Chp. 72 “Escape”

My heart was pounding hard in my chest as we finally came to a stop in the stairwell. We had made it down three flights of stairs before we ran into trouble, and we realized the emergency stairwell ended on the second floor, not the ground floor. Also, they had locked the door or something because we couldn’t get through.

Roger rammed the door but it was no use, we weren’t getting through that door without some kind of super power.

He looked at me, “Think you can push that thing out?”

He was speaking to me but I wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted me to do. I knew I was pretty strong but pushing a door off its hinges? Could I actually do that?

I nodded, “I’ll try.”

Max, Avery, and Roger took cover behind the wall next to me, watching my back just in case someone came running down the staircase after us. I found the familiar force that I knew so well, knowing I had obtained it from my birth mother and was so thankful for it. I knew how powerful this specific power was and what I could do with it, I was just hoping I could break free of this door.

I held it back for some time, building it up until I knew it would be strong enough to knock this door out of our way. I exhaled heavily, sending the invisible force barreling towards the locked door, and to my surprise the door flew backwards and clean off of the wall.

Instantly I was able to take in the scene, and I heard the firing of guns as I ducked behind the other wall, looking at Roger and my friends. I screamed, “There’s about twenty of them.”

Roger directed, “Send them a blast.”

I knew what he meant, and although it wouldn’t kill the agents it would definitely knock them off their feet. I pulled into myself again, feeling the force build up like it was waiting to explode, and I found it was becoming much easier the more I used it.

I then stepped into firing range, sending the blast immediately and sent desks, chair, and Agents flying through the air. They hadn’t expected me but a couple of bullets had managed to pierce through some of my skin. I held my arm as Roger, Avery, and Max moved in quickly, taking cover behind another wall as I felt my skin tingle from the Healing.

The white pain burned through my arm as I closed my eyes, hiding behind the wall next to my friends.

Roger spoke, “Cover me.”

And he turned, shooting at the Agents through the room. I had never imagined being in a gun fight but this was nothing like I had imagined. It was quick, it was brutal, and it was awfully painful to be shot. I knew I needed to help get us out of here, and although I had managed to knock out over half of the Agents, there were still a few shooting at us.

I heard hollering, screams of agony and pain, and multiple gun shots ringing through my ears. It was too much, and it took me everything I had not to break down and cry. It was so traumatizing, and I immediately realized we weren’t prepared for this.

At least I wasn’t.

I was running on instinct, pure survival, but I knew after all of this I would need some psychological help. I was just trying not to think about the aftermath at this moment. 

I sent another powerful blast into the crowd of Agents, sending two flying backwards into the cement wall that ended up knocking them out as they hit the floor. I was hoping I wasn’t killing anyone, but again, I was trying not to think about it.

Max sent multiple bolts through the crowd, hitting two Agents and instantly frying them, sending them to the ground. It was horrific but we needed to get out of here desperately, and this was the only way out. I gathered myself, trying to understand how the fuck we had ended up in this position.

I looked at Avery and Roger who were shooting side by side, Avery seeming to be un-phased by everything that was going on, and the people she was killing. Was the she trained to do this young by her father? Had she been here before? And what else didn’t I know about her?

Max yelled, “Andy, we need your help!”

I pulled myself out of my fearful mind, wishing I would soon wake up from this nightmare, but knowing this was real. There was no getting out of this place without leaving with some blood on our hands, and I felt myself breaking slowly as we continued to fight.

Roger yelled, “Andy, watch out!”

I felt bullets slice through my left side from the exposure and I yelled in pain, sending a burning ache through my ribs as I fell to the ground. Max covered me, pulling me back behind the wall as he screamed over the echo of the bullets, “Andy, come on, you have to focus!”

I panted slightly as the blinding pain flowed through me and I prayed for relief quick. The tingling sensation happened soon, and I began to realize I really needed to get my head in the game because my friend’s lives were at risk.

And suddenly I was angry.

I stood, stepping out and sending the strongest blast I could possibly muster up inside my body. I released it, screaming in the process as I felt more bullets rip through my body. I cringed in horror as I watched the destruction I caused, seeing multiple Agents fly through the air and shattering through the window on the far wall of the building. They screamed in pain and fear as they fell through the air, disappearing out of the building as they fell to their deaths. This left us a big enough window to escape to the first floor of the building.

Max and Avery supported me as I felt the pain ripple through me, and I tried to keep my eyes open. I felt as if I was going to faint from the blood loss I had endured in the last ten minutes, knowing it wouldn’t take long to heal.

We hustled down the last flight of stairs, and I felt the adrenaline course through me at the end of the staircase. We were so close to freedom, so close to escaping this painful place.

And all of a sudden I heard a scared but manly voice, “Avery?”

