Barren Crossroads

One Day, I'll be Remembered

He pushed forward, pumping his arms, focused on the sway of Lilith's matted dark hair, and hoping that the hail of gun fire kept missing. In à few more moments, they'd reached the edge of the encampment, and the fence. Jace could feel the buzz of electricity coming off of it now, and it made the hair on neck raise. He caught up to Lilith and Michael, doubled over and panting, and when he whirled around, the guards were only feet behind.

"Shit, shit, shit," he said in à wheeze. "Toss me up. I'll lay over the edge and pull you both."

"That's the best we got," Lilith said and it almost sounded like she was laughing, but then she was gesturing Michael to come over and they both grabbed Jace under the arms.

"Sorry, kind of," Michael said, but he didn't sound very sorry. "This will probably hurt."

"Jace."

Ryan.

His whole body felt like lead, and he whirled around. Ryan stood a few feet away, casual, like this wasn't à big deal. He was in his suit, and à gun was held loosely in his hand at his side. He watched Jace with his dead, shark eyes, and Jace felt like he could see right through him. "Father," he said, and he tried to move forward and shift his focus away from Michael and Lilith.

He slid one hand behind his back and tried to gesture at them both to leave. They could easily get out, and Jace had told Lilith where he thought Kaelie might go. They might be able to head her off. If they got out, and they saved her, that would be all that mattered. Jace would live with whatever punishments his father tried to mete out, if the rest of them lived.

"No," Lilith hissed behind him, but he didn't dare turn around.

"What are you doing, Jace?" his father said in that same calm, emotionless void. It felt like staring into the bottom of the ocean, into darkness.

"Leaving," he said.

"Not doing à very quiet job of it, are you son?" The word made Jace's stomach roil.

He shrugged. "Oh, you know. Never been one to go out without making à scene. Love the dramatics, and all that."

He knew what Michael and Lilith wanted. It was worth à shot. He took à small step back, and lifted his hands in the air. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to leave with my friends."

"Friends," Ryan spit, and his face turned red. "These mutations are not your friends, Jace Ryan. They are barely more than animals, they're feral. The weak do not deserve to live, you know that."

"What happened to you?" Jace said. "What happened?"

Ryan huffed out an unfeeling laugh. "Nothing happened, Jace. I knew when to hide and when not to. I thought I could handle the mundanity of normal life, but your mother ruined everything. You do not need to create the perfect person. Survival does that- strong live, weak die, if you can just make everyone strong, there is nothing to separate the betters from the trash, there is no reason for survival if everyone's à lion. She wouldn't leave, so I had to. But she took you and she infected you and here you are, à mutant fucking little boy who still thinks the good guys always win."

Ryan had stopped making sense, his thoughts were jumbled and none of them matched up, like à puzzle with missing pieces. Jace didn't even think Ryan believed half of what he was saying, but it made him all the more dangerous. He wanted control, and he didn't care anymore how he got it. He took another step back and Michael and Lilith's hands closed under his arms again.

He gave à sharp nod and the air whistled in his ears and his shoulders burned in pain. His stomach dropped as he flew through the air, and he tried to tuck himself into à ball and brace himself. It felt like minutes but could have only been seconds, and then he was grunting as the air left his lungs and he slammed into the winter hardened ground. He rolled over, and tried to breath around the weight in his chest. He rolled over, and crawled to the edge of the rock overhang and looked down. Michael and Lilith were both rapidly looking up at him and back down where Ryan's men were advancing.