I wake up feeling like something’s wrong. I feel energized, but kind of light, like when you have butterflies in your stomach before a big performance. Something isn’t right.
Coal is still sleeping. I quietly get up and poke my head out of the rock formation. Quickly, I duck back in. There’s a man out there, with something that looks disturbingly like a high tech shotgun. I don’t think he saw me, thank goodness. Gradually, I peer out again, observing the situation. The rain has stopped, so I can’t use that, but puddles of muddy water are everywhere. A plan forms in my mind.
I concentrate, which is hard, considering what I’m about to do. Slowly, as not to alert the guy that I’m awake, I freeze the puddle to his left. Then, carefully, I pick up a rock and toss it to the left. The man’s head snaps up, sunglasses flashing. He steps toward the noise, right onto the frozen puddle.
Perfect.
Quickly, I step out of the rocks. He whips his head towards me, pivoting on his heel and slipping. I bring another puddle of water up with my hand and slam it down onto his chest. The water forces him down on the ground. I freeze it into a tight bar on top of him. I kick the gun away, and then smash it with a block of ice, bending and twisting the barrel beyond repair. I don’t want to know what it would have fired.
I hear the crack of breaking ice and I fearfully raise another blob of water and splash it down on the guy, and then freeze it so he looks like a Popsicle lying on the ground. Then I notice something poking out of his pocket. I carefully melt the ice around it so I can grab whatever it is. It’s a badge. I pocket it.
“They’re dead.” The man says in a sickeningly syrupy voice and I jump. “I was supposed to finish you and that other flame brat off for good.”
Is he talking about Breeze and Terra? I disdainfully examine my nails. “And we can see how well that went.”
The guy growls and struggles against the ice. I add couple layers and he glares at me, his eyes full of hate.
“It’s no use, going after them.” He says. “We killed them as soon as we got the chance.”
My stomach knots at the thought of Terra lying lifeless on the cold, hard ground, but I keep a bored face and say snarkily, “Which would have been in front of me when you caught them. You wouldn’t throw away so much power would you?”
I’m basing this off of Coal’s assumption that they’re alive. I hope they are. The guy’s face drops uncertainly, surprised I called his bluff, then twists back into a sneer.
“They’re not the ones with the power. You and the fire kid are the real target. We won’t stop till you’re both dead.”
“Well, if the rest of your little stalker army is as easy as you, I think we’re good.” I say mockingly. “But thanks for the heads up and all.”
He finally realizes he’s not getting out of the ice, and he’s just giving me information, and shuts up.
“I like you better with your mouth closed.” I tell him and move to get Coal.
“Wake up.” I say, nudging him with my foot.
Coal yawns and turns over, ignoring me. I dump some cold water on him. He yelps, sitting up rigidly.
“What the heck Flippers?” He snaps at me.
I pull him up and drag him out of the cave. “We have to go. Now.”
He stands up. “Well you didn’t have to splash me with freez-“ he stops when he sees the guy trapped in the ice.
“I’ll explain later.” I say, snatching his wrist and dragging him, open-mouthed, into the woods.
Coal shakes his head, spraying water everywhere, like a dog.
“Sorry.” I say and flick the water off him.
He stops, realizing he is dry. He runs to catch up with me. “Who was that?”
“I don’t know.” I say, “He had a gun. I think he wanted to kill us.”
I tell Coal what the man said.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Because he would’ve heard us and blasted us to bits.”
“No,” Coal shakes his head. “That was a tranquilizer gun.”
“So they don’t want to kill us?”
“They’ll probably try to catch us first, but we go out of control, they won’t keep us alive.”
“So they’re going to have to kill us.”
“Yep.”
We walk faster.
“So,” Coal starts. “How do you plan on getting into this place exactly?”
I had been thinking about that for the past hour.
“I’ll figure something out.”
“So… you have no idea.”
“Do you?”
Coal stays quiet. I take that as a no.
We keep walking when I realize the birds have stopped singing. In fact, the woods have gone silent. All I can hear is the wind rustling through the tree leaves. I stop. Coal, noticing, pauses and looks around. Nothing moves.
Something whistles past my face. A tranquilizer dart is lodged into the tree behind me. I start moving towards the source.
“Be careful, Flippers,” warns Coal.
I ignore him. I just figured out how to get into the facility. I hear the sniper shift in the bushes, preparing to shoot again. I hear the sharp click of the trigger being pulled. I wait for the pain in my arm. It actually doesn’t hurt that much. Coal runs toward me, but it’s in slow motion. I feel my legs go out and I fall down onto my hands, and then I black out.