The Purity Project

Chapter 18

Lorenzo stepped out of the car, stretching his arms and legs. He looked up at the bright blue sky, and he had to resist the urge to run across the field they had stopped at. Instead, he turned to look at the rest of the group. Jada's shoulders were slumped, and she looked exhausted. Tyler had his arms crossed, and he was scanning their surroundings. Halona was stretching her arms, and she smiled at the scenery. Lorenzo found himself smiling at her, and he turned his head quickly before she noticed. His mind kept drifting to that night by the car. He had shared things with Halona that he had never told anyone before. After their "special moment", Lorenzo couldn't help wondering if in some other world, they would have been a couple.

"Lorenzo! Stop daydreaming and get over here!" Tyler broke through Lorenzo's thoughts.

"Alright, relax. I'm coming." Lorenzo made his way over to the rest of the group, winking at Halona. He couldn't help laughing when she blushed.

"Stop flirting and pay attention. We're gonna have to ditch this car," Tyler said, earning many gasps from the rest of them.

"We still have another day of travel!" Jada exclaimed, all traces of exhaustion disappearing. 

"I know, I'm not an idiot." Tyler rolled his eyes. "We're going to need another way of transportation. By now they know what our vehicle looks like. Besides, we can't just drive into the capitol. It's the most guarded city in the entire country!"

"Okay, so what's the plan then?" Lorenzo asked.

"Well, Jada's master plan needs rebel gangs. So we're here to find them. I called them when we stopped at that gas station a few hours ago. They'll be here soon." Tyler turned to continue scanning the field.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," Halona said, sounding sick to her stomach.

"You mean the teaming up with rebel gangs, or the breaking into a government building?" Lorenzo asked, but Halona didn't smile. He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her. "Trust me, we'll get Braden back. Then he can finally show me how he does that cool spray-paint thing."

Halona leaned onto him, and she whispered something only he could hear. "I trust you Lorenzo."

Lorenzo smiled and rested his head on her's. He looked up, and realized Jada was staring at them, her eyebrows raised. 

"So, when did that happen?" Jada asked, her smirk making Lorenzo blush.

Halona jumped away from him, turning her head to hide her pink cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"So it's not official? Got it." Jada giggled. "For the record, you two are cute together."

"Shut up Jada!" Halona snapped, making Jada laugh more.

"Stop fooling around! They're here," Tyler announced , and the three of them turned toward the road. 

Sure enough, a van had parked along the side of the field. A door slid open and a group of men filed out of the car. They were all quite large, and their muscles bulged out of their tight t-shirts. The tallest man approached Tyler, smiling menacingly. Lorenzo noticed the gleam from his gold tooth, and he couldn't help shuddering.

"You must be Tyler. I'm Marcus, the leader of this group." Marcus stuck out his hand, which had a long scar that stretched across his forearm.

Tyler stood tall, refusing to shake his hand. "I want to speak to the leader. The real leader."

The way Marcus glared at Tyler made Lorenzo want to shout "RUN", but he knew he had to trust that Tyler knew what he was doing. Suddenly, Marcus started to laugh, a loud booming sound.

"Right answer, kid," a voice spoke from the van. A tall woman emerged, her red hair in a short bob. Her green eyes were striking, and her dark clothes made her look even more intimidating. 

"If you want to make a deal with someone, you've got to get to know them first." Tyler shrugged and made his way over to shake the woman's hand.

"Looks like Dante taught you well. I'm Clarissa, but you can call me Claire." Her smile was genuine. She turned to look at the rest of the group. "Who are these people?"

Lorenzo opened his mouth to answer, but Tyler spoke faster.

"That one is Lorenzo, and this is Jada and Halona." He gestured toward each of them. Lorenzo nodded at them, and Jada and Halona waved shyly.

"So, this is the group that will be helping you on your heist?" Claire looked them up and down. "Good choice. They don't look like the suspicious type, and they all seem to have some athletic abilities." She turned back to Tyler. "I was told you wanted my people to escort you to the capitol?"

"Yes, and I was also hoping you could contact some of the other local gangs. We're going to need all the help we can get," Tyler said.

"Why? How important is this heist?" Claire asked, her face skeptical.

"I think it's better if I let Jada explain. It's her plan." Tyler nodded at Jada.

"We're breaking into the capitol's laboratory, but no matter how many people we have, we'll never succeed. So we need a big distraction while my friends and I break into the building. That's where the gangs come in." Jada sounded confident, but Lorenzo noticed her legs shaking.

"I like how she thinks. A smaller team would be more successful then a larger team. But why should I help you? This heist could cost lives." Claire's voice turned cold.

"How about the end of the country? Is that important enough?" Lorenzo blurted out.

Claire snapped her head toward Lorenzo, as if she had forgotten he existed. "End of the country? You're going to have to explain that."

"The government is distributing mind controlling serums to everyone in the country, and killing anyone who refuses to or can't afford to take it." Lorenzo's words earned many shocked and angry responses.

"Silence! We all know that the government doesn't care about the people, but this is ridiculous. Why should I believe a bunch of teenagers?" Claire glared at all of them.

"Don't believe us. But we have people that the government took from us, just to test out their serum. We're going to do whatever it takes to get them back, and save the rest of the country along the way," Halona snapped.

 "You can go home and wait for them to break down your front door and force the serum down your ear, and trust me, it's not a pleasant process. Or you can help us, because there's a chance we can save everyone in this country. It's your choice." Lorenzo folded his arms and straightened his back.

Claire turned back toward Marcus, who shrugged. She sighed and turned toward Tyler. "Your friends got some nerve. Keep them around, Tyler." Claire looked at the four of them, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm probably going to regret this, but get in the van."

Lorenzo looked at his friends, and was relieved to see they looked just as shocked. 

"You heard the woman. Get in the van, before she changes her mind." Marcus patted Tyler's back, almost knocking him over.

Lorenzo watched as Tyler hopped into the van, helping Jada up. Lorenzo went next, pulling Halona up with him.

"Next stop, the capitol." Lorenzo whispered in her ear.