I turned, and I saw a tall man, almost looking like Chris, Avery’s brother, but about twenty years older. I looked at him, not believing what I was seeing as I watched Avery’s face change from scared to relieved.

She whispered, “Dad…”

She ran to him, and I swear I felt the love surround me that emitted off of the both of them. She hugged him around his neck as he hugged her tight, as if he was never going to see her again.

Max spoke, “What the fuck, Avery?”

Avery looked back at me, realizing I hadn’t told anyone about the revelation she had laid on me days before today. She looked sad, but she wasn’t going to let him assume the worst.

“Max listen, there’s more to this than what you think.”

“Your dad works for the F.P.S.? And you lied to us about it?” Max’s hurt expression turned to me, not understanding why I was so calm. He shook his head, “Andy, what’s going on?”

He seemed close to crying, and it frightened me because that was the last thing we needed right now. I spoke urgently, “Max, listen, we’re going to explain, but we need to get out of here first.”

He backed away from me, “You knew?”

I shook my head, “I just found out, but trust me it’s not what you think.” He looked at me, and I knew he didn’t know how to take what was happening. He was confused, and I didn’t blame him for being upset, I had been upset too obviously. I grabbed his shoulder in reassurance, “Max, trust me.”

Avery looked at her father, “Have you seen General Pearce?”

Her dad looked at her, shaking his head, “Please don’t tell me you four are the reason all this shit happened Avery.”

Avery took his hands, “Dad listen, I’m alright, we’re alright. Please… please help us.”

Her dad cupped her face gently, and I could see the love he had for her. I felt pain in his presence, and I knew it was because he had always been absent from her life. He sighed, “He just escaped through the front, don’t let him escape Avery.”

I looked at him in amazement, realizing he was on our side the entire time. He hugged Avery and Avery mumbled into his chest, “Thank you.”

He whispered, “Please Avery, be safe.”

She nodded him off and we bolted through the building towards the door, knowing this was our escape.

Roger pulled out his phone and yelled, “I’m calling Gage! We’re gonna need a vehicle!”

~ ~ ~ ~

I was trying not to freak out, and the more I watched the clock the more I realized how long they had actually been in the building. I was nervous, and I didn’t know what was going on or why it was taking them so long to appear in this car so we could leave. I was nervous, but I didn’t want to think of the worst possibilities because I knew if I did I would drive myself crazy until they appeared here.

Then my phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. I answered, “Roger.”

He was yelling, panting as if he was running from something, “Gage, I need you to drive towards us. Now.”

I didn’t think, I just started the car and whipped it around, heading towards where Walker had directed me. He had showed me the way that would lead me to the F.P.S. but I had no idea what I was going to be running into on the way.

I sped down the road, and suddenly I saw the building come into view, along with a thick barbed-wire fence. I spoke into the phone urgently, not knowing what I was expected, “Roger, there’s a fence.”

“Drive through it, fast.”

I felt my heart beating fast in my chest as I slapped the gear shift into a higher gear, hitting almost the max speed I could in this car. I was going fast, and I knew I would break through the fence, I was just hoping it wasn’t electrical.

I prayed silently.

It happened instantly, the ripping of the fence as I drove the Tahoe through it, shattering through it like I had seen in so many movies. I felt like a badass, but as soon as I crossed it I heard bullets ricochet off of the body of the car.

I cursed, praying the bullet-proof tires held up until I could reach my friends.

I saw bodies exit the building, but one of them were missing. Where was Agent Berkley?

My mind wandered but I didn’t allow myself to think about the possibilities as I drove at max speed towards them. I screamed in fear as I heard the shattering of my window, and I ducked, dodging a bullet as I swerved slightly off track.

Then I slammed on my brakes, drifting to a halt as I screamed, “Get in!”

The four of them ran towards the car, Roger screaming, “We need to follow that car!”

I glanced away, seeing the black car speed down the runway away from us, and I turned back, watching them run through the space towards the car. I regretted not getting closer but I was trying not to let that car out of my sight.

And then I watched in horror as someone stepped out of the building behind my group of friends, holding up a gun towards them. I screamed, knowing my friends didn’t see them, but I did, and it was obvious he was aiming towards Avery.

I screamed, pointing towards the building and Max turned around, immediately seeing the man and where the gun was pointing. It was as if everything happened in slow motion as Max yelled to Avery and Andy, shoving Avery in front of him as he tried to get her out of the line of fire.

The echo of a gun filled the air as teh man fired, causing blood to splatter along the window of the Tahoe from impact.

I felt everything inside me shatter as I exited the car, holding up the gun I had and firing out of instinct and rage, hitting the man right in the head. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I made my way around the car, seeing the amount of blood on the ground and falling to my knees in agony.

I screamed in pain, “No!”

Max had been shot.