Chapter 23
“Ready?” Kay’s voice emits from the walkie-talkie loud and clear.
Before we left, she grabbed a for us so we could communicate with one another outside. It’s more for the purpose of warning each other of potential threats than it is for the game.
While she did that, Jace informed Lilly what we were doing. She had just finished working on something the Colonel requested and said she would join the kids. They didn’t want to leave the warehouse. They were still practicing their cat leaps when we headed out.
“J Read-ay.” Jace’s voice erupts from the speaker.
Excitement builds up inside of me. I don’t know if it’s because we’re playing out in the open where we could be found by looters. Or, if it’s just the sheer joy of being able to enjoy learning something new with new people again. Whatever it is, I like it. “Isabelle here. Let’s do this!”
The game has begun.
I turn down the volume almost as low it goes. I don’t want the noise to give me away. As I jog across the road, Kay’s high voice erupts from around the corner. Her laugh sounds like she’s only yards away from the intersection. My eyes dart to the abandoned buildings ahead. A metal bar on the side of a brick building catches my eye. I sprint towards it as the her laugh grows louder and louder behind me.
The metal bar turns out to be a fire escape. I leap up to the ladder stuck a foot above my head and pull it down to my face. As my fingers wrap around each rung, I hike to the top. There’s an open window at the top that I can slip inside of. As my legs flip over the frame, I catch a glimpse of someone running this way.
The floor is hardly visible underneath all the toys that are thrown around. As I maneuver around the mess, I note the crayon scribbles on the wall. This was a young child’s bedroom. I slip into the narrow hallway and immediately notice the deep cuts in the hardwood floor. They’re exactly like the nail marks the Grey One had left behind at our cabin. Without any trace of blood in the apartment, I wonder if the family was able to get out in time.
The fire escape makes a rickety noise from outside the bedroom window. Someone’s coming.
I duck out the open front door and glance around. A few yards to the side dangles a broken emergency exit sign. It must lead to the stairs. As I move towards the exit there’s a loud thud from behind me. The thud turns into stomping as I throw my shoulder into the door. Something seems to be blocking the other side. My body slams into it three times before it finally opens enough for me to squeeze through.
On the other side are human remains. Stacked in piles, some limbs seem to be fresh; like they were killed only days before. The rotting stench causes me to gag as I step over a small child’s bloody shoe. I have to force myself to stay focused on what’s ahead, in fear of what I may find inside the small sneaker.
The corpses hardly move as the door budges inward. I race up the stairs towards the roof as feet stomp behind me quickly. A cold chill hits me as I burst through the open the door. When the door clicks shut behind me I set my sights another building. The sun peeks from behind the gray clouds as I sprint across the black gravel. My feet push off the ledge as the door flings open.
“Isabelle!” A familiar voice screams out.
Landing on the rooftop across the small alleyway I tuck and roll my body. The gravel scrapes my skin until I come to a stop on my back. As I stare up at the cloudy sky, Jace steps onto the ledge above me. He smiles from ear to ear and says, “Gotcha.”
I roll to the side just in time to watch purple paintballs splatter on the cement next to me. Before he can shoot at me again, I jump to my feet and run like a mad man. He bursts out laughing when I shoot back at him without looking.
“You missed me!” He announces proudly as I duck behind a fan.
“Guess that makes us even!” I holler back.
My eyes dart over to the ledge a few short yards away. If I wait until the right moment, I can make it. I tuck the paintball gun down my waistband and peek around the metal box. Jace is shoving his gun down the side of his pants.
I make a run for the ledge and flip my legs over the side. Purple paint splatters around my fingers as I climb down the brick wall; the same brick wall that Travis and I climbed down when the looters were attacking us yesterday.
Jace’s footsteps become louder and louder as he runs at me. I don’t have enough time to finish climbing down; I’ll have to jump. The ground is still fifteen or so feet below me, but I have to do it.
My body drops into the courtyard. After I roll off to the side, I push myself up, and jump to my feet. Purple paint splashes the patio tables as I run past them towards the door.
The door slams shut behind me. When I glance back, Jace is climbing down. I know that he’s going to expect me to hide, or run, but that’s not what I’m going to do. Instead, I duck behind the black bar top and aim my paintball gun at the door. On the shelf next to me, the many liquor bottles have blood stains across them. My eyes follow the splatter to the floor where a big blood stain sits beneath my feet. Even though it’s probably months old, I still feel awkward being in it. Still crouched, I take a few steps forward before re-aiming my paintball gun at the door.
It swings open, allowing Jace to run inside eagerly. Too eagerly. He doesn’t even see the red paintball until it splatters against his chest.
“Ugh,” he grunts loudly. His hand clutches at his heart as he falls back out the door.
“Don’t be so dramatic.” I laugh, dropping behind the bar again. I may have gotten him, but now my cover is blown. I need to move.
