The Croche Method

4

How do we do that, you may ask? Well, we just take a car. As a part of training, we had to learn how to drive certain vehicles, in case we needed faster transportation to get away from a monster or we just needed to get somewhere faster. Of course, we had learned how to drive a car. So, we take it. This car is black and sleek, smallish, but very fast. The windshield is covered with a layer of dust, so I switch on the windshield wipers, and the dust clears.

I drive fast, as fast as I can on a road filled with rubbish, smashed cars, twisted hunks of ruined metal, and other obstacles that would make it even harder to reach Mum. We exit the city and drive for a long while, about two hours until we come across a smaller city. This one I recognise. I have been here before, lived here before we moved because of Mum's undercover job. The thing is, I knew that Mum had worked at the AMM before, but had not known if she quit or not; all I knew was that she had gotten passed on from the AMM to the experimental facility.

We enter Parcakal and drive toward the AMM building. I see the Shadows, lurking wherever there is no light. Some try to leap at us (that's their best offence technique?) but they are pushed back by the blinding headlights, which I've turned to high beam.

We come to a stop beside the AMM building, which is on top of a warehouse, invisible. When we get to the warehouse, I use the spell that I need to open the door. Some stairs go upwards to the building itself, so we climb them. It's a whole different world from the inside of the large warehouse, whose walls had been old and rusty. The AMM looked shiny and new; something that stood out against the rest of the world, which had been wrecked almost beyond repair.

There is a reception desk in the corner of the room, which reminds me of the facility. The receptionist there says, "How can I help you?".

"Hi, we were just wanting to give this to Mr Dock." I pulled the piece of paper out of my pocket.

"Okay, his office is on the first floor. The door is labelled Inos Dock."

Well, that's helpful.

We climb the stairs, leading to the first floor, and find his office. I open the door, and we see Inos Dock sitting in a chair, at a desk, with papers messily spread across it. Another man stood next to Dock, probably a guard.

"And who may you be?" Inos asks

"I'm Hallet, and that's my sister, Cauley." I point to Crawley.

"Ah, I see. You got my letter, then."

"Yeah, we did, and we got the evidence." I put the piece of paper on the desk. He picks it up and starts reading.

"This... this is amazing. How'd you two get it?"

"We just looked through a few drawers."

"Now, the AMM has definite proof to go after them. Did you know they had been capturing people?"

I nod. "Now, where's Mum?"

"June is in the guest room, just opposite this one."

Both me and Crawley practically run toward the door Dock had mentioned, and open it to find Mum, who we hadn't seen in the longest time, sitting on the bed, groggy from sleep. We barrel into her arms, and she's shocked for a moment, but then she recognises us and hugs us back.

"I thought you were dead or captured, or something!" Mum sobs.

I feel tears in my eyes too. I'm so excited to see her after a long time.

Then there is a voice behind us. "Well, thank you two for bringing this to us, but I'm afraid you have to be locked in here for the time being."

We all turn around to see the man, who had been standing next to Inos.

"Excuse me?" Inos says, in surprise.

"You all pose a danger to our trials, and we are very sorry about this, but all the humans need to go," the man says.

Then, I realise. That was the purpose of releasing the Luckwoss into the world. And this man was working for the facility. We had practically walked into a trap.

Before anyone can do anything, Inos punches the man in the face. The man stumbles but regains his balance in a flash. And then, he's pulled out a gun and is aiming it at Inos. There is the sound of a shot, making my ears ring and deafen. Inos falls to the ground, a spreading blood patch in the middle of his shirt.

I gasp and look away. Cauley screams.

''Shut up!" the man hisses, then shoves us all in, and locks the door, jamming it in place.