Monsters

Chapter Seventeen

"Luz and I were supposed to meet in the next town over in the building where the bell tower is located," Gus explained as we continued down the long road. We had ditched the bike to travel quietly choosing subtly over comfort. At this point, I've grown used to traveling large distances on foot though I still had my moments. Besides, Gus had actually made good company. I'd been wearing his helmet pretending to be him to get him to laugh.

He turned to me after I hadn't answered and it snapped me out of my thoughts. He smiled before raising his hand and placing it behind the helmet without me expecting it. Bringing his hand back he had an ace of spades in his hand and I looked at him confused. "Is this your card?" He asked me and the unexpected action from him led me to laugh.

"You know just how to get my mind off things don't you," I said warmly whilst shaking my head at him. He merely shrugged before continuing on his way and I just followed him.

"I guess so. Magic tricks always got Luz's mind off of things." He said offhandedly before looking over his shoulder at me. "I probably shouldn't mention her around you though, should I?" He asked.

"It's fine. Luz and I have some things to work out, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear about her." I admitted going to walk next to him. I went to say something else though Gus grabbed my arm and dragged me off to the side of the road. That's when I heard the cars approaching us on the road and I stayed low to the ground along with him.

They were heavily armored vehicles and they had that same familiar symbol on the side of them I had grown to know all too painfully well. We waited for them to pass and even then we'd waited a few moments longer before moving again. Though this time we chose to cut through the town instead of heading down the main road. Soon we found ourselves in front of the bell tower. 

This, however, had not been without company. The heavily armored vehicles were parked outside of it. Some men surrounded the vehicles heavily armed as they spoke amongst themselves. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Gus motioning me to follow him. After a bit of navigating Gus had found us a way around them and to the side entrance of the building.

"She has to be in here. They must have followed her somehow." Gus whispered as he opened the door and we both entered the building. We'd started to search the floors with no sign of Luz at all. At some point, I heard the men from outside enter the building while Gus and I had been heading back to the first floor. We hid behind a wall allowing most of them to pass.

Peeking around the corner is how I saw there were two left straggling in the back. "There's two coming this way. I'll take one, you take the other." I whispered to Gus and he gave me a stiff nod. As the first one passed I waited on the second one before rushing forward and grabbing him from behind. Gus ran forward grabbing the other though the guard had shot off a bullet bringing the attention of the other guards to us.

I pulled out a knife, the helmet on my head making it more difficult to see as I brought it down on the guy within my grasp. I turned my head to the sound of the other members of the group rushing back toward us. Looking down at the man by my feet I grabbed his gun before taking cover behind a wall as bullets flew passed me. Gus doing the same began to open fire at them. He began taking them out one by one as I stared blankly at the weapon in my hands frozen.

I had never really liked using guns before. The only time I had held one was the one Edric had given me. The one I had abandoned on the ground before I got trapped in that alley. "Amity! Let's go!" I heard an abrupt shout from beside me.

The world fell back to me, and with it, the sight of Gus holding out his hand to me. I took his offered hand as he led me down the hall. I took a glimpse back behind us and regretted it after what I saw. Though I had to keep moving forward. He stopped right by the door and peeked out to see the rest of the group by the vehicles.