There was a moment of silence as we all just stared at the unconscious body on the concrete floor.
Then Josh stood up from my side and ran over to his brother, a huge grin spreading across his tired face. Austin fell to a knee and wrapped his arms around Josh. They stayed there for a while, on the cold floor. This is what we came here for, I thought, smiling, This is why we're all bruised and beaten. Just for this moment.
I shifted my gaze over to the others.
Adam was just standing there, his hand still against his chest. He was a bit bloody, but mostly bruised. The ones from earlier on his arm and face and the fresh ones all over him. His face was an expression of pain and pride all mixed together. More pain than pride though.
Still in the cells were Cecile and Damian. Cecile stood up and was against the cell door, her small hands wrapped around the metal bars. Damian hadn't moved from where he was, still sitting, but watching with interest as Austin and Josh began walking over towards us.
Still clenching his brother's hand tightly, Austin spoke, "So, how are we gonna get you two out?" He looked over at Cecile, then shifted his gaze over me to Damian.
I put my shoe back on, tying the laces tight, and then walked straight out of my own cell.
"We could try and break the lock," I suggested.
"But how?" Austin asked, looking over at me.
I walked over to where Cecile stood on the other side of the cell door and fumbled with the lock.
It was the original lock and key type. Made of pure metal. If only Cecile didn't have that thing on her, I couldn't help but think, glancing at the Devalitizer on her wrist.
I looked back at Austin, "Could you, you know..." I trailed off, hoping he would get the message.
His eyes traveled over to where the telekinetic woman lay, "No," he said, "I'm not that good."
"Maybe, Adam?" I looked over at the other boy hopefully.
"I don't think grass can cut through metal," was all he said.
"So we're stuck," I sighed. "How long do we have until they realize that we overpowered their little horde here."
Josh looked up at me, "I'll let you know if anyone's coming."
I nodded, understanding. But that doesn't really answer my question, I thought.
"Now what?" Adam said, to no one in particular. "How do we get them out?"
Austin shrugged, then winced and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I guess we go find the key."
"And where might that be?" I asked.
"Some where in this building. Josh and I will-"
"Someone's coming," Josh said, turning towards the door. His eyebrows creased in confusion, "It's... someone who wants to help us." He looked up at his brother, not understanding.
We all stood frozen where we were when the door flew open and a tall man appeared, closing the door behind him. He faced us, a look of astonishment crossed his face when he saw all the unconscious people on the gray floor. Then his gaze shifted to us.
It was Vladmir.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"What d'you do?" he said, panting heavily. Then a look of concern covered his face, "Are you all alright?"
Austin smiled, "Gave those jerks what they deserved. And we're fine, more or less."
His eyes scanned us each, resting lastly on Josh. "Joshua," he said smiling.
Josh grinned in return.
A thought crossed my mind. A rather brilliant one for that matter.
"Can you break the locks?" I asked Vladmir, motioning over at Cecile and Adam.
"Sure," he replied, already making his way over to the two cells.
His large hands enclosed around the metal lock. He struggled with it for a bit, but then with a click, the lock broke and fell to the floor in a clatter.
He pulled the door open and Cecile hopped out, smiling.
"Thanks," she said.
Vladmir did the same to Damian's lock and Damian stepped out, also thanking him.
"So," Damian said, "how do you suppose we get out?"
"Follow me," Vladmir said, leading the way out of the dark room.
Entering the hallway, we kept quiet, following Vladmir as he walked down the corridor quickly. He looked around the corner, frowning.
Turning back to us, he said, "Where's that window that you got out of before?"
"This way," I said, turning on my heel and walking towards the burnt closet.
Once inside, I began coughing again, breathing in the thick air that smelled of smoke. The window was closed and I moved over to open it, letting fresh air in.
Peering out the window, I saw no one. Just a bunch of trees and green grass.
"It's all clear," I said, turning back to the others. "Who's first?"
Cecile stepped forward, "I'll go first," she said bravely.
I nodded, thinking of all the other times she went first.
Cecile walked over to the window, put her hands on the ledge and pulled herself up. Turning her head around, she smiled at us, before disappearing.
One by one, we began emptying out the closet. Adam went next, pushing himself up on the ledge with a bit of difficulty, seeing that his arms were no doubt tired and beat. Then he too disappeared below the window. Damian went, easing himself up with no trouble and hopping down on the other side. With a boost up from Austin, Josh disappeared behind the window as well. Austin followed, using one arm to hoist himself up, the other by his side, limp.
With only Vladmir and me left, I glanced at him, and he motioned for me to go ahead.
Without further ado, I propped myself up on the window ledge, and fell over to the other side. Landing in a crouch, I stood back up and looked around me. The others were all sitting against the brick wall right next to the window, waiting for me and Vladmir.
Behind me, Vladmir squeezed through the window and appeared next to me.
"Let's go," he said, walking away from the building to the forest.
Beside me, Austin, Josh, Damian, Adam, and Cecile, sprang to their feet, and followed Vladmir across the green grass. Breaking into a run, we sprinted to the forest in silence, the only sound was the wind rustling the trees' branches.
That was almost too easy, I thought as we made it safely into the forest. But then again, that was our second attempt.
We were in the forest and I was blindly following the rest of the group, not knowing or caring where we were going so long as it was aware from that horrid place.
I fell into step beside Cecile, and she looked up at me smiling.
