Embers & Ice (Rouge) (27 page)

Sammy’s
one lifeless blue eye stared up at the ceiling, the other glassy iris just as
blank. His mouth hung limply open, a line of blood dripping from his lips. And
the light, the beautiful, heavenly light, around his body faded into oblivion.

Oh
God. Not Sammy.

Hunter
grit her teeth and whipped her head around. Carefully, she lowered Sammy’s body
to the floor. Jet chuckled softly but said nothing as he glared at her. Most of
the Men in White were out for the count, but even the ones left standing
stopped fighting. The entire room was still.

“Oh
no,” Chantal sobbed, putting a hand over her mouth.

Fire
burst from Hunter’s wrists. Jet’s smirk hardly faded, but Hunter was all too
happy to burn it off for him.
Screw doing the right thing,
she thought
with poison clouding her mind.
The fire can have this leech.

“You
killed him.” Her voice shook with rage. “YOU – KILLED – HIM!” She screamed so
loudly that she felt as if her throat might fall apart. Will snatched her
around the waist before she could tackle Jet as she continued to yell, “YOU’RE
DEAD, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

“There’s
no time Hunter!” Will shouted in her ear.

“No,
he deserves it Will! Let me go!”

Jet
didn’t stop laughing, not until his face suddenly screwed up in intense pain
and he began to shriek. All of them froze in shock, even Hunter.

“Stop
it!” Jet squealed. When he looked up, his eyes met Fearne’s. “Stop it please!!”

Everyone
looked at Fearne. Her face appeared hardly human. Her hands were shaking by her
sides. Her eyes were wide, her pupils nearly as big as her irises. The corner
of her mouth twitched. She looked demonic and Hunter knew it was her torturing
Jet’s mind, just as she had tortured the scientists.

Will’s
arms fell away from her and she stumbled weakly against a desk. He ran to
Fearne’s side and shook her, trying to break her eye contact with Jet whose
ears were bleeding through his clenched fingers. Even his nose was dripping
red. He rolled around on the floor in agony.

“That’s
enough,” called Chantal. “We have to go!”

Hunter
was so transfixed by Fearne’s power and the intense aura she was protruding
that she didn’t hear shouts coming from somewhere in the distance. The Men in
White were almost upon them.

“Fearne!”
Will clutched the young girl’s chin and squeezed, forcing her gaze to his.
Drops of red were falling from her nose. “Listen to me, you have to
let go.
Come
back to me okay?” He shook her harder. “Fearne,
please
!”

“Make
– her – stop!” cried Jet.

“Will,
hurry up!” called Zac.

“Will!”

“Fearne!”

“
ARGH
!”

And
finally, Fearne’s eyes rolled back into her head and she fell into Will’s
waiting arms. Will whispered into her ragged hair, rocking her back and forth
like a baby.

“Is
she okay?” asked Hunter.

“There’s
no time to tell,” said Ryo. “Look!”

Men
in White appeared outside the glass in the surrounding corridor. Benji flashed
to the door and twisted the lock before they could burst through, trying with
all his might to shove furniture in front of the door. It only took him a
moment before there were piles of desks blocking the entrance.

He
flew back to them. “That won’t hold them for long. Let’s go!”

“You
won’t get far,” Jet sneered, his face smeared with blood. He looked drained and
unhealthy. “Dr. Wolfe will find-”

Marcus
bent down and threw his fist under his brother’s jaw so hard that Jet flipped
backwards and lay spread-eagled on the floor. “Go fuck yourself, Jet.” He
turned back to the group, who stared at him incredulously. “What the hell are
we waiting for, let’s GO!”

Before
they took another step, Imogen collapsed.

“What
happened?” cried Ryo.

The
Men in White pounded on the door.

“Her
bracelet, look, it’s flashing!” Hunter waved at Imogen’s wrist. Indeed, her
deactivated silver bracelet was glowing red. Mosi instantly grabbed her hand
and ripped apart the metal bracelet.

“They
must be stunning us,” said Marcus.

“But
they’re deactivated!”

“Doesn’t
mean they can’t still be controlled,” he snapped at Chantal. “Quick, get your
bracelets off!”

Scrambling
to find something to tear open her bracelet, Hunter’s heart thumped like the
beat of a drum. It was a time game; any second now her bracelet could zap and
she would be knocked out and likely slow the group down, meaning they’d all be
caught.

