Just a heads up- don't let the slow beginning turn you away. There's some action later on!
I could never decide if the next few days dragged or passed in a blur. They were an endless cycle of walking, sleeping, eating, and spending money. Each time we stopped at one of the rare convenience stores we passed to buy food we were forced to watch our money supply dip lower and lower, but what could we do about it? We had to eat, and withdrawing more money from my account would be the equivalent of flashing a skyscraper sized neon arrow above our heads. Every ATM we passed seemed to be laughing at us.
Every night as it got dark we would set up camp. Sometimes we found ourselves in a small country town with a cheap motel we could stay in. More often we were left to fend for ourselves in the fields and forests bordering the road. We would force down the rancid food and then curl up in a heap for warmth. It would have been better if we had had our backpacks from the house with us, but of course when running for our lives we hadn't thought to grab them. In hindsight, that probably wasn't one of our finest moments. My heart ached as I realized how much more we would have if we had gotten the chance to retrieve our bags: extra money, decent food, camping supplies, spare clothes (by this point our single outfits were so disgusting I was prepared to burn them and go nude if it hadn't been so cold).
The morale in our little group was descending rapidly, too. Most of our walking was done in silence. After a few days, there's nothing left to say.
All this would have been easier if we had access to public transportation. Surprisingly, none of the towns we passed through had a bus stop. This is what you get when you get lost in the country- small towns with equally small-minded people who never go anywhere. And yes, I am aware that is majorly stereotypical- but so far in my experience that is proving to be true.
One night we were eating as usual, no one saying anything, when I decided to again bring up the topic of the bullet. I had tried several times in the last few days to persuade them, but every time I did I was shot down.
"I'm surprised the Edison Group hasn't found us by now." I said, breaking the silence that had been stretching on for the past few hours.
"That's optimistic," Tori observed.
I ignored her. "I mean, what with the tracking bullet and all it's just a matter of time-"
"Chloe, we've had this conversation. Our answer isn't going to change."
"But it's putting us all at risk-"
"We have heard this all before. Don't you have any other arguments?" Tori sneered.
"You agreed it should come out! That's why we went to St. Morrisons, right?" Two days ago we had passed through a town that had a small hospital and had tried to go into the emergency room but had been stopped by the first line of the paper work the nurse had given us to fill out. Parent/Guardian signature. We could have forged it but it was pretty obvious that there were no adults with us. I wasn't totally surprised, I knew hospitals needed a lot of personal information that we couldn't get, but it didn't help my cause.
"We agreed that you should get the bullet out, but if it's too dangerous it's not worth it. So, since the hospital did not work out, you're just going to have to wait until we come up with a better solution." Derek informed me calmly. This was just a slight variation of the retorts he'd been giving me for the past week.
"You know it's an issue-"
"We don't know anything," Simon reminded me. "We can't be sure-"
"But Liz said-"
"Oh yeah? Well where is Liz now so you can ask her again? I'm pretty sure she would tell you that she could have been wrong."
"She left. I told you that." It was true. Soon after our escape Liz had appeared to me and said she wanted some alone time to do some "private investigation". I wasn't sure if she had meant investigating us and the Edison Group or her mom, but either way I encouraged her to go.
"Well then we can't ask her if she maybe made a mistake so there's nothing else to do for now." Derek's tone indicated the end of the argument.
I sighed. This was how this debate ended every night. Would I ever win?
I woke up to a stinging pain in my left arm. At first, I thought I had just rolled over onto a sharp rock, but when I blinked my eyes open I was staring straight into a bug-like face. Night vision goggles.
Instantly my every sense was alert, although my limbs felt weighed down with lead. The Edison Group had caught up to us, as I had known they would. I had to warn the others…
The figure bending over me stood and straightened, gesturing to other figures that melted out of the black forest around us. How many were there?
I wanted to yell out to Derek but couldn't make my mouth move. I had no control over my body. The syringe the figure was tucking into his belt pouch provided my explanation. He must have drugged me somehow.
Beside me the others didn't stir. Their breathing was long and heavy; they must have been drugged too. Panic swelled up to dominate my brain, leaving me running in circles for ideas. The figures were now pulling out more needles, probably planning on sedating us further. I couldn't let that happen.
What can I do? What can I do? What can I do? I chanted over and over in my mind. Then it dawned on me. It wasn't a matter of What can I do? but a matter of What can I do?
In a moldy old forest there was bound to be some rotting corpse of a poor woodland animal nearby. I stopped trying to struggle against the drug that bound me and instead focused on reaching out with my powers, probing the soil for any traces of bodies I could raise. The very thought repulsed me but with the others knocked out, I had no better idea. Even something as small as a mouse would suit my purpose- I didn't plan on using it to physically take out the guards.
About a dozen feet to my left was some decomposing critter. I didn't bother trying to find out what but just directed all my energy at slamming its sole back into its body. Come over here, I prayed, hoping it had worked.
It had. "What the-" One of the silent figures yelped. The sound somehow made them seem more human, less alien in the blackness. More defeatable.
"Saunders girl must be awake." one of them said in a grim voice. "Drug her again." A figure bent over me, brandishing a needle. Inside I went nuts, writhing to get away. Of course that had no effect on my actual body.
Next to me I felt someone shift; a movement so subtle I wouldn't have noticed it had I not been hyper-aware of my motionless body. The needle was still descending, swooping in towards my right arm.
Then suddenly, the figure was gone- flung back into the air.
"What the-" someone (probably the same guy as before) started, but their exclamation was cut off by a feral growl.
My plan had worked. Derek was awake. And better yet, my hypothesis had been proven correct. He was strong enough to overrule the drugs.
"Sedate him!" Someone bellowed, but Derek was whirling around tossing the caught-off-guard figures into the darkness.
All the cries of outrage were enough to drag Simon and Tori out of their hazy stupors. "Wha-?" Simon slurred, beads of sweat glistening on his brow from the exertion of that one almost-syllable.
Tori didn't say anything but her face was screwed up in deep concentration. After several moments her trembling hands lifted and pointed at the nearest guard. He froze.
I didn't have any more time to worry about my friends. I concentrated on the creature I had reawaken, directing it towards one of the Edison Group members.
I knew it wouldn't be able to do any real damage but it served the purpose of scaring the guard who's foot it was crawling over. With a girlish shriek he pelted into the forest.
One by one, each of us using our own talents to slowly take down the Edison Group ambush, we were able to get rid of them. Whether they had run away, frozen, or been knocked unconscious, we were now virtually alone in the clearing.
I sat up with tangible effort, breathing heavily. "Everyone ok?" Slowly I was finding it easier and easier to move.
"Yeah." came from three different directions.
"Well," there was bitter triumph in my voice. "At least now we know the bullet has to come out."
Yes, the fight is somewhat unrealistic, so sorry about that. Other than that was it ok? Now do you think Derek will listen to her about the bullet?