PRISONERS

CHAPTER 16

"Now, every time I witness a strong person, I want to know:

What dark did you conquer in your story?

Mountains do not rise without earthquakes."

~ Katherine MacKenett

Darien's POV

It was relatively easy to take down two of them, but the others were scattered throughout the forest.

"Let's go!" Will urged.

I nodded, and we headed in the direction Luca and Luna had run earlier. I had always dreamt of escaping prison, but not like this. I wanted us to be together, to be free and happy. Thunder crackled in the skies as we rushed to reach them as quickly as possible.

An eerie silence enveloped the air, broken only by our heavy breathing as we strained our legs to get to them.

Bang!

"That sound..." Will paused. It was coming from the direction we were heading towards.

Had they reached them already? How did they bypass us?

We made sure that only two of them were following us from behind. My heart throbbed faster in fear that something might have happened.

As we started once again towards the same path, a heart-wrenching scream echoed through the woods in front of us. My feet paused on their own.

"Luna!" The realization hit me; she might be hurt. But if she's hurt, that means they must have gotten to my brother as well. The thought burned in my mind as my feet carried me towards the scream, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

The handcuffs clanked in my hands, a reminder of the dire situation as we ran for our lives.

"Darien, I fear they may have already..."

"Don't you dare speak another word. Nothing will happen," I assured him, though I was uncertain myself. My heart throbbed painfully as my feet moved on autopilot, sweat streaming down my face. I remained focused on getting my brother and the love of my life to safety.

Upon reaching a clearing with a river, a loud boom was heard as lightening struck the ground beneath us on our side. No one was there as the skies had now darkened. My eyes searched around for any sign of them until they laid on my brother. He lay motionless on the ground as blood dripped in a streak out of his chest, soaking the soil around him.

As we reached a clearing by a river, a deafening silence echoed as lightning struck the ground beneath us. The skies had now darkened. My eyes desperately searched for any sign of them until they landed on a figure at the corner. "Lucas!" He lay motionless on the ground, blood seeping from a wound in his chest, soaking the soil around him.

I rushed to his side, gathering his body in my arms. "Brother, I'm here," I spoke softly, examining the wound closely. Will knelt beside us, putting pressure on the wound as more blood poured out.

Despite the worsening weather, his body remained still. "Look at me, brother. Open your eyes. I'm here." I hugged him tightly, assisting Will in applying pressure to the wound.

"Lucas!" I yelled, hoping for any sign of movement. I couldn't bear to lose my brother like this.

"Call someone! Anyone!" I screamed at Will in frustration, tears streaming down my face. He was still in shock. My heart shattered as I watched my brother lay still in my arms.

"Is he gone?"I asked, heartbroken.

Will looked at me with painful eyes. "I'm not sure. But he's still breathing slowly. There maybe a chance we can save him."