Dang Convergence Vol. 1

Chapter Fifteen The Halcyon

Chapter Fifteen

The Halcyon

They ran through the tunnel with hands over their noses to block out the stench of the place. Each step they took sent murky water splashing, and sent monstrous rodents scurrying for safety. The torches they held cast their fleeting shadows onto the walls of the tunnel, all twelve of them.

From above them, a thunderous sound came, one that caused the entire tunnel to tremble. At once, they stopped running, staring upward with wary expressions on their faces as dust dropped from between the small cracks in the tunnel's ceiling. They held their breaths and listened.

They heard distant gunfire, and loud yelling mixed in with the sound of wailing sirens. "It's begun," one of them spoke, her tone grim. Anthea: She was a girl with dirt blond hair, sunken blue eyes and a nasty burn on the left half of her face. She had a scarf around her neck, and wore a tattered black jacket over a white tank top, paired with dark trousers and black leather boots.

Around her waist, she had a utility belt of sorts with explosives and daggers attached to it and a bo staff in her left hand. On her right hand, she had some sort of techy gauntlet with a display that showed blinking dots and a radar.

"We need to move quickly." she said, facing the others. "Remember Gramps's instructions," she continued. "Alpha group's begun the distraction; it should lure all the forces away from Capital HQ so we can make our move." She glanced at the screen on her gauntlet. "We're only a few minutes away from the HQ now. Is everyone clear on what we're supposed to do? Do I need to go over the plan again?"

"Nah, all good," a boy answered, his eyes glowing a slight flaming orange. Smoke issued from his fingertips, and the smell of something burning filled the air. "I understand the plan just fine," he growled.

Anthea looked at him and her expression softened. Gone was the hardened expression of a girl roped into warfare at an age far too little, of a child who'd lost everything far too early. Instead, the expression was of caring, of affection.

She smiled. "Okay, Dang," she nodded. "Let's keep moving."

The group continued their sprint, moving powerfully and swiftly through the tunnel, doing their best to ignore the sound of the chaos ensuing on the surface, at all of the lives being sacrificed for their cause. Dang thought of the others who'd gone with Alpha squad to orchestrate the distraction.

Kyler Worthington. James Clemson. Maya Dawson.

There was a fairly strong chance he wouldn't see any of them again. Even if they managed to survive up there; if this plan didn't work out like it was supposed to, they would more than likely spend the rest of their lives in solitary confinement or be sent to the Dark Mines to slave away for an eternity.

Dang was certain of that. After all, he'd seen the same happen to others he cared about. That was all the more reason why it was of the utmost importance that this went exactly as planned. They couldn't fail.

He couldn't fail. Not again.

All of this, the war that had gone on a full decade between the Rebels and the Red Capital needed to end. And by his flame, he would end it.

He would end it all.

In that moment, even though he hadn't intended to, he fired up. A jet of flames exploded from his feet, propelling him forward like a rocket, the wind generated by the speed with which he moved through the tunnel sending water spraying right in the faces of the others.

"Dang, wait!" Anthea yelled behind him.

But there was no stopping him once he'd gotten fired off like that. He reached their designated entry point, drew a deep breath and shot straight upward, slamming a foot into the ceiling of the tunnel and blasting straight through.