A/N: Well, I have good news and bad news. Bad news is I will be leaving for college in 2 days, so updates will slow. Good news is, I'm going to try to finish this part before then. Since I first thought of this, I've been really excited so I hope you enjoy.
"Fly towards the storm. See the world reborn. We'll all find our sacrifice tomorrow.
Feel the pain inside the voice, the sorrow.
Cross the distant shores, find the open door,
Stand alone in judgment for tomorrow.
Years of pain still haunt us all, we saw the last sunrise,
Take me home in freedom for a lifetime.
Pray now for silence and the last tears we'll cry.
So glorious this fire inside,
United we stand, and
Our journey on towards a brighter day.
Silent tears we left behind still so far away.
Across the endless sands, through the fields of our despair.
Free for all eternity we stand
Rise above the universe tonight, Star chaser."
Heroes of our time, Dragonforce
Chapter 12: Into the fire, part 1
The night had passed as the twins slept on the bus. For once, they didn't have to worry about always looking over their shoulders as they traveled along the highway.
As the vehicle pulled to a stop, the twins felt their bodies slide forward into the seats in front of them. A heavy sleeper wouldn't have noticed it happening, but they had learned that they had to rise at the slightest provocation. While awakening, they noticed the people grabbing their luggage to leave the vehicle.
"You boys forgetting you bags?" the bus driver asked as they left.
"We just came here to visit family so we don't have any," Zack said.
"Enjoy your stay in Florida then," the driver said, as he closed the doors behind the passengers.
"So where do we go from here?" Zack asked his brother.
"Well, he told us to come to 2632 Mallard, and we're at the corner of Patterson and Katharine," Cody said as he looked at the street signs.
"That only tells us we aren't on the right street," Zack said.
"Well, there should be a gas station around here where we could buy a map," Cody suggested.
"Yea, but where?" All around them, they saw businesses and various restaurants, all closed. The combination of streetlights and the starts above illuminated the city. Through the darkness of the night, they could hear the array of the various insects that filled the city.
"I'm not sure. Let's just start walking until we find one.
Zack and Cody set out of their journey through the streets of the strange city. After all the time of traveling, it no longer seemed strange for them to be going aimlessly in a direction. This time though, they knew their destination was close. It was only a matter of finding it.
"I see a Speedway up ahead," Zack said after about a half hour of walking.
"Good, now we can finally see where we are going."
"Yea, my legs are getting tired." Cody sent his brother a glare and he apologized. "I'm kidding, mostly anyway."
"I'm tired too," the younger twin admitted, "but we can't stop when we are so close."
"Then let's go get the map, and find this guy," Zack said holding his fist up showing his determination, "And then after that, we're getting tacos."
Cody couldn't help but laugh at his best friend's comment. "Why tacos?"
"Why not?"
"All right, let's do it. When this is done we're getting tacos." Cody decided it wasn't worth it to argue logically with Zack. He needed to laugh from time to time, and being with Zack helped him to remember that.
The two entered the gas station and bought a map of the city. After sitting on the curb outside the store, they were able to find their destination. "I can't believe we walked the complete opposite direction," Zack said,
"Well now we know where to go," Cody said optimistically as they continued back on the road.
"True, with the sun rising, it will make it easier to see too." The rays of the sun at begun to brighten the night sky. It wasn't much lighter, but it showed the promise of a new day.
The tired twins walked along the side of the road as the morning traffic began picking up. After studying the map, Cody found several short cuts that would take them through the various neighborhoods. It would help avoid unwanted attention, and get them to the house quicker.
As they were traveling, they heard a scream in the distance. Instinctively, Cody ran off to investigate, with Zack quickly following him. A few seconds later, they saw an elderly women laying on the ground and a man holding a knife. "I said give me your purse or I will shove this knife into your head.
"Leave her alone!" Cody demanded.
"Just move along, this doesn't concern you." Before the thug could tell what had happened, Cody had run at him and punched him in the jaw. The man stumbled back, but then swiped his knife at the teen, who easily dodged it. Cody kicked the knife away with his right foot and then used the other one to strike the man in the chest, knocking him off his feet and onto his back.
"You okay ma'am?" Zack asked as he helped the lady to her feet, while Cody fought off her attacker.
"Now go, unless you want more," Cody demanded and the man saw he was outmatched. He swallowed his pride at being beat by a kid and ran off.
"Thank you so much," the lady said.
"Don't worry about it," Cody said.
"Yea, we're just glad you're not hurt."
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I've met you before. It's rare that people outside our neighborhood come through here."
"Well, we are just travelers," Cody answered, "We found that coming through here would be easier than taking the main roads."
"Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"Not really," the younger twin said, "We have to get going."