“I’m gonna get you back for that, girl." Jace yells from outside.
While I search for the nearest exit, I find the reflection of him in a mirror as he creeps inside. A couple yards to the other side of me is a closed window. The unbroken glass looks too thick to throw myself through; I’ll have to find another way out. And fast. I can see Jace in the mirror as he ducks behind an overturned table.
With my eyes set on a chair next to the window I hop over the tall bar top. I make it all the way to the metal seat before Jace notices.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He yells.
I tuck my gun back in my pants. Purple paint splatters around my fingers as I wrap my hands around the broken chair tightly. I can hear the whooshing sounds of the balls as they fly past me. With sore arms, I lift the chair off the ground.
The glass shatters as the chair breaks through it.. Without wasting a second I jump out the tall frame. I can hear a loud thud as he attempts and fails. With the head start, I sprint across the street and turn at the intersection.
Ducking inside an abandoned building, I hide behind a clothes rack. He runs past a few seconds later with a fresh scrape on his arm. I pull the paintball gun from my pants and peek out the window. He’s nowhere to be seen.
Sneaking back outside, I glance over my shoulder at the empty intersection. The looters’ bodies from yesterday are long gone. My guess is that their friends must have come back. Or the Grey Ones got to them. Either way, the blood-stained streets is a constant reminder of the chaotic world we live in now.
When Kay’s laugh erupts, sounding close by, I duck behind a burnt car. Inside the destroyed minivan are three charred human corpses. I cover my nose and mouth with one hand while the other grasps firmly onto the paintball gun’s handle. The stench makes me gag, but I keep staring through the glassless window frames.
I scan the area and find her standing on a building’s rooftop across the street. She jumps in between buildings, opening her arms and legs to make a star shape with her body. Without hesitating, she slides down into the narrow alleyway.
Suddenly, Justin appears on the building above her. While she slides down the brick walls he jumps onto the front of the fire escape. His body drops down the outside, his hands catch himself on each of the platform’s railings, until finally landing on the ground. Once he chases Kay down the alleyway, I run across the street. Out of their view.
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nbsp; Reaching the next intersection, I stare down the road and notice the Bullseye Room on the corner. If no one is watching, I should be able to make it unnoticed. I jog down the deserted street, sticking close to the buildings in case I need to hide.
When I reach the door, I take one look around to check if I’m being followed. My breathing is fast and heavy as I duck behind the quarter pipe wall. I’m so preoccupied with the game I almost don’t notice Cano’s black muscular body standing above the opened hatch door. How did he get in here? His golden brown eyes stare at me for a minute before realizing who it. His tongue hangs out the side of his mouth as he runs at me playfully.
“Not now, Cano.” I whisper and push his big face away.
He plops down, pressing his body against mine, and begins panting heavily. “Sh.” I spit out as I peek around the wall at the front door. He whimpers softly and paws at my ankle. I ignore his beg for attention and listen for footsteps from outside.
A girl’s voice coming from the tunnel catches my attention. I can’t make out her mumbles, but her tone comes off panicked. She speaks quickly as a man’s voice tries to calm her down. His soft shushes aren’t working. Her voice only becomes louder, revealing an accent. Even though I haven’t met anyone here with it, I feel like I know their voices. Cano’s ears perk up, pointing high. His muscles flex as he creeps towards the voices.
“Cano, heel” I whisper loudly. When he turns around to face me, his brown eyes are wide like a puppy.
I tiptoe towards him, still listening to the people who have gone back to whispering inside the tunnel. I can’t make out what they're saying as they mumble angrily. As my shadow comes close to towering over the open door, I drop down on my hands and knees and begin crawling. If I’m low, they might not notice me. Their voices become louder and louder the closer I get.
When I reach Cano, who sits only a few feet away from the door, I realize now why it was so hard to understand what they were saying. It’s not because of how far away they were. It’s because I was listening for the wrong language.
In Latin, she whispers angrily, “We must leave.”
Children’s laughter interrupts their conversation as the group of kids run up the tunnel. Once the laughter has faded into the distance the man says in English, “We can’t speak Latin here. It’ll raise suspicion.”
The girl whispers back, “Fine. But what happens when they catch and study one? Once they find out about the Grey Ones our cover is blown. We need to grab the healthy ones and get out of here.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” His voice is not calming anymore. Instead he now sounds frustrated. “You know we cannot return until we hit our quota.”
As I crouch above the tunnel I try to figure out who these people are. And why are they talking about taking the healthy ones?
Suddenly, Cano spins around and begins to growl loudly. Something smacks me in the back, turning his growls into vicious barks. Before I can turn around to see what it was, Cano disappears out of my sight.
I find Jace standing there with wide eyes. He looks scared as Cano leaps onto his chest, knocking him down roughly. The voices from the tunnel come to an abrupt stop; probably from all the commotion. By the time I poke my head over the opening, they’re gone.
