I stare at the Wall, watching the Elxi patrol the sides of it. "We use the hole Ralph told us about." I turn to address the group. "It's over there." I point towards the small opening where there are no guards.
"Okay," Cassi stands up. "I'll go, you cover me."
Before I can answer, she gets up and runs towards the wall.
"Cassi!" I get up and run towards her. She ignores my calls and looks around twice before running into the open. I groan and pull out my gun, crouching closer to the trees. She easily slips into the hole and sticks her head out, giving me a thumbs up.
"We go in groups." I point to the soldiers. "Two per group."
"Go Firecracker. We need a gun over there." Jude says from the trees.
"You guys go after me." I turn to him and say "Cover me."
I step out of the protection of the trees when I feel a hand on my elbow. "Two per group." Hayes says firmly.
I nod at her and then look at Jude. He raises his gun and points towards the Elxi on the other side. His eyes flicker back towards me for a second before I raise my own gun and move forward.
One step after another.
My eyes continuously flicker from the hole to Hayes.
Almost there.
Hayes and I safely dive into the hole, dirt flying up from around us. Cassi is there instantly, thrusting a hand out and helping us up. I wipe my dusty hands on my jeans, leaving light brown marks on them. Keeping my gun firmly loaded, I stick my head out of the small hole and look across to Jude. He gives me a thumbs up as two more people run through.
Two at a time. Come on, the small voice in my head chants until almost everyone is inside. Jude and another soldier, Matt Parkman, are the last ones. As soon as Jude steps into the open, the gun goes off.
I immediately raise my own and point towards the Elxi, waiting for their next move. Jude's gun is aimed at them too, Parkman hidden behind him. The Elxi don't shoot again, but I know if Jude and Parkman move, they will.
I glance back to the group, some crouched around me, some standing, some sitting. Hayes stands next to Luke, a soldier, as she scans around the dark city.
I pull out the small radio, and press the button Hayes told me to yesterday.
"Jude."
Static answers me until I hear a small, "Firecracker." from the other side.
"Plan? What're you thinking of?"
"Distraction. Get everyone somewhere safe and use one bullet. Understood? One." His voice carries a level of authority as I release the button.
"You heard him." I look to one of our soldiers, Luke, and then to Hayes. "Everyone stay together and get in that alley." I point to my left as they walk over cautiously.
"One bullet coming up." I say into the radio. Peaking my head out of the hole, I see one Elxi patrolling alone. I crawl out of the hole carefully, staying close to the ground and hidden in the shadows. Slowly, I move closer until I can get a clear shot.
"Inhale, aim, exhale, fire." Xavier's voice rings in my ear from months ago. I raise the gun, and look back for a second to the trees where Jude and Parkman stand.
Inhale.
I raise the gun, aiming at the Elxi.
Exhale.
My finger hovers on the trigger as I give it a sharp pull. The gun recoils back, and I immediately get up and run back to the hole. I trust that Jude and Parkman ran as soon as the gun went off. More gunshots ring through the early morning and I feel a hand on my elbow. It drags me down, two bodies combined and sliding towards the small opening in the Wall. I throw my hands over my head protectively as we collide with the side of it. A sharp stab of pain explodes in my shoulder, but I ignore and crawl in. My breaths are jagged and my hands are shaking as the hand drags me into the alley.
"Go." Jude's voice calls out from next to me. I glance over and realize his hand is still tightly gripped onto my elbow as we run deeper into Athanatos. Our footsteps echo as we take wild turns. Jude pulls me to the front, leading the group. He squeezes my elbow once before letting go and running towards an abandoned building. Kicking the door open, he herds everyone inside. I turn and look back once more before following them in.
"Sh." Jude raises a finger to his lips and motions us to be silent. The group is in the shadows, their hands resting on their weapons. I slowly raise my gun, my heart pounding as my fingers brush the trigger. My throat tightens as my fingertips make contact with it again.
What if they break in?
Forcing the thoughts into the back of my mind, I force myself to listen. The Elxi's pounding footsteps get closer as Jude and I both raise our guns.
"-them!" A cold voice yells. "I don't care if you burn the whole fucking city down. I want them found and dead!"
"Yes Sir Drax!" Someone else yells.
I stay planted in place, too terrified to move. Their yelling and footsteps get softer as they move away from us. I breath out a breath and turn back to the group.
"Those looking for Ralph, we plan tonight." Jude's voice is soft as he addresses them.
"Group 2," I face Cassi and her group. "Get comfy. We stay here for a bit." My voice carries power, even though I was barely whispering.
They slowly start setting their bags down and lean against the walls. Cassi and Parkman pull out flashlights and look around. The building is crumbling, but good enough. It seems old shown by the dust at the ground and the broken floor tiles. I walk around to the far left, where a door is. Tentatively, I reach out towards the handle. My hand tingles as the cool metal touches it. I give it a good shake but nothing happens.
Screw this.
I bring my foot back and slam it hard against the door. It bounces open, revealing another room. Walking in, I see layers and layers of folded cloth. My eyes dart around the room as I bend down to pick one up. The soft silky fabric glides through my hands as I run my fingers over it. Women in Athanatos wear jeans, but fabrics like these as jackets. Which means to fit in, I'll have to loose the leather and wrap up in fabrics.
"Hey!" Brady's voice yells from the other room, shaking me out of my thoughts. I immediately drop the cloth and run back, only to find Brady yelling at one of the soldiers, Kirk. Worry flashes through me as I see a side of Brady I didn't know existed. He grabs Kirk and punches him in the face twice, until Jude yells at him.
"Peterson. Brady! STOP!" Jude grabs Brady by the shoulder and yanks him backwards off the soldier. I run over to him, bending down and asking him if he's fine.
"Yeah. I'm good. He didn't hit me that hard... this time."
"What happened?"
He sighs. "I told him to stop pacing because it was making everyone nervous." Kirk glances over at Luke before continuing. "Jude was checking out the back, and you were in the other room and he just lost it. Went on yelling about how I should stick to myself, and that he's the only one who gets this city and a bunch of random shit like that."
"Okay. Thanks, you sure your fine?"
"Don't worry about me Blanchard. Go find your boyfriend and calm him down." He grins at me before turning and talking to Bea. I get up and walk over to where Jude and Brady stand. Brady's face is contorted with anger as he runs a hand through his blonde hair. His once kind grey eyes only shine with anger now.
"What the hell Brady?" I walk up to them, standing next to Jude and in front of Brady.
"I-" He stutters as several emotions flash across his face. "I'm sorry." He finally says. "I'm just worried about Ralph." He looks down ashamed as he plays with the hem of his shirt.
I brush a strand of hair back as I answer him. "Don't do it again. We can't have people turning on each other." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jude's hands curled into fists at his side.
"Okay. I'm sorry Kira. I really am." Brady says. He reaches out and squeezes my hand once before walking towards Kirk. I see him say something and Kirk give a sharp laugh before Brady sits down again.
"Absolute bullshit." Jude says from beside me. "Blondie has something that he doesn't want others to know about."
"I trust him." I say. Turning back to Jude, I see him watching Brady before he looks at me.
"Well I trust you enough to trust your judgement." He says warily although he doesn't look convinced.
I feel a tug at my stomach at his words. My mother's words come tumbling back to me: "Trust him Kira." as I watch Jude walk to Luke.
You don't have time. Get Ralph back.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath to clear my head before walking back to Jude to plan how to get Ralph back.