Is This the End?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nate

The room is crowded as most of the residents of Huxley are trying to fit into this one space. Every so often, a rattling rings out, shaking the room and, causing dust to litter everyone's heads. I lounge against the wall closest to the door and watch as Samuel and Dewitt argue over the best course of action to take next.

Letting my gaze wander I eye Cameron and the others standing at attention a little behind Samuel. I catch Cameron's eye, but all he does is shrug his shoulders.

"How can you possibly believe that's the right move?" Samuel shouts, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. He has sweat pouring down his face, just like everybody else. His eyes are narrowed, and his breathing is very ragged.

"I'm just saying it's something to think about," Dewitt states, DC rocking back on his heels. I roll my head up, and eye the one crack that has slowly been splintering since we came in here.

"We don't just throw people out when the NTSCU attacks," Samuel whispers, bringing the conversation back to a full circle of Dewitt wanting to throw me out into the open.

"He's not one of us! Besides, for all we know he's the reason they know where we are," DeWitt argues.

"Or," I drawl, "it could be that you're not as sneaky as you liked to think." I push off the wall, "Or it could have been the witches y'all seem to be havin' a weird feud goin' on with. Maybe I led them here. But guess what? It's not gonna change the truth of the matter, so either throw me out or shut your trap—you're givin' everyone here a fuckin' headache with your bickerin'."

Silence rings out after my declaration, and it's pure music to my ears. I close my eyes and carefully keep my face blank as I hear Jamie laughing.

"We have to do something. They have temperature sensing goggles," Dewitt states.

"English, please," I interrupt.

"They have goggles that can see our heat signatures." He huffs a sigh before crossing his arms.

"Oh, those. Yeah, I know about those."

"And how's that?"

"In my first run-in with Witchy, she was running from the NTSCU, and they had them." Everybody has a shocked look on their face making me feel self-conscious for the first time since this whole thing started.

"Then how did you get away?"

"Umm, Witchy managed to start a car, and we left, which really worked out since it seems they don't like to waste gas."

"It would be handy if we had your witch's help right now," Dewitt states. I shake my head and nearly move forward to argue with him before I feel a hand pull at my pants leg. My dad's hand is crusted with blood, and a bandage is loosely wrapped around his chest, but thank the Goddess the blood had clotted a while ago.

"Arguing is getting us nowhere. Do we know the numbers of NTSCU agents?" my dad asks, though nobody seems willing to offer up an answer.

"I'm still unsure. They came in with those guns, and we all scrambled," Dewitt adds. He is right about that. We had finally made it back to Huxley, and after a day of getting my ass thrown around grappling with Dad, I was knocked out in a bed. At least until Dad came in, pulling me along before I had a real chance to open my eyes. Fucking NTSCU always messing up my already horrible sleep schedule.

"About twenty," I offer up before resting my head back onto the door.

"How you know that," Samuel asks.