Black Equation - The Gifted Ones

Number Twelve

"It's hard to get to heaven when you're born hell-bound."

 Number Twelve

 The good feeling vanished the moment Krad heard the crashing noise from inside the house. Without even thinking twice, he threw his shirt on and rushed past the door to find a panicking Faye, a newly roused Rael and a ghostly pale Atom.

 “What on earth happened here?” He smelled the blood before he saw the red stains on the steps and the floor. 

“Atom fell down the stairs,” Faye said as she held the boy’s arms. Atom had the left side of his face covered with thick blood, staining even the shoulder part of his white pajama shirt.

He was crying.

Krad quickly knelt in front of him. The boy wrapped himself around him like he was his only lifeline. For reasons beyond him, it made Krad’s hackles rise. “Shh. Rael will fix you up in no time. Man up.”

Atom’s whispered words brought the household into complete chaos.

 “They’re here.”

Krad and Rael didn’t spare any thoughts of who they might be. Atom was as fearless as a general in battle, but he had one weakness. The Light. After having his family killed and him captured, they had tortured him, broken him and used his Gift for cruel deeds that no child should ever witness in their lives. Since he was a toddler, he had been beaten black and blue, to the point that his mind teetered on the edge of sanity. It was Krad who helped him recover, Krad who treated him well, but despite all the attention that the young man showered him, he still couldn’t stand the Light.

Atom was absolutely terrified of them.

And if they found Faye…

Krad immediately shoved the boy and Faye towards Rael who was on his way back from his room with a large backpack and a small duffel bag. The two men had foreseen this happening. They got everything ready, just in case they were tracked by the enemies.

 “Go!” He pulled out a gun from a strap hidden in his calf. “I’ll distract them.”

Faye was bewildered. “What? Why? What’s going – “

 “No time to explain.” Rael picked the boy and carried him on one shoulder and yanked her towards the kitchen. “We have to escape.”

 “But,” she looked around, and Krad was already nowhere to be seen. “Krad – “

 “Don’t worry. He has survived worse scenarios.” He put the crying boy and the bags down on the floor before unplugging the fridge from the outlet. “The Light must never see you.” With a single hand, he dragged the refrigerator away from the wall, revealing a small opening that led underground. “This tunnel leads outside. Once you reached the end, avoid getting on the major roads. Stay out of sight.” He handed her the bags and the shivering boy. “Once Atom calms down, he’ll tell you what to do next. Be safe, Faye.”

Everything was happening too fast for her too understand. She was still in shock to see Atom fell down the stairs, and now, what, they were under attack too? She couldn’t wrap her mind around them. “You’re not coming?”

Rael moved to the cabinets to get a large machine gun hidden behind the stacks of canned goods. “Krad can’t handle all of them. He’s weak from last night’s injury. I have to cover him.”

Injury? Last night? She saw him half-naked just a while ago and there were no telltale signs of him suffering or tired or any new stitches. “I’m not –“