The Rouges

t h i r t y o n e

The streets were empty aside from the three guards outside of the warehouse and us. We were lucky they were lightly staffed tonight. I kept my eyes trained on the guards as I heard the feet falling in line behind me. After about a minute, I had counted all nine sets of boots as they reached the ground. There was a familiar sound of gun metal sliding from holsters. We were ready. I held my hand back; the tiny fingers I was reaching for were instantly in mine. I squeezed, reminding Mouse to stay with me. She squeezed back. We waited in the shadows for what felt like hours, but surely it was only minutes.   

  As soon as the guards began their loop, we slithered from our spot. It would be two minutes before they returned to the front of the building. I began counting off the seconds in my head. It only took fifty-four seconds to cross the open space. By sixty-three seconds we were all carefully hidden in the shadows of the buildings again. Mouse tried to pull ahead, but I tugged her back to my side. Triven nodded once at us. I could barely see the sheen of his eyes in the darkness. Keeping his gun raised, he moved in the direction of the building that looked more like a shack from this vantage point. My heartbeat pulsed in my ears as he disappeared through the warped doorway. The pulsing grew louder until he reappeared again. He reached his hand out for Mouse. I pushed her into his waiting arms and spun back to the alley, keeping my eyes alert for any movement as I backed through the doorway after them. The room was tiny, hardly larger than the bunker we shared. I motioned for the others to wait; there was barely room for the three of us. Supports had fallen, dangling precariously from the ceiling and bricks lay in pieces on the floor. What might have once been wood floors, now looked more like dirt. I held my breath; fearful that if I moved too much the whole thing might collapse around us.

Mouse had moved into the corner of the room. Ducking under a huge fallen beam, she disappeared for a moment. I moved to follow her, but Triven's arm flung out stopping me.

Before I could push him away there was a series of mechanical tones and the brick wall beside us hissed open. My heart began to pound. It was here the whole time. A gust of stale air pushed against my skin.

Triven moved towards the opening but I stood frozen.

I was reminded that my parents had lost their lives to get me out and now I was intentionally going back in. A heavy sense of foreboding gripped me.

Something soft brushed against my arm and I snapped back to life. My fingers closed over her shoulders just as Mouse darted for the opening. She struggled, kicking with more power than I thought possible as I lifted her from the ground. I moved towards the door dragging her with me.

Willets moved into the doorframe just as we emerged, nodding once. "All clear. Make sure-"

Whatever he was going to say I would never know, for the moment I moved to hand over Mouse, his head snapped sideways as his blood sprayed my face. The life drained from his eyes as his body crumbled to the ground.

Screams erupted, dispersed with gunfire as chaos broke out around us.

I jerked back inside just as a bullet exploded the brick next to my head. I could barely feel the tiny projectiles as they struck my face. Mouse had gone limp in my arms. At first, I feared she had been shot but her racing heartbeat told me it was merely fear. I twisted just as Triven's body collided with mine. I pushed Mouse into his arms and began shoving on his chest.

"Go! GO!" I screamed, pointing at the tunnel. Something flashed across his eyes before he turned and plummeted into the darkness.

There was more screaming from outside. I watched as the only two people I cared about disappeared and then turned to help those dying outside. I had only gotten a step outside the building before another bullet narrowly missed my head. I dove and rolled to my knees. The scene was full-blown pandemonium. Someone ran past me screaming something, but I couldn't hear him over the rain of bullets. His perfectly manicured blonde hair was streaked with blood. Bodies were strewn in the alley. There were ones clad in leather that I didn't recognize, but there was one trembling boy clutching his side that made my stomach lurch. Arden had been shot. His lips were terrifyingly white as he gasped for air. I jumped sideways firing at the rooftops as another bullet whizzed past my ear. Archer was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a Ravager, while our snipers fired wildly at the roofs above us. Veyron was hunched over clutching her chest as she fired on the oncoming Tribesmen. While she was obviously in pain I could see no blood. I wordlessly said a prayer of thanks that I had insisted on her wearing the body armor. Maddox was smashing in the faces of anyone stupid enough to come within striking distance. I jumped to my feet and began firing rounds into the advancing crowd of Tribesmen.

We were outnumbered, but they were falling faster. Suddenly the fire from above ceased and when it began again it was the advancing Ravagers that began to fall. Rowan and Baxter had taken down the other snipers and were now protecting us from above.

Maybe we had a chance.

But even as the thought crossed my mind, a fire exploded in my right arm. I screamed, my body spasming as the bullet pierced my skin. The world tilted as I staggered sideways, the gun falling from my numb fingertips.

A new thought crossed my mind. If we couldn't fight, then I had to get them into the tunnel.

I lunged forward aiming for the injured Arden, but was knocked backwards by what felt like a brick wall.

Huge arms closed around me as I struggled to free myself.

"There's no time!" Maddox's gruff voice shouted into my ear.

I screamed something back at him. Most likely a string of profanities, but his grip was too strong for me. Plowing forward like a freight train he forced me back into the shack. His hand clamped painfully over my bullet wound and he threw me into the open passageway. My hands and face slammed to the dirt floor as I yelled in protest. I raised my head just in time to see his hulking outline as Maddox yanked the door shut behind us. The mechanical click of the bolts sounded like a death sentence.

                ******  

This chapter was extremely hard to write. :( Because believe me, killing people is not easy. I know I keep saying it but we're real close to the end but we are and I can't imagine. As for me, I just have to write the final chapter :( :( :( BUT BUT BUT I'll save all the whinings and emotions for the end!!!!!!!!

As for the new story I'm starting I can finally tell you that It's also a Science Fiction-Dystopian-Adventure-Action sorta thing just like The Rouges but I believe more grittier yet with a million times better plot. I haven't started writing it yet but I'm excited to and can't wait for you guys to check it out!!!

Do comment because I've missed them!!!!!!!!!! :)