The Saviors

Chapter 5

       February 13

       Slowly coming back to the moment, I realized that there was nothing that I could do until I was safe. Henry wouldn't want me to get myself killed mourning him.

       I rose shakily to my feet, and stepped back, towards Declan, who was holding up his guns, clearly he hadn't had the chance to educate my brother enough to give him one, to ward off any more bullets. I reached into my backpack slowly, rooting around until I grabbed my slingshot. I loaded it with one of my special electrical ammo spheres and pulled back.

       "Isla Blume again I assume?" came a strangely familiar voice from near the front of the crowd. Then he emerged. Hugh. He was the leader of the operation. I thought he just worked for them.

       "I see your confusion, Isla," he said conversationally. "Did I really fool you with my frightened little boy act? I thought you knew better."

       "Who are you?" I demanded. "Tell me or I swear I will electrocute you."

       "I told you Isla, my name is Hugh. I am the leader of The Saviors. I want you dead for what you did."

       "What did I do?"

       "Oh, ask your friend over there. Declan, is it? My father told me all about you."

       "Declan?" I turned to him. He was pale as a ghost. "What does he mean? Who's his father?"

       "No," he whispered. "It can't be possible."

       "Oh, but it is. Possible and true."

       "Will somebody tell me what's going on here?" I demanded. "Who is your father?!"

       "Alright, Isla. I thought you could figure it out but clearly I overestimated you. My name is Hugh," he said, putting his hand out to shake hands. "Hugh Quail."

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       I froze. "You can't be Hugh Quail! He's dead!"

       He laughed. "No, no my dear. I'm not the original Hugh, that honour goes to my uncle. I'm just the namesake."

       "That's not possible!" Declan stepped forward. "Gunther never had any children!"

       "Oh, no. You wouldn't know about me. My father kept my existence an absolute secret. I was only 5 when you killed him, but he had told me all the tales of his adventures. Of Isla and Beatrice. Of Declan and uncle Hugh. Everything. I know exactly what happened between you and my uncle," he said pointing at Declan. "And I know what you did to my father and my uncle!" He pointed at me, clearly growing angrier by the minute.

       "Your father was a horrible man!" Declan had broken. "He deserved to die as penance for all the horrible things that he had done!"

       "That's it," said Hugh, practically shaking with rage. "Bring out the prisoner! We'll torture her to death in front of our dear guests."

       The crowd parted down the middle to make a path for two men on either side of an oddly familiar older woman who wore a look of complete despair and relief at the same time, as if she was relieved that she would finally get to die. As she looked up and saw me, the look on her face turned to one of complete disbelief.

       "Isla?!"

       Somehow that was the thing that made me finally recognize her.

       "General Kazemi?"

       Hugh laughed again. "Indeed Isla, it is your beloved general. See how strong she is now? That will be you after a few years of torture. You'll grow used to it eventually I'm sure."

       His casually talking about torture was what finally made me snap, either that or the look of complete despair on Kazemi's face when he mentioned torturing me. Either way, I did snap. Almost against my will, I released my slingshot. He hadn't expected I would dare to attack. He turned towards me just as an electrified sphere of metal hit him in the face.

       He fell to the ground as streaks of electricity arched across his body. He spasmed and screamed on the ground. Sparks shot into the ground from his body then, suddenly, he stopped moving. The second Hugh Quail was dead.

       At the sight of their leader dead, The Saviors scattered and ran. We were safe.

       I ran over to where the two men had dropped General Kazemi. She was unconscious, but alive. We had succeeded. I looked over at the body of my brother.

       Maybe we succeeded, I thought. But at what cost?

       My brother was dead and there was nothing I could do. Me and Declan sat next to the side by side bodies of Hugh and Henry and cried for hours until we finally had to leave. We had to go home.

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A/N

What do you think? Do you think that the success of the mission was worst the cost? Only the epilogue left. Hope you liked the story so far!

Thanks for reading,

Heather