"Wait here for a moment," the lady said, as she ran back into her house. Zack and Cody just looked at each other and silently decided to accept whatever kindness she was willing to give. There knew they weren't in any possession to refuse a gift.
She emerged again, this time carrying a bike. "I know it's not much, but this will help you get wherever you're going faster. My grandson uses it when he visits, but I think it will help you more."
The twins graciously accepted the gift. Zack got on the seat while Cody stood on the pegs on the back wheels and held onto his brother as they rode away.
They continued going through the city with their new transportation. With the official start of summer only a few weeks ago, combined with the hot Florida climate, the air felt as if it was saturated and sweet quickly formed on the twins. Zack pedaled the bike while Cody gave him directions, while trying not to fall off. After another half hour of traveling, they finally reached their destination.
As they approached the house, they noticed that the door was wide open. Cody knelt down and began examining the lock. "It looks like someone broke in."
"Think it's safe?"
"If we want answers, we have to keep looking."
The twins continued exploring the house, but there were no signs of anyone there. They found that someone had been there recently, when they saw an unmade bed in the bedroom. "He must have left in a hurry," Zack said.
"Or maybe someone took him away." As they were searching the house for any further evidence, Zack noticed another door that appeared to be forced open.
"What do you make of this Cody?"
"The lock was definitely broken on this one too. Looks like someone used a gun here." As they entered the once sealed room, they found a staircase that led them down. Nervously they walked into the basement.
The sound of the shoes against the metal floor echoed throughout the room. Flickering lights cast a dim light on the area. The twins cautiously moved forward, listening for any enemies ready to ambush them.
"It's not my imagination is it?" Cody whispered, wanting to stay as quiet as possible.
"Nope, this is the same place as our vision," Zack answered in the same hushed tone.
Moving forward, they wondered if the man from before would be there, but not a sign of life could be found. When they were about to leave, something on the floor caught Zack's attention. He reached down and picked up a piece of paper.
"Too dark to read down here," Zack said.
"Yea, let's take it upstairs."
The two emerged from the darkened basement and sat the paper on the kitchen table. "They're directions to this house," Cody said.
"So whoever did this must have dropped them when they were here."
"I don't think it is something that simple," Cody said, "It seems more likely that it's a trap. They left it there hoping that we would come to them."
"What should we do then?"
"If we want to get to the bottom of this, we might have to walk into a trap."
"I have an idea," Zack said.
"What?"
"Well, look around."
Cody did but saw nothing other than a slightly dirty kitchen. "I don't see anything."
"We are in a kitchen, there is a fridge, and I am hungry."
Cody couldn't believe his brother's obsession with food would take him this far, but it didn't surprise him. "Zack, we can't just steal from these people."
"Think about it this way. If we go and save this person, I'm sure he won't mind if we take some food, and if it belongs to the enemy, why not steal from them? Besides, it's easier to think and fight on a full stomach then an empty one."
"Ordinarily, I'd say you were crazy, but I think my hunger is making me delusional."
"I'll make us something," Zack said and Cody sat on the couch in the other room. While there, the younger twin's vision began fading.
When he blinked, he saw another place. There was a dark room with two people in it. With the lack of light, he couldn't make out any details. All he could see was that one was standing and the other was lying on the ground.
"In pain? Good." the one standing said in a gruff voice. "Don't worry, once we have Cody, we will release you from this prison, permanently that is."
Cody's vision flashed back to his reality. He tried to analyze the images, and as he looked down, he saw a golden light coming from his pocket. 'The orbs must be telling me something,' he thought as he pulled them out of his pocket. By the time he pulled them out, the glow had faded.
He knew that it was a vision, but he didn't know if it was something going on now, or a glimpse into the future. What ever it was, he was scared. Someone was being tortured because of him. As Zack came into the room giving him a plate of food, his fears continued to grow. The older twin noticed this and sat down beside him. "What's wrong Cody?"
"The orbs showed me another vision. I saw someone being tortured and it's because of me."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I don't know, but I think it might be you."
"If you aren't sure, then don't let it worry you."
"I'm scared," Cody admitted.
"Fear hasn't stopped you yet, so don't let it this time. We are so close."
"Yea, but I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."
"Then we won't let it happen," Zack declared, "If it is telling you that the future will have me being tortured, then we will just have to change the future."
"Yea, you're right." Zack's confidence had rubbed of on him, and he knew that they couldn't just give up. It might be hard, but together, they would face whatever dangers came.
_
A/N: Anyone figure it out yet? Thanks for all the feedback, but that doesn't mean you can stop reviewing. When I first had the idea for this, I never would have guessed it would be this good, so I hope I can keep it up.
