Neutral Through Chaos

Chapter 7: A Failed Mission

Vi clambered down the beams with ease, landing on the floor below. Me and the others followed her lead, I landed clumsily on the ground and Claggor pulled me up. As I looked around it struck me that something felt off. The place was seemingly deserted, surely there would be guards for an operation this serious. It was too good to be true, however I shook my thoughts off as we all crept along silently. Rushing over a bridge, everyone looked up to see Vander strapped to a chair, looking crushed. I turned back around, noticing a door on the other side of the bridge. Anyone could go through it, I met the others eyes and pointed at it, signalling that I was going to go over to it. Everyone nodded and continued along the bridge as I snuck back.

I watched as they reunited with their father. Mylo immediately set to work on breaking him out, Vander asked how we had gotten in despite the amount of guards.  As Vi stood in the entrance and explained how we managed it, she trailed off, realisation striking her.

"You have to get out, now," Vander concluded.

"Welcome," came a familiar voice from the shadows.

The noise had come from right beside me. I had been so fixated on the scene before me that I had forgotten my role of lookout. Panic set in as I recognised the voice. It was the man from earlier, the man who had slaughtered so many. Slow-clapping sounded beside me as he walked across. I was frozen to the spot, staring straight at my friend's horrified faces. I felt his hand on my shoulder, I tried to pull back but he held on firmly, goosebumps prickling on my skin.

"You have my congratulations.." he drawled.

Other footsteps echoed around us, his gang of criminals surrounding us. I didn't dare look back at them.

"But I'm afraid this will be a very short reunion."

My whole body tensed, hyper-aware of the crooks around me. I noticed a familiar face in front of me, the burly man with face tattoos that I'd seen in the streets last night. My friends were outnumbered, there was no way that they were getting out of this safely.

"Have you heard the rumour?" The man continued, fingernails digging into me, "Vander the coward fled town with his children..."

He paused, I winced as I heard the sound of a knife being drawn from his pocket. Soon, it was up against my throat.

"And they were never seen again."

"Silco, leave the kid alone!" roared Vander.

The blade dug into my throat, I attempted to squirm away as I grimaced at the increasing pain.

"Don't even try, child, your foolish efforts will simply go to waste," Silco muttered under his breath, "If you comply, you have the opportunity to leave here unscathed."

So that was it, I was simply being used as a prop to lure my friends. And it was working. The tattooed man that I had recognised started forward, Vander yelling after Vi as she strode towards him. She was wearing his fists, his trademark. I could feel Silco's grip loosening on me as he was captivated by the scene before us. Then, he let go.

Inhaling sharply, I fell into someone else's arms behind him. They gripped me firmly, pressing a long sword on my throat.

"Relax kid, I put a word in with Silco," a deep voice whispered calmly in my ear.

It was Sevika.

How could she have betrayed us like this? She was standing aside as my friends were subjected to complete and utter torture. I had no time to respond, watching as the muscular man made his first move in the face off with Vi. His back blocked the view of her, and my heart skipped a beat as he swung his sword. Not long after, his crumpled figure lay on the ground. Vi had won the first round, but there were many more to come.