Kota's POV
We followed Gabe down the stairs to a darkened basement. I'd never seen him like this, assertive and full of confidence. He took the lead and none of us hesitated to follow him.
At the base of the stairs, we saw a series of cages. Three of them had people inside while seven others were empty. Gabe stepped to the cages and said, "åpen." The cage doors swung open. Silas and North grabbed the two women, while Nathan and I helped the man out of the third cage. He was conscious but badly injured. We quickly carried the captives out to the front yard. Something just felt wrong.
"Guys, that was way too easy. Wait, where's Brandon and Eveleen?", I asked frantically, looking around. Sean was tending to the captives while Gabe had gone to check on Victor.
"Didn't they follow you?" Owen's voice was laced with fear. "Gabriel!"
Gabe came with Victor dragging along with him. "What's fucking wrong now?"
"Where did Eveleen go? Have you seen Brandon?" I interjected. "They weren't with us in the basement. This doesn't feel right." Before I could continue, a scream and bright light flashed inside the house. Shit, it was a trap for her all along!
We all tried to rush to the door but it was as if a wave of heat and flame kept us back. I could hear her screaming Brandon's name, and it made my heart break. How were we going to get in there? I turned to ask Gabe to do something, but Victor caught my attention. He stood hunched over, hands clenched, his breathing ragged, but he was walking to the house like a possessed man. When he reached the heat barrier, he threw his head back and roared - not yelled, but really roared. It was so loud all of us put our hands over our ears, some even fell to their knees. When another scream came from within the house, Victor charged through the door, his skin burning as he ran. He was gone from our view in an instant.
Author's Notes: Headed out of town for a few days. I'll update when I get back. Please vote and comment my lovelies.