Phase 43

Chapter 15 - Elliot

"Take the boys, go back there. They need to get out of here anyways. Francis, go with them. If they're there, give me a call," my dad said, lifting his shirt to point to the cell phone jammed in his pocket. My mother nodded, her chin raised high. The two women started off down the streets, the boys following quickly behind them. I tightened my grip on the gun. Darren was starting to pace – something he hardly did. He was a rather stoic fellow. Charismatic, but stoic. When he paced, he was beyond uneasy.

We waited about seven minutes before my father got a call.

"They're not here..." my mother's voice cut out slightly due to bad connection. "What should we do?" she asked. My dad shut his eyes for a moment, and then ran a hand over his face. I tried to regulate my breathing.

"Just stay there for now, keep the boys safe. We'll circle the city again, they might've gotten caught somewhere. We'll find them, then head back. See you in a bit," he said quickly. My father's eyes were shining with something that was more than fear. Rage maybe.

My father had just slipped his phone back into his pocket when an ear-splitting scream rang out. My heart stopped in my chest.

"Move, now," my father hissed. The three of us raise our guns and started towards the sound. I couldn't really think through the rush of fear, but I knew it had to be either Michelle or Finn. It was a feminine scream.

When we neared another large church-like building, we started to hear more. Laughing. Pleading. Moans of pain. Hisses.

"Darren, take El up around the back. I think they're in there. Obviously someone has them at some sort of gunpoint. We have to do this the right way, or they die," my dad whispered. Darren nodded. I stared at the building, losing feeling in the tips of my fingers. My uncle grabbed my arm.

"Elliot. Look, we have to do this. I know you're scared okay – but we do this now and we do this the right way," Darren hissed. I trembled for a moment before taking a deep breath and relaxing my white-knuckle grip on my gun. Relaxed my shoulders. Relaxed my mind, as least as much as I could. We took off from my father, creeping around the back of the building. Instead of entering it however, we snuck into the adjacent one. Climbing to the second floor, we set up the sniper rifle on the windowsill facing the building. Pointing the scope through an empty windowsill, we took in the scene in the building. It sent frost zipping through my veins.

Sam had been thrown to the ground, blood seeping through a wound in his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open and close, and he looked like he was mumbling something. I remembered what he said earlier today – that he wanted to take a guys night out when this was all over. My chest heaved.

Henry was struggling against two men that held him back. There was a slice through his cheek, and fire in his eyes. His blond hair was matted with blood and sweat. My uncle hissed under his breath.

Michelle was kneeling a few feet away, a gun to the back of her head. However, she showed no fear – her face was set and her charcoal eyes were hooded and filled with the promise of murder.

Finn was struggling the most. Three men had to hold her back – two had to hold her arms and stand on her feet, and another had her long hair fisted. Her neck was pulled back, but she was hissing and wiggling. I noticed with a skip in my heart rate that she was being dragged away. Darren took the gun, scanning the scene briefly before quickly and quietly loading the gun. He closed on eye to aim.

I expected him to shoot, but he pulled back after a moment.

"Go down to the back of the building. Get ready to run in and help with Sam. The kid's losing consciousness. He's gonna need help," my uncle breathed. I hesitated for a moment, then nodded and crept back to the base of the building. As I made my way around the building, I thought I saw my dad out of the corner of my eye, but when I looked again he was gone.