Wanted

I Think We Have an Emergency

~ Chapter 15 ~

Arden

One of my shoes caught on a warped structural support beam and I stumbled, almost unable to regain my balance while I clutched my blood-stained right shoulder with the opposite hand. I half jogged, half dragged myself down a too-empty street, but the street itself could hardly be called one anymore. The pavement had crumbled upon impact with the bombs. All that was left was a mess of cobblestone fragments and charred debris. In the wake of constant explosions, the silence now was painful. Deafening. I may as well have been the only person left on Earth.

Desperation began to set in. Thirty minutes of searching and I had found no one alive. I was starting to feel like a scared little kid in a thunderstorm, when you can't escape the fear because the sky itself is the source of the panic. A dark tunnel of anxiety began to creep into my field of vision when a bright flash of light caught my eye from a distance. I stilled to watch as the armor of Enforcement officers prowling through what little remained of the town reflected the fiery reds from the bombs. My heart dropped into my stomach and I ducked in hopes the soldiers hadn't seen me.

Whether it was by some miracle or just sheer luck, I noticed a particularly hollow looking shell of a store to my left. I moved slowly toward the dingy facade, trying to keep my low profile. Somehow, I was able to creep into the old barbershop without attracting attention. I heaved a silent sigh of relief, but I let down my guard too soon. I flinched as I felt a metal projectile barrel toward me without even hearing a sound. Next thing I knew, I was staring down at the melted remains of a bullet as it dripped down the toe of my shoe. Apparently, the quickest way to get a handle on the whole power thing was to be in a complete survival mindset. A head popped up from behind the scorched counter where the bullet had come from.

"Arden?" The familiar voice was more than enough to ground me once again.

I whispered back, "Mallie? I don't think I've ever been so happy to see you."

I rushed around the counter to kneel next to Mallie, who had placed the gun on the ground. Despite a few gashes and forming bruises, she looked pretty good for a bombing survivor. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and that's when I saw Fox. Propped against the counter, he was clutching his left leg. I could tell it was in considerably worse shape than my shoulder.

"What happened?" I felt my level of alarm rise again.

Mallie followed my gaze to Fox, "He covered me from the blast," she shook her head in his direction before turning back to me, "We have to get him help."

"I told you already: I'll live," Fox said through gritted teeth. He tried to stand on his own but winced when he accidentally bore weight with his injured leg.

Mallie immediately hopped up and draped his left arm around her neck to help him rise, shielded from outside view by the wall. "You may live," she shot Fox a look that she probably thought would convey disapproval, but really just showed her genuine concern for his wellbeing, "but you're far from fine. That needs medical attention and you know it."

I nodded in agreement and Fox conceded. It was up to Mallie and me to figure out how to make a stealthy exit, "It's going to be hard. There are ground Enforcers making rounds out there."

Mallie deflated, "Of course there are. Because what they've already done isn't enough."

I peeked over the counter. Through the damaged frame where the windows once were, I saw Enforcement move into the building across the street. We didn't have much time.

I ducked again, "Shit. They're fast."

"We can't shoot our way out. There are going to be lots more where those came from," Mallie was somehow able to keep her head on straight, while my ADD mind was reeling.