"You okay?" I asked her, squeezing her hand.
"Yeah," she sighed, "Just I wish I could get this accursed thing off," she lifted her arm, rattling the Devalitizer.
"We'll find a way," I promised her, looking down at the one that was on my own wrist.
"Hey guys," I called out to the others.
Immediately five heads turned my way, their eyes boring into mine.
"Where exactly are we going?"
"Some place far from here," Austin said, turning forward again.
"Specifically?"
"We'll go see Jayden and the crew and get those things off you," Vladmir answered me, nodding to to the Devalitizers on our wrists.
"Then see what we can do to help the cause."
"And where exactly is Jayden?" I questioned further.
"Far from here," Austin repeated.
"North," Vladmir said, "About, I dunno, maybe three hundred miles north from here."
"We're gonna walk?" came Cecile's voice.
"We'll figure something out. Walking there is probably the last thing we want to do."
But walking was what we did for the next three hours. We walked through the green forest with nothing in sight but trees and bushes.
Mostly we were silent, but I did learn a bit about Damian, in one of our talking moments.
The first thing I learned was that he was a healer. My face lit up and I got really excited. A healer! That's just perfect! I looked over at Austin and Adam, who I knew were both hurting. But my excitement was quickly killed as Damian lifted his wrist in my face and I saw the metal bracelet.
I also learned that he had two sisters, Gabriella and Clarice, and parents. He lived in a small town in southern Nevada and was walking home from soccer practice when he was knocked out and woke up in a cell.
Dark was falling and it was getting colder as he told me about first learning about his healing ability.
"...and then the next day I woke up and my ankle was perfectly fine. The doctors didn't believe that it had healed all the way though. They were convinced that-"
"We'll stop here for tonight," Vladmir said as we entered a small clearing in the forest.
Damian stopped talking aruptedly, as we all stopped walking.
"It's a cold," Cecile said, hugging herself.
I silently agreed.
"I know," Vladmir said, "But there's nothing I can do. We're a bit far from civilization and we can't keep on walking throughout the night"
"Yes we could," Austin said.
Vladmir looked at him, "Okay," he said, "Let me rephrase that for you. Six out of the seven of us can't keep on walking throughout the night."
I was about to argue, saying that I could go on if it meant some place warm to sleep, but I kept my mouth shut, suddenly realizing how tired I was.
"Shall we make a fire then?" Josh suggested, "I'll get the wood."
"I'll go with him," Austin said, as he grabbed hold of his brother's hand and began walking into the forest.
"Just be careful!" Vladmir called out after the two of them as they disappeared into the dark forest.
I fell to my knees and collapsed on the soft, wet grass, exhausted.
"Is there anything to eat?" I asked, trying not to sound whiny.
"I could get some berries or something, if I look around," Adam said.
"But isn't it, like, November?" I asked him.
"Actually, today's December first," Vladmir spoke up.
"You've got to be kidding me. Are you serious?"
He looked a bit shocked at my reaction, but then said calmly, "Yes."
How long have I been gone from home? I wondered.
"So, about the berries..." I trailed off, looking back at Adam.
He shook his head, "You're right. No berries in December. At least, no edible ones."
There was a rustling in the bushes and Austin and Josh appeared side by side carrying sticks and kindling. They dropped them in a pile in the center of us and sat down.
"So," I said, breaking the silence that blanket us, "Who knows how to start a fire?"
When nobody answered me my jaw dropped open. "Nobody here knows how to make a fire?"
For some reason that striked me as odd. I mean, I'm sitting with a bunch of kids and one adult who have amazing supernatural powers, who just escaped a prison, and they're telling me none of them know how to make a fire. Seriously!
"Now what?" I said, disappointed. "Could we, you know, rub two sticks together or something?"
"It's not that simple," Vladmir said.
"Then we sleep in the cold?"
"No," Austin said, leaning forward, and grabbing some twigs and dry leaves from the pile, "We make a fire."
Josh and Cecile went over and began searching for rocks and arranging them in a circle for where the fire would eventually lay. Austin set up an area where he set up the tinder, and reached into the pile of sticks and pulled out a medium size, thin stick and a thick piece of bark.
He placed the bark down first, then covered it lightly with some of the tinder. Finally, he stuck the stick down in the middle of the bark.
"I thought you didn't know how to make a fire," I couldn't help but say.
He looked up at me. "I don't," was all he said, and began spinning the stick.
But after a minute or two, his expression showed pain and he stopped, muttering, "Shoulder hurts." He stood up and walked away, then lay down on the grass.
I looked quickly at Adam, Damian, and Vladmir, then took up the stick and began spinning it between my hands.
My arms quickly grew tired and achy. But I was determined to do more. Spinning and spinning, until I thought my arms would fall off.
Suddenly, smoke emerged from the bark. A grin spread across my face as I inhaled it. Ironic, isn't it, I thought, Just a few hours ago I wanted to get as far away from the smoke as I could. And now here I am, creating more smoke.
"Now what?" I looked up at the others expectantly, "We've got smoke, that's a good sign, right"
They shrugged.
"Well, does someone else mind taking over? I'm a bit..."
Vladmir took the stick from my sore hands and I lay down where I was, exhausted.
As soon as my head hit the ground, my eyelids began drifting closed. At first I struggled to stay awake, but not long after I gave in. Glad to fall into the bliss of sleep.
Yay! Chapter 24 is done!!