as best as I can, trying to see which way would be best to go in, when a man’s face appears on the screen. 

He has a bright blue bandana across his forehead and a beard that looks like in has something growing in it. “Hello boy.” His deep musky voice sends shivers up and down my back. “Who…are…you?” I ask him while fear rumbles through my stomach. “My name is Robert Allen but you can call me Retro. I’m coming to help.” 

“Help with what?” I ask as I take a seat. “Help stop The Diamonds.” He says to me really putting an emphasis on ‘diamonds.’  “Jasper, we’ll see you in 24 hours.” Robert says his voicing sounding deeper as his faces disappears from the screen and the map comes back up. 

“We?”

“How’s he know my name?”

“How does he know Megan?”

I keep asking myself questions that I don’t know the answers too. I stop and start taking big deep breathes, trying to calm myself as best as I can. 

I head back to the foster home with a print out of the map and the ear piece in my back pocket. 

I arrive at the foster home and head straight to my room and flop onto my bed face first. I fall asleep.

I awake to the sound of gunfire off in the distance. I jump out of my bed and look out my window to see if I can see what is happening. Instead my attention gets caught up by something else. A traffic jam. People are leaving the city in their cars or by foot. Terror filling everyone of their faces. 

“Jasper?” Jim walks in. “They want us to evacuate the city.” 

“Who does?” I ask as curiosity starts to take over. 

“The people controlling the city, I believe they call themselves The Diamonds.” Jim replies. 

“Have you seen Megan?” He asks as I freeze with fear, of how to answer him. Should I tell him? Or lie to keep Megan’s identity safe? Does he already know about Megan? Questions flood my head. 

“No I haven’t sorry.”

“Alright, well pack your bag. We are leaving in five.” Jim says with disappointment and leaves, closing the door behind him. 

“Retro will be here in 12 hours.” I say to myself as I look at my watch. 

I go downstairs and search for Jim in the crowd of kids waiting to go. I see him over in the corner comforting a few kids. “Jim.” He turns around and looks at me. I can see that he is scared but trying his best to stay strong for the other kids. “I’ve got to go do something. Go on without me. I’ll catch up.” I say as I nervously wait to hear what he says. “We hired a bus. I’ll send it back for you, and the driver will bring you to wherever we will be.” He says to me as he slaps me on the shoulder. “You’ll be alright.” I say to him as I turn around and run upstairs to my room. 

I grab the map and make sure I have the ear piece in my back pocket. I run and jump through the window making a loud noise when I land on the footpath, destroying it. I run in between the cars which are making the traffic jam down the street and find myself near where they are keeping Megan hostage. 

I go into one of the surrounding buildings through the back and make my way to the top. I run down a long hallway and into a room. I immediately freeze. The words “A sniper in each building surrounding” flood my mind instantly. A man laying there, his eye trained through the scope and ready to kill anything that moves. I slowly start to walk backwards when a creak in the wood makes a loud noise. The sniper turns around. “Hey!” He shouts. I freeze with fear. He gets up and walks over to me. His wearing a mask only showing his hazel green eyes. Hand gun by his side. “Who are you?” He asks as he starts to pull out his radio from his pocket. I kick his hand sending the gun sliding across the other side of the room. He swings his right fist straight into my face sending me to the floor. He puts his radio up to his face, just before he has the time to say something I kick his legs from under him. The man falls to the floor dropping the radio. We both get to our feet as quick as we can and start throwing punches at one another. Punch after punch. I swing with my left fist as he ducks and then sends a right uppercut straight to my chin. The punch turns me around and flying into the wall. My head leans up against the wall, I’m struggling to a get a breath in. I turn my head to see him running at me. I jump and kick myself away from the wall, backflipping over the man. He turns and runs at me as I jump and connect my feet with his knees breaking both of them. The man screams in agony holding both his knees. 

I stand up and walk over to the window to see if anything is happening. I manage to see some of the men dragging hostages into the same building that Megan is in. 

The man is still moaning in pain. “Hey.” He says dragging it out like it was a big effort for him to say. I turn to see him holding the gun at me. I stumble backwards realising what he had. “Diamonds…always…win.” He says using all his effort.

BANG!! A bullet piercing through the man’s skull leaving a very noticeable hole.

I turn to my right to see Retro standing there with a gun in his hand. He looks over at me with a grin. “Jasper, let’s get to work.”