“Ow, Cano stop! Isabelle, call off the damn dog!” Jace yells in pain from behind me while Cano bites his boot.
“That’s what you get for taking a cheap shot.”
“C’mon Isabelle!” Jace yells. Cano tugs his boot, dragging him across the floor; away from me.
“Cano heel.” I demand with a smile. He lets go and returns to my side. As he looks up at me proudly his tongue drops out the side again.
Jace pulls himself to his feet. He limps for a second as he readjusts his body weight to the unharmed leg. Blood trickles down his arm from a scrape on his elbow. He looks at the injured arm, then shifts his eyes to me.
“Great. I’m bleeding.”
“Barely.”
“You.” He begins to argue back, but I cut him off.
“Shut up, I have to tell you something.”
I tell him what they said in the tunnel. At least the stuff I could understand.
When I finish Jace shakes his head. He paces back and forth and says, “I knew it. We can’t trust them.”
“We don’t know who it was.” I say following him towards the door.
“What does that even mean? Take the healthy ones. Do you think they’re talking about us?” He continues to pace back and forth. He stops abruptly and says, “Do what you want, but I’m gathering my family and we are getting the hell out of here.” He pushes past me and heads towards ladder leading into the tunnel. His hands are trembling. I wonder if it’s because he’s angry, or scared.
“You’re going to leave before you find out what you’re really up against?” I say at his back.
He stops shortly in front of the hatch door and lets out a deep breath. When he turns around, he stares at me for a few seconds in silence. His mouth opens to say something, but before he can get out any words Kay’s muffled voice comes over the walkie-talkie; breaking the silence first.
I pull the walkie-talkie off my hip and turn up the volume. “Repeat that Kay.” My finger releases the button, allowing me to listen to the radio static for her voice.
“I said they’re back.” Her voice is drowned out by static. She must be pretty far away for this much disturbance.
“Who’s back?” Jace asks with a furrowed brow.
“We are.”
Travis steps into the warehouse; followed by Colonel Kirk Samuels, Katie, and a few other Guerrillas I haven’t met yet. With his eyes focused on only me, he walks over. He wraps his arms around me as he pulls me in for a hug. I can smell the dirt covering his clothes as they rub against my exposed skin.
When I open my mouth to tell him what they said in the tunnel his deep voice cuts me off. “We found them.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“We found where the Grey Ones hide during the day. After Katie wounded one we followed it back to their burrows at the gardens. Once we realized that’s where they are staying, we came back here to round up others who are brave enough to go after them.”
I shift my focus to Katie in disbelief. “How’d you wound one?”
“I threw an incendiary grenade at it. Almost missed the thing entirely, but somehow it went up in flames. Only lasted a second or two before it rolled around in the dirt, putting the fire out. But it seemed to have done enough damage to send the creature back to their hideout.”
“Good job.” I say, impressed.
Her cheeks turn red as she replies, “Thanks. We have to hurry though. My dad is still waiting for us. He’s keeping watch on their burrows.”
“I’m coming with you.” I reply quickly. They left me behind this morning, but that’s not going to happen again.
“No. You need to stay here with Ty. Keep him safe.” Travis demands.
“There are plenty of people here who can help with Ty. I’m coming with you tonight Travis.” The smile on his face disappears in an instant. His chest raises before sighing deeply. “Belle, you need to stay here. It’s too dangerous.”
“No. We’ve spent the last six months training for this. I am coming tonight whether you like it or not.” I argue. I pull away and stare past him to where Colonel Kirk Samuels stands. “And I think there’s something else going on.”
“What do you mean?” He replies, stepping forward.
“I overheard people in the tunnel. They said something about the Grey Ones, and that once we find out about them their cover is blown.”
He twists his beard hairs and questions, “Who were they?”
“I didn’t get a chance to see who it was. Jace shot me in the back before I could.”
“What?” Travis says protectively.
“Relax. It was only paintballs.” Jace cuts in quickly.
Still watching the Colonel, I say, “But there is something e
lse. They said that they are planning on taking the healthy ones and leaving.”
“Did they say anything else?” He asks while resting his hand on his greying beard. He watches me closely with his dark brown eyes; waiting for an answer.
“They spoke in Latin at first. I know a little bit, but they were speaking in ancient context. On top of that, they were mumbling. I couldn’t understand everything they said.”
“Latin?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… we heard something similar on our ham radio." He replies, his eyes zoning off on something past me.
“You heard someone speaking Latin on the radio?” I ask in astonishment. Thinking back to the night there was someone speaking the language over the radio, I wonder if that could have been the people from tonight. I don’t remember a girl’s voice the first time though.
“Yes ma’am, it started a few nights ago. We couldn’t understand a word they were saying. That’s why we’ve been having people on that radio twenty-four hours a day since then.”
“Well whatever they’re planning we need to figure it out before something happens that we aren’t ready for.”