The Anomaly Project

CHAPTER TEN

NOAH

I don't think I've ever felt so exhilarated. I mean, when you're racing at top speed through the halls to escape from a secret facility, with alarms blaring and lights flashing and people trying to stop you at every minute... there's just nothing like it.

I can't believe this is actually happening. I saw this; I saw them planning to rescue us in my dreams. So I was right. But I don't have exactly have a lot of time to ponder about what it means.

Autumn runs beside me, keeping pace with me step for step. "So," she calls out to the two guys between breaths, "I'm Autumn Stone, he's Noah Stone. Mind telling us your names?"

The younger guy glances back and says, "Todd Anders. My friend here is Masato Sasaki. And we have another friend waiting for us – my cousin, actually."

"Guys, we're kind of in the middle of a breakout!" the Japanese guy, Masato, shouts. "We don't have a lot of time for friendly chit-chat!"

"He's got a point," I mumble under my breath. We keep running, Todd and Masato leading the way.

We round a corner and three guards are coming at us, ready to stop us. We all skid to a stop and look at each other. Masato turns to Autumn and I. "Okay, listen, these guys are pretty tough to beat, but Todd and I can take them. You two don't get involved; you're the ones we need to keep safe. Don't be scared, alright?"

Autumn scoffs. Masato looks at her strangely. "Don't be scared," she repeats. She turns to me, eyebrows raised. "Did you hear that, Noah? He thinks we're scared." She looks back at Masato. "Look, I'm sure you and Todd would be able to take them," she says, "but let me have a go first."

Masato looks utterly confused. I can't help but grin. I love my sister, but if you didn't grow up with her, she does take some getting used to.

Autumn pushes past us and steps out in front of all of us. The guards are still coming at us, but she closes her eyes to concentrate and shoves her palms out toward them. Immediately, they all fly backwards, hitting the wall at the end of the corridor. One of them tries to get up right away, and she pushes her hand out to the right. He slams into the wall on the right side of the hall, dropping to the floor and staying there unmoving.

The other two guards have stood up and start moving toward us again, but Autumn flings one hand out to the right and one to the left, and the guards follow the movements of her hands, crashing hard into the walls.

Autumn turns back around to face us, smiling. Todd and Masato are gaping at her, obviously shocked. They didn't see that coming, that's for sure. In all honesty, I'm not sure even I saw that coming. "How..." Todd starts to say, but he can't finish his train of thought.

I snap my fingers twice to bring them back down to Earth. "Guys, we kind of need to get out of here...?"

Masato nods. "Right, right. Follow me!" He takes off toward the end of the hallway, past the unconscious guards, and makes a sharp left. We all follow him in single file – Autumn is behind him, then me behind her, then Todd at the back. Masato reaches a door with a picture of a staircase on it and goes to pull it open, but it's locked. He curses under his breath and looks around. All of a sudden, the alarms go silent and the flashing red lights cease.

Todd pumps a fist. "Yes! Tessa came through!"

Autumn looks at him, confused. "Tessa? Who's—"

"She's their friend," I interrupt. "She's in the control room, stopping the alarms and opening the doors."

Todd gives me a look. "No offense, but that's really weird, mate."