But
fortunately, Mosi worked quick. Everyone’s bracelets lay on the floor in a
matter of seconds. All except for his own.

“Mosi
hurry!”

“I
can’t,” he growled. “It’s attached to my heart. If I rip it out, I could pull
apart my own chest.”

“Let
me,” said Marcus. The two of them stared each other down. Mosi’s tight jaw made
it obvious that he didn’t trust Marcus’s technical abilities with something as
fragile as his life support, but there was no time: any second, the Men in
White could burst through the door or his restraint might knock him out as
well.

“Trust
me,” said Marcus almost gently. “I can do this.”

Mosi
nodded. He ripped open his jumpsuit, baring the flashing red device implanted
into his skin and grit his teeth hard.

“Then
do it,” he said.

Everyone
held their breaths as Marcus lay a hand on Mosi’s chest and closed his eyes.

The
room was deadly silent. Hunter tried to breathe and steady the pumping of her
blood. She almost wanted to reach over and grab hold of Will’s hand, if he
didn’t have his arms full with Fearne. She moved her gaze back to Marcus, then
at Mosi, listening to the hissing of the electricity being forced into his
heart-rate monitor.

Mosi
jerked suddenly. Chantal squealed and jumped back. Then Marcus stepped away and
they stared at Mosi’s chest and the little device that was black and emitting
smoke. It was still attached, but no longer did it control the steady beating
of his heart.

Zac
whistled in awe. “Holy shit Marcus. You are
so
lucky you didn’t kill
him.”

Marcus
was about to snap at Zac when the lights went out, replaced by a red glow and
an alarm that was all too familiar to them all. It was the alarm that sounded
after Alfie had been detained and Jet took his powers back.

“Oh
no,” said Chantal and she covered her mouth. “The mist!”

Hunter
started to panic. They had no time to run back; the Men in White were seconds
away from breaking through the door and attacking with their tasers.

“Guys
here!” called Benji from the left. Through the glow, Hunter spotted him across
the room standing by a bank of shelves. He was tearing out boxes and throwing
things at them. One of the objects hit Hunter in the chest and she fumbled with
it. It was a rubber gas mask.

“Put
them on!” she shouted at the group. The moment her face was covered, she heard
the sounds of the mist spraying down upon them. They managed to guard
themselves before any of them were knocked out by the gas. Then, it was time to
run.

Hunter
looked back for only a split second and felt her heart tear open at the sight
of Sammy’s dead body on the ground. It looked like a scene from a horror movie
as the red light flashed over his broken body. She wished to God she could
carry him out, to take him to see the sun again. To return him to his mother
that he missed so much.

A
heavy darkness fell upon her. She didn’t even hear the blast as the Men in
White exploded into the lab and sprinted towards them. It took all her strength
not to collapse on the ground beside Sammy’s body and she had to cling to
Marcus as he dragged her away from the lab, shouting at her to move.

As
she left, Hunter prayed for the small boy, that he would fly away to a better
place.

She
prayed for an angel to carry him, and then she ran.

FORTY-EIGHT

They
were so close, Hunter could almost smell the fresh air and feel the hot sun
burning her skin. The exit door was ahead, and Marcus reached it first,
slamming against the handle.

“Locked.
And there’s no security panel.” He searched the door and slapped it with his
palms. “Dammit!”

Mosi
passed Imogen to Will – who now had his arms free when Fearne jolted awake as
they ran – and pushed through the group. Hunter felt the ground rumble with
each of his footsteps. Everyone fell back.

As
Mosi threw his fist against the door, Hunter felt the bite of a taser as it
fired past her arm. She whirled, her heart leapt into her chest and then a
fight began.

The
dimness of the hallway splashed with red light made it difficult to see, and
the gas masks weren’t much help. Benji zoomed between the guards, knocking them
over with his speed. An explosion shook the walls around them. Hunter glanced
back and saw that Mosi had caused the entire door to crumble in. But it wasn’t
enough; behind the rock-solid cement, a steel emergency door blocked their
path. It must have activated when the alarms switched on. They couldn’t get
through.

“Watch
out!” screamed Chantal.

An
electric blue bullet zipped past her head and barely missed Will’s shoulder.

“Marcus!”
yelled Ryo. “Duck!”

A
guard grabbed her collar. Using moves she’d learnt in her training, Hunter
dropped under a right-hook and twisted the guards arm behind him, taking the
taser and shooting him in the back. A blow to the head sent Hunter down and she
screamed in pain when someone crushed her fingers. The corridor was so packed
with children and guards fighting that there was no room to move. In the red
haze, everything seemed blurry.

What
are we going to do, the way out is blocked!

Chantal
let out a cry that made her stomach flip. Hunter rolled away from a falling
guard and bumped against the wall. Ryo took a hit to the stomach just beside
her, so Hunter grabbed the ankle of her attacker and forced heat into her
hands. His ankle caught fire and it burned like a twig up his leg.

They
weren’t prepared for such a fight. Even though their powers far outweighed the
Men in White, it would be useless if there wasn’t another way out. Hunter
forced herself to her feet and threw a fireball at a guard charging towards
her. He screamed and ducked out of the way.

“Mosi!”
Hunter shouted.

Mosi’s
large form was dancing back and forth in swift movements between two Men in
White. He thumped one on the head so hard that Hunter was sure his spine had
split in two. The other he threw against the wall.

Hunter
felt a hand snatch her hair and she fell back against the guard that held her.
His grip was so tight, he would surely rip her head off if he pulled for much
longer. But after only a second, he seized up and passed out at her feet.
Chantal stood behind her with a taser.

“What’s
the plan?”

“The
only way out is up, otherwise we have to find our way to the sewers,” said
Mosi.

“Then
we have no choice,” said Hunter.

Benji
zipped past her and skidded to a halt, nearly tripping over an unconscious
guard. “I’ve been everywhere,” he said. “Mosi’s right: the only way out is
through the sewer, but it’s blocked by some sort of coded door.”

“I’ll
be able to unlock it if we hurry,” said Marcus. His nose was gushing blood.

“Then
we’d better-”

Hunter
was cut off when an ear-piercing alarm blared throughout the institution.

Over
the alarm, there came a voice.

“WARNING.
ALL SYSTEMS DISARMED. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. WARNING. ALL SYSTEMS
DISARMED. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”

The
monotone woman’s voice repeated her message, just as she’d done when Jack had
tried to escape. Hunter wondered for a moment if it was a sign that she should
try to run down to the Death Caves and rescue her friend. But was it worth the
risk?

“Are
we going to explode?!” shouted Zac over the noise. “What do we do?”

“Follow
me.”

Mosi
charged past her. Hunter quickly did a head count, thanking God they were all
conscious and alive. Imogen must have woken up during the fight. She was
breathing without the gas mask, which meant the mist had vanished. Mosi led
them past the surgery rooms and back to the elevator.

“We’re
going upstairs?” called Chantal. “What if there’s more guards?”

“Then
we have to fight them, don’t we?” snapped Marcus.

As
Mosi slammed his hand against the elevator door, a chill went up Hunter’s spine
the moment the alarm stopped and silence fell. There came a crackle of static
over the intercom, and then another voice spoke up.

“Children.”

They
all froze, even though the elevator door had opened.

“I
know what you’re planning to do,” said Dr. Wolfe. “Your efforts are wasted: I
have every exit secured, and more guards waiting on level 1.”

“He’s
bluffing,” said Zac.

“Shh!”

“Save
yourselves the punishment and stop this fight. You dare not even
dream
what
I have in store for you if you continue to resist restraint.”

Imogen
whimpered and clung to Chantal’s arm. Hunter looked around at the group, their
fears accelerating with each word the doctor spoke.
It’s what he wants. To
put fear in their minds. It’s working.

“Let’s
go, get in the elevator!” Hunter shouted.

They
were hesitant.

“We’ve
made it this far, now come on!”

Mosi
moved first and the others hurriedly followed. Will stood close to Hunter in
the small box as it shot up, and Hunter’s blood pumped in her ears.

After
the door was sealed shut for only a second, the elevator went pitch black and
came to a grinding halt. Several of them screamed. Hunter pushed the fire to
the edge of her skin, letting her veins glow bright like the sun and give them
some light. Their faces were pale and terrified. She removed her mask and
breathed in the clean, confined air. The rest of them followed.

“Marcus,
can you power it up again?”

Sweat
dripped from his brow as he nodded and pressed his palm against the power box.
The elevator rocked back and forth.

“He’s
doing everything he can to stop us,” said Hunter. She looked at each of their
faces and realized that she had become their leader. She had to be braver than
all of them. And at that point, as the fire surged through her skin and emerged
from the dark pit it had been hiding in all those months, she felt truly brave.
Brave enough to lead them to freedom. “You’ve all lived so long in this place
that the idea of escaping seems impossible. But we’re already halfway there. He
knows that we have our powers, and that scares him. He can’t stop us. The most
he can do is throw obstacles in our way. We have to keep going, or our fears
will weigh us down.”

Light
burst to life inside the elevator. Marcus breathed hard through his teeth and
suddenly the electricity switched on and they shot up so fast, Hunter’s stomach
dropped.

Zac
and Ryo cheered.

Hunter
wondered what Dr. Wolfe would try next. She had no time to prepare herself for
what might lie on the other side of the door, for they slid open seconds later
and the corridor lay empty before them.

“Go!”

They
sprinted to the staircase, Mosi in the lead. He burst into the common room with
such force that the door was knocked off its hinges. Inside the room were three
Men in White waiting, their tasers raised. They opened fire. One hit Mosi, but
his skin could not be penetrated. Again, Imogen raised her hands and protected
their group with a giant forcefield. Mosi stalked forward and swung his fists,
no mercy given. They were at the door in seconds.

“How
do you know there’s a way out here?” asked Zac as they entered the boy’s
bathroom.

Mosi
looked around, suddenly confused. “I don’t.”

“I
do,” said Will. He ran his hand down the crack on the left hand side and slid
the secret door – their secret door – aside. The others gazed at him in
surprise. “Follow me.”

Hunter
gave him a smile and entered first. It felt so good to summon the flames and
light their way. For the first time, she saw exactly what the staircase looked
like; a muddy, cemented corridor with stains of green and gray running down the
walls. They followed her light in silence until they reached the door that led
to the guard’s quarters.

“What
is this place?” asked Zac after Will had closed the door behind them. The
corridor was tall with old lamps dangling from the ceiling, the walls made of
decayed brick and the doors labeled with scratched-out names. The one above the
room that she and Will used to sit in read ‘Alistair Barnes’.

“We
need to go right at the end of this corridor,” said Mosi. “Then there should be
a stairwell and an emergency exit.”

Hunter
nodded as they walked. Her heart was pounding in her chest. All she had to do
was tell the others to meet her outside, then go left and find Jack. But could
she get him out? Had he woken up yet? And what about Alfie? There were no roars
coming from the Death Caves, which meant that Dr. Wolfe must have sedated him.
Could she get him out too?

Will
slid the latch on the door aside, and they moved into the next corridor. Hunter
stopped and glanced left at the dimly lit passage, clenching her fists. She couldn’t
move her feet.

“Hunter,”
said Will by her side. “Let’s go.”

She
looked up into his shadowed face. At once, her choice seemed easy. Find Alfie,
find the prisoners, find Jack. Free them all.

But
it was not that simple, and a part of Hunter knew that. She knew it was stupid
and reckless and completely against the fire’s guiding voice that urged her to
run with the group and not back to the dark caves of death.

And
yet something was pulling her. A force so powerful, it seemed to be a power of
its own.

The
power of a hero.

“I
can’t,” she said to him. “I have to get them out. I have to try.”

Will’s
eyes filled with ferocity. “No. Hunter, don’t.”

“What
are you doing?” called Mosi.

“There’s
people down there,” she said to the group. “Why should we get to escape and
leave them in this place?”

“Uh,”
said Marcus, “because they’re crazy? You said so yourself Hunter! We can’t risk
it!”

“They’re
still
people
.” Hunter started backing up the corridor. “I want you all
to run.”

“Hunter-”

“Listen,”
she snapped at Ryo. “If I get caught, so be it. At least you’ll all be out.
You’ve been here too long, it wouldn’t be fair. You guys go ahead without me.”
She slipped from her pocket the address Dr. Rosenthal had given her for a house
somewhere outside of Seattle. She didn’t know how far it was from ICE, but it
was a safe house and she’d memorized it already. She handed the paper to
Marcus. “Go to this address and stay together. I’ll meet you there.”

“What
happened to sticking together?!” called Chantal. “You can’t just leave!”

“I’m
sorry.”

She
turned to run.

“Hunter,
wait-”

Will
came jogging up to her. As the others hurried down into the darkness towards
the sewers, Hunter’s spirit soared. He stayed with her.

Will
took her hand. A connection buzzed between them. For a split second, Hunter
felt a flame burst to life inside her, a flame she hadn’t felt in a long time.
It was ecstasy and excitement and bravery all at once. It was pure warmth.

“You’re
not doing this alone,” he said. “Come on.”