Try Learn Destroy (Book One- Try)

THREE- An Ambush:

“I’m sure you’re just doubting your insane skills.” I encourage.

Hawk and I sit in a comfortable silence for a while.

“May I see it?” Hawk asks me. I blink. “The necklace.” He clarifies.

“This one?” I ask, producing the necklace I found at school yesterday. Hawk gasps and gawks at the golden locket. The peace of the moment is rudely interrupted by Hawk slamming his hand to his ear. Still holding his hand to his ear, he frantically rushed throughout this room collecting everything. Hawk stuffs not only food and water in my bag but weapons and clothing. In panic, Hawk trips over but continues to scuttle around to find whatever he’ll need.

“Hawk, what is it? What’s wrong?” I ask.

“We have to go, now.” He mutters, clasping the necklace around my neck and then shoving the charm under the neckline of my sweater.

“Why?” I ask, baffled.

“We’ve been spotted.” I gulp.

Hawk takes my wrist squeezing it tightly. I don’t know what to do! Who has found me? Will they take me home? Or just leave me out here? What’ll happen to him? If it’s the local authorities that know me so well, he will be punished. Nobody likes me other than Cyrus but in the police’s opinion, that should not justify my disappearance. I look to Hawk, my face being reflected in his glasses. Can he see how distraught I feel? Thankfully it seems that Hawk has made a decision on how we should flee. He tosses a heavy dictionary at the window of the room, swearing under his breath when he sees what language the dictionary was in- Latin.

A low rumble echoes through the room. What is that? Hawk and I peer through a clouded cracked window to watch a large flying machine loom above us. Where even are we?

“You go first.” Hawk ushers me forward.

“Go where!” I hiss, frantically looking around the area, there is no real way down, of course it doesn’t help that this place is so unfamiliar!

“Across the ledge, the people in the chopper are expecting us to leave from the door, so we’ll take the window.” Hawk replies, knowing smile crossing his face.

“But I’m unarmed!” I fret. I am gently pushed forward so I’m on the ledge.

I stagger on the narrow ground, trying to get my bearings, I wouldn’t die from falling off of this ledge and my bones seem to be invincible from all of the times I have had “close calls” when climbing trees but there’s always a chance that I could break something this time. I reach into my boot to produce my slingshot and a few elastic lead fingers, pointing them at the motor of what Hawk called a ‘chopper’. I fire three fingers at the motor, one bounces off of the fan’s arms, another actually makes a hole in the arm but is too blunt to do anymore damage and the third misses completely. A fine lethal arrow soars upward, getting past each arm of the fan and causing the motor to bust into a blazing inferno crashing to the ground.

As I turn to clarify that the arrow was in fact Hawk’s I watch him leap off of the ledge and into the wasteland bellow. I am so over my head, is this where Church Forbidders live? I blink as another figure walks into my line of vision. I recognise this man. It’s the intruder! But Hawk shot him! This makes no sense. I gulp as I watch the intruder raise a gun to the back of Hawk’s head. I cannot allow my ally to die especially since I have no clue where on earth I am!

“Hawk!” I yelp. He looks up from the ground, spinning around, only to have a gun held to his temple. I take aim with a feeble weapon and release it, the lead finger leaving a small scratch on the bald stalker’s egg head.

“So you have an accomplice.” The intruder comments, if he’s aware that I am the person he was following, he’s being very careful at hiding it.

“Maroon, the Resistance will stand with or without me.” Hawk declares bravely. Maroon appears to be as baffled as me. What is the Resistance and why does this Maroon person have a gun trained on Hawk over it and more importantly what do I have to do with this?

In panic, I dart back into the homely warehouse building and take a book that looks as if it’s older than my school and heave it onto the ledge with me.

“It looks like you need to have a better recruitment process at Karichuri, don’t you agree Hughes.” Maroon sneers. Hawk says nothing, nor moves a muscle.

“Now I’ll ask you again Hughes, where is the locket of Latino Freud?” Hawk is asked. Hughes? Is that his last name? Bewildered I feel the book in hand slip through my fingers like butter, I watch the heavy hardback fall, dust flying upward as it drops, landing on Maroon’s shoulder with a satisfying thud.

Rushing back inside, I scurry down the stairs. Is Hawk okay? I see Him pacing in the scummy dead streets, speaking into his earpiece.

“We’re okay. Thanks for the heads up.” Hawk says rudely. Who could that be?

“Yes the locket is safe but we have bigger problems…” Hawk exhales, stress building.

“What do you mean ‘like what’ how about like getting Darcy to safety!” he hisses, teeth gritted.

“Do you not understand Teeh, she just took out an armed assailant with some elastic lead fingers and a book.” He snarls.

“No Teeh, I will not ask her why she uses toys as weapons.” Hawk heads to a wall and punches it. Approaching him with caution, I pluck the earpiece out from his ear and press it in my own despite how it’s not hygienic; I’ll clean my ear out later.

“Hawk, I’m serious. It’s for research, don’t get mad the lady might be with you.” an immaturely voiced boy teases, how old could he be?

“Look, I don’t care what you want me for, all I know is that we need help and need it now because we’ve been attacked okay!” I demand

“What k-kind of help?” Teeh stammers.

“Harlem?” I suggest with